Marathon Training - week 4

So compared to the whirlwind that was last week this week was way laid back. A little too laid back considering I only got 2 runs in. BUT I did bake 10 dozen cupcakes this week, so that's worth something.

To start off the week I got a sweet surprise from my I Run 4 buddy Abby. She sent me this awesome necklace.

Wed 7/23 - 2.5 miles - 14:10 min mile average pace - 36:06 total run time. Jennifer joined me and she did speed work while I went slow. :)

 Sunday 7/27 - 5 miles - 14:09 min mile average pace - 1:11:01 total run time. A few girls from Mom's Run This Town joined me for the run this morning. It was hot and humid but we got it done.

Marathon Training - week 3 "Road Trip" and a Wedding

OK so I'm behind in my blog by a week, whatever I've been busy, out of town, baking like crazy, etc etc etc. We will start of with week 3 and the road trip. My schedule was so off with the upcoming trip that I got in what I could when I could. My Dad and I knew getting out of DFW (Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport) Thursday like originally planned was not going to happen since the flights were showing over sold so we flew out Wednesday night.

Tue 7/15 - 2.3 miles w/ 13:09 per mile avg pace - total run time 30:01 in my neighborhood

Wed 7/16 - 2.5 miles w/ 12:07 per mile avg pace - total run time 30:34 in my neighborhood

Airport craziness - Ain't no body got time for that :

I have to say with all the time I've spent in airports as a flight attendant and as a passenger it never ceases to amaze me how stupid some people can be. In this instance one mans stupidity meant two seats for my Dad and me on the airplane. Long story short this older white guy was trying to start a fight with a young black guy while in line to change seats at the gate. He was repeatedly calling this young man the "N" word and saying he was going to kick his ass. What in the world was this old white guy thinking. But the young black guy kept his cool and shook it off while the old white guy was escorted out of the terminal by 8 DFW police officers. And Dad and I got assigned the seats that the old guy and his wife would have had to Vegas. Thankfully the pilots both saw the exchange and made the call to security. If anyone would have let it slide and let this guy on the plane he would have ended up sitting one row in front of the black couple. The white guys wife was the real sad part of the story, as she was lying to the cops about being in the bathroom the whole time, she is stuck going home with this jerk. Judging by how quickly she lied for him and didn't bat an eye while he lied to the cops I would say she's been in this situation before.

Vegas baby!
So we got into Vegas about 12:30 am so by the time we got the rental car and got checked into the hotel it was 2:00 am and I was starving. Dad and I shared the most colossal and amazing burger at this place called the Hash Hut in the hotel. 

We played for a little while and finally got to bed around 3:30 am. Dad was awake bright and early 3 hours later, because you know in Vegas you can survive on 3 hours sleep apparently. So we got ready and headed out for a breakfast buffet and a bit more playing.

We hit the road headed for Salt Lake City Utah at about 12:30, with a stopover in Mesquite for some more Craps and we finally got to our destination around 9:30 pm. The drive was beautiful but I was exhausted.







Fri 7/18 - 2.4 miles w/ 13:51 per mile avg pace - total run time 32:53- this run was done just north of Salt Lake City Utah where the elevation is about 4500 ft above sea level. My normal runs are about 700 ft elevation. So quite a different environment. The scenery was beautiful even though I didn't venture out of the neighborhood we were staying in. I still find it funny that people have Christmas trees in their front yard.

Friday night was the Rehearsal dinner for Elliott and Eve. Saturday was the wedding and it was such a good time. A beautiful location and a beautiful couple. We had a great time at the wedding and to everyone's surprise we were treated to an unplanned fireworks show to top off the evening. 

Sunday was spent driving back to Vegas and flying back to DFW. When I got home at 2:30 am I was exhausted. But it was all worth it. 

Marathon Training - Week 2

Well week 2 wasn't as productive as week 1 but still made progress. My brain has been on overload trying to adjust from the 4 days off and my week was all backwards. But excuses aside I still got a few short runs in.

My long run this weekend was supposed to be 4 miles, which brings me to the discussion of jogging strollers. Let me start by giving huge props to those that can speed right along pushing their kids as they run. You are much better than me.

Here lately my times have been improving, until I added the stroller into the mix. My average went up by 2:30 min. Addison did good for the first 2 miles and then she was done. I think I can maybe get her built up to 3 miles especially if I add music but we will have to work on it together. So my 4 mile run turned into 2.2.

Monday- flew home from Florida, guess I need to map out the walking distance in the airports
Tuesday 7/8 - 2.5 mi run - 11:56 avg pace - 29:52 total run time (personal best for outside 2 miles)
Wednesday - baked cupcakes for 2 hours
Thursday - swim lessons, forgot my workout clothes for afterward - epic fail
Friday 7/11 - 2.6 mi treadmill run - 11:55 avg pace - 31:00 total run time, followed by 30 min of weights and abs.
Saturday - I cleaned all day long, that counts for a few miles right?
Sunday 7/13 - 2.2 mi run pushing the jogging stroller - 14:31 avg pace - 32:33 total run time

Total mileage this week = 7.3 miles

My 6 year old spent the week in Florida. It was odd only having 1 child to worry about, and so much quieter around here. But he's back home now so we're back to the regular noise level again..... which means.... Mommy needs a run!

Marathon Training Week 1

Well when I signed up for my first marathon I knew the training would be starting soon, and now here we go! Week 1 went pretty well. I am following the Galloway training plan and doing intervals with my running, especially the longer distances. So I thought I'd give you guys an idea of how week 1 went down.....

  Monday - June 30th - Cross Training - I planked for 45 seconds, did 15 push ups, 25 leg lifts, 15 squats, and baked cupcakes (yes I count standing for an hour and running around my kitchen as cardio)

 Tuesday - July 1st - 31:46 run time - 13:46 avg pace - 2.3 mi distance - 91 degrees outside! It was HOT, I was not - ha ha ha

 Wednesday - July 2nd - Cross Training in the gym -
 20 min on stationary bike - 3.6 mi
20 min working arms & abs
25 min on treadmill - I went 20 min of straight running! Big accomplishment for me, even though it was just 5.0 mph setting I didn't stop to walk. 2 mi total

 Thursday - July 3rd - 29:43 run time - 12:52 avg pace - 2.3 mi distance - super humid outstide

Sunday - July 6th - 44:32 run time - 12:40 avg pace - 3.5 mi distance - ran with Shannan who always makes me faster. I need her to do a 5k with me so I can finish under 40 min. We ran along the water in downtown St. Pete. It started out nice but after about 20 min it got hot really quick, and of course it's humid in Florida.






We had a bunch of fun in Florida, it was 3 days filled with family, friends, and good times. Of course I baked while I was there and also got to visit the beach for a great sunset.

Marathon Cupcakes

So a few big things happened this week. Don't let the title of this blog deceive you, I didn't run a marathon, but it sure feels like I did. Oh and I did sign up for one! January 11, 2015 I will run my first marathon at Walt Disney World. I found it fitting that since I ran my first half marathon at Disney I should do my first marathon there as well. So I pulled the trigger, took the plunge, whatever you want to call it and I registered. Oh good lord what have I done?

I also started training for my first ever Triathlon. I got in a little over 400 yards in the pool and didn't die so I feel I can do this now. My plan is short runs on Tues/Thurs, swim/bike on Mon/Wed, and longer runs on the weekend. Hopefully come July 19th I will be ready.

So now onto the cupcakes... my oh my the cupcakes. Since Thursday I made 16 dozen cupcakes.

I started with the flavor of the week which was Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, then I had to get started on custom orders on Friday after work.

I made Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cookies & Cream, and Lemonade for a baby shower with cute cowboy decorations piped in chocolate.

Next was Cookies & Cream for a baseball party complete with white chocolate baseball decor.

Followed by Caramel cupcakes with Salted Caramel Cream filling and Cream cheese frosting and Chocolate cupcakes filled with peanut butter filling and buttercream frosting. Those were for a bridal shower with Burlap & Lace being the theme, Peach & Mint Green colors.

 

Finally the graduation cupcakes, these were fun and almost didn't fit in the boxes because they were taller than I planned. My client had two kids graduating, the first with Green & White colors and Double Chocolate cupcakes and the last batch was Chocolate Covered Strawberry with Blue & Silver colors. I made chocolate graduation caps and chocolate discs that said 2014.

There were several snafus especially with the chocolate decorations not coming out properly the first time, trouble finding liners, etc. Oh and a timing issue of throwing the George Strait concert in the middle of it all. Man was that an awesome concert though! I figured out that this weekend I spent over 18 hours on my feet with about 12 of those spent baking. And I wouldn't change any of it, I am so thankful that these opportunities are coming my way.

www.facebook.com/jonesin4acupcake            www.jonesin4cupcakes.com

Passing judgement while being passed

If there's one thing I've learned while running it's to never ever judge another runner! This goes for all workouts really. You have no idea where they are in their personal journey. It could be their first day, or 10th year. They could have logged 5 miles or 5000 and there's no way to tell by just passing by, or being passed in my case. I find that I am frequently judging myself while I work out and often wonder what others must think of me. It's stupid but I wonder if others get inspired or if they are just thinking "my god is that chick going to make it".


I was thinking as I ran yesterday about why I run. I run to be healthy for my kids and to provide an example of the things they can accomplish if they work towards a goal. I run for me, both my physical appearance and my sanity improve after each mile. I run to disprove the things "I could never do"... I once told myself I could never be a runner, that I could never run 3 miles, never run a Half Marathon, etc. So I set new goals for myself, I push my comfort zone, and I work on improving.

So when I'm being passed by the 80 year old woman who looks like she is barely moving, or the 6 year old girl running with her dad, I like to turn around and look at those behind me. I know that every person in front of me and behind me all has their own story and their own reasons that they "run". Who am I to judge?

Here are some photos of my personal journey:
First ever 5k (which turned into a 10k by accident but that's another story) October 2011

 My first Half Marathon - February 2012

 Return to running - First 5k 6 weeks after having my daughter - March 2013

My 5th Half Marathon - April 2014  And my most recent 5k 4/26/14

My many hats - Mom, Runner, Cupcake baker, etc. etc. and so forth

So somewhere I've started a blog in the past, but I couldn't find it, so I'm starting over. I'm Nicole a 30 something mother of two. My day job is specialty medical billing, but I fill my time with so much more than just work. As I mentioned I have two kids... I think they are pretty awesome. Austin is 6 going on 26 and Addison turned 1 in January. If they didn't keep me busy enough in addition to my full time job I also own and operate my own home based bakery specializing in cupcakes. I opened that this year and so far it's turning into something positive and I love it. I am also a runner. I completed my 5th Half Marathon this past weekend.

So Cupcake Runner .... that could also be considered drug runner by some since I've been accused of hiding addictive substances in my frosting. I can be seen making parking lot cupcake drops and the old leave the money under the brick and take the goods from the front porch happens weekly. I'm also part of an amazing running group, Mom's Run This Town. We call ourselves team cupcake, and I have been known (or expected to) bring cupcakes to our group runs and events. So to me cupcakes and running go hand in hand.

What to expect from this blog..... well I don't know yet, we can figure that out together.

www.jonesin4cupcakes.com    www.facebook.com/jonesin4acupcake

Mustang 50th Anniversary Half Marathon - LAS VEGAS

Viva Las Vegas! I knew as soon as I heard about this run that I had to find a way to make it happen. #1 it's a race centered around the 50th Anniversary of the Mustang... #2 it was held in Las Vegas at the speedway. I had no idea how I was going to make it work but thanks to my cupcake business blossoming I had some extra cash and made it happen. So my 5th Half Marathon was going to be this one and I was going to rock it!

  

Now I've been to Vegas at least 20 times, it's always fun but it's not new to me anymore. But I talked Rachel into doing to race with me and it was her first time in Las Vegas. It's always fun to see someone's reaction the first time they are there. We did way too much walking around the day before the race, but there was a lot to see. 

The weather was dry and about 60 degrees at the start of the race, but it got hot quick once out running on the asphalt in the desert. I think it was 70 degrees when we finished but at points it felt way hotter. We went into the race thinking that after the hills of Fairview we would certainly be faster on the flat route. Unfortunately that was NOT the case. It's been so cool and humid in Texas that my body was not ready for the dryer warm climate. I would say I easily consumed 1 1/2 gallons of water/powerade during the race. I mean it was the Mojave Desert after all. 

 

 

  But there were Mustangs to look at along the route as well thankfully.

I must say though without Rachel I don't know how I would have finished this race. This was the first time ever that just sitting down on the ground and letting someone come pick me up crossed my mind more than once. I am not a quitter but on this day I seriously considered it. It was my slowest half marathon to date. My 5th race was my slowest. But as with each challenge I learn something about myself. I learned on this race that even though I didn't train well enough, and was not ready for the heat, that good running music and a good running partner can make hell in the dessert .... more fun.

We were totally faking it for this picture. And I was about to cry in the next one.

I didn't rock it...BUT WE DID IT!   I DID IT!   And for at least a little while I'm backing off the long distances. I do plan on picking them back up after the summer but for now I'm done.

Oh and I must add that Sparkle Skirts are the ultimate running apparel. We saw several sparkle sisters along the course which was another good distraction and easy conversation starter.

Fairview Half Marathon - 4/5/14 Fairview Tx

Time for Half Marathon # 3 in 90 days... which qualifies me for the Half Fanatics running group. Mark that off the goal list. The Fairview Half was a local race that again my crazy awesome running friends were signed up for.

It was aforementioned to be a hilly course and boy they didn't lie. BUT with the help of my friend Rachel I finished in a new record time. Still way slower than most people but faster than I have been before. I have always been told to run your own race, don't rely on anyone else to run it for you. But it sure is better to have someone run it with you. Cassie and Jessica joined us and we stayed together as a group all the way up until about the last mile. There were two distinct points in the race when either Rachel or I were encouraging the other that we could do this. "Pull up your big girl panties and lets go!" was at least one phrase used. The hills were rough on our bodies.

I was really impressed by the amount of race support at this event, there were people all along the route cheering. It's so much nicer running a race with distractions. This race had beautiful houses, horses, lamas, cows, good water stations, gummy bears, and local folks cheering along the way. I certainly recommend this race to others.