Fitness Friday - 2/3

 Currently Training For:

• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon
• Disney's Princess Half Marathon & Glass Slipper Challenge

Saturday - 6 mile run
Sunday - 5 mile walk with Jason and Brayden
Monday - Rest day
Tuesday - 3 mile run
Wednesday - PT routine/leg exercises
Thursday - 2 mile run
Friday - Rest day/tapering for Rock n Roll NOLA

This week was a fun one when it came down to running and tapering! 

My week began on Saturday morning when Heather and I set out on our last long run before Roll New Orleans Half this weekend! The six miles flew by as we talked away. I love running long runs with a friend...the miles don't seem as daunting when you have someone to talk to!

On Sunday, my husband still had his mileage to do for the upcoming Enchanted 10K, so I offered to walk with him. It was such a gorgeous day, I couldn't pass up the opportunity!

Again, the miles flew by as we chatted. It didn't seem like 5 miles at all!

Brayden took his afternoon nap during the walk, so we were able to finish the entire thing together! :)

I appreciate gorgeous days like this one even more because we haven't had very many of them lately!

Tuesday was a great day, too! I got off work early and came straight home to get in a run before picking Brayden up from my mom's house. I love running with Brayden, don't get me wrong (and he loves it too), but it's amazing how much that jogging stroller slows me down. My average mile with him is usually a 9:30 and I was able to run negative splits and average 8:55 alone!

I also had a new achievement on this Garmin that I received for Christmas...my fastest mile! Woohoo!

Have you guys checked out KatieDid Productions over on Facebook? She hosted a "Fit For A Princess" headband sale and omg...I fell in love with so many of them! I had to restrain myself and narrow my selection down to only purchase two of them. This princess band one of my favorites! So cute and perfect for Princess Half Marathon Weekend!

As if that wasn't enough, our magic bands for Princess Weekend arrived in the mail!

So exciting!!!

On Thursday, Jason and I sent out for a few more miles. We hit rain showers around the end of two miles, so we finished it out and called it a day at two. 

Tapering for Rock n Roll New Orleans this week has been fun! The nerves won't hit until Saturday night, I'm sure! If you see me out and about around town, please say hi!! I would love to meet you! :)

Do you have anything fun planned for this weekend?

Tuesday's on the Run - Taper Quirks & Dreams

It's my first time to join in on a Tuesday's on the Run post and I couldn't be more excited!

This week's topic is all about the taper - your quirks, cravings, or rituals...

My running coach has often refers to the "taper crazies" - the anxiety and nervousness runners feel during the time leading up to their race. It's also a time when weekly distance drops and carb loading begins. 


The hardest taper I ever endured was in the week leading up to Goofy's Challenge. I remember having crazy dreams about missing the start line, my alarm not going off, sprinting to make it to the start, etc. It's usually the dreams that get me. 

There's a vision that always haunts me prior to a runDisney race. It was the year I ran the Full Marathon (2011, I think). It was my very first full and I was taking it all in. Well, I had a friend who was running the half that year, so I met up with another friend to cheer her on from the TTC. As we waited for runners to approach, we saw two stray runners who either woke up late, missed their bus, etc. One was frantically running through the TTC, eating a banana and attempting to catch a monorail. The other one was a man who basically sprinted through us to get where he needed to go. I so hope they both made it to the start line as I felt so bad for them! 

After experiencing that, my brain now goes to the worst possible scenario during taper week and my dreams go crazy.

Although the butterflies and anxiety get to me sometimes, tapering is good! I enjoy the slower pace, the "bonus" time I get to spend at home, and all the excitement that leads up to a race. 

I honestly enjoy tapering (most of the time). All of the time on your feet, hours of training, and hard work has finally paid off and the ultimate reward of crossing the finish line is directly ahead of you. Tapering is a time to scale back the weekly mileage and run a few easy paced miles "just because". 

If the dreams would leave me alone, I would be alright! :)

Now, ask me about this again in December before my next half marathon and I'll probably tell you a different story! :)