sports | Living My Full Life

Hello and happy Friday! Last night, some of the photos from the half marathon I ran last weekend became available, so I thought I would share them.

Hannah’s Race Photos:

(She’s the one in the lime green shorts and purple hoodie!)

Go Hannah!

My Mom’s Race Photo:

She’s so cute.

My Race Photos:

Race Recovery:

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve only ran once since the race, and only for ten minutes.

I’m not one to usually take time off after a race, but I’m giving it a try. I’ve read that races are really tough on the body, even if it doesn’t feel like it. So, this week I’ve pretty much been resting, with my “cardio” being walking Lola or shopping ;-). It feels so good to give my body a break!

I’m also going to work on gaining strength in the coming weeks and months.

I want to become stronger and put on some muscle mass. Strength training is especially important for women because it increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Because I love activities like running and swimming, I tend to put little effort towards strength training. When training for running or swimming races, I still strength train, just not to the degree I know I should. I also know that the stronger my muscles become, the better I will run or swim. It’s a win-win!

Well, I better get going. I’m looking forward to this weekend! Jimmy and I are going to be exploring downtown Pittsburgh because the weather is finally beginning to shape up here on the East Coast.

What are you doing this weekend?

Hello and happy Resurrection Sunday! I hope everyone is having a great day today.

Yesterday I ran my fifth half marathon. Woo hoo!

Just A Short Run is one of the Pittsburgh area’s largest races, with about 2,500 participants each year running distances including the 5k, an 8.1 mile, half marathon, and 30K.

It’s time for me to confess: I originally signed up for the 30K, but dropped down the the half marathon a few days before the race because I was under trained. For the past two weeks, I’ve cut my mileage in half, and haven’t done any long runs. I felt bad at first, but I realized that life is all about knowing your limits!

My mom, sister, and I all headed to a park about 20 minutes outside of Pittsburgh for the race in the chilly 30 degree weather. Guess who I got to meet up with!

I finally got to meet Nikki from Life After Swimming. She’s so awesome and I totally wish she still lived in Pennsylvania!

Nikki even stayed after her 5k walk to cheer me on while I ran.

Thanks Nikki 😀

Race Results:

Time: 1:43:08 Pace: 7:52 Place: 2nd in 20-24 age group

I checked my watch, and it said I ran 13.5 miles, so that would be a 7:38 pace. Not too shabby! It’s not my fastest time (1:39:22) or my slowest time (1:46:16), so I’m pretty happy with how I did considering my fitness level (<— low.. haha), the weather, and the course. Honestly, I just feel happy any time I get a chance to run.

Hannah ran the 5k and rocked it! Her time was 25:26 (8:12 pace) and she was third in her age group.

After the race, I spent pretty much the rest of the day on the couch. Hannah, Jimmy, and I made deviled eggs. I honestly never had deviled eggs until yesterday. For some reason, I was craving them so badly, yet I had never ate them before. Can you crave something that you’ve never had before?!

For dinner, my mom and I made a delicious slow cooker meal that I can’t wait to share with you all. It will have to wait until my next post because going to force myself to do homework and then I’m heading back to church. Have a great evening!

What did you do this weekend?