I knew I could, I knew I could

in case you were missing my relentless commentary on the 10K, here's more! a recap of saturday's events.

(a shoot of central park west jam packed, my bumpin 10K playlist, andrea & I pre-race in columbus circle,  me & my flailing arms crossing the finish line, and some action shots. after the race I downed a huge breakfast, took a sparkly bubble bath, got a mani/pedi and filled the afternoon with bread)

this is the first shot of the day. I got up bright and early, grabbed a gatorade and met andrea at the subway. I was really nervous having never run 6 miles in my life. I know it doesn't seem that far and it really isn't, but it seemed like a nearly insurmountable feat for me. andrea, ever the voice of confidence, assured me I could do it. we rode down to columbus cirlce, made some swedish friends, and then got ready for the race to start.

after 6 something long miles I bounced across that finish line singing defying gravity with a few tears running down my cheeks. my emotional/super red from exhaustion face is extra special.

the first 3 miles I kept up with andrea & marilee and their smooth, swift strides, but after hill number two I had to acknowledge those blue romney shirts were moving forward at a pace I could not sustain. so I ran along on my own trying to think of anything besides, HOW MUCH FURTHER?! when I got to the "800M to go" sign I was about at my limit. I remember my sister telling me how much she loved listening to defying gravity during her half marathon so I clicked to that song. hearing the crowd and seeing the finish line gave me an extra push and I ran hard across the line. I'd be lying if I said this race wasn't incredibly hard for me, but I'm so glad I pushed through. it was wonderful to know I had followed through and that I could do it. I surprised myself so much that I decided to run a half marathon. one step closer to figuring out what I am made of.

girl power!!!!

could not have done it without this cute running mate. she's much faster than me so we didn't get to run together on race day, but she encouraged me through every step of the journey. she even texted me at the end of the race that she was waiting for me at the finish line. I knew on mile one that I would be too disappointed to tell her I had walked... there was nothing to do but keep running.

and so I did. I ran the whole thing! slowly as you can see, but without walking none the less.

NYRR Race Results Member Race History ING New York City Marathon New York City Marathon Archive (1970-2011)		NYRR New York Mini 10K List by Name: Kaitlyn Ray Distance:  6.2 miles, 10 kilometers Date/Time:  June 9, 2012, 8:00 AM Location:  Central Park, NYC Weather:  69 degrees, 55% humidity, wind 5 MPH.

Overall Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Net Time	5K Split	Pace/ Mile	AG Time	AG Gender Place	AG %
4825	4825	1185	1:10:11	0:31:52	11:19	1:10:11	5141	43.23 %

not gonna walk

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there's about to be a lot of "crying" going on. here I come 10K

run run run

racer back tank // capri pants // sports bra // socks // headband // sneaks // backpack

tomorrow I run like I've never run before! while training for this thing I've found that while so far I do in fact still hate running, there is something satisfying about it. I hope that little seedling grows into a love of running and a rockin runners body to match. I'm nurturing that seed with the best attempts at consistency and good gear of course. this is what I'll be racing not walking, but not running fast enough to be a competitor, in this weekend.

one: lulu racer back tank. light, soft, breathable fabric is key for me.
two: have yet to find a sports bra that really offers the support I need, but I love the look and feel of this one so I just double up.
three: I won't actually run in this for the 10K, but I do use it when I run home from work and love it.
four: looks super nerdy... ok is super nerdy, but is such an improvement from an arm band. can stash my phone, keys, and a chapstick in here and it doesn't feel like a thing.
five: I prefer capris for running. loose running shorts are cute, but are just more uncomfortable for me.
six: a good headband is crucial in the summer.
seven: I like NB and nikes. I like light weight with decent support.
eight: the right sock. not to tall, not too low!

I think I can, I think I can...

race day is saturday.

IM SCARED. 

haha

but, no really...

my one and only goal is to keep running the whole time. no walking.

doesn't sound so bad, if you are moving at a snails pace, but I probably would have collapsed if I'd had to do one more mile after last weeks fiver. {Im not a runner}

I'm toast for sure. pray for my survival.

believing

remember when I made a big proclamation about figuring out who I am aka getting super healthy. well 3/31 came and went. my bad. good news is I feel really good about where I'm headed.

my dear friend whitney wrote this post and it reminded me. I AM CAPABLE. somehow I had forgotten that.

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A couple weeks ago I did that on a run. I told myself I was gonna run this particular loop in the park without stopping. It seemed like a really long time for me to go, but I just believed I could do it. I didn't debate with myself about it, I just did. when I was done I felt AMAZING, not so much from the running but from the empowerment I felt. I honestly felt like I had just done a magic trick, just by believing in myself.


{belief makes things real}

get it girl

just wanted to share my latest 10K training playlist (called get it girl). there's a few really good pump-ups on there. I've done a couple 3 mile runs in the last week and I way proud. I know for most of you that's weak sauce, but it feels pretty big time for me. baby steps people.

{taken on thursday's run}

jams:

**brokenhearted: karmin

abracadabra: jessie j

don't wanna fall in love: pussy cat dolls

domino: jessie j

loverboy: mariah carey

your love's a drug: leighton meester

diamond girl: ryan leslie

tonight is the night: outasight

too close: alex clare

everybody talks: neon trees

turn me on: david guetta & nicki minaj

turn up the music: chris brown

good girl: carrie underwood

part of me: katy perry

stronger: kelly clarkson

call me maybe: carly rae jepsen

we are young: fun.

let me be your star: smash soundtrack 

boyfriend: justin bieber

cool down:

over you: miranda lambert

i won't give up: jason mraz

sky: josua radin & ingrid michealson

eyes open: taylor swift

come away to the water: maroon five 

** super good

just doing it

it seems like I am always giving myself a reason to get out of the things I need to be doing. it was a long day at work, that trip to the grocery store was a nightmare,  I'm too tired today... bla bla bla. but the truth of it is: 

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tomorrow is getting really old.
tomorrow is not working.
 TODAY is the new tomorrow.

 today I'm going to do my training even if I don't get home until 9:30pm. today I am going to get to bed before midnight even if it means I skip watching some TV with J after the gym. today I am going to thoroughly wash my face, floss, and say my prayers even if I am in a hurry to get to the bed, and today I am going to do better than I did yesterday, because today is really all I have!

I took this last week after I went to a fun dance class, but then made myself do my 10K training when I got home. seriously I felt so proud of myself after just doing it that one small victory carried me the rest of the week through of my healthy 2012 plan. so even if there seems like plenty of reasons to let myself off the hook just this time I'm going to stick to it. I'm going to JUST DO IT no matter what.

where I am now

for my 10K training I've been running around the reservoir. it reminds me a lot of the pond in hyde park and london naturally. I can't believe it's been four years since I lived there. I am dying for a visit across the pond but, in exchange I will definitely take the views in my neck of the woods. they are pretty breathe-taking. which leads me to thinking about how much time I spend longing for something. I'm trying to pin point what is a healthy amount of wanting that keeps me reaching higher, but not so much so that I can't enjoy the now. I have a friend who begins almost every sentence with "I'll be happy when...." and it pains me that she can't seem to enjoy where she is right now. 

I don't want to miss out on enjoying where I am because I'm thinking about where I have been or could be. 

here we go

I did very brave thing for myself and registered for the ny mini women's 10K in central park. the thought of running for any extended period of time greater than 15 minutes straight terrifies me. I mean I feel like curling up in a ball under my desk just thinking about it, but I'm running with a group of girlfriends in support of mitt romney so at least I have a cause I believe in and good friends behind me. I'm also kind of excited about doing something that is totally foreign to me (even if it is as terrible as running). these wimpy legs have never ever run 6 miles so it's kinda fun to think I'm going feel something totally new. like I said before, I'm on a quest to see what I'm made of. so next week is week one of this training program. I'll probably break it up a bit since I have some more time before the race and I have wimpy legs. 

wish me luck!