More/Fitness Magazine Women's Half-Marathon

Huh, well apparently I took a little break from blogging! It was totally unintentional; I kept thinking about writing a post, but it just didn't happen. Oops!

I want to start by saying that my heart goes out to all the runners, families, and friends who were affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. The running community is so amazing, one that I feel truly blessed to be a part of, and to have it attacked felt very personal, even though I don't know anyone in real life who was in Boston that day. The response has truly been heartwarming and has made me love runners that much more. I also think law-enforcement deserves a tremendous amount of gratitude for putting their own lives on the line to catch these guys!

On a much brighter note, I ran my 5th half-marathon last weekend, the More/Fitness Women's Half-marathon in Central Park. This was my first women's only race and it was pretty inspirational to see women of all ages, shapes and sizes running and/or walking this race.

The weather was absolutely spectacular, just cool enough and the sun was shining brightly. I was so, so calm on the way to this race for some reason. I stayed at a hotel about a mile from the race start, and made my way down 5th Avenue on Sunday morning; I love walking around midtown early on weekends cause it is so much more pleasant before all the crowds arrive!

I knew this race was going to be challenging, what with all the hills, but I still had a secret goal of breaking 2:20. So far my fastest race had been just under 2:25 but I felt as though I had worked harder this training cycle, incorporating hills, some speed, and doing my long runs faster than I have in the past. 

I'll admit they really weren't kidding when they warned us about the hills, but I managed to push through them and cherish the downhill portions of the race! Looking back at my splits I managed to keep a fairly steady pace throughout the race. There were times I felt I was trudging through mud and was pleasantly surprised when I looked at my watch and found I was moving a lot faster than I thought. The last few miles were pretty rough, but I knew that I was still on track for a PR so I just kept pushing. I was beyong thrilled when I crossed the finish line and knew I had made it under 2:20 - my official time is 2:18:44!

I really loved everything about this race. Of course, the fact that it was in NYC has something to do with that ;) But I found it really well-organized, the crowd support was great, and just the atmosphere in general made it an amazing experience. I would definitely do this race again :)

Has anyone else had an awesome race lately? Or one coming up?

Sleep

I love to sleep.  Anyone who knows me knows that this is what they should expect if they dare wake me up.

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But things have been busy lately and as we all know, sleep is one of the first things to go! I was soooo exhausted last week and I just could not shake it. I felt like I could fall asleep at any minute, anywhere.  Seriously, I was afraid my boss would catch me like this.

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Needless to say, my workouts for the week were less than stellar. I still managed to get my 5 miles in on Monday, but I only got through 1 mile on Wednesday before giving up and just walking.  And I didn't even try to do my long run this weekend.

I have noticed that weeks like this seem to happen once during every training cycle. Part of it is being physically exhausted, but I also know part of it is mental. I let my "bad" week shake my confidence and that contributed to my skipping my long run.  On the other hand, I knew my body and brain both needed a break! I've had some good double-digit runs in the last month and I still have 2 more on the schedule before my next half-marathon so I'm not too concerned.

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I had an extremely lazy weekend, taking naps each day and going to bed ridicously early, so I'm hoping that I've caught up on whatever sleep I needed!

Do you have days (or weeks) where you just can't shake that exhausted feeling?

Do you find you have an off week in every training cycle too?

P.S. Searching for pictures of sleeping cats is not a bad way to start your Monday ;)

How Do They Do It?!

Hey guys! How've you been?

Things have been pretty hectic in my world! As you guys know, I'm working on a novel and I've started a writing class to help guide me along. I know it's not necessary to take a class, but to be honest I need the deadlines to keep me going! The class is definitely time-consuming but I am having a blast :) Unfortunately it means blogging here has fallen off my radar somewhat, but I will be starting a writing blog to document that process so I hope you guys will check it out once I get it going!

In other news, I got a second tattoo a few weeks ago :) I got my first one when I was 18 and I swore I would never EVER do it again because it hurts!! But then I fell in love with this design and just could not get it out of my head, so I finally went ahead and got it done. Surprisingly this one barely hurt at all and my friend and the tattoo artist both did a great job of distracting me while I was getting it done. I am soooo happy to have it after a year of thinking about, and every time I look down at my wrist I smile :)

I've had a few "How do they do it" moments in the last week.

My first is how do you guys stay on top of your blogging?! I know a lot of you have full-time jobs, families to take care, and of course spend a lot of time working out and training for various events, yet you still post on a regular basis! I also have to admit that I've been going through a "I have no idea what to blog about" phase. I feel as though you've all heard my half-marathon training ramblings and that's all that's going on with me on the workout front lately!

I also had to get up at 4:45 to fit my workout in on Friday and you guys, it was brutal!!! Again, I know some of you do this every single day and I'm in awe of you. I was a mess the rest of the day and could barely focus at work.  I guess it's something you get used to if you have to but I sure am grateful I have time to exercise after work rather than trying to fit it in in the morning!

Do you have any tattoos?
How do fit blogging into your schedule?
How do you feel about early morning workouts?

I Suck at Stretching

Confession - I hardly ever stretch after a workout.

My main excuse is that I HATE being in sweaty clothes. I don't mind sweat one bit while I'm actually working out, but as soon as I'm done I cannot get out of those clothes fast enough! So, by the time I've changed, I usually don't want to be bothered with stretching. Oh, and did I mention my cat just loves to "help" on the rare occasion that I do attempt it? And by help, I mean licking my hair and walking all over me :P

However, my legs have been killing me lately! I've been pushing a little harder, incorporating hills and speed work into my training plan, and it is definitely taking a toll on my body. I actually found myself craving yoga the other day.



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I bought Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown a while ago, but I've only done it once or twice. I pretty much love all of Jillian's workouts and if anyone can make yoga bearable it's her! I think this dvd is a good one for people like me who aren't at all interested in the more zen-like types of yoga. Oh, and I'm super excited that I'm going to see Jillian when she comes to Ottawa in May :)

I'm also hoping that incorporating more stretching into my routine will help get rid of the plantar faciitis I've been dealing with lately.

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I tried the rolling a cold Coke can (or in my case, a Dr. Pepper can) under my foot yesterday and I think it might work cause my foot wasn't nearly as sore as it has been this morning! I hardly ever drink this stuff but I found a can in the back of my fridge and I'll be putting it to good use from now on ;)

What are your favorite yoga dvds?
Any tips for getting rid of plantar faciitis?

P.S. I've had to add word verification to the comments cause I've been getting way too much spam. Sorry!

Intuitive Eating

As I've mentioned before on the blog, I have a history of disordered eating.  I've gone from periods of severely restricting food to periods of eating everything in sight, and it's a pattern I've repeated several times.  As a result, I have a really hard time figuring out when I'm hungry and when I'm full. I don't often get that grumbling tummy hunger signal, or that 'wow I'm so stuffed I can barely move feeling', no matter how little or how much I eat.

I've heard a lot about intuitive eating lately and it is definitely something I was interested in trying, so I was super excited when I found out about Studio Eats' Intuitive Eating Challenge. The challenge started a little over 2 weeks ago and it has been so amazing!

My goal in signing up was not to lose weight, but to relearn how to listen to my body and give it what it needs. It has definitely been an adjustment to stop over-thinking my food choices and to step away from my habits, but I have felt more freedom in the last few weeks than I have since I was kid!

I've noticed a few things that have been getting in the way of my truly listening to my body when it comes to food. One of the biggest things I want to work on is distracted eating.  I have a tendency to eat my meals in front of the computer, which leads to overeating since I'm not actually paying attention to my food!  Now, I have a really hard time doing one thing at a time, so eating in silence isn't something I'm willing to do at this point. However, I have switched out eating dinner at the computer for eating dinner with a book and even that has made a big difference. I am eating less in the evening, and therefore I'm starting to have an appetite in the morning!

I've also learned that my hunger signals don't always come in the form of a grumbling tummy.  Other signs for me include getting irritated and impatient (I'm impatient at the best of times so it just gets extra bad :P), and a difficulty concentrating.

I am really enjoying this process and intuitive eating is something I will keep practicing and learning more about. I cannot recommend it enough for someone who has struggled with their relationship with food! If you're looking for a way to get started, I really encourage you to contact Jamie.  I know she is running a challenge again in March so you might be able to join that! Check out her website at www.studioeats.com.

Have you ever tried Intuitive Eating?

Thoughts on my Birthday

Happy Birthday to me! Wait, is that weird?! ;)

I’m not someone who likes to go all out for their birthday. Getting together with family and friends is all I need to make me happy. Actually no, that’s not true. I need ice cream too.

  

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In the past, I’ve never really given much thought to the fact I’m getting older. I’ve never had a master plan for my life. The fact that I have 4 post-secondary degrees is a testament to that.  I have so many diverse interests that I’ve always found it hard to decide which direction to go in. But I love not knowing. I love that my future is not set in stone and that I have still have the flexibility to take whatever opportunity may arise.  I believe that everything happens for a reason and going with the flow has worked out very well for me so far! 

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That’s not to say that I don’t have dreams and things I want to accomplish.  If anything, with each passing year I’m reminded that some dreams will never go away, no matter how long you resist or push them aside. 

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My dream is to be an author. It’s something I’ve wanted since I was a child, when I spent most of my time in class writing stories, poems, and songs. But somewhere along the way, I got so wrapped up in university, work, and life in general that stopped writing for fun. Of course I've written more academic papers than I care to count, and my current job description is writer/editor, but I spend my days writing about legal stuff, which is interesting in its own right, but not quite as much fun as creating characters. 

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I always knew creative writing was something I would go back to eventually and that time has come! By my birthday next year, I want to have finished a novel. Whether it is published or not is a whole other story, but at least it will be written and I’ll be one step closer to making my dream come true.  

What is your dream?

Hill Training

Hey,

How has your week been? I hope everyone has been keeping warm. I swear, I would not wish winter in Ottawa on my worst enemy :(  This weather turns me into a total hermit too so I barely leave my apartment beyond work and the gym. Here's hoping I still have friends come spring ;)

So I've registered for my next race, the More/Fitness Magazine Half-Marathon in April. Obviously I'm super excited about this one since it's in New York City :) 

My only concern is that the course is really hilly.  I do remember thinking the hills in Central Park weren't too bad when I did the NYC Half last year, but we didn't do Harlem Hill, and we only ran through the park once, whereas this race is 2 loops through the park.

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In an effort to prepare I've started playing around with the incline on my treadmill but I'm still looking for a more structured plan. So I'm hoping to get some advice from you guys!

Do you have any specific hill training workouts?

Any tips if you have run this race before?

Anyone else doing it this year?



Avoiding the Gym

Hey Guys!

Most of the time, I have no problem getting motivated to go to the gym after being stuck at a desk for 8 hours.  However,  for the first few weeks in January, it's pretty much the last place I want to be.

No matter how hard I try to be positive and to welcome the January Joiners with open arms, I fail.  Fighting crowds and waiting for machines is definitely not a stress reliever, and I end up leaving the gym tense and frustrated.

Luckily I have lots of workout equipment at home, including a treadmill, weights, and a step. So, rather than give the newbies at the gym the evil eye, I generally do most of my weekday workouts at home at this time of the year.

On the bright side, it gives me an opportunity to switch up my routine and I've discovered how much I love circuits! It really should have been a no-brainer considering how much I dislike strength training but breaking it up with bursts of cardio makes it so much more fun! 

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I've also really been enjoying using my step again. It may be a throwback to the 90s, but I love that it can be a high-intensity, lower-impact workout, which is something that is especially important to me now that I'm back in half-marathon training mode :)

It's no secret that I love Cathe Freidrich and the fact that you can download her workouts so you can try something new right away! I recently purchased Basic Step and Body Fusion and Intensity Series: Cardio & Weights and I love them both.

If you're new to step workouts, or haven't done one in a while, I'd suggest starting with the Basic Step and Body Fusion. The choreography in this one is pretty simple yet you still get your heart rate up.  I was able to do this one the first time I watched it without having too many moments of utter confusion or tripping over myself to get to the same side of the step as Cathe and her group ;)



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If you're looking for a more challenging workout, you might want to try the Intensity Series: Cardio and Weights.

There are a lot more over-the-step moves in this one, which is not ideal for me given that I have a limited space to workout in, but I managed to modify the steps to make it work. It took me a couple of tries to get the hang of this one but, lets face it, I'm not the most coordinated person on the planet to begin with :P

Any other step lovers out there?

Are you better at coping with the January Joiners than I am?!

Weekend in NYC

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays :)

I had a great Christmas and I decided to take the week off work and go to New York City between Christmas and New Years. I'm sure I've mentioned it here before, but I love love love that city so much, and it's even more amazing at this time of the year.  I met up with a friend there and, as always, we had a great time!

I can wander around NYC for hours doing absolutely nothing and be totally happy so we did a lot of walking and admiring the decorations.  I love Bryant Park and I was happy to see that the shops were still up there since it reminds me of the European Christmas markets I miss so much! We also ducked into the library to warm up a bit and the architecture in that building is unbelievable.  Obviously I had to go see the tree at Rockefeller, both during the day and at night :P

We did some window shopping along 5th Avenue and at Columbus Circle.  I love looking at all the higher end stores even though buying anything would mean not being able to afford to go to NYC a few times a year - so not worth it ;)!

On Sunday afternoon, I went to see the Nutcracker, which was really good, although I will admit I preferred the Rockettes show I went to last year. After that I walked around Central Park for a while before I had to head to the airport. It was so nice to finally see the park with a little snow :)

I get sad every time I leave the city, but the plan is to return in April to run the More/Fitness Magazine half-marathon. I seriously can't wait!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve! I hope everyone has been enjoying the season. I love this time of the year and I'm soaking up every last second ;) Unfortunately that's meant that I've neglected the blog, but I wanted to post today to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! I saw this survey floating around and I figured it would be fitting to answer it today so here we go.

1.      Favorite Christmas Album/CD/Song? I like to buy a new album (or 2) every year. This year I'm listening to Christina Perri and Colbie Caillat.

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2.      Run on Christmas morning or take the day off?  I always run or walk on my treadmill for at least a little while on Christmas morning before I head over to my brother's for the day. Of course I do it while watching a Christmas movie :)

3.What do you usually eat on Christmas morning?  I don't eat anything special Christmas morning.  After reading other answers to this survey I think I need to establish a new tradition here though.

4.   Favorite holiday or Christmas tradition? Growing up we always went to my grandparents' on my mom's side on Christmas Eve and those are my favorite memories of this time of the year :) I am so happy that my brother bought their house when they passed and he has carried on the tradition. We're a big family and our gatherings are always so much fun.  Oh, and Santa comes to visit which makes it even more exciting for the kids :)

5.   Real tree, fake tree or no tree?  My parents get a real tree so that's what I grew up with, but there is no way I'd go to all that trouble myself :P My apartment is not huge so I bought a little fake tree and it's perfect. 



Clearly that is not my tree :P But it is my favorite and I've been lucky enough to see it the last few years!

6. Christmas pajamas… yay or nay? I implemented a new tradition last year so now the rule is we wear pyjamas on Christmas day. We haven't gone as far as getting matching pyjamas though!

7. Where do you spend the holidays? Christmas Eve is at one of my brother's house, and Christmas Day is at my other brother's house.  We used to do Christmas Day at my parent's but it's easier to do it at my brother's now since they have the kids :)

8.   Food that you always have during the holiday season? Favorite Christmas food/treat?

I have 2 favorites: shortbread cookies and magic cookie bars. They are both things we only make at Christmas so I enjoy them while I can!

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9. Open presents all at once or take turns? We take turns.  The kids start, and then it's the adults turns!

10. Favorite Christmas(ish) movie? I watch Little Women every year while I'm wrapping. I also watch way too many of those made for tv Christmas movies :P

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Merry Christmas! I hope Santa spoils you :)

Bake Sales and Cookie Swaps

Hey Guys!

Well, I survived the whole allergy test process! We discovered that I'm allergic to chemicals found in most shampoos, conditioners, body washes, moisturizers, and facial cleansers.  My dermatologist recommended a brand but it is expensive, especially considering how much conditioner I go through with my long hair, so I'm on the lookout for something a little more affordable.  Do any of you have similar allergies?

I also need your advice on how to deal with spam on Blogger. I've been getting a lot of comments from "Anonymous" and somehow the real comments on my last post were all deleted last week :( So, if you commented just know that I didn't delete it and I had replied! I love getting feedback from you guys so I'd hate for you to think I was just ignoring you!!!

I've been spending a lot of time baking these past few days. We're having our annual bake sale at work today and I'm also participating in a couple of holiday cookie swaps. So, I thought I'd share some of the recipes I've made or am going to make! They are all Pinterest finds, but I've linked to the original recipe.

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies



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Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

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White Chocolate Candy Cane Truffles

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Pineapple Coconut Snowballs



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And, I found this cake that I would love to be talented enough to make! How cool is this?!

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Have you guys been busy Christmas baking too? What are your favorite recipes?

4 Days Without Sweat

Hey!

How was everyone's weekend? I was pretty jealous of all the Thanksgiving celebrations going on in the U.S. I think I might start having two Thanksgivings just as an excuse to have pumpkin pie again :)

This week is going to be quite challenging for me on the workout front. You see, I crave a good sweat session pretty much every day. I will fully admit to being guilty of committing the "too much cardio" sin. What can I say, it makes me happy!

But, for the next 4 days, I am not allowed to sweat :( I have to go for allergy tests, which means I'll have patches on my back that I cannot get wet. So, no running, no going all out on the elliptical, no Zumba, no Step... you get the picture ;)

In an effort to be positive, I'm trying to think of this as an opportunity to focus on strength which, as you know, is a struggle for me.

As luck would have it, one of the Elf for Health challenges this week is to try a new workout. (If you haven't already signed up for Elf for Health it's not too late to join in the next round!) So I downloaded this barre workout from Cathe. I am a huge fan of her workouts and I don't doubt that I'll be feeling the pain the day after I do this one!

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I also plan on breaking out my Chalean Extreme dvds.  I started using these around this time last year and it was the first time I didn't dread strength training so much that I just completely avoided it ;)

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I'm still hoping to get some light cardio in, probably in the form of walking. Not much chance of my breaking a sweat doing that in Ottawa in November ;)

Any advice for me on surviving the next 4 days?!?!

UK Trip Recap - Part 2

Hi :)

As promised here are some pictures of the rest of my trip!

We took a day trip from London to Warwick Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Oxford.  The castle was really cool; it is owned by Madam Tussaud's so they had wax figures throughout depicting every day life and they also had lots of activities set up for Halloween and characters wandering around like this headless horseman!

Stratford-upon-Avon is a really cute town where Shakespeare was born. We chose not to go into the museum there and walked around instead.  That's how we stumbled upon this giant teddy bear that I would have loved to take home with me.

Oxford was my favorite stop of the day. I will forever be a student at heart and I would have loved to study there. What a gorgeous campus! Who knows, maybe there is a PhD in my future?!

 

We also a day trip from Edinburgh to Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle. The lake was gorgeous and it was really nice to see some of Scotland's country side. Not to mention that our guide sounded like Shrek which is always entertaining ;) 

 

We spent the next few days in Edinburgh, which is such a gorgeous city! I loved the architecture and it is the perfect city for just wandering around and getting lost since there are so many interesting side streets to explore.  We went to the castle, which was my mom's favorite castle of our trip, and Holyrood Palace, shopped along the Royal Mile, and ventured up toward Arthur's Seat.

Oh, and on our last night we figured we should partake in some Scottish culture and tried our first whisky! That stuff was strong! Let's just say I don't think whisky will become my drink of choice any time soon ;) 

This was truly an amazing trip and I'm glad I got to go with my mom. Now she knows why I love Europe so much :) I really can't wait until my next trip!

UK Trip Recap - Part 1

Hey guys!

I hope everyone had a great weekend :) Mine was lots of fun; spent some time with a friend from out of town, went to my nephew's birthday party and enjoyed the extra day off today!

I just discovered PicMonkey this afternoon, which is going to make it a lot easier to share my trip pictures with you guys :) I'll have to break it up into a couple of posts so I'll start with our first couple of days in London!

Our first stop was at the Tower of London. I had been before but it's a cool place and I didn't mind going again :) We took one of free tours they offer which was really interesting since we learned a lot about the history of the tower. And of course there are great views of Tower Bridge from there.

We also visited Kensington Palace that day but oddly enough I didn't take any pictures. I did get some pictures of Big Ben and the Parliament Buildings though, since that is the area we stayed in. If you're going to London, I highly recommend the Park Plaza County Hall. Great location and the rooms are suites which was perfect for my mom and I since it gave us our separate living areas!

The next day we wandered around areas like Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square,Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, and Covent Gardens. In the evening we went to see Shrek the Musical and it was AMAZING :)  I've always loved the Shrek movies and this musical was hilarious, definitely one of my favorites so far!

On Sunday, after my half-marathon, we walked over to Buckingham Palace and had dinner at a really nice Italian restaurant. Monday was our shopping day so we walked around Oxford Street, and the Knightsbridge area. The highlight of the day was having Afternoon Tea at Harrods :) 

I'll stop there for now but I'll tell you about our day trips and our time in Edinburgh in my next post :)

Run to the Beat UK

Good Morning!

I'm back from my trip and almost fully caught up at work and on my sleep! I tried so hard to stay up last night to hear the US election results but just couldn't so I was happy to hear Obama was re-elected when I woke up this morning! Yes, I'm Canadian, but whatever happens in the US has a huge influence on us and, to be honest, I have more faith in Obama than I do in our own Prime Minister. Since this isn't a political blog, we'll just leave it at that ;)

The real purpose of this post is to tell you guys about the Run to the Beat UK half-marathon I ran while I was in London!

From the Run to the Beat Facebook page (source)

The race was on the Sunday, October 28, and by then we had already had 2 full days of sightseeing so my legs weren't exactly fresh, but on the up side the clocks there changed that day so I did get an extra hour of sleep :)

I had my usual bread, pb (not easy to find by the way; do English people not love the stuff as much as we do?!), a banana, and a few cups of coffee.  Then I took the tube to Greenwhich which was super easy and fun considering most people were on their way to run too :) I didn't take my camera with me on the day of the race, but I did get a picture of the O2, where the race started and finished, the day before when I went to pick up my race kit.

The race started about 10 minutes late, which I didn't mind at all since I was still in line for the washrooms when it was supposed to start! It was really cold and windy but thankfully the rain held off save for a few sprinkles here and there.

I wish I could give a detailed recap of the race, but the truth is I totally zoned out for this one! I tried to take in the scenery as much as I could but I was really just stuck in my own head for most of it.  I will say it was pretty cool to be running in neighborhoods that looked like the ones you see in British tv shows, and having people with English accents cheer you on is even more encouraging :P 

As this was a Run to the Beat race, there were bands and djs stationed along the course but I had my Ipod on the entire time; Taylor Swift's new album was keeping me entertained :P  This definitely wasn't the easiest course I've run. It was probably the hilliest, and there was one brutal hill at about mile 8 or 9 that made me want to hug the lady who was telling us that we had made it to top!

By mile 10 I was so ready for this race to be over.  We caught a glimpse of the O2 as we were running through one of the neighborhoods and it looked so close yet was so far away! I slowed down considerably for the last 2 miles, but I didn't stop to walk at any point during the race cause I knew it would be too hard to start running again.  I kept an average of around a 10:30 pace for a little over the first half of the race but that came down to 11:00 to 11:30 for the second half, so I averaged at just under 11:00/mile and finished in 2:24 which I was pretty happy with; still a 1 minute improvement over my last race :P

All in all, even though this wasn't my favorite race, I am so happy that I got to run in London :) I'll be posting a few recaps of our trip with lots of pictures soon!