Tag Archives: #AliRunsNYC

NYC – It’s Happening People

2 Nov

As I am sure you have all heard, the NYC marathon is happening this year. And I will be there at the starting line on race day.

This week has been quite the roller coaster of emotions for me. I have been stressed to the max, sad and depressed, and happy yet confused. That is a lot of emotions….!

There is a lot of drama surrounding the race this year, revolving along the lines of, “should they?” / “shouldn’t they?”. And both sides have VERY good points (which I agree with). I have been consumed in this drama the past two days, but I will not be consumed with it any longer.

As I said earlier, I am running this race. I am putting all of my hard work and early mornings out there on race morning, and I am determined to PR. This is what I want to focus on now. Since last February, I have been obsessing over race day. Planning every detail and being excited beyond belief. I will not let that excitement and spirit fade because of bullies out there with very vocal opinions. Us runners are not bad people, and I don’t think it is fair to view us that way. In fact many of us (myself included) have already donated to the relief efforts and plan to help out when we are in town for the race.

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Moving along. I was pulling together some fun facts the other day from my Daily Mile (we should be friends if we aren’t already!). It really showed my exactly what went into training, and made me even more comfortable with my goal to break 3:30.

Here we go…

NYC Marathon Training

Weeks Spent in Training: 14 (98 days)
Miles Completed: 508
“Off Days” in Training: 17
Time Spent Running: 62 hours, 6 minutes
Alarm Clocks Set in the 4am Hour: approx. 31
Alarm Clocks Set in the 5am Hour: approx. 40

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All positive thoughts are welcomed and accepted this weekend. As are all prayers for the victims of this terrible storm.

I will be updating my twitter (@alihatfield)/ instagram (alihat)/ facebook page (mileswithstyle) as much as I can! I can’t wait to report good news and share my experience with everyone!!! I will also have my cheerleaders tweet with the hash tag #AliRunsNYC 🙂

xoxo

Ali

One of my favorite photos from marathon training. Running along the boardwalk in San Fransisco!

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Maintaining Perspective (or at least trying to)

30 Oct

So this girl is a little stressed right now. Ok, a lot stressed right now.

Why, you ponder?

Because I am supposed to run a marathon on Sunday, and this marathon is one that I have been preparing to run (physically and mentally) the last 8 months. This marathon is also my DREAM race and I have coordinated a 5 day vacation around the event – complete with show tickets and dinner reservations.

In case you haven’t turned on the TV, a hurricane decided to hit NYC and beat the city up pretty bad. The photos I have seen are unimaginable, and the damage is just plain crazy. The thought of the clean up to be done makes me so sad for the city residents.

And through all these photos I have seen, news coverage I have watched, and articles I have read, I am still sitting here stressing out about whether or not I will get to fulfill my dream on Sunday and run in the New York City Marathon. How much more selfish could I be?

This afternoon, I went out on my lunch break for a quick run. I needed to clear my head and most importantly I needed to get some perspective on the situation.

While on my run I started thinking about the people affected by storm, and the people who lost their homes or even their loved ones. I realized that me not getting to run NYC this year is not the end of the world. It is just a very big letdown. And although I will be very sad and angry if that scenario plays out, I will live, and I will still have everything I had before. Which is more than some people can say right now.

I am not giving up on my dream though. I don’t leave until Friday morning, so I am hoping that things will be up and running by then and I will be able to get into the city. Until I hear otherwise (and the amount I am checking twitter for race updates has got to be unhealthy), I will act as if I am running towards a dream on Sunday. And I will continue to envision the finish line in my head.

Wishing everyone affected by this storm a speedy recovery process. You are in my thoughts and prayers!

And as Nicole just reminded me, “Let Go and Let God”. He knows what’s best.

xoxo,

Ali

5 days people – let’s make it happen!

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Weighed Down

23 Oct

Lately, I have become a little obsessive about my weight.

I have NEVER been someone to be crazy about the number on a scale, until I read a blog post from a fellow runner, and an article in Runner’s World about the importance of “race weight”.

After I read these blogs and articles, I sat there and started reflecting over the last year. I know that I have not been watching the food and drinks that I put into my body like I should. I also now know that I currently weigh more than I ever have (even more than I did when I was in my beer drinking, pizza eating years of college). Think those two items are related? You bet they are.

So why didn’t I watch what I was eating? “Well duh! I am training for a marathon! I can eat whatever I want!”

So that thinking right there, so WRONG. And I learned that the hard way last week when I stepped on a scale for the first time in months.

When I saw the number that appeared, I about had a meltdown (ok, I did have a meltdown). Yeah, I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty, because I have noticed that my body seems a little different than it did a few years ago, and shorts don’t fit me like they used to. But I wasn’t expecting the number that appeared.

The number on that scale was 12 pounds heavier than it was when I ran my first half marathon 4 years ago (still my PR to this day – 1:34).

See those itty bitty size zero shorts?? Yeah…I can’t get into those anymore.

Now I am in a total freak out mode that I am going to ruin my chances of PR’ing the NYC marathon and running under a 3:30 because I weigh too much. Can my body carry that extra weight 26.2 miles under an 8 minute pace? Did I run my 13.1 PR of 1:34 years ago because I was so thin?

I know it isn’t smart to diet before a race, but I have been paying attention to what food I put into my mouth for the first time in a year. I have been making much smarter choices (no pizza, no fried food, nothing with gravy), and not going back for seconds. I have also cut out all alcohol except on the weekends (I used to drink a glass of wine every night). With these habits, I hope to see the number on the scale drop a few pounds before I run NYC. Which will also relieve some of my stress about the situation.

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This post is in no way asking for people to tell me, “You are so skinny, you should love yourself” blah blah blah. I know I am skinny, but I am not happy with myself relative to where I have been in the past.

The point of this post is to get feedback from other runners and athletes on their thoughts about “race weight”, how they trim down before a race, and also how they keep themselves feeling full during training (I am ALWAYS starving!).

Please share any thoughts and tips you have. I always love to hear from you all!!

xoxo,

Ali

I will make one positive comment – although I weigh the most than I ever have, I am also the happiest than I have ever been 🙂

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Thankful Thursday – Feeling the Love

18 Oct

Today I am feeling very thankful for some the amazing people I have in my life.

I always feel blessed by my friends and my family, and I talk about it a lot on this blog. But one group I don’t give enough credit to are my coworkers at DEG.

The entire DEG group.

A few of the super special ones 🙂

We have a lot of fun together too 🙂

My coworkers have had the pleasure of listening to me talk about running (A LOT), listen to my ups of training, and my downs of training. Many of them are kind of enough to reach out and ask me each day how it’s going and how my inevitable early morning run went that day. Not only do these amazing people inquire about my running, but they actually care about it too.

So what prompted this sappy blog? Well, let me tell you…

Last week I was having one of these mornings where you forget things at home and have to turn around to go back (twice). It was also one of those mornings where you are flustered and not feeling 100%. When I finally made it to work grouchy and annoyed, I noticed a card sitting on my desk.

Kinda looks like me??

“Who is writing me cards?!” I thought, as I ripped it open. Then as I read the card, my frown turned upside down, and I got the biggest smile on my face.

Inside the card were encouraging words from 8 of my amazing coworkers. These words of encouragement were good luck wishes for my upcoming marathon, hand written and signed by each of them. As I read these warm wishes, I was overwhelmed with their kindness and love. Each wrote something from the heart, and something they knew would make me smile.

See if you can read any of those sweet comments. They are the BEST!

Inside this card was also a little Lululemon pouch, which I discovered had a gift card inside. They got me a gift card to my most FAVORITE running store so I could be properly outfitted for the marathon. Is that not the sweetest thing??

You know me so well!!!

To my dear friends – Lauren, Sarah, Jenn, Cara, Chandra, Whitney, Jenny, and Bethany,

I hope you understand how much your gesture meant to me. The fact that you all listen to me everyday means the world, and knowing that I have your support on race day means even more.

You are all amazing, and I cannot thank you enough. Because of you, I know I will have all the support I need to run my best race on November 4th, and I also know I will have the cutest outfit out on the dang course while doing so.

Thank you again, and I look forward to returning the favor someday soon!

XOXO,

Ali

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NYC Marathon Training – Week Eleven

15 Oct

Week eleven training I was back in my game and ready to rock it. I felt better mentally and physically, and had a new outlook on the marathon.

I also came to a realization that the rest of my speed workouts should be completed in shorter sprints, or timed out by a certain number of minutes. The reason why I decided this was because I had been feeling very burnt out and overwhelmed by having to run mile splits at crazy fast paces. I was also overwhelmed with running certain track distances at certain paces. It had become too much pressure on me and made me lose confidence in my training (and we can’t have that!).

So here goes my recap for my last intense week of training!

Monday – 4 miles at 8:02 pace. Ran a lovely little lunch time run.

Tuesday – 7 miles at 8:01 pace. 3 minutes of tempo running 5 times. Was running about 6 min/mile pace on my sprints. Felt really good!!!

Wednesday – 3 miles at 8:39 pace. Followed by TRX class – which was insanely awesome this week!!!

Thursday – 22 miles at 8:27 pace. Last “long” run before the marathon. Felt great was very proud of my pace. I had actually planned to only run 20 miles, but decided to add 2 more in so I had a 22 mile training run this cycle. Pushed it harder the last 3 miles to simulate race day and running fast on tired legs (< 7:30 pace). Very thankful I had friends to meet me during the run so I was only alone for 13 miles!

Friday – Off (much needed!!!)

Saturday – 3.2 miles at 6:40 pace. Ran a 5k and pushed myself during it! I plan to have a little recap of this race later in the week. It was a lot of fun and has a funny story to go along with it! I was also the 2nd place female finisher!

Sunday – 3.5 miles. A little run / walk with Ramsey. It was an amazing afternoon the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. We had such a great time just jogging along chatting and enjoying the fall scenery!

Total Miles: 42.7 miles

Post 22 miler feeling on top of the world!!

I also wanted to share some pictures from the weekend, which was the cause of having to do the 22 miler on a Thursday.

Friday evening I went to an event where I was given to opportunity to fly over Kansas City at night in a little airplane. I am a nervous Nellie when it comes to flying in little airplanes….but luckily they gave me a bottle of champagne to ease the nerves!! Overall, the experience was amazing and I am so glad I did not chicken out!!

Holding on tight!!!

Woohoo!!!

Saturday evening I went to wedding which was such a bast! And best of all, they had a photobooth – which always offers entertainment and laughter!

Wishing everyone a fabulous week ahead!!!

xoxo

Ali

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NYC Marathon Training – Week Ten

15 Oct

This was a week of redemption for me following the awful experience of week 9 training.

Week 10 began strong, and also gave my legs some time to recover. I knew that it was important for me to give myself some rest, and listen to my body.

I went on a little weekend trip to Louisville, KY this week to visit my family that lives there. That definitely offered some relaxation and fun to get my mind off training. I threw in some photos below for your viewing pleasure 🙂

Monday – Off

Tuesday – 8 miles at 8:00 pace. Ran 3 minutes hard for 6 of the miles. Overall, this was a really good run and offered a break from the track and mile repeats (which can be mentally exhausting).

Wednesday – 4 miles at 9:15 pace. Great run with Diana following her big marathon!

Thursday – 10 miles at 8:40 pace. Great run with Stacy and Emily! Picked it up for 2 mins 5 times. Probably should’ve done my pick up 10 times, but was giving myself a “break”…

Friday – 2.3 miles on the elliptical. I haven’t been on an elliptical and years, but I really enjoyed this 30 minute workout!! It offered me something different and gave me the chance to catch up on Grey’s Anatomy!!

Saturday – 16 miles at 8:37 pace. Good run in Louisville with Ramsey by my side on his bike! Hilly run but overall pretty good. Hit my 1,000 mile mark for the year on the run!

Sunday – Off

Total Miles: 40.3 miles

Betting on some horses at Keeneland!

Mom and I at Keeneland.

Aunt Holly and I at Woodford Reserve tasting some Bourbon!

One of my biggest running cheerleaders! What a trooper to ride his bike next to me for 2.5 hours while I ran!!!

Ridin’ a Wild Turkey!!

 

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NYC Marathon Training – Week Nine

15 Oct

Getting caught up again….I really suck at tracking my training on my blog….

Week 9 was another rough week. I had my worst run of training, and my first real mental breakdown. But I just kept reminding myself, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.

Monday – Off

Tuesday – 6 miles at a SLOW pace. This was possibly the worst run of my marathon training….was supposed to do 4 x 1600, all I could do was 2 x 1600 (6:44 and 6:55) and 1 x 800 (3:28). I hate running in the evening, but had to due to tstorms in the AM.

Wednesday – 6 miles at 9:40 pace. Legs and mind were still recovering from that horribly awful run the day before!

Thursday – 6 miles at 8:39 pace. I really tried to push it a bit in this run but I just couldn’t get back up to speed.

Friday – 20 miles at 8:45 pace. I did my long run on a Friday due to a very busy weekend schedule. I ran with my friend Emily and we were both feeling a little beat up and discouraged by our training. We were glad to see this run go smoothly, and we both felt 100 times better. The course we ran was super hilly as well, so that made us feel better too!!

Saturday – 5.5 miles at 7:40 pace. Ran this with Stacy and Kerry, who were in the middle of their 20 miler. Surprised by how fast they were running, but it was good for me!

Sunday – 2.5 miles of stairs and hills. I wanted to try out stair running. It was pretty darn hard but we had some fun while doing it!!

Total Miles: 46

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“I am bored with this”

8 Oct

A very smart and clever woman recently said I phrase I have grown to love – “I am bored with this”.

Who is this clever woman you ask? Well it is Heather from the Real Housewives of Orange County (Duhhh).

 

Lately I have been inserting this phrase into my life wherever (and whenever) possible, because I think it is so hilarious (and applicable). Whether I am waiting in line at Target, attending a dull meeting or inserted into a dramatic situation I have no interest in being a part of, you can bet that I am “bored with it”.

And let me tell you – I have recently become very “bored” with my marathon training. The long runs are exhausting. The 4am alarm clocks are tiring. And the schedule I must adhere to is overwhelming.

I am so over marathon training, that I am starting to loathe it. I want race day to be here so freaking bad, and yesterday marked four weeks from the New York City Marathon. I am starting to panic that I might not be able to make it another month of these hard runs and early mornings. And that I might lose my drive and determination that I had going 2 months ago.

The first part of my training was awesome. I was running like a rock star, and breaking all my previous training PR’s. I felt like I was on cloud nine and could go out and run a 6:45 pace whenever the heck I wanted. But now? It is a totally different story.

The last two weeks have been full of semi-disappointing runs. They feel so hard, and I feel so tired. Last week I had to QUIT a speed session halfway through. I NEVER quit my training runs, so this was not an easy pill to swallow. Although I have started to feel a bit better the last couple days, I am still not back to “me”, and I am freaking out that I don’t know how to get back there, and that I won’t get back there to break a 3:30 marathon.

Now I request your help….how do I get back to my determined state I was in just a few weeks ago? And how do I get my fast legs back to running sub 7 minute miles without a problem?!

Help!! All tips, advice and suggestions are welcome!!

xo,

Ali

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NYC Marathon Training – Week Eight

2 Oct

Week 8 started out tough, but ended strong!

Monday – Off

Tuesday – 8 miles at 8:07 pace. I know we all have those days where we really don’t enjoy running, and this was one of mine. This run sucked! I was tired, I felt slow, I was scared in the dark, I got lost in a neighborhood I haven’t run in for YEARS, and overall just about had a mental breakdown….

Wednesday – 4 miles at 8:22 pace. This run helped me redeem myself a bit from the day before. AND I saw a shooting star!!
TRX class following the run.

Thursday – Off (aka too lazy to run so I made this another “recovery day”).

Friday – 7 miles at 8:21 pace.

Saturday – 16  miles at 8:48 pace. We did a really hilly run for a long run, but it is good for us! 6 miles were under 8 min pace.

Sunday – 8 miles at 9:22 pace. Good run on the trail…but came back to find that my car had been broken into and my phone / credit cards were gone. Sheesh!!! What is wrong with people?! It was a Sunday morning!

Total Miles: 43

I don’t have any photos from this week (because they were on the phone that was stolen)…..

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NYC Marathon Training – Week Seven

2 Oct

(OK, so I am like, really really really far behind on the blogging thing. Please don’t think I haven’t been running, because I have been.)

So here goes week seven of training…..
Monday – 6 miles at 8:50 pace. Sore legs from my race the prior Saturday.
Evening Yoga to relieve some stress.

Tuesday – 9 miles, Yasso 800 day!! 1 mile warm up, then 10 x 800’s (with a recovery lap between each): 3:14, 3:16, 3:17, 3:16, 3:13, 3:11, 3:12, 3:09, 3:13, 3:12. 1/2 mile cool down bc I ran out of time. This workout was a KILLER, but I am so proud of myself for toughing it out and making it to 10. According to my pace on these, I should be able to break 3:30 at nyc.

Wednesday – 3.5 miles at 9:40 pace, pre-TRX run.
TRX class for 50 minutes.
Evening 3 mile run at an easy pace.

Thursday – Off

Friday – 20 miles at 8:30 pace. I was VERY proud of this run!!

Saturday – 3 miles at 9:39 pace.

Sunday – 6.2 miles at 8:53 pace. Ran the plaza 10k. Not an easy task the day after being in my friends wedding!

Total Miles: 44.7 miles

 

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