Hot Body Friday

Today's hot body friday inspiration is someone I know personally.

We met in middle school and body was ridiculous even then.

Nana Meriwether

Now she's the super glamorous Miss Maryland and the first runner up at this year's Miss USA contest (she was robbed).

Oh, not only is she Miss Maryland, she's an AMAZING athlete. Like, A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

She is a NCAA All-American volleyball player and went on to play professional volleyball in Puerto Rico.  
Watching her run track in high school was a surreal experience. 

Enjoy.

Race Recap: Memphis Road Race Series 5k

Sooooo last Sunday was my first race of 2012.  It wasn't anything major, just a 5k, but I'm excited about it nonetheless.  Sunday's run was the first race in the Memphis Road Race series.  The Road Race Series is one of the best things ever.  For $75 you run 10 races between now and November 18.  The series starts with two 5ks and ends with two half-marathons.  The $75 also includes a CHIP so all your races are timed.  This is a pretty big deal to me as I've paid $75+ for one race and at least $30 for races that didn't have chip timing at all. 

The races take place at Audubon Park in Memphis.  There's nothing super scenic or special about the location BUT there is lots of parking which is a plus.  The race started at 7am so I set my alarm at 5am. I normally like to have time to stretch, eat a banana and a sugar free redbull (don't judge me y'all) and get to the race about an hour advance.  I get super anxiety about parking and having to ask people for directions to the race so I like to give myself a lot of time.  Unfortunately, I ignored my alarm clock several times and didn't get out of bed until 5:55 am (side bar: ignoring my alarm clock seems to be my thing nowadays even when I get to bed early. Maybe I should get that checked out?).  I managed to get dressed quickly and got to the race site at around 6:20 am.  My nerves were calmed when I saw a bunch of people with bibs parking in a Chili's parking lot and walking to the race. 

I parked and walked over to the race.  One of my friends and co-workers was doing the race with me so I texted her so we could meet up.  There was a HUGE crowd.  When I went to pick up my bib and chip the day before, the guy told me that 1400 people had signed up for the series.  I'm not sure there were 1400 people there but I did think there were a lot of people up on a Sunday morning for a 5k.   The weather was gloomy which I welcomed with open arms given the HADES that has been Memphis recently (it was still HOT but not as bad as it would have been if the sun was out).  I haven't run an organized 5k since October of November of last year so I wasn't sure what my time should be.  I run 3 miles + on a regular basis but I run at a comfortable (ahem: lazy pace).  I decided that going into the race I wanted to run close to a 9:00 pace.  I know that's not fast for some people, but I am not a sprinter or a fast runner.  I'm better at keeping a decent pace for a long period of time.  My longer runs are done at about a 10:00 pace.  

Since I hadn't run a race in a while AND I didn't wear my Garmin watch, it was hard for me to pace myself.  I tried to guess and find people that I thought I could follow and keep up with.  I finished the first mile in 9:07 seconds and felt fine.  Eventually I found a woman to pace myself with and followed her for the second mile.  My second mile was 9:07 too.  The third mile is when things got a little tougher for some reason.  I wasn't super tired but my body just felt really hot and it was harder to move my legs.  The 3rd mile was in 9:30 seconds which given my goal was disappointing.  Because the first two miles didn't feel super exhausting, I was hoping to make up the :14 in the last mile.  When I ran a 4 miler a year ago, my final mile and a half was at an 8:30 pace so I know it's possible.  I didn't  get exactly what I wanted but I'm still happy with my performance.  It's not horrible [for me] and it gives me a very reachable goal to keep in my mind.

After the race, there was water and fruit.  I really have no complaints from the first 5k of the series.  People were friendly, it was a nice crowd, and given the cheap cost, the water and fruit provided was great. I think there may have been some stands set up prior to the race but I didn't look around. I'll have to check next time.

Lastly, I did notice a few brown faces in the crowd. Out of crowd of many, I didn't see more than 20 but I'm always encouraged when I see Black runners making it happen.

The next 5k is on July 22 but you'll hear from me before then because there is much to talk about (see: the 26.2 miles I signed up to run in Chicago). 

- Nash

Hot Body Friday

My new obssession.

Elisabeth Akinwale. 

Get into her. 

I'm back.

I can't believe I've been gone this long. Life has been extremely hectic, but I'm back for good now!

First things first...

Although I would have liked to be a LITTLE skinnier on my wedding day, I did drop 10 lbs. before the big day and I think I looked pretty good.

(right before the ceremony)

(for the collarbones, obvi)

Trying to plan a wedding, while starting a fairly new job in a new city was WAY more difficult than I expected.  As a result, my training suffered and 6 months into 2012, I haven't completed a single race. *sigh* Now that I'm officially someone's wife and not just a crazy person planning a wedding, I have a lot more time to work out/train, cook healthy meals and not make excuses.  This also means blogging more often and consistently.


In 106 days, I am running my first marathon - the Bank of America Chicago marathon.  My training begins immediately.   I like Hal Higdon's training plans so I'm doing his Novice 1 which will require me to run nine miles this weekend.  I haven't run nine miles in FOREVER and it is fiftyleven degrees in Memphis right now so planning + hydration will be key.  Oh, and prayer. PRAYER.




I've also signed up for the Memphis Road Race Series.  A co-worker introduced me to this and it's $75 for 10 races. That is AMAZING. Two 5ks, two 5-milers, two 10ks, two 10-milers, and two half marathons.  Did I say $75 for ALL the races combined? I'm excited.  I'm going to miss one of the 10-milers because it is the same day as the Chicago marathon but the rest should work out fine.


The first race is on July 8th.


Expect to hear a lot more from me.  I've missed y'all. 

Hot Body Friday

Because no matter how many times she falls off the wagon, she gets right back on...

And who hasn't prayed for abs like Ms. Jackson?

-Nash

26.2 miles is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of...

and yet, for some reason, I'm thinking about doing it. It was my dream for a long time to run a half-marathon and when I ran my first half marathon almost a year ago I was filled with pride and excitement. I also knew that I wanted to do it again. And again. And again. To me, 13.1 miles is the perfect distance. It's long enough to be a challenge but still manageable without aching or being bored out of your mind. The thought of running for over 4 hours straight seems absolutely ridiculous, painful and mind numbing to me but for some crazy reason, after a simple suggestion form a friend, I'm seriously considering it. On one hand, I don't think it will be fun at all. On the other, I think its a great challenge and I'm strangely intrigued by do something that I generally think is so horrible and painful.

The Chicago Marathon is on October 8th but registration opens on February 1st and fills up fast. I have a love affair with Chicago (I spent three years there while in law school and happened to meet my future husband there) and remember seeing thousands of people run down on my street with pained/excited looks on their faces. I have seven days to decide if I'm really about that life but I know I want 2012 to be filled with lots of new challenges so...why not?

If you're thinking about running a marathon for the first time or have already done so I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!

- Nash

Late Nights, Early Mornings.

It's 11:34 pm and I just finished a short 2 mile run on the treadmill. I'm at 36 miles for the month so far, i.e. no where close to reaching 100 miles for the month of January. To hit that mark, I'd have to run 5 miles every day for the next 13 days. It's possible but with my schedule it's not likely.

So I'm feeling a little discouraged. It will pass. In the meantime, I'm reminding myself of some thing I know I need to get on top of. I HAVE TO WORKOUT IN THE MORNING. As much as I hate getting up at 5am, I DREAD working out after a long day of work and having to hit the treadmill at 11 pm just to log a few miles. When I get home from work, I want to cook dinner, watch tv and hang out with my soon to be husband. It's so much easier when I get my workout done before I start my day. I'm making that a priority for the rest of month.

Night.

-Nash

2012 Races!

So I've finally decided on a few races for this year and I'm pretty excited. This is not a full list as I plan on adding races once I do more research. If you have any suggestions on races, please let me know!!

• February 11, 2012 - Valentines Day Sweetheart 10k, Bartlett, TN
• March 18, 2012 - Germantown Half Marathon, Germantown, TN
• April 28, 2012 - Rock n Roll Half Marathon, Nashville, TN
• October 28, 2012 - Rock n Roll Half Marathon, Los Angeles, CA

I also pre-registered for a Tough Mudder in Nashville. We'll see how that goes...Not sure if I'm ready for that kind of challenge yet and the date for that race isn't listed on their site yet so it may not fit in with my plans. I know that I want to do a Tough Mudder at some point in my life, but the whole thing is seriously intimidating.

The Valentine's Day Race, my first race of the year, is a team race for "sweethearts" ( corny, I know). Teams consist of two individuals. Both run the race and their times are added together to determine the winner. My fiance doesn't yet know he'll be running this race with me but I think it will be a fun thing to do so.....:)

I plan on adding another half marathon, an obstacle 5k race, and a bunch of other races of distances under 13.1 miles. It's nice to have a few races picked out so far though. I tend to do better when I have a plan and something I KNOW I'm working towards. I'm also looking forward to writing race some recaps since it's been a while.

SEND ME SOME RACE SUGGESTIONS!

- Nash

Hot Body Friday

In the prolific words of Big Sean....

ASS. ASS. ASS. ASS. ASS.

Because I love everything about Tracee Ellis Ross.

And that back.

And that ....

Whew.

Happy Friday.

-Nash

Week 1 of 2012 Update

So far 2012 has gone well and I've been able to start the year off on the right foot (I know it's only been 11 days). My new year plan/resolution(s) didn't *technically* start until January 2nd. From January 2nd-January 8, I worked out 6 out of 7 days at a total of 19 miles for the week. I haven't started any specific running plan so I basically was just running for as long as I felt. Since I gained a few lbs. over the holiday, I definitely felt heavier which was NOT fun. My longest runs for last week were 4 miles. The shortest runs were 2 miles. I also did a damn good job of eating well this past week, mostly because one of my added resolutions is to plan all my meals and not eat out. I brought my lunch to work EVERY DAY y'all. I know people do that all the time but that is a big, deal for me. AND i was the crock pot, meal prep queen. I finally feel like I've managed this how-to-grocery shop-for-1-2 people-without-always-having-to-throw-produce-in-the-trash-thing.

Still compiling my race list for the year and I think I'm going to join a gym....the jury is still out on that though. I have a treadmill at the house, a stationary bike, a medicine ball and some weights. The basics. But I miss the option of hopping on the elliptical to blast out calories from time to time without having to work hard. I also miss the occasional spin class. There's a gym in walking distance from my house that I'm thinking about trying out but I'm not sure if I really, really need a gym membership. Thoughts??

I'm going to weigh in this evening so I'll post my weight on here which I haven't done in a while. I have to buy a new scale because I think the one we have is broken (insert joke here).

Also planning on cooking some fun things this weekend including a jerk turkey recipe I got from my friend.

-Nash

Nash

2012 Resolutions

Here we go:

1. Read one book a month. I'd like to ultimately read 6 fiction and 6 non-fiction. I'm a fast reader and I LOVE to read. This year I want to devote more of my down time to reading and less to tweeting/facebooking/watching TV. Well, maybe not watching TV. The first book up is Manning Marable's "Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention." I purchased the book last year but have only read a few pages so far. I would LOVE any book recommendations.

2. I would like to join the "100 mile month" club. I don't know if this is an actual "club" but a friend of mine tweeted about it and I like the idea. This shouldn't be too hard to do with consistent running and why not run 1200 miles in 2012?

3. Become more fiscally responsible -- My pastor says that 10% goes to God, 10% goes to Savings and the rest you live off of/do what you want. I'm going to work really hard at making this happen (post-wedding).

4. Volunteer/Join a mentoring program. Volunteering was a lot easier when it's built into your curriculum as it was in high school. Since then, however, I have not done nearly as much community service as I should and that was a LONG time ago. I have one opportunity already in mind and I just need to stop making excuses, make the time in my schedule and do it.

5. Incorporate Cross Fit and Yoga into my routine on a consistent and regular basis. I fell in love with both Cross Fit and Yoga last year but have not be able to do them regularly. This is something I really want to work on.

6. Hit my 2011 goal of 4 half marathons. Run another obstacle/adventure race. This past year I ran 6 races. For 2012, I'd like to run 10. I need to sit down and figure out what races I want to do this year. Once I actually do that, I'll post them here.

7. Hit my goal weight (-15 lbs.) FINALLY and BEFORE my wedding.

8. Workout 5 times a week. I read Keyalus' 2011 recap on Determined to be Fit and was inspired and amazed that for two years in a row she has averaged 5 workouts/week. Impressive.

That's pretty much it but if I think of more, I'll add. Last year was very productive for me, so I'm looking forward to what this year has to offer and all the improvements I'll make.

- Nash