**Lets Play Catch Up**

5K: 22:07 Dec 2011
10k: TBD 
Half Marathon: 1:48 Nov 2011
Marathon: 4:24 Oct 2011
50K: Feb 2012

Work out: Going to a 50 min Spin class and core.

So I finally have a little time to get my blog going. I'm really starting a blog because I think my facebook friends have grown tired of my running life showing up on their news feeds. Also becuase a lot of non runners I know don't really care how far/how long I ran and with who and how my new drymax socks were amazing for my feet.

I started running two years ago and my first race was a half marathon in Nov 2010. To date, I have ran three half marathons, two marathons, a 200 mile relay race and a handful of 5Ks and most importantly I ran the distance of a 50K! It was gnarly!!

This blog will mostly focus on running, life, food, and running.  I don't run to lose weight, it just kind of happens, I run because it's my way of getting away from the office and life, even for a couple hours a day, just to do something for me.

Just to catch everyone up, I have included a few short highlights from the big races I have ran. I'll provide race recaps in later posts.

This was me in Jan of 2011, 1st marathon a month or so of training +lots of hills =  4:42. I had a 4:30goal but clearly that didn't happen. I was 138 in this photo.. grosssss.

Oct 2011 Running the Niagara Falls marathon. 4:24. I wanted a 4 hour race.. I was sooo bummed after this race. The weekend before I ran a relay race that was really hilly and my legs just were not recovered. I learned two really important things from this race: 1. Don't focus so much on time. Chances are you'll dwell so much on it you wont make the time AND you'll miss out on a great experience. 2. Don't run a race the weekend before any event you have worked really hard for. 124 in this photo.. yay.

Currently, I am in training for my first official 50K race, Feb 2012. I'm super stoked to run my first ultra race. It will be mostly trail, much like the above photo (this pic is from Pine Mountain Trail). Mostly single track, rocks, roots, covered so it's easy to fall (I fall at least once every run) but I LOVE IT.  I have only started running trails after the Falls marathon. I find it's a lot easier on the body but h*** on the feet! I have taken about a week off of the trails because of it. I have been soooo lucky to meet up with some of the local ultra runners who are extremely experienced when it comes to these type of races and let me tag a long.  I have only ran 21 miles on the tails to date. My longest run before the 50k will be around 25 miles at the end of January.. I know you can't wait to see how I feel after that training run.

Well that's a quick catch up. These postings should get a bit better, I just felt the need to give you a general background of the past two years.