17 days 'til Moab

It feels like forever since I've posted about running and I have a ton to say. So buckle in.

1. Saturday I did a 6.2 mile run with Chloe, who was in town for the weekend. It wasn't my fasted run but definitely one of my favorites. Not only was the weather fantastic but the company was fantastic as well. It was the first time I've really run with someone and I loved it! It helps that Chloe is totally awesome and just one of those girls you can't help but want to be friends with. We had a pretty good pace and I felt great the whole time. It was a good reminder that not every run has to be about time. I get somewhat obessed with my minutes per mile, my total time and improving those times. So it was great to just not worry about it and go enjoy running for running. I definitely need to do that more often.
   Read Chloe's commentary here. The funny thing is that while she was running in a tank top I had a long sleeve tech tee and gloves on. Now that's the difference between a runner from Utah and a runner from Vegas.
2. Tuesday I did a 5.5 mile run. I've got a pretty good little route near my house that I've done a few times for my weekday runs. It has been so nice getting outside to run especially since things have warmed up a bit. The interesting part about being this far into my 1/2 marathon training is that what used to be my long runs are now my short runs. Now I find my self saying, "Oh, I only did 5 miles today." It makes me really feel like I'm a runner!
3. Today's run was actually not a run at all. I meant to get to the gym at 10pm so I could watch Project Runway but ended up getting there at 9:30pm. So I did 30 minutes of eliptical then ran into 3 of my girlfriends and decided to stay and walk on the treadmill with them and watch PR for an hour. It would have been totally fantastic except that all the headphone jacks on all the treadmills I tried (4 in all) were crap and I couldn't hear what Heidi, Tim, Nina, Michael and the designers were saying!That just wasn't acceptable. The sound jack on the 4th treadmill was fine but the decline button didn't work. So once I inclined to a 5 I had to stay there. Just another reason I hate treadmills. But Can I say that I totally love Christian? Seriously. Love. Lurve! Also, I wore my new running skirt that I got for $12 at the adidas outlet on saturday. It's super cute but I need some bodyglide on my big old thighs. tmi?
   
4. Today I entered the "Shave Your 5k Challenge" presented by Vanilla from Half-Fast. The idea is to improve your 5k time over the year. The winner is the one who shaves the most time from their "stubble" time to their "smooth" time. I love the idea behind this and I'm excited for the challenge. Luckily I just ran a 5k earlier this month so I've already got my "stubble" time. 31:04. I honestly don't believe I'll win but I sure as heck am going to try my hardest. This means I'll have to start encorporating some speed workouts into my training. Recommendations on how?
   
5. Only 17 more days until the Canyonlands 1/2 Marathon. I'm seriously so excited about this! I only get excited about challenges that I'm ready for and I feel like I'm going to be ready for this big challenge. It's something I've wanted to do for years and until recently didn't believe I could actually accomplish. Bring it on! I'm excited to run with Chloe, Anne and Jen as well! It's gonna be fun to be in Moab. The only thing I'm worried about is the altitude. I'm not sure how that is going to factor into my time. Hopefully it won't kill me!
6. I've got a 9 mile route planned out for my long run on saturday and I can't wait for it. Is that weird? To be excited to run 9 miles? I feel like someone flipped a switch in my head and I actually look forward to long runs instead of dreading them. Really weird.
7. I know I've mentioned it before but I'm IN LOVE with my fuel belt. Seriously it is fantastic!
8. I've been blogstalking a bunch of running blogs and they have really inspired me. Keep an eye out soon (soon is relative in the eyes of a procrastinator) for a links section for running blogs.
   
9. There's more swimming around in my head right now but I can't remember it because it's 1am and I've been up since 7am (that is SO early for me, you have no idea) so my brain isn't totally functioning (but when is it ever?). So I'd better just end this post.
   

Hope everyone is well. I love you all! Really I do.
Happy trails.