Shrinking Natalie

I ran my second official 5k this past weekend: Tommy's Run for a Reason to benefit the Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood disease. It was the first annual race, so there weren't many competitive runners. So, guess what? I actually crackd the Top Ten! I had a personal record of 26 minutes 32 seconds and placed 9th overall in the women runners. I know the race wasn't competitive but it was nice to be in the front of the pack...

As a special thank you to those who have become regular followers and site members of this blog, I sent out an email asking them to submit the questions they would like answered by me. Any topic was fair game!

Body

What about extra skin? I have a significant amount of weight to lose and I am so nervous that no matter h...

I highly recommend for you female runners (and males with a sense of humor) to try out a running skirt instead of shorts. I like mine because (A) its spandex so it doesn't ride up like nylon shorts but (B) the skirt camoflauges my tummy pooch unlike spandex shorts.

I ...

I have been MIA from the blog - but with good reason! I ran my Half Marathon this past weekend, and while I did not make my stretch goal of 2 hours 15 minutes, I beat my initial goal of 2 hours and 24 minutes. I crossed the finish line (barely) in 2 hours 21 minutes!!!!

The race was much harder than I expected for several reasons. The course was extremely hilly. And it was a sli...

Wow! I have not posted a running update in awhile. I have been training hard, though, for my half marathon (13.1 miles) which is less than two weeks away. I had a great run this weekend with perfect weather as a plus. It was my longest distance ever:

14 miles in 2 hours 28 minutes and 2 seconds

No, I am certainly not talking about my pant size. I am celebrating breaking the 10 mile mark on a run for the first time EVER! This past Sunday I ran 10 miles in 1 hour and 48 minutes. It felt good. I felt strong, invincible, and capable.

And then the muscle soreness set-in. And now I am waddling around work today.

I had a goal to run 8 miles (NO WALKING) by February 15th - this past Sunday. Well, I did it! I ran 8 miles in just over 1 hour and 28 minutes - or about an 11 minute per mile pace.

I felt good too, while completing the run. And with each longer run I do, I feel more confident that I will not make a fool of myself at the LAWS Run for the Shelter Half Marathon in April.

3.1 miles in 29 minutes and 52 seconds

Finally! A sub-30 minute time on my 5k run. I had to push myself hard to get this, and I felt like throwing up, but it was so worth it. I can't believe I went from "running" a 5k in 49 minutes just 6 months ago to under 30 minutes now!

3.1 miles in 30 minutes and 15 seconds

So close! Also, I need to come clean and let everyone know that I did not make my mini-exercise goal of running 8 miles by January 15th, which, if we are paying attention to the calendar, was yesterday. I will try dilligently to make this a reality by January 25th. Why wait until January 25th? Well, because this weekend I will be skiing. T...

3.1 miles in 31 minutes and 52 seconds

I am getting close to breaking the 30 minute mark - a huge victory for me! This is also faster than my best time by about a minute. Training has become even more fun now that my in-laws gave me a Garmin Forerunner 305 for Christmas. Its super easy to...