Half-Marathon Training Review: Week 13

Hello, hello! Boy do I have a bunch of fun things to share with you from the weekend!  It was definitely a good one.  I even managed to take pictures!! Aren't you proud?  Before we get into the good stuff though, lets have a look at the training I did this past week for the half marathon (which is less than two weeks away... Ahh!).

This review is for the week of April 9, 2012 through April 15, 2012.  Here is a breakdown of my daily exercise over the course of last week:

• Monday - Rest (I meant to go to my Body Works class, but something came up after work and I ended up missing it)
• Tuesday - 2.8m run outside + 5.12m outdoor walk
• Wednesday - 2.8m outdoor run with speed work
• Thursday - 5.19m outdoor run
• Friday - Rest
• Saturday - 15k race (9.3m) + 1m run
• Sunday - Rest

Totals for Week 13: 3hrs 45 minutes intensive exercise + 2hr walk; 21.09 miles run + 5.12 miles walked (plus other small walks I don't count in my recaps); 1 race run.  All in all, an awesome week! I do (still) wish that I had incorporated more strength training, but overall I am proud of my accomplishments.

If you missed them and are interested, here are my recaps from weeks one, two, three,  four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven and twelve.  I can't believe I've only got this week left before the taper week leading up to the race.  Unbelievable!  I am getting really excited to say the least! 

On to the weekend activities... Let's start with Friday night, shall we?

As most of you know, Friday was Opening Day for the Atlanta Braves.  This is one of the boyman's favorite days of the year, so obviously we made the most of it and had a great time! 

Isn't he the cutest?! <3 The Braves ended up winning the game after keeping a close score for all nine innings.  I've never seen so many home runs in one game!  It was definitely fun.  We took in our own hot dogs that Jesse grilled for us before the game and it was the best idea ever- saved so much money!  Did you know you could bring your own food into Braves games?  Definitely worth it.  The Braves swept the Brewers over the course of the weekend for a successful opening weekend.  Go Bravos! 

After the game, I headed home to get some shut-eye before the 15K Traci and I were signed up for on Saturday morning.  The alarm went off a little too early come 5:30, but once I was up and had some breakfast, I felt excited and ready to go!  I met Tra at the start location in the Old 4th Ward neighborhood near the Masquerade.  Since the start was just a mile from my house, I ran over there to get warmed up.  It felt great!  The location was absolutely beautiful, and I am excited this race introduced me to a new part of town that will be fun to run. 

The park near the race start

Pre-race Sleepy-Eyed runners

This was both Traci and my first 15K race and we both finished STRONG!  I am unbelievably proud of us.  Each of us was able to run the entire course and finished earlier than we expected!  Traci busted out an incredible time of 1:30:41 and I finished a few minutes behind her in 1:37:42!!

To say I was thrilled is an understatement.  The entire race was fun and enjoyable.  I had a great time waving to spectators and thanking the volunteers along the course keeping us on track.  The run itself felt great and the sense of accomplishment I felt and still feel is incredible.  The fact that I struggled to run three miles less than three months ago is such a testament to what I have accomplished through training.  Check out these official photos from the race (Courtesy of davem photography)

Traci and I were talking after the race about how each of us are such a testament to the fact that consistent training can make a runner out of anyone.  All you have to do is commit yourself.  Neither of us are naturally inclined to run.  It was a struggle for both of us to even get started.  We ran our first 5K together (my second 5K) back in October and somewhat struggled to complete that race.  Now, here we are having completed a 15K race strong and successfully.  That is incredible!  This 15K made me fully confident in our ability to finish the upcoming half strong.  I am so excited!

After the race, I headed home to shower and then meet up with Jesse.  We had plans to go over to a friend's house and help them brew beer for their upcoming wedding!  Before heading over to their house, I made some his and hers smoothies to help tide Jesse and I over until we got a proper lunch.

Can you guess which one is mine?  If you guessed the green one, you'd be correct!  In hers: protein powder, spinach, kiwi, frozen banana, carrot, orange juice, flax seed, unsweetened applesauce. In his: frozen banana, carrot, orange juice, flax seed, unsweetened applesauce.  I'm still working on Jesse with the whole green smoothie thing, but at least he is down for carrots! :D  If you haven't tried the OJ and carrots combo in your smoothies yet, you're missing out!  Yum!

Their brew day ended up a success and I'll be excited to taste the final product!  It was a wonderful day and I really enjoyed hanging out with our friends.  I just met them over St. Patrick's day and am really enjoying getting to know them better.  Being outside gave us another benefit- playing with puppies!  Y'all know I love dogs.  Rachel and Nate have two adorable pups that kept us girls entertained while the boys did their thing.

Aren't they precious?

Saturday after brewing, Jesse and I headed to our favorite eatery... Taqueria del Sol.  We stuffed our faces and had trouble moving off the couches for the rest of the night.

Sunday came before we knew it, and Jesse still needed to get his long run in for the weekend, so we decided to meet up after his run for lunch.  We hit up Universal Joint in the Oakhurst neighborhood and sat outside enjoying cold beer, delicious food and the beautiful sunshine. 

Cajun Turkey Pita Club.  Yes, please!

After lunch, we hung out with Sadie on the porch just enjoying being outside.  It was the perfect way to end the weekend.

I hope your weekend was as wonderful as mine and that your Monday is going well!

What was your favorite part of the weekend? 
Have you run any races lately? 
Do you eat out more on the weekends than you do during the week?