It’s been over a month since I have given you a good update on my running.
Since then, I have had three long runs on the weekends,
and have completed my longest run before the half marathon.

The U Can Finish 5 miler + 2 mile run was the weekend of my birthday and it was great.
It made me even more excited for race day, for the race atmosphere alone.
I felt really good after the 5 mile race and downed a banana and drank a half a bottle of water
before the start of the 2 mile run. A runner friend told me that since I was taking a little break,
then I should plan to try to run at a faster pace in the 2 mile run. So, I did!
Since it was the day before my birthday, Greg allowed me to open my present early so I could use it.
After a ton of research, I ended up asking for the Garmin Forerunner 10, which I love!

It worked out well that the day of Kenley’s birthday party was supposed to be an easy run,
so Greg and I ran 4 miles together. We were able to run without Kenley or the stroller,
thanks to having family in town to watch her.
Who would have thought that a fun little date for us would be running 4 miles.
It was one of the first cool(er) days this fall, so we both felt great.

My 8 mile and 9 mile runs were the next two weekends and the weather was significantly cooler,
so I opted to run without water both Saturdays. It probably wasn’t the best decision,
but I made it through both runs without any major problems. Looking back, however,
I wish I would have eaten a bigger breakfast both times. Each morning, I only had an apple,
mostly because I was pretty nervous for both runs and didn’t want to cramp up.
For my 8 mile run, I brought three bucks with me, just in case I wanted to stop and get water
during my run. I didn’t feel like I needed to and overall, the run went great.
However, I completely overshot my route. When I took my last turn, I thought that I might be going too far.
After I hit 8 miles, I ended up having to walk another mile just to get home. Awesome.
Luckily, I had to pass our 7/11, so I put that $3 to good use and got a banana & grape G2.
During the 9 mile run, I was starving by mile 6, so I knew something had to change before my next run.

The week leading up to my ten mile run was hectic, to say the least. I barely got in two short runs that week,
so I was super nervous on how my long run was going to go on Saturday.
I also wanted to get up an hour and a half before I was going to run to eat a decent size breakfast,
then go back to bed…. buuuuuut, that didn’t happen. I settled for a bagel thin with peanut butter and headed out.
Overall, the run went well. I wasn’t starving and the peanut butter really held me over, I thought.
I also carried a water bottle with me, but I had to force myself to take sips around miles 3, 6, and 9.
That was probably the last time I’ll run with a water bottle unless I buy a hydration belt.
The last two miles were less than stellar, but I finished and felt pretty good. I am still shocked I ran that far.

More importantly, I have decided on what I am going to wear on race day.
I have worn the same outfit for my last three long runs.
I took the suggestions from my last post to heart and got two Champion sports bras that I love.
I really love these Old Navy compression capris, however, for them to actually be compression,
I had to go down to a size small. I have a size medium, but they do not compress anything.
Maggi got me the Adidas Ultimate Tee and I cannot tell you how much I love it.
It is lightweight and more importantly, long! I have a medium and it fits great!
I plan on getting a couple more.
Since it’s been a tad chilly in the mornings, I have been wearing my ASICS arm warmers,
which I scored for five bucks back in August when I never thought it would be chilly.

Bonus, I also got a foam roller with my birthday gift card and it is seriously amazing.

So, this update turned into a novel, thanks for powering through.
T-minus 2.5 weeks until race day!