ahhh

AHHHHH i cannot sleep I am so so so nervous for sunday!!! oh dear oh dear! also, yes i have a sinus infection and yes i did not do one physical thing for 3 days in a row the WEEK before my race. but its okay i will CRAWL across this finish line if I have to! Right now i am just very worried about my sleeping schedule because the race is at 7 AM on sunday which means i have to be up at like what 4 AM??? I don't even know. Does that mean I have to go to sleep at like 5 PM on saturday night? So yes I am more nervous about getting enough sleep than running 13.1 miles at the moment. cool.

first 10k baby!!!

hello hello! well yesterday MK and i ran in the Reedy River Run and did our first 10k ever! that is 6.2 miles...very very hilly miles that is. I finished in 54 or somewhere around there with MK in front of me by about 30 seconds it said in the paper...i felt pretty proud not gonna lie. however, it made me terribly nervous for the half marathon because I was so so tired just from 6.2 miles and i gotta do 13.1. oh well its gonna be an INTENSE 2 weeks. I am so burned out but i AM going to finish this thing. I need to find a 2 week diet that will help me eat the right things before this race because I don't think I am getting the right nutrients and vitamins these days...okay im making out a new running schedule to up the ante a bit.. here it goes...

8 Monday: weightlifting, 10 miles

9 Tuesday: pilates, 5 miles, circuit

10 Wednesday: 3 miles, abs, and kickboxing

11 Thursday: pilates, 5 miles, circuit

12 Friday: 4 miles

13 Saturday: 10 miles

14 Sunday: Spinning, circuit

15 Monday: weightlifting, 3 miles, kickboxing

16 Tuesday: pilates, 5 miles

17 Wednesday: kickboxing

18 Thursday: pilates, 4 miles, circuit

19 Friday: 4 miles

20 Saturday: 2 mile jog

21 Sunday-----> HALF MARATHON!!!!

22 Monday....i have my life back! countdown to graduation!

love life xoxo

Well it happened....

What happened? You might be wondering what the answer could possibly be. Well it has taken me a week to get up the courage to say.... I fell face first last week while running. Oh, you say. It's fine because you were probably just jogging along and tripped over a very large tree branch that fell just as you were crossing the street of a small neighborhood. Well, you would be wrong. It all began as Katie and I set out for a nice 6 miler (on our day off). We were feeling pretty good after a rough couple of days and a rough start. It was about at the 2 mile point when we were falling into step (excuse the pun). We had just turned onto Jacobs Highway (yes, you read that right HIGHWAY, meaning four lanes with a turning lane, so make that five lanes of traffic) and were approaching the stop light (yes, where several cars were pausing to create a nice flow of traffic). When all of a sudden, I was on the ground. I remember it vividly as I'm sure you remember one of the most embarrassing things you've ever done too. It went in slow motion. My legs continued to move, but my feet did not. My hands (my life(face)savers) led the way to the ground. My knees followed. I remember thinking, "Hmm, now would be a great time to ask Katie for help!" Just like that, I hit the ground. BOOM! SCRAPE! TEARS (both meanings of the word, just in case you are in 3rd grade and are learning about homographs) (lots of tears)! My left foot decided to hang out in the shoe lace of my right foot for a second, without my consent, and down I went. Remember how I was on that four slash five lane highway. I was mortified! How embarrassing! But good thing I was running with such a great, wonderful, caring friend. Katie didn't act embarrassed (though, how could you not be when running with such a klutz!). No, she just sat down on the grass with me as I shed some tears, and saw that my pants were ripped. Looking back, I think the tears were from the ripped pants more than the embarrassment because those things are NOT cheap! Anyhow, I got some pretty sweet bruises and cuts as a result of this occurrence, and after Katie was able to assure me that life would go on and people wouldn't forever remember me as that girl who tripped over herself on the four slash five lane highway, she and I walked home.
I have since learned that falling is apart of running (that's what I've told myself at least) and all good runners have done it, so hopefully that means I'm getting some where. You'll be happy to know that I have since also gotten new shoes with shorter laces, and I'm still running! Training has been a bit slow lately, but Katie and I are running in a 10 K on Saturday for practice with the whole racing thing! Ours is TWO weeks from SUNDAY!!!!! AHHHH!!! Ok, hope you're doing well! Peace!

ONE MONTH!!!!

Ok, here's the deal: OUR 1/2 MARATHON IS ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!!!!! I'm super excited about it too. I ran about 10 miles on Friday. I actually ran for 90 minutes. In Clinton, that's definitely 10 miles, but I was running in Dalton, which is FAR hillier. I'm not a fan of hills, just in case you were wondering. I don't think Atlanta (location of said race) will be as hilly as Dalton, should be pretty flat!
Anywhoo, so training is going well. I just need to start eating better. I have noticed that when I eat healthy things I run better. Well, I haven't been doing much of that lately because I think I'm invincible or something like that, I suppose. When it comes to food, I simply say, "Well, you ran ________ miles today, so why not have as much as you want of whatever you want." In the beginning that was fine, but now that the milage has increased, and my body needs some real nutrients. Now this transition might just become the hardest part of the training. I need help! I was able to read a book that told me when/how/where to run, and now I need directions on how to eat. All advice is appreciated.
Here's my life aside: I just spent the weekend in Nashville visiting Jenn (who is also running a 1/2 marathon! See everyone can do it!). We experienced a little bit of Dance Marathon with the hypnotist, not so much dancing though. Jenn gave me a tour of Vandy, took me to the Apple store to replace my power cord (alas, it died), and then we went to the UK/Vandy game (excellent game for those who might have missed it). Last night, we went out for drinks and caught up on life. Oh how I miss her! After traveling through TN, GA, and SC, I've finally made it to school. I'm now not doing my work and writing this blog. I did not run at all this weekend, shame on me, but I'm really going to try and pick it up this week (Katie ran 95 minutes today!!!! YAY!!!).
Now, I must try to be productive so that I will have time to run this week. Hasta Luego (No worries, I'm not back in Spain)!

finally...an ACCOMPLISHMenT!!!

yesterday, Monday February 15, I, Katie Lee Whitten ran for 70 min. straight. yes 7 and a 0!! that is over 7 miles for me!! im so proud of myself. once i got past 4 miles it was really really easy, i couldve kept going if it werent getting dark outside! today i am not even very sore! i'm confused on what i should run today though because yesterday I was suppose to run 5 and today 6 so does that mean i run 4? nah, im gonna try to do 5 i believe. okay im pumped and def. am remotivated for training! yippee! my only problem is that i need new shoes desperately so hopefully i can go home friday to get some! i have blisters that are so painful all overrr! esp on the bottom of my feet!! xoxo -klw :)

get it together...

I NEED TO START TRAINING FOREAL AND GET IT TOGETHER. SEriously...this past week all I did was eat a LOT of junk food and sugar---this week i will eat healthy and train hard. that is all i have to say. PEACEEE.

During the time, I've been away...

You are probably wondering where I have been , and the only thing I can say is that I turned 22. I know that might not sound like much, but if you haven't done this, it can be taxing! Ok, so I get that I'm not that much older, but my body is beginning to experience its appreciation (rather LACK of appreciation) for this whole half marathon training thing. If my body were writing this blog right now, it would say something like this: "I can't believe she hasn't stopped yet. I've tried to cramp every muscle she has. I've even made her aware of a million muscles she never even knew she had (I'm sneaky like that), and she still hasn't given up. Guess I'll have to try something else. I don't know how much more I can take!" Though each day I do find a new muscle, I can't lie and say that I'm not super excited that this past weekend I ran close to 9 miles! I was scheduled to run 8, so I ran for 80 minutes. My mile time is close to a 9 min/mile, which I know for you runners that's practically standing still, but for me, it's almost "as fast as lightening"! Anywhoo, I also feel like I am making loads of progress. The shortest run on the schedule from here on out is 4 miles. Remember that time in my life (slash just two months ago) when 1 mile was a battle in itself?? Well now I run four miles and feel like I could do more. It's like a little break....uhh who is this person typing?? 
With all this running, I have had an unusual amount of alone time with my little thoughts, and let me tell you, I have probably had enough time to figure out the world's problems (mine are still in question!). No, but seriously, I have been doing a lot of thinking, and I have decided that I am very happy with where I am in life right now (you can clap or whatever you want because that's huge!). Sure I have a million things to stress about: each day I am responsible for cramming new information into 50 kids' brains; graduation is on the horizon (and by horizon, I mean I'm at the ocean and can see it!); the whole job thing is still panning (or at least hopefully) itself out; oh, the list could go on, but I'm sure you have better things to do than read about the things that should be stressing me out right about now. Where was I? Right, this training thing has given me an opportunity to think about all of this and more; however, the thoughts are usually interrupted with a "oh my goodness, are my knees about to fall off", "it feels like there are daggers in my shoulders", "I've got to pee", "I've only been running for 10 minutes? It feels like 100!". Ok, so the thinking part is something I want to work on, but nevertheless, I digress.
Anyway, I will continue to stand by my goal of promoting a physical lifestyle among my friends and family. I have found how beneficial running has been. I clearly wasn't a "runner" when I began this training. I was just the average girl that loved to pig out and then go "work it off" at the gym or vice versa, but I have learned that exercising has given me a much needed confidence boost, and I am on my way to accomplish a goal that I never dreamed possible. If you are reading this and still thinking she's crazy I could never run a half marathon, start by going to the gym and walking on the treadmill for say 30 minutes three (or one) times a week, and you'll start to notice a difference in your self image! I promise!!
Ok, I'm off my soapbox. I will be back though! Hope y'all are loving this lovely weather we've been having. It's added an extra challenge to this whole training thing. Oh right, I was hailed on today as I was attempting a 5 miler. The 5 miles did not happen, but I can now check "run in the freezing cold hail" off the life to do list. Hasta proixmo tiempo!