June Sponsor Spotlight!

A few weeks ago, I launched a sponsorship package on this blog. For $100 or below, you can advertise on this blog and reach a whole bunch of people interested in health, fitness and awesomeness. Check out my sponsor page if you have a blog, Etsy shop or any sort of small business you’d like to promote. Sponsorship includes a display ad in my sidebar and shout-out posts like this to bring more attention to your business.

And now I’d like to tell you more about the awesome sponsors for this month, my inaugural sponsors.

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Just Train by Joel Thomas

Joel is my old trainer and the dude who basically changed my life. I walked into the gym with 50 pounds to lose, and they gave me some slacker trainer who kept canceling on me. Joel saw me disappointed that my old trainer had bailed yet again and gave me a first session free, and then convinced me that I could, indeed, lose 50 pounds. And I did!

He is an incredibly caring trainer who is always there for his clients. He’ll push you really hard, but I never once felt unsafe working out with him. He recently opened his own gym in the Financial District, and I haven’t taken one of his classes YET, but I’ve talked to him about his gym, and I know he put a ton of research into putting together awesome classes. Each class is no bigger than six people, and no more than $30. They’re an hour long, and a mix of strength and cardio moves.

And there is a motivation mat! You’ll have to go there to see what I’m talking about. I promise you’ll get in an awesome workout and leave feeling pumped up.

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Fitness Fruition

Do you read Mary’s blog? If not, you should. She’s a Florida-based running coach/personal trainer. Her blog is awesome because she combines lots of practical running advice and knowledge with stories about her own running, like running with Jeff Galloway. She’s also currently working at a running store to learn even more about running to inform her training and coaching. So, if you’re training for a fall race, consider working with Mary! Anne is for her first marathon!

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Running On the Wall

I don’t know about you, but I definitely hoard my race bibs and medals. The awesome folks at Running on the Wall have all kinds of running-inspired decorations, like this race bib holder.

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Or medal holder:

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So, if you’re in NYC, definitely try out Joel’s classes; if you’re anywhere, give Mary’s training/coaching a spin, and if you’re a runner with a hoarding problem, take a look at Running on the Wall and put your running on the wall!

Al Goldstein Summer Speed Series 5K Recap

I used to have really self-limiting thoughts about my running.

I haven’t been running that long.

I used to be fat.

For probably the first two years I ran, I saw myself as someone who had somehow beat the system, snuck in and pretended to be a runner.

Then I started training for the NYC Half, with the goal of going sub-2, and I started believing in myself. I didn’t do it on the first try (or the second, or the third, but that’s neither here nor there), but I started to think of myself as someone who could run for performance, not just to finish. I was only competing with myself, but that fire in my belly had been ignited.

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Megan | Meggie | Leticia | some weird blonde chick with an accidental side pony | Jenny | Carla | Rebecca

Last night, I ran one of the Al Goldstein Summer Speed Series races. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re awesome. A $5 5K? Um, yes. They happen every other week in the summer, and last year all of my friends from the Internet went and had fun, and I was never able to make any of them. This year, I’m trying to make it to as many as possible.

I got off the subway and got completely lost trying to find the start of this small race. My directional skills are terrible; I’d need Google Maps to get me out of a paper bag were I lost in there. I started running the loop, hoping I’d run into someone I know, and I eventually saw a unicorn Meggie, who led me to the start and our friends. I’d run 3 miles as a warmup (was only supposed to run 2, so Jess, I would like to request a deduction in mileage somewhere else) and my legs were still a little spent from the tri, so I wasn’t planning on “racing” it.

Rebecca and I started off together, both a little unsure about how it’d go, but trying to run hard. Jess wanted me doing it as a tempo at 8:15ish pace. Oops. I held that for about the first mile, then we dropped to 7:43 and 7:50 miles. My 5K PR is around a 7:33 pace, so I knew I wasn’t going to PR, but I decided I wanted to run as strong a race as I had in me yesterday.

That first mile included a bigass hill, and then it was all downhill from there. Rebecca and I chatted a little, but even a not-really-racing 5K pace is difficult to talk at, so after the first mile we occasionally grunted at each other.

In the last mile, once I hit 2.5, I decided I just wanted to be done, so I ran that last mile in hard and finished in 24:33. A full minute off of my PR, but I was still happy with a strong race.

24:33 is a 7:55 average pace. I never thought I’d be able to run under 8-minute miles, or even one 8-minute mile four years ago.

That was not a fluke, and it excites me for the rest of marathon training. (Which is good, because this is only the first week.)

Oh, and then I woke up and ran 6 more this morning with the lovely Jen. I’m enjoying getting back into the swing of things.

What self-limiting thoughts did you get rid of to become a stronger runner?