Just Do It Already

Today I faced my fears and joined a Jack Rabbit group run. I signed up for their Resolve 2013 program and one of my January goals was to attend at least one event. Solo. Terrifying. But I decided this weekend it was time to just do it already and the 9am Upper East Side run looked like a great fit- the schedule said it would be 7-10 miles and for runners with a pace of 9 minutes and faster. Easy peasy.

I went to bed early last night, woke up in plenty of time to get to the store, but found myself more nervous than the morning of the Philly marathon. I was second-guessing my decision, thinking thoughts like: what if everyone else is best friends and I'm the only one who doesn't know anyone? What if they're all faster than me? What if I can't keep up? Ah!

But as I ran from the subway to the Jack Rabbit store this morning (of course there were major delays on the 4,5,6!), I forced myself to think logically: Runners are generally nice people and my Garmin tells me I've consistently run under a 9 min pace for 10+ miles for the past 2 months. All I needed was some confidence.

And then I walked into the store.

I was one of the last people to get there and everyone was already paired off, chatting as if they had known each other for years. Fear realized, strike 1. I then looked around and realized I was the ONLY person wearing a fuel belt. I felt like a kindergartner trying to fit in with high schoolers. Strike 2. My confidence was waning.

We started running towards Central Park and I immediately thought I was sprinting. I fell to the back of the pack, and even though mile one clocked in at 8:34, I was struggling to keep up. Strike 3. This was not looking good. At this point my confidence was totally shot and I started toying with the idea of just fading into the other Central Park runners to finish the run on my own.

We headed towards the north Harlem Hills, and that's when magic happened.

I powered up those hills, passing half the group in the process, and started to feel like maybe I could hang. My Garmin beeped and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw my 2nd mile split- 8:09. My confidence returned and I settled in for the rest of the run. Everyone's pace evened up, and I ended up running in the middle of the pack for the rest of the run.

It was a hard run-- there were some tough hills and a SUPER strong headwind along the Hudson River, but I ended the run smiling. It was a great experience and I'm definitely planning on going to more events. I learned I should probably listen to my logical side a bit more-- even though I started out shaky, I was more than capable of running with the group, I met some really great people in the process, and now I'm one step closer to meeting my January goal! (and getting those cute Lulu shorts! ;))

My splits:

The miles in the 9s were on city streets, where the Garmin always has trouble keeping a strong signal!

Total miles for the week: 25.7!

Here's To 2013

A new year, a fresh beginning... or as I'd like to think about it, the motivation to recommit to goals already in motion. 2012 was a big year for me- job changes, relationship hurdles, and a major lifestyle change. Here's what I learned and how I want to recommit in 2013:

If you're not reading PSFK, you need to. Especially my articles.

I quit a job I hated and took a chance in an entirely new field.  I left my job as a senior analyst at a major cable channel (cushy salary and benefits included) to be an intern again at the age of 26. I'd read PSFK for years and  had always wanted to find a way to be a part of the organization. When I saw the internship posting, I knew I had to give it a try or always be left with a 'what if' feeling. It's been a humbling but hugely satisfying move. After 6 weeks of working harder than I ever had before, I received a full time offer at the company. I'm much happier than I was at my old job, but it hasn't been without challenges, especially the significant pay cut. After I switched jobs, I really had to reassess how I was spending my money- bye bye barre classes, a 5 day a week Starbucks/Mud coffee habit, and buying new clothes 'just because.' The change has forced me to really think about a budget and what I'm spending money on- which made me realize how poorly I had been handling my finances before I changed jobs.

2013 Related Goals:

- Be smart about a budget, and Save More. Make 2013 the most 'financially savvy' year on the books.
- Continue to grow my position at work

In California, celebrating a very special day

My boyfriend moved to California for 4 and 1/2 months. From January to mid-May, my boyfriend was on the other side of the country. He received an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity and I would have killed him if he didn't take it. But that doesn't mean it wasn't really challenging. It's hard to be separated by 3 time zones and not to have your best friend with you, and there were times I just felt lonely. But it was also an opportunity to reach out to friends and strengthen other relationships when he was gone. I'm so glad he's back, but I'm grateful I had the opportunity to push outside of my comfort zone and learn how to better balance our relationship with relationships with friends.

2013 Related Goals:

- Continue to reach out to acquaintances and newer friends and commit more time for 'girls nights' and 'me' time.

The sweetest feeling

I fell in love with running. I ran track and cross-country in high school, but if we're being honest, it was mainly a way to boost my college application with a team sport. I have the worst hand/eye coordination ever, so running was just about the only sport that made sense. I ran off and on in college, and then in 2009, ran my first 1/2 marathon with Team In Training. I loved it, and when I moved to NYC later that summer, I vowed to run the NYC Marathon before I ever moved anywhere else. I took a NYRR running class and had never been speedier... until I fell off a treadmill and twisted my knee cap a few months later. I wore a brace, went through physical therapy, but never really regained full confidence. I kept putting my name in the NYC Marathon lottery, but only ran a few miles here and there, never committing to another race until 2012. In 2012, I ran two half marathons (DC and Brooklyn), both of which I under trained for and felt awful (even throwing up yards from the finish line at the DC half in March) after finishing. And then, after 3 long years, I made it into the NYC Marathon. I didn't want to feel like I had after the two half marathons in the spring, so I made a serious commitment to training, nailing a calendar with my schedule on my bedroom wall and documenting every run on Just Allie.

And I fell in love.

I decided to separate my running adventures from my regular blog, and Just Allie Runs was born on what would have been the day after the NYC Marathon. I love the accountability of blogging, even if I'm the only one reading it. It's great to be able to look back on how I felt and what I was doing... so welcome to my running diary ;) I'm also learning about the great community that is the running blogosphere, and have loved discovering new blogs and learning from others.

2013 Related Goals:

- Run the NYC Marathon (duh). And although this is scary to put it in writing, run it in 4 hours.
- Run a half-marathon and feel GOOD about it. GOOD=PR. I'm already signed up for the Hilton Head 1/2 in February and NYC 1/2 in March, so hopefully this goal will be a reality sooner rather than later ;)
- Get to know the running community better. Here's the deal. It's easy to read blogs and 'feel' like you know a fellow runner, it's harder to go to a Jack Rabbit group run solo. I have an irrational fear that I'll be the only person who showed up by themselves at the run, and everyone else will already be paired up, and not talk to me. I know it's silly, but it's true. So I've taken the first step and signed up for the Jack Rabbit Resolve program, listing one of my January goals as going to a group run. Gulp. Like Jason told me whenever I complained about a training run, Just F'ing Do It.

Here's to conquering fear in 2013 and recommitting to goals already in progress! Wanna run with me? ;)