I am only a few days away from race day for the Rock ‘n Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon….whoa!
This past week of training was challenging but solid! I’m very happy with my progress and I’m hopeful that the hard work will pay off for this Saturday’s race!
By the way, congratulations to all of the Chicago Marathon runners this weekend!! I heard the heat made the race challenging, but you are all amazing and inspiring! You’ve got me wanting to run another marathon…lol!
Once again, I’m joining Hoho and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap! It’s such a great linkup where dozens of awesome running and healthy living bloggers participate and share what’s going on in their active lives each week!
I’m also linking up with Marcia, Patty, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run, another awesome linkup where bloggers talk about their training and share running tips!
[bctt tweet=”Another week of training for the @runrocknroll Brooklyn half marathon is on the books – check out my recap! #bibchat #RNRBrooklyn #runchat” username=”Janelle_RWNR”]
Weekly Wrap: Student Outreach, Oktoberfest and Wedding Planning
I had a really nice weekend. On Saturday morning (after my 10 mile run), I participated in a panel at Drexel University for the National Society of Black Engineers. The students were having a Zone Summit with several of the other local universities and I was able to talk about my journey to becoming a professional engineer and share some advice. I really love doing outreach events with college students and it has been a long time since I’ve been able to get involved, so it was definitely a highlight of my day! I also had some great conversations with some of my fellow professionals.
And as fall continues, so do all of the festivals! Bret and his mom went to a farmer’s market and Oktoberfest celebration in Ambler in the morning, then my sister and I met them for an Oktoberfest in Roxborough, known as Roxtoberfest. It was a cool event – there was plenty of food, carnival games, and live music. Thankfully there was some cloud cover so the 80-degree weather didn’t feel as miserable! Of course, I had to have some German food and drink! And once again, I have no photos to prove it!
Now that I’m engaged, let me tell you…this wedding stuff is OVERWHELMING! We have so many unanswered questions. No, I don’t know what the wedding date will be. No, we don’t know what the headcount will be. And no, I have no idea which venue! There are so many decisions involved and while my fiance seems opposed to it, I really think we need to hire a wedding planner. I’m really at the “Now What??!” phase of engagement and I would love to hear your thoughts on how to get a good handle on this! I couldn’t even sleep last night because I kept thinking about the wedding!
Workouts for the Week
Monday 10/2: One hour of yoga at lunch.
Tuesday 10/3: Progression run, 4 miles. I ended up running later in the evening and the temperature was PERFECT! I felt like an absolute rock star on this run, my final mile was at a 9:08 pace, even though part of it was uphill!
Wednesday 10/4: Rest day.
Thursday 10/5: Tempo time! 5 miles, with 4 of those miles at my goal half marathon pace of 9:30-9:40. I was SO nervous about this run, but I lucked out because my friend Mark was also out doing a training run so we ran together! We didn’t chitchat as much as we usually do, but we hit those paces right on target! It was about 80 out, so the fact that I could push through the heat and humidity was very encouraging. I will admit though that overall the route we ran was very flat compared to where I usually run! I needed the mental boost!
Friday 10/6: Ended up with no workouts.
Saturday 10/7: 10 tough miles! My pace was terribly inconsistent – had a pretty strong start but the hills definitely started to take their toll on me! It was extremely humid and I was glad that I was able to knock this run out early. I had some minor knee pain but not as bad as I’ve had on other long runs.
Sunday 10/8: 3 easy miles. It was a little rainy and very humid, so we took it nice and easy on the trails. It was fun to explore for a little bit! Before bed I did a few Runner’s Knee prevention exercises like clamshells and bridges.
Week 11 Report Card
I’m very happy with how this past week of training went! My runs were challenging but I worked hard and did a pretty darn good job! And now that I have a monthly goal to foam roll every day, I’m finally forcing myself to dedicate that time, even if it ends up being right before I go to bed because I procrastinated, lol. I’m optimistic that it will help with my knee issues so I plan to keep up the momentum!
I’m going to give Week 11 an A-! Now I have just 2 more training runs until the half marathon…eek!
How was your week of working out? Did you run a race this past weekend?
Congratulations on your engagement! I always thought you were married, ha ha! Wedding planning is so much fun. Enjoy!
Thanks, Jennifer! Nope, we just act like we’re married, lol! I’m hoping to have more fun and less stress with this wedding stuff!
No wedding experience here, but I’ve had friends and family who’ve either done or haven’t done the planner option. You don’t have to set a date until you feel comfortable with some stuff.
I’m thinking the planner will help with the stress…at least I hope so! Definitely not finalized on a date yet, agggh! LOL
Our oldest son opted for a destination wedding. It certainly took the stress out of planning. And, we got to go to Jamaica! The family hosted a reception for them a few weeks later too. I’m so over this humidity. I hope you get wonderful weather for your race this weekend! Thanks for linking.
Jamaica sounds awesome! We’re planning to have the wedding in the Philly area, which is considered a “destination” to both of our families that live out of state, lol!
It’s now looking like it’ll rain on race day…boo humidity!
Great job with your training! As for the wedding planning, I think its important to prioritize. When we were picking venues/dates/etc we first decided we wanted to do it locally and knew we wanted to get married at Loyola’s chapel because we both went there. So then we had to base our date on which weekends were open there. We also narrowed it down to a season (fall- so September to November) and then started looking at venues for the reception. There are alot of factors to consider but it will all work out! I used a wedding planning guide from the Knot and that really helped.
Thanks, Lisa! We definitely need to make some priorities for this wedding! Bret eliminated almost the entire fall because of college football…seriously! Hopefully soon we can get our heads wrapped around the guest list and at least a month we know we want to have the wedding! The Knot is great, I’ve definitely been reading all the articles lol!
Even though we’ve been married for 29 years, reading your post brought back all those feelings of being overwhelmed! We look back and say we wish we eloped! LOL. Seriously though, it’s one day and you should do it how you want it. The most important thing is what you guys do after that day. Look at the day as a party, a celebration and have fun. Don’t stress over the small stuff.
Old married lady advice–out.
Thanks for the advice, Wendy! That’s the thing – it’s just one day! I just don’t want to go over the top, I want to keep things as simple as possible. Hopefully this process doesn’t drive me nuts, haha!
This is so exciting!!! Congrats on the engagement! It’ll be few hard days of planning. But, I’m sure it’ll all work out.
Thanks, Madhuri!
I’m so excited for you to tackle the half marathon this weekend! I’m dropping down to the 5 mile so I should have time to run back to the finish to cheer you on!!
Looking forward to seeing you!!
Great job this week! And how awesome you got to be part of the panel 🙂
I always thought that it was funny that the minute you get engaged everyone wants to know when the wedding will be.
I wish that I lived in your area, I love wedding planning! There is a lot to think about. There are a lot of great planning resources if you check online or at your local bookstore. There are a few things that you will need to consider in regards to budget to start making your plans after you pick the date but once you get the big stuff picked out, the rest starts to fall in place. If I can answer any questions for you, just let me know 🙂
Thanks a lot, Sara! The panel was really rewarding and fun. Who know I had so much wisdom to share? Haha!
I may have to tap you for a few wedding questions LOL. I do have a WeddingWire account but I’m still so lost on where to begin, lol!
Would you believe it’s been 27 years sine I was planning my wedding (YIKES!). I think the firsts thing we did, though, was pick a date…which gave me a deadline. I am one of those that will procrastinate forever, but give me a deadline (preferable a short one), and I’ll get the work done. Good luck with your race! I”m doing a 5-mile race on Saturday…not sure how “fast” I’ll be able to run it. I know I can at least run that far (without walk breaks) now…but racing is another ball game.
I really wanted a fall wedding but the dear fiance is making things hard for me with college football, go figure! Having that date will definitely help us to work backwards for what all needs to get done!
I hope you have a great race – I love that you’re getting back at it!
This weather has got to go! I need some crisp fall air to bring back my running mojo! We had a simple, low-key wedding back in the day but it still took a lot of time to plan – and I didn’t have that time-suck known as Pinterest to pile on the pressure!
Seriously, this weather is really starting to annoy me! Where is the fall?? LOL. I definitely want to have a simple wedding. I haven’t even jumped to Pinterest yet – that’ll really freak me out, haha!
Great week!
Ah, wedding planning…just try to relax and enjoy this special time 🙂 Easier said than done, I’m sure.
Thanks a lot, Jessie! I will TRY to relax, haha!
We had a wedding planner and we both felt like it was totally worth it. But it’s also because neither of us really enjoyed the wedding planning stuff. If it’s something that one of you would have fun with, that’s a different story. Otherwise, I really felt like she was a life saver. Congrats on the training cycle, it sounds like it’s been a great one! And that was a smart idea to add in a goal of foam rolling every day. I added doing my feet exercises to my habit tracker and it really helped.
Have so much fun running Brooklyn this weekend! That’s one race I’d love to do. When we got married a billion years ago, having an idea of a rough headcount was needed for the venue. Once we got the venue, we were able to fill in everything else around it. Once you get “the big stuff” booked, it gets less overwhelming. But yes, so stressful. A wedding planner would be awesome!
Thanks a lot, Marcia! I’m hoping to have a great race! Yes…I think the headcount will definitely help things out. I think we want to keep things on the small side, thank goodness. I’m hoping to get as many of the basics figured out, then pass on the work to the planner, haha!
Great job on the training!
It’s been a long time since I planned a wedding (we’ve been married 22 years), but I’d start with a date and a venue. Once you figure those two things out, you can start working on the details. Good luck!
Thanks a lot! The venues have really become overwhelming since there are so many beautiful options! If we could figure that out I’d feel so much better!
Wedding planning can be so overwhelming. My biggest piece of advice would be do what you and your fiance want it is your day. Try not to worry about pleasing the parents (easier said than done!)
Well said, Deborah! As soon as I figure out exactly what I want (LOL), then hopefully we can take it from there!
The trend is across the board for this past weeks runs. Janelle, your 10 miler was much like everyone else. Slow paces, tough runs but glad to be finished! Great job on sticking it out!
It’s going to feel like fall eventually right?
Thanks, Tricia…yes, hopefully we can get some fall weather soon, it’s been ridiculous!!