You can't climb back up if you don't first fall down.

The past year has been one of awesome gains, amazing trips, and forever friendships.

My awesome job as manager at Riverside Runners got even awesomer at the beginning of September when we moved our store to a bigger location down the street (affectionately known as "Uptown Riverside Runners") because we were busting at the seams in our old store. How lucky was I to be part of a new page in the RR story--a campaign to inspire movement in our community and everywhere!?

Uptown Riverside Runners, #inspiremovement

I set PRs in almost every distance; from 800m to 26.2 miles and everything in between.

I ran my second and third marathons (Pittsburgh in May and Richmond in November) faster than my first.

I went to Chicago in June all by myself and ran in the Chicago Women's Half. The race started in Grant Park...way cool to run in this big of an event and it be only women. Made for a little more of a competitive edge because everyone I passed was a girl!




Chicago Women's Half, June 2012

In August, I visited my friend Sarah in Oregon. She and I used to teach 2nd grade together in Lynchburg, and then she moved to Oregon in September 2010. I always wanted to visit her and the opportunity to do just that and run Hood to Coast* all came together in 2012! What an awesome experience! The trip was full of memories--from staying in downtown Portland and visiting Adidas HQ and then Nike HQ in Beaverton, to seeing Mount Hood up close and personal, to driving across the state of Oregon in a van with a team of 5 other goofballs who were so much fun, to finishing the race on the beach in Seaside, to driving down the coast with Sarah, Ryan, Abigail, and Hank (including seeing Haystack Rock), to spending several days in Newport where the Knapps had made their home...it was a trip I'll never forget.

*Hood to Coast is a 200-mile relay race from Mt. Hood to Seaside, Oregon. You run the race in legs, with 12 people per team, 2 vans, 6 people in each van, and each person on the team running 3 legs for a total of 36 legs. It's one of the most amazing ways to see part of the state of Oregon.



Starbucks was brewing "Hood to Coast" that morning



Up close and personal with the summit

The girls of Van 1, with Mt. Hood behind

Sarah and I right before my 2nd leg of the race




Most of the team after our finish in Seaside




Hanging on the beach in Seaside

 

Prior to HTC and through July, August, September, and October I was training pretty hard for what would have been my most anticipated marathon experience of my life. I was selected to run in the New York City Marathon through the lottery. I found out in April. I was already training for the Pittsburgh Marathon in May, so I was kind of surprised when I got in (my plan would be that I probably would only want to run one marathon each year). But I trained hard and was very ready for NYC, which was supposed to be the first Sunday in November. Then Hurricane Sandy hit.

Of course, plans changed. While Gregg and I were on our way to NJ to spend the weekend at my brother-in-law's before NYC, the marathon was cancelled (this was Friday) due to all the damage and tragedy from Hurricane Sandy. I was really bummed out, but understood why the city decided to cancel. We tried to make the best of the weekend and helped out with donations of clothes, linens, and shoes that we had brought with us. It was a neat weekend to be in NJ & NYC and spend with our family. We were lucky to have had that experience.

Jackie, me, and Maddie in NYC

Maddie, Gregg, me, Don, Chris, Sarah, and Jackie in Sayreville
 

To make up for all the training and no marathon in NYC, I signed up for Richmond the following weekend (November 10th). I didn't really know what to expect because it had been kind of a crazy weekend in NYC (just exhausting from feeling upset about what happened to NYC with Sandy hitting to feeling upset about the race being cancelled to feeling tired from travelling to not knowing what to run the week in between...) I was also lucky enough to end up with a migraine on Friday morning the day before Richmond. It seriously seemed like no cards were in my favor and that maybe I just shouldn't run a marathon this fall. Then we made it to Richmond Friday night and we had a really good dinner at the Strawberry Street Cafe with my brother-in-law's Aunt Nancy who we were staying with in Richmond, and had a good night's sleep.

When I woke up Saturday before the race, I felt as ready as I could be. And despite all the craziness in getting to this marathon, I was ready. I ran eleven minutes faster in Richmond than I had in Pittsburgh in May. It was a really really exciting and fulfilling and emotional day. I ran with the "NYC 26.2" shirt that I had made by an amazing Etsy artist, Firedaughter, and was supposed to wear in NYC. I felt so much positive energy...so many people who would read my shirt and be happy that I was there to run. It was just a really cool experience. I'm not happy that NYC was cancelled, but I understand. I am happy that I was able to run Richmond.

What. A. High.

I'm a lucky gal.



right before the start of Richmond



 

Kevin, me, Felix, Freda, and Jeff--all Lynchburgers!

me, Jeff, and Felix post-race; can you tell I'm stoked?

proud Richmond finisher!

Following the Richmond Marathon, my running plans were semi-slim. I would run the Turkey Trot in New Jersey while we visited Gregg's brother and fam for Thanksgiving. I would run the Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic 5k in Bedford. But other than that, I was kind of on the chill-out and recover plan. After those races, I didn't do much running. Especially in December. In fact, I barely wanted to run. And that is okay...they say it's a day of rest for every mile after a marathon to recover...so I took most of those days and just didn't do much structured running. I wanted to eat cookies and bake and shop and decorate for Christmas. So I did those things and worried less about running.

Then, in December, I felt kind of like I was putting on the pounds. It's funny how we all have our own perceptions of our imperfections. Especially women...and even though I probably didn't gain much weight--if any--I was just not feeling myself. I felt like I hit a really big slump with not running much for 6 or 7 weeks.

So last week, I decided that I had fallen far enough. In 2010, I created this "project3sixfive" blog to chronicle my goal of running every day for a year. I didn't exactly keep up with the blog like I had planned, but I did run every day for over a year (450+ days) and became a much more consistent runner. In 2011 and 2012, I ran and trained and got faster and everything was super.

For 2013, I just felt like I wanted to change my running schemes. So I decided that I wanted to run everyday for a year again. Climb back up from falling down. Jump back on the wagon. Pound the pavement (and maybe some trails with Chels). Run everyday. See where it takes me.

So I'm doing it. I'm back. Watch out 2013. I'm coming for you.

But all of this to say that 2012 was a really great year.

I ran better and faster than I ever have before.

I ran in Richmond, Chicago, Portland, Austin, Pittsburgh, Williamsburg, Lynchburg, Greensburg, Flemington, and from Mount Hood to Seaside, Oregon.

I ran with new friends in 2012 who will be more than just running friends forever.

The second that moves 2012 to 2013 happens quickly. With just a blink of an eye, one year is over, and a new one has begun. New Year's Eve 2012 ended with some gals I could call my sisters. What a difference a year makes...new friends and all.





Me, Cheslie, & Cheyenne: New Year's Eve 2012

Gregg and I on New Year's Eve

A long time ago...

in a far away land, a girl who was a hopelessly inconsistent runner began a blog. It was called Project Three Six Five (project3sixfive.blogspot.com) and was to represent her public committment to run everyday for a year.

Well that gal made her goal, ran everyday for a year (2010), and kept right on running into the next year until April 3 (that's 465 days of running!). Then she got sick and had to take 5 days off. That was hard.

During that year of running, she married the best guy she could have ever asked for, had a 5k on her wedding day, and visited Spain and Monaco with her new husband on their honeymoon. She even ran every day on her honeymoon (which was difficult, since she almost ran out of time on that really long day of travelling from Lynchburg to Charlotte to Frankfurt to Malaga by plane and then Malaga to Estepona by rental car...)

That year was a good year...that 2010.

In 2011, she kept running and ran her first marathon in Pittsburgh in May of 2011. That was really fun and hard and exciting and emotional and fulfilling...her parents came to watch and she felt like she really achieved something that day.

 

Then in the rest of 2011, the girl who used to be inconsistent at running, realized she had become pretty consistent and was running faster than ever before. She ran PRs at most of her races in the summer, enjoyed running in some local races on the track, and wore out a lot of shoes.

She ran and ran and sometimes didn't run as much. In the end of 2011 she was a little bored of running, so the fall was a little slower and had not as much running. That was okay. She was happy. She still had super duper husband who always supported her endeavors to hang out with and to love.

Because of the amazing opportunities from her running store job...running girl was in Austin, Texas in December of 2011 for a running trade show. She made friends with a runner dude from Alaska. He was a manager at the running store there (The Skinny Raven)...and he would prove to be a good friend to have made.

That 2011, it was a good year, too.

Then 2012 hit. Running girl was up for a new challenge...she wanted to run another marathon. But this time, she wanted to run faster. Runner dude from Alaska wrote up a plan and gave running girl a nice little Google calendar to sync with her phone. She signed up for the Pittsburgh Marathon again.

This time she would run the marathon to benefit Solemates: the charity program for Girls on the Run. She wanted to raise $500 to help more little girls have the opportunity to do the program. She raised $500 pretty easily. Then she raised $1000. Then she set her goal to $2000 and she passed that goal too. (If you want to see her get to $2500, donate here!)

She had a plan.

In January, running girl started running more again. Then she started doing all kinds of new things she had never done before: tempo runs, hill repeats, intervals, track workouts, ice baths...it was a new kind of adventure and very challenging, but she liked it.

Running girl ran 20 miles in a snowstorm in Greensburg in February.

She swam 2 hours and biked for 1 hour to replace a long run when she was having Achilles problems.

She got a concussion while running on the track one day in April. The lacrosse players were taking down the nets that protect the track from the field. They are held up by big, heavy metal poles. A player had a pole in his hands and was walking toward the track. She was running around the back turn and the player hit her in the jaw with the end of the pole. He was a big dude. The pole was heavy. She was conked out for a few seconds...she went to the doc the next day when something didn't feel right. She was told maybe she shouldn't run the marathon. She had to take 5 days off work. Running girl was worried.

That was a big road block. Running girl had to take some time off running after the concussion. When she came back, she was having some headaches, but she felt better and better.

And then the time came where the marathon was only 5 days away.

Running girl was nervous...but she had lots of things to motivate her for a good day.

She had loving friends who inspired her.

She had an encouraging husband who knew she could do it.

She had super running reps who gave her fun running clothes to wear.

She had amazing people who donated to her campaign for Girls on the Run.

She had parents and family members who were going to come watch her.

She had a workplace that supported her and a boss who allowed her to leave for the weekend.

She had only 8 toenails.

She had a massage that week before the race.

She had a lot of water that week too.

She couldn't wait for the big day: Sunday, May 6th.

She was ready.

Jingle Bell Jog

Miles today: 4.0
Miles this week: 23.4
Miles in 2010: a lot

I've been doing the Jingle Bell Jog for the past 4 or 5 years. It's come to be one of my favorite Christmas time events.

Every year, on the Saturday before Christmas, Riverside Runners hosts this 3-5 mile run at our store.

What started as just about 25 people (Jeff says, I wasn't there) has grown to a 150+ person event. Guests bring baked goods, we provide hot chocolate, Gatorade, and water as well as door prizes, music, and a fully dressed running Santa! It's so fun. The best part is the parade of costumed runners running down the Avenue at 8:30 that morning.

I think my friend Sarah D. said it best: To Heather and all of the runners; It sure made my day to see all of the festive, costumed runners out this morning as I made my way back and forth down the Avenue to the City Market. I wished I had been out there running. Thanks for an unexpected and humorous Christmas Parade!

I met up with my buds Stacey and Austin to run, but since both Austin and I had to work, we only ran 4 of the 5 miles so we could get back to the store.

The event was a huge success...tons of people, lots of cookies, and great door prizes. Jeff even got a bunch of shirts screened to hand out for FREE! to the participants who dressed with holiday cheer.  

Austin's Home

Miles today: 4.75
Miles this week: 4.75
Miles in 2010: the rest of the year before today + 4.75

Austin came home from school for Christmas this weekend and I didn't get to see her until tonight. Isn't it appropriate that our first get-together would be meeting in front of Riverside Runners for a run?

We met around 6:30 after I finished at work. I had changed in the basement, so when I came upstairs, Rachel, Claire, and Austin were all near the front desk chatting.

They turned around to say hey to me and as they did, I think they all said in unison, are you crazy!?

See, the thing was, I forgot tights or pants when I left the house this morning and all I had grabbed was a pair of shorts. Now, the weather outside has been pretty frightful, and today/tonight was no different. In fact, earlier, when I had opened the front door to grab the mail, the icy wind blew in and rattled all the clothes on the racks and almost knocked me over.

I knew it was going to be cold. I just didn't feel like going all the way home to get tights. Austin asked, are you sure? I don't mind. But I said I'd brave the cold with my legs hanging out of my shorts and that I would be fine.

We got our stuff together, opened the front door, and I felt that cold, icy wind again. It was like I had nothing on my bottom at all. Oh well, I knew I'd warm up.

Austin and I ran our usual: out Rivermont to Peakland, down Peakland to the end and then back to the store. By the time we got to the First Christian Church, my legs were numb and I couldn't feel the icy wind anymore. On top of that, just being with Austin and having someone to run with made the time go by quickly and the weather was almost out of mind. It was convenient, too, because in the past year of running I've acquired a great pain in my right heel/achilles/calf...some kind of bursitis or achilles tendonitis or both...so the icy wind also numbed my heel and I could run hard and what felt like fast (Austin is faster than me). I'm looking forward to running with her through the end of Project 3-6-5 (she'll be home until almost the end of the year!) Yipee!

BRAS, BRAS, BRAS!

Miles today: 3.2

Miles this week: 4.3

Miles in 2010: 174

I ran a 3.2 mile loop on Rivermont today and enjoyed the run in the daylight with most cars paying attention and seeing me since I was running on the road. However, there was one car that came so close to me and the snow bank that I started to sweat a little and thought that I might have to tuck and roll if the driver didn't look up. He did look up and nothing happened to me, but it still made me a little nervous.

I had a yummy lunch from Magnolia foods today as well...a turkey and bacon cream cheese wrap! They have great food.

At Riverside Runners today, we had our first meeting with Deborah Compton, as our Moving Comfort representative. Deborah has been our Balega rep for many years, and gets us the latest info on our #1 selling socks. In fact, I'm pretty excited about the Hidden Comfort sock coming out in COLORS! They are offering a hot pink, purple, neon green, and orange. I think they'll be a hit.

On top of all these great socks that we love at Riverside Runners, as a store we've just brought on the Moving Comfort bra line. As a store, this means we'll be in a place we've never been before--helping women with specific bra sizing.

Did you know? approximately 80% of women do not know/wear their correct bra size!

That's right. That means that Riverside Runners is going to be a woman's one-stop shop for buying sports bras! Almost or equally important to a woman's shoe purchase is a quality sports bra for impact support.

Did you know? a D-cup breast can weigh between 3 & 5 pounds! That's a lot of extra weight to be carrying around! Get a bra that supports that weight!

We are excited to have three styles: Fiona, Pheobe, and Vixen in full size runs in the store now! Stop by and I'll measure you and help you find a bra that works!

Fiona:

Phoebe:

Vixen:

Happy 28th Birthday to me!

Miles today: 1.1

Miles this week: 1.1

Miles in 2010: 170.8

Today was seriously the best day I've had in a long time. Here's why:

1. I woke up and went for a (short) birthday run.
2. I dried and straightened my hair for the first time in a long time.
3. I got to work and was followed by Jeff with a birthday balloon and cupcakes from Magnolia Foods (my fave)!
4. Dave, from Mizuno, came to show Jeff and I the fall 2010 footwear line. We also took a look at some apparel...and after we were done, since it was my birthday, Dave gave me a jacket and some Breath Thermo tights!
5. I had my birthday lunch at Phila Deli.
6. While eating my lunch, I checked my email on my phone and was super surprised to see an email from Saucony...telling me that I won last week's contest for my choice of a Garmin 310XT or an iPod Nano. You can guess which one I picked.
7. I went home after work and Gregg told me to get ready quickly because we were going to dinner.
8. When we pulled into La Carretta's parking lot, I was a little surprised because I thought we were going somewhere fancy and we just had Mexican last night.
9. But...to my surprise...as we walked in, I saw my good friends Sarah and Ryan, who surprised me by coming. Then, when we went to sit down, more people kept popping in...Jesse, Stacey and Drew (all the way from Roanoke!), Jeff, Tom, my sister, Meghan, my brother-in-law, Ed, and my niece, Ella...I was so surprised!
10. We ate dinner, and then I was surprised again with a big sparkly sombrero on my head and a yummy cake...and everyone sang to me.
11. Since I had such a lucky day, I wanted to play the lottery. We stopped at the Shell station on the way home, and the lotto machine was down, so I just bought a few scratch-offs...and won $20!
12. When we got home after dinner Gregg gave me a sweet birthday card and a gift certificate for a massage! Yipee!

Thank you to all my friends who made my day so special, and to Gregg, my lovey, who surprised me and cares about me so much!

bridesmaid bonanza

Miles today: 1.1

Miles this week: 16.2

Miles in 2010: 162.7

I know I'm really behind on my blogs and today is actually Tuesday and I'm blogging about Saturday, but I promise I'll be all caught up by tomorrow (Wednesday) night.

Today was the Queen of Hearts Poker Fun Run, so I woke up early to ice all the cupcakes I made last night. When I was done, I probably made almost 100 cupcakes. Pretty good for last minute.

We set up for the run at the Rivermont Evangelical Presbyterian Church, who graciously offered us one of the nicest rooms in the church to begin and end our event. They were so giving!

The event went off without a hitch and everyone seemed to really enjoy running and playing poker at the same time. The grand prizes were gift cards to the store and two pairs of free Mizuno shoes.

After the run, I headed to the store to work. We got pretty busy and Patterson stopped by to chat. I just love when out-of-towners come home. I love to see them! Pat had to run 21 miles this afternoon, so he was about to go out for that run. I kind of can't imagine doing 21 miles just for training. Maybe someday.

I left work around 4:15 and picked up Austin to head to Roanoke to pick out her bridesmaid's dress. Stacey met us at David's Bridal and I think Austin had fun trying on the dresses and picking one out. Seeing bridesmaids and wedding stuff makes me so pumped for the wedding! I can't wait.

I didn't get home until almost 8:30pm, and I was starving, but I still hadn't run...so Gregg, my constant encouragement, pushed me off the couch and I went out for my mile run. I know I've been a little lazy this week, but I just have been sore in a couple places and really tired. I think week 6 of training must be a "hump week."

Mile was cold and blustery and I didn't want to do it, but once I was out there, it felt good. Of all things, when I got back to my driveway and went to push stop on my watch, I saw that I had never pressed start, which kind of ticked me off because I think that was my fastest mile around the neighborhood ever. Ugh. Oh well. Got the run in.

Gregg and I went to Wendy's after that...not a wise choice since it was almost ten...but I was so hungry and everything was closing, so I had a spicy chicken sandwich. I'll probably pay for it in the morning.

A Mile Short

Miles today: 3.2

Miles this week: 15.1
Miles in 2010: 161.6


It was a super busy day today because so much was going on at work and in my life...so I was kind of bummed when I didn't get to do everything as planned.

We had a pretty busy day at the store, and we had some planning and buying left to do for the Queen of Hearts Poker Fun Run tomorrow, so that made it a little crazier, plus Austin was coming home from Wake and Patterson was running the mile at Liberty and it is Valentine's weekend and almost my birthday! I'll be 28 on Monday!

I went out to Wal-mart around 3:30 in the afternoon to get food for the poker run in the morning. I kind of had fun getting all the treats, but getting to Wal-Mart was a different story. Every traffic ramp off the expressway near the mall/Wards Road was backed up a mile. It took me so long just to get to Wal-Mart, and then everyone in the store seemed to be in the aisles I needed to go down. It just took forever. I think people were out shopping to make themselves feel good since they were stuck inside for the past few weeks...severe case of cabin fever.

On top of all that, when I was checking out, I had picked up a 30+ pound box of bananas, and the kid at the register tried to weigh the whole case on his register scale, which obviously didn't work out because the box was way bigger than the scale, so he had to take each bunch of bananas out of the case and weigh them individually...it took forever. I felt bad for the kid and for the guy behind me who picked the wrong line because of my slowness. It was funny though, because the guy behind me struck up a conversation, asking about all the bananas...and we ended up talking about running (he used to be a runner) and my running everyday for a year thing. It was kind of cool.

I finally got back to the store after 5 and did some last minute race prep stuff...race numbers with team names, gift cards from the store for prizes, etc.

I really wanted to be able to go see my buddy Patterson run the mile at the Liberty Quad indoor meet tonight, but I ended up having to close the store, and couldn't make it. I was still really proud to hear about the results and wish I could've been there.

Closed up the store and then + (plus) one came to go for a run. You can imagine that running with Austin made me very happy. We just ran from the store down to Oakwood and back...nothing fast or far, but it was good to catch up with her and get a run in.

By the end of the night, I was exhausted from a busy week and tired muscles, but when I got home I still had to eat dinner and bake 50+ cupcakes for the Queen of Hearts run...so I spent the evening with Gregg watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and baking cupcakes. I'm really excited about the Olympics...what fun to watch these amazing athletes! I also love keeping track of the medals (see below).

Captain (Snow) Crunch

Miles today: 4.9

Miles this week: 8.1

Miles in 2010: 126.9

I kind of think of Jeff, my boss, as the Captain of the ship at Riverside Runners. He's been at the helm since the store started nine years ago and he is so good at his job. He knows so much about running a business, selling shoes, and taking care of customers. He's really good with words and always explains himself really well. He spends lots of time meeting and talking with people who want to make a difference by putting on races in their communities. He works with lots of different venues in Lynchburg to help promote wellness and fitness in the community. He sponsors and puts on a bunch of different running events for many great causes. He's dedicated and confident. I really enjoy working for him...and even more than that, I love, love, LOVE that he supports my running project. It makes me feel like I actually have credibility. When he put the link to Project 365 on the Riverside Runners website, I was pumped.

Tonight, when I was getting ready to leave work to go for my run, Jeff got back to the store and was dressed in his running gear. That meant one thing: he was running with me!

We headed out into the blustery weather, which had picked up since earlier in the afternoon...and big huge wet snowflakes were falling down. The porch, stairs, and sidewalks were all covered and the roads were beginning to cover too...

I haven't run with Jeff since Monday, January 4...when I wrote about the Buddy System and my Cold Weather Gear Debut. Since then, we've been pretty busy at the store and then bombed with snow...so I've been getting my miles in and I haven't had a chance to run with him.

It was really fun to run with him tonight. There are several reasons:

A. Jeff is fun to talk to while running because he always has something interesting to say. (For instance, we talked about barefoot running, my recent falling history, reflective vests, etc...)

B. Jeff knows a lot about running and it makes it interesting.

C. Jeff hasn't been running a lot, so he's not going all out crazy and it feels pretty comfortable to run with him.

D. Jeff always makes me wear a reflective vest when I run with him...even though I oppose it. But then I'm always safe.

Those are just some of the reasons. Anyway, we ran down Rivermont to Oakwood Country Club, through the parking lot, and then decided to head down Peakland, too. I was suprised we would do the whole 5 miles, partially because of the weather and partially because I thought he'd want to go easy, but he pushed through and we made it all the way to the end of Peakland and then turned around and came back.

We talked a little about how some people aren't very good at shovelling their sidewalks, ran some on the road, and just kind of enjoyed the run.

It was fun to be out when the weather was kind of bad because it always feels good to hear fresh snow crunching beneath your sneakers and the feeling of snow flakes in your throat as you inhale them. Jeff's a great running partner. I'm glad I work for him.

The pictures are of us on the porch at Riverside Runners after our run. 

PS: I read somewhere that: "It is not legal for pedestrians to walk or jog in the street if a sidewalk is available." Interesting.

Icicle Eyelashes

Miles today: 5.3

Miles this week: 23.4

Miles in 2010: 114.1

I didn't believe it was going to snow.

I kept looking at the radar and it looked like the precipitation was going to stay right to the south of us.

Gregg didn't think it was going to snow either...but by the time I went to bed last night, it had started to snow. I still was a bit skeptical about how much snow was going to fall, so I went to bed with a very small anticipation of snow in the morning.

When Gregg woke me up around 7:00am, he had already been outside to shovel! I was surprised to look out the window to see 4 inches on the ground already...but I knew I had to run at 7:30, so I dragged myself out of bed, put on a hundred layers, including my magenta Smartwool beanie and Gregg and I drove out to Peakland United Methodist to meet his buddies.

I didn't have a running buddy this morning, so I ran by myself from the church out to Riverside Runners and back. This is what it looked like outside at the start:

As I started running down Peakland, the snow was blowing hard right into my face and pretty quickly the snow that landed on my eyelashes was turning into icicles.

I made it out to Riverside Runners and took another picture:

On the way back down Rivermont Avenue, I ran into a few cars that didn't want to move over for me, which was pretty rude, considering I know they had to see me...I was dressed all in black against a thick, white background. But, I made it back safely, finished about 5 miles, and grabbed my camera so I could get some more shots of the guys and our adventures.

Here's Jeff, Danny (with a snowman beard), Gregg, and Brian:

Gregg and I after we finished:

 And we all stopped at Starbucks to warm up with a hot beverage...here's Gregg and I after we dried off a bit:

 We had a great run and it probably snowed another 3 inches while we were out. Hope ya'll enjoyed the snow day!

beautiful day...little time for running

Miles today: 2

Miles in 2010: 51.4

today is Friday.

it's also the 15th of the month of January.

that means it's payday!

the weather is the most beautiful it's been in about 4 weeks. that qualified for a super busy day at work and even a round of football throwing with my boss, Jeff, and colleague, Shelley this afternoon. she took these pictures. you can visit her over at it's balsamic, her photo-a-day blog.

it also qualified for deadlines, deadlines, deadlines.

SO, unfortunately, that meant that today's work day, though it was to end at 6:00pm, went until 8:30pm and I didn't get my run in until post-work. ugh.

but i have an amazing fiancé who doesn't mind waiting for me after work for an hour to finish work that took an extra hour so that i have someone to run with. he's a sweetie.

short day. rest day. since I already had a long day. sayonara.

the Lynchburg Road Runners Club

Miles today: 4.4

Miles in 2010: 40.4

tonight was the first meeting of 2010 for the Lynchburg Road Runners Club.

I had to work until 6pm and needed to be at the meeting by 7pm, so I just decided to run to Monte Carlo's, where the meeting was held.

I had a great run, only about 4.4 miles, in the cool crisp air and I even enjoyed running Cranehill and Linkhorne hills.

Hadn't run on Langhorne Road since before Christmas and kinda missed it! Jeff at the store told me I should wear a reflective vest before I left, so I listened. Probably was a smart idea. A car almost didn't see me until the last minute...and maybe wouldn't have seen me at all if I didn't have that reflective vest on!

...and when I got to the meeting, I was met with some disapproval by a few friends who don't want me running at night alone...so I found a running partner for Thursday morning...yipee! Can't wait, Nancy!

Back to the LRR Meeting:

estimated attendance: 25 people
usual attendance in January: 4-6 people

what a great start!

the Lynchburg Road Runners have been around for a long time, and through the years, the club has ebbed and flowed in terms of number of members and involvement in activities.

as a club, we meet the 2nd Tuesday of each month from September through May (June, July, and August are our break months) to discuss club business. we have guest speakers visit to talk about runner's health in the heat, foot care, footwear, among other topics. we've had local runner Sam Chelanga from Liberty University speak about his experience at D1 Cross Country Nationals, and we've had Jeff Fedorko from Riverside Runners share his expertise on footwear and running. every month is different.

in November, the meeting is always centered around an awards ceremony for the Lynchburg Road Runners Race Series, free pizza is offered and awards are given for age groups and overall places in the LRR Race Series.

December finds the club eating pizza and electing officers.

this December, the club elected new officers. they are:

President: Jonathan Perrotto
Vice President: Sue Jones
Secretary: Mike Mitchell
Treasurer: Vic Galan
Membership: Heather Vozel
Newsletter: CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO DO THIS!

so if you want to join, come by Riverside Runners and sign up! It's only $15 per person, $20 for a family, and $10 for college students.

See you out there!

+ (plus) one

Miles today: 5.2
Miles in 2010: 36

while running after work today, i had a significant moment of clarity while clearing my head of the days ups and downs.

and i just got to thinking that sometimes, there's just somebody in your life who just makes sense.

when I met Austin this summer, i didn't really think there'd be much more to our friendship than what we did when we worked together...she was 19, i was 27...just didn't think there'd be much between us.

but as i got to know her, i quickly learned that she was kind of like my "plus one" of running. (if you've never seen the "Plus One" episode of Sex and the City, i recommend it) Sometimes God just blesses you with someone you can just glide along with so easily...and that's her.

we started running together this summer and even though she's younger, faster, and way more in shape...we enjoyed our runs together...because it didn't mean we had to talk, it just meant that we could do it and understand each other.

she's a great girl and we logged a good many miles together before she went back to school at Wake Forest...and now when she's home, we always try to squeeze a run in. in fact, you'll remember that the crazy snow we had in lynchburg on December 18th...was just another reason for us to get out and run. here's a few photos we took during our adventures:

so what i was really just saying was that again, tonight, while alone on the Avenue, i just wished i had my plus one with me to enjoy the run. miss you!

I'm POPULAR!

If you haven't already seen it, then check it out! I'm linked at the Riverside Runners webpage. Just click here to see it!

Thanks Jeff!

Buddy System Proves Strong

I came back to work at Riverside Runners and felt excited to share my new goal with my boss, the store's owner, Jeff. He's a runner as well, and I knew he might be excited about my goal and about my blog. I shared my information with him and he said he might even link to my blog on the Riverside Runners webpage! I think that would be way cool.

Anyway, I didn't have time to run this morning, because of course, it was the first day back to work after three days off, and quite frankly, I enjoyed sleeping in...so that left post-7pm as my only option for running time.

In the middle of the afternoon, I was surprised when Jeff asked me to do a quick segment for WSET on what apparel is suggested for runners who run in below-freezing temperatures. I can't say that I wasn't nervous, but I loved the experience and love to share the link to the clip from tonight's news:

Fighting Cold Temperatures featuring Heather V.

Yes, that's me at the end there, showing apparel! What a great way to encourage myself in my own Three Six Five goal after being asked questions about things I myself should be doing!

Later tonight, Jeff asked me if I was running after work, to which I undeniably answered, "Yes!" He then asked if I brought running clothes with me (which of course even if I hadn't, I could always purchase something from the store...since there's running apparel all around me) and told me he had running clothes with him, and offered to run with me tonight.

SO, even thought it was horribly cold this evening (I believe a frigid, windy 25 degrees), I at the very least, had a buddy to run the cold 3 miles on Rivermont Avenue with...which I believe, always makes running a little bit better.

Miles today: 3.0
Miles in 2010: 8.47

Project Three Six Five is underway...

The Mission:

I've begun my project. I've set my goal. As of yesterday, I decided that I want to run everyday for a year. Yes, you're reading that correctly...I'm going to run for 365 days in a row. A run qualifies if it is at least one mile, but most days I will run more than that.

Since most runners take rest days and I've been known to take a rest week or month...we'll just call those one mile days my rest days.

I know, I know...many of you are wondering, "Why is Heather doing this?"...well, I was inspired by a runner who came into Riverside Runners (where I'm the manager) and told me she was doing the same thing. Then, after considering her goal for the past month, thinking about all the obstacles she's overcome, and listening to myself make excuses throughout December to not get up and run, I decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to make it my own goal, as well.

I've always been a horribly inconsistent runner and I just can't let my life fly by without me feeling like I've really achieved something...so with that...in honor of a very fast, strong, inspirational Margaret McHugh, here's to Project Three Six Five!