it's the Great Pumpkin 10k

i had alluded awhile back that i had an exciting opportunity

and now i get to share it with you!

i will be one of the official bloggers for the Great Pumpkin 10k

being held october 19th at the newly opened floyd's fork park

!!! - cue happy dance

i was putting the fall races on my calendar - and going through the websites to double check the dates

and i happened to see a shout out for local bloggers to write about their training for the 10k

and since i have a blog

and i write about my running and exercise

and i was planning to do the 10k

i jumped on the opportunity.

so welcome anyone who is new here

i thought it would be appropriate to do a meet and greet Q&A style - running edition

ready?

tell me who you are in a nutshell:  i am a 27 yo accountant living in louisville, ky.  i recently got married in key west oct 27th 2012.  i have two fur babies - a cat named Olivia and a dog named Woodford.  hobbies outside of running include knitting, baking, and going to louisville bats baseball games.   

why running?:  i fell in love with running in college when it helped me lose nearly 90 pounds along with healthy eating.  it became my zen time.  i didn't bust out a 5k right away - i progressed from walking laps in my living room while i was home from college summer of 2006 (i was too embarrassed to run outside), to using the elliptical when i got back to school in the fall.  the elliptical turned into a couple of miles on the treadmill.  and when i was home for the holidays - sans gym, i took to actually running outside.  it was liberating.  i could run anywhere.  and i could actually look at things other than a treadmill screen.

i believe this was spring semester 2006 before i came home and started losing weight - obviously that cheap ass vodka did nothing for my weight - which i believe was around 240  i also had trouble finding pictures of me from this time - thanks Tina for your awesome facebook that goes way too far back for my liking :)

and this picture is from fall semester 2007 - i hovered around 150-160 for the next few years.

what was your first race?:  after running for about a year i signed myself up for a race in the winter of 2007.  i don't know why i chose a winter race.  i think i had established i could run 3 miles at the time, and it just seemed appropriate.  i paid my money for the reindeer romp 4k that took place in cherokee park (i was home for winter break) - i drove myself down to packet pickup at fleet feet and never thought twice about being nervous.  so many friends and family who decide to do their first race always tell me their nervous.  i think i was just too proud of myself to care.  and then i woke up the next morning to buckets of sleet and snow.  wave 3 didn't mention the race being cancelled so my grandma drove me to the start line.  where i lined up.  i was nervous now.  and all these runners were just ready to run.  i felt so energized by the community.  and we were off.  and since i grew up in e-town, i had never been to cherokee park.  where i quickly learned it was nothing but up and down steep hills.  i finished.  i don't remember my time.  i know i wasn't last.  i had just ran through huge puddles of sleet with more sleet and snow pelting me in the face the entire time. i couldn't feel my feet.  i had completed my first ever race.  and i received my first ever running badge of bad ass.  i lost a toenail - thanks to the frigid wet conditions.  it grew back.  but has continued to fall off/shed every year since.

what is your favorite distance to run?: i love training for half marathons, but i love running 10ks.  i'm a slow runner, and 5ks just make me realize that even more.  i always start too fast, and never feel like i have enough time to figure out my 5k pace.  but a 10k?  it's just long enough to settle into a good pace.  the first 2 miles of any run are always my least favorite.  i'm fiddling with my headphones, my phone, my bra, etc - i'm also usually trying to wake up.  i just don't find my running groove until at least 3 miles in.  3 miles into a run i hit this state of nirvana where my legs and feet just feel like they're meant to be moving and carrying me through the streets.  and a 10k is just long enough to feel that inner peace before i start to hit a wall of needing food and water on a run.  anyone who says they don't like running, i just assume they haven't ran far enough yet.

most proud running accomplishment?:  this one is thanks to my running ignorance where i decided to just sign up for a half marathon on a whim in 2010.  i needed a new challenge and i had seen a few friends complete the derby mini a month or so prior.  i wanted to do that too - so i signed up for an all women's race in nashville.  the thought of nashville being hilly didn't even cross my mind.  i trained for about 4 months.  i finished my first half in 2hrs30min - i was gunning for closer to 2 hours, but those last 3 hills between miles 10-13 killed me.

fun fact:  i met my to-be husband the very next day.  but barely.  i originally cancelled since i was EXHAUSTED after driving home

so while i do follow a training plan for most longer distances, my philosophy is to pretty much just throw caution to the wind and just go out there and do it.  who cares if you walk?  who cares what your time is?  and guess what - you may even gain enough courage to  meet your future husband!  or at the very least earn yourself an adult beverage.

best running advice?: get your friends and family involved.  it's one thing to be committed to your goals of running a 5k, 10k, half, full, or ultra marathon! but it's another to encourage and inspire the ones you love to start moving.  they may think you're crazy to get up on a saturday morning and run X many miles, but they will never understand until they are out there going after their own finish line.


now it's your turn!

i would love to get to know you - answer one (or more) of the questions above in the comments :)

also, since i will be blogging about my training - if anyone has any questions about training, running, toe nails, nervous jitters, etc - you can leave me a comment below or email me directly @ lovelaughwag@gmail.com

i want to encourage anyone who's interested in completing the 10k to sign up - and i know sometimes our fears and insecurities can get in the way - so there are no dumb questions.  i was just too ignorant to care when i signed up for my first race.


as one of the official bloggers for the Great Pumpkin 10k, i will be documenting my training plan leading up to the race.  in return, i have been graciously given a free race entry.