May 12 in 2012 Recap
Greetings from San Francisco! I am still going strong in the middle of the ACSM conference. These meetings tend to wear me out pretty quickly so I expect to pass out on the plane ride home at the end of the week! Now that May is over (seriously, 5 months of 2012 are already gone?? Crazy!) it is time to check in on the progress I have made on my 12 in 2012 To-Do List the past few weeks.
#1 – Run 6 trail races: Trail race # 4 is complete. This one was a half marathon and oh boy there is a difference between a road 1/2 and a trail 1/2 for sure! I was certainly struggling at the end (36 minutes for my final 3 miles….eeek, what the heck?!?!?) and wondering why I sign up for these things. In hindsight (meaning, after finishing, getting food, and cuddling on the couch with Oakley) I was glad I got it done! Kristen, aka the Swanky Dietitian, is a FitFluential Sweat Pink Ambassador and kindly hooked me up with some pink shoelaces, which I proudly wore at this race. When I came out of the woods before the finish, there was a cheering section of young girls who told me I was their favorite runner because of my pink laces and hat!! Heck yes! 
Barely moving at the end. Ahh finish line, you are a sight for sore legs!
Results: 2 hours, 15 minutes. NOT what I was striving for. Goal was 2:10, oh well! I need to just keep reminding myself that trails are more difficult than the road, and I am new to this and have not been putting in the time to train.
Overall: 52/113; Females: 13/52 Division: 1/6. Another age group win!! I need to step up my game for next year because the 25+ age groups are full of speedsters!
Top 3 in the Division
Aside from well run events, and fun, challenging courses, the other big plus to these races which are put on by the Mountain Junkies is the spread of food at the end. PB and nutella bagels are my new favorite post race food and the Pumpkin Bread the Race Directors make is phenomenal!
YUM YUM YUM! This race also came with my favorite shirt ever. Peace. Love. Trail Run. Sounds about right!
#2 – Submit an NIH Grant: Not yet submitted, but in progress. Oakley likes to help me out when he isn’t too busy playing with his Kong or napping. 
#3 – Run My First Marathon: Not yet run…but signed up for it. Will be running the Baltimore Marathon this fall is all goes according to plan! Was originally thinking of doing a trail marathon this coming weekend, but decided with the ankle injury and lack of training the past few months to hold off and stick with the 25K instead this time around.
#5 – Go on 12 hikes: My 2nd hike of the year brought me to McAfee’s Knob, which is the most photographed location along the Appalachian Trail. This 8.3 mile hike is extremely popular and according to the friend I went with, usually very crowded. Her and I went up on a Wednesday morning at the start of the month and only came across a few other groups. After finishing my last final for the semester earlier in the week, this hike was just the break my brain needed before getting back to work! It is not a difficult or long hike (it took my friend and I ~2.5 hrs round trip) but it is close by and made for the perfect start to the day. McAfee’s, I’ll be back!
My 3rd hike of the year was on Tinker Cliffs. The view is very similar to that of McAfee’s – shocking, I know – since the trailheads for the two are actually fairly close. It was HOT on this day and there were some fairly steep sections, making this hike more of a challenge. However, knowing it was less than 8 miles round trip is enough motivation to power through!
What have you done the past month to reach your own personal goals?
Love that shirt! That is too cute!
And I am just loving Oakley, He is adorable! I am so glad you were able to take him in.
I haven’t made too many big goals this month. But I have been trying to challenge myself a bit more. I have been doing more HIIT workouts along with trying new workouts (thanks to groupon). It’s always nice to have a different challenge.
Thanks for the hiking photos! One of my biggest regrets is that when I drove cross country and went back and forth over the Appalachians that I didn’t have time to stop and hike anything. I got out briefly and that was it.
It is so different than West coast mountains it just neat to see other areas.
I’m bound and determined to try out trail racing this year…but I’m SO not graceful.. lol I’m waiting until after I hit my first half in July.
McAfee’s Knob is BEAUTIFUL. My husband took me there last summer for the first time (I’ve been here 8 years and never had the desire until I became active). It’s BREATHTAKING!!
Congrats on the trail race and hike #2!
I’m heading out for my first trail race ever this weekend, although I’m approaching it as a long training run in the woods because I’m still getting over a cold. Rats.
CONGRATS ON YOUR WIN!!!! WOOOOOHOOOO!!!! You are RIGHT, I bet the trail is A LOT tougher than road! Good for you!!! And you look good doing it too…not even a hint of exhaustion on your face! LOVE the shirt, too…super groovy and I’m liking your half pb halt nutella bagel, genius!
What a brilliant set of achievements – congratulations on the race win! I love the shirt too
Also, good luck with the NIH submission, I went through the equivalent Australian process at the start of the year and it was draining but I’m glad I got it in (although goodness knows how it will be reviewed)!
And that is why my “to-do list” only says “submit” and not “get funded” haha. I hope yours gets a favorable review!
Hi Tanya!! I know I have come across your blog before but for some reason I didn’t add it to my ‘reader’ and you feel off my radar. However, I have rediscovered you and discovered how much we have in common and how awesome you are! I can’t believe you are living in SW VA (my home turf!). Did I meet you at the VDA annual meeting? If not, why not?!
Anyway, I have just gotten into trail running and really want to do a race sometime, especially after seeing those post-race goodies. Any you are signed up for in the next couple of months?
Also, congrats on signing up for your first marathon. I have been toying with signing up for the Richmond marathon this fall!
Anna – I’m running the Richmond half this fall — my first half! I’ve heard it’s a good course with a decent amount of crowd support.
I’ve persuaded a good high school friend to run it as well; it should be a great time!
Blogger meet-up??
Yes! I’ll be living in Richmond at that point regardless so I’m definitely down for a blogger meet-up…but I think you all have convinced me to sign up for the race…now half or full?!
I’m up for either. Probably the half since it is fairly soon after the Baltimore full I am planning on!
Hi Anna! I wanted to track you down at VDA, but I was literally only there for the poster session and my advisor’s talk after lunch. Since it was at Tech I still had to go about my normal day of classes/teaching so I didn’t get to find you! I’m doing a trail race on Sunday, but I haven’t sought any summer ones out yet. If you hear of any, I am down to do it. Sign up for Richmond, I know some friends of mine have done the half before and like it a lot. I’ll probably go along for it too!
Oh crazy! Well good luck on your race this Sunday…I’ll be close by doing the Salem Sprint Tri! We’ll have to be in touch about more local races and definitely plan on a visit during the Richmond race!
Totally love the shirt (but then, I grew up in China, so that makes sense)
Wow, you’ve done well! In the past month I’ve applied for some internships, so I guess that counts!
I love your recaps! It is the perfect way to keep track of all your accomplishments month by month. I have never run a trail race before and it has been 3 years since my last half marathon. I don’t know if I want to ever race again but I haven’t checked marathon off my to-do list either. We’ll have to see…