Race Recap: Rock n Roll St. Louis Half Marathon

The recap is late, but it’s still worthy of a read.  I ran the Rock n Roll St. Louis Half Marathon on October 18 and it was something special.  Last year when I ran this race, I set a half marathon PR.  That did not happen this year because I ran the Kansas City Marathon the day before.  This half was purely for fun.

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I was espeically excited because I got to see some of my favorite Team Chocolate Milk teammates.  I hadn’t seen them since last year so it was a nice treat.  And I finally got to meet Jill!

I planned on running the RnR St. Louis Marathon but this year the race wasn’t a marathon.  This is probably one of my favorite RnR races of the year so I didn’t mind pulling double duty that weekend.  I wanted so badly to run a great race but my legs weren’t having it.

Those marathon miles were wearing on my legs so early on I knew I needed to take it easy.  The most important thing was to just make it to the end so I made the best of the race.  I wanted to make sure I got all the pictures that I wasn’t able to get last year.

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There was some cool wall art on the course.

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There is the The Grove area of St. Louis.

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In the Grove, there is Sweetie’s Pies.  We may not be able to eat there but we sure do love the show.  I wanted to make sure I got a good picture this year.

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At mile 8 there was this sign.  I was really feeling it at this point.  But let me be honest, I was feeling this way at mile 2.  The course is really hilly (at least for this Texas girl) but it works in your favor.  The weather started off very cool but it was perfect when you started running.  It was just really great!

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And then I saw The Incredibles! Wasn’t this cute?

I finished the race stronger than when I started.  I couldn’t expect much but I was ready for that lowfat chocolate milk at the end.  Recovery was very important for this weekend and lowfat chocolate milk was going to get me there.  It was so good.

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I don’t really know what my time for the race was but I think it was around 2:43.  Definitely not my fastest half but it wasn’t meant to be fast.  This was a nice recovery run for me and I got to spend it on a great race course.

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Most importantly, it was something Willie and I could do together and I enjoyed every minute of it.  A family that runs together, stays together, right?

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We had a good time in St. Louis and we couldn’t leave without seeing the arch! If you’re going to run a Rock n Roll race, this is one of my favorites. The course is nice and it takes you through some of the best parts of the city. Don’t pass up your chance to run this race!

Race Recap: Kansas City Marathon

Race Recap: Kansas City Marathon

The one thing I will take away from this trip is Kansas City is a beautiful city. My expectations were low and I wasn’t expecting much out of this marathon after not meeting my expectations in Chicago. I orginally signed up for the Kansas City Marathon after finding out that Rock n Roll St. Louis would no longer be a marathon. In a panic, I went looking for another race because Missouri was an imporant part of the plan this year. Luckily, this race was the day before Rock n Roll St. Louis! Things happen for a reason and I…

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Chicago Marathon 2015: Did I #OwnChicago?

Chicago Marathon 2015: Did I #OwnChicago?

The Chicago Marathon was an amazing experience.  Saturday runners walked the streets filled with anxiousness and excitement.  It was infectious! I rolled into Chicago thinking this wasn’t a big deal.  It was just another race, another state to check off my list.  I wasn’t that amped up about the race, I was excited to meet the people of Team Healthy Kids! The Chicago Marathon was something deeper for me when I first arrived, but that’s a whole other blog post. Before actually arriving, I took the experience for granted.  I didn’t see it as a big deal, but it was.…

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Race Recap: Texas 10 Huntsville

Race Recap: Texas 10 Huntsville

Sunday I ran the Texas 10 Series race in Huntsville, TX. This was the first time I’ve ever run one of these events. Huntsville isn’t too far from our house so we were able to drive there early in the morning and make it back for the other things that needed to get done that day. It was an early morning because he had to wake up at 3am to make sure we left the house by 4am and arrived by 6am. I picked up my packet race morning. It is really nice to be able to do so. There…

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Chicago Marathon training update: can everyone run a …

Chicago Marathon training update: can everyone run a marathon?

Short answer is yes!  I think everyone can run a marathon if they want to run one.  I just think everyone should be prepared to run a marathon.  I made a little video about preparing to train for your first marathon (or any race).  Plus, I wanted to give you an update on my Chicago Marathon training. Marathon training has been pretty rough on me this time around. I let the summer heat frustrate me and hold me back. It’s been hard to get motivated to run when you know you’re going to be sweat your face off. The southeast…

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Race recap: Plano Balloon Festival Half Marathon 2015

Race recap: Plano Balloon Festival Half Marathon 2015

Spoiler alert: This is going to be my recap of the Plano Balloon Festival Half Marathon by Advil.  This year was different because there was a 5K and 1K on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday.  I am really bummed that I didn’t run the 5K on Saturday because it looked like a great time. This past weekend was meant for my 20 miler so I decided to split up my run.  Not ideal but it was what would work for me. I needed to run at least 7 miles on Saturday morning so a 5K wasn’t going to…

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Travel Tuesday: I’m going on a road …

Travel Tuesday: I’m going on a road trip

It’s Travel Tuesday so I’m taking a health/food/fitness break to tell you about my next adventure.  It’s all related somehow anyway, right?  I never would have dreamed of doing all the things I do now if I hadn’t lost the weight. My eyes are wide open now.  I’m ready to explore. So my next big adventure will be a road trip to Las Vegas.  This is kind of monumental because I’ve never been to las Vegas before and I’ve never driven that far by myself.  I’m probably violating a road trip rule by going by myself, but it’s just something…

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The end of the Labor Day

The end of the Labor Day

I hope everyone had a great day today and didn’t have to work. If you did have to work, I’m sorry! I wish I could say I did something eventful for the weekend, but I really didn’t do much. This morning I went for a run. The humidity was killer so I stopped to play in the sprinklers. After that, I decided that I should do some laundry. It’s long overdue. @angelabeatfat is recording videos for her YouTube channel. #production #youtube #video #WBF #film A photo posted by Willie Gillis (@fueledxrunning) on Sep 6, 2015 at 12:46pm PDT I just…

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Race Recap: Habanero Hundred 50K

Race Recap: Habanero Hundred 50K

I spent the past weekend running through the woods with some totally amazing people. Here’s my video: We did the Habanero Hundred ultra that started at noon.  It was a fun fun time. It’s really about the people that make an event so special.  I do spend a lot of time racing by myself and I always forget how great it is just to be around friends.  (Yep, that’s right.  I said it.) I really needed this to get back on track. Our group had 3 relay teams and 4 people doing the individual events. If you’re from Texas, you know…

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Running a 50K and other random things

Running a 50K and other random things

I’m taking the plunge and I’m running a 50K this weekend at the Habenero Hundred.  Remember when I said I need to change and be true to myself, well this is just something I need to do. Now, I don’t know if running a 50K in Texas at noon is really being true to myself since I said I wouldn’t be an ultramarathoner last year. But I’ve gotten a couple under my belt now so whether I like it or not, I am an ultra marathoner. I just need to do something to reset myself and running in the woods…

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Donate to Team Healthy Kids and WIN $100 AMAZON …

Donate to Team Healthy Kids and WIN $100 AMAZON GIFT CARD!

Hey everyone! I don’t really want to ask this on my blog but I’m desperate. I need to raise $295 by tomorrow for Team Healthy Kids. I was always the bigger kid and spent pretty much my whole life as being obese. This is a cause that is near and dear to my heart. Here’s why you should donate: I’m not asking you to break your bank account, but a $10 donation will go a long way in helping out a kid. Take a stand to fight off childhood obesity. $25 gives a child a healthy meal for a month…

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