Kelly Trepp, Author

I'm not sure that when I initially got the idea to begin training for the USA Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and subsequently registered for the race as a birthday gift to myself, I had any plan for what comes next. There was a time that I considered the Marine Corps Marathon as the next logical step, but if you know me, I have lots of dreams and little follow through. I had the registration form filled out before the race sold out and decided to let that one slide, as there are a lot of things going on in my life right now that might keep me from having time for the appropriate training. I did not want to take the spot of someone who could fully commit themselves to the challenge. Now there's a graceful excuse reason if I ever heard one. Over the last few days, I have taken some time to peruse my options and apply an appropriate training schedule. These are the events I have already registered for coming up: Sole of the City 10K April 21 10K (or 6.2 miles) is ...

Hello bloggers, long time no see. I have neglected you, and I apologize. There have been some family health issues and with the race coming up, I have been filling all of my time with running ad family. My taper week begins now! And my first half-marathon is five days away. The weather is projected to be balmy, which is against every thing that I had planned for, but I am really looking forward to seeing the sun. I set out for my long run on Sunday, rather than Saturday, because the weather was closer to the prediction for the day of the half. I wore my Lululemon Run Inspired Crops , Under Armour Cold Gear Fitted Mock Neck Long Sleeve Shirt , my newly acquired SPI belt , and my CamelBak . I decided that the Mock Neck is not going to cut it on race day. As much as I LOVE that thing, it is not made for a 70 degree day. Hence the **Cold Gear** label . I think I will opt for my Under Armour tee shirt instead. 1 mile in, I had to pee. Apparently, using the restroom three times befor...

I was able to get back on track with my training last week, after taking a week off due to a cold and sinus problem. And it wasn't a moment too soon. There are less than three weeks until the DC Rock n Roll Half Marathon . This weekend, I decided to take it easy and hang back with my hubby for the majority of the long run. I have decided I enjoy it much more when I run in tandem with the hubster and my puppy. It was also a beautiful day. The air was crisp but the sun was warm. The brackish water of the bay smelled so fresh. The tide was out and the waves were crashing on the rocks of the jetties. In short, it was a perfect day for a run. But I digress. Here are the splits for my 11 mile run: Mile Time Best Pace 1 10:22 8:48 2 10:20 9:05 3 10:16 9:10 4 10:23 9:13 5 11:06 9:14 6 11:30 9:25 7 13:49 8:56 8 9:04 7:52 9 9:03 8:21 10 9:27 8:38 11 9:42 8:18 As you can see, we sort of fell off pace towards the middle of t...

Life has been busy. Life events, both good and bad, have been occupying my time and keeping me from blogging. Phooey! The good news is, I have been trying out new recipes and am spending more ish time in the kitchen. Hopefully I will have some recipes to share with you soon. I have missed a few of my shorter running sessions for late nights at work, but have been nailing my long runs. For those of you who follow me on Daily Mile (username: FitForLifeWife), you already know that I completed my nine mile run last weekend in 1 hour 27 minutes, with an average pace of 9:39. This past weekend, however, was a little colder, icier, wetter, etc. I was unable to take my long run outside, but I did take it downstairs, to the treadmill in my basement. Let me tell you, 10 miles is a long time to be running in place, but I did it. The hubster was downstairs playing video games while I ran, and I kept teasing him that I was going to finish 10 miles before he beat his game. And I did. My pa...

To those of you who have stuck with me through blog post frenzies and lulls, I would like to thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart. I love having an outlet for writing and to have an audience, even if there's only two of you, makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I am sending you virtual hugs through your computer right now. Go on, reach out and hold it. While I was away, I was not just resting on my laurels. I did complete my 8 mile long run two weekends ago, as scheduled. It was an amazing experience. My hubby came along with me, but felt pain in his shins around 2.75 miles. He urged me to go on without him while he limped along behind. I had let him set the pace for the first two miles, but when I left him, I increased my pace drastically. I set off for the third and fourth miles at a comfortable pace, but as I turned around to head back to the truck, I felt an overwhelming urge to catch up with the hubster and finish my miles with him. As a result, I was chasing hi...

Ok, so, wow. It's been quite a while since I have posted. I fell off the wagon this weekend and took a break from running, although I did increase my mid-week distance successfully on Wednesday. Since this weekend's training only called for a 5K Race and I increased my distance last Wednesday, I do not feel entirely cheated, but I do feel like this could be the beginning of a slippery slope. It is time to get refocused! More posting, more meal planning, and more running. All of this in the weeks to come. Stay tuned!

Irony is ever present in my life. Earlier this month I posted about spreading the Treadmill Love . Well, this weekend, the treadmill and I got a whole lot closer. Typically, I reserve my treadmill for my shorter, weekday runs. I run three to four miles, three days a week on the treadmill while watching programs on my DVR. Alternatively, I normally choose to run my long runs outside on the weekends. This weekend, however, I did my seven mile run on the treadmill. **gasp** I know it sounds dreadful, and I will not lie to you, it was not the best run I have ever had. But the important thing is I completed the seven miles. And hubby was able to hang with me the whole run this time, albeit on the couch. He did hop up to hand me a banana around mile four and to write down my splits for me since I could not track them on my Garmin 305. Mile Time Best Pace 1 10:15 N/A 2 10:11 N/A 3 10:09 N/A 4 10:00 N/A 5 9:53 N/A 6 9:49 N/A 7 9:58 N/A The tot...

And just like that, my running goals for 2012 got 6.2 miles longer, or 10K to be exact. A special thanks to my blogging friend Susanne over at Shoulda Ran Faster , for telling me about the Sole of the City 10K . Sponsored by Under Armour, Charm City Run and The Green Turtle, it is a great feeling to be running a local race for local companies. If you could not tell from my last post, I LOVE Under Armour gear, so the cherry on this sundae is the race premium: A Black Under Armour Escape Lightweight Quarter Zip. And to throw some sprinkles on that sundae, the hubster has agreed to sign up and run with me. I was able to convince him that he had come darn close to completing the 10K distance on our last long run and he should be proud of his accomplishments and take this act on the road. As I have said before, I have high hopes for 2012. So far, it is living up to my expectations. Life is what you make of it, and I am taking it one mile at a time.

So I have to admit it. I am known to be a bit of a brand loyalist. When I find something that I like, a brand that produces high quality products that last with great performance, I stick with it. Thanks to a trip to the Under Armour Outlet before Christmas, and the fact that the great majority of running attire sold at our local Dick's Sporting Goods Store is Under Armour, Under Armour has become my most recent obsession. I picked up some running shorts, a tank top, and some compression shirts at the outlet on Black Friday, and have been pleased with the result. This weekend, I went to Dick's and bought some headbands; a mock neck, long sleeve, fitted performance shirt; and a super cute purple tee that was on sale. I figure if I have cute, non-running workout type clothing, I might be more motivated to do better on my cross training days. And by do better, I mean do an actual cross training workout and not just do laundry, vacuuming or house cleaning and call it cross tr...

Returning to work and business as usual after having a 12 day vacation has proven a more difficult task than I had initially hoped. Mornings are slow and painful, the commute in the evenings drag on forever, and healthy meals are making their way back into the diet at a painfully slow pace. One thing that I am grateful for, now more than ever, is my treadmill . Say what?! A lot of people have treadmill hate misconceptions, the most common misconception being that running on a treadmill is boring. SPOILER ALERT: Running on the treadmill can be lots of fun! Oh yeah! Before you start making excuses and looking at me like I have a third head (but how would you know? this is a blog, not a camera; and why a third head, do I already have a second? Gah, why would you think I have a third head, weirdo ), try some of these tips for making your treadmill workout more entertaining. Add entertainment. Most gyms I have been to provide a row of televisions hanging in front of their treadm...

Okay, so I admit it. I neglected the blog a bit over the holidays. I put down the computer and picked up the pie. Fortunately or unfortunately for you, I'm back and I'm better than ever! I am happy to report that although I gave up the blog for my 12 day vacation, I did not give up on running. I am very blessed to have received most of the gifts on my wish list from a handful of friends and family, which kept me motivated to get a couple of runs in despite the cold weather. I received two pairs of the lululemon crop pants that I had so coveted, and took each pair for a spin, sporting my Garmin 305 . Ahhh, the Garmin 305. This magical, miraculous little watch. Prior to this fabulous gift, I tracked my distance and pace using apps on my phone. I cannot tell you how many times I have dropped my phone while out on a run. It is a miracle the thing still works. Now, I can check my pace while I run, view the total time, distance and time of day, along with heart rate, ...

A year ago, I was preparing for the holiday season weighing about 15 pounds more than I currently do. I was proud of myself for having lost 15 pounds up to that point, but I knew I had a lot further to go. I did not have any set goals other than to look great on my wedding day. I modified my goals as we got closer to the big day. I focused on being fit, rather than being skinny, incorporating weight training into my everyday work outs. I decided that weight was just a number on the scale, and that I should measure my success by how I feel. Shortly after the wedding, I made a commitment to myself to push further than what I thought I was capable of and to complete a half marathon. The thought of completing a half marathon was daunting, but if I did not try, I would never know. With a few 5ks under my belt, I signed up for a half marathon and created a training schedule . With training for a half marathon, as with most things in life, you have to be prepared to adapt. For example,...

The basic joys of running are pretty simple. Everyone has the ability to do it, you can do it anywhere, and it is free. That is, until you start signing up for races, putting mileage on your shoes and decide to invest in expensive training equipment. Over the years, the contents of my Christmas list has varied. When I was younger, the N64 was the big ticket item. When I was in college, I wanted a nice winter coat and purse to keep up with the cool rich kids. Now that I am an adult (arguably), my hobbies have changed, and invariably so has the Christmas list. Instead of handbags or Nintendo Wii games, a Garmin Forerunner 305 tops my list this year. Granted, it is not the most fashionable accessory, but it beats carrying my phone to use my Verizon GPS whilst I run through the sketch scene that is my neighborhood. And while we are on the topic of running through the neighborhood, an iPod shuffle would do nicely to cover up the sounds of catcalls from passersby. If ever you feel d...

Over the weekend, I received an email reminder from the Rock n Roll Half Marathon that I have 19 weeks until my first half marathon. 19 weeks may seem like a long time, but since they have put a countdown on it, I am feeling the pressure! So today I have created a training calendar to keep myself and my running mate on track. Feel free to take advantage of this calendar and use it yourself, I made it public for you. How sweet of me?! This calendar is a modification of the 12 week Novice 2 schedule for half marathon training created by Hal Higdon . Since I have an extra seven weeks, I added in a few more long runs and some cross training days. I believe cross training was a big help in building my endurance when training for my 5-Ks. I will be using Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred dvd, more likely than not. It is a n ass butt kicker! You'll notice that towards the end of the training period, a 5-K race and a 10-K race are involved. We are on the lookout for races on ...

Today marks a quarter century since my birth. Saying it like that makes me feel kind of... old? But then I remember I have so much life left ahead of me, and my journey has only just begun! I like to think of Friday's as "Temptation Friday," because there's always something just before the weekend that you're either a) really looking forward to, b) can't wait to avoid, c) have to do right now! These can be good temptations, or they can be devilish unwise temptations. Today's temptation is a good one for me. I'm working from home and I'm fighting the temptation to throw my work to the wind and put my feet on the pavement. As of today, I am officially considering myself in training for the Rock n' Roll Half Marathon at our Nation's capital. As I'm making it official, a run at lunch with the pooch can't hurt productivity too badly can it? My second temptation is to begin a craft project that I have been dying to get to. I purc...

It's Wednesday morning. You wipe the sleep out of your eyes and stretch as you roll over to check the clock. Time for your weekly Wednesday morning weigh-in. A million things run through your mind. I shouldn't have had that extra slice of garlic bread with my spaghetti last night. Forget the bread, why did I eat the pasta? You take a deep breath... We've all been there. The battle with the number that we see on the scale. Society puts unrealistic pressures on us to be a certain size, look a certain way, and reduce ourselves to a number. But what does that number really tell you? When you step on the scale, it doesn't tell you your muscle mass, or your BMI or any other healthy way of measuring your fitness. So why should a number constitute a fitness goal? Let's forget numbers all together. As I started losing weight thanks to my healthier meal selections, I tried to make exercising fun for myself to speed up the process. Sort of like this, but less 80s. I'm a f...