Bye 2014 ... Bring On 2015!

I have to say 2014 has been one crazy busy year!  I feel like no matter how hard I tried I never felt caught up...We are a busy family with lots of "things" going on but this year just felt extra rushed.   SOOOOO my goal for 2015 is to time manage, organize and BALANCE more!  

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas/Holiday filled with family, traditions and friends!  I want to wish everyone a very happy New Year and be safe on New Year's Eve!  I will be welcoming life into the world at work tonight starting at 11 pm!

Here are just a FEW highlights of 2014 and in random order!! LOL!

Running the Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon with amazing friends!  OHHHH by the way register today and save $15 off your registration fee!!!!! Discount starts at 12 pm today and goes until midnight ... you will LOVE this event!!!!

Ragnar Relay Ultra race!!  This was such a memorable experience and I absolutely loved every second of it!  I was blessed to have the best teammates/cheer squad/ friends out there!

Another true passion of mine ... Coaching this fantastic group of young ladies! Lacrosse has always been a big part of my life and I love the sport ... but I truly love coaching and helping these girls!

My parents and brother!  I would be lost without them!!!

Ok so this was one of the hardest mental races I have ever ran!  I just wanted to give up at the half way point and felt like crap ... but I dug deep let go of expectations and used the race as a training run for Boston!  I ended up having a ton of fun, met a few runners doing the same as I was and got a new nickname thanks to my Oiselle Flyte shirt ... "Fly Girl"!

Ahhhhh  Boston 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!  Lauren Fleshman and Kara Goucher ... Fellow Oiselle Superstars!

My husband!!!  He is my #1 fan, support system and friend!  Love ya!

My boys!!!  Literally my heart and soul!!  They are my pride and joy ... but man can they test me!!

Oiselle Bird Camp .... LIFE CHANGING!!  This was a huge highlight for sure!  AMAZING friends for life!

Family ... Family ... Family!

Watching my boys excel in their sports and school!!!!  Steelers Champions!!

Ravens Champions!!!!

Well I hope you all have the best end to 2014 and I look forward to seeing what 2015 brings!!!!

Happy Running!!!!!

My Favorite Marathon!!

Life has seriously been a nonstop marathon for weeks!   On December 6 I ran one of my favorite marathons ever... the Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon.  There are so many things I love about this race .. It is in my home state,  the field size is less the 2600 runners for the full and half marathon, the course is beautiful and flat,  I always have a ton of friends who run this event and I can literally walk .25 miles to the start of the race right before the race starts ... also the after party is amazing!!

So this year I was a little burnt out going into the race and had a feeling I was not going to PR and shockingly I was ok with that.  I love this race and have raced either the half or the full since the race started.  Mary Beth Evans is the BEST race director I have ever met and definitely goes above and beyond for the event and the runners!!  Plus, look how cute her sparkly jeans are with her Mizuno sneaks!!! 

Jen, Mary Beth and Me!

I drove down Friday morning with my parents and my brother.  We stopped at Surf Bagel to start the carb loading:

If you haven't tried Surf Bagel you must do so asap!  We hit up the outlets and did a few hours of shopping before heading into town and going to packet pick-up,  I love how efficient and easy packet pick-up is for this event!

I got to see my friend Lori ( she is an awesome trainer and the Y running coach )!

 After I got my bag, shirt and bib I met my parents and brother at Fins Raw Bar for lunch!  We LOVE Fins and Tom the manager there is fantastic!  We checked in at the Alantic Sands Hotel and relaxed for a while.  I laid out all my Oiselle gear and did a little stretching and foam rolling.

 Race morning the temperature was perfect and there was barely any wind so I wrapped up in my Rigby's blanket and walked to the start!

My nerves started to kick in until I met up with my running buddies at the start of the race:

John, Jenn B and Me

Jenn B, Me, Dawn, Angel and Debbie

My Ragnar teammate John was shooting for a 3;23 and I was shooting for under 3:35 ... My A goal was sub 3:25, B goal 3:30 and overall goal was to have fun and enjoy this event!  I took off and felt comfortable the first 4 miles .. I was running side by side with my new bff Yuen from New Jersey!  He was awesome and kept me on track and at a great pace:

John in the zone at mile 10

My buddy Yuen

This guy was the best!!

I felt great and was loving every second of the race!  I saw my hubby at mile 2-3, then at mile 10, 18, 21 and 23.   Miles 19.5 to 24.5 are on the Breakwater Trail ... which I normally love but I started to get the worst calf cramps and I am not sure if it was the trail or hydration that was causing them.  Due to the cramps my pace slowed greatly on this portion and I had to stop and work out the knot in my calf!  

My hubby caught the struggle on film!  I was afraid to look at him because I didn't want to cry!

I told myself "do not let anyone pass you from here to the finish line"  ... I am proud to say I didn't get passed!

I am so proud of so many of my friends for crushing their goals and getting the BQ!!

My hero Wes had an epic race and crossed the finish line strong:

John CRUSHED his goal and crossed the line at 3:22!!!!   This pic is awesome!

And my fellow Oiselle runner Katharine was the overall female winner!! Woohoo Oiselle!

The best feeling in the world is crossing the finish line and having your hubby, parents and friends cheering for you!  I was 12th female and 3rd in my AG!  I also snagged a BQ with 3:30:11.

Best parents in the world!

I do not have a pic with my hubby but he truly is the BEST!  He drove down Friday night and got up early with me to go to the race.  He is my #1 fan and I would be lost out there without him!  After my race he drove back home to pick up our boys and drove back down to the beach again!!

Since our hotel was so close to the after party I ran back took a quick HOT shower and went back to the party and to cheer on the final runners!  A HUGE thank you and shout out to the 16 Mile Brewery Brew Crew!!!  The best reward after a marathon is an iced cold beer!

Boston 2016 here we come!!

And this girl here!!  I saw Jenn B at mile 18 ... she was exactly what I needed at that moment in the race!  Dave was there too and cheering his head off for us!!  I cannot say enough about my running friends and how inspiring each one of them are!

Jenn even snapped this pic of my at mile 18!  I am so cool I run marathons with my eyes closed!

Thank You again to Rigby's Rehoboth for sponsoring me for this event!!  Make sure if you are in town you visit Rigby's and have an amazing meal and beverage!!!

Please come run the Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon 2015 ... You will have the best time of your life!!

I also have to give a big shout out to Mizuno for their Wave Rider 18's!!!!  These are by far my favorite sneaks ever!!!!!!!  

Happy Running & Happy Holidays!!!

Rehoboth Beach Marathon 2014!!!!!

Well HELLO there!  It has been wayyyy too long since I last posted on here.  Honestly,  life has been crazy and I need a new laptop in the worst way ( to make blogging a LOT easier )!   I am gearing up to head south for the Rehoboth Beach marathon this weekend.  This is the first race where I really have no time goal in mind and just want run, have fun with my friends and enjoy one of my favorite races!   Lately my mindset has shifted toward ultra marathon running....I have been dreaming of doing a 50 miler and I think this may be ,my next adventure!  We shall see....

I absolutely LOVE this race and all the people involved with it!  Mary Beth Evans is the best race director and Rehoboth has such a great race and post party!  I am excited to see the new marathon course and test out my legs and see what I can do.  Make sure you follow Rehoboth Beach Running Company on Facebook  for all your race info and details!




Also,  do not forget to go to Rigby's Bar & Grill for your pre-race meal or post race celebration!!!  Sunday brunch is also AMAZING!!!



I think I have all my necessary items packed:  TONS of Oiselle gear,  my Mizuno Wave Rider 18's and Wave Hitogami,  and a couple pair of FEETURES!   Oh and my rain coat!!!

See y'all down the beach!!!

Happy Running!

Marathon Recovery/Snow Days and MIZUNO WINNER!!!

I am currently in my recovery week for the Rehoboth Beach Marathon...So what is more perfect then having my boys home the past 2 days for SNOW DAYS and home today for an inservice day at school!   YAY!  Oh yea plus I worked night shift on Monday night and again tonight ... AWESOME!  So to keep us busy today we ventured out to Whereabouts Café for a yummy breakfast:

I LOVE having my coffee in a real mug at this little cozy café ... plus my protein packed bagel with egg whites!

Cameron opted for a hot ham and cheese with a delicious hot chocolate!

And Chase went for the bacon, egg and cheese bagel with a frozen hot chocolate!

Then we all got crafty:

We made a special wreath for Nana!  I would post the final picture but I am pretty sure she reads my blog ... It turned out great so I will definitely post a picture after Sunday when we give it to her!

And now for the WINNER of my Mizuno Wave Rider 17 Giveaway is:  #15 Danielle Heffernan

So Danielle please email me at skoval21(at)aol(dot)com by 12/13 to claim your NEW MIZUNO WAVE RIDERS!!! 

I will be doing a whole Rehoboth Beach Marathon Recap tomorrow ... I also started a new to me workout program this week and holy moly it is TOUGH but I LOVE it!

Happy Running!

Tomorrow is the Day....

Tomorrow is the Rehoboth Beach Marathon and I am excited for it!!!  I have a ton of friends running this race as well as 2 of my Oiselle teammate.  This race is also where I started my love for the 26.2  5yrs ago and was my very 1st marathon!  It was FREEZING cold that year, there was black ice on the ground and only maybe 500-600 total runners I believe but I loved it....I cannot express how I felt when I say that finish line on the boardwalk and my Mom standing there cheering for me!!!!!  Oh My Goodness I get so emotional when I think about it!  Ever since that race I have been hooked.  So I am heading down today and will be meeting up with my runner girls tonight. 

I also went to send a HUGE THANK YOU to Rigby's Bar & Grill Rehoboth for sponsoring me in this race!!!  They have the best for and a "to die for" burger!  So check them out for your post race meal or celebratory meal!!!  While you are at Rigby's say Hi to Uncle John!

I am so glad that I have these new FitBuds and FitClips from Koss to wear tomorrow because I have a feeling I am going to need some tunes out there on the open road! 

So who else is running Rehoboth??

Don't forget to enter my Mizuno Wave Rider 17 Giveaway!!!!

Happy Running!

Thank you to Fitfluential and Koss for allowing me this opportunity. 

Welcome December!

Happy December everyone!  I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving and spent time with your family and friends...And if you went out Black Friday shopping I hope you got some amazing deals!  I started my Thanksgiving with a early morning run with these lovely ladies:

We ran 6 speedy miles and chatted the whole time!  I then spent the day with my family at my cousins house and got to catch up with everyone ... plus I got to hang with my favorite boys:

Me and the Hubs

I unfortunately had to work thanksgiving night and the whole weekend so I did not participate in the Black Friday Frenzy!

Ok so to catch up ... last weekend we were at the beach for my hubby's softball tournament and I was able to squeeze in a pretty stellar run.  Since my Garmin is toast I downloaded the app MapMyRun+ and I love it!  So this is what my run looked like:

I ran from the tournament fields out to Ocean Pines and ran through the neighborhood until I hit the 5 mile mark then I turned around and ran back to the fields.  I LOVE running in new places and just going out to explore.. plus I always feel like I run faster because the area is new to me.  I love that this app talks to me and lets me know my pace per mile and total distance!

I also ran my favorite Hill Pyramid TM workout this past week ... This run is always a nice quad burner and makes the run go by fast.  I start of with a 1% incline and increase every 2 minutes by .5% incline until I reach my max incline ( usually 5% ) then I decrease by .5% every 2 minutes until flat road.  Repeat as long as you want to go!

I did a little cross training and lifting as well as some core work too. 

I am now in taper mode for my marathon this weekend ... so yesterday I did a nice easy 7 miles in 51 minutes and today I ran with Angel for a good 8.5 mile run.  I am getting excited for this race and I am looking forward to running this course again!

I posted this picture on Saturday and I have an awesome surprise for one of my readers out there!  So check back in a few for a GIVEAWAY!!! 

A box of love from MIZUNO!!!!!

How was your Thanksgiving?

Did you race this past weekend and if yes how did it go??

Happy Running!