Born & Raised

Proud to be a Hokie, each and every day.

Race Recap :: Hokie Half Marathon

My 3rd half marathon is in the books!  

Yesterday I woke up at 5:15 to get ready for the Inaugural Hokie Half Marathon right here in Blacksburg.  It was really weird to be sleeping in my own bed and be getting ready in my house for such a big race -- normally I have traveled and am staying in a hotel.
The race started around 7 am so Mom, Sadie and I left the house at 6:15. It was about 49 degrees, which sounds colllldddd but when you're about to run 13.1 miles it sounds awesome! I kept my sweatshirt on until about 5 minutes before the gun. I met up with one of my really good friends Sara and her husband Dave who I've done a couple training runs with! She is awesome!!

Me, Sara & her husband Dave

  This race is new and therefore the course is new. Part of the course is on the Huckleberry Trail which is the most popular trail in town...or rather the only one. #smalltownprobs However the first 4 miles were on a main road which I never run on because it's so busy so it felt weird to be running there. There was only 1 hill in the first 4 miles and it was pretty minor. On the Huckleberry, which is 6 miles, there are about 4ish hills, most of which are pretty decent.  Again, though, I train on this trail so I knew when I needed to push and when I needed to save some energy.

About to get on the Huckleberry:

"Hi Sadie!"

I took Gu at miles 4 and 10. Kind of odd timing, but I had to go with the flow. All worked out well with water stops!

The course had high school bands and small musical groups throughout which was really fun! I'm all about crowd support so it was nice to hit the pockets of people cheering on the sideline.  Special shout out to the rescue crew at the halfway point on the Huckleberry - y'all were awesome!
The last 3.1 miles were on neighborhood roads, back on the Huckleberry for a teeny bit - which was a little tight since there were people running in both directions, but fun since we got some high-fives - and then into the Corporate Research Center for the finish.  The first half of the last mile was flat, but then you hit an uphill.  I knew this was coming so I made sure to keep some juice in my legs for it, and I was fine. The last .2 or so was completely downhill. An AWESOME finish through a huge crowd of cheering and another band. My high school coach, who is the ring leader for all of the races around here, was announcing people as they finished. He's great!  

"Yay, downhill!"

My finishing time was 2:03:00. I'm super happy with this time on a hilly course & being in the middle of marathon training. Sidenote: it was ALL worth it for the 2 shirts we got AND the sweet Hokie Bird medal!
Overall, this was an awesome first Hokie Half and I can't wait to run this race again and again!!

TECH, TECH, VPI!

Football season is back.

We can all rejoice.

LET'S GO HOKIES!

(some favorite Hokie pictures from past years!)

Me & KJ, freshmen year

Freshmen!

Sophomores!

Class of '13...why we're throwin' 3s

B PATT! The best gal to have seats with!

After winning ACC Championship

Turning Steven into a VT fan :) Junior year

Junior year. Crazy night game - the best

Tailgate shenanigans. Senior year.

Seniors!

The gorgeous Worsham Field.

Beating UVA, senior year. The usual.

Once a Hokie, Always a Hokie.

Thursday Thoughts

One more day until Friday! Praise The Lord!   Today is open house night at the school where I will be interning, which is also the school my mom works at that I love, love, love. However, I'll be going back and forth between it and the school I work at to get things done!   Tomorrow is Friday and I will be RELAXING! It's been a long week of childcare and getting ready for school.  I've such a great week but I'm also ready for a little chill time.
On Saturday I am scheduled to run 12 miles and then we have the return of HOKIE FOOTBALL! Our fighting gobblers will be on the road Saturday evening for their season opener to take on Alabama in the Chick-fil-a kickoff game. I believe it's only natural that I have Chick-fil-a for lunch, right? Or maybe breakfast, lunch AND dinner :)

I love Frank :) via Hokie Sports

On Sunday I am {most likely} going up to Richmond for a few days.  My Dad is going to drive me along the marathon course - or at least the majority of it - so I have an idea of the elevation, terrain, etc in person. Elevation maps are hard for me to decipher! Hopefully there aren't too many hills ;)

On Monday it's Labor Day and I'm anxious to see if there are any good sales.  Specifically, at LOFT and other "teacher-y clothing stores"...I need to start beefing up my wardrobe!   On Tuesday it's open house night for the school where I work and substitute.  I will be at my "work table" helping to register kids and saying hi to all of the ones I haven't seen all summer! It's been nice to have a two-week break from them, but I miss them at the same time!   On Wednesday it will be the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! I am so excited to start my internship in 4th grade.  I can already tell it will be so rewarding to be in this classroom.  I'm blessed!

Have a good one!

Graduation!

Hey y'all! Recently I fell off of the face of the earth. But {hopefully} I'm back for good.  Recently I've graduated, started grad school 4 days later, finished up the elementary school year, and am ready for my one week off! I'm looking forward to a trip to Richmond next week and the BEACH in 2 weeks!! :)   First off, to catch up on graduation: May 17th was absolutely perfect! Besides the extreme weather (scorching hot during outdoor ceremony and then pouring rain as we ran to the car) I couldn't have asked for a better day. I feel so proud to have graduated from the best university on earth!  

We had a "reception" at my house afterwards - food catered by the DELICIOUS Hethwood Market, a cake from Our Daily Bread and delicious Sweet Little Jo truffles from my girl Sara! They were seriously to die for.   One of my big gifts was an iPad from Mama! I am loving it! I would love any app suggestions!  
So thankful to all of my friends and family who celebrated with me near & far!

I'm a GRADUATE!

Today is the day.

I am an official graduate!

Don't ask me where the time went...because I have NO IDEA!

 

I was born and raised a Hokie and I wish I could stay at Virginia Tech forever (seriously) but I am excited for where my future will take me.

I am so excited to get to work in grad school and then look forward to having my own classroom shortly thereafter, which I'm sure will have it's fair share of maroon & orange.

I am so thankful for what these past four years have provided me with & I will look back on them with many smiles.

To everyone who helped me along the way -- thank you <3

 

my cap!

Feeling incredibly blessed!

Time to celebrate!   To follow along with the fun, follow me on instagram:: @sarah_ryan3

Half Marathon...in Blacksburg!

Calling all runners!!
Come run the beautiful streets and trails of Blacksburg with me this fall!
Announcing: The Hokie Half Marathon September 15, 2013

{website}
SO PUMPED FOR THIS!
For those who know Blacksburg, you are probably thinking this won't be the easiest race. And you are right.  It starts at the CRC, runs down South Main St all the way to the mall, runs down the length of the Huckleberry, runs up Preston, down Airport, then back on the Huckleberry and towards the CRC to the finish!
Definitely won't be the easiest half this season, but I'm excited to be a part of a new tradition in here Hokie country.
Ready to sign up yet??? :) Find registration here :)

Speaking of running...I've started my "Runner's Bucket List" which I would like to share on the blog soon to get some input! I'd love to see if any of y'all have run the races I have in mind! I'd also love some advice for taking the next step towards running a full. Keep an eye out for that!
Have a great week!

Hokies love Boston

  Between the events in Boston & the anniversary of April 16th here in Blacksburg, I can't find the right words for this post.
All I will say is this: Boston, we are here for you, just as you were there for us six years ago.     Prayers.

Friday Five: 5 Favorite Grad Photos!

Hey y'all! Happy Friday! Man, I am SO glad that Friday is here. I have had a heck of a week! I substituted in a first grade class Mon-Wed and had soooo much fun. I worked Monday and Wednesday - which was an early release. We made kites that took about an hour to put together, and then five seconds to get unbelievably tangled. Thursday was a "normal" day...and I started a new workout video! Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30. Have any of you done this video? Obviously I did level 1 and HOLY smokes it was pretty tough! I had done a bit of jump roping before hand so I was already a little sore from that (it's more of a workout than I remember!) but I'm hoping I get used to it!
Anyway, today is Friday and I am substituting in my kindergarten class! :) I have missed those babes so so so much during all of these sub days I've done so far. They are too cute when they see me with another class in the hall - they get so confused! It's like I'm cheating on them! I am so happy to get to spend the whole entire day with those sweet kids.
I'm going to leave you with a little Friday Five fun and share my 5 favorite pictures we took last weekend.  Mom and I went around campus to shoot some pictures to use for my graduation announcements. I'll share those later! :)
At Lane Stadium:

At War Memorial:

At Burruss:

Oh my gosh...I am in love with my school! The only reason I am "OK" with graduation is because I'm not moving away from Blacksburg quite yet! I can still take a jog or walk my pup through this beautiful campus anytime I want to :)  
I mean seriously...I could not say goodbye to this yet...

Tech, Tech, VPI til the day I die!

TGIF!