Nine miles @ 8:22 pace for my Tuesday morning!
And now let’s talk about something that has me still shaking with excitement from…
A few weeks ago, my friend Bethany sent me the link to something she did earlier this year. She WON a trip to Spain to run the marathon through City Sightseeing. She told me to apply, and so I did…
And then yesterday I received the email that I won! We are going to Budapest, Hungary. I still cannot believe it. Andrew was already able to get work off, and the kids can stay with family while we are gone. I have never run an international race, let alone a marathon.
I have no idea what my plan is quite yet with St. George (they are a week apart) ahhh, but I will certainly be doing this one now. I’ll find out more details soon!
Andrew has five weeks to get ready for this marathon. He ran eight miles yesterday, so he is on track. Before he met me, he did a marathon where his longest run leading up to the race was ten miles, so he isn’t too stressed about it. He wants to get up to 18 miles before this marathon, and I know he can.
We’ve entered the sweatshirt-to-school season! Tuesdays are now my favorite days because I get to go to school with Skye and help in her classroom.
Beck and I made it to the park, too.
Dinner before 5 pm is a very normal thing for us during soccer season. Nobody can wait until after the games to eat.
We love these TJ’s meatballs.
Andrew brought home pumpkin bread. I’ve been so excited for this.
It was a good night for a good night at soccer but Beck was ready to go home!
Marathoners–> What is typically your longest run before a marathon? Have you ever done one where your longest run was lower than what most people do?
Has anyone been to Hungary? Tell me everything!
Ever done an international race?
Feelings on pumpkin baked goods?
38 comments
Alicia
Wow that’s incredible that you won. I can’t wait to hear about the experience. Have an amazing time!!
I can’t wait for pumpkin bread but also it’s 90 degrees this week in Philly. Definitely doesn’t feel like September.
Brooke
My longest run for my marathon this past June was 13 miles. Crazy!!! I thought it wasn’t enough, but it ended up being fine.
Annaliese
Congrats! That is so exciting! I was a teen when I was there, it’s beautiful! Definitely check out one of the large indoor markets. They are a great place to buy paprika, which is unlike anywhere else! Definitely eat Chicken paprikash and goulash, both are paprika based stews that are amazing!
Brittany
How awesome that you won and get to go run in Hungary!! That’s so exciting, I can’t wait to hear about it! I’ve never been or run an international race, but that sounds like a super fun way to see a new place!
Amy Branderhorst
I’ve run 4 marathons and never ran more than 13-15 for training. One of my bucket list items is to actually train for real and run the St. George marathon since it looks amazing!
Soon as it’s not 95 degrees where I am, I will go head first into pumpkin flavored things!
Can’t wait to hear about your race in Hungary!
Diane
I ran an international marathon, Prince Edward Island. I am not a fast runner, but this one as a once in a lifetime, I ran to enjoy the sights around me. I loved it! Run St. George for your time goal. Run Hungary to look around and take pictures, take time to stop and look around! What am I credible way to see a new country. Enjoy!!!
Wendy
Oh my goodness!!! Hungary! This is so exciting! Such a wonderful and amazing opportunity.
Aaahhh…. Pumpkin baked goods. I love them all. I’m currently drinking pumpkin spice coffee 😊. I just love fall so much.
Oh how I loved helping in the boys classrooms. It always felt like a good way to connect not just with my kids, but their friends too.
Congratulations again. Can’t wait to hear all about the trip and the marathon.
Have a great Wednesday.
Maria
I’m signed up for a marathon at the beginning of October and between starting a new job, moving, traveling, etc. I haven’t been able to swing more than 14 miles. I’m going back and forth on doing 18 this weekend, but also don’t want to injure myself so I might use this training cycle / marathon as a little experiment on myself and my mental abilities haha! Have a great day!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Maria! You have been BUSY! I hope you are loving your new job and area. Which marathon are you signed up for? Keep me updated on it all and I love this experiment! Thanks and you too!
Maria
Twin Cities! :)
Ida
So cool!! Budapest is such a neat city, and so many hot baths for post-race recovery. Also grilled bread from street vendors for carb-loading:)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thank you, Ida. I cannot wait! I’ve been googling chimney cake pictures all morning ha:). Hope you have a great day!
Molly S
WHOA!! There I was yesterday giving hypothetical would you rather win a free massage chair or treadmill. (FYI I would choose the same as you, massage chair and personal chef!!)
I cannot wait to see all the fun you have!!
Maybe ask Kara Goucher for pointers since she was just there for World Champs. hehe
I haven’t done an international race but we have done guided running tours in Europe.
…I’m not amped for pumpkin. It’s very ok. I’m more amped for apple crisp!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Bahaha I think your question passed along some good luck to me for winning. Thanks Molly! Haha yeah, I’ll shoot her a text;). Apple crisp > pumpkin, I’m with you on that but both are amazing. Hope you get that massage chair soon. Happy Wednesday, Molly!
Beth R
I’ve run marathons in Jerusalem and Paris, then a 50K in Oman! My favorite thing is to do international races – it’s the best way to see a place and to absorb the culture. I’ve never been to Hungary, but I know you will love the scenery, people and the experience!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I feel like I was just reading your amazing experience in Jerusalem just yesterday! I cannot wait. Thanks Beth, I am counting down the seconds!
Jennifer
How exciting! Wishing you the best!
The Hungry Runner Girl
THANK YOU JENNIFER! I am so excited. I hope your Wednesday is off to a wonderful start!
Mel B
Awesome!! I was in Budapest last October with my parents & sister. We were there for just 2 days, but I loved it. We either walked or took their version of Uber (Bolt) everywhere. The bridges, especially the Chain Bridge (Széchenyi Bridge) is beautiful & the Szabadság Bridge (the green one) is so cool. We walked around town during the day and visited the Central Market Hall, but my favorite parts were: 1) swimming at the Szechenyi Thermal Baths, 2) visiting the Fisherman’s Bastion at night when it’s all lit up, and 3) doing a NIGHT cruise on the Danube River under all the lit bridges and past the beautifully lit Parliament Building. While you’re walking around Budapest, please get yourself a delicious, sugary “chimney cake” as part of your race recovery!!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Mel. Your comment gave me goosebumps. I am SO excited about this! Thank you for sharing your favorites, we will be copying you. Oh my goodness, my friend was telling me about the chimney cakes today, I’ll be using those for the carb load and recovery ha. Hope you have a wonderful day and thanks for sharing!
Mel B
Awesome!! I was in Budapest last October with my parents & sister. We were there for just 2 days, but I loved it. We either walked or took their version of Uber (Bolt) everywhere. The bridges, especially the Chain Bridge (Széchenyi Bridge) is beautiful & the Szabadság Bridge (the green one) is so cool. We walked around town during the day and visited the Central Market Hall, but my favorite parts were: 1) swimming at the Szechenyi Thermal Baths, 2) visiting the Fisherman’s Bastion at night when it’s all lit up, and 3) doing a NIGHT cruise on the Danube River under all the bridges and past the beautifully lit Parliament Building. While you’re walking around Budapest, please get yourself a delicious, sugary “chimney cake” as part of your race recovery!!!
Kathy McElhaney
That is amazing!! Hope you can get a few extra days in Hungary. We’ve never been to that part of Europe, but it’s on my list. I try to get in at least one 20 or 22 miler for marathon training.
We’ve been having amazing weather (knock on wood) – from triple digits a few weeks ago to low 80s this week. I’m ready for pumpkin muffins!
Autumn Ochoa
My first marathon- my longest run before was 16 miles and then I suffered from a stress fracture next to my shin bone so I missed the last five weeks of training and was told I needed to pull out of the race…..Well, you know how that goes. In one ear and out the other lol. For the next five weeks, I did zero exercise hoping to give the fracture time to heal. Ran my first marathon (which ended up being a double loop out in the middle of nowhere- kill me now), ran a 4:26, won 3rd in my age group, and loved every second. :)
But I definitely learned some things!
-Look at the route before a race….Had I known it was a double loop out in the middle of nowhere, I probably would have backed out. However, it did make me tough though and I knew if I could get through that, I could do anything.
-Look at the bling! The medal was the size of a half dollar…..for a marathon. LOL. While that was pretty lame for the distance, it is still my most prized possession out of all my marathons.
-Lastly, you can truly do anything you set your mind to. My first marathon changed me for the better and developed a toughness in me that sent me on the ultras <3 #lovetherun
CONGRATS on your win!!!! Can't wait to read all about it.
Mollie
What shirt are you wearing under your overalls? Would love to look into trying it for myself! Thanks Janae-have a great day!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I love this shirt, I went with me M/L because it runs a little small! Here is the link, have a great day!
https://shopstyle.it/l/b0RZo
Tracy
Congratulations! That is so cool – Wow, I hope you win!!!
I think you should skip St. George, they are too close together. St. George will be there next year, and the year after – this is such a fun opportunity that might not happen again. *Read that in a mom voice, lol.
I’m impressed that Andrew can run on the shorter training distances. And others above – I need the confidence boost from the training runs. I think 20 is usually my max, but I think I did 22 as my longest for one of them.
Have a great time, can’t wait to read all about it. I need to google chimney cakes to see what they are.
Sarah
I’m so excited for you! I’m running my first international marathon – Berlin! It’s on September 24, and I can’t wait! I just did my final 20-miler on Monday, so now I’m officially in taper mode. I’ve been watching a lot of videos on YouTube to prepare … about packing, what to do in Berlin, German language, etc. I can’t wait to hear all about your international adventures!
Tess
How COOL, Janae!!! That is going to be such an awesome experience and I can’t wait to hear/read all about it! I love hearing about people who run shorter distances before doing a full marathon, it gives me hope for one day, haha. Also, all the pumpkin things all year long! Can’t wait to get some bread.
Ailish
Oh my gosh! How wonderful. You are going to LOVE Budapest! The city is so so so beautiful. My favorite European city I’ve been to :) You have to go to all the Baths!!! The food was super good too. Have so much fun.
kelly
Wow!!! I wish I had known about that entry! YOU WILL LOVE BUDAPEST! It’s one of our favorite cities. It’s so easy to navigate and there’s nothing tricky about what to do or see. I am so excited for you and Andrew!! I live in Europe so on one hand, yes I’ve done an international marathon (Berlin) and on the other, would New York marathon be considered International for me now? Anyway, I hope you love Budapest as much as me and my family do. (you must do the famous baths).
For a marathon, I usually top out at 20-22. My very first marathon was in an Ironman and I did not run more than 16 miles in training, but I figured all those 100 mile bike rides were equivalent to at least a 20 mile run.
Enjoy planning for your trip!!!!
michelle
Ahhhhh this is so exciting Janae!!! Especially after watching the footage from Worlds. Budapest looks so beautiful! That’s so awesome Andrew can come and run too, pretty much the perfect getaway!
Erica
Oh my goodness!! So exciting.
Ken
I am leaving in two weeks to go run the Berlin marathon, my first international Marathon, and I’m scared to death because I’ve been sick for the past 10 days (upper respiratory infection)and haven’t been run due to breathing issues.
Hope you have a great time on your trip and your marathon.
Böbe
Hello from Budapest :)
I’ve been following you for a while now, so it will be fun to cheer you in town! The Budapest marathon course will be a very flat one with your standards – can’t wait to see how that goes for both of you. Fingers crossed!
(Also reach out for any recommendations, if you wish – happy to help)
The Hungry Runner Girl
NO WAY! Oh my goodness, this is amazing. I would love recommendations!!
April
Yay, congrats! I just ran a half last month in Reykjavik, Iceland. By far the most fun race I have ever done. International races blow the US out of the water with crowd support and atmosphere…you will get spoiled and addicted. 😃
Haley
Budapest is amazing! So excited for you!!!
Make sure you go to the Turkish baths while you’re there (after running). They’re amazing and so cheap
Catherine
Congrats on getting a place at Budapest! I ran it 5 years ago and it was amazing but unseasonably hot, so be prepared for any weather! Hot baths are a must afterwards 👍