Oakley NY Mini 10K Race Recap

Just over three weeks ago, I participated in my first race of the year. I thought it was high time I got my race recap done, especially before I run race number two in just a few short days.

 

The Oakley New York Mini 10K is one of my most favorite races to run. Not only is it one of the two women's only races put on by the New York Road Runner's Club, but it is also the only race where you get to run up Central Park West before continuing the race inside of Central Park.

 

On June 14, I participated in my fourth New York Mini race. The first time I ran it was when it was called the Circle of Friends New York Mini 10K back in 2006. In 2009 I ran it when it was called the NYRR New York Mini 10K. Then I ran it again when it was renamed the Oakley New York Mini 10K in 2013.

 

The day before race day, I headed uptown to the NYRR Club's office to pick up my race bib and tank top during lunch. This was my first time doing this during working hours, so I wasn't exactly sure how much time it would take me. Thankfully, by the time I got back to the office I still had 20 minutes to spare. Good to know for future bib pickups!

When I woke up at 6am race morning, I was grumpy as all get out. I was stressed that I had to take 3 different trains to get to the race start, due to subway work in Astoria. Those of you who know me, or have been to a race with me, knows just how much I hate being late.

 

Right before this picture was taken,

I had commented to my boyfriend that I didn't want to go. He laughed because seconds later I posed with a big smile on my face. Honestly, I did want to go. I love, love, love to participate in races. At the time I just wished it was going to be a little easier to get to the race and that I had someone going with me. This is where I need to make more running friends who like to race.

But alas, I got myself out the door. Three train rides later, which were surprisingly smooth, I arrived to the race start with 30 minutes to spare. Thank you Subway God's!

I hopped into my coral as soon as they opened and immediately snapped this picture. Taking advantage of them being empty to try and get a glimpse up Central Park West.

The race start was right outside of Trump's International Hotel and Tower...

...with the big globe in Columbus Circle...

...and of course no race start would be complete without the obligatory selfie...

I look excited, right?

Then moments later, that empty sea ahead of me looked a little like this...

Yup, it was crowded. About 6,000 runners crowed. I even overhead someone say during the race that they had no idea that so many people would run this race. Um hello. It's a woman's only race that let's you run up Central Park West. Of course it's going to be crowded and I love that so many women come out and participate.

Heading into this race, I had a goal finish time that I only my boyfriend I was hoping to hit which would give me a PR. I wasn't confident that I would be able to run that fast. A speed that I hadn't done in a race in seven years. He told me before I left that I could do it, but I had to convince myself that I could and at the time I wasn't buying it. So I told myself I would be happy to finish in under an hour, but of course I kept in the back of my mind what my PR number would be.

So at the blow of the horn at 8am, we were off! The first mile takes you up Central Park West and it was nice to see that the cars had been cleared from the side of the road this year.

At 90th Street you make your turn into Central Park and head towards the Harlem Hills. I was thankful for all the hill training I get during my Sunday long runs on the trails. The hills felt like a piece of cake and when I hit the 5K mark I felt amazing!

The last 2 miles of this race are always the toughest for me. It's a combination of just finishing a major hill climb, the heat and knowing that the finish line is on an uphill. It's not a major hill, but it's tough enough of a one on tired legs that you are wanting them to sprint to the finish line.

As I crept closer and close to the finish line I kept peaking at my watch. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was on point for a PR as long as my legs didn't give out.

When I crossed the finish line my watch told me I finished in 57:03! I did it! I set a new freaking PR!

Official Finish Time: 57:01 - Average Pace: 9:11
New PR by 24 seconds (In 2007 I finished my fastest 10K in 57:25. Average pace: 9:15)
Almost 11 minute PR from 2013 finish (01:07:54)

Splits: 9:26, 9:18, 8:46, 9:08, 8:50, 8:44, 8:16 (for the last .2) (Negative Split Race Too!)

When I think about it, I still can't believe what an amazing race I had. I truly pushed myself and saw what I was totally capable of doing. I proved that I had what it took to get that PR my little ol' heart wanted so badly.

My boyfriend texted me after the race and said: "You are getting faster and wiser the older you become!". I never imagined my 42 year old self could beat my 35 year old self! Just shows that hard work, dedication and perseverance pays off. Lord knows I have put in the work and sweated buckets to get where I am today.

The day after the race, I thought it would be fun to see a side-by-side comparison of myself between last year's race day and this year's race day.

This is what a 30 pound weight loss looks like! Never give up my friends!

Did I Succeed?

Before the month of June is over, I thought it was high time I revisited those fitness goals I set for myself in May!

As a refresher, here is what I stated as my goals and the actual post on them is here:

So how did I do?

The HIIT workouts and weight training were nonexistent during the month and still have yet to make a reappearance in my life. I blame this on the lack of space we had in the basement apartment. As we got closer to moving out, the little bit of floor space I had completely disappeared. I know that once things get really settled in the new apartment, I will be working this back into my routine.

My weekly meal plan/prep received a little kick in the behind in May. I didn't give it the dedication as I have in the past (as seen here, here and here), but I did make sure to think about what I wanted to have for my lunches during the work week and made it happen. So what if it was the same meal everyday for five days? The variety will come back to me now that I have the time and space to prepare.

H2O, H2O, H2O, I drank so much H2O I could of floated away!

Lose 4 pounds - Didn't happen. I did lose 1.5 pounds though and I know that if I had added those extra workouts in, I would of knocked this goal out of the park. I am seriously not stressing over it. I have since lost an additional 1 pound and my pants have gotten considerably looser. I am heading in the right direction and that's all that matters.

Run the entire month of May (#31daysofrunning)...

If you follow me on Instagram (angelny29), or friends with me on Facebook, you already know the outcome of this huge goal.

I did write a post recapping the first 8 days, but then life got all kinds of crazy and things took a backseat, with blogging being one of them.

However, I did CRUSH this goal!!! I posted faithfully every day to my social media accounts with a snapshot of my running watch to hold me accountable. When all was said and done, I ended up running a total of 33 days straight. I ran the last 2 days of April and didn't stop chugging along until June.

I am still amazed at myself whenever I take a look at this:

Each of those blue entries mean I ran that day!

I ran 119.7 miles for a total of 21 hours, 5 minutes and 19 seconds and burned a total of 11,286 calories in the month of May.

I never, ever thought I would be able to run that many days straight.

Were there days I didn't want to lace up my shoes and go for a run? Absolutely. What got me through those days was knowing that I only had to run 1 mile that day if I wanted. That's 10 minutes or less of running for me. I can do that.

Did I learn anything from this experience or see any benefits from running every day? Absolutely. I learned that my body is quite capable of running every day without having to take a rest day. I just needed to remember that when I felt tired or sluggish, I need to run slower or keep it short.
I also learned that I can actually have an awesome long run despite not taking any rest days. Some of my best runs during the month were my long trail runs. The weeks my total mileage was in the 30's, I knew I needed to cut back a bit the following week. My speed also returned to me a lot quicker than if I had run only 4-5 times a week.

Would I do it again? Sure would! I always fancied the thought of extending the challenge to running 100 days straight, but right now I am in no hurry to jump on that bandwagon.

So talk to me. Tell me what kind of goals you've set, or would like to set, for yourself. Just remember, anything really is possible!

First 8 Days

Happy Thursday! Tomorrow is Friday and that means it's almost the weekend! I for one, can NOT wait!!!

I wanted to spend a little time updating everyone about how my personal running challenge is going so far this month. For those of you who haven't/didn't read my last post talking about my May Fitness goals, I decided to run every single day of May. Yup all 31 freaking days! Crazy, I know.

So now that I am a full 8 days into my little challenge, how is it going you may ask????

Well here is proof of Days 1-4 of running:

...and a little more proof of Days 5-8 of running:

All in all, I'd say it's going pretty well!

I'm actually a bit surprised if I must admit it. I have never run more than 5 days in a row, and at the time, I felt that was a bit much for me before giving my body a little rest. And let me just say that while I am "officially" ('cause like this is a real official challenge, lol) at an 8 day running streak, I am really at a 10 day running streak because I did run the last 2 days of April before I started this challenge. So all in all, my body and mind feel great!

It also doesn't hurt when I look at my Garmin Connect calendar and see all this:

Seeing all those blue running entries makes me feel a huge sense of accomplishment. Silly I know, but it really is a motivator for me.

I believe I mentioned in my last post, I am handling my "rest" days by running at least 1 mile, but no more than 2 miles. These miles are going to be slower miles which I think my body will appreciate and I know will help assist in recovery because I'm not pushing my body as hard as I would if it was a normal run day.

So far I have had 3 of those days. The first was last Saturday which was the day before my long run. The second was Monday as it was the day after my long run and I felt I wanted to take it a little easy. Finally, the third was today, because on Wednesday I did a speed/interval run that morning and those runs put a beating on my body, in a good way mind you. An easier run the day after is always nice since I tend to be a bit sore.

I have also returned to my before work running! I started hitting the track back up before work last Friday and so far this week have done it on Tuesday and Wednesday. The only time I am going to run in the gym is if it is seriously raining or if it is my short/recovery run day. I actually prefer to get my run done first thing in the morning, so I am going to try real hard to keep it to outside runs as much as possible. Unfortunately this morning was rainy, so I chose to take my run indoors during lunch today.

So hear's to the next 8 days of my running challenge!!! Let's see where it takes me.

I will leave you today with one of my favorite motivational running tank tops:

Truth! Gotta put in the work if you want the results!

Starting Fresh

It's May and that brings us one month closer to summer. Uh oh, you know what that means? Closer to those warmer temperatures where we'll be baring more of our skin! I don't know about you, but it's time for me to hunker down and shed those seven pounds that winter put on my body.

This month is going to be about getting back to my fitness basics and setting some goals.

Here's a looky loo at what I have in mind:

Running, weight training, meal planning/prepping and drinking a boat load of water are the fitness basics that worked for me last June when I seriously started my fitness journey and lost 30 pounds!

And here's a reminder that a month, or in this case five weeks, can make a HUGE difference:

The only item that isn't really basic is running all 31 days of May. I have never ever ventured into this kind of running. I have always been one to give my body at least 2 rest days a week.

So why am I having a change of heart on this type of running challenge? Because I have seen a few of my fellow fitness peeps complete that 100 days of running challenge and their bodies really transformed.

I'm not crazy enough to commit myself completely 100% to the 100 days of running just yet, but when I thought about what I wanted to achieve in May, I thought 31 days wouldn't be so bad. So my plan will be that the rest days I usually give myself will be replaced with at least 1 mile of running. If I feel better than I expect, then I may log more miles. It's going to be one of those see as I go kind of things. However, the 1 mile run seems doable and I feel it will give my body a nice active rest/recovery day without too much stress.

I'm also not going into this challenge completely unprepared. I have spent the past month running 4 times a week (with the exception of last week because I was sick) and logging between 20-25 miles a week. By doing this, I was able to get not only my mind back in the game, but also my body. I would NEVER attempt this challenge without having built back a basic running foundation first. I feel I have dusted those winter cobwebs off and I am ready to accept this personal challenge!

I look forward to posting weekly updates and seeing how I progress. Maybe I might be able to inspire a few of you to get out there and start moving. It doesn't have to be running, walking is excellent too. Let me know below what you're planning on doing this month and let's make it a positive one together!

Summer Shred 13 Week 3 Recap

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We were hot and humid here in NYC. I spent the majority of my weekend inside with the fan on high! July is right around the corner and if this week's temps are any indication of what's to come, my honey and I must get a new air conditioner pronto. And pronto probably means August to my honey.

So let's just move on to my Summer Shred Week 3 recap, shall we? I cannot believe we are 3 weeks done and started our final week today. Time is seriously flying!

Week 3 was an interesting week for me in regards to my exercising. As you know I am a runner at heart. It's in my blood and so much part of my everyday life. So, it shouldn't be a surprise when I tell you that on Wednesday morning at the track I broke down in tears when I realized I was going to have to take some time off from running.

See, 2 weeks ago I experienced a major calf cramp during my sprint workout. I was able to stretch it out and continue my run, minus finishing my sprints. I have been able to continue running since then, even ran a 10K race, with no return of the cramp. I've just been able to feel a presence in my calf, but nothing that would stop me from running. Until this past Wednesday morning. I was 1.75 miles into my run when the cramp returned. I did my usual of stopping to stretch before trying to continue. That seemed to work until I hit the 2.5 mile mark. The cramp returned with full force and stopped me right in my tracks. I finished walking my lap with tears in my eyes.

After discussing this with my honey, he convinced me this wasn't the "be all end all" I was making it out to be. This was my body telling me I needed to take some time off from running to get the calf completely healed. I know this is all true, it was just hard to accept. So instead of running, I turned to my bike trainer. I have had to modify my Shred workouts to not further aggravate my calf and have religiously foam rolled and iced. I can honestly say that my calf feels so much better today, but it will probably be another week before I attempt to run again.

During all the running drama I created in my head, I still committed myself to clean eating. With burning less calories than I would of with running, I still managed to come in just under my calorie intake each day. I was doing really good with the weight loss (inches lost) during the first 2 weeks of the Shred so I was concerned with how this week would reflect on the scale this morning, since I was burning less calories. Well let me tell you all, sweat is sweat and combine that with clean eating, it still pays off. I have lost another 2 pounds this week, bringing my total up to 7.5 pounds. My hard work and commitment to eating clean continues to show!

Now for the nitty gritty details of the week.

My Meals

Breakfast and Snack:

Lunch:

Dinner:

My Workouts

Monday:
P.M. - Summer Shred Workout #1

Tuesday:
Lunchtime -  Run at the gym.

Wednesday:
A.M. - Run cut short at Astoria Park Track

P.M. - Summer Shred Workout #2 plus Bike Trainer

Thursday:
P.M. -  Summer Shred Workout #3 plus Bike Trainer  

Friday:
P.M. - Bike Trainer

Saturday:
Summer Shred Workout #4 plus Bike Trainer

Sunday - Rest Day

I am really looking forward to seeing what this last week will bring me. Saturday is the final weigh-in for the Diet Bet that I am participating in with some of the other Shredder's. As of today's weigh-in, I have reached my goal of losing 6.2 pounds. So as long as I don't gain any weight this week, I will receive some of the money from the pot. Which would be great because momma needs new pants pretty bad!

How have your workouts been going?  Anything you want to work on this week?
My upper body has slowly gotten stronger and I want to continue my improvement with the push-ups. I started out doing them at an angle standing at my kitchen counter-top, to this week actually doing them on the floor (on my knees) with getting about halfway down before coming back up. This was a huge improvement for me and I am excited to continue it.

Did anyone else sign up for the next Summer Shred with Bobbi?
I decided to continue with the Shredding experience and signed up for her Extreme Shred for July. I am excited to get this next level of plans. While I haven't mastered all the workouts from this month, I have definitely gotten stronger and will have them at my fingertips to go back to and work on things.

Summer Shred 13 Week 2 Recap

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed celebrating Father's Day yesterday. My own daddy is states away so I didn't get to spend it with him, but I did send him my love via the phone, even if he wasn't home and I had to leave a message.

I have officially finished Week 2 of Summer Shred 13 and hit the halfway point! This past week was interesting in the fact that I was sidelined for two days while being sick.

While I could not workout for those two days, I did maintain my clean eating plan. Day One (Thursday) of being sick, I was just trying to eat stuff that would agree with my tummy and was still on my plan. Day Two (Friday) of being sick, was much easier to get the yummy calories in my body and I was starting to get more energy. By Saturday, I was back to my old self and started working out again.

Week 2 presented us with a whole new meal and workout plan. My meal plan for the week ended up incorporating meals from both weeks. I even ventured into making the "Not Really Fried Rice" from the new meals on Wednesday night, so I would have it for lunch on Thursday, but due to being sick I told my honey to eat it so it wouldn't go to waste. He told me it was delicious, therefore, I will have to make it again so I can try it this time.

Here is a sampling of what my meals (breakfasts, snacks, lunches and dinners) were for the week:

My favorites were the "Sunrise Oatmeal" and "Veggie Curry".

Out of the five Shred Workouts for the week, I managed to completed three of them.

Monday:
P.M. - Shred Workout #1 (Warm-up and cool-down was on my bike trainer)

Tuesday:
A.M. - 3 mile run at Astoria Park

P.M. - Major subway issues coming home from work. Had to walk 40 minutes home from the subway in the heat and humidity carrying what felt like a 50 pound backpack because I went to Whole Foods during lunch. So needless to say when I walked through the door I was pooped and already had a workout. No Shred workout tonight!

Wednesday:
A.M. - 3.5 mile run at Astoria Park
P.M. - Shred Workout #2

Thursday and Friday - No workouts. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. Was sick, sick sick.

Saturday:
A.M. - Shred Workout #3 (Warm-up and cool-down was again on my bike trainer)

Sunday:
A.M. - 6 miles run on the trails at Rockefeller State Park Preserve

I love my Sunday runs on the trails! It's the one day of the weekend where my honey and I get some nice quality time together.

This week I ran a total of 12.5 miles. Add that to last week's total and I have run 307.34 miles for the year.

Now that we have hit the halfway point with the Shred, I decided to take my measurements in addition to my weekly weigh-in's. So far, I have lost 5.5 pounds and a total of 4 inches off my body. As you can see by this picture that I posted on Instagram on Saturday, momma needs some new pants. Proof is in the pudding!

My honey and I have discussed at length why I think this is all working for me. I have Hypothyroidism and have struggled with losing weight, and keeping it, in the past, so once this is all over, I will do a post discussing my thoughts.

In the meantime, Bobbi over at Nhershoes is going to be doing one final Summer Shred in July!

I can personally say that yes the workout's will push you like you probably haven't pushed in awhile, leave you cursing like a sailor (I think I did a few times) and have you wiping up your major sweat puddles when all is said and done, it is all totally worth it!

So click here and go on over to sign yourself up if you want to give it a shot. You have until June 26. As for me, I've already signed up for her July Extreme Summer Shred that she's offering to her June Shredders. Call me crazy, but I want more!

Summer Shred 13 Week 1 Recap

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Ours here in NYC turned out to be beautiful after Tropical Storm Andrea passed through here all day and night on Friday. Woke up to sunny skies on Saturday morning and it was perfect the whole entire weekend.

This past week also marked the first week of the Summer Shred 13 that I am participating in and I thought that I would share with you what my week has been like in regards to clean eating and exercising!

Like I said last week, we were all giving a food and exercise plans for the week. I ended up using the food plan as a guide and laid out in nice little table everything that I was going to eat for the week. Which I shared here.

I must say that this was a huge help to me this week and really helped reduce extra stress in my life. I encourage everyone to start using a weekly meal plan, especially if you are trying to watch what you eat. Also, just because it's written down doesn't mean you can't switch things up on it as needed. I pretty much followed what I planned out, but there were a couple times when I need to make a change due to whatever reason. It's not set in stone. It's a guide to help me through my week.

So what did I end up eating?

Every morning I had this delicious oatmeal with strawberries and almonds. I spiced it up with some cinnamon.

Also, if I ran before work, I had a Whey Protein Shake (but half the serving size). In addition, twice last week I also had a fresh green juice.  All of this usually held me until noon time.

By noon, I was always ready for my first snack of the day. I had this delicious Greek Yogurt with strawberries, granola and a little chocolate Whey Protein Powder.

I looked forward to this snack every day!

I generally take a late lunch at my office, so anywhere from 2:00pm to 2:30pm, I will eat my lunch. Below is just a sampling of what I would have.

As you can see there are always lots of veggies involved. This first picture is from over the previous weekend and the other three are actual work meals. By 5:00pm I would have my second snack of the day which was usually a small apple. One day I was still a little hungry so I had a handful of almonds with the apple.

Dinner is usually around 7:30pm. 

While the meal plan provided a wide variety of choices for dinner, Monday through Thursday I generally had the same dinner. I usually eat dinner alone those nights and since I am a vegetarian (with the exception of eating salmon once a week on the night before a long run), I want to make sure I am getting enough protein. So on those nights I would have scrambled eggs along with steamed veggies and either add a slice of toast, a Wasa Cracker or 1/2 an avocado.

My other meals consisted of a simple veggie chili dish with a sweet potato (delish!) and salmon with steamed veggies and brown basmati rice.

For the most part, I skipped that last snack of the day. Sunday is my cheat day so I did allow myself some frozen yogurt. I also had one night during the week where I was still hungry, so I had a cup of cherries.

As for exercise, we were provided with five HIIT workouts to complete Monday through Friday (a different one each day). The plan also allowed for three days of running, but if we ran we weren't suppose to do that day's HIIT.

I managed to complete four of the workouts this week!

Monday:

 Tuesday:

 Wednesday:

 Friday, but doing Thursday's workout:

I got home late on Thursday and didn't really have time to do the workout. I was ok with skipping it since I had run that morning.

Let me just say these workouts were amazing, intense and seriously sweat inducing!

I completed all the workouts at my level, meaning I did have to modify some of the exercises just so I could do them, and that is ok. I know the more I do these exercises, I will be eventually be able to complete them without modifications.

While I may have been cursing through some of the exercises, and my muscles were feeling extra sore, I can honestly say that by the end of the first week I feel stronger!

Of course there was some running this week too. Since I have been a runner for a long time, I didn't really think twice about doing a run and a HIIT workout all in the same day.

I ran twice before work:

 Ran once during my lunch break:

 And of course ran a little 10K race on Saturday morning:

I decided to take Sunday as a complete rest day, so no running on the trails were done. I ran a total of 15.26 miles this week.

Where does that leave me with my Run 1,000 miles by the end of the year goal?

I last talked about my running and mileage here on May 29 through Week 21. My previous total was 270.58.

Add the two new weeks of mileage:
Week 22: 9.00
Week 23: 15.26
New Total: 294.84

Still not back at the 20 plus mile weeks to get me to my goal. I am hoping this week will get me there.

I am so happy that the first week of the Summer Shred is under my belt. I wasn't sure what the week was going to bring me or how well I would fair with it.

I am super proud of myself for all that I accomplished this week along with my fantastic fellow Shredder's!

The clean eating left me satisfied and with more energy. The workouts pushed me to my limits and let me set new ones.

I have also lost a total of four pounds since my start weigh-in! Two last Monday and two again this morning!

I am ready for Week 2!

So tell me, what did you do this weekend? 
I spent a good portion of my weekend recovering and relaxing, of course after all my chores were done.

Anyone else race?  
I will be posting my Oakley New York Mini 10K Race Recap hopefully this week.

What's one thing you could start right now to make a healthy difference in your life?
I started using my Pedometer this week. I bought the Omron HJ-112 Pocket Pedometer from here.

Good May Reading

Good Morning and Happy National Running Day! Even despite all my soreness from this week's Summer Shred 13 workouts I have been doing, I managed to get out to the running track before work and knocked out 3 little miles!

And they were definitely 3 slow miles, but hey, I did a run on National Running Day!

So it's that time of the month again to talk about all the serious, page turning, or you can skip, books I read in May.

16. Thirteen Reason Why by Jay Asher
Finished: May 4, 2013 

"Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier. 

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list. 

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers."

I originally put this book on hold back in February when it appeared on some book club lists and received great reviews. When the book became available to me at the beginning of March, I let it pass on to the next person as I wasn't ready to read it. At the end of April I decided to get it out of the library again. Let me say that I thought it was beautifully written. Suicide is such a taboo topic to talk about, but I felt that this book really tastefully gave some insight into why a person, as in this case a young teenage girl, may do such a thing. Even though it's a book of fiction, it is really a fact.


17. The Kill Order (Maze Runner #0.5) by James Dashner
Finished: May 13, 2013

"The prequel to the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series.

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.

Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.

Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive."

After reading the last book in this trilogy, I thought it would be interesting to read this Prequel. Unfortunately, this book was a waste of my time. While it was a tad interesting to read how the flares happened, the book really didn't explore what I had hoped it would. I really wanted the author to elaborate on how Mark and Trina, as teenagers, created the Maze. What were they thinking? How did they decide the Maze was the way to go? It just didn't go there. So while I recommend the trilogy itself, this book could be left on the shelf.

18. Evermore (The Immortals, #1) by Alyson Noel
Finished: May 15, 2013

"The first book in Alyson Noël's extraordinary new Immortals series. Enter an enchanting new world, where true love never dies...

After a horrible accident claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone's entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact to suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school — but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.

Damen is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head - wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is - or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him."

I checked this book out of the library on a whim, The cover and description intrigued me. It's another young adult book that I did really enjoy, as is demonstrated by me reading it in 2 days. You think this book is about vampires, but it's not. Will definitely be reading the next one in the series.

19. Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Taherah Mafi
Finished: May 22, 2013

"Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior."

Can you imagine what it must feel like to have not been touched or even spoken to someone in almost 1 year? Well the main character Juliette does and I was drawn into this book from the very first chapter. I'm excited that this is part of a trilogy and really want to read the in between book before reading #2 as it comes from the perspective of the main character of the Reestablishment. Is he really as evil as the first book portrays him to be? Hmmm.

20. Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test #2) by Aimee Carter
Finished: May 24, 2013

"Kate Winters has won immortality.
But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she'll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry's first wife, Persephone."

This trilogy isn't any earth shattering, must read books but it does provide me with some interesting and simple reading that I like every once in a while.  This is technically the third book I read because there was an in between book, which you really don't have to read to understand this book.

21. Pure (Pure #1) by Julianna Baggott
Finished: May 31, 2013

"We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again."

This book was the highlight of my month! I have been recommending it to everyone who likes to read books similar to my tastes. I absolutely loved it! I read it based on my sister's recommendation and from the moment I started reading it, I could not put it down. I am so ready for the next book!

According to Goodreads, I am now 53% into completing my goal of reading 40 books by the end of the year and am ahead of schedule by 4 books.

So tell me, anyone else going to get outside for National Running Day? What has been your favorite book to read so far this year?