Where.....what.....wait!!!

Oh my goodness, I'm sorry I've been slacking on my blog. It's not that the ideas aren't there! I think I need to maybe schedule "blogging days" beyond my race report posts to try to get myself on track. Oh well, water under the bridge, onward to improvement and positive things!

So, where to start? I'll start with my yin~yang 10k. I was totally torn between running this race or running a long run the weekend I ran it. I took the advice of several running friends who said, "Why not make it part of your long run?" I think the reason this didn't occur to me at first is because I really like to try to put the effort into trying to p.r. when I race, but I figured what the heck...kill two birds with one stone, right?

So I pinned on what is probably the coolest race bib I've seen so far and headed out for my duel purpose run. Now I don't know if it was the day or if it was the rush of endorphins I get from simply pinning on a race number, but the miles FLEW! Before I knew it I had hit the 10k mark (and snapped a screen shot for posterity's sake)

I continued on to run 10.25 miles and when I check my times found I was STILL able to get that 10k p.r.!! I also got one of my favorite medals yet! 

I think what this race taught me was to not doubt my abilities. Sometimes I think we all think "oh, I can't do that" and you need to push yourself to really see if that's true. I'd venture the guess that in the majority of cases I'd bet you're capeable of more than you think! ;)

Now, I also did the Crank It Up 5k with my daughter. She wanted to do the Girls on the Run race, but things just didn't work out. So I told her to find a medal or two and we'd do some races together. She saw this medal and it was love at first sight!! 

She kind of jumped right into this one with no training. I told her it was ok to walk. (I considered this one more of a fun run...the MOST important thing was that it was something she and I could do TOGETHER!)  3.1 miles can be a pretty daunting distance! She did get tired, she wanted to quit early at a few points, but when it came down to it she pushed through. She said she felt bad that she was so slow, but we finished in under 43 minutes! Not too bad!! And I told her we'll train together and run another in a couple months and see how much better she gets.

This race was through Jost Running. It was the first race I have done with them and I was very happy with them. Prompt service, reasonable prices, even a hand written congratulatory note for my daughter and me! Very cool!! I'll definitely be looking into doing more races with them :)

I think I'm going to save my other thoughts for my next post, gives me a reason to get back on my blog sooner, lol. So, until next time run lots and live happy!!

Running for Pi....and pie!

Happy Pi Day everyone!! Today was my 4th virtual race of the year, the Pi Day 5k! I had signed up for this particular event back in late January and I'm so glad I did because it ended up selling out...and now I have no doubts as to why!

This was an amazingly well run event from registration through Pi Day weekend. I found it through Gametiime (this is the same group that does the Moustache Dache, which I TOTALLY a plan on running if there's a virtual option) and helped raise funds for IGNITE, Inspiring Girls Now in Technology Evoloution. First off the swag bag was the best I've received so far from a virtual race. Bib, medal, Luna bar, Pi sticker and t-shirt were all included in the entry. Very cool!

My original goal was to get out and run at 9:26, but the weather was not-so-nice so I took full advantage of one of the benefits of virtual racing and waited for the weather to clear up a bit. I decided to run my favorite neighborhood 5k course. I set my Nike app for 5k, warmed up a little, then began my race. 

My feet felt surprisingly light and I almost felt like I was flying for the first mile. "You know this course," I told myself "you've totally got this!" That familiar voice came on and told me my first mile split...9:08. I told myself that was a great pace. Now all I had to do is hold it! The start of the second mile was downhill, so I coasted to catch my breath a little bit before making the turn to tackle the next hill. At the half-way point, my app told me I was at a sub-9 minute pace! Now I knew I had to push myself! My legs and lungs were feeling the effort, but I could picture the rest of the course. No stopping now! Mile 2 came up before I knew it. My thoughts then became "keep pushing, there's just one more big hill left, If I hold my pace I'll be done in less than 10 minutes!" That last hill wasn't easy, but knowing that after I crested it the rest of the course was easy, kept my legs moving. With the last hill behind me, I hit my favorite power song and flew to the finish. Finish time for this 5k 27:13!! A new PR!! I enjoyed the cool down walk home then it was picture time ;)

One of the things I took away from my race today is how important it is to be able to dig deep and push yourself. To be your own cheering squad. Don't get me wrong, having a network of supportive friends and family is so important. I'm blessed to have that too, but there is something empowering (for me at least) in knowing that I can push myself to better and better times. Runs like this help me to know I am strong and able to reach any goal I set for myself. Even if I don't quite reach a goal, I know I have it in me to push past my comfort zone, to put every ounce of myself into something, and reach places further than I had thought possible! For me that's very important as an athlete.

Well, it's time for me to celebrate, relax and enjoy my evening. I was lucky enough to have the whole day off from work, so I'm going to take advantage of it! Time for some coffee and pie! 

Hope you all have an amazing evening! Until next time, run lots and be happy my friends!!

I've been thinking...

So, let me start off by saying this isn't really a running post. Well, sort of...but not really....uh, kind of. It's more a general observation of life events over the last couple days and how it helped me to get my head straight, count my blessings, and just breathe....and of course running always helps cement those ideas. That said, on with my post.

Sometimes life just happens. For me it was a blown tire, being stranded with my kids for a short time, just watching car after car pass by like we weren't there. Of course I'm worried that there's something majorly wrong with my car (my tire blew out hitting a MAJOR pothole) and starting to fret because I can't get my car jacked up to replace my tire because the roadside where I happened to stop was all mud. I was on the verge of tears, but with my kids there I'm trying my best to stay calm. I had finally resorted to calling a towing company, then out of the blue two younger gentlemen stopped and were able to help. (Saving me time, money and frustration) Once back on the road it really got me thinking about all kinds of things. Sometimes when something bad happens (be it small or large) it sometimes is the doorway to taking a deeper look into yourself and making some realizations. 

As I drove away I started thinking, it's amazing how we can get so caught up in the every day, the rush rush rush, the I need to have more, do more, be more mentality that we lose sight of all we already are and all we already have. When I calmed down and really thought about it, I have so much. I have a roof over my head. I have clothes on my back and food in my belly. I have a job that I enjoy that pays the bills. I have two wonderful children and a guy that supports me in any endeavor I choose. When I got back into racing and signed up for several virtual races he just looked at me and said, "Good for you! You need to do more for yourself. Have I ever told you no?" At which point I said maybe he should before I break the bank on races, we chuckled and HE looked over at my phone and said, "That medal looks cool, you should run that one!" That's what I should be focusing on, not problems or things that haven't even come to pass.

Things will happen, and worrying about what might happen isn't really going to make things any better. I know it's been said before, but it's true...tomorrow has its own troubles, why bring them to today when they may never come to pass. Worry about today and live in the moment. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is not promised. But you do have today, do what you can to make the most of every minute!

Also, let me say I don't buy into the "you must have done something wrong/bad to bring a bad event to pass" line of thought. Things happen. Period. It's how you deal, learn and grow from them that really matters. No matter what happens to me, I will always do my best to do what's right, work hard, and stand for all that is good. Why? Because I know that is what makes my heart and soul happy.

So, that's my story and thought for today, thank you for letting me get it out in print. I hope that maybe in some way, it will help even one person to know that things aren't always as bad as they may seem, that we are all blessed in many ways, and there is always something to be thankful for.

Now, for at least a little running news. I am running the Pi Day 5k virtual run Saturday and I'm super excited. I can't wait to share my race with you!! Until then be happy, run lots, and remember to be thankful always!

March: goals, races, and runstreaks

WOW! I can't believe its March already!! Now, not that February was "bad", but I know there is room for improvement. I've spent the last couple of days thinking of the areas I want to work on this month, and decided to share them here so I have a little more accountability ;) So here we go...

1. Adding weight workouts 4 days a week. I do so good with my running, but my resistance training can fall by the wayside. So, I have come up with 3 different workouts each for upper and lower body. My goal is to do 2 workouts each week for upper and lower body and abs on those days as well
2. Cut back on junk food. My diet has slipped off track and my sweet tooth has been out of control! My goal is to try to plan meals. Its not always easy with my odd schedule and the fact that both my guy and I are foodies (we truly love food!), but its something that needs to be done if I want to continue to get closer to my goals.
3. Relax!! I have a high stress job, tons of things going on in my "off time", a lot of responsibilities, but one of the biggest responsibilities I have to myself is my health. My goal is to make sure to find time for things that encourage relaxation for at least 30 minutes a day. It can be yoga, meditation, reading, crafting, journaling....anything that helps me escape the stresses of everyday responsibilities. I think its very important to make sure you find at least a little time to "escape" the stress and focus on being happy for a little while everyday!

I have a few others, not fitness related I want to work on too, so now that I've put my goals out there hopefully I'll have some awesome progress to share by month's end ;)

Now, as for races, I have 3 on the schedule for this month. First up is the Pi Day 5k, and I'm super excited that my work schedule will make it possible to actually run on Pi Day!! Hopefully my goodie package will be arriving soon so I can show off the awesome swag from the race right after I run it. Second is the Yin Yang 10k through US Road Running. I already have the medal here, but I am one of those virtual racers that won't even look at my medal until I've run the race and earned it. The pictures of the medal are beautiful and I can't wait to see it in person. Finally, I will be running the Crank it Up 5k through JOST running with my daughter. She wanted to do the Girls on the Run, but registration filled up so I told her we could do some virtual races instead. She simply adores the medal (as do I, it reminds me of a boom box I had when I was younger) and I can't wait to add it to my collection!

Finally I'm taking part in 2 runstreaks this month. The shamrock runstreak started the day after Valentine's Day and is going through St. Patrick's Day. The SWEET shamrock STREAK will go the entire month of March. You can find both groups on Instagram and Facebook. Everyone is so supportive and uplifting.

I'm off to get my run in and do a little research on one of my unlisted goals. Well, unlisted for now...it's some info I hope to share because I think it's something that can benefit people in several ways. Until next time, much love and run happy!