2 Mile Mornings

Now that The Color Run is behind us we are working towards the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k that will take place in 30 days. I really need to get my butt in gear for this one as this is not just a fun run. This one is an acutal timed race. While I'm not particularly excited about that part, I am excited about the Chocolate Party after. Being that I'm no longer on Facebook my friends do make sure that I'm up to date on everything. I was sent a picture of what will be awaiting the participants at the finish line. This will be my motivation to keep working towards my goal.



Let's discuss my latest, greatest idea. Feeling great about finishing The Color Run I decided that I wanted to work harder. Now we remember that I got myself in this predicament in the first place by getting a sudden motivation and registering for two 5k runs. Again I ask myself "What was I thinking?" and with school back in session I will be busier since I also coach cheer. So back to Monday (today is Thursday). Wait, I stand corrected. It was Tuesday because Monday we had a big company meeting and didn't get to take our morning Wellness Walk. So Tuesday I decided that I wanted to run. You can see where this is going right? My goodest friend held me to it. We dressed out (changed our clothes) and headed outside. The walkers left without us but that is ok. There were 3 of us going (the 4th ran ahead of us because they thought I was kidding). Yes, you read that correctly. My friends know me all too well and didn't take me serious until I crossed the street instead of turning the corner. So off we went for our first 2 mile morning. Mind you our wellness walks are usually 1.5 miles. Little did I know that majority of this route was going to be uphill. So I jog/walk/jog/walk/walk/walk..... I tell my goodest friend to stay in front of me since she knows where to turn. Boy was I in for a big shock when we were like the energizer bunny and kept going and going... Needless to say I hung in there the best I could and we actually caught up to the walkers. I was quite proud of myself. After the first 2 mile morning my goodest friend tweeted me this:



So then the next day, hold on. I may have confused all my days now. Either way, the next day we did another 2 mile morning. This time we took a different route. It literally was 1 mile uphill (on a steady incline) then 1 mile back downhill. Of course this is on a major road so of course you don't want to look like a clown attempting to run. My times were slightly slower but it was definitely interesting to see the difference in each mile (uphill vs downhill). The following day we walked because everyone was just not feeling good. I was ready to go again but we just walked the 1.5 route instead. I figure if I still have the motivation I may as well take advantage.

Then comes today. Oh boy has it been a day from hell! I was Super Oscar the Grouch this morning by the time I got to work. I really felt like I needed to run to get rid of some aggrivation. Noone else was going to run today so I decided I was going to do this on my own. They aren't going to be next to me all the way to the finish line (they will leave me in the dust and I am ok with that) so only I can make myself do this. So I dressed out and off I went. The walkers had left about 4 minutes ahead of me. I decided to take the first route we went on so I could try to catch the walkers on the last half mile. I felt I ran more than the first day when I didn't know the route but my timing said otherwise. It was already getting hot outside also. It really does heat up once 10:30am hits. As I was nearing my mile and a half I still didn't see the walkers. By the time I got back onto the main road they were already turning back into the parking lot. I knew I could never catch them so I continued at my own pace. My time was the same as the other 2 mile mornings and I am ok with that. I am just hoping that I can stay motivated and continue doing this every morning. Oh, and in case you're wondering, my mood did get better for a couple hours after my run/jog/walk.

Color Run...more

So when I originally blogged on The Color Run it was late and forgot a few things. Did I mention how much fun we had that morning? I'm not particularly a fan of waking up early as you all have hopefully read in my previous blog posts, however, that was one of the few things that I will enjoy waking early for. So before I forget or go off on a tangent let me get to what I forgot in my previous post.



1. Even though the color powder is made of dyed corn starch it WILL stain you. Especially the blue and the pink. Now mind you after the color party in the Plaza we went to eat lunch. As you can see above I had more than just a speck of color on my face when we left the Plaza. I tried to wash off the color from my face at the restaurant but it wasn't enough. When I got home I had to wash my hair 3 times and the rest of me the same. It was the longest, craziest shower ever. That was the theme of the day I guess. Anyway, after all that washing and scrubbing I still looked like I had rosacea. My cheek (yes, only one) was dyed pink for 2 days. I ended up washing my face about 5 times throughout that day. Then the next day when I went to take a shower I took my hair down (it was in a pony tail) and noticed a big blue spot on my scalp. I have no idea how I missed it before but thankfully it came off then. Absolutely crazy!

2. Fanny packs don't necessarily stay on the fanny. Now before you laugh too much or question if we are in fact in the year 2012, hear me out. I have a friend that shall remain nameless that has gone on and on about wanting a fanny pack for the past 62 days. So when I saw them at packet pick up I knew I had to get her one. In the meantime I picked one up for myself because I did need something to carry my keys, phone, etc and I was not wanting to carry a backpack. So since I was already going to get one for my friend, I figure why not pick one up for myself? (you can see me wearing it in my previous post) So I did. It was the perfect size to hold my phone, my camera, my keys, my color packet and a couple other things. Note to my friend: the zipper worked great too! So when the actual run began I decided I will start out by running then walk as necessary since I'm still not able to run as far as I'd like to. And by run, I really mean slow jog. So when we started I decided I would turn the fanny pack around so it was literally on my fanny. This didn't last long. With each step it bounced itself all the way around back to the front. So naturally I would slide it back around to my backside and again with each step it would bounce itself around. Within the first 5 minutes I had moved this fanny pack 3 times to the back and 3 times it bounced itself around to the front. I had to laugh! I eventually gave up because in the end it was more convenient to have it in the front. With as much as I was opening and closing this fanny pack to get my phone or my camera it became a lost cause to continue to fight with it. So with that being said I feel that the name Fanny Pack is not a valid name. I am open to suggestions as I don't have any wit this evening.

Next up is the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k. Remember, I have not lost my mind (or any weight) so I will only be participating in the 5k part of this event. Until then, I will update as usual.

The Color Run!!!!!!!

Beginning my day at 4am is really for the birds. Ok now that I have that out of the way I will tell you about it all. After staying up until around 11pm preparing I was quick to awaken at 4am, then again at 4:30am. Quick shower (yes even though I knew I'd need another one before noon), get the kids up and get us all ready. I wanted to be out of the house no later than 5:45am so I could be downtown (assuming I didn't hit any traffic) by 6am. Naturally, if you know me then you already know this didn't happen. We finally made it downtown around 6:20am and headed to the parking garage to meet up with my "goodest" friend and her family.





After waiting around in the Civic Plaza for about 30 minutes they announced for everyone to start heading to the street to line up for the run to begin. Some of our group was already up there so we made our way towards them. Trying to round up a group of 15 to one place when there are 6,000 people registered is about as easy as winning the Powerball. So eventually we found them and we were only missing 4 people out of the group because they were late arrivals. We were towards the beginning of the hoard of people. Literally the start line was about 20 feet from us.





So after standing around for about 5 minutes I realized that I had to use the restroom. Naturally I'd have expected this out of my children, but not myself. All I could think about was how long this 5k was going to be because I was going to hold it. I didn't want to leave our spot and risk not being let back in since we already had to convince the volunteer girls to let us past the tape (marking the waves) since the rest of our group was up there. Then after texting, I was told that part of our group was stuck in wave 2. So I went to to meet up with her to give her the group socks and cape. Since I was way back there already I decided to go use the restroom. Porta-potty's are the most disgusting things, but I was thankful for them at the moment. In deciding to do that I found the last 2 of our group. Then we all went back and made our way back to the rest of the group.



Then it began. Off we went. I began by jogging with everyone, not thinking about those in our group that needed to walk. How rude of me. It didn't take long at all for our entire group to get split up. Even my son ditched me. My daughter stayed by my side. We jogged for a good few minutes then I decided with this many people and it not being timed, we just needed to have fun with it. No need to over-exert ourselves. So we walked for about a block then jogged again as we came up on our first color station. Wait, let me back up for a minute. I told my daughter that we were going to walk on the right and then go to the left at the color stations. Her response was "why? Because of the trajectory of the winds it goes that way?". I just laughed and told her "No, that is where you are supposed to get more color". That really cracked me up because we don't generally talk like that. So we go through the first color station and found out very quickly that this stuff is no joke. Keep your mouth closed, don't inhale and run through with your arms up. Sure, it is only colored corn starch but it is enough to choke you out. Before we knew it we had gone another kilometer and reached our 2nd color station.



As we kept going I noticed more and more people walking. It seemed that really the only onces trying to seriously run this were those going for their personal best. At one point my daughter and I were walking again and I suddenly hear someone behind us telling me (using my name) to push hard and to get going. I looked to my left and saw my friend and her husband run by us waving. So my daughter and I decided to catch up to them and run with them for about 30 seconds. That was more than enough for me at this point because it was really starting to warm up outside. After my camera battery died I eventually had to stop on the sidewalk to look in my bag for my second battery. By the time I found it and got it put in my camera I realized that I would start seeing some people I knew coming against us. So I figure how fun would it be to get them in action? So between the 2nd and 3rd kilometer that is exactly what I did.







Shortly thereafter we hit the 3rd color station. This is what it is like to go through it. (look close and you might actually see me in there)



We hit one more color station before we hit the finish line. My daughter and I decided that we were going to jog the last 2 blocks until we crossed the finish line. It was overall an awesome experience because throughout the 5k you had other runners/walkers cheering each other on, high-fiving you (because some genius measured the route incorrectly so they basically had to double it so we went one day, turned around and went back the way we came). Towards the end there were spectators cheering for you as you were nearing and crossing the finish line. And not that I told them, so hopefully they will read this, but a couple friends were at the finish line smiling while my daughter and I were coming. That made me feel special and you can't tell me they weren't there for us because in my mind they were. So thank you both! After the finish line we waited around for a little bit then decided I better go look for my son before it really became impossible to find him. It didn't take long, thankfully he was smart enough to stay put where he could see me if I walked past.







Now you may be thinking a couple things here. 1) You don't look very "colorful" considering you just finished "happiest 5k on the planet" aka The Color Run. Or 2) I saw you post pictures on Instagram/Twitter that showed you with tons more color than that. Well, let me explain. I was slightly disappointed in that myself. Especially considering we were getting doused in powered at the color stations. It must've been the trajectory of the winds that my daughter mentioned earlier. Oh, for those that care, yes I did use my fancy phone application and we finised in 45 minutes. Not my best but we had fun! Anyway, next comes the "Color Party" in the plaza. This is where they have the "Color Explosions" about every 30 minutes.



This is what it is like to be in a color explosion.

It was so cute, a couple even got engaged! It was all over the news that evening also. She was so shocked. Good job to the soon-to-be-groom in planning that one.





Overall this was such a great experience and I'm glad that I chose this to be the first 5k to participate in. It will definitely be one that we will do again next year. But until then, I need to start training more seriously to get ready for the more competitive, timed Hot Chocolate 15k/5k. And let's not get crazy, I am only doing the 5k and definitely looking foward to the chocolate party that will follow after I cross that finish line.






Now on a side note I will share with you all that my "goodest" friend has lost her everlasting mind! I woke up to the following text message: "Decided that in 2014 I'll do the half in Disney!! It'll keep me training plus it's sold out for 2013 already!! Start training lady!:) lol" Basically I wished her luck and asked if she was going to do the 15k for the Hot Chocolate Run. That was also an effort to distract her from that crazy thinking of hers. She then had the nerve to tell me "You shoudl train with me and we can do it together we have a year and a half!! You can totally do it!!" By the time our conversation ended I told her (twice) to let me get through the chocolate run first then ask me again. I can't even run 1 mile straight without walking and here she is thinking about me attempting to train for 13.1 miles?! We will revisit this at the end of next month I'm sure because I already know she is not going to let me say now.

Now I don't want to hear it from a certain someone *coughmspcough* pointing at me and saying "that's what you get". Just hurry up and pick your 5k so I can use that to prepare for.

I had a dream....

So last night I had a crazy dream. After going to bed completely exhausted last night I fell asleep almost immediately. I don't remember turning the television off, I didn't even plug my phone in to charge overnight. Next thing I knew, I was waking up at 4:30am confused as ever. I rolled over and went back to sleep. Well, that is after I closed the cover on my iPad and pushed it down towards the foot of my bed because I was suddenly concerned that I may roll on top of it and break it. *blank stare*

Again I wake up before I intended to after the exhausting day before. This time it was 7:45am and I had the craziest dream ever! Well, since I quit smoking anyway. I was driving somewhere. Without even thinking about it I reached my hand into my compartment and pulled out a cigarette and lit it. I finished smoking before I got to my destination. I have no idea where I was going or who was there but when I arrived I was talking with people I'm familiar with (friends) but I don't know exactly who it was because I never saw faces. It was as though the faces were blurred out. WEIRD! Anyway, I was telling them that I was almost at 2 months and I just washed that slate clean because I just smoked. I didn't even have any sort of remorse about it. Just like well, there went that.

I was very concerned when I woke up. Rethinking my dream and wondering what on earth I would do should that have ever happened. I'm beginning to think that all this trying to run nonsense is taking a toll on me. HA! Well, anyway I just wanted to share my crazy dream.

Journey to 5k - D-Day!!!!!!

Today I participated in the "happiest 5k on the planet" aka



It is 10pm, I woke up at 4am after going to bed at 11pm (who knows when I finally fell asleep), participated in the 5k, stayed in sun for 2 more hours, ate, post office, home. No nap and I'm so exhausted so I will write all about it hopefully tomorrow but I can't make any promises! However, I DID IT!

I will leave you with this picture because I can't stop laughing at it. Apparently she was in the way of us taking a picture and well.....

Journey to 5k - 2 sleeps and a wake up

Boy has time flown by! I can't believe that in 2 more sleeps and a wake up I will be participating in my first 5k. So the Color Run is more of a "fun run" and will consist of lots of walking but I'm still planning on trying to run just so I can. Then after Saturday I really need to get my crap together and seriously train so I can not be last for the Chocolate Run since that one is a timed run.

I was going to post a picture of my "bib" but I'm being lazy and I don't feel like taking it out of the bag again, taking a picture, emailing it, posting it. Yes, that is a lot of work right now. Shoot...I'm having a hard enough time staying focused enough to write this at the moment. Now where was I? Yes, I already got distracted again and lost my train of though. CRAP!

So let's just get down to business. I've still been going on the "Wellness Walks" at work daily even though I don't write about it. I figure it's the same 1.5 miles I go every day with the same route and well, in my opinion, that is not worth writing home about. However, on days like yesterday and today it is a different story. Let me tell you how I changed it up.

It began yesterday when I decided I wanted to try to run for some of the "wellness walk". So I changed out and only ran for a few small parts of it until the end. While I'm still working at walking my consistent 15 minute mile I'm not achieving it very regular, I decided to try to run. I was very proud of the last part I ran. Ok not the homestretch in the parking lot but down the main road. I actually was able to run a good stretch. No, it's not that far but for me it is. Then there was today. Today I actually took my "running shoes" instead of my "walking shoes" and my clothes to change out again. I told my goodest friend that I wanted to run again. She didn't want to change (only she would run in jeans). Then as we were beginning our initial walk out of the parking lot her running partner walked out. Guess what...yes, then she had the look on her face like she wanted to go back inside and change so she could run. Now mind you when I saw her I asked her if she was going to change and she said no. Imagine how that made me feel. And we all remember how my moodswings are. I was fine though, but don't think I didn't let her off the hook that easy. Anyway, I was ready to go running. As we were exiting the parking lot we saw her "running buddy" go for the 2 mile route. Can you see where this is going? Yes, you guessed it (and if you didn't then that sucks to be you), I decided I wanted to go the 2 mile route as well. So off we went. I guess they thought I was kidding because the other 2 tried to turn down the street for the 1 mile/1.5 mile route and I was just crossing the street. So they continued with me, thank goodness because without them I would've gotten myself lost I'm sure. Anyway, jogging...walking...jogging...walking. I wanted my goodest friend to lead because I wasn't sure which street to turn down. Little did I know we weren't turning down a street for over a mile. Did I happen to mention that this was a continuous incline? Yes, right before we hit a mile I questioned out loud what I was thinking. Boy was I ready to stick both feet in my mouth for that one. So I got to a point where I was just trying to speed walk because that incline was brutal for me. Now mind you it was already hot, I was sweating like a pig at a luau, and I still had over a mile to go. When the other 2 jogged past me I joined them for as far as I could. I eventually caught up when we finally turn down the street. It was pretty much downhill from there. At this point my goodest friend couldn't stand it anymore and kept running ahead of us. I'm cool with that since I knew my way from there. I did jog for several more stretches for the 2nd mile. I did a lot better than I thought I would even though I was slightly disappointed. Yes that was a serious contratiction but it's true. Anyway, in the end I went 2.02 miles in 27.13 minutes.

Now after that, we went at lunch to pick up our packets (I was picking up 13 out of 15 packets) for The Color Run. I'm so freaking excited for it even if I have to get up before the Roosters to be downtown with my children at 6am. Wish me luck.

And in case your wondering, yes I do plan on taking that 2 mile route again tomorrow morning. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Journey to 5k - T minus 7 days

So 1 week from now I will have participated in The Color Run. I have already had a crazy dream about it, dreaded it and now I'm looking foward to it. So today I woke up, got dressed, pulled my hair back and went to go for a walk/jog.

I debated being adventurous and going for a jog/walk around the neighborhoods but I decided that I would stick around the park until after the color run. I was going good for the first couple laps then on that 3rd lap I could definitely feel an increase in temperature. After all it was around 10:15am at this point. Have I mentioned how much I dislike sweating? Not to mention there were several other joggers and 1 other walker at the park. Why do people insist on going against normal traffic? And don't even suggest that I'm the one going the wrong way. I definitely go the correct way and this is not up for debate. Anyway, I went for a few more laps and then called it quits. It really was quite warm outside and I was sweating like crazy. And let's not discuss the massive wedgie I had. I really do need to find a fix for that. Perhaps I should just start trying to run commando. Why do running shorts come with built in underwear? Those give the worst wedgies EVER!

Anyway, I have a full day ahead of me so this is a short entry. I ended up doing just slightly over 2 miles today and I was ok with that. My calves were already starting to tighten up and I'm not trying to get injured with less than a week to go.

Until next time...

Journey to 5k- T-minus 10 days

So I should be really excited about this countdown, when instead I'm actually dreading it. Well, remember back in the beginning days...perhaps even before I quit smoking? I did say that I would lose motivation. I stuck with it longer than I thought I actually would but this whole running thing became something I "had" to do instead of something I "wanted" to do. And with me being me, I decided that I didn't want to do it anymore since it felt like a chore.

So here I am with 10 days until I participate in The Color Run with my friends and children and I'm ashamed of myself because not only have I not been "running" as often but when I do my times have gotten horrible. So naturally that is a huge downer. Of course I still do go on the daily wellness walks at work which is a 1.5 mile walk. I figure at least I'm doing something. Something is still better than nothing right?

I did run on Monday (today is Wednesday) but I was lazy and didn't blog about it. I ran 1.6 miles and my time was absolutely awful (in my opinion). My son went with me but went home before I finished. He was funny though as we were going. I told him to stay home and eat dinner and he responded with "No Mom, I need to go. I have soccer starting, we have that marathon to do, and this competition coming up." Ok now if you're anything like me the only thing you caught from that was "marathon". What in the sam heezy is he thinking? Then again, this 5k is going to feel like a marathon for me.

Now the one thing that I have stuck with throughout...what day is this again? Anyway, I still am 100% smoke free, unless you count second hand smoke. I did have a dream about smoking last night but I can't remember all of it. Now what happens when you brag early on? Exactly... I was going on and on about how I'm not substituting food for cigarettes (which I'm still not) but guess what? Yes, you guessed it. I have gained around a total of 10lbs since I quit a month and a half ago. I do believe that this is part of my loss of motivation. Weight gain, slower times. Doesn't sound like a winning combination to me. One plus is that I haven't really had those crazy mood swings since that one awful week, however, I did kind of snap today. Let me tell you that story.

At the beginning of the wellness walk this morning I was telling the girls about my weight gain. My "goodest" friend tells me that I should keep running then. Now giving her the benefit of the doubt, I'm sure she was trying to motivate me. I didn't like that so I responded with something really not nice to the effect of F*** Running! I know that is shocking to believe but that is how I felt at that moment. Then I continued with adding walking and working out. I even went as far as saying that I was thinking of starting smoking again just to lose the weight. They didn't like that idea so I decided that I would just get lipo instead. My "goodest" friend...bless her heart...says "yeah, I need lipo too. I need to get rid of these love handles." And this is when I snapped. Every other word was a cuss word so I will not repeat it here but I did end with "I hate skinny chicks that say that crap!" I was very serious too. Now my other friend that was with us happened to be walking in the middle and decided she was going to jog ahead because she didn't want to be in the middle but she did agree with me. I later had to apologize because I know it was wrong of me to snap on my friends like that but I'm very grateful that I have understanding friends. She told me that it's better that I rant than smoke again.

Tonight I had a Parent Meeting for soccer and then picked up dinner on the way home. Naturally, being down on myself about the weight gain, I wanted to eat instead of go running around the park. So with that I will end with this picture that is just so fitting at the moment.

Journey to 5k and the Great American Smokeout

So I'm sitting here trying to figure out what I'm going to write and I'm really not focused. That tends to happen a lot lately but at least I can usually stay focused enough to at least blog.

So quick recap of yesterday. No, I didn't run. I had the day off work and I had every intention of waking early so I could go before it was time to register the kids for school. However, remember how I told you I'm not a morning person? Yep, I'm a very hard sleeper also so waking me up is a task and a half. So needless to say I hit the snooze and then didn't wake up for another hour and a half. So no run for me. Went to the school to get the kids registered and ran into a friend of mine that I've known since elementary school. I haven't seen her in quite some time. SO after registration and the parent orientation type meeting we go outside to the car so she can smoke. Even before that I could smell the smoke on her. I never noticed it before. Made me wonder if I always smelled like that but when I ask people who "didn't know" I smoked, they always say they didn't know. So either they are lying or I really didn't. Anyway, we go outside and the car smelled like a smokers car. I used to hate when my old car would stink like smoke, yet I still smoked in it. I would always try to air it out but I guess you can't ever really do that. Main reason I decided to not smoke in the new car. So while she was smoking I made sure my window was down and I'm sure I smelled like an ashtray by the time we got back to the school because she smokes a lot. Perhaps this is my sense of smell coming back. I really felt like we were cheech & chong without the funny stuff.



Today I went on the wellness walk and we were basically cruising along at a decent pace. Wasn't a great time but wasn't horrible either. After the charlie horse I had from Monday night and half of the day yesterday I didn't want to push it.

Tonight was a run night after all. The cheer calendar didn't state it was so I didn't prepare my "gym bag" ahead of time. So I had to come home after work, change, then head back past my office to the track. I had decided I was going to attempt 5k today whether I liked it or not. The way my moods have been today (yes this again) I knew I wasn't going to like it. So I stretched, and went for it. Did I mention I was wearing the sweatband I got for my birthday? Yes! Everyone got a kick out of it but in the end this sweatband was the best thing ever during my run! It stayed on my head, prevented the sweat from falling in my eyes and making them burn, and was the newest fashion statement at the track. My time wasn't great, my 2nd mile was the fastest but I managed to complete 3.24 miles. I'm really not sure why my time keeps getting slower instead of faster. Especially with me being a quitter and no longer smoking. I guess I just need to learn how to breath properly still. And watching this 1500 for the olympics isn't making me feel any better. Tonight was the last night of "conditioning" by running with cheer so now it's up to me to stay on top of it. Wish me luck because I feel that I'm seriously going to need it. As you can see below, attempting 5k really takes a toll on me.

Journey to 5k and the Kentucky Derby...

Today has been such a melancholy day. I can't really explain it. Lots of laughter this morning but as the day went on, the atmosphere got more mellow. Even on our morning wellness walk at work. We took our time today and finished the 1.5 miles in 26 minutes. How terrible, but at least we went on a walk. Now let's get down to the real business from today...well this evening really. Leaving work late and rushing home to get my daughter and then to turn back around and head to the track is not very stress relieving. I get changed, grab my new running shoes and head out the door. We get to the track 15 minutes late for their running practice. I really wasn't feeling it tonight. Then I noticed Miss Daisy was there. So I went into Hoke Colburn mode and was Driving Miss Daisy. I then proceeded to push the stroller around the track. I figured if I walk at a decent pace I will still be making it worth while. This would give me a chance to work on my 15 minute walking mile.

After a couple of laps it was time for the girls' cool down lap so my daughter wanted to push the stroller. I took advantage and decided I would try to get some sort of jogging in. I mentioned sprinting to one of the coaches and she said she'd sprint with me. After getting caught up in conversation with another parent I decided to just get it over with. I jog around the track and made it further than I thought I would. So then I decided I would attempt to sprint the straights and recover on the curves. I sprint the first straight and didn't get as far as I'd hoped by my headphones were flying everywhere since they decided not to stay in my ears. Then I get to the second straight. After feeling a slight pain in my left quad I decided to sprint anyway. Dumbest move ever! Folks, I now welcome you to the Kentucky Derby!



Yes, you see this horse above? This is "A horse named Charlie". I came to know "A horse name Charlie" quite well this evening.

Needless to say I still have a charlie horse in my leg as I type out this entry more than 4 hours later. I have stretched, massaged and tried to be still. Nothing is helping so I am going to just call it a night and hope that I am better in the morning. Oh, before I forget...good news. My shoes didn't leave me feeling like shin splints or human combustion of the calves. Then again I really didn't run/jog but two of the 2 miles I did tonight.

Now I shall go dream about My Little Pony.

Journey to 5k - Weekend Edition

I am going to make this one quick because I've procrastonated writing about my run yesterday. I did not run or even attempt to today because it just wasn't in the stars. I went to a concert last night and slept in this morning. Tonight wasn't good either because by the time I got home from my daughter's tumbling it was already getting dark. I really do need to stop being Lazy Louise. I have less than 3 weeks now until my first 5k run that we may end up really just walking depending on how many people are there and what not.

So we will discuss Saturday. Yes, beleive it or not I did get up early on Saturday and go for a run. Ok so I didn't necessarily get up early so I could run, but I was already up so I said "what the heck?" and decided to go for a quick one. So I get my phone, grab my headphones and to the park I went. I start my nifty phone application as I'm walking to the park in hopes of not seeing any of the old geezers that are there every morning when I'm driving to work. I'm really not a morning person. Naturally I see 2 geriatrics walking their dogs the second I get to the corner of the park. I wave, smile and begin my warm up walk. As I get about half way around I pass this guy that is walking up to the park as though he is going to start running. I don't think anything about it. As I run around the park I don't see him so I just keep on concentrating on my breathing and my run. I feel as though I'm making great time. On my 3rd lap I see him coming back around the park. As we pass each other again, because he was going the wrong way, I catch a whiff of him. Now mind you, I didn't pay attention before and this time I was already feeling the beads of sweat drip down my face. I had to laugh as I started running again because all I could do was question my inner self. Who seriously prepares themselves for a run/jog/walk around the park and puts on cologne? Now don't get me wrong, he did smell good but seriously. I couldn't believe it. So I continue my journey around the park and being to think how I'm on my 3rd lap and I should be hearing the British, or maybe she's Australian, lady tell me I have hit 1 mile and give me all the stats that go along with it. I look at my phone and immediately want to throw it against the ground as hard as I can. I somehow hit the pause button but it told me I was at .01 miles in 14 mintues. As I'm beginning to question life I pass Mr. Smell Good again. Is it wrong that I took in a deep breath as I passed him? I did start running though because I didn't want it to seem strange that I was walking and breathing like that.

Mr. Smell Good then left the park down the street, I can only assume to go home. This guy really only walked a total of 1 lap in my 3. Now back to my failed phone application. Now I'm walking because I'm really trying to figure out how this happened. Did it have a sudden glitch and decide to pause itself because it didn't sense my movement? I then felt myself get very discouraged. I was originally pumped up to run 3 miles but with my phone application bugging out I felt so let down. I had in my mind that I was doing great. I wasn't looking at my phone to check my status every 10 seconds like I normally do. I was for once just going. I decided to do 2 more laps and then call it quits because I had already lost any motivation that I had before. During my cool down lap I had a conversation with myself, using my inner voice of course. I said "Self, have you become too dependant on stats and technology?" Do I really need all the time and distance to satisfy myself every time I make an effort to run? If I didn't I would think that 4 laps at the park means 2 miles and that 4 laps at the track equals 1 mile. Now depending on which lane you run in and if you stay in that lane the entire 4 laps, this could be true. However, if you are like me and you cut corners at the park or you have troubles staying in the same lane at the track then you are very off in your calculations.

Tonight I had to stop at the store to buy my son a specific brand of a backpack so I decided to pick up a new pair of running shoes to see if it helps the pain I feel after running. Being that tomorrow is a run day I will try them out. I'm kind of excited about this. I am also going to test my phone application to see if it craps out on me again. If it does I may go old fashioned and get a pedometer instead and use the timer function on my ipod since I have an armband for that and won't have to carry my phone.

I will update tomorrow. It is my Aunt's birthday and my mother mentioned taking her out to dinner but we shall see. Until then...

Journey to 5k - Goal Achieved!!!!!!

Yes, it is time to celebrate. I was just talking about my personal goal that I had for a 15 minute walking mile during our wellness walks at work. As you can imagine, we are celebrating because not only did I meet that goal, but I surpassed it by almost 30 seconds!

So let's go over how this happened. Being that our wellness walk coordinator was out all week and today there were meetings so not everyone could go, I was basically leading the walk today. We all know the route we take and how much time it takes to walk it suffiently for work. So we also know who are the regular walkers and to ask them if they are going. So today we have Fast Frieda walking with us. Now I was already told that Fast Frieda is a super fast walker. I had seen it before but I didn't keep the same pace as her. Today being that there were only 4 of us, we all decided to attempt to keep up with Fast Frieda. The pace we were walking was that questionable one where you can either walk at the speed of light or do a very slow jog. I only had to job a couple times to keep up the pace when I'd fall behind so that itself was an accomplishment. I had already warned her that I was NOT jogging to keep up. With the heat and humidity it was a definite that I would be working up a sweat so thank goodness I remembered my gym bag so I could change my shirt before hand. By the time the nifty phone application told us we hit 1 mile we were already talking about how we knew we passed the mile but the lady was late in talking to us with her British accent. We get back to the office and look to stop our application to save and upload and this is what we see.





Yes folks, 1 mile in 14 minutes and 37 seconds. I'm not sure that I'd ever be able to do it again but I know it can be done and I did it! Fast Frieda then offered to walk more often to push me to walk faster. She is off next week so I get a slight break but after that she is going to set my pace. Of course this could be punishment for me telling her "I deserved McDonald's for lunch today since I damn near ran with her earlier in the day". HA!

I didn't run or walk this evening like I wanted to but then again I also wanted to go buy my children school supplies and I didn't get that done either.

I did have a craving for a cigarette tonight though. It was very weird. I think it was one of those habit things at night where my mom and I used to go out and have that last cigarette of the night together. I resisted but I really would've enjoyed one. Of course I didn't have one, instead I sat inside on the couch playing on Twitter. After 34 days I have no plans of caving now. Perhaps I've just become too comfortable now where I think I can have 1 every now and again. I would really NOT like to find out.

So as everyone is aware, the Olympics are one. Today was the first day of Track & Field. In watching some of the running (track) events a comment was made for me to watch how they run. My only response was "Well that's for sure not what I look like when I run." A slight giggle followed and that was that. So is it just me or does anyelse else ever feel like this?



I'd really like to thank those that read daily or even weekly for supporting me in these ventures.

Journey to Laziness - 1 month, a lifetime to go

So clearly I took today as a rest day. I'm actually kind of glad I did because sprinting really does take a toll on you. Some days I kind of wish I was a morning person and could wake up early to go before I start my day but I love my sleep more. So it is harder for me to make the time to workout in the evenings. That is usually my time with my children. Either way, I am doing more than I did before so that is what matters right?

My friend had the nerve to tell me on the phone tonight about a different run. She called it a Dirty Run and she must've been smoking something serious to want me to attempt a half marathon. Not just no but H-E-double hockey sticks NO! haha First of all for those that are into running, we are already at an altitude of around 5000ft above sea level. Now, this Dirty Half Marathon and Lil Dirty 10k begin at the Sandia Tram which is at 10,378 feet above sea level (Sandia Peak). The air is naturally thinner at higher elevations which in turn means it is more difficult to breathe. I went hiking (walking/exploring) up there slightly over a year ago and after a while I was so short of breath. Granted I was still a smoker back then. Now what was I really talking about? Oh yes, how I wasn't going to do anything above a 10k. Maybe next year or the year after or maybe just never.

I'm still debating on signing up for the Dirty Dash. Today it was a special on that Living Social site for half off. We will see what I decide on. I think it's safe to say that I'm not going to Vegas after all though. We shall see what I decide in the next couple of days. I think I just want to go play in the mud. It looks like so much fun. And no, I'm not going to do any sort of mud wrestling so just dispose of that thought immediately.

I have been smoke free for 33 days now (1 month) and my daughter just now realized it. She harrassed me for the last 3 years to quit smoking and when I finally do she doesn't even notice it. She was talking to me about her day and told me "I'll tell you when you go out to smoke. Or you aren't going to smoke? Or you don't smoke anymore?" My response to her questions was "I haven't smoked in a month." She got so excited and was jumping up and down saying "Oh my god, ohmigod, ohmigod!" Too funny but I can't believe she didn't notice sooner. Then again when I bought a new car I wouldn't smoke in it so there was nothing to notice there. I'm not sure my son has realized it yet though. Then again he is the same one that is embarrassed to be seen with me in public and tonight called me fat. My daughter of course told him "Mom's not fat, she's doughy!" Which in turn led him to say "It's not doughy, Mom is husky." After saying husky he tried to pinch some fat on his side (now if you know my son he is a bean pole) and saying "husky just means muffin top." Oh well, what can I do?

Ok I've gone on and on enough for the night. Until next time...

Journey to 5k - Sprinting Sucks

Yes I said it. And I meant it! I am seriously not fond of sprinting, in the least bit. I don't mind it while I'm doing it, it's the aftermath that I don't care for. Yes, again I felt like my calves were a part of some sick experiment of human combustion. We'll get to that in a bit. Want to know something cool about my nifty phone application? Well aside from the fact that it uploads your activities to a database it also keeps track of your workouts. Since we are on the first day of August and I have been using it for a full month now It tells me that for July I ran/jogged/walked a total of 44.3 miles. That's a nice motivator in itself. GO ME! (Yes, even with all the rest days I took.)

This morning we kicked butt on our wellness walk. I am so proud that we almost met the goal I set a while back to walk a mile in 15 minutes. We did it in 16 minutes and 11 seconds. Granted we walk 1.5 miles for our wellness walks at work. We also completed the walk in the shortest time I've ever done. Our usual time is around 25 minutes, ok between 25 and 28 minutes. Today we completed the walk in 23 minutes and 54 seconds (1.51 miles). Now I usually don't put the times down but I was super excited to have such a great walk. The first few left before us because naturally I lost track of time and still had to change my shoes. So the 4 of us that left a few minutes after the first group caught up and eventually passed them. Yes, we were on a roll today. One day I will make that goal I set for myself to walk the mile in 15 minutes during our wellness walks at work. Once I master that I will think about starting to jog parts of it. I said THINK about it, let's not get too overly excited about that. Needless to say, I felt great after the walk today.



Yeah I posted it! I mean that too. Going running with my son has got to be the worst idea ever! Both kids are registered to do the Color Run with me because they were excitedly telling me how they wanted to do it with me. Anyway, I get him and we head to the park. On the way to the park I almost collected two new friends. My neighbors Dalmation was following us to the park. Then because the Dalmation went the other dog (not sure what breed) decided it wanted to go to. When the owner picked up the Dalmation the other white dog decided it was going to continue walking with us. Too funny and I was laughing because now anytime I see someone with a dog at the park/track I think of Ms Parker and her always having run ins in some which way or another. I let him know that I was going to walk the first lap around the park because I was going to try sprinting again. He tells me that he is going to do the same, which shocks me because usually he doesn't like to be seen publically with me unless I'm buying him something. So when we are turning the corner for the last stretch of the first lap I begin to jog. It was slightly difficult because my legs were apparently still sore from the night before. As we go around, obviously back to walking, I get to the parts of the park that I wanted to sprint. After the 2nd or 3rd sprint I took my earphones out and told my son "You didn't think Mom could run that fast did you?" Naturally his response was no. Then again this is the same kid that tells me that I need to eat yoplah (yoplait) to help me loose weight; to order diet pills, workout videos; that I'm fat. Well during the recover times of tonights workout he kept asking how many laps we were doing or if we were done yet. Now I whine and I take too many rest days but when I'm doing it I try to not complain. He was driving me insane. We ended after doing 2.1 miles.

I wasn't so concerned with the timing of my workout because I was working on my breathing techniques and sprinting again. Did I mention that I really don't like sprinting? I was able to sprint more tonight because I actually went before I ate and with more time before the darkness set in. For the last lap I decided it was time to walk very, very slowly to cool down because my calves felt like they were going to explode. Now try to explain that to a 13 boy that really doesn't care what you have to say but is there and pretending to listen because you are the parent and you "made" him go. My explanation was to imagine blowing up a balloon and how it becomes really difficult to add more air because it is so full it is about to burst. Yes, that is how my calves felt and each step I took was like adding more air to the balloon. After stretching out my warm muscles I really started to think that perhaps I'm getting shin splints. Those are definitely not fun! I used to get those in cheer back in high school. This is probably a result in my poor legs having to carry all this weight around. I am not dieting and don't plan to though.

One thing at a time and right now I'm doing two. Working on preparing for these 5 k runs I've signed myself up for and I'm 32 days now of being smoke free. Or officially 1 month if you want to look at it that way. I'm still up in the air for the Dirty Dash but I don't know I can prepare before then because I really feel that I need strength training for that one. It does look fun though. Anyway, I feel really great tonight. My breathing is fine, I feel healthier (so to speak). I really feel that sometime serious would have to happen for me to cave and set me back at day 1 now. Even my mood swings weren't enough to make me cave.

So overall, in the words of Ice Cube...Today was a good day.