Jogging AND Logging

Today was a good day (once I was off from work). I arrived home and piddled around, helping Gabriel with his homework. Kindergarten homework...LOTS of it!! Thank goodness they are on spring break in a couple of weeks and they *hopefully* won't have any homework. Anyway, I printed off a few worksheets for the "family binder" that I am working on. It includes a weekly schedule sheet for activities/things to do and then some pages with menus and grocery lists. I already prepare menus and grocery lists, but it will be nice to have everything in one place. Plus, you can never go wrong with more organization or calendars!!

I had texted my friend, Jenni, yesterday to see if she wanted to run with me today. I was worried about the weather because it was pouring down rain on my way to work. I even passes a 5K going on and the people running looked miserable and soaked. We planned on running at 5pm and I was just certain that we would be rained out, but it stopped raining around 11am and it didn't start back up at all.

Jenni just had a baby in January, so now is the first time that she has been willing able to run with me postpartum. That being said, we did a run/walk combo. I think she did a great job for her first heavy exercise in almost a year. We ended up totaling two and a half miles in under an hour and I'm pretty sure that today was the start of weekly long runs for us for now on. She signed up for the Peachtree Road Race lottery with me and some other friends and she is planning on running the half with me in August, so we will need those long runs under our belts!

I'm Still Logging...Wish I Was Jogging

Five days in to March and I'm still logging my food!!! I went a tiny bit over my calories yesterday, but I'm OK with that. I'm not letting the number on the scale which hasn't moved AT ALL bother me. I know it takes time for the body to start showing that change. In the meantime, I could really help myself out by getting in some stinkin exercise, but that just isn't happening right now.

I will, however, be running 3.1 miles on Saturday night/Sunday morning as the time "springs forward." This is race weekend. The 5K in Paradise is here!!! Yay!!! I really, really, REALLY love the course of this race. I have never run a better course and for that reason, I will continue to run these races for as long as they offer them!

The new job is going great. I am really starting to get the hang of the computer and the way they do things. I'm still just enjoying how laid back everything is!

Sorry that this post is both choppy and brief, but I am sleepy and cold. Time for a shower and bed!!

The Atlanta Hot Chocolate 15K & 5K

Sunday was race day! I woke up at 4:50 in the morning and we left the house around 5:20am to drive from my house to Atlanta. The traffic was pretty good until we got to Turner Field, then it was a little backed up, but we had plenty of time.

After parking the car and gearing up, we walked from our parking lot to the race site and did a quick sweep of the area. There was a place to check bags and a few vendors and merchandise tents. I actually did look at merchandise, but there weren't any shirts left that I like. (I have since learned on Facebook that there will be an online store soon!)

I have to admit, this was a very well organized event! They had corral letters on our bibs based on the pace that we entered at sign up which matched ordered gates to stand in. The only thing that took a while was actually starting the race. We were in corral F, which was five from the front. Once they corralled us, we had to wait for the race to actually begin (about 15 minutes). First, was corral A. The horn sounded for them and they took off. Then, we all moved forward in 3 minute intervals, so it was about 30 minutes of standing around waiting to actually race.

The course was hilly, and by hilly, I mean steep hills! The very first one had my calves on fire!! There was a point when my toes actually went numb and I couldn't feel them at all! Once we got to the finish line, we were given Gatorade and then a bottle of water. Then, off to the after party...

There was a tear-off strip on the bottom of the race bib for our "finisher's mug," which consisted of a brown coffee mug with dividers in it. There was a spot for a cup of Ghiardelli hot cocoa, a packet of sugar wafers, two marshmallows, some pretzels, a Rice Krispy Treat and a banana. There was a DJ and SO many people. In fact, there were just over 19,000 (yes, thousand) people signed up for this race.

Here I am with my finisher's mug!

And, Jessica with hers.

It was a great experience and I will definitely repeat it next year. It was well worth the 5am wake up. I had to work right after the race and I didn't get to bed until later last night, so I am super tired. I have logged nearly 8 miles so far this month. I still have a lot to go!

   

Hot Chocolate 5K Atlanta Expo and Swag!!

Today, after work and watching martial arts, the fam and I drove to Atlanta to the GA World Congress Center for the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K Expo and packet pick-up. The race is on Sunday at Turner Field at an insane time of morning!

I have to say, the pick up was extremely smooth moving. There were lots of vendors there. I refrained from purchasing everything I wanted, but I have had issues with my ears being cold a lot, so I splurged and spent 10 bucks on an ear warmer band. I already love it!! I don't know if I'll use it on Sunday, though, because the weather here in Georgia has taken a turn for the crazy and it's 70 degrees outside right now!

Who wouldn't love this?

I met up with my running buddy, Jessica while I was there and we walked around for a few minutes together. We even stopped for a picture:

Yep, this is us, standing in front of a marshmallow man's crotch!

Right next to the "marshmallow man," was a table full of deliciousness:

If you've never tried this before, it's available at a lot of stores and it is like CRACK! You will eat it with a spoon!

After I left the expo, we took the kids through downtown Atlanta to eat at one of the greasiest, yummiest little treasures of the city, The Varsity! They serve hamburgers, hotdogs, chili/slaw dogs and burgers, fries, onion rings, ice cream and the beloved Frosted Orange! It was delicious and I think the kids really enjoyed themselves!

Here is one last pic of all the swag from the Expo. I'll post again after the race on Sunday!

A hoodie instead of a shirt, a hat, a cute bib, a  bag, the headband and the biscoff spread

Tick, Tick, Boom and A Run

My next race, the Hot Chocolate 5K, is in one week. My "training," thus far, has been atrocious. Today, I had one of my "de-stress" runs. I had less than 30 minutes to squeeze in a run and I ran nearly a mile and a half. The first mile was at my comfortable pace of 5mph and for the remainder of the run, I turned it up to 6mph and ran until I was tired. It wasn't too far, but it was sufficient.

I'm not sure how the race on Sunday will go. I am, of course, extremely nervous about it. You'd think after completing a half marathon last year I would be more comfortable with the short races. I think this one has me all wound up because it starts at 7:30 in the morning. That is EARLY for me! That's what time I wake up on the mornings I have to get the kids to school. To even get to the location for this race, I will have to leave my house at 5am and I'll be running at 7:30!! Then....then there is the post party which is an expo of chocolate!!! Not too sure how my body will be handling chocolate that early in the morning.

Moving on to the not so fun part of this post. The car I drive to work, which is a clunker, has been acting up as of late. We have been trying to brainstorm as to what the problem was with it. On Friday evening, I drove from work over to the martial arts studio to watch my son. After that was over, the four of us went over to Walmart and purchased a few small groceries and parts for the car. We decided to change the spark plugs, the air filter and the oil filter/oil. Then, we grabbed a bite to eat and headed home. I was almost home, driving the kids in the family car, when my cell rang. It was my husband calling to tell me that I needed to turn around because the car quit running and wouldn't start back up. Great. Just great. Here we are on the way home with parts. Just our luck, right? We decided to have the car towed home the following morning and he would look at it then.

Well, he jacks the car up and comes into the house to get me. "It can't be fixed," he says. Yeah.  I go outside and peer under the car and into a hole about the size of my fist in the engine block. So, needless to say, I don't know what in the world we are going to do. We just spent nearly 500 dollars putting new tires on that car! Happy New Year!!!! It's always something, isn't it?

City of Lost Souls and A Discovery of Witches

I finished City of Lost Souls the night before last. I really started getting into it about halfway through and I read at a pretty steady pace up until the end. In fact, it was one of those nights that I went to bed at 2am even though I shouldn't have, just because I wanted to see how it ended. Well, I can tell you that it ended in a very YA fiction fashion. Frustratingly. I realize that YA novels can't really be full of the hot and heavy, but come on!!! These YA authors are like giant teases!! Now, I have to wait another year or so before I can get the ending!!

So, without further delay, I moved right on to my next read. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. It has managed to peak my curiosity and hold my attention right from the start. That's a definite plus. I just now found out (and I mean literally, just now when I was pulling up the synopsis and image to post here) that it is, in fact, a trilogy. Here is the description, compliments of Shelfari:

"A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together. Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unknowingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell. Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism."


It's over 500 pages long, so it will take a little while for me to finish up and then, I guess, I'll have to read the sequels. That kinda bums me out a little since I was reading this to fill in the gap until Rapture by Lauren Kate comes out on June 12th. I suppose I should shut up about it and just be grateful that there are so many things I want to read lined up. I used to have such a hard time finding books I wanted to read. 


I should have run 3 miles on the treadmill tonight, but I ended up staying late at work and not getting home until 10pm, so I will have to run tomorrow and Thursday before the long run on Saturday. I have also decided to sign up for another 5K before the half. It will be at the end of June and (hopefully) it will be easier than the last one. 

Why Am I Having Such A Hard Time With This??

Went for a run today. Not too early in the morning, around 10:30am. It was warm, not too hot yet. I started out feeling pretty good. I had a decent pace going. There were a LOT of bikers cyclists out today. I find them both annoying and comforting at the same time. I know that if there are lots of them out, I feel safe that there is a constant traffic flow around me as I run, but that traffic flow is really annoying at the same time. What is super annoying is that cyclists, like bikers, ride in packs. Is it really necessary to get together with 6 or 7 of your buddies and ride down a 2-lane trail like a pack of wolves? Really??

I've been considering finding a track to run near my house, but I really think that would be boring, not to mention, completely flat.

However, I digress. I don't know what it is lately that is affecting my pace. I can't tell if it's because I'm worrying about being overly aware of my surroundings, my sore legs or the weather heating up, but I can't seem to keep a steady pace. Tomorrow and Wednesday will be treadmill runs, but Saturday is a 5 miler. Does anyone have any advice on how to keep a steady pace outside? I've read up on it until I'm cross-eyed. The thing is, when I start out, it's like nothing can stop me. Then, about a mile in, I start feeling doubtful and by the end of my run, I start doubting whether I will be able to finish 13.1 miles in the allotted 3.5 hours, if even at all! I'm a pretty determined person, but if my legs go kersplatso on me, what happens then?

There is a 5K race in Hiram on June 23rd. I'm thinking of running it. It's not like it's any farther than I've already been running. I'll have to see how it fits into my training schedule. There are a couple of weeks that suggest a 5K and a 10K race. In the meantime, I'm going to focus on stretching and pushing myself to finish this training and, inevitably, the half.

The Georgia Symphony Orchestra Noteworthy 5K aka My First Race

No post yesterday. I spent the early part of the day mowing the lawn (just in time for it to rain). The kids played outside and it was a good time. I had a sandwich and some cheesy crackers for lunch. I didn't want to eat anything too heavy for fear of it affecting my running.

The race started at 7:30pm and I live an hour away, so I started getting ready at 5pm. I spent a little more time with the kids and Shane before leaving the house at 5:30. I wanted time to get lost, park and pick up my packet. I only had a little trouble finding the location. Thankfully I am very familiar with the area due to my "girl's lunches/dinners" at Sweet Tomatoes. The race was on the roads behind the restaurant. I waited in the car for a while before going to pick up my packet. I had to build up the nerve to walk over to get it since I didn't see many people dressed up like I was! Finally, my friend Jenni arrived to pick up her packet and we went about getting me ready. She was supposed to run with me but had to drop out due to personal reasons. I was really grateful that despite the fact that she couldn't run with me, she was still there to cheer me on. I also kinda dumped my camera and car keys on her to lug around. Here is a picture of me before the race:

I know, really cute with the dress, the pants and the shoes!

I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but formal attire to run in was encouraged. There were only about 4 women, including me, wearing anything remotely dressy. Not sure if you can tell in the picture, but the woman by the yellow cones is wearing a purple dress. There was another woman there wearing a skirt, tights and a feather boa! I ran behind her the entire time and that boa was flapping in the breeze!!

We walked around for a bit until the announcer told everyone to line up at the top of the hill.

I'm waaaayyyy in the back

The start of the race was straight down hill. In fact, they specifically told us to try to go slow down the hill to avoid injuries and/or falls. I was kinda nervous, but when they said, "go!" and I woke up from the brief daze I was in, I trotted down the hill:

Here I am starting down the hill

After the hill, we went around the parking lot and out into the street. Jenni got a couple of shots of me rounding out of the main area.

wooohooo....running and running

A lot of the run at this point was down hill. It got curvy at some spots and we turned a few times. I ran out of breath pretty quickly, which was surprising to me. We ran and ran and walked and ran. I thought that surely we had to be halfway. That's when I saw the 1 mile marker. I.about.died! My calves were already on fire and I was tired! I still kept going on. There was never a marker to let us know that we had gone halfway, but at one point, I was going down a hill on a divided road and I saw a police car in front of a very purple-faced man running up hill on the opposite side of the road.  I realized that he must be the leader. At that point, I was feeling pretty good. Then, I started passing a bunch of people trucking up that hill behind him and my feel good moment ended. I wasn't as far ahead as I thought. I checked my watch, though and I was right on time schedule for my usual halfway point (17ish minutes).

We rounded around at an intersection and started going back. I figured that was halfway, but then I saw the 2 mile marker and a water station. I drank a cup of water and kept on going. I look ahead and silently curse to myself because what goes down must then go up...straight up! It was like looking upon a mountain from where I was. I knew that there was no way I could run up that hill and I also knew that the hill was going to increase kill my time! I decided to err on the side of not (as) sore legs and I power walked the hill. All of the people around me were walking it, too! Walking it, however, didn't mean that it wasn't painful every step of the way and at some point, my left leg started hurting where it connects to my hip, but I made it all the way up.

Here I am right past the 3 mile mark

I jogged a good portion of the way down and I was excited to see the backs of some of the buildings we started behind. Now, remember that most of the way out was downhill, so there was one more hill to go. I jogged/walked up some of it until I saw the last turn-in at mile 3. There was even a man standing there to tell us, "congratulations!" I knew at that point that I just couldn't walk it anymore. I would have to push it the rest of the way and run. I knew I wouldn't be happy with myself if I didn't finish by running. Jenni was standing by to take pictures of my final 1/10th of a mile.

When I finally reached the yellow cones at the end of the race, there were a lot of nice people telling us good job and cheering us on. I was so happy to finally reach the finish line! I crossed at 40 minutes and 17 seconds. Not my personal best, but not too bad for a first race with a hill of death!

There was a nice reception with food and drinks and vendor tents set up. We mingled and ate and waited around for the raffles and awards. Jenni was certain that I would win Best Dressed. The awards seemed to take FOREVER. All of the different age group winners seemed to go on forever. I was honestly only half listening just to know when it was over when all of the sudden I heard my name being called and 2nd place. I was in complete shock! I won 2nd place for my age group!! I went up to accept my medal and the sweet lady that put it around my neck told me to stick around because they might have something else for me. I watched the rest of the age groups in amazement at how many really good looking senior citizens ran this race. There was a lady in the 60 to 65 group that didn't look a day over 45! That was when Jenni and I decided that we would have to keep running forever if it means looking that good. When they finally got to best dressed, they said that after careful consideration, number 38 was the best dressed female. Yay! That was my number!! I went forward again to accept my award, which ended up being a Barbie wearing a dress and tiara. 

I'm wearing the medal and that's Barbie!

After that, we decided to leave. I was kind of hungry, so we went to Chili's where I had the biggest, yummiest burger ever!

There was a point during the race that I felt really down. I've already registered for the half in August. I kept thinking, "if this race is kicking my ass, how will I ever make it 13 miles?" The only thing I can think of now is that I have time to train and I know I have to. When the night comes, I'll do my best. I don't have to win it, I just have to finish it.

The medal, my number, the Barbie and the snazzy shirt.

The inscription on the back of the medal

T-Minus 1 Week and the 12 Minute Mile

Wow. I can't believe it! Only 1 week to go until the 5k. I'm not sure what to expect. I have my dress all picked out. I think it will need to be pinned to my bra because I really don't need straps falling down while I run. I also need to figure out some way to get my tiara to stay on my head for 3.1 miles!

Speaking of 3.1 miles, Jenni and I did our run this morning on the "pretty" stretch of the trail. Are you ready for it? We ran it in 36:10 minutes!!! That is a 12 minute mile, baby! My knees held up alright and I had a band-aid on my heel. Despite being out of breath, I was pleased with the run. We ran harder and farther than ever before. I think I will run one more time on Wednesday after I have muffins for moms at Gabriel's school and then I will rest until Saturday. Hopefully, I'll get some time to take some pictures of everything.

Here lately, after I run, I have had some pretty insane cravings for carbs. I couldn't fight it today, so I caved and we went to Stevi B's Pizza and ate the buffet. I was amazingly not as hungry as I thought I would be, although I still managed to consume 1300 calories in one meal. (Good thing I skip breakfast before my runs)

Deadlocked is going well. I think I am on chapter 5 right now. Charlaine Harris has a tendency to have super long chapters and chapter 2 was especially long! I'm not sure how I feel about what's going on in it. I know that Ms. Harris has said that she will not be turning Sookie into a vampire, but I just can't imagine her with anyone but Eric. Sighhhhhh.

Oh, the new sporting goods store in town had it's grand opening today, so we stopped by since it is in the same plaza as the pizza place. They had an outdoor fishing hole for kids to fish with actual bait for 5 minutes. Evelyn caught a real catfish!!! She was excited until it came out of the water, then she was scared as hell! Gabriel was a little bummed because he didn't catch one, but at least he has now had the experience. Tons of fun!

Well, work tomorrow, hopefully uneventful!