The hurdles of life..

Still fighting a sinus infection.  I skipped the RUN WITH THE KNIGHTS 5K Saturday to rest.  Yesterday I went for a walk.  I did a little over 2 miles.  Not a great distance, but I was picking up a friends child from daycare.  So pushing a stroller and having lungs full of crud made it quite challenging. 
I have my S.I.T. group tomorrow, and we'll be out running this time.  I'm excited for it, but I'll be taking it easy.  I have my first 10K this weekend, and I am in no way prepared for it.  But I know I can go that distance, it just won't be a great time.  Which is okay with me, because my Fort4Fitness time will look all that much better compared to this weekends!  lol  That's my look on it.  My philosophy is that you do what you can do.  The point is that you are out there doing it!  You're not always going to get a PR, so those are the races that you just chalk up to experience and practice that lead to those awesome PR's when you do get them.  Last year was NOT about PR's for me, it was all training for a 1/2 marathon...something that I had on my bucket list and I DID IT!!!  This year, I'm getting out there for my health.  PR's are always a good motivational tool to drive yourself...but are not necessary for me this year.  One day, I'll be fit and fast...running races just for fun and PR's.  :)  One day...

Ever had a day that you wish you could just forget?  That’s what yesterday was like for me.  So many things went wrong….I was physically and emotionally sick.  So today, I’ll be skipping our S.I.T. group so I can go home and rest.  I definitely have a sinus infection, and vomiting might have just been the fact that I had a drink or two when on new meds.  Yeah, I’m really smart huh?  I’m just having one of those days where you want to bury your head in a pillow and let the world drift away.  Yuck….

Yesterday's run with the S.I.T. group went well.  We did the same pace as Saturday's race.  Our ankles were feeling the slope of the river greenway trails. By the end of the run, we definitely felt like we could have gone further.  But our couch wouldn't have that.  So next time, we'll just bump up the speed to 1:15/1:30 intervals and go the same distance. 


You may have seen or heard something about a bunch of trees getting cut down by the Panhandle Pipeline....yeah...that's my neighborhood.  So needless to say, things have been changing and active around our "neck of the woods".  So my husband and I went for a bike ride.  By the end of the evening, I was a sweaty mess and was totally ready for a little R n' R. 


I'd really like to find a jogging stroller this weekend at the city wide garage sale.  I have a little boy that I babysit for twice a week and his daycare isn't far away.  I thought jogging to and from would be a good way to get some miles in.  We'll see.

I got registered for the Fort4Fitness.  It is official, I'm not doing the half marathon...I'll be running the 10K with several others.  I'll be doing it for a PR...which will push me in training.  I've been warned about the Parlor City Trot 1/2, so I'm looking for a 1/2 that is local and on good terrain.  Suggestions?!

So excited for my run with the S.I.T. group tonight!  I saw that a few storm cells were going to be heading through the area, so hopefully we don't get anything crazy that would make us cancel. 

Here's my new favorite addition to my running gear:

The BRITA water bottle! 

I originally bought them for my husband, but decided to try one out.  I got to thinking...how great is this?!  Last year I was out on a long run and stopped at a friends house to fill up.  We used the outdoor garden hose faucet...and all sorts of rust and crud was in it.  It was so bad that I TRIED not to drink it.  With the Brita bottle, you can fill 'er up anywhere and it will be high quality water!  SWEET!!!

On another note....guess who signed up for the DIVA DASH?!?!?!  Yes ma'am...I am registered.  I'm so pumped about it!!  I was devastated I didn't get to go last year.  And then even more so when I heard about how fun it was and all the swag there was.  So this year, I'm in!  And wait until  you see my outfit!!  Oh la la!!!  Can't wait!!!

Saturday was the RUN OVER VIOLENCE 5K.  It was a bombing 46* and windy as all get out.  I must admit, I was unprepared for just how cold it was.  I luckily had brought a hoodie along for after the race.  With 3 layers and ear muffs, I was still cold...so I can't imagine how some of those skinny girls with a T-shirt and wind jacket felt!!

This was my sister-in-law and brother-in-laws first competitive race ever! Yay for them!  My brother-in-law got second in his age group!  He did a 28 minute 5K!  Must be those long legs :).  And my sister-in-law did a 35 minute 5K!  Kudos to both of them!  Due to their speediness, they both missed the rain and sleet.  Lucky them!
  

I am part of a small running group called SPRING INTO TRAINING or S.I.T.  There are classes on racing tips and equipment.  But last Wednesday, we ran in groups according to our pace and style of running.  The 2 girls in my group were a little faster than me, but were sports and matched my pace.  So when I saw them at the race on Saturday, I went up to them and asked what pace they were doing.  That's when they said "Mel needs a partner!".  Wonderful!  I was so excited to have someone to race with!  Come to find out, Mel is in the same running group...we've just managed to miss each other.  I have missed a few training classes and she missed the last one that I actually made it to.  Hooray for new running partners!  That was probably the most I've tried to talk during a race.

We set our intervals for 1/1:30 run/walk.  The course wasn't all flat.  There was one particularly steep hill that absolutely drained us and we opted to walk through an interval to catch our breath.  It's amazing to see how walking through just one interval can put THAT much distance between the you and the people you've kept pace with.  As we were both getting back into the saddle with training, neither one of us was in enough shape to catch back up.  We kept our intervals after that and sprinted in at the finish line.  Did I mention that it sleeted, rained, was windy, hilly, and freezing cold?! 

(Left to right) S.I.T. runner and her girls.  Mel and myself.

Running it in!!!

We finished with a time of 45:10.9!!  A 14:34 minute/mile pace!  SCORE!!!  That's about the same pace I did the Fort4Fit in...and that was my best time ever!!!

This post is to catch everyone up on what I've been up to.

I have been bleeding for the past 7 months after my miscarriage.  I just got diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome...and a couple other things.  PCOS makes you gain weight rapidly and is crazy hard to take off.  Go figure.  Now that I'm medicated properly, I'm hoping  that I'll be able to lose a little more weight running this year than I did last year.

Last Saturday, I ran the Discover Roanoke 5K.

I had only ran once before this race since Fort4Fitness last September.
My lovely husband got us lost.  We couldn't find the town, let alone the starting line.  I showed up over 5 minutes late.  I found someone to grab my bib for me.  A very kind lady asked me if I wanted her to hold my T-shirt for me.  I accepted the offer, thanked her, and took off running!  I caught up with the police car tailing the people at the rear of the race.  I passed 3 girls and started to catch up with another.  If you haven't been to Roanoke before, there is one thing that I can tell you....
CRRAAAAZY hilly!!!  But I loved it.  I ran at the top of each hill and then all the way down, and some of the slighter inclines.  I walked going up the hill and caught my breath during this time. 
My husband and the little boy we were babysitting that day showed up in the middle of the race to cheer me on.  I asked how far I was (since there weren't any signs...yuck...hate that!).  He thought I was about half way.  That sounded good to me...no biggy.  Yeah...it was like 5 minutes later that I was sprinting to the finish line.  It was my worst 5K time...but I hadn't trained....or stretched for that matter...in months.  I was very proud of myself though.  I started late and didn't finish last!!!
On a bad note, I got really sick from dehydration and was stuck on the couch for 2 days.  DUM DUM DUM!!! It's so easy to drink water....can't believe I screwed that one up.  But trust me...it's not worth feeling like crap!!!  Just drink your water BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER the race.

The boys tuckered out after the morning race too.  :)  So cute!

Doing well!

In a few more days, I'll have lost 5% of my weight!  I have gotten back out there and hit the pavement running again...which my body apperently doesn't remember.  lol  If felt good though, to get out there and do it.  I've been running inside on the treadmill...but running out doors is different in so many ways.

I have my first race of the year next Saturday; The Fanny Freezer 5K.  I'm really looking forward to this.  I'm not going for a PR, I really haven't trained enough for that to be my goal.  I'm going for the experience and fun. 

I hope to hit my 10% weight loss goal by the end of the month.....I'll be sure to post when it happends.  :)

Hope everyone out there is doing well and loving this awesome weather!!!