Farewell 2013

Another year has come and gone......I am happy to say 2013 was a great year for me! 
First let's re-visit those goals & challenges I set back on 01/01/13:
1.  Lose 10# - this I did not meet, BUT....I have successfully maintained my weight at where I started the year at though.  I have lost several inches (which I prefer)!
2.  Gain muscle definition - this I have done with weights, bootcamp & running.....so proud of my guns!!
3.  Better my 5K time of 30:43 - I did...my new time to beat is 30:00
4.  Run my first half marathon - DONE.....at a time of 02:23:37!!
5.  Maintain clean eating - yes, this is just a lifestyle for me now.
6.  13 in 2013 running challenge - completed 22 runs for 2013.

All the hard work has paid off and I wouldn't have it any other way!!
I entered and completed 1 - 2 miler, 1 - 3K (with my dog, Frito), 15 - 5K's, 2 - 10K's, 1 - 10 miler, 1 - half marathon and 1 - mud run (3 miles).  I have discovered that I like running the longer distances better.  I have ran for a total of 460 miles this year. 

I have made some great new friends this year through my running group, blogs, and other social media sites.  Looking forward to new friends in 2014 that share the same goals and fitness aspirations! 

HUGE shout out to my husband, he has been my #1 supporter!!  He has been with me to almost all of my runs, with camera in hand, chronicling my journey.  He did the majority of cooking when I was training for my first half marathon (24 weeks)!  He is my best friend, and I truly cherish him!!   

 

Keep pounding the pavement and I'll see you in 2014!!

St. Nick Fun Run 5K

This was definitely a FUN run and my last scheduled race for 2013.  I participated in this run last year and really enjoy the route through one of the older neighborhoods in College Station....very nice period houses from the 1930's and up.  A few of my running group members also participated.  This is race coming exactly a week from doing my half marathon.  I just wanted to run!  It felt great to stretch the legs out at a faster pace.  A lot of us donned our festive Christmas attire to run in.  It was a beautiful sunny and cool morning for a run.  

Here I am upon arrival and waiting to start...

Standing around with my running group & chatting...

.

And we are off & running.  My legs felt great!!  I was at a 9:40 pace......could I possibly get a sub 30 minute 5K??? 

Almost to the finish........

Well, the sub 30 time eluded me....finished 30:00 exactly!  I'll take it........AND, I placed 3rd in my age group!!  Have to wait on my medal though.........

Enjoyed the cookies from a local bakery afterwards!!  I look forward to this fun run again next year!!

My FIRST Half Marathon

On a very cold, 31 degree, Sunday morning, I ran my FIRST half marathon!!!  The week before held a range of emotion for me....nervous, excited, anxious, scared.  The weather was crazy that week.  I never checked WeatherBug so much in all my life!!  It was mild to warm temperatures to start the week out to sleet the night before the race.  The organizers kept everyone VERY informed with info on the race and weather throughout the days before and late into that night.  A lot of people were unable to make it to the race because of icy road conditions, and they were able to defer their entry to next year....at no charge!  Those spots were quickly grabbed up by others that missed out originally and others that were running the Dallas Marathon that was cancelled due to weather conditions.  Last total on the race was around 3700.
I arrived 40 minutes early to the starting line and met up with my USAFit BCS running group as they had a tent set up near the start.  We were all bundled up due to the cold.  I even met up with another blogger that was running the full.  She was such a joy to meet!  My husband was with me, of course, and my mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, 2 nieces and one's fiancee drove in to cheer me on!  I felt SO special.....my own cheering section!!
Excited waiting to head over to the starting line...

It was finally time to line up in our corrals.  I started off with two great people from my running group. 
Finally made it past the start banner....

 After about 3 miles, I was thinking why did I wear this jacket!!  Albeit it was a very light wind & water resistant one, I was sweating.  I had already made plans on stopping and walking at mile 5 and 9 to drink my water and re-fuel.  I also noticed I was making good time on my miles....going at a 10:30 pace......could I keep it up?!?!  Mile 5 finally beeped on my Garmin, and I slowed to a fast walk and promptly removed my jacket and gloves.  I clipped my gloves to my fuel belt and tied my jacket around my waist.  I knew I was going to see my husband at mile 7 so I wouldn't be annoyed with the extra dangling around my waist and I could give him my jacket & gloves.  I took in my water and my Pro Bar Bolt orange chews......and off again I go.  At this point, we are going through neighborhoods and a few people are out in front of their houses cheering us on.  One couple even had bought doughnuts and were giving them out to the runners going by!  Here comes mile 7, and I spot my husband on side of the road.  I wave for him to cross the street so I can hand off my discarded clothing.  I'm feeling really good at this point, and I'm half ways done!  

My time is still in the 10 minute range.  I had a goal of finishing at 2:30, and it is completely in sight!  Now we are going through the Texas A&M campus.....lots of cheering sections from the student organizations.  They really pumped up the runners.  They made all those turns through the campus enjoyable.  I got to see my husband again at mile 9......got a "woohoo" and a high five from him and "I'll see you at the finish"!!  

This is where we leave the campus and go through more neighborhoods.  I've stopped again to hydrate and re-fuel.  I'm saying to myself now "You are on the home stretch.....you got basically a 5K left to do"!  Back at it again.  These last couple of miles made me really anxious.  I was just anticipating what the finish line would be like with all the people.  At mile 11, my stomach started growling........yes I'm hungry...just 2 more miles.  I chugged the rest of my water to stave off the growling!  I put it in high gear to finish strong.  Once I rounded the last turn towards the finish and I could hear all the cheering, I was overjoyed!  And the final last turn to the DOWNHILL finish was a sight for my eyes..........lots of people cheering!!  I was so overwhelmed once I crossed the finish line....the race organizer was their greeting the runners and giving high 5's.  I received my medal from his adopted son, Famous, who was rescued from child slavery in Ghana.  Now, how awesome is that!?!?!? My finish time 02:23:37.....oh my, I am elated!!

I went on to get my space blanket, finisher shirt, water and to meet with my family waiting for me outside the barriers.  Lots of congratulations and hugs.  I was so proud of myself and my medal!!

I was feeling great and hungry!!  It was truly a great run for me....no cramps, aches or issues.  I kept a steady pace throughout and had negative splits....especially on the last 2 miles.  I'm already excited about my next half....Aramco Half Marathon in January in Houston.  
I promptly decided that I wanted pancakes.........off to IHOP we went, and this half marathoner downed a 5 stack of buttermilk pancakes with butter, no syrup!  Best pancakes EVER!!  My husband surprised me with a James Avery bracelet with a 13.1 charm too!  My day was complete.........and it was only 10 AM!!  Now home to take a hot shower and relax.  
Not much soreness the next day....thigh muscles a little tight, but I don't care....I just ran 13.1 miles the day before!  My running group had a celebration dinner planned on Tuesday at a local restaurant for us. We all wore our finishers shirts and medals...PROUDLY!!  We all agreed this was a great race and despite the frigid temps, they worked in our favor for great runs!  

Yes, I'm hooked on halfs!!  Until next time, keep pounding the pavement!!

Turkey Trot 5K

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving....I sure did & I'm still full!!  I started my day off with the BCS Turkey Trot 5K in College Station, TX.  This is the second year for me to participate in it.  There were a total of 1300 runners between the 5K and 1 mile runs.  It was a chilly start.....32 degrees.....brrrrr.  This is such a nice family-gathering run.  I tried to get my husband to run with me, but to no avail....he came along and took pictures though!  Met some of my running group as well here.  This was a nice "short" run amidst all the half marathon training I've been doing for the last 22 weeks.  It was nice to stretch the legs out and not take it at a long run pace.  Finished at 31:20
Next report will be my half marathon (which is in 9 days)..........getting nervous!
Ready to run because it's cold outside baby....

And we are off.....

Not so cold anymore....coming to the finish line

BCS 5 & Dime

This past Saturday, I ran the BCS 5 & Dime in College Station, TX.  This is the last distance race before the BCS Half & Full Marathon in December.  This was a 5 miler and 10 miler.  I did the 10 miler along with most of my running group.  It was an excellent morning.......50 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, even had a nice north breeze.  Fall is finally here in TX!!  I had a good run....considering the course was a bit hilly.....boo for the uphill finish though!  I was running in very familiar territory.....this is where my running group does our long runs on Saturday mornings.  I finished at 01:51:05 beating my last 10 mile run by 7 minutes!  We were treated to ice cream floats, fruit & biscotti at the finish line!  Since I'm a no soda girl, I enjoyed my cup of vanilla ice cream with a piece of biscotti!!  Only 4 more weeks until my first half marathon........no nerves yet, but I know they will be coming!!

Running group before the 10 miler....

 

Photo op under the arches

 Cute imaging on the front of the race shirts.

BCS 10K

On Saturday, 09/28/13, I participated in the BCS 5K + 10K by doing the 10K.  Our running group was scheduled for 6 miles that day, so us half marathon trainers signed up for the race.  The full marathon trainers arrived earlier and did their 10 miles before the race started at 8:00AM and then did the 6 miles....whew!  We had a nice turn out from the USAFitBCS training group.  Let me just say......an 8AM start in TX in September sucks!  It was hot and humid with rain on the way.  The only blessing, so to speak, was that it was cloudy!  The course started and finished at the George Bush Presidential Library (George Sr.) on the Texas A&M campus.  The 6 miles was thru the lovely A&M campus.  We had a few hills to contend with along the way.  I finished 01:13:07.  I was drenched in sweat!!!  Now that it's October, I'm so looking forward to some cooler weather.
This is some of the running group

Before the run

Almost done

Glad to be finished

 

Runner of the Week

I am still going strong in my half marathon training......
I was Runner of the Week for week 13!!  I got to adorn the "runner's cape" and pose for pictures after our 8 mile group run on Saturday, 09/21/13, morning.  Wow, never did I think I could run 8 miles!!  We had threatening weather that morning with thunderstorms due to a cold front moving in.  Our run was not cancelled, and we just had light sprinkles to start with and a fantastic north wind!!  Great for TX in September!!  I can't say this enough....USAFitBCS is a great organization to be apart of.  I've made some great new friends and look forward to all of our meetings......albeit we start at 5:30AM every Saturday. :-)
I'm ready for take off...........

 

Until next time....keep pounding the pavement!!

Blues Fest 5K

First 5K I've run in since a few months ago........and 5K's or any run for that matter should be outlawed in August in Texas!  Holy smokes, talk about HOT!  I sure wish the start time was moved back to 7:00AM, but I'm not in charge so 8:00AM it stays.  This is coming off of a week of triple digit temperatures everyday.  The race start temp was probably 80-85 degrees, but the humidity was the most unbearable part.  I opened my house door at 6:30AM to take my dog out and it hit me like a brick wall already that early.  You could just stand outside for 5 minutes and start sweating (at least I could)!  I was hoping for a decent time and looking forward to actually doing a good run since all my training runs are easy, hills or tempo.   The attendance looked to be almost half from last year........a lot of people just don't do well in the heat......don't blame them......I will not be back next year.  That's sad, because this is a hometown run that I like to support and participate in.  Arrived at 7:30 to sign in and pick up my bib and chip timer, warmed up and already had sweat rolling when the gun went off.  Speaking of gun going off..........my husband was behind the Start Guy, with camera in hand, when Start Guy pulls out supposed starter pistol.  My husband is thinking, wow that looks like a real 9mm pistol........well sure as heck it is as he fires the bullet into the ground to start the race.  Who the hell does that?!?!?!?  I thought it sounded loud myself.  Anyways, this was a miserable run for me.  I usually don't stop, not even for water on 5Ks, but I had to stop 2 or 3 times to walk.  By the time I finished, I felt like I needed to throw up.....I didn't though.  I drank 4 bottles of water waiting for the medal presentations afterwards with sweat still dripping off of me.  Everyone was complaining.  Hopefully the race organizers take this into consideration for their future Blues Fest 5K.  This race coincides with the Blues Fest music event they have the same weekend, so unless they move the whole festivities to another month; I hope they can move the start time back.  Turns out the course was 3.45 miles long.......geez!  I finished at 36:28
This is me before the run and before I melted

  And, finally at the finish line

6th Week of Half Training

On my 6th week of half marathon training and it's going great!!  The easy runs, hills and tempo runs during the week are really helping with the long runs on Saturdays with the group.  We are meeting every Saturday morning as a group at 6AM for our runs since it's so hot here in TX.  That means up at 4:45 and leaving the house at 5:15 for me.  Not so bad since it's only one day a week I'm up that early!  I've made some great new friends within our group.  We've had some "fun" runs to keep it interesting.....one was an egg hunt run where we each gathered 8 eggs along our route and turned them in for prizes at the end.  Wasn't much of a "hunt" with the eggs left in a pile and very noticeable :)  Good to keep everyone on their pace!  I scored some snacks, gatorade and a pair of socks.  We had a taco breakfast after our run this Saturday....yum!  
It has been SOOOO hot here.........this week is a scorcher.  Highs at 103 :(  Makes it tough for me since I do my weekday training in the afternoons.  I waited until after 6PM on Monday to do my easy 35 minute run and it still was unbearable.  I had to cut it short at 27 minutes....I just couldn't handle it.  I see I will be going much later when the temps are in the triple digits.  I have been very diligent in my training and have not missed a single day.....even on vacation!  And speaking of vacation.......the Mr. and I went to New Orleans for a couple of days.  Have not been since Katrina.  This is one of my favorite cities to visit.  We rented a house this time and did "what the locals do" this time around.  One of our best vacations we've taken!  We had excellent weather. I don't think the temps reached 90 degrees while we were there......that is awesome for this time of year there!  The only "touristy" thing we did was take a swamp tour.  We were both pleasantly surprised and had a good time.  We got to see a few alligators, one even 12' long!  If you ever visit New Orleans and are interested in a swamp tour, I highly recommend Cajun Encounters Swamp Tours in Slidell, LA.  They do offer shuttle service in town, but we took the 40 minute drive ourselves just to look at the scenery along the way.  
I did two of my training runs at the New Orleans City Park and my hill workout at Louis Armstrong Park while there.  City Park is absolutely beautiful....such glorious old oak trees!!  Lots of runners and walkers utilize this park.  I spotted a grassy hill at Louis Armstrong Park which was about a block from our rental house, and we walked there one morning for my workout.  
We did a lot of walking and enjoyed some wonderful food while we visited.  Can't wait to go back!!
I have a 5K run this Saturday....first one I've had in a while.  Hoping the temperature is not too brutal at 8AM!  This is actually a hometown run....Blues Fest 5K.  I'll report back on it.
Can't wait for the cool fall weather to be here and faster run times!  Only 18 more weeks of training!!
Very excited for my first half!!  
Stay cool and keep hitting the pavement!
One of the trees along my run in New Orleans City Park

My hill in Louis Armstrong Park

Our rental house in New Orleans

Big alligator on the swap tour we took

My USAFit training group

Enjoying my breakfast taco after this Saturday's 4 mile run

Red, White & Blue 4th

To start off with.....it's been 7 years today since I had my heart attack.  Thinking back on that day and how scared I was and how my husband put on his best brave front for me.....thank God everyday for my blessings!!  Fast forward 7 years and I am in the best shape I have ever been in.  I love my life♥♥
Now to the start of my July 4th..........The BCS Marathon & Half Marathon founder along with the Brazos Running Co. decided an impromptu 5K just three days prior to the 4th.  Everything FREE....registration, water & watermelon!  Race time was at 7:00AM to beat the heat.  There were around 300 participants that showed up....not too bad for short notice.  Everyone was encouraged to wear their red, white and blue....Happy Birthday America!!  It was a nice run, plus I was scheduled for a 25 minute easy run on my half marathon training program anyways.  Loved the watermelon at the finish:)
Finished my day at the car dealer.....traded in my GMC Yukon for a Dodge Challenger RT Plus!!!  So excited and can't wait to drive it.  It was in transit to the dealer and will not be finished until late this afternoon (window tint & fender stripes).  I will pick it up on Saturday.  Now to find a RUN sticker for the back glass!!
Before the start...

 And we're off....

 Coming in to the finish

My shirt I wore....

 

Day 1 Week 1 Half Training

Here begins my journey to running  and FINISHING my first half marathon on December 8......
Today was my first day of training with USAFit BCS.  We met at 6:30 am at the Brazos Running Co. store in College Station.  I was a newbie amongst veteran participants in the program from previous years.  I was excited (still am) to start this!  We did some stretching first and our first run was 2 miles (1 mile out and 1 mile back).  It is a hot one here today......presently as I am blogging it is 105 degrees.  So, this morning was a bit steamy to start out with.....gotta love TX weather!!  We were given our 24 week training schedules and our coaches emails and phone numbers.  There were about 30 present for training on the first day.  We finished the run with a little seminar on hydration and it's importance in running in this heat.  We meet every Saturday morning for our group runs with meetings afterwards.  This looks like a fun group to be a part of, and I look forward to my future Saturday meetings. 
My training schedule:

I Was Picked!!!!!!

Wahoooooooo..........I was picked to run the Aramco Houston Half Marathon yesterday!!  It's fixing to get serious up in here with my first half on December 8 and now my second half on January 19!!  I start a 24 week training program on June 29 for my first half.  I will blog later on my training schedule.  SO excited to begin this journey!!

Heat, Humidity & Hills

Ran the June Bug 5K this past Saturday in Hunstville, TX on the Sam Houston State University campus.  It was toasty out at 8 AM.  It would have not been so bad, but the humidity felt like it was at 200% :-/  I've run this course before in January and was fully aware of all the hills this time around.  You start out going straight up one of hills!  By gosh, I think these hills grew since January!!  By the time I finished, I was drenched in sweat.  It paid off, I got second in my age group (40-49)!  I finished a minute faster than I did in January too.

Summer is upon us here in TX.  I try to get up before sunrise on the weekends to get my runs in.  The weekdays it's still pretty hot in the afternoons, so I don't get that much mileage in.  I figure 1 or 2 miles is better than no miles.  How do you handle the heat on your runs?
 

The 7 Hills Running Club that organized the June Bug 5K

Elevation from run

Running Fuel

I will start my half marathon training at the end of June; with my first half on Dec. 8.
Just curious as to what types of "fuel" is being used to get you through your long runs.  I've been looking into the Sport Beans, Gu, Nuun and gels, but I have no clue!  First off, I do not drink caffeine, so that may be an issue for me??  Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.  I guess I need to get some samples and try them out to make sure my tummy agrees with them.  
Until next time, keep hitting the pavement!!

Happy Run Day

Happy National Running Day!!!! Mine started out with a 5AM alarm to go meet at my local running store at 6AM for a group run to celebrate the day. There were about 20 of us for the morning run. We did a leisurely 5K. So nice to be celebrated with our own "day"!  Hope everyone got in a few steps, laps or miles and enjoyed your DAY! 

Why I run....

Running does a body good....

My First 10K

This was my very first 10K was on May 25, 2013......I was not sure if I was going to be able to do this one since I had been sick and fighting an infection for 2 weeks prior to the race, but I was feeling well enough by the time Saturday morning came. This race benefited two ladies, that were sisters, from Montgomery, TX that lost their lives, one from complications from the flu and the other in an auto accident. It was a cloudy morning and very humid. I was a bit nervous as to how I was going to do....I knew I was going to take walk breaks, so I knew I wasn't trying to break any records! I paced myself slow throughout because I didn't want to overdo it. This course had a LOT of hills. The very large ones was when I took my walk breaks. Turned out the course was actually 6.53 miles. I finished it in 01:19:03......pretty proud of myself for that!!

Before the start of the race

 

One of the many hills

 

The end is in sight........

 

 

Done with my finishers medal!!