To add to December Dash..

Soo....  at the December Dash 5k the race results were not immediately available. The cross country coach who was tracking did it old school; and to make a long story short.. the results took a little time on his end. Not a big deal to me. I wasn't concerned about placing.

But.... I did place!! 3rd place! Whoop! Knee pain and all. Who knew? Not I. I'll gladly take it though. I am pretty proud of myself. The fact that my timing wasn't the greatest and that I was slightly struggling but pushed on was worth it! Never give up! Keep going!!!

Cowboy 5k 2014 Recap

Yesterday morning was the Cowboy 5k in our town. It helps benefit the IB program at my daughter's school. It was a chilly morning! first cold of the season, so needless to say we were a bit cold!  

My daughter has been running 8:32-9 minute miles in gym. I told her to just run and not wait for me! I am  not that fast! HA! The race started and she wasted no time leaving me! I was excited for her! For  me this race was all about her. I wanted to see what she was capable of. In the past we have always ran together, and I have always felt that I hold her back. I look back to our WDW Princess 5k and have no clue how I kept up with her. So this race I told her to just run and not look back. When she passed me on the loop back I was struggling a little, not normal for me. I was still cold and my nose was all stuffy. ( for those that know me, know I run with tissues. True story). I forgot my tissues and was miserable the entire run, but thinking of Lenee and how well she was doing was what kept me going. As we passed each other I told her to keep going! I was proud! 

As I came to the finish line I saw Fireman, Lenee and the family! But the main thing I saw was the time! For real was I finishing in under 32-35 minutes?!?! Most of my 5k runs are 35 minutes, the occasional run is 32 minutes on a good day. But I saw that time and picked up my speed, I had to finish under 32 minutes! Had to! 

My time was 31:39!!! No way!!! I couldn't believe it!! 

My fireman was amazing enough to snap this picture. You really can't see me, and I don't care. My finish time is all that matters!! I couldn't be more proud of myself for that time improvement. It might not be a lot to some. It is to me and that's all I care about. I finished 5th in my age group and 65th overall! Not bad! 

Okay enough about me, back to my amazing 11 year old.

She ran the 5k in 29:07!! With a pace of 9:24! I am so glad I didn't hold her back. Even though we only had a few minutes between us. That makes a huge difference to a runner! So yes I will be bragging until her next 5k about her time! 

After the race there were refreshments and a raffle, we almost left because it was cold. But I said let's stay and see if we win anything. Sure enough I won a gift certificate to a local restaurant. Whoop! I love food!!  A great end to a great race! I am thankful we have an awesome running community that puts on great races!

June recap

It's the first day of July! Can you believe it? Already!!
I didn't finish the June 100 mile challenge. However, I am happy that I worked towards it. I knew going in it would be a lot for me. Especially when I barely hit 25 miles a month. I tried and worked towards it and that is what counts. Right? Right! My  ending goal was 39.6 miles. I am very proud of myself for making it as far as I did. I still feel new to the running world. (although I have been running on and off since 2011, Since Jan. I have made it a habit to not give up).
I was glad to be able to wake up bright and early and run before the sun. I was happy to have my running buddy's with me to run. No lonely runs here.
I am grateful that my mind and my body allow me to run and that neither has failed me yet!
 There are days where I will get in a funk, but having a wonderful support group keeps me motivated to keep running. I love you all who support my wild, exciting journey.
Here's to July!!

Goals

June Challenge is in full swing. But what about my goals? I haven't thought much about them. So tonight I am.
 In July registration opens for Disney's Princess half marathon weekend. I did the 5k last year and wished I had signed up for the 10k as well. When I registered with my daughter, I was not much of a runner. But after seeing Fabulous in January I was hooked. So I was a slightly jealous that I was not doing more than one race that weekend.
Now July is coming up quick. I want to do the Glass slipper challenge. That is my ultimate goal! However, when I sit back and think about it, I panic a little. That's the 10K plus a half. (which I haven't even done yet)!What if I decide after my first half in November that I don't like running 13.1 miles? Am I crazy?! Back to back races. I've never done before. I mean I run weekly, sometimes 2 days in a row. Should I consider that the same thing? Is my mind just playing with me over this new fear? This has been bothering me for a few days now. Decisions. Decisions.
 My next goal is to improve my time. It isn't a HUGE goal, but a personal one. I seem stuck in the 11-12 minute mile pace. No matter what I try. Maybe I should stop trying. I can't be the only one that struggles with this right?
 My last goal is to tone my body more. I've lost a bit of weight, and look decent. I finally have confidence that I never had before. I would just like to tone some areas. So I need to get back into the gym on my off days from running. I'll be dragging Fabulous with me of course! Now only if Sisnlaw had a membership, we'd make a party out of it.

I can't believe the difference a year makes. I've been running and eating better since January. Hard work pays off! I just need to hit the gym to tone my now small waist! 

June Challenge

I am doing the June 100 miles this month. It is walking or running 100 miles. I am hoping I can complete this!
I usually do around 25 miles a month so this is definitely challenging me this month! I have completed 12.93 miles so far. I know I've got to step up my game.
 I did a new HIIT workout on Tuesday. It was intense, but I got it done with Fabulous. There were some words thrown around doing it, but we finished. That's all that matters. Keep going until you are done. Finishing is what matters, and if you don't finish you are selling yourself short. For me that is not an option. It's all about finishing. Finishing equals results. Satisfaction.
 On another note it is the last week of school. I've been running back and forth  to the school for all the parties, activities. That counts as a workout right?

Running with Fabulous

Yesterday Fabulous and I decided to do a run. We really didn't talk distance, just that we wanted to meet up and run the river. Being we live in the sunshine state it is still warm at 6:45. I am learning to just suck it up and drink more water.
 There are 2 water fountains on our river route. I am making it a habit to stop and take advantage of them. Especially since I've been going over 3 miles. One fountain has ice cold water, the other... I'll just say warm. I'll take it though. No complaining allowed.
Around mile 2/ 3 I was also having some pain, (well not pain but the aches of running) in my thighs, legs, feet. Once I am past that 3 miles it is no longer there.. or I've managed to push it out of my head that I'm in pain. Anyone else have this problem?
  I was also having those not so lovely thoughts of  "why am I running"? "It's to hot for this". "My legs hurt". And so on.. But thanks to another blogger I follow http://www.runningwithollie.com/ I recently read her tips on overcoming negative thoughts while running. I remembered some tips and decided that instead of complaining of heat, pain, etc. I kept telling myself  "results don't happen over night. Results won't happen if you do nothing. Running equals results, keep going. I just kept repeating it until the other thoughts disappeared. My running got better, my mood got better. So a huge THANK YOU to Lea over there at http://www.runningwithollie.com/. Be sure to check out her site!
 I ended up doing 6 miles! I got in the zone and told myself I needed to do a little distance. I think Fabulous wanted to shoot me. She stopped her Nike gps watch. Oops!
I'm happy with yesterday's run. It's 6 miles under my belt. 6 miles I don't regret, and 6 miles towards results. (now if I could try PR my time I'll be even happier). But I'm not complaining!