Surf-N-Santa 5 Miler 2015

On December 19th, I ran my 47th race. That is a powerful statement. Just 8 years ago on the same exact date, I reached a tipping point in my life and just 3 months later ran my very first race. If you would have told me back then that just 8 short years later I would have so many races under my belt, I wouldn't have believed you. The past 8 years have really been amazing for me, and I have more self confidence than I ever had before. I can thank several things for that, but number 1 on the list is running. It has been a game changer for me.

All that being said, I have been in a bit of a running slump since going back to work. I just cannot seem to find motivation to run at all. I hate it. I thought that signing up for this race would change that, but it didn't. So I went out and ran 5 miles with hardly any training and could barely walk at the end.

Even though there was a cold snap that day, it was actually a really great afternoon for a run. Once we got moving the air felt nice and running on the boardwalk was really enjoyable. I liked seeing all the lights. If you are not into running, you can always go down to Virginia Beach and drive through the lights too. It is a pretty neat set up, and who doesn't love the beach?

Shrub and Bryan ran it too!

I taped up both of my legs, but by the time I drove 2 hours to get there, it didn't seem to matter. My muscles were stiff and even though I jogged a little around the parking lot, they would not loosen up. It was really painful. The first mile felt alright but after that things started to hurt and I ended up walking and near the end could feel myself starting to limp. Not to mention that my old hip injury came back. Ugh! There were a few moments near the end where I could feel the tears in my eyes and hear the nasty voice in my head telling me this was it, the end of my running days had finally come. But I pushed it deep down inside of me and made it across the finish line. My quads felt like tight rubber bands that snapped as I walked. After a beer and a little standing around I started to feel better.

Free beer! Yay we finished!

Jess came out to support us too!

Obligatory beer chugging picture.

It was crowded in there!

All in all, it was a great night for a race and I would definitely do it again. About 2 months ago I had the idea in my head that I would run another half marathon this spring. I think after this race my short term goal is going to be just to make it through Monument Avenue 10K in one piece. And to somehow dig up some motivation from somewhere.

What keep you motivated?

Urbanna Oyster Festival 2015

This picture starts off the post because it started off my weekend and it's one of my most favorite mugs ever. 

I took Friday off of work because it was the annual Urbanna Oyster Festival! My first experience of this Virginia tradition took place last year, and it was fun, but this year was much more fun. Mostly because my hubby got to go this time and B was a year older and he was much easier to deal with all day. While he still takes a daily nap, we knew he wouldn't take one today so we just powered through.

About 70,000 people attend this festival in tiny Urbanna, Virginia every year. It takes place the first Friday and Saturday of November. We go on Friday because it is the less crowded day. The weather this year was AMAZING! It was a record high in the 80's! I was super happy to walk around in flip flops all day.

B got to experience his first pony ride! He did great and held on tight.

Virginia is for Lovers! 

There is so much here. Lots of vendors and lots of food! I do wish there were more local vendors. They have a fair amount of food vendors that are the ones you see at the state fair and sell you one corn dog for $5. We found the Lions Club stand that was selling yummy food for a fair price and it all goes to charity. There are also some food vendors that are local which was nice. Always try to hit those up.

There are quite a few other vendors selling the same odd things...like weird puppets that look mass produced in a back room in Mexico and those funky hippy/poncho hoodie things that all the stoners wore in the 90's. I'd really like to see more home made vendors. I bought 2 Christmas ornaments: one was a shell made to look like a snowman with a Santa hat on that was made from a Steelers pattern and one that was an oyster shell that looked like a beach and had a little sign in the sand that said "Urbanna". I tried to convince dad to get the dried out crab wearing a Santa hat but he wouldn't go for it. 

They also had a stage with different bands. B hopped out of the stroller, grabbed 2 sticks and took a dance break! This kid LOVES to dance. I have no idea where he gets it from. 

Eventually we made it down to the harbor where our friends had their boats docked. This was probably the most fun. The festival is big and it is nice to have a home base where you can sit, relax and drink a beer. I loved boat hopping. 

Dad and I continued our Jell-O shot tradition we started last year! Thanks Marsha for bringing those!

Uncle Rusty, Michelle, Me, Mom

Our buddies who are hysterical! Love hanging out with them. Also great because B has so many people watching out for him and mama can take a break.

My little captain! Seriously, how great is this picture? I had to take about 10 pictures before I got this one, but it is perfect.

Oh heeeeey! Just pretending to drive this yacht the size of a house!

Before we left we went over to another marina and found another friend who was there on a boat he bought that he is fixing up and re-selling. He does this with everything. There is nothing this guy won't sell. This boat was 51 feet long, had 3 state rooms (bedrooms) and a head (bathroom). There were 2 seating areas with tables and benches. I could seriously get used to that. I don't know if I would ever want to own a boat like that, but it would be hella fun to go out on it once in awhile.

See? It was huge. (That's what she said.) Apparently it was owned by a the owner of the Redskins at one point.

I greatly enjoyed spending the day with my man and family. It was too pretty of a day to be stuck at work, so I was happy to off. This has felt like the longest weekend ever and I've loved it. 

He finally crashed when he decided to head back to the car. He was such a trooper. We are so blessed that we have such a smart, easy going kid.


http://www.urbannaoysterfestival.com/

ASK 5 K

Yesterday I participated in the ASK 5K for one of my students. She is in first grade and this is her second battle with Leukemia. Unfortunately she was not there because she had to go into the hospital for chemo but she did face time with us right after we started the run. Although it is terrible and every single one of us wishes this was not happening and no child should ever have to go through what she has and is going through, she has an amazing and supportive family on her side. She made it through this once, she will beat it again. I pray that after that it never comes back.

Teachers are not supposed to play favorites, but E is one of my favorites. Her aunt and I have been friends since third grade so I've known E before there was an E. She's a bright and happy little girl who makes my day better every time I see her at school. We joke around a lot. She loves art. I miss seeing her happy face and can't wait to give her a big hug when she comes back to school. 

I had to push B in the stroller and since there were no starting waves, I spent most of the time walking with the group. Initially I had wanted to run but it was such a huge cluster of people and since I started with the walkers, there was no way I was going to be running unless I knocked people out of my way. When we hit the start of mile 3, the crowd did clear enough for me to get through and run a bit, so I ran most of the last mile. From this experience I learned that I will not be running with the jogger in a race if I can avoid it. It's tough to dodge people and the stroller is pretty heavy and takes that much more effort. But I had fun and I am glad I did it. It was for E.

B man got his own medal at the end! It's that yellow ribbon in his hand. He put it around his neck all by himself! He promptly wanted to take it off five minutes later though.

I don't know what race I will do next yet, but I do know that I need to keep up with the running. The pollen has been horrible this past week and has kept me indoors and I can tell that my legs are losing all I gained while training for the 10K. A few gym trips and dates with the treadmill may be in my future this week.

Monument Avenue 10K 2015

I am just now getting a chance to sit down and write about this! Last Saturday was a great race!! True, it was the coldest on record, but once you got running it wasn't so bad.

Friday night I dropped B off at my parent's house and met Rachel from LouLou Belle for dinner. We went to this new place called BJ's Brewhouse and the food was SO GOOD! I got this chicken sandwich that was just ridiculously delicious. The wall of taps was pretty crazy too. The hubby eventually got off of work and joined us. We had a great time.

After dinner Rachel and I stopped at the mall so she could get some better clothes for running in the cold since it was only going to be in the 20's or 30's the next morning. I mentioned my fleece lined pants that felt amazing and she hopped on that bandwagon pretty quick. She picked up a pair at LuLuLemon that she couldn't stop raving about. ;-) Got to love those fleece lined pants!

Saturday morning we got an early start, picked up Rachel and found a parking spot that was an easy walk from the start and finish of the race. C took a backpack and stuffed our coats in there when it was finally go time.

Rachel dropped back and started in my corral. We actually run about the same pace and stayed together until the last 2 miles or so. It was nice to have someone to run with and it was also nice because we were both listening to music and didn't feel the need to talk at all. I like talking, but talking and running is rather tough. We finished about 2 minutes apart.

The first mile took about 11:30. My hopes of a PR were dashed when I heard this through my ear buds...but then the next mile seemed a little easier...and was under 10 minutes. I made myself slow down a bit then, even thought I have been training, I am still not in the best of shape as far as my knee goes, and I did not want to hurt anything. Long story short, I finished that race ONE MINUTE SLOWER THAN MY PR!!!!!!!!! Even though I did not PR, I was so freaking happy and proud of myself. My goal for a long time has been to run a 10K in an hour or less. It's so close I can taste it...

I have 2 small complaints about the race this year...1-it was way more crowded than I ever remember it being. People walked in the middle of the road and I actually yelled at someone to move to the side. 2-There seem to be quite a few people that think it is a social affair. I was running down the street by 9:30AM and there were these chicks running across the race cutting off the runners with Solo cups in hand. And let's be honest, we all know what was in those Solo cups...If you are going to come out and cheer people on, great, but be respectful and stay off the course or wait until there is a good break before you run across the road. Not all of us can run like Kenyans, but that doesn't mean we aren't trying to set a PR.

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to be racing again. It feels so incredible. I am happy the warmer weather is moving back in as well and I won't have to wear so many layers to run.

Happy Spring Ya'll!!

Race for the Chocolate 5K

Saturday my friend Jess and I ran the Race for the Chocolate 5K in New Kent, Virginia at New Kent Winery. The course was very hilly, it was very cold and for some unknown reason, the race started 15 minutes late. There was no warning, they just blasted a horn at 9:15AM. BAM! RUN!

Sunrise at the river 

I think I did fairly well for only running once this week. I have been running 30 minute 5Ks and I did this one in 33:27. Pretty good considering how hilly it was. Hills always slow you down. I also walked a bit because my hip flexor was bothering me. I'm not really sure what to do about that.

At the end we got our roses, chocolate and wine samples and then hit the road. It was too cold to hang around. I might do it again if I sign up early enough next time so it is cheaper, but I am no hurry to repeat this one. I really don't like hills. Even with all that I managed to finish 75th in a total of 376 women and 11th out of 59 in my age group. Holla!

On another note, this was the 40TH RACE I have run!!! Go me!! I can't believe I have 40 races under my belt. 

Sorry this is a short post. I am exhausted and can't really think of much to say. I am also about to go eat some pizza which I hope will make my stomach feel better. It's still feeling a little rough after that bottle of wine last night :-0

Nutzy's Funn Run 5K

Today my team from work and I ran in Nutzy's Funn Run 5K. The county we work for organized as many teachers as they could to run and gave us all shirts to wear. Even though the weather was cold and cloudy we had a great time! It starts and ends at the Diamond and was nice and fast. There was one hill that was a little rough and slowed me up a bit, but other than that I did really good and finished in 30 minutes 58 seconds! Only my 3rd mile was over 10 minutes. I have to say, I am pretty impressed with myself! A 30 minute 5K is a big achievement for me. My knee did great, but my hip flexor, the old injury from so long ago was bugging me. I also have been getting bad side stitches. I think this may be in part to me over hydrating, so I'm going to try drinking less water before my next race.

Afterwards there was a heated tent, coffee, water, donuts and bagels. If you wanted, they even had a shuttle that took you to a heated tent on Broad Street to watch the annual Christmas parade. I ended up just heading home though and taking a nap :-)

Harbor Lights 5K

This past weekend J & A Racing had their inaugural Harbor Lights Half Marathon and 5K. My friends and I ran the 5K on Saturday. I have some strong opinions on this race. J&A usually does an awesome job and I have no complaints. This time though there were a few things left to be desired. 

1. The "expo". I've been to a fair amount of expos and packet picks ups and let me tell you they are VERY different. This was not an expo, this was a packet pick up. There is nothing wrong with a packet pick up, but I love to see the different vendors that an expo has and this had about 2 vendors and 4 other people just advertising stuff. It was disappointing. 

2. The J&A store is usually pretty good. They have great shirts, running gear, pint glasses and stemless wine glasses with the races' logo all over it. I was extra excited because the Harbor Lights logo included an anchor. They had a cute tank top I wanted to get for running with a big anchor on the front and also this really cute lightweight pull over hoodie with a big anchor on the front. This was the first day of the "expo" and they only had 2 hoodies left, both a size small. That was it. This made me so disappointed that I ended up buying nothing. 

3. It was in downtown Norfolk. If you've never been there, to be blunt, it is a bitch to get in and out of that place. 

4. It was FREEZING. Not that J&A could control this, but no one likes to freeze their butts off. Again, my fleece lined running pants are one of the best purchases I have ever made.

5. Since the course was through downtown Norfolk, it turned a lot. I actually really liked this because it kept it interesting. We also finished along the waterfront which was very pretty.  

6. Part of the race went down a cobblestone street. The cobblestones are actually ballast stones from old ships so they were way wonky. Most people moved to the sidewalks and since they were so crowded I decided to stay on the street since it was not all that long. I was good until the very end when we all turned back onto a regular street and I rolled my ankle. It still hurts today but I think it will be OK. It was fine for the rest of the race and did not start bothering me until Sunday.

7. The post race party was outside. We were comfortable for about 20 minutes after finishing and then the cold set back in. I did enjoy my Blue Moon, as pictured below. 

Cheers!

Before the race when we were still warm.

At packet pick up the night before. I thought the sailboats were too cute.

On a different note, I almost PR'ed. I ran each mile in under 10 minutes each and finished the whole thing in 30 minutes 51 seconds! I was so excited. I'm not gonna lie, it hurt. I had major cramps in my sides because I hadn't had enough water the night before but it was so worth it. I love running flat races. 

Next up??? Maybe the Surfin' Santa. I'm not sure yet. Stay tuned.

My weekend didn't end there though. Saturday night I was back in Richmond and had "friendsgiving" dinner with some old friends I had not seen in a long time. After dinner there was fun and late at night some deep chats around the fire pit. I wouldn't change a thing. Looking forward to the future :-)