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?

I'm lame, oh well

Once upon a time I ran a half marathon with a sinus infection. Then I ran a half marathon and an 8K back to back (one on Saturday and one on Sunday) with food poisoning.

Those days are over.

Maybe I'm just lazy, or maybe being over 30 throws you into the "old" catagory (even though I still feel 20 most days) but I'm done with that kind of stuff.

I woke up Thursday morning and did not feel good. It got worse as the day went on. By Friday I felt like I had a full blown sinus infection and could barely breathe. Saturday morning I woke up to miserable rain. I got out of bed, put on my running gear and a hat and went outside. I stood in the rain for about 3 minutes and said to myself "This is just not worth it."

The whole point of running a race is to have fun. There is no way I would have had fun this past Saturday while trying to run in the rain with a head cold. It just was not worth it.

I've run Monument Ave five times before this so I don't feel like I missed out on much. Also 3 out of those 5 times it has been rainy and gross outside. I'm done with bad race day weather. Next year and any other year I decide to run it again, I will just do walk up registration. That way if I am sick or we get hit with another monsoon I won't feel like I lost money.

It also occurred to me that this race seems to get earlier every year. They really should push it back into mid-April again. March is to early.

Monday I got out and ran and it was beautiful outside. Going to go again today. This weekend looks like it should be nice and since we will be at the new river house (!) I will definitely get to go for a run since grandparents (built in babysitters) will also be there.

It's finally Spring, the weather is getting warmer and hopefully this long winter is over.

A friend asked me to run the Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon with her in October. Can I be half marathon ready by then??

Congrats to all who ran Monument Ave this past Saturday. I hope you had a great time because it really is a great race :-)

7 month check up

I meant to post this when he turned 6 months but time totally got away from me, so here is my 7 month check up!

I can't believe my baby is 7 months old already! Time really does fly. No one lies about that.

It's been a good seven months, a bit stressful at times, but good overall. We have a really great baby. He sleeps through the night and is so amazingly happy. He has two teeth coming in and the weekend that they broke through was a little rough but it was not nearly as bad as it could have been-or so I have heard. He was just a bit more fussy than is normal for him. He chews on everything and is into everything. At restaurants he wants to sit up and look at everything and touch everything. He started crawling "army man" style-using his arms to drag his body. This week he started using a leg too. Seeing him grow and meet these little mile stones is such a joy. Being a parent is amazing.

I mean seriously, how do you get over that much cuteness??

He was a parrot for Halloween ;-)

How am I doing? I went back to work in mid-October and it has been an adjustment. Being at work is fine and it was a smooth transition since I already know all the students and most days it actually feels good to be back. The kids missed me and were so excited to see me, it made me feel pretty good :-) My body and brain can fully function with little sleep now and with the help of a cup of coffee I perk up pretty quick. Getting up early isn't so bad once you have the routine down. It is also nice to get adult interaction during the day that isn't limited to my husband or tied into baby things.

The hard part is not having time left in the day for anything else. It's a struggle to get normal things done like keep the house clean or do the laundry. And you can forget reading a book or a magazine, browsing the internet and running. I have been able to get out of work on time and head to the gym for a little bit here and there. I worked a little with a personal trainer and she gave me a good strength training routine that I can do on my own in the gym without being locked into a class time. Although I really enjoy the classes that my gym offers, I don't think I will be taking any of them anytime soon. My knee bothered me for over 2 weeks after the 8K. Of course I am thinking the worst but I really need to get to a doctor and figure out what is going on and make it better. I really want to avoid having knee surgery at any point in my life.

Speaking of the knee injury, because of it I have not been able to run. A big part of me is wondering if my running days are done and this gives me a myriad of emotions that I cannot even express. Running has become such a huge part of who I am, I cannot imagine who I would be without it. It would be like someone taking away my artistic abilities. I would be utterly lost.

So that's where I am at the moment. Gearing up for Christmas and hoping I can hit the pavement again soon.