Saturday, November 30, 2013

Redline Turkey Day 10k (Race Recap)

Thursday, November 28
Broomfield, CO
Weather - Chilly, perfect

My dad registered me for the Turkey Day 10k back in October. I wasn't ready to shell out the money for a 10k since I don't like the "fast running." Apparently there was a miscommunication relating to babysitting, so I thought I was going to be sitting out. The night before, I had done an 8 mile tempo run. Needless to say, my legs were a little heavy race morning.

The 10k started at 9:00, so we planned to drop the kids off with my mom at 8:15 and to pick up my dad, who was also doing the 10k. By the time we parked the car, we barely had enough time to cycle through the bathroom line. As we headed to line up, a childhood friend found us at the start line:

Me, Kathy, L
Right after this picture it was time to start. L was going for a PR, and I was hoping to not die. I knew I had started out a bit too fast, but it is hard to pull back in a faster, crowded field. It caught up with me before we even hit the first aid station at mile 2. I was tired from my tempo run the night before and my legs were HEAVY. I walked extra long at the aid station and took a gel, hoping it would revive me for the last 4 miles.

Spoiler - it did NOT. I had to walk a few more times before the course finally headed downhill just after mile 3, which was when we met up with the 5k course. Unfortunately, the 5k had started in waves 15 minutes after us, so I caught up to the super slow walkers. Don't get me wrong, I loved that there were so many people out, but I had met up with the drunken toddlers and elderlies that were out for a luxurious stroll. I felt pretty good between miles 3-5 and then I DIED. The last mile was terrible, and I probably took 3 walk breaks. I barely was able to run the end - but then I saw L, and is my trademark, took a SUPER AWESOME chute picture:


My finisher time was actually NOT that terrible, considering how poorly I felt. And still 3+ minutes faster than I ran it last year.

Official Time - 1:04:08
Gender Place - 173/233
Division Place - 64/81
Garmin Time - 1:04:10
Mile 1 - 9:40
Mile 2 - 11:30
Mile 3 - 10:54
Mile 4 - 10:22
Mile 5 - 10:09
Mile 6 - 11:05
Mile 6.2 - 9:31

Did I mention that L KILLED her PR and ran a 51:06??????? She is The Fastest!!!

My mom drove the kids up to do the 1/2 mile kid's run. We had a miscommunication and we were at the parking lot waiting for them to pull up and didn't think they had made it in time so I missed getting to see A run. My mom says that she was about 10th kid back. Oh. 10th.


We stuck around for the raffle again... my dad was actually the second person called, and they had to play "Price Is Right" - guess Constantina Dita's 2008 Olympic marathon pace. The winner won $100, runners up won an autographed picture from her. (Did I mention that she won the women's 10k with a time of 37:00??) Sadly, neither L nor I won anything, even though I totally could have killed either the pie eating contest or the plank contest. Maybe next year.

Thoughts:

  • Different course than last year and I did NOT like it. Meeting up with the 5k course was pretty tragic. Too many slow people with dogs, strollers, walking 4-5 across...
  • I don't know WHY the results are 10k vs. "Women's" 10k... c'mon now. It is 2013, I think we are all running the same race.
  • LOVE the shirt. He does a great job doing unique, high quality tees. A is wearing the shirt in the above picture (there is a zippered pocket on the back left seam for iPod, money, whatever).
  • LOVE the raffles, MAYBE I WILL WIN ONE YEAR.
  • Lots of goodies at the end - Mrs. Field's cookies were my favorite and I really restrained myself only taking 3.
  • Fairly inexpensive as they usually do a deal that makes it around $25. Will probably run again next year.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Normal (Week 13)

Tuesday - 1.25 in the basement inferno testing out the new (to me) Pure Flow 2's!! Video trifecta (legs, arm, core), 54 push-ups


Wednesday - I wore my new holiday sweater from INKnBURN to work because AFTER work I ran....... 3 miles at......... RUN CLUB!! I tested out the new Adidas "Boost" and while they were ok running, they were quite possibly the most UNCOMFORTABLE shoe while walking. Always a relief when I try a shoe that I do NOT like.



Thursday - 5.5 of not-the-greatest miles on the treadmill at the gym. Video trifecta (legs, arm, core), 63 push-ups.
Friday - 1.25 in the basement inferno before work. Good thing I got that done early because I pretty much drank ALL THE BEER on Friday. Jessa convinced me to go out with her for a few drinks on Friday at the bar down the street. So much fun, and I considered it carb loading.

Saturday - 1.1 in the basement inferno and arms. Surprisingly, I was NOT hung over after #allthebeer the day before.
Sunday - Route 66 half marathon!
Monday - 3.5 on the treadmill. Legs were achy and sore. Is this what happens when someone runs FAST on a HILLY course? I have not been sore from running a half in YEARS.

Weekly Miles Run - 28.7 (13.1 racing, 3 outside, 12.6 treadmill)
Minutes of Strength Training - 80 (missed a day of legs/core)

Gain - 0.6 pounds

  • Entering the holiday season, I am going to have to be a bit more cautious in what I'm eating. I have been doing fairly well at maintaining, but I'm concerned that all the delicious food will get the better of me.
  • Food indulgences this week? UM EVERYTHING. I had sweet potato fries twice, the best burger on EARTH, desserts (chocolate cake a few times), cheesecake, Yogurtland and DONUTS... I blame some of that on traveling, but this was a pretty out of control week for me.
  • ALL OF THE BEER. ALL OF IT. I cannot even estimate how much I actually consumed this week, so that probably means that it was TOO MUCH. But it was tasty.
 Everything Else
  • ZERO dating gossip. I'm not talking to anyone, not seeing anyone. I saw the cute gym guy one day and apparently I am too chicken to do anything about it. So I will just stare awkwardly from the treadmill.
  • Work = Blah. The end. I'll stop complaining.
  • Apparently, A had her eyes tested at school. I got a letter in the mail that she did NOT pass the vision test. Kids should be in the 20/20 to 20/30 range. They estimate her at 20/125+. WTF. Next thing to use my money tree for - eye exam and glasses... Unfortunately, her health insurance (and mine) do not include vision insurance. (Hence why I have not been in almost 2 years...) Le sigh.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Route 66 Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Tulsa, OK
Sunday, November 24
Half Marathon #96
Route 66 #3
Weather - COLD, windy

I have run the Route 66 race the last two years. In 2011 I ran the half marathon with L and then last year I ran the full marathon with a few friends. So why, you ask, did I go back again this year? Well, I had told Kim that I would try to go with her if she was knocking the race off as her OK race. Also, this year, the race added a special Half Fanatic medal, and since I was able to cash in miles for the flight, I decided to run again.

Saturday

Hope picked up me and her husband drove us to the airport where we met up with L, Kim AND my older sister. Our flight left on time, and I was lucky enough to sit by Kim on the flight and we were able to do a bit of catching up.

Logistically, none of us had really managed to be on the same flights, so since Kim was meeting up with LJ and a few of her other friends, and W (my older sister) had flown in on a different flight, we stuck around and waited for her, with plans to meet up with everyone else later.

I vaguely remember this happening at the Tulsa airport before. As an FYI, if you are renting a car race weekend, it takes forever. You would not think that it would take a long time, but we requested the car and was told it would be about 10 minutes before it was ready. We waited almost 45 minutes. We were driving around looking for somewhere to eat and decided to just hit up the expo first.

We were not there very long, they were out of the shirt size I requested (wow, that almost NEVER happens) and we visited the Maniac table to get our fancy wrist bands.

So I put the wrist band on and tighten it, only to discover THE THING CAN NEVER BE LOOSENED AGAIN EVER. It is scratching the hell out of my arm, but I don't want to cut it off and "void" my access to the tent. More on this later.

Then we check into our hotel and try to find something to eat. The only thing we were able to locate that was open was Jimmy John's. It ended up working out nicely because no one wanted to eat a TON with our dinner reservations being at 5:30. After our quick lunch, we went back to the hotel where Hope, L, W and I were sharing a room. Our room was FREEZING. Even with the heat turned up to 90 it didn't seem warm. Wah.

We met up with the rest of the gang (Kim, LJ, Maureen and Jen) and walked over to the Boulder Grill for dinner. We were seating right away, our appetizer and drink orders were taken. AND THEN FOREVER PASSED. After almost an hour our server offered to bring us more appetizers for free because our food was STILL not ready. By the time we ate and got the check and left it was literally HOURS later. We ended up having all the drinks/appetizers comped, so it ended up being a pretty inexpensive dinner. And the food was actually pretty good.


I haven't really mentioned the weather, but it was THE COLDEST AND WINDIEST EVER. Our walk back to the hotel was pretty awful and we decided to have dessert at the restaurant in the hotel. That also took forever, and by the time we headed up to the room it was already 8:30. Hope FINALLY had an epiphany about what I could do with my itchy horrible scratchy too tight bracelet. The first attempt to cut off the plastic piece was nail clippers. It was chipping away at the plastic but not making any real progress. We went to the front desk thinking if they had scissors that we could cut if off. NOPE. This was the strongest plastic ever. The woman at the front desk said she would "see what she could do" and asked for our room number. Maintenance came up with bolt cutters, and the plastic was finally removed. THANK GOD.

This is what the insides of the plastic looked like!
Sunday

The race started at 8 and the plan was to be outside for as little time as possible before the race started since it was still THE COLDEST EVER. We got up around 6:30 and dawdled around using the bathroom, getting coffee, food, etc. Thankfully, Hope had come extra prepared with running tights AND capris, and she lent me her tights so I would not freeze to death.

We met up with everyone else in the lobby around 7:35, took some pictures, and headed over with about 15 minutes for the start. The fasties were in corral A, I was in B, and Hope was in C. We figured Hope could sneak into B with me,  but she got pulled out, so I was going to be alone....

Thanks for the picture, Kim!
I had an unofficial/secret goal of trying to beat my half time from 2011, which was 2:14:52. Seemed insane to even think about, with most of my races being slower than 2:30, and my fastest time in a year being 2:20. Not to mention, TULSA IS NOT FLAT.

I could NOT get satellite to register on my watch, and finally, at the very back of the corral I just decided to go. It was about 90 seconds before the GPS kicked in, so my watch was off from the mile markers. I had run the course before and figured I would know where everything was. But, the course was different this year, most notably, we did NOT run around the cute little pond that I had remembered from previous years. I was careful to start out slow the first mile (and it WAS the slowest mile of the day for me). I felt ok the first few miles, and it was hilly for sure, maybe even HILLIER than I had remembered. It was cold and there were sections of the course that were icy.

Just before mile 3 - SO PRETTY!
I struggled a bit between miles 4 and 5, and my left foot fell asleep and my calves started tightening and I had to take some walk breaks, which I was hoping to NOT have to do. Finally, there was a reprieve with some downhills and flats, and then I started feeling better. When I was heading into mile 7, I saw LJ blazing in the other direction, she had to have been around mile 9. Somewhere around mile 8 there was a house giving "free shots" - turns out it was vodka. That hurt for a bit, I HATE the taste of vodka.
 

Thankfully, I still had my gum and it was almost time for my second gel, which I took at mile 9. Mile 10 had another surprise for me, the jello shot lady from last year was back! I took a yellow jello shot AND beer. Yum, yum, yum.


Totally pumped me up for the rest of the race. I was really cruising for a few miles, and I realized that the course HERE was also different. When running the marathon last year, this section had been mile 13+ - and here I was only at 10. Mile 11 we run under the Route 66 bridge - no picture, my hands were still freezing (but I borrowed this one from Kim):


Up another HUGE hill, and then there was only a mile and a half to go. There was another uphill by the building where we had picked up packets and I was so mad at myself walking some of that section as well. My legs were screaming at me for my "fast" miles.

FINALLY, turned the corner and saw where the marathoners were splitting off (SO HAPPY THAT WAS NOT ME THIS YEAR) and I knew we were close. there was another big hill less than a mile before the end, and I didn't want to walk it but I walked briefly at the very end and knew that was the last turn of the course and the finish should be flat. I had NOTHING left in my legs. I probably got passed by a dozen people in the chute, but at least I still maintained an ok pace. I crossed the line.... CRUSHING MY GOAL.

Official Time - 2:12:03
10K Official - 1:03:27
10M Official - 1:40:42
Overall Place - 1767/4665
Gender Place - 865/2966
Division Place - 151/489
Garmin Time - 2:12:05
Garmin Distance - 13:07 (because GPS didn't kick in right away)
Garmin Pace - 10:06 (!!)
Mile 1 - 11:18
Mile 2 - 10:23
Mile 3 - 10:03
Mile 4 - 9:55
Mile 5 - 10:43 (surprised it isn't slower)
Mile 6 - 10:04
Mile 7 - 9:26
Mile 8 - 10:01
Mile 9 - 9:46
Mile 10 - 9:47
Mile 11 - 9:42
Mile 12 - 10:14 (also surprised not slower)
Mile 13 - 10:06
Mile 13.07 - 9:24

After being herded through the finish area, I knew I had to get to the Maniac tent to get my medal... but I couldn't find it. I was so cold and there were white tents spread out all over the place but no signage telling you where to go. I finally asked at the results tent and was directed to the tent, where I got my medal and met up with Kim, LJ and L, who had actually waited for me.


We were not sure when Hope was going to be done and we had given her a hotel key, so we walked back to the hotel, where roughly mile 13 of the course was running by. We saw Maureen and Jen run by, and right after her was one of the INKnBURN ambassadors, Amber, running her first marathon.

I didn't get a finisher picture because of frostbite risk, but L got this of me in the hotel
I WAS SO HAPPY TO BE BACK IN THE WARM. We had turned the temps in the room up to 90 and it did NOT feel like 90, but it was certainly warmer than outside. After we all showered, we checked out and then went to an Irish Pub for lunch - burgers and beer!!



After lunch, we went back to the hotel where we picked up Kim, Maureen and Jen, so we could all head to the airport. We took a quick detour to Sbux and got to the airport in plenty of time for them to catch their 5:30 flight (especially since it was delayed). W, Hope and I were on a 7:30 flight, so we spent the next few hours drinking in the TGIFridays.

We did another "finisher" picture at the airport since Hope hadn't gotten one either

Our flight left on time and was uneventful, except for me getting chided for being "too loud." Womp. I don't think I'm THAT loud :(

W took the shuttle home to Boulder, and Hope's husband picked us up. Quick trip to Dunkin Donuts (!!) and then I was dropped off, around 9:30. Shortest, longest, and most fun weekend I've had in a while.

Thoughts:
  • I am so so so so pleased with how this went. I spent a day or two talking with Heather about my "goal" and it seemed impossible. I am so happy that I took another 8 minutes of my already "fast" RnR Denver time. There were those few sections where I was tired and dejected, but overall, I ran a pretty great race, and it was not the most terrible ever maintaining the pace. HOORAY!!!
  • This is a pretty fun event. The weather was crappy and I was too wimpy to even bother with the Maniac picture and meet/greet before the race. Ohhh wellll....
  • BRING A THROWAWAY AND WARM CLOTHES FOR THIS RACE. Two years ago, it was freezing, I wore arm sleeves and gloves the whole race. Last year, I wore arm sleeves the whole race. This year, I wore ALL THE CLOTHES. Long sleeves, tights, compression socks, etc. I could have even used hand warmers, which I actually thought about bringing, but I forgot. 
  • I did NOT care for the new course. The finish was uphill and weird, and the finisher area was really congested in the beginning and then spread out all over the place with no signage. 
  • Maybe we were just done too early, but there was no special food at the Maniac tent like last year. Womp. They DID have heat lamps though, that was Great.
  • The company that made the medals put THE WRONG DATE on the back of the medal. LOL!! I don't care, I will never look at the back of it again, and I probably wouldn't even have noticed, but it seems like SOMEONE should have noticed.
  • They were out of my shirt size. Again. I registered in August. I for REAL want an explanation WHY they don't have the sizes that people order. WHY BOTHER ASKING?? Just order whatever you feel like and be done with it.
  • Tulsa is NOT the greatest. Downtown NOTHING is open on the weekends. Plan ahead with  meals and food, otherwise your choices will be pretty limited.
  • I recommend staying at the Hyatt or the host hotel. It was not that expensive and it was close enough that we didn't have to drive in for the race OR take the shuttle. CONVENIENT.
  • I'd say I won't be back next year... but the stars somehow always align and I end up here year after year...

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Normal (Week 12)

Tuesday - 3.2 at the gym. This was shaping up to be a great run. Unfortunately, A got into trouble in the daycare, so I had to cut the run short. Also did the video trifecta (legs, arms, core) and 35 push-ups.


Wednesday - 1.03 in the basement inferno in the morning. That night, I went to the Nine Inch Nails concert! A friend of mine won tickets and I was one of the lucky ones she invited to go with her. SO FUN! (Outside of paying $10 for ONE BEER).


What I envision the Zombie Apocalypse will look like (Or, the floor at a NIN concert)
Thursday - 1.11 in the basement inferno, legs and core. TODAY WAS A'S 8TH BIRTHDAY!! First, I surprised her with a new fancy dress before school. Then, I left work early so that I could take her to dinner and a movie. We managed to be the only people in the theater (We saw "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2") and A thought I reserved the whole theater just for her. OF COURSE I DID. So much food was consumed.



Friday - I got up REALLY early and ran 7.25 in the basement inferno. I needed it after eating ALL OF THE THINGS the night before. There was yet ANOTHER birthday celebration (with the grandparents).


Saturday - L wasn't feeling well so I took both kids with me to the gym in the morning and knocked out a pretty great 6.5 miles. I have no idea what I did the rest of the day, but I imagine I sat around and did NOTHING.
Sunday - Yet ANOTHER birthday celebration... today was A's actual birthday party with all her friends. She had been begging for almost a year to have a roller skating party, and thanks to her dad paying for it, we were able to make it happen. She said it was The Best Birthday Ever - especially since she got "free" roller skates for having her party there!




Dinner was ALL OF THE PIZZA. After dinner we went over to Jessa's house for about an hour. I successfully had worn A out, and she fell asleep on the drive home. I was able to watch the re-run of The Walking Dead and knocked out a 5k, did the video trifecta (legs, arms, core) AND 41 push-ups.
Monday - Yet another Best Run Ever. Heather had challenged me to try some "running fast." So... I did a progressive run - 1 @ 10:42, 1 @ 10:31, 1 @ 10:20, 1 @ 10:10, 1 @ 9:31, 1 @ 10:00 and 1.75 @ 9:31 (for a total of 7.75 miles at roughly a 10:00 overall pace). Interestingly, this did NOT kill me dead and it was NOT the worst ever. Baffling.

Weekly Run Miles - 29.95 (all treadmill)
Minutes of Strength Training - 95

Gain - 0.2 pounds

  • This is SHOCKING. I for real ate everything this week. The Halloween candy was the worst culprit, with a close second being the GIANT dinner I had on A's birthday (complete with something ridiculous like 5 desserts), the 3 donuts I had on Sunday and about half a large pizza. Food is The Best, I had a hard time controlling myself this week.
  • Obviously, sugar was a HUGE part of my week. There was just soooooooo many birthday celebrations!

Everything Else
  • Closure. I needed closure. So I did what any 35 year old grown person would do. I sent a jerky text message, blocked J's number, deleted his contact information and FINALLY figured out how to bypass that weird "recent history" bullshit, so now I'd have to do a LOT of work to contact him again. This all just needs to be DONE.
  • Talking to zero guys right now. And that is fine. I still have my eye on the guy from the gym, but he doesn't seem to keep as regular a schedule there as I do and I haven't seen him in over a week. Still debating if I want to go down that road again, and what on earth I would say. The gym is my second home, I don't want to look like a creeper. 
  • Having major self esteem issues right now. I don't know if it is stress or what, but my skin has been breaking out like CRAZY. And it is nothing that can be covered with foundation. The blemishes are big and red, on my forehead and around my mouth. If I try to put any sort of treatment on it, then it gets all dry and flaky. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, I AM PRACTICALLY MIDDLE AGED. WHY DO I STILL HAVE ACNE? Oh, and I'm also breaking out on my shoulder and back. THAT'S REALLY GREAT TOO.
  • It really helped for me to get out last week with friends. I hope to be able to do that at least every few weeks to maintain what little is left of my sanity.
  • Work = LAME LAME LAME. Apparently, the shareholders are currently planning the Christmas party. I HOPE IT IS WHILE I AM NOT HERE. I really really really don't want to be the ONLY single person at a holiday party. That sounds like The Worst Ever. Although, I do love free food. On the other hand, I don't really like most of the people I work with and the only thing that would get me through this horrible awkward situation is alcohol, which is NOT the best idea because it would 1). be a work event and 2). I would have to drive home.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Normal (Week 11)

Tuesday - 1 mile run, video trifecta. Although instead of the regular abs video, I tried one called "abs boot camp" - which did NOT have as much abs as one would have hoped.
Wednesday - 6ish mile treadmill run.
Thursday - 5ish mile treadmill run.
Friday - I had gone out for a drink with co-workers. I had to leave at 6. LAME. Then, 1 mile walk in the basement inferno.
Saturday - 6.6 mile run. It was really rough the first 30 minutes or so, but the end was really great.
Sunday - I got super motivated and ran 10.4 miles in the basement inferno. It was NOT the worst ever.

Monday - 6 of the best miles I have run EVER. Progressive run, hovering around a 10 minute mile pace the last 20 minutes.

Weekly Run Miles - 35.21 (ZERO races, all treadmill)
Minutes of Strength Training - 95


Gain/Loss - 0.0 pounds
  • I (only partially joking) partook in what I called The Donut Diet this week - I think there were only 2 days I didn't have at least one? Good news! Maintaining means that donuts are NOT off the table!!
  • For whatever reason, I am absolutely STARVING on the weekends. I need to figure out how to keep that more under control.
  • I  had a CRAPTON of Halloween candy. A needs to get going on eating it or we are disposing of it.
  • Pizza, burgers, and OH, more desserts:
Yogurtland
Chili's Pumpkin Spice Molten Cake (Yes, I shared)
Oh, look! My best friend - BEER
 Everything Else
  • Shortly after my blog post last week, I got a series of text messages from the last guy. Even though we hadn't talked in well over a week (which was fine), he found it necessary to let me know he was getting back together with his ex-girlfriend of many years. So maybe it was instinct that I cut it off with the guy even though we hit it off, etc. OH WELL.
  • I hadn't really given it much thought, but Jessa took me to lunch on Friday and told me, "don't take this the wrong way, but I am concerned about your rage level." Basically, she was suggesting I learn to take some time to myself that is NOT running/gym. I told her, yeah, you're probably right but it is under control. TURNS OUT, not so much. I had a melt down on Friday night. More on this (maybe) later.
  • Meltdown Related: I went to bed EARLY on Friday. A and I were watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and I dozed off. Next day, I'm going through my call history so A can call her dad and I see J's name in there. Turns out, A called J after I had fallen asleep because "I hadn't talked to him in a really long time and I missed him." Looks like they talked for over 10 minutes (after 10 pm on a Friday night). She says he asked about school, running, her gymnastics. He apparently did NOT ask about me, and I never did get a call/text from him asking why she was calling. She seems to think this is not the last we will hear from him. I disagree.
  • Meltdown Related: I LOST MY MIND at work on Friday. I am so tired of being broke. I cannot AFFORD to continue my employment at this firm. I really have to get started on looking for a job that pays more money. Parking ($125+ a month) eats up almost all my "spending" money.
  • Meltdown Related: After I freaked out I called my ex husband, HYSTERICAL. It's not much, but he sent some money and paid for my flights to/from Texas so that I can run the New Years Double again (well, and bring A back home after visiting with the ex's family).
Ever feel like you are at a major life crossroad? I have GOT to do something to better my situation so I'm not constantly ragey and losing my mind.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Um.

Ok. Why do I look like I'm having a stroke??? I PROMISE, I am having a good time!!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

On Being Thankful

November seems to be when people suddenly remember how great their lives are. Facebook is overrun with people and their "daily thanks" posts about how great their spouse/boyfriend/kids/job/house/whatever is.

Truth is, the posts irritate me. Why? Because I'm jealous!! I can admit it.

Anyway, I never participate in the "thankful" posts because, quite frankly, trying to think of THIRTY things I'm grateful for seems exhausting.

But.

I'm a total jerk and it's time I come to terms with the fact that I'm at this stage of my life based on how I've lived my last 35 years and all the decisions I've  made. Sure, my life kind of sucks right now, but to say that I have NOTHING to be thankful for is ridiculous.

So......... I'll just do some bullets and get it all out of the way now.
  • In December, 2004 I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Did you know that I still have never, not even ONE time, taken a single medication for it?
  • About two years ago, I had to have a mammogram and biopsy for a lump in my breast. Could have been malignant, but it wasn't.
  • Five years ago, I got divorced. I eliminated a very toxic relationship from my life, and finally, after this many years, we can be humans to each other for the sake of A.
  • I've been a single mom now for over 5 years. It is SO easy for me to see the "hard/bad" side of it - I have no "me" time, anything I want to do I have to find a sitter (my ex lives 1000 miles away). BUT, on the "good" side, A is a well-rounded and a happy (almost) 8 year old.
  • I have a dead end horrible job. But, at least I get a paycheck every two weeks.
  • I have a very supportive family that helps me out a TON with A, and pretty much anything else that comes up. I mean, how many people can say they were able to race all 50 states (and a few countries) in just a few years??
Basically, what it comes down to is I am a lucky lady. Sure, my life isn't easy, but nothing worth having ever is. I'm living for TODAY because who knows what's going to get thrown my way next.

To round out this super sappy and unlike me post, here are some pictures of what I'm thankful for (Yes, I realize these are almost all running related. But let's be real, that's a HUGE part of my life).
Ariel - I might be biased, but she is one awesome kid.
L, my sister and best friend. She is honestly my other half!
I have some pretty great friends. And they even will dress like me!!
I have had some great adventures in my life, and can't wait for whatever happens next.
Thanks for everything, friends!!

Week in Review (March 5 - March 11)

Tuesday  (15,597 steps) - Peloton rides before work in the office. Went to the gym at lunch for strength training. After work I had to go to...