Warrior Dash workout

Today I started the Warrior Dash Workout.  It is no JOKE!!  I have muscles in my body that hurt that I didn't even know existed!  Muscles on top of my muscles hurt.

The Warrior Dash workout consists of 30 exercises you do each one for 30 seconds twice.
  (Here's the link to the workout)http://warriordash.com/documents/training/WD_StrengthTraining_Virgin.pdf
I did round one and said there was no way I was going to do it again, but that little voice in my head made me do round two.  After the workout I decided to get a mile in on the treadmill.  (I hate treadmill running but I figured a mile is a mile.)  I ended up running a 7:10 mile.  I probably could've skipped the run but I need to start getting more miles a week.  After the mile I walked for a half mile just to cool down.  Hopefully someday I will be able to run a 7:10 mile for more than just one mile.... 

Tomorrow is a 5 mile run day plus another gym workout.  (I'm praying I'll be able to walk)  

Races!!

I just registered for 3 more races!!  February, March and April races are now all registered for!!

February's run is a 5 mile trail run!!  I am running the trail course with a few friends on the 18th.  I am so excited!!

March's run is a 10k St. Patty's day race.  Brandon and I were already discussing my outfit...we think a green Tutu is in order!!

April is the Eisenhower Half Marathon.  I debated and debated before registering.  Will I be able to get back into good enough shape to run another half marathon?  Am I pushing myself to hard?  I finally sucked it up and registered.  If I didn't register I would talk myself out of running it so I bit the bullet and registered!!  My goal for this half is 2:10 minutes.  2 minutes faster than my 1st half.

My birthday was amazing!! I  got everything I could've wanted.  A new pair of running shoes, a new printer, new sport bras,  and Under Armour Sweats! 

New running shoes

A few race day pictures

My favorite I look like I'm flying

I hope everyone has a blessed weekend!!  

Birthday Weekend

I had a good weekend.  It went by fast but it was lots of fun.  On Saturday I got up and went to the gym while Brandon stayed home with the kids before he had to go to work.  I started some High Intensity Interval Training.  I  only did 1 minute at 9mph, 2 minutes at 5, 3 times.  After the gym I had to go to work for a couple hours.  Once I got home from work I cleaned up the house, did some laundry, and started packing.  My goal was to leave JC around 2 so we could get to KC around 4 so I could go to Legends and go to the Nike outlet to buy some running stuff with the birthday money that was burning a hole in my pocket.  Something in the back of my head said to wait until the laundry was done in the dryer before we left.  So I waited around packed our bags for Kansas City, and loaded up the car.  At about 3 the laundry was all done the car was loaded I was ready to go.  Brandon called and said "Have you left yet?"  To which I responded "Nope. I wanted to finish the laundry, and clean up the house."  He said "Good you might want to wait a couple more hours because there was a horrible accident on I-70 right outside Topeka that has traffic completely stopped."  His boss was driving to Manhattan and watched the accident happen.  She was in shock, it was accident that claimed the life of a mother and 2 of her young children.  I am so thankful for the thought in the back of my head that told me to wait.  Had I not waited we would have been there right as the accident happened.  It is amazing how God works.

So we didn't leave for KC until 5:30.  We got  there around 7:30 the in-laws were out and they had made spaghetti for me.  The kids and I gobbled up some and went to bed.  We were asleep by 9 at the latest.  Sunday morning we I woke up at 6:30 and started getting ready for Race Day!!  I went through my normal race day routine.  Did some stretching and at 7:30 we hit the road.  The Race sight was half an hour away from my in-laws house and I am blessed with such a wonderful Mother In Law she came with me to watch the kids and watch me run.  We get to the parking lot where we park the car and got on a shuttle to shuttle us across the street to the "Caves."  Once we got to the Caves the jitters had hit strong.  This place was PACKED!!  They are man made caves.  It is climate controlled storage units.  Where you can park you car, boat, RV...etc.  I get the race day packet and put my number on.  This is the 1st race I've run that has used chip timing.  I ran the Half Marathon with Chip timing but they had the chips on the back of your number.  I had the chip in my hand and knew that it had to go on my shoe.  Finally after trying for what seemed like hours, I asked this sweet lady who did it for me.

Finally it was time to line up.  I told my Mother in law that my goal was to finish around 25 minutes.  I made my way to the start line.  The line was long.  This was the biggest race I'd ever participated in.  The have 3500  spaces open for 2 races.  The race sold out.  I'm standing there with about 10 minutes left and doing some stretching.  A guy next to me asks how many times I've ran this before and I said this is my first time.  He said "well it's completely flat."  I grinned and said "Great so I should win because I train on hills."  Our conversation went on he ran this race many time before.  We wish each other good luck and the gun fires.

The start of a packed race is like a one car accident on the interstate.  No one is injured but everyone stops and slow down to look.  With it being underground my phone didn't have signal so the mapmyrun app didn't work.  Which may or may not have been a blessing.  I didn't know how fast or slow I was running.  I know my feel good pace, but I like having the reassurance that I'm running at that pace.  At mile 1 I felt amazing.  At mile 2 I felt better than I did at mile 1.  I kept pushing myself, kept running past people.  At mile 3 I couldn't believe that the race was almost over.  I kick it in come around the corner and see the finish line.  The clock on the finish line reads 25:00.  My heart sinks, my  goal was to be under 25 on my 27th birthday.

I followed a group of runners to a table with computers set up.  The guy typed in my number and gave me a little piece of paper with my actual chip timing time.  I felt the tears well up when I read 24:49.6.  Happy Birthday to me!!  I set a PR!!

Before the race

After the race

Next race 5 mile trail run on February 26th!!

187lbs to 144ishlbs

187lbs

Proof that hard work and dedication pay off!!

Chicken Pox?!?

So we thought my precious, cute, little 23 month old had the pox.  He had a fever all day on Monday.  We got it to break with Motrin and Tylenol but it always came back.  I didn't feel well so I figured he has what I had.  We cuddled all day, laid around and did nothing.  Tuesday morning he woke up and was fine.  A little later I noticed these spots on his fingers and toes.  I took a couple pictures and sent them to my mom.  She thought it was the Pox.  I called my older sister who is an RN and she came over and at first she said they don't look like Chicken Pox because he was none on his trunk.  My dad came over and said I think it's the pox.  I asked my neighbor and he said it's the pox.  Well me being the mom I am called the Dr.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A spot on his finger

Wednesday morning we wake up (we didn't really sleep) Miles was restless all night.  The spots of gotten worse.  There are more and the older ones are starting to blister more.  He screamed and cried all day.  He was so uncomfortable and the spots kept coming.  He didn't nap all day.  He would be close to falling asleep and he would start itching and wake up.  Finally we get to go to the Dr.  and we are called back right away.  The Dr. comes in looks at them and says that is is Hand, Foot and Mouth.  Benadryl him up, keep him on the Motrin and Tylenol.  The chances of Lacey getting it are slim because she hasn't broke out yet.  His sores are 10x worse today than they were yesterday.  She said he will continue to get sores and run a fever for a couple more days.  Say a little prayer that it goes away soon, my poor baby is miserable.  

 

 

 

 

 

My semi happy boy this morning

And another one bites the dust

Another 5k that is!! I finished my 3rd 5k with a time of 26:33. Not my fastest, but not my slowest. After talking to some ladies afterwards the race wasn't 3.1 miles it was 3.25. So it was definitely a little bit longer than the other 5k races I have ran. It was a bitter 8* on Saturday morning which I think made my running a little bit faster because I wanted to finish. I don't know the exact place I took because they haven't posted the results. Brandon said he tried to count and I was in the top 20. I think I was the 3rd or 4th female to finish. Only the top 2 in each age group got awards, and my age group of course is the biggest age group from 24-36years.

Here is a picture of my race day gear. I was warm once we started running.
Please don't mind the dirty mirror little hands like to touch and give themselves kisses

Saturday is another 5k but this one is underground where it is 67* all year round!! I am a bit excited about this race. Not only is it underground but it is also on the day of my birth. Everyone dreads getting older however I have learned A LOT about myself this past year. I am so much stronger than I ever thought possible. I am doing things that I thought were only dreams. I am healthier than I have ever been. I wear a size in clothes that not even in high school was I able to wear. I even wore a bikini in Mexico!! So here is to being 27 may this year be even better than last year!!

I am again testing my limits in May by doing a Warrior Dash! It is a 5k obstacle course. Here is the link http://warriordash.com/register2012_kansas.php. I am doing it with a group of amazing women. I am sure it will be a great day!!

I had hopes of doing a race a month but February is turning out to be a difficult month to find a race to run that isn't hours away. So Brandon and I discussed it and if I can't find a race in February the January 29th race is close enough to February. I also had hopes of running a marathon in May, however it was cancelled. So now I am setting my goals on running a Marathon in October. I bought Hal Higdon's book "Marthon: The Ultimate Training Guide" It's a really good book so far with lots of advice on how to train for a full marathon, not how to win but how to finish. Which of course is my only goal, and to be considered "A Marathoner."

I almost forgot today is my weigh in day....I only like to step on the scale once a week. Otherwise you become obsessed with a number, a number that doesn't mean anything. I weighed in at 141!! It could be that for the past 36 hours I couldn't hold anything down, but I am hoping that I can keep it off!! My goal for the rest of the week is to lose 2 more lbs by Sunday to be at 139 by my birthday!!

May everyone have a great full last week of January!!

Puerto Vallarta

Brandon and I had an awesome vacation to Puerto Vallarta. It was a lot of laying by the pool or the ocean. A lot of drinking margaritas, and a lot of eating!! I was proud to come home and still maintained my weight! Thank you metabolism! We knew going to Puerto Vallarta that we wanted it to be a very relaxing vacation. It was just that. The only thing we did (well Brandon didn't my mom and I did) that was scheduled was went Whale Watching.

The only thing I wanted to see Whale Watching was a whale. I would have been happy seeing A whale. Our tour guide Nikki was a 31 year old zoologist who was AMAZING!! Her parents are English and Australian. She was raised in the UK and now travels from Australia, Alaska, down to Mexico every year following the migration of the whales. She could tell you anything you wanted to know about whales. Her love of the humpback whales came through when she talked. Her face would light up when you asked her a question, there wasn't an answer she didn't know. We were lucky enough to travel down there during mating season.

Our first sighting was of two whales but she didn't like that they weren't putting on a show, so off we went looking for more. We found more....A LOT MORE!! We found a pod of 10 or so whales. She said it was likely that it was 9 males and 1 female. The males would fight and eventually the strongest one would win the female and they would mate. We saw one male come up to breach and another male hit him right in the stomach. There was blood on the fins of the whales, whales on the top of the water going absolutely crazy. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my entire life. On our way back we saw more whales breaching, a mommy, her baby, and a male escort. I felt like my trip was complete. Then a juvenile whale was playing in the water. He was breaching, floating in the water, floating on his back and flipping his tail and waving to us. Nikki said that this is probably his first year mating and he is putting on a show for the ladies.

Nikki our tour guide

The pod of whales going crazy

The juvenile whale breaching

One of our nights there we went to El Panorama an amazing restaurant on a mountain overlooking the ocean. It was absolutely breath taking. The building sits into the mountain and has floor to ceiling windows with every other window open.

Brandon and I at El Panorama

Another view from El Panorama
Puerto Vallarta's city lights from EL Panorama
Making Sexxi Coffee It was so yummy!!
El Panorama from the boardwalk

It was a very relaxing 5 days. I missed the kids and was glad to finally be home!!

I have a 5k coming up on Saturday!! Woohoo!!