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Sunday, June 16, 2013

Jim Hodge Run

Apologies for being absent lately - I started the new job this week and have been battling this cold so it's mostly work, eat, Brady's baseball games, sleep. I went for one more run last week and only went two miles. I went after work, and I stand all day with my new job so my legs were sore and generally I just prefer running in the mornings so I was all off kilter. I was still stuffed up and to top it all off Jordy (our dog) decided to come along and didn't cooperate like he normally does. I kept him off leash and he stayed by me UNTIL a car came by, then he'd wander and I'd have to go after him, ugh. So I packed it in early but was still glad I made the attempt.

Yesterday was the Jim Hodge Memorial 5K, all proceeds going to help patients with lung conditions. I didn't have high expectations for this race. My cold has improved quite a bit but I don't feel back to normal, I'm still blowing my nose and coughing. One of my new co-workers was running this race as well (her first!) so I found her before start time and wished her good luck. Catherine and I took a short walk before the run and then we lined up. It was a small but enthusiastic group, and according to our sign-up info the 10K was to start at 9:30 and the 5K at 9:35. So when everyone began to line up we weren't sure if we should wait or what? Someone was talking on a microphone but you could hardly hear him so we weren't sure what was going on. It seemed like everyone in the small crowd was lining up so finally we just did. Good thing to because they changed it and had everyone start at the same time.



Catherine wasn't sure if she was going to run this one with me or not... she started off with me and then quickly pulled ahead so that was my answer - go Catherine go! I brought my mp3 player and decided to go with my "Rockish" playlist, a good move on my part. Sevendust's "Face to Face" and Garbage "Hammering in My Head" are two songs that pumped me up and stick out from the run.

I felt tired quickly but nobody around me was stopping so I didn't want to stop either. I ran the first mile and was thrilled when the automated Endomondo voice said I ran it in 9:21! Just imagine if I could keep that pace for all three miles, I'd be thrilled! But at that point my breathing sucked something awful so I took a walk break. Hit the first water station and took a very small drink. Kept walking and then a girl passed me and said "Good job!" which I thought was encouraging and nice so it made me start running again. We passed a gentleman taking pictures and I know he got one of me, so we'll see if that ends up getting posted on their website!

I love (hate) this sport and want to stick with it so badly because I love the atmosphere and camaraderie of races. I love how I feel when I improve my time. Right now I'm getting passed up by grandmothers so someday I want to be the grandmother passing up the 30 year-olds, haha. I kept trucking along, one street had pretty chewed up pavement and potholes so I took it easy there. On the final street I was right near the girl that said "good job" and an older gentleman with a red shirt. I knew I was getting close to the end so I was excited and tried to pick up the pace again. Catherine (who had finished in 24:24, that speed demon lol) found me and started to run with me as encouragement. I took a tinytiny walk break to catch my breath (like, from one tree to the next) and then saw the finish line so picked up the pace. I sprinted the final little bit and crossed - a guy said my time and I kinda blanked out after I heard the 32 part because I knew I had beat my Wolverine time so that made me happy! I was horribly out of breath (this is my biggest issue with running, I need to work on my stamina/endurance) so grabbed a water bottle and took a walk. Then I remembered to shut off my Endomondo app (I keep it in my Flipbelt and always turn it off late). When I shut it off it said I went 3.19 miles in 32:44. Since the race was so small I'm not sure if they will be posting the official times on their site but I hope they do, I want to know!

(Update: They finally posted the results and my time was 32:35.79. I finished 56 out of 173 people. Catherine was 16th!)

I ran into my new co-worker who said she finished in 37 minutes and was so happy she cried when she saw the finish line, how cool is that? Catherine and I grabbed a banana and orange slice from the food offered (I skipped the cookies, go me!) and decided to take a longer walk - we got caught in the rain. We knew it was going to rain at some point, the sky had been gloomy all morning - but at least it held off for the race! We were walking in a big loop so just kept going and finished it out. After the race I went to Pete's family reunion and walked around a bit more - finished the day taking 17,053 steps according to my Flex. Not bad!

I also watched Chloe yesterday evening so the guys could go fishing and I was so glad they got home when they did - I was ready to drop. I fell asleep in .00002 seconds.

So, the new job. I am not supposed to talk about it in social media so I can't really say too much. In fact, after this entry I won't be mentioning specifics at all. I don't mind the work I'm doing, I'm catching on fast -  but there's a lot of negativity in the clinic so that makes for a tough environment to be around. I'm hoping it is just a phase, they are adjusting to some changes so hopefully it will get better? I also have a few other issues but again, can't really talk about it (sorry). Let's just say I'm a little disappointed, but it's early so maybe things will change. Have to think positive, right? I have a job, woo! I was only unemployed for 2 months, I'm lucky compared to some!

On my second day of work the director of the new community/fitness center in my town called me for an interview! They are filling three shifts for front desk staff and the 4:30-1:00 shift sounded perfect for me. I'd be home by the time Brady gets home from school, every day! How awesome would that be? I'd probably get to work out there for free! But then I found out that they basically pay minimum wage and have no benefits so I thanked her for calling and declined. Right now I travel 30 minutes to get to work and going to the new community/fitness center would maybe take 5, but saving gas money still wouldn't make the change in pay worth it. I'd be working more hours to make what I make in 3 days/week at my current job. It just didn't seem like the right move to make right now, but it still made me sad.

I just realized what time it is - I am taking my dad out to breakfast for Father's Day so I need to get rolling! Have a good day everyone, and Happy Father's Day to all of the worthy dads out there!

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