Run or Dye - Green Bay

My son and I ran the Run or Dye this weekend and got covered in color! Color runs are all the rage these days.... there's The Color Run, Run or Dye, Color Me Rad, and many more. I had an absolute blast last year in Milwaukee doing The Color Run with my friend Catherine - and ever since, Brady has been wanting to do a color run. I was pretty excited when they announced that Run or Dye was coming to Green Bay this year - it's a much closer drive for us than Milwaukee! We got a great deal by registering early and Brady didn't even mind getting up early and leaving the house at 6:00 a.m. so we could arrive in Green Bay early enough to pick up our packets before the run.Yes, my kid is awesome.

The atmosphere was fun and right off the bat we had a positive experience at the store/merch booth. Brady loves wearing rubber bracelets and we wanted to buy some from the run - they have the best saying "You haven't lived until you've dyed running!". We go to get a six pack and the girl tells us they sold out the day before when they had packet pick-up (we live an hour away from GB so we did same day packet pick-up right before the run). I let her know how bummed we were and she immediately insisted upon giving us the bracelets off her own wrists - she had one of each color. I thought that was really sweet of her and decided to buy a tank top because of that, lol.

We lined up early and enjoyed the emcee and music. One thing that was different from last year's experience at The Color Run was that Run or Dye gives away a TON of free stuff. They threw out all sorts of things to the crowd, both before the run and at the after party. Bracelets, dye packets, tutus, fish net gloves, rainbow hair, t-shirts and tank tops. We managed to snag another bracelet. Here's a Vine I posted of everyone lined up at the start... I apologize for the Miley:



According to Endomondo the course was a little short - 3.01 instead of 3.1 - but that really depends on the accuracy of my app. They handed out bottles of water on the course which was odd for me, because I had to carry that bottle for the rest of my run - I prefer cups during the run and bottles for after, but I suppose it was just more convenient for them as it didn't seem like they had all that many volunteers. When I ran (okay, mostly walked) The Color Run last year the volunteers squirted us with color out of what looked like big ketchup bottles. The volunteers at Run or Dye just threw handfuls of dye at us. It did a better job of getting us covered in color but in my opinion it was more hazardous. The first color station was green, which is my son's current favorite color. I made sure to let them know as we were running by so they could get him good - when suddenly I felt a huge handful hit me right in the face. I know the colored corn starch is safe, but it still doesn't feel good to get it in your eyes and up your nose. I wore sunglasses but she got me on the left side of my face so it went behind my shades and by the time I got home I had to take out my contacts because my eyes were really red and irritated. My nose bothered me the worst though - I felt like I was breathing in corn starch the rest of the day! I know I'm being whiny about it but at the time I was really good-natured and just shrugged it off, honest.

What was strange about the course is that the first three color stations (green, blue and yellow) were really close together... and then there was a long part with just running before we hit the last station. At The Color Run they were evenly spaced. The bummer part about the last color station was that it was pale pink. The color didn't really show up at all! They should have saved a really bright color for last. A hot pink or deep purple would have been awesome. Luckily, at the after party they handed out many different color dye packets so people had a chance to turn all different colors.

I can tell I haven't really been running because Brady had to push me to take less walk breaks - normally when we run together I have to push HIM to keep running. We finished in 32 minutes which I was happy with, all things considered. We stayed at the after party for a little while, but left after the first big dye throw. I was glad I had Brady cover his nose and mouth before the throw... no matter how fun the experience is, that stuff is not fun to breathe in. The colors used for Run or Dye seemed much darker/brighter than the colors used in The Color Run last year... here's a link to my post from last year if you want to see pictures. I'm not sure if The Color Run has changed since last year, but I will find out in about a week because some co-workers are doing The Color Run (they announced they were coming to Green Bay right after I had already registered for Run or Dye).

 

Here's our after pic! We definitely ended up with a ton of green... but my back had a ton of pink and purple on it.  It was a fun time - the emcees had great personalities and did a good job of engaging the crowd. I was nitpicking throughout this post about the things I liked better about each color run - but honestly, they were both a fun time and I would recommend either one. I'm thinking I might be done with color runs for a while though... I'm a nerd and I just prefer to stay clean (even though I vow to do a mud run in 2014!). I'm hoping a cleaner run will come to Green Bay next year.... The Bubble Run, perhaps? A Foam 5K? I love the fun runs and they're a great thing to do as a family. I think the best part about getting into running is being able to involve my son as well. 

Brady and I made a Vine after the run but he got mad because I was sneaky and kissed him on the cheek at the end of it. He wanted to have a re-do with just him so here's that Vine:

Losing my Mojo

In case you haven't noticed from my lack of posts - I've lost my running mojo. I don't even know why really! After the Electric Run and around my birthday (August 7th) I just kind of... stopped running. I still participated in a run I signed up for on August 17th, and I just participated in a fun run last night - but other than that, nothing. Needless to say, since I haven't been running in a while last night was quite the challenge. Who am I kidding? Running is always a challenge for me. I do want to start trying to get into a routine again though - I really think I'll love running in the fall. Here's hoping!

For those of you wondering, I returned the TomTom Runner. It definitely had potential - I loved the look of it and the fast GPS - but I wasn't willing to wait around for the software updates for it to be the watch I wanted. I want to know lap pace, how fast I am each mile. I want a detailed website for the info (the TomTom website leaves a lot to be desired at the moment). I can't have the signal drop out when I'm running my favorite route by my house. I'm thinking of trying a Forerunner 10 next (the purple has been calling my name) but not sure when/if I'll get one. My online friend Cynthia (shout out, hey girl!) got a Forerunner recently so I'm waiting to hear her thoughts on it. Please feel free to share thoughts/opinions in the comments!

Last night was the Runnin' for 'Rissa glow run - it was to honor a sweet girl that passed away after a long battle with cystic fibrosis. This was the second annual run but the first time I participated - last year they did a color run.

I caved into peer pressure and wore the shirt they provided for the run (which I normally never do) and I will NOT do it again. It wasn't breathable at all, and obviously not moisture wicking - by the end of the run I was a sweaty HOT mess. Yuck. My mom participated in the walk/run as well - she runs at the beginning and the end and walks the rest. :) Here we are before the run.

Brady ran ahead with his friends and actually finished the run before me this time! Whenever he runs with me my time is always so much slower - but apparently his friends give him the proper motivation to get his butt in gear. He had a total blast and was running around before AND after the run too.

Here are my Endomondo stats from the run. I question the accuracy because dude - check out that second mile. I know I was trying hard but I really don't think my pace was that good! It sure felt AWESOME to hear the Endomondo lady say that though. I basically want a more accurate version of Endomondo in watch form... can I get that somewhere? :)

  

Despite the fact that I haven't been running, my time was still better than it had been when I started my running journey earlier this year. Yes, I'm still taking walk breaks so I'm really not that impressive - but I'm improving, and I'll get there someday. I'll share one more picture - it's a sweaty picture, but I'm not shy! Here's my Brady and me after the run... his isn't all sweat, I also let him pour water on his head afterwards. It was really warm despite the late hour! Couldn't have asked for better weather for the event.

 

Electric Run - Madison

Yesterday was a long but fantastic day. We got on the road early to do some shopping and visiting before arriving in Madison for the Electric Run, which was 3 hours away from us. Pete bought me my birthday present early (my b-day is Wednesday) and I'm pretty excited about it...

On the offchance that you didn't see my post from the other day - this is the TomTom Runner! I decided to try it over the Forerunner 10 because it still tracks pace/distance when you're on a treadmill, plus it's prettier and my Polar H7 heartrate monitor will connect with it too. I haven't had a chance to take it out of the packaging yet, but when I try it out I will let you know what I think!

At the halfway point of our trip we stopped to visit Pete's brother and finally see his apartment. We grabbed lunch at a fancy Italian bistro that made me feel like we were not classy enough to be there, lol. I ate half a ham panini  - no pasta for me so close to the run!

I should probably mention the BEST part of the whole thing - the night before the run Pete decided to register and do it with us! I was so excited because we've never done a run as a family before. It was pretty great to share something I enjoy so much. Here are some pictures of us before the run:

We arrived in Madison at 6:00, just in time for the beginning of the packet pick-up. That was the most disappointing part of the day - they did not have all of the shirt sizes available due to a shipping error. I was thrilled that they had women's cut shirts but they said ALL shirts ran a size small so I had ordered an XL. They didn't have them available so they said they could give me a unisex Large or I could put my name on a list to have the women's XL mailed to me. I decided to just take the unisex large... I figured I can have someone cut the sleeves and stuff and make it into a cute workout shirt. Pete ordered an XXL - both because they said the shirts ran a size small and because he has really broad shoulders so sometimes XL shirts are short on him - and they didn't have those on hand either. Pete put his name on the list to have a shirt mailed to him. For what we paid for this run I thought it was pretty bogus. We also got glow sunglasses and an LED bracelet to wear during the run.

Right away we ran into my dear friend Amandalynn, her husband Alan, and their son Dmitri. I had planned on getting a hold of them after we got our packets but small world, we crossed each others' paths first! Amandalynn is an amazing photographer and friend that I met online when I was pregnant with Brady. We were in an online community for mothers due in March 2005. We met up numerous times the first few years after we had the kids but the last time I saw her was over three years ago so it was great to see her now. The boys quickly became reaccquainted and ran off to play while the adults chatted.

Pretty soon the announcer was saying that we should line up - about an hour before our actual start time. We were just standing around chatting anyway so we didn't mind... the time went by quickly and it was fun to people watch. Some people got so wacky and creative with their ensembles! We were towards the front so I turned around and took a picture of the crowd behind me:

As you can see, it was still fairly light out so I was starting to worry that we'd be doing the run when it wasn't truly dark enough to enjoy all of the glow stuff - luckily, right when the run started it began to get dark quickly. I took a few Vine clips, but the one I did DURING the run somehow erased before I had a chance to post it. Bummer. Here is a picture that was posted on the Electric Run facebook page of my favorite part of the course (source: @leashy004):

The course was definitely the strangest I had ever been on... we ran on both pavement and dirt, and there were some decent hills as well. Some areas were really narrow and there were a few moments where we were forced to walk because we couldn't get around the people in front of us. Pete had not practiced or trained to run and hasn't run in years - but unlike me he was very athletic growing up. I still figured he would fare better than me because he always brags that he can "run like a deer", LOL. We kept a slow but steady pace with Brady and ran the first mile and a half until Pete said to go on ahead without him. At this point I was ready for a little walk break too, I just didn't want to be the one to break down first. I was ready to go before Pete and Brady and I started back up again, but Pete caught up to us at the only water station which was around the end of mile two. Brady decided he was going to chug his entire full glass of cold water and then keep running - he quickly discovered that was a bad move. He got a nasty stomach cramp and we walked a lot of the last mile because of it. Our first two miles were around 11 minutes and our last was 13 1/2. The last little bit of the run Brady gave it his all and we had around an 8:33 pace - I think all of the volunteers cheering him on helped! The volunteers on the course were almost all nice and really encouraging, giving high fives and kind words.

By the end of the run Pete was basically drenched in sweat - it was an eye opener for him about just how out of shape he was. ;) He really enjoyed himself though and said he would definitely do it again, which made me veryvery happy! I can't see him doing early morning runs though... but hopefully I can talk him into another night run! I think I may even be able to get him to go on a practice run with me, at least once. Progress is good, people!

At the end of the run they had cups of water and mini cans of Rockstar Recovery, as well as little granola bars. They also had beer/soda and food for sale at ridiculously inflated prices. Brady had a $6.50 cheeseburger, and Pete had a $6.50 chicken sandwich and a $3.50 bottle of water. I stuck with the goodies they handed out.

Here's a bad quality yet still cool picture of Brady and me after the run. I look thin in the picture so I kind of want to frame it, hahaha. They had a DJ and dance party after but we only stuck around for a bit of it because we still had a three hour drive home ahead of us. They threw out tons of glow sticks and batons but we weren't able to get any. Despite Brady's stomach cramping we all had a really fun time. Pete was thrilled with the number of people he passed up (haha) and the fact that he finished in under 40 minutes. This was a fun run so they didn't time us, but I ran Endomondo and we finished in 36:35. Again, it was really hard for me to walk with Brady when I knew I still had it in me to run - but I know I'll get my chance to give it my all at the Aurora run in a few weeks!

For those of you that want to see if this run comes near you, check out www.electricrun.com. Aside from the shirt fiasco it was a fun time!

Quick Share - Proud Mom Moment

They are finally putting pictures up from the Packers 5K - not going to share any of me because I only found one and I'm kind of in the background so... yeah. They did however post a cool action shot of my son which I'm going to share - and the best part is they offer them free to download! No purchasing the picture, or scamming it with all of the copyright stuff over the top. Sweet!

His shirt actually has tailgating Lego dudes wearing Packers jerseys, complete with brats on the grill and red Solo cups. How cute is that? I love that my son enjoys doing 5K's with me and I hope he continues being my running buddy for years to come.

Tomorrow we are road tripping it to Madison for another fun run - The Electric Run! I have been having what I think are shin splints (my right shin has been bothering me for almost two weeks now) but hopefully it won't bother me too much tomorrow. Either way, I'm going to run as much as I can (or as much as Brady is willing) and have a blast, because who doesn't love glow in the dark stuff? If anyone else is going to this run please give me a shout, I'd love to hear from you!

Packers 5K 2013

Yesterday Brady and I ran in the Packers 5K and had a great time! I have to admit... I really struggled with the fact that I had to run slow and walk more than I needed to since I ran with my son, yet I'm so glad Brady did this with me. I guess I'm more competitive than I thought! Even though it was my slowest 5K this year, it was still better than how I did last year... haha!

The weather was a huge change from last year - in 2012 I changed from capris to shorts because I was so hot before the race, this year we wore pants! The temps were in the upper 50s but luckily the rain held out... the sky looked pretty ominous though. Brady had complaints of sore legs so he was not at 100% but he did his best and most importantly had fun. I got a lot of compliments on my shirt, which I got from the shop at www.runwithjess.com a while ago. I read her blog all the time so I was happy to spread the word about it!

Here's our before and after pictures... on the left we were lined up with our wave and ready to go and on the right was after we were done - you can tell we were tired! My hair kept escaping from my ponytail during the run so I gave up on it after the run. Brady had crazy hair too (it was in a faux hawk in the morning but by evening looked like you see in the pictures) so it was okay.

The Packer tunnel was so congested with people that we HAD to walk it, but we were able to run around the field and Brady loved it. Seeing yourself on the Jumbotron is pretty flippin' cool:

In case you can't tell, Brady and I are on the left in green. My mom and my "Aunt" Leanne (technically she's my mom's first cousin, but I grew up calling her aunt) did the Packers 5K as walkers and enjoyed themselves so much they are already planning on doing it next year! I think my mom is catching the running bug a bit because she's interested in signing up for more runs this year. Either that or she's doing it for the t-shirts, I'm not sure...lol. Here's a sweet picture I took of them before the run - Leanne is on the left, and my mom is on the right.

Brady and I crossed the finish line at the same time and our official time was 38:08. By far my slowest 5K time this year but I'm trying to focus on the fact that we had FUN and I was keeping pace with Brady who wasn't feeling his best. I have my shot at improving my time when I do the Aurora run on the 17th so I'm really looking forward to that. Next weekend Brady and I have another fun run - the Electric Run in Madison, which should be awesome!

Almost forgot! I took a quick Vine video when we were running through Lambeau field... I'm going to try to post it. The Packers 5K is an awesome experience and a run I would recommend to anyone - we'll probably do it again next year. This year they had 5,948 finishers!

Progress!

I've been having what feels like ups and downs with my running, but oddly my times have been pretty consistent. I ran on Monday before work and actually felt kinda great - seemed like my walk breaks were getting shorter and even though my breathing wasn't the best, I didn't feel like I was struggling as much with it as I normally do.

I ran today and it did not feel easy at all. My legs felt good, but it was already humid out (at 6:something a.m.) and my breathing was terrible. I felt like I was taking really long walk breaks - but yet my average pace per mile was 10:13 on Monday and 10:19 today. Not a huge difference. I'm kinda baffled... I know I have improved from where I started but now I feel like I'm stuck. I want to be able to run without walk breaks - will I ever get there??? Will it ever stop being so HARD?

In other news, I have been doing well with eating better. The new job helps to give me some structure to my eating habits and it also helps me with my water intake. Most days this week I have drank around 120 ounces of water which is awesome for me! I doubt I will drink as much on my days off, but if I can stick to at least 80 ounces I'll be happy. I know drinking a lot of water is good for metabolism, weight loss, the whole shebang so I'm all for it. I haven't completely gotten away from the drink packets yet, but I try to only use them for one 20 oz. serving. I usually do the True Lemon (no aspartame!) but I also like the Great Value Energy in the Grape flavor (boo, aspartame).

We are in desperate need of groceries at the house but we just haven't had time to do any major shopping this week. I've been running to Wal-Mart before work (it's basically across the street from where I work, which is both a good and bad thing) and getting their $3 salads for lunch and some oatmeal for breakfast. So I do oatmeal, salad for lunch, and a sensible dinner. Even if it's not the healthiest dinner, I just try to watch how much I eat. Yesterday, Brady and I went out for ice cream to celebrate the holiday weekend starting (I've got today AND Friday off, nice!) and we both got Playdough (blue moon with cookie dough in it). Afterwards I felt really ICK and I'm thinking it's because I've been eating so well that I've detoxed my body of junk - which is a pretty exciting thought.

Today for breakfast I ate two pieces of toast with PB2. It was my first time trying the PB2 - for those of you that don't know what it is, it's a powdered peanut butter. You mix it with water and it's a lot better for you than regular peanut butter. I was kind of afraid it would be gross, but I really liked it! Definitely recommend it, and Wal-Mart is selling it now so it isn't hard to find like it used to be.

I saw a good number on the scale this morning - I'm not going to get excited until I keep seeing it for a while, or unless it keeps getting lower. I know how weight can fluctuate. I was 174 at my highest this winter, and I saw 164.4 today! I had been seeing 166 more consistently so I'm still counting that as my weight for now... like I said, I don't like to get too excited lol. But the scale is moving and I could not be happier - I need to stick with it, last summer I was 155 and I need to get back to that so I can fit in all of my clothes again and not be forced to buy new ones! I'm 5'10", for those of you that may be wondering.

Here's a picture of my pretty mom and I from the wedding I attended last weekend:

The dress was very forgiving as my stomach is where my weight problem is and you can't tell too badly in the pictures. Note my Fitbit Flex in the picture - it didn't really go with the dress but I couldn't leave it home. I'm addicted! My cousin Jeremy (now happily married) posted manymany pictures on Facebook of his special day, and here's one of the back of Pete and me:

The older I get the more I could care less about what anyone thinks about my pale skin. I embrace my pasty! I have never been in a tanning bed and I doubt I ever will. The sun gives me freckles so I avoid it. I don't even mess with the fake tanning stuff because it's messy and just seems like too much trouble. I went for a spray tan once and it didn't turn out well. So don't be afraid to be who you are - and if you're pasty like me, just think about how awesome we'll look when we're older next to all of our wrinkly friends who went tanning too much. Muahahaha.

So who has exciting plans for the 4th? Pete has to work so we're not making any lol. Brady is going to be in the parade with his baseball team (I think, they are rather disorganized) and I babysit Chloe tonight so she'll watch the fireworks with us. The kiddo has his last baseball tournament on Saturday morning, but other than that no plans! Just to stay home and catch up on housework, maybe have a bonfire. I hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend!

Chicago and Running While Sick

We are back from our mini-vacation to Chicago! We saw a lot in a few short days and had a great time. Shamefully I didn't take advantage of the fitness room at our hotel but we walked miles every day so at least I was being somewhat active. On Saturday, Pete and I both had sore throats... we were wondering if it was due to our hotel room being really dry - but Sunday they were even worse. Spent four hours in a car driving home and by the time we got back I was straight up miserable. Luckily Pete felt better yesterday and went to work, but I'm still feeling like total yuck. My sore throat is gone, but I feel like my head has 100 pounds of snot in it and I've got the whole coughing/sneezing/runny nose going on.

Sunday was spent in the car and laying around. Yesterday wasn't much better. I'm still sick today but I said enough was enough - I had to get off my butt and do something. I have a 5K coming up on Saturday that I've done no preparation for and laying around obviously isn't making me feel better, so I decided to try going for a run.

I did more walking than running, it was hot out and I forgot to bring tissues with me so by the time I got home I was a sweaty, snotty mess. It wasn't a pretty run but I am so glad I did it. I listened to an audiobook instead of music and I really enjoyed that. I changed up the route I took and was happy to see that it ends up being a 5K! So I've got another practice route mapped out now.

I start my new job tomorrow. I'm really nervous. Not about the work itself, I know I can handle that - just meeting new people. It's a small clinic, will they like me? Will I like them? I hope so. I'm also hoping I feel better because having a leaky nose all day is not going to make a great first impression.

I'm choosing not to go into a lot of details about the Chicago trip... mostly because I don't feel well but partly because I don't want to bore you. We went to the Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum (home of Sue, the T-Rex), The Museum of Science and Industry (Brady LOVED it), Navy Pier (yes, we rode the ferris wheel!) and Willis Tower. We also went to some awesome food places - Bob Chinns, Bubba Gumps, Portillos (I had a chicago style hot dog!) and the Billy Goat tavern (made famous from an old SNL skit). I'll leave you with a picture of Pete, Brady and me on the Skydeck Ledge at Willis Tower...

So readers - please comment! I feel like nobody is out there but my page is getting traffic so I've just got quiet people coming by. Which is fine, but it'd be cool to meet other runners/bloggers so don't be shy! How many of you listen to audiobooks while running instead of music? Want to share an experience you had running while sick?

Wolverine 5K

So the Wolverine 5K is in the books, and I actually BEAT my Cellcom 5K time! I'm so thrilled! It started off kind of stressful this morning - I didn't have time to blow dry my hair so I just put it up wet, but I managed to eat some oatmeal before my mom came to pick us up. Brady had a Pop Tart, lol. When we got to the run (which is at the high school) I was surprised at the fact that there wasn't many people there despite it being an annual thing. We had pre-registered so we picked up our shirts and put them in the car. There was just a clock at the start/finish, no chip to wear so I started my Endomondo app to check the accuracy of the course and keep an eye on my time.

Here's a picture of Brady and me before the race (isn't he cute with his freckles) wearing our blue and gold (school colors). Since there wasn't many people there and a lot of the people that WERE there were walkers, Brady and I lined up towards the front. I started my Endomondo app as I crossed the start and shoved it in my FlipBelt. My mom actually started off running with us and ran til we hit the end of the school parking lot.

Brady impressed me from the start - there was no whining or complaining like he usually does lol! I kept cheering him on and encouraging him to at least run the entire first mile. The water station (which was headed by all the girls I used to work with) was RIGHT before the one mile mark so that's where we stopped. I took water but it didn't go down easy. Brady took water and then started right back up again. He got ahead of me because I started alternating running/walking. I didn't want to lose sight of him so I kept pushing myself to keep moving.

Soon enough I figured out why Brady kept moving - he wanted to catch up with his friend Seth. Eventually he did and together they ran the whole thing! SO proud of my boy. We hit a hill and I was walking when a truck pulled up next to me - it was our friend Nick and his wife Kerry and he just looks at me and says "Start running!". I laughed and told him to shut up - I was tired, he's a freaking Marine and his wife is superfit and gorgeous - easy for them to say! He said it again, smiled at me and drove away. I smiled to myself and yep, started to run again. Ran all the way up that stupid (smallish) hill. I didn't stop at the water station on the way back but Brady did, and this was where I pulled ahead of him.

When I crossed the finish the clock read 33:07 and a nice volunteer was ready with a cold bottle of water or gatorade. I took a big drink and realized I never stopped the app on my phone, doh! So I pulled it out of my FlipBelt and stopped it at 33:21. Even if I went by that time I still beat my previous 5K so I'm super happy. I lingered by the finish to get a picture of Brady and his friend when they arrived. He crossed at 34:13, I was really impressed!

The kids got plastic medals and immediately went to check out the food table. They had a great selection - bagels as big as the kids' heads, sliced oranges, bananas, apples, fruit snacks, more water/gatorade - it was awesome! I sat by Brady and his friends under some trees to wait for my mom. She was walking with some ladies she knew and I finally spotted her and started cheering her on. That got her going and she talked her friend into running the last bit.

That's my mom in the tank top, smiling and wearing the same exact shoes as me (she's not even a runner but when she saw my Brooks Ravenna shoes she had to buy them too because she loves purple). She crossed the finish in 43:17 so she beat her time from the Firetower Run she did last September! I could tell she was pretty happy about that.

I still have a long way to go before I'll be able to run an entire 5K without walk breaks - but I'm improving and that is a HUGE motivator. This run got Brady more enthused about doing the Packer 5K and the Electric Run so I'm thrilled about that!

I tried out a new sock for this run - The Feetures! Elite Light Cushion No Show Tab. I LOVE them. Most ankle socks slide down during my runs and then my shoe starts to rub and irritate me, but these are made longer in the back so that doesn't happen. I would buy TONS of them but they're kinda pricy.

Registered for yet another 5K!

Today I registered Brady and myself for the Packers 5K in July. This was my first 5K experience last year and it was also my first DNF... technically I didn't even start! I had stomach issues that entire day and I think I ended up really dehydrated - we were lined up to start and I felt like I was going to pass out so I went and sat on the ground before I did. I ended up not running, it sucked. I cried. I blogged about it, if you want to check the archives.

But this year I'm going to do it with Brady and it's going to be awesome. I signed us up for Wave 4 - 11:00 minute plus mile runners. I didn't want to sign up as a walker because I do want to run as much of it as I can. I think Brady will get such a kick out of running around Lambeau Field! I have two months to get better at this whole running thing, and to get Brady enthused about it as well. Here's hoping!

I worked up a good sweat on the treadmill yesterday - mostly fast walking with a bit of running but I did it for just over an hour and went over 5 miles. I was doing it while watching my tv shows so I could hit my 10,000 steps for the day... say what you want but a Fitbit is motivating! It rained all day yesterday so by 5:30 I had only walked about 2,500 steps and that was unacceptable. Ended the day with over 11,000 - much better.

Here's a picture of me at the Cellcom 5K (my chip time was 36:37) - sorry about the proof, all credit goes to MarathonFoto haha. This girl can't afford to buy the picture, seeing as I'm currently jobless and any spare money goes to registering for more 5Ks. The other two pictures of me were gross, but on the plus side they were very motivational in making me want to eat better because I looked huge and sweaty. This picture is sweet though - check it out, I'm running on air! Haha!

Bike Ride and a 5K Addiction???

Brady got a new bike this week - his friend Aiden has a mountain bike and Brady decided he wanted one too. He even saved his birthday money and paid for half of it! So he is the proud owner of this sweet ride:

He was really excited to go for a decent bike ride instead of just riding around the yard and driveway... so today I talked Pete into going with us. Brady and I got a head start and it didn't take long to find out why - Pete grabbed Jordy (our dog) so he could come with us too! We have a little creek about a mile and a half away from our house so he could stop for a drink, but by the end of our ride he was pretty worn out. I wanted to keep a good pace so I ended up leaving the boys in the dust on the way back... oops. We did just over 5 miles in all, not a very long ride but it had some hills! Pete said he felt the burn in his legs which made me happy.

I was afraid the bike would be a bit big for Brady yet but he is loving it and cruising around like a crazy boy. I got a gel cover for my seat so my flabby rear was a lot more comfortable on this ride than it was on our last! I definitely see more biking in our future. I love our dog but next time I think we'll leave him home so we can take a longer ride.

I've registered for another 5K. The 2nd Annual Jim Hodge Memorial Run.... they are having a 5K and a 10K. When Catherine first mentioned it I had declined because Pete's family reunion is that day. But I decided if I do the 5K and come home right after we will have plenty of time to get to the reunion. Why did I sign up? Because Catherine will be doing it with me and she is a great motivator. Brady will be with me on a few of the runs I've registered for this year and he gets tuckered out easily so I won't be able to go as fast as I'd like to (like I'm so fast, haha). I'm trying to get the boy to train a bit with me but the few times we've gone out he's gotten bored right away so I don't know how that will work out. I wanted another run where I could try to push myself to do better, so that's where the Jim Hodge Run comes in. It's a small local race so it won't have the excitement of the Packers 5K or the Cellcom, but I know it will still be a fun time. Let's just hope I'm not last!

Boston and the weather

Before I say anything else, I just want to say that my heart goes out to those in Boston that were affected by today's tragedy. I can't believe that a person/people are capable of something so senseless... it's tragic. For those that may not have heard what happened, check out the following article here - but be warned, some of the pictures are rather graphic.

Events like this just make you want to hug your kids a bit tighter. Brady came home from school and asked if we could take a walk together since the weather is actually decent so I jumped at it - ever since he turned 8 a few weeks ago he hasn't wanted to spend a lot of quality mother/son time... it's been all about daddy. We dug out Jordy's leash and I used my phone to map a route and we went 3.16 miles. It was definitely a leisurely walk - it took us nearly an hour! Jordy wanted to sniff everything in sight and we stopped whenever a car drove by. It was crisp and cool with a strong breeze but the sun was shining and it felt wonderful. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice too, but after that the temps are supposed to drop again and we're supposed to have more rain/snow mix. I'm SICK of this never-ending WI winter. Bring on spring!

This is what our yard looks like right now. I am definitely ready for the rest of that snow to melt... but at least the sun is out!

P.S. Finally got on the BlogLovin' band wagon. Can't believe it took me so long - love their app so I can read posts from the blogs I follow on my iPhone/iPad!

Electric Run

I've signed up for my first 2013 run! It's on August 3rd (the weekend before my birthday) so I have plenty of time to get in shape - but this run is a family friendly run, so I actually signed Brady up for it as well and we'll just go at whatever pace he can handle. He wanted to come along on my runs last year and was totally bummed about missing the Color Run, so I told him we could do this one together.


It's the Electric Run in Madison, WI and it looks totally awesome! Check out this video:

How fun is that? My March mom friend Amandalynn lives in the area and she will be attending the run with her family as well, so I'm looking forward to meeting up with them. Anyone else in the area interested in this? Sign up and let me know that you're going!

Relay for Life

Yesterday my mom, my son Brady, and I did the Relay for Life walk. My mom found a lump in her breast when she was 27 and was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 28. She had a lumpectomy done on her right breast, which was more like a partial mastectomy, and also had to get radiation. At age 49, they found cancer in her right breast again during a routine mammogram. We convinced her to be proactive and get a double mastectomy done, and it ended up being a good decision because they ended up finding cancer in the left breast as well.

Mom had decided against reconstructive surgery the first time around, and lived 20+ years with two different sized breasts. Since she was getting the double mastectomy this time she opted to go with reconstruction. Due to the radiation done to the right side in the past, the skin had trouble healing and she ended up with numerous problems and infections. She had to get a latissimus dorsi flap reconstruction done (you can learn about that here: http://www.prma-enhance.com/index.cfm/PageID/1757) and is still recovering. Mom went through about five surgeries in all, and has gone through a lot of physical and emotional issues as a result. She says if she could do it all over again she would have opted not to have reconstruction, but she is just grateful to still be here with us.

When she asked us to do the walk with her, I agreed without hesitation. It's a great cause, I've participated in the past, and I knew it would mean a lot to my mom to have us with her. Not to mention the fact that I'm working on my fitness and extra walking will do me some good.

The DJ at the event played lots of good music and we walked at a brisk pace for two hours. They had a bouncy house for the kids and Brady had a blast and made a new friend. It was a great evening, and we would have stayed longer if it weren't for mom's sore foot and the mountain of homework waiting for me at home.

My legs are definitely sore today, but I expected that because I had also done the C25K earlier. I'm hoping the soreness will go away by morning because I really want to tackle W1D3! But for today the only thing I will be tackling is massive amounts of homework. Remind me never to take summer accelerated classes ever again.

 

 Mom and Brady - Relay for Life