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:

Getting Back On The Fitness Train

My fitness train derailed and I desperately need to get it back on track. Aside from the runs that I've registered for, I haven't done any running at all. Or much else in the way of being active. I've really caught up on some reading, but that doesn't keep me in shape so I guess it's nothing to brag about.

Brady and I have the Run or Dye this weekend, and it's the last run I've registered for this year. There are a few I'm thinking about doing yet (the Fall Frolic in October, for example) but I think there's a chance I may be done with 5K's for 2013.

Don't panic! Just because I'm done with registering for 5K's this year does NOT mean I am done with running or staying active. We have our awesome treadmill in the house and the fall TV season is starting so I will be logging a lot of miles on that bad boy while watching my shows. I may not always run those miles, but even a brisk walking pace will make me sweat when I keep it up for an hour-long show. I want to start utilizing my Fitbit again and work harder on hitting those 10,000 steps/day. I want to work on my cardiovascular fitness so I can get my dang breathing under control when I run - because I'm going to OWN some 5K's next year.

I also found my next GPS watch and I need to work hard on my fitness before I can allow myself to buy it... but check out this video:
                     


The Forerunner 620 is too much watch for me... but that 220? It WILL be mine. I'm so excited about it I can hardly contain it. It has everything I want in a watch, and more that I hadn't thought of. This is the techie-nerd side of me coming out but I can't help it. Who knows? Janae, also known as The Hungry Runner Girl recently mentioned that she'll be doing a review and giveaway soon so maybe I'll be lucky enough to win one! ;) Either way, that watch is totally in my future.

I'm confident that I can get back into fitness because I have an excellent challenge coming up next month to help me stay on track. Jess from the awesome blog Run With Jess came up with a Virtual Ride to fight breast cancer! As readers probably know, my mom is a 2X breast cancer survivor so when Jess posted about this back in August I immediately knew I was going to do it. I ordered a medal and just received it in the mail - and it would be pretty awful to have this beautiful medal without EARNING it, so I have many things holding me accountable here which is exactly what I need to keep me on course. The challenge is to bike 50K in the month of October. That's 31 miles. You can do a mile a day, or you can do all 31 in a single day, or any other variation that suits you - as long as you finish it in the month of October. Here's a link to learn more about it - doesn't it sound fun? When you finish you can be entered into a drawing for prizes - bonus! I'm excited to do this to honor my mom. If any of you readers are interested in doing this with me, please leave a comment - I would love to hear from you!

What I keep telling myself lately is that it is okay to get off track... as long as you don't let it derail you completely. I'm not going to let myself get depressed about the fact that I haven't been running. If I haven't felt like running lately, maybe it just means I need to do a different activity for a while. Bike rides or long walks with Brady are things I can do that will keep me active and healthy. I will get back in the running groove when I'm ready - I know this because even though running is never "easy" for me, I love how it makes me feel. In the mean time I will just focus on activities I feel excited about, like this upcoming virtual ride and taking walks with Brady so we can check out the leaves changing colors. What do you guys do to get motivated after a slump?

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.

 

Still Torn About The TomTom Runner

I got a chance to take the TomTom out on another run yesterday... the best part? PETE actually came on the run with me! I'm not making this up! He wanted to get more sleep so we started about 1 1/2 hours after I wanted to - but he learned pretty quick that he shouldn't have done that because it was hot and we ran in full sun which sucks. I much prefer the cooler early morning runs. Unfortunately I have no photographic evidence that Pete ran with me because I think he would have been angry if I had taken a picture of him breathing heavy and sweating profusely... so yeah, just avoided it.

Now I'm not the most coordinated person so I didn't spend my entire (short) run looking at the watch, but I'm happy to report that it didn't drop signal this time - at least, not for any significant length of time. Here is the watch results vs. Endomondo:

 So there you have it - still a distance difference but not as huge as the first time I used the watch. I know that watches are supposed to be more accurate because they use GPS satellites vs. cell towers - but I've used Endomondo in multiple 5Ks and it has always been accurate? For the Wolverine 5K it was a perfect 3.1... at the Electric Run last week Endomondo said it was 3.09. It measured the Ella run as longer but everyone stated it was longer than a 5K and someone had a map on MapMyRun that stated it was longer as well. I know I'm not fast so the watch is probably more accurate but I don't want to give up Endomondo. I like the lady telling me "one mile in 9 minutes blah blah seconds" and I like how the app shows my pace for each mile. The TomTom doesn't let you set up intervals (although it's rumored that we will be able to in a future update).

I've been leaning towards returning it but I'm still on the fence. Honestly, I'm going to carry my phone on my runs no matter what. I'm klutzy and I don't want to end up in a ditch with a broken ankle and no phone. So why do I need the expensive watch?  I decided I needed to try it out with my treadmill to see the accelerometer feature.

I haven't been on my treadmill in ages - what for, when it's so nice outside? But I live in Wisconsin so I NEED that treadmill, because this girl won't run in the snow. I always feel like I'm running faster than what the treadmill says I am so that bugs me, lol. I set the treadmill on an incline of 2 and set the speed at 5mph. Which is a 12 minute mile... yet feels at least as fast as I run outside and I run around a 10 minute mile on average outside so UGH I just don't understaaaand lol.

Why such a short run? Well, I have a clear holder on my treadmill to hold my iPad and I kinda banged into it while adjusting the volume, which made it hit a button and stop my workout. That totally pissed me off and I decided I was over it for today. Since it shut off my workout I don't have a screen shot of the treadmill screen - but if I had the treadmill set at 5mph that's a 12 minute/mile pace, correct? So why is my TomTom Runner saying I was running an almost 9 minute/mile pace? Is it just THAT inaccurate? Does my treadmill need to be calibrated? Is it a combination of both? I wouldn't know the first thing about calibrating a treadmill so if you do, please share. The watch has a feature at the end of the treadmill workout to calibrate it to the "known" distance, but I'm not sure where the treadmill was at so I left it as is. I know the last time I checked the distance on the treadmill, it was less than the watch. Looks like this first attempt was a bust and I should probably attempt it again.

So where am I at right now? Well, I'm going to Green Bay today and I had wanted to make my decision on the watch by now so I could return it if necessary (I live about an hour away so I don't go there that often). However, I might have to hang onto it for a while... I still don't know. Should I try running with a different app and the watch? I've always been meaning to try Runkeeper. Does someone want to come over and calibrate our treadmill? LOL I just want to know what the most accurate numbers are! I have a feeling I will never know and I'll just give up in frustration because I'm too dumb to figure all of this out.

Any suggestions, thoughts, opinions?? PLEASE share! Help, lol!

First Run w/the TomTom Runner - Uh Oh...

I attempted my first run with my new GPS watch this morning and came home disappointed. Everything was great for the first half mile, but when I turned onto a different street it continued to record time but not distance. I thought GPS satellites were awesome, and the only time it couldn't get a signal was when it's in a tunnel or something? When I reached the end of the street it started recording distance again but by then it said my pace was ridiculously slow - don't get me wrong, I'm slow, but not THAT slow. So why did this happen? I'm hoping it's a fluke, I'm going to go for another run on Thursday I think and I'll take the same route so we'll see what happens then.

This is the road where it didn't record distance on the way down, but it did on the way back... hmm.

As you can see, there are a lot of trees on both sides of the road once you get farther down there but that really shouldn't affect GPS satellites, right? I did run my trusty Endomondo app as well - proven to be accurate because I've used it in multiple 5K runs. Here are the final results:

My adorable watch says I only went 2.31 miles. I beg to differ.

I stopped the app at 3.1 on purpose and walked the last little bit to the house. I was SO close to getting it in under 30 minutes (yes, still taking a few short walk breaks too). The watch and app are off by 5 seconds but that's because I started Endomondo first, shoved my phone into my Flipbelt and then started the watch. I will try to start them at the exact same time on my next attempt.

I'm really hoping this was a one-time thing because I'll be bummed out if I have to return the watch. I will let you know how things go after my next attempt! If anyone has a logical explanation for this feel free to share as I'm still new to using running tech.

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!

Birthday Gift

After lusting after GPS watches for months, I think I have finally made a decision as to which watch I'm going to get. Since I'm turning 31 in a week, Pete will probably get it for me for my birthday as he has no idea what else to get me (after 13 years how can he NOT know??? lol) so that makes it even better.

If you're one of the lurkers readers of my blog, you know that I've been wanting a Garmin Forerunner 10 - and when they released it in purple I had my heart set on that color. As we all know I'm not a very advanced runner at all so I just need something basic. One of the main reasons why I didn't take the plunge and purchase the watch was because I live in Wisconsin. Some people run with snow on the ground - I'm not one of them. We got a treadmill so we can stay active when it's snowy and icy outside. A GPS watch isn't going to be very useful when you're on a treadmill.

That's where the TomTom Runner comes in. It is more expensive than the Forerunner 10 ($169.99 vs. $129.99) but there are some important factors that make the price difference okay for me. The first thing is that it has Bluetooth - I can pair my Polar H7 heart rate monitor with it. VERY cool, I wouldn't be able to do that with the Forerunner 10... I would have to buy a more expensive Garmin with a different HRM included, or wear my Polar FT7 watch to get my heart rate. Two watches at once? No thanks. Another big plus for me is the fact that the TomTom has an accelerometer, so it will still give me distance and average pace even if I'm on a treadmill. The awesome DC Rainmaker did an in-depth review on the TomTom (if you are a runner into tech stuff and are NOT reading his blog, you need to start - it's the best, period) and he found that the TomTom was pretty accurate on the treadmill as long as you maintained a consistent pace. I'm cool with that as I'm pretty much incapable of sprinting at this point, haha.

I'm not going to lie - another factor is the fact that the TomTom is just prettier than the Forerunner 10. It is. Check this out:

TomTom has also announced that they will be coming out with different bands that you can purchase for the watch. Wide/slim options and different colors. So I can color coordinate it with my outfits? Whaaa? That's music to a girl's ears, people.

There are negatives to the watch. According to reviews, the website sucks. It doesn't give nearly enough data and it's just clunky and basically beta, which is pretty lame because they should have had that figured out *before* the release date. But TomTom has great customer service, they are listening (and responding) to the needs of the customers and have already been making improvements to the firmware and are in the process of making website improvements as well. This isn't a huge issue for me because you can export your files and load them almost anywhere - even the Garmin Connect website, if you want. The big negative for me is that it doesn't give lap pace right now - just an average. I want to see if I ran 8:30 the first mile, 8:15 the second... yes, I'm dreaming LOL. From what I hear/read this will be coming down the pike, so I'm cool with waiting a bit.

More positives for the watch - the GPS locator is crazyfast. You don't have to wait minutes for it to locate you before you can start your run... I should be able to walk to the end of my driveway and just start running. The fact that the watch is Bluetooth compatible has me hoping that eventually it could be paired with phones - how cool would that be? They haven't announced if this will be happening but a lot of people are talking about it so hopefully TomTom is listening. The watch has a 10 hour battery with GPS on, which is TWICE as much as the Forerunner 10. With the GPS off the watch will last 60 days between charges, if you're inclined to wear the watch as an everyday watch.

They have a Multisport version of the watch for those of you that want something for swimming and cycling as well - that one is priced at $199.99. They also have ones for sale with heart rate monitors included, for a higher cost. For a beginner runner like me, the positives outweigh the negatives and I'm willing to take a chance on this new watch. Once I get it and have a chance to test it out a bit I'll let you know what I think!

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!

Veronica Mars = LoVe

Generally on my blog I write about running and my never ending mission to be a healthier person. Today, I wanted to share this image:

Saw this on ONTD and had to spread the love. They need to come out with some high quality stills of this and make them into wallpapers because I will totally put that on my computer. Yes, I'm one of the 91,000+ Kickstarter backers for the Veronica Mars movie. Loved the show, I'm sure I'll love the movie, and I'll be reading the two books that come out after the movie as well. I probably shouldn't admit to this, but Pete woke up this morning to find me watching the first sneak peek from the movie with tears streaming down my face. I cry when I'm happy, I can't help it! I'm a sucker for my favorite TV shows. Can't WAIT to see the surprises that will pop up in the movie that they haven't shared!

In case you were wondering, here's a meager update on my running: I went two miles today. Aside from the Ella Run, it was my first time out in two weeks. It was super rough and was struggling the whole time but felt very good about myself when I was done. Time to get back on track. Loving the WI weather today - wishing this weather would stay, hoping the humidity doesn't come back!

Ella Smetana Memorial Run

I've been a bad girl. I haven't been eating as well since the holiday... I do pretty well on the days I work, but on my days off not so much. I hate humidity so I often use that excuse to avoid my running. Normally I wake up really early so the humidity isn't so bad - but I haven't been sleeping well lately so when my alarm goes off I stay in bed. None of this makes me feel good about myself but I'm being honest... I just haven't been feeling it lately.

Before today, my last run was July 7th - six days ago. I only made it 1.57 miles and finished the rest of my route walking. I had been taking too many walk breaks during the running portion and just didn't feel up to it so I bailed. It sucked.

Today was the Ella Smetana Memorial Run/Walk to honor a little girl who died of cancer. I very briefly entertained the thought of not doing this run because I've been so off routine lately, but then I realized that was awful and I needed to suck it up. A sweet girl died of cancer and damn it, even if I had to walk the whole thing I was going to do it - all proceeds from the run go to the American Cancer Society which is really important to me. So I woke up this morning, got my gear on and hit the road.

It was only $12 to sign up for this run and I got a t-shirt (white with pink tie-dye), granola bar, drink packet and an herbal foot soak sample, which I thought was pretty generous considering the low cost! At the finish there was water and Gatorade, orange slices and bananas, cookies and bagels - the usual spread but a nice selection.

This was considered a fun run, no timing chips - just a lady with a stop watch at the finish shouting out times. I used my Endomondo app and my time was consistent with her watch so that's good enough accuracy for me! I started off not knowing how I was going to do or what to expect. I took my first walk break just before the first mile marker - I definitely felt more fatigued than usual - but I did my first mile in 9:30 so that was a pleasant surprise. The second mile sucked because we were running directly into the sun and I do NOT do well running in hot weather. I run at 4:30-5:30 in the morning to avoid the sun, lol.... so this was brutal for me. Lots of running/walking/running/walking. I have been known to pass out on hot summer days (I passed out on a person in church once) so I made sure to hit both water stations and not push myself too hard.

I hate being passed though, so that kept me motivated lol. My friend Catherine and her buddy Matt met me towards the end to cheer me on and keep me going - but I still walked quite a bit at the very end because like I said, passing out would NOT be cool. The run was longer than a 5K which was frustrating for me but I actually STILL beat my last 5K time even though this run was 3.27 miles! What the heck! I'm still getting consistently better even though this last week was full of fail. Here's my stats:

 

Needless to say, this was pretty awesome. Even though the run was really hard for me I am STILL showing improvement - and what better motivation is that to stick with it? My next two 5Ks I'm doing with my son, so that will definitely affect my speed but I still want to practice as much as I can to keep improving my stamina/endurance. The picture on the left was my view after the run.... not bad!

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!

My Week: Work, Baseball, Babysit, Work, Baseball... you get it.

Yesterday I went on my first run in an entire week - it was rough but I'm glad I finally got out there. During the week I had various excuses to NOT run (mostly working every day - the job is getting better btw) and one day I even made it 1/4 mile but thunder and lightening made me cut it short. Evening runs don't work for me because of Brady's baseball games and babysitting Chloe... which is fine because I prefer running in the morning anyway.

For the most part I made decent meal choices all week, except for some pizza on Thursday. The weight loss is happening slowly but it IS happening - I've lost a solid 6ish pounds from where I was at my highest this winter/spring. I know that if I was more consistent with my running/exercising it would drop a lot faster but I've been feeling happy/positive so I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I'm just going to try to incorporate more activity. My schedule drops to three days/week now so I will have more time to devote to exercising and possibly even cleaning my house. Haha.

We have a full weekend with a wedding today and birthday party tomorrow - but not to worry, I will be getting a run in. In fact, I may go right now.... yep. Only two weeks until my next 5K! Have a good weekend, everyone!

Sticking With It

Went for a few runs this week - I have a preferred course mapped out near my house that I prefer to use now. My first one was basically 1.55 miles to a yellow sign, then turn around and come back but that one is pretty boring so I like this 3.1 mile course better.

I still can't run the whole time, but I'm showing overall improvements. I just pray that I stick with this motivated streak so I keep getting better and better. Here's me today - for you guys I'm even posting the pic without a filter:

I got caught in the rain for the last half mile which actually made me feel kind of badass. It was a cold rain too so it motivated me to run the last bit moreso than I would have otherwise I think. I'm still taking walk breaks but I know that if I could just be really consistent with running at least every other day that I'd be taking less walk breaks in no time! I work a lot next week so I'm really nervous about keeping up with my running. I am always worried that no matter how early I wake up, I won't have enough time to run, shower, blow dry my hair, get ready and eat something before I have to make the 30 minute drive to work. I stand the majority of the day at my new job and running after work is full of suckage. I've tried it. Just yuck. I've always preferred mornings for my running anyway.

Note my new band for my Fitbit Flex! I may have made a special trip to Target (the nearest one is an hour away) to pick up the 3-pack of accessory bands. My Best Buy pre-order for them got cancelled, and they're backordered on the Fitbit website as well as Amazon. WTF, Fitbit? Why have you been so lame about all the Flex stuff? Did you seriously not have a clue how high the demand would be? Also, the bands are a pretty cheap material - how can you not make them in bulk, and also offer other colors? I'm thinking silver, lavender, yellow, pink... come on now!

I should really get rid of a bunch of the other running apps on my phone because I always end up using Endomondo. I've found it to be very accurate and I like all of the details it gives. I'm showing today's details because I actually managed to keep all three of my miles pretty consistent! That's the first time I've ever done that. I had been listening to an audiobook on my last few runs which I've enjoyed, but today I listened to music. I also ran faster than I did on my Wednesday run. Coincidence? Maybe... but it was also hotter out for my Wednesday run. It was a lot better to run this morning when it was all overcast.

This was also my first time running in my Pro Compression Trainer Low socks. I have their marathon socks and I like them, but I wanted to try out their ankle socks as I have huge issues with most ankle socks out there. Any socks I've bought from a store tend to slide down my giant feet, which means my heel is rubbing against my shoe with nothing staying in between. I found a winner with Feetures socks - they're made a bit higher in the back which solved my problem, but I wanted to see if I could find a compression version that would work.

These socks FTW. They give just the right amount of compression and they stay on my feet like they're supposed to - perfect for me when I'm running. I can also order size S/M when I get these socks - which make me feel good because I really do have big feet and ordering that size makes me feel smaller and more feminine. LOL. The best part is that Pro Compression has deals going all the time - over Father's Day weekend they had 40% off and free shipping, which was when I got two pairs of these. One of these days when people start commenting on my blog (instead of just lurking... hi, I see you!) I will do a giveaway because Pro Compression socks are awesome.

Another running item that continues to prove it's worth? My Flipbelt. Seriously people, I can't recommend it highly enough. I don't have much music on my phone and hate to drain the battery any faster than I already do, so I just use my phone to run Endomondo and tuck it in my Flipbelt. I use my old Nano (the square one with the touch screen - like a Shuffle only a bit bigger) and clip it to one of the other openings on my Flipbelt for my music. During my races I also tuck my car key in there, sometimes a chapstick. The thing does not jiggle at ALL (oh, how I wish I could say that for the rest of me). Everything stays put and I don't even notice it's there.

So tell me, what's your favorite running gear? What about your favorite running app? I love hearing other peoples' opinions!

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!

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?

National Running Day!

I was really looking forward to an outdoor run today for National Running Day - but when I woke up it was COLD. That would have been fine but to top it off it was raining too, a cold needling rain. I'm not that awesome of a runner yet, I'm not willing to run in all weather conditions so I decided to try to wait it out.

11:00 rolled around, it's still raining and Brady's baseball game was already canceled for tonight so I decided to hit the treadmill. I watched the premiere of the new ABC Family show The Fosters and did walking/running intervals. I really enjoyed The Fosters! Much better than the other premiere I caught this week - Mistresses on ABC. That one was totally blah and didn't really interest me, which sucks because I love Alyssa Milano.

I'm going to keep this short because we are heading out on our mini-vacation to Chicago later today! Now that Brady's game has been canceled we can leave sooner than planned. Here's hoping the hotel has a fitness room!

Shoes!

I have been in love with my Brooks Ravenna 4 shoes since I got them. They basically had no break in period and feel like heaven on my giant awkward feet. I am curious to try other brands but doubt that I ever will because I just love my Brooks so much.

I got them in the Cactus Flower/Night Life, which is an awesome purple and neon yellow color. They're cool looking but don't match well with a lot of my running clothes. My mom also loves purple and got the same shoes as me, even though she is not a runner and never intends on becoming one. The Ravenna 4's also come in a blue and yellow color that is more subtle and I'm thisclose to ordering them as I will be standing all day at my new job and don't want anything less than the best on my problem ridden feet. The price tag is the only thing that makes me hesitate but I have a feeling that as soon as I start getting a paycheck that they will be mine. (I have almost no self control, I swear.)

Today I was browsing the Brooks website as I often do only to discover that they have released my shoe in a THIRD color option... check out these beauties:

How am I going to resist buying not only a second pair, but a third? These shoes are awesome. Ever since I got them I hate wearing my old Sketchers and Adidas tennies and can't imagine having to stand around all day in them. I don't want to wear my running shoes to work though because I only like to use them for running... so I have to get more than one pair, right? RIGHT?

Nobody ever comments on my journal but maybe someone will just this once to talk me out of buying things I simply can't afford. Or maybe comment to say that I only live once and I should just buy more shoes. Either way, my fate (and credit card balance) is in your hands.

Kidding... sort of.

More Races = More Motivation

So you'll never guess what I just did.

Okay, maybe you will. I signed up for yet another 5K! I am learning that I need upcoming runs to keep me motivated, so I started looking for more local runs this summer. The Ella Smetana Memorial Run is only 30 minutes away from me and is on July 13th. Only $12 to register (it's a "fun" run, no chips) and proceeds go to cancer research. My mom is a two time breast cancer survivor so cancer research is something close to my heart. My running buddy Catherine agreed to join me so that will further motivate me as well!

Sadly, this young girl lost her battle with cancer - but her memory lives on and I know that I would love to participate in an event to honor her! All profits will be going to the American Cancer Society.

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.