Headbands Giveaway!

http://www.runningwithsass.com/punkeelove-headbands-giveaway/#comment-6733

The Zoo

T and I decided to go to the zoo today.
Our first stop, the armadillo.

We then headed to the petting zoo where T fed & brushed the goats. Right across from the goats were some wallabies.

We were lucky enough to go on a safari. Apparently this is a big deal. We just happened to walk up and the guy told us he could fit us in if T sat on my lap. We saw lots of African animals up close and were also able to see some behind-the-scenes buildings, such as the giraffe and elephant hurricane and winter shelters. We also saw a baby rhino - his 1st birthday was today.

T got a kick out of watching this otter play.

We tried to go to the Dino exhibit, but it was a bust. You had to be 48" tall to partake in the activities. So we negotiated popcorn and the fountain.

MY RUN...Hope I get to see this

Awesome Medal Display!!!

Check out this awesome medal display. Hope I can get one for myself :)
http://www.babyweightmyfatass.com/2011/03/allied-medal-display-review-and-give.html#comment-form

When a 3 year old has the camera

We set out today for an easy 5 miles. Low and behold, that didn't happen. I was pretty sore, but figured it would work its way out after a mile or two. Just shy of two miles, my knees were killing. So, we stopped running and had to walk back to the car. During this two mile walk, I gave T the camera. Out of 32 pictures, here are some that are actually visible. The others were of his tongue, his shirt, the ground, the sky, the grass, etc.
First a pic of the photographer:

A pic of the bovine. We see lots of these - all colors, shapes, sizes, odors, you get the point.

We passed two walkers, who posed for his picture taking. I'm not sure what happened to their picture, but they're in the background.

and I ran... giveaway

Check out this pretty slick giveaway...
http://missredrunner.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-break-giveaway.html

CEP Compression Socks

CEP is giving away a pair of compression socks to one of Skinny Runner's readers.
As Skinny Runner (skinnyrunner.com) says,
"Ya’ll know I love my compression socks and sleeves. I have a few different brands and kinds, but one of my favorites is my CEP compression sleeves. Why?

Because they are very tight so I feel like they’re doing their job and they’re also really thin so I don’t feel like I’m wearing Jane Fonda-style leg warmers.



I have never tried CEP compression socks and would love to (hint, hint, people at CEP, feel free to send me a pair!) but I think the sleeves are one of the better pairs of compression sleeves that I own.

What is CEP Compression Sportswear?

CEP = Compete, Endure, Perform. CEP is made with over 60 years of experience by a WORLD LEADER in medical compression products, medi.





I wore mine in the New York City Marathon, but generally I wear mine before and after a race.

The Science Behind Compression:

1. Arteries with normal blood flow – Arteries are blood vessels that transport oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the organs and muscles. Veins transport de-oxygenated blood back to the heart.

2. Arteries extension – The compression of the CEP compression sportsocks expands the diameter of the inner arterial wall thus improving blood flow to the muscles.

3. An increased arterial blood circulation and supply of oxygen to the musculature – The arterial blood circulation increases by approximately 30% while at rest and by approximately 40% under physical strain. The special compression profile of the CEP compression sport socks* is a decisive element in ensuring these results.




CEP Prevents:

Shin Splints
Cramps
Achilles Issues
Fatigue
Micro Muscle tears
Vibration trauma
Blisters
Blood clots from travel
And Jamie from CEP has offered to give one pair of compression socks away to a lucky reader! The winner even gets to pick their color. I might go with the lime green or black myself…

To enter, you can do a few things:

1. Become a CEP follower on Facebook

2. Follow CEP’s blog

3. If you’ve done those things, for 2 EXTRA entries you can go vote for Matt and Marlie. One vote per email address so go sign up your free iheartcepcompression@gmail.com email address.

4. Blog, tweet, FB about the giveaway

5. If you’ve done those things, just leave me a comment!

A note: You need to have a blog or someone’s blog you can blog on to enter the contest so you can post a review of the CEP compression socks.

Contest ends Wednesday."

13 miles ... and it wasn't a half!

T and I set out for 13 miles today and managed to do it all. It was a bit warm ~80. This would be the longest I've pushed a jogging stroller. Those arms ought to start looking like real muscles soon. It's quite a workout pushing him uphill against the wind.

Strawberry Stampede

In February, J and I ran the Strawberry Stampede 5k.

It was brutally cold this day. My hands never did thaw throughout the entire race. J & I ran the first two miles together - I was really proud of him, as we pulled 9:15 miles. Then, J took off. I thought - "I sure hope he realizes there is 1.1 miles left." I didn't say anything and just kept my pace. At 2.5 miles, I kicked it in gear - passed a couple of people (including J) and managed to finish in 28:40. Not my best, but better than I've been doing since I started training for a half.

I did manage to earn my first age group award - 1st place!

J rocked a 28:50 time - 4th in his age group.

I haven't forgotten about you!

The last time I posted was February 6th.  So much has happened since then.
1.  I competed in the Gasparilla Half Marathon on February 27th with a time of 2:15:50.  It was awesome!  As my first half, I couldn't have imagined a better experience.  I enjoyed all 13.1 miles, was totally prepared for it, and honestly was sad it was over once I crossed the finish line. 

2.  J competed in the insanely hot 5k this same weekend.  He rocked the heat and humidity in 29:30. 

3. I interviewed for a full-time position and learned today that I was chosen for the position!  This is something I wanted very badly.  It seems the last four years have paid off. 

4. J has interviewed for a position a heck of a lot closer to home.  We are keeping fingers, toes, eyes, everything crossed for this position.  It's an awesome opportunity. 

5.  I took a week off after the half, ran 6.5 miles last weekend, and rocked 10 windy, uphill miles today.  I'm back and it feels great!

6.  I signed up for another half!  This course has some hills, so I've been training the "death march" that is always uphill and against gusting winds - pushing a jogging stroller the whole way.

11 miles - DONE!

I managed to crank out 11 miles this morning and it felt great!  Last week I was quite unsure as to how I was going to accomplish a half marathon in a month.  Now, I feel a heck of a lot better.  Last week was just a really rough long run.  It started out with very heavy legs and little desire to go.  After stopping a couple of times in the first mile, I managed to pull it together.  The last mile was horrible - a 12:xx mile. It seriously took all I had to get to 10.  My music died at mile 3, I ran out of gu and something to drink, I was zapped.
But, today was great.  The first couple of miles were smooth (they're usually the rough ones).  I was even able to pick up the pace for the last mile. 
On top of a great run, I managed to complete nearly all of my weekend tasks that I planned on Friday. 

22 days and counting!

It was certainly a busy and tiring week.  I wasn't able to run at all this week, so it looks like we'll be putting in the miles this weekend.  My 10 miler on Sunday really zapped me. 
On a positive note, I do not have any work-related work that has to be done over the weekend.  Plan for the weekend:
Friday: run 5 miles with T on the trail; take car to dealership; eat a nice meal for dinner (at home)
Saturday: BBQ and rest; clean the house;
Sunday: 11 miler on the trail; rest the remainder of the day
Monday: 4-5 miles
My Dad is coming in on Thursday, so I need to try to get everything ready for his visit.

A month away!

A month from now, I will have completed a half marathon.  I'm still shocked that I've been able to adjust to a healthy lifestyle, exercise, and become a runner in one year!  It was another busy week, as usual.  Ran a long run on Sunday of 9 miles.  J managed to run 2.5 miles with me, rested on Monday and Tuesday, ran 2.78 hard miles in the DARK on Wednesday, rested on Thursday, ran 5.1 moderate miles on Friday, and ran 2 easy miles on Saturday.  This rounded out as a 22 mile week - not too bad.  Tomorrow's another day of long run - first double digit run. 

It's Friday!

Short work weeks have never seemed short, but this time it did.  I suppose it was a combination of the beginning of the semester and family visiting for the week.  We have this weekend to get ourselves back into a routine, after a month of visiting, vacations, and visitors.  I'm on the hunt for a bed for T.  I think it's time to move him out of his toddler bed.  I'm running another 5k tomorrow -- hopefully I can do better than last week.  If so, this will be my last 5k until my half marathon next month.  I also need to put in a 9 mile run on Sunday.  There is a Tot Trot at the race tomorrow, so T is going to run.  He's pretty excited to race by himself.  His races usually involve cruising in a stroller and telling his Daddy to go faster. 

Back to Running

After my 5k yesterday, I wasn't so sure I'd be able to get in a longer run today.  I woke up pretty sure (not sure why), but with quite a bit of determination.  Off to the trail I went and I managed to crank out 8 miles.  It's been two weeks since I've run more than 3 miles at a time.  My hip was a little sore, but nothing debilitating.  I did manage to venture to a spa to pick up some biofreeze.  Hopefully I'm back to running a regular schedule and will be able to run my half without walking.

Busy, Busy

Of all the time I have to read blogs, I certainly thought I'd have time to write a few words every few days.  This week was the first full week of the spring semester and it was a busy and eventful one.  My Mom came to visit for a week, while J and T were visiting family in NM.  It was great having her here.  Woo took a major turn for the worst this week.  He had been wobbly at the beginning of the week, which progressed to not being able to get around at all.  It might just be a waiting game for him at this point.  He's on medicine, laser therapy treatment, and frequent visits to the vet.  With complete bladder and bowel loss, it doesn't look good.  I keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.
My Mom went back home on Friday morning and later that day, WB and K arrived.  It is nice to have family visiting.  We went to the Salvador Dali Museum after their arrival.  Boy, that was some interesting art.  The building is gorgeous. 
Today, I raced in the Hope for Haiti 5K.  I've been battling two injuries for the past two weeks (knee and hip).  I've run twice in the last two weeks, for a whopping 4.1 miles.  I honestly had no idea how I'd do.  I was hoping to decrease my time, as I'd run 8 miles exactly two weeks ago.  The rest for my hip and knee was good.  I'm thinking it was the adrenaline that kept me pain free throughout the race.  However, I'm feeling it now.  Regardless, I managed to finish 73rd out of 250.  Not bad for very little running in the last two weeks, but certainly not where I wanted to be. 
After plenty of icing and Ibuprofen, I'm hoping to get on with the training this week...especially since I have 13.1 miles to run in 41 days. 

A New Year, A New Blog

I'm sitting here on a Sunday night with a sudden desire to create a blog.  I completed more in the field of running in 2010, than I ever could have imagined.  My New Year's resolution for 2010 was to lose weight and get back in shape.  Without any specific goal weight in mind, I managed to lose over 40 pounds from eating healthy and walking 3 miles most evenings.  In May, I wanted to increase my fitness, so I started the couch to 5k.  In September, I completed my first unofficial 5k.  In October, I completed my first 5K in just over 30 minutes.  I knew I could do better, so I signed up for another 5k in November.  This time, I managed to complete the race in just over 28 minutes.  Still yearning for better times, I completed another 5k in December, with a race time of 27:59.  Somehow, these races inspired me to train for a half marathon.  I'm currently seven weeks away from my first half.  I've created this blog as a way for me to keep track of my running.
A couple of goals for 2011:
- 5k race in under 26 minutes
- finish a half marathon in under 2:30
- finish a full marathon
- run 1102 miles