Long Run FAIL...

I had been looking forward to this run...we (Brandy and I) were headed to the B&A trail to log 13.1. It would be a first for both of us and a confidence booster for our upcoming half. What could of happened did...

• I woke up late and missed eating breakfast. Thought I could make up for it with GU gel and a couple chomps...I was wrong - stomach pains started around 5.5. Cost me about 2 miles on my run.
• We headed the wrong way and ended up near the city. Could have been worse but there is nothing worse than passing your car knowing that I still had another 8 miles to log. Oh and dodging some sketchy people.
• Brandy's shoes were killing her feet and eventually she took them off in favor of running in socks.

Surprisingly, I'm actually relieved that things didn't go accordingly. It is a good reminder that not everyday is an awesome running day. We struggled (me more than her) and it happens. We will try again next week and learn the lessons of this week.

Race Goals: Frederick Half Marathon

The countdown in on, with only 23 days left until my very first Half Marathon! I am unbelievably excited and am over planning (it is what I do). You can only have one first Half Marathon right? Everything needs to be perfect! So here are my goals in order of importance:

• I need a cute outfit. So far I have my Lululemon Skirt and my Brooks Ravenna shoes will be here Friday...I'm still in need of a t-shirt or tank and a hat.

• Get to sleep by 8 pm the night before. My alarm will go off at 4 a.m. so if I can get a good 8 hours of sleep I think I will be set.
• Get at least 1 good running picture out of the event. I have too many bad pictures and not enough good ones. I won't have any spectators up there to cheer me on so hopefully the pros will get a few of me so my chances of getting a good one are a little higher.
• Finish under 2:15:00. 2:10:00!

At the end of the day I just want to have fun - which means trying to relax, go with the flow, and whatever happens happens. It may be my day to rock it...it may not. Either way it is my first half marathon so I want the memory to be wonderful!

Race: Cherry Pit 10 Mile

This was a last minute addition to my "schedule". I can't really call it a schedule since it is more by the seat of my pants than anything and on top of that I'm not really a racer per se but more like a lolly gagger who enjoys trying to beat my self. I had decided that my training, or lack there of, could use a forced long run and I knew that I wouldn't walk in front of all those people.

I went in with no goals other than to finish. This was a training run for me. It was so much better than the added pressure of having to accomplish some feat. I started in the very back, there were literally 15 people behind me. I knew that there were some really fast people there including the Navy Marathon team so sticking to the back seemed like a fine plan.

Mile 1 (10:36): Once the race started I quickly realized that starting in the back is fine...if you want to run 11 min/miles. Passing was also a bear in the beginning since we were running on the shoulder of Rt. 2 and some groups were running 4 wide. At the end of the first mile the runners started to thin out a little bit and it was much easier to navigate through.

Mile 2-4 (9:54,9:49,9:36): Rolling hills along Rt. 2 with 1 water stop. I was carrying my UD Water Bottle so I passed the water stations. After Mile 1 I cut my mile times into the 9's so my goal was to take it as easy as possible. End of mile 4 was the beginning of a beautiful downhill section.

Mile 5&6 (9:30,9:36): Downhill and flat! Took the opportunity to let gravity do its work. Still feeling good about the pace I was at - didn't feel like I was pushing too hard and still had a lot to give. I remember being ecstatic that I hit halfway. There was one steep hill in the middle of mile 6 and I saw a couple of people walking that one.

Mile 7-9 (9:42,9:56,9:28): The hills were back and with a vengeance. According to my Garmin we gained 113 feet in mile 7. I'm used to running Kent Island which is as flat as they come. BUT I was unbelievably proud of myself - I passed people on the hills. My pace didn't falter because of the hills and not once did I think that I couldn't do it.

Mile 10 (9:25): This was my worst mental mile. I knew that I was almost done and it made the mile drag on - I kept looking and looking for the finish line! My legs still felt pretty good though and it was reassuring to know that even after that many miles I was still hitting my pace. And come to find out my quickest mile. Finish Time 1:38:09

Overall this race was a lot of fun. It was challenging, a great distance and put on by a great group (Annapolis Striders). The volunteers were wonderful and the police officers and reservists were eager to help when I discovered my car key disappeared somewhere along the way. I can feel the running spark coming back!

385 out of 539 overall
36 out of 48 in my division (Fem. 20-29)
142 out of 251 in females

Life: Play by Play

Quick Update on Chialastri Things:

• We lost Danny's Grandad a couple weeks ago. He had been battling multiple infections for a few weeks and just couldn't fight any longer. It was a very emotional time for everyone in the family but he is in a better place now and at peace so we are thankful for that.
• Work has been insane. 2 resignations in 2 weeks in important roles equals insanity. It has been very stressful but I have to keep on chugging and hopefully won't allow it to affect my home life much.
• Danny had his 29th birthday party. We had a BLAST! I was the DD and surprisingly I had a ton of fun sober - who would have thunk it! It was great to see everyone. It isn't often that we get everyone together now that we have families and things. Everyone got along, had fun, and got home safely.
• Running has been horrible. I signed up for a 10-miler on Sunday just to force myself to complete the distance. I have no goal other than to finish and from what I've seen I am going to have some hills to contend with.
• School has been good. I'm taking Accounting right now and since this will most likely be my career path I am making sure I know it like the back of my hand. So far so good and I will most likely take my 4.0 into the summer semester. It is taking me a little longer to get through then I had wanted but it is hard juggling everything. 
• Couponing is great but holy too much shit. Ha! I should go take a picture of the cabinets under our bathroom sinks. I think I'm up to 12 bottles of shaving cream, 20 razors, 4 cans of hairspray (I don't style my hair), 15 boxes of hair dye, 7 deodorants....and the list goes on and on. At least this stuff doesn't go bad. I'm more nervous about all the medications I have stocked up on. Not sure why I thought 4 bottles of Children's Advil was necessary. 
• We went go-karting a couple of weeks ago. Danny wants to get back into the sport. Unfortunately the karts we have, while fun, are no longer the new hotness and there isn't a class for them. We could run them but we would only be racing ourselves. That kind of takes the fun out of it. So, I think he is going to sell them and save up so David can race when he gets old enough. 

I guess that wraps it all up - I'll let you know how my run goes on Sunday. Until then here is my little man building me something...

Race: St. Patrick's Day 5k

I ran (no pun intended) across this event about a month ago and decided for the cost and location I couldn't pass it up. I had been planning on running a 10k even closer to my home but $45 entry cost had me looking elsewhere. The Denton St. Patrick's Day 5k was only $15 and we got an event shirt. Not sure how they make any money doing it but hey, I'll run those little events all day long!

The first mile was great! I started toward the front since there were a lot of strollers, dogs, and what I was pretty sure were walkers. I gravitated to two women and kept tight to them for the first mile. I felt light on my feet, the two hills were okay, I was doing pretty well with keeping pace. Looked down 8:02. Awesome!

Second mile was horrific. I slowly lost the two women and was running by myself. No one in front or behind me for at least .1 of a mile. So, lesson learned - I need to learn how to push my pace by myself. At the end of the second mile there was a water stop. I've never stopped before since I've only run 5k's but I was feeling dehydrated and HOT - I think it was 60 degrees at the start. I grabbed a cup, folded it like I had read, and spilled it all over my face, shirt, and feet. I guess between holding my breath trying to drink and the two sips I did get, I felt like I was going to throw up. So, lesson learned - I need to learn water stops, or better yet, don't stop at 5k's and slow down more at my half, or carry my UD Fastdraw Bottle that I know how to use. Garmin beeps - 9:03...completely deflated

Third mile was okay, my legs were feeling heavy and were moving at the 9:00 min mile pace the they had been used to moving. Oh and the course was an out and back, the two hills I felt good on in the beginning had me crawling up them! I must have glanced at my watch 3 times...I still had time to PR - have to keep going. Turned the corner and saw the finish line. I didn't have much left but managed to cross in 26:49! PR'd by almost a full minute. Thank goodness for going out fast.

Overall, it was a good run, I can't complain *much* about a PR and learning some lessons for the future. The atmosphere was great and I will definitely run another Seashore Striders event.

47 out of 188 overall
4 out of 24 in my division (Fem. 20-29)
18 out of 118 in females

I'm Doing It!

I'm freaking out a little bit, I'm not going to lie. In the past few days I had gone back and forth...yes absolutely, now is the time to do it to the extreme opposite no, you are crazy to think you can do it...you will never finish. But, as 3 pm approached I found myself getting excited and with 2 minutes to go until 3 I refreshed the page and found the button to register. So I did!! I am going to run the Marine Corps Marathon. Ahhh! The marathon sold out in under 3 hours so I am very happy I didn't second guess myself.

This is the one marathon that I've always wished that I could do. I was never a runner but for years and years my Uncle Leny would come to my Aunt Alice's house wearing his Marine Corps Marathon shirts and I always thought how cool it must be to say that you ran that race. So, at the end of this year, I will be able to say I too have run the MCM and wear my shirt with pride. Yay!

March for Babies

This year has been a year full of giving back to the community. Thanks to a couple ladies at work each month we donate/give back to local charities, shelters, etc. In January we filled up the pantry for the local Lighthouse Shelter. February we are collecting clothing and March we are making 50 Easter Baskets for a local Children's home. It has been really fun and it feels good knowing that you are helping others out.

Anyway, so my friend and I are walking the "March for Babies" on April 28th and our goal is to raise $250.00 for premature babies.  Please help us out by either joining us or by donating - even a $1 will help us hit our goal. Thanks Everyone!!

Made it to Church

The family made it to Church this morning. David and I went every Sunday when he was under 6 months but as soon as he became mobile it wasn't feasible anymore. So last year when he was about one and a half we tried again. It was a major fail, making it approximately 10 minutes before having to hit the cry room.
Long story short I decided it was time to try again. David did great! He sat silent watching the mass until after the Gospel where he wanted to read some books we had brought with us. As a reward he got to buy a donut in the church hall after mass was over. He was so excited and I'm looking forward to being able to go each week.

St. Patty's Day 5k

I decided to drop the Pumped for Pets race on KI for the St. Patty's day 5k out in Denton. It's only 26 days out and I would love to PR at that race. Problem is, I haven't been working on increasing speed, only increasing distance. I'm going to try and incorporate some speed work into my training for the next few weeks. My goal is to break under 27 minutes. To be honest I'm shooting in the dark here but going into an event without a goal seems pointless.

I need to come up with some sort of outfit though. Thinking I'll just rock some knee high clover socks. What is everyone else wearing for their St. Patty's Day Races?

Painting a Coffee Mug

It is such a quick and easy craft you can do with the kiddo's PLUS it makes a perfect gift. What's not to love?

 What you Need:

1. Coffee Mug (I used a plain white one but any color will work)
2. Glass Paint or All-Purpose Paint. I found Martha Stewart All Purpose paint at Michael's.
3. Oven

How to:

1. Wash and dry the coffee mug. Make sure it is completely dry - if it isn't the paint won't stick to the mug or it may run.
2. Paint the mug. (talk about stating the obvious) 
3. Let air dry for 24 hours
4. Bake in the Oven. Place in cold oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 90 minutes. Let cool in Oven.

Marine Corps Marathon: Pros and Cons

I had swore to myself and everyone around me that I had no desire to run a marathon...So I'm looking at the Marine Corps Marathon at the end of October. Time to break out the good 'ole Pro and Con List of Running the MCM.

Pros:

1. Accomplishment - Only 2% of the population will ever run a marathon.  
2. Marines - Self explanatory
3. Great Fitness Goal 
4. Awesome MCM Medal 
5. Prestige - The MCM is one of the most desirable marathons to run selling out in only 30 hrs last year
6. Did I mention the Marines?
7. 8 Months Away - Plenty of time to train and develop a strategy. 
8. Already Training - Training for a half in the fall, what's an extra 13 miles anyway?
9. Local - My family would be able to come out to cheer me on

Cons:

1. Pain
2. Pain for 26.2 Miles
3. Pain for the week following the 26.2 Miles
4. Time Commitment - It is 8 months of training
5. Baltimore Half Marathon 2 weeks before

Looks like I'll be crawling across the finish line in October, Who's Coming With Me!?!?!

Lost, What did I do before?

A couple weekends ago my Mom in Law had mentioned that we should start sending David over there one weekend a month to stay. Supposedly he's an angel over there (I'm sure he is he is MY kid after all!) and they would love to see him more often and it gives Danny and I a chance to have us time. I agreed that it would be good for everyone. I love the fact that David has such a great relationship with his grandparents, I think it is important and not something I had growing up. Plus it gives Dan and I alone time which can never be a bad thing.

Anyway, we met Danny's parents around 7 last night to drop David off. We had a relaxing evening, dinner just the two of us, grabbed a drink at the old peoples bar here on Kent Island and were in bed before midnight. Danny ran off to work before I got out of bed and I ended up having the entire day to myself. I was excited until around 4 o'clock. What did I do before I had David? What filled up my Saturday's when Danny was working? Why am I wandering around my house trying to find something to occupy me? I am so happy to have my boys back in the house. It is such a wonderful feeling!

Word of the Day: Isthmus

Isthmus...well going back to 6th grade social studies an Isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger pieces of land with water on two sides.

Say this word out-loud, go ahead...I'll wait...it shouldn't sound like you have a speech impediment when you say it. I've yet to get that right. the "th" makes me think it should be pronounced differently. Which takes me to my point of the day. I cannot understand the English language. Why do we have letters if they are silent? What is the point! Isthmus is pronounced is-mes. Where did the "t" and "h" go! Why have them there if they do nothing for the word. It's crap like this that gets me completely confused and makes me sound like a moron in business meetings. I blame YOU isthmus for my massacre of the English Language and YOU are the reason that I sound like I'm from the backwoods every time I try to sound intelligent.

Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

Yay! I finally convinced the husband to put up Kitchen Cabinet Hardware. I mean it has only been 5 years since we moved in. I've spent a lot of time over the years trying to figure out what I like and what would look good. There isn't a ton of info online (that I could find at least) that gave me any inspiration. I liked the cup shaped pulls but knew it wouldn't fit with my home. I tried finding some sort of guide that would tell me to use pulls or knobs or both. When to use 2 knobs when to use 1, blah blah blah. At the end of the day I suggest going to the store grabbing a couple of pieces that catch your eye and bringing them home.

I found 2 pieces of hardware that I really liked. They are Antique Iron which is completely different than what I had originally been looking for. The first thing that caught my eye was the pull. It was simple, it wasn't overly expensive and I liked the dull (non-shiny) color. The matching knob was perfect. I don't like the perfectly round spheres so it was like a match made in heaven.

Now came the difficult part. Which piece do I use and where. I took 3 of each home to see what they looked like. I personally loved the pulls on the cabinets. The knobs looked good but the pulls were better. I tried the pulls on the drawers but as soon as I held them up I hated it. We put the pulls on the cabinets and the knobs on the drawers. For the smaller drawers (shown in picture below) we used 1 knob centered. For the longer drawers we used 2.  I think it turned out great. It is startling to me only because it has been years of just plain white cabinets.  Here is the finished project (the drawer under the sink isn't finished in the picture but it has 2 knobs on it):

All in all the project costed around $100 and totally transformed our kitchen. Money well spent!

Blah

My whole week could be summed up in that one word. I have felt off all week and until yesterday couldn't seem to get out of my own way.

People at work piss me off, my house is a mess, I haven't run, David has been in our bed every night and in general I just can't seem to get myself straight.

Today should be a good day to get myself back on track. We are doing a little home improvement and I have a 7 mile run that is calling my name. I'll head out to the trail so I don't bore myself to death on the dreadmill. Then of course the super bowl. I'm excited for the commercials as always. The game doesn't really interest me since I don't like either team but I'm hoping it is somewhat entertaining.

I hope everyone has a great time today, be safe on the roads, and here is to a great week!

Well Hello: Bud Light Platinum

Last night Dan brought home a 6 pack of the newest Bud Light Beer, the Bud Light Platinum. We had been waiting anxiously for the local liquor store to get it in stock so we could check it out. What's not to be excited about, almost 2% more Alcohol by Volume, where do I sign!

I've always enjoyed beer, probably started drinking beer when I was err of legal age and have been a loyal Anheuser-Busch customer since the beginning. I've tried just about all of their Budweiser products, Select, Select 55, Bud Light Lime, BudHeavy (Budweiser Red Can), Bud Ice, etc etc...and I haven't necessarily been a fan of some of them. My favorites by far are good ole Bud Light and the Select 55. Platinum though could supplant Select 55 and give Bud Light a run for its money.

Bud Light Platinum is a little sweeter but still has the easy drinkability that Bud Light offers. The calories are a little high, I think I read somewhere that its over 130 calories so if you are counting calories this probably isn't your first choice. Although will the higher alcohol content you might drink fewer (total sales pitch). I'm sold and think you should go check it out and let me know what you think!

Mr. Awesome

Today was my long run and an increase of a mile from last week. My husband conceded to my pleadings for running outside as long as I went a few miles down the road to run the Cross Island Trail. At least if I was on the trail the dogs would be on a leash...if there were any. I headed out just after noon, David and Dan were napping so I left hoping I could be back before they woke up. (I failed)

The first mile was okay. I was slow and just enjoying the scenery. Once I hit the second mile I picked the pace and kept an eye on my watch to make sure I was hovering around a 10 min mile. I passed a couple runners but mostly bikers. Coming up on 2 1/2 miles a biker was approaching from the opposite direction. He was an older gentleman and he began cheering for me. He was clapping and telling me how awesome I was doing and to keep it up. It put the biggest smile on my face and really made a difference. I couldn't help thinking about him as I kept running, smiling and thinking how great it was that he was cheering on everyone. Mile 3 and 4 were uneventful. I felt good and was able to get into a trance and just chug along. At about 5 1/2 miles I began to slow down a little and just as I started to have a little self doubt I look up only to see Mr. Awesome again. He started cheering again and noting it had been about 30 minutes since I had seen him last. It really helped to give me that last bit that I needed to finish up strong.

How can someone be that awesome AND how do I get to be that awesome? He bikes the trail and all the while cheering on those around him. Just a true inspiration on how to be a person.

The Treadmill is Death

Hatred is such a strong word but it is definitely the feeling that I have toward my Treadmill. I was so excited to get the treadmill since I knew the winter months would be tough but I underestimated the pain of this machine. So far this winter I have been lucky enough to get out for my long runs. Layer on my UA gear and head on out. Last week it was 30 degrees out and I was so excited to be outside it didn't matter.

Anyway, my husband has decided that I should run inside until this whole dog bite thing is behind us. The matter should be finalized Wednesday since that will be the end of the 10-day quarantine that the poor dogs had to endure. I feel horrible...but that's another story all together. ANYWAY...back on the subject...that meant I had to do an hour on the treadmill...an hour of pure hatred. 

It's over! I finished my 6 miles in an hour (1:01:11 to be exact) and that my feelings haven't changed. I guess I had hoped after making it that far that I could find the groove my happy place but....I didn't. So, if anyone has any ideas to change my mind, turn this hate into love, please let me know. I'm up for anything hypnosis, sleep running, moving my treadmill outside. I will do anything! 

Catch Up

2012 has already been a whirlwind! It's going to be such a great year...if I can get through this month lol.

School:
I finished my winter class, which I will never do again, but I got my A so I still have my 4.0 and at the end of the day that's all that matters. Spring semester starts in a few days. I downgraded to only 2 classes, Econ and Accounting II. I was planning on taking 12 credits but after my winter session I realized how much of a stress that puts on me and my family and really it just isn't worth it.

Work:
Super busy so far. Getting close to launching a new product that we've been working on for a year and a half. I'm excited for launch and to test the product. Plus it gives me a chance to do something a little different which I always enjoy.

David:
Is getting so big. I can't believe he is going to be 3 this year. Where has the time gone? His potty training is going well, we had a couple set backs at daycare but otherwise he is doing wonderful. He really enjoyed having everyone here for Christmas and talks about them constantly. Right now he is really big on going to the Grandparents house. That's something that he thinks is really special and asks to go a lot. This past weekend he asked Papa if he could go to his house and off they went. It makes me feel good that he is building such a great relationship with his grandparents.

Running:
I'm up to 6 miles in an hour. I'm not worried about time currently, just working to make sure I can make the distance. Once I get the distance down then I will worry about going faster. I've been running outside as much as possible. I absolutely despise the treadmill. I wish I could find a way to make it through a long run inside. Running outside in this weather is actually really nice. Yesterday it was around 32 degrees when I went out. Under Armour cold gear tights + Under Armour cold gear top + Tee Shirt + Gloves + Hat = not bad. I stripped off the gloves before my run was over but overall pretty well dressed for the weather. Oh and I got a Garmin watch - I love it, I still ran with my phone yesterday because Dan wasn't comfortable with me being out there by myself without a phone but one day I'll be able to run without it.

I'm going to try and update more now that my winter term is over and I have a little more time.

Never Again...

...will I take a class during the winter semester. This class has been horrible. The workload is incredibly intense for the number of days this class is. 10 day long semester and during that time I have 16 quizzes, 8 papers, 6 tests and 6 discussion board postings. The only silver lining to the whole thing is that it is almost over! Praying to get out of this class with an "A".

Writing to Write

I haven't been on to "blog" because I really have nothing to talk about. I don't like to write just to write so I don't. The hum drum of my life is interesting to me but I really doubt it is that interesting to anyone else.

The Past:

The holidays were wonderful. I had a great Christmas with my family. Dan got a new TV that we are both enjoying. David got a 4 Wheeler and I got a steam cleaner. Of course there were other wonderful gifts but those were some highlights. David has so much to play with I have officially run out of room in our home for it all. New Years was a blast! I haven't laughed that hard in a really long time and it was just the perfect way to celebrate.

2012:

So much to look forward to this year. My Godson christening is this month. I have 2 half marathons and 1 10K that I'm already signed up for. We have a nice vacation that we are in the middle of beginning to plan for the fall. David is going to be turning 3 in the summer. Where has the time gone? I'm going to transfer my credits back up to UMUC this year and hopefully be only a year out from finishing my degree. We have weddings and babies coming (not mine) - I'm so excited for this year and know that it is just going to fly by.

Here is to a wonderful 2012!