Journey in Running

Friends- How Many of Us Have Them

2012-02-17T10:10:00.000-05:00

Really Love that song!! :)

The definition of the word Friend from Merriam-Webster Learning Dictionary:
friend /ˈfrɛnd/ noun

1 : a person who you like and enjoy being with

But then it also list this:
◊Friend is sometimes used in a humorous or ironic way to refer to someone who is annoying or disliked.

I think I fall in the second one! Why is it so hard to make friends when we get older, keep friends, be a good friend, know when someone is your friend, can you have too many friends, too few? Is it really necessary to have friends?

Where is this coming from?

Obsiviously I am currently questioning if I am a friend. If you have been following my Journey on this Blog you may have seen me say several times about being in a funk, not feeling like running, having a hard time getting out there etc... Well part of that is from my friend problem (except I don't really know that it is a problem not really sure what to call it??). I am positive it is something I have done (or maybe haven't) but one of my BEST friends recently doesn't seem to have any time for me any more and it has left me sad:( (Okay I feel like I am in High School again!) Is is stupid of me to feel this way? I think I have worried about it enough now and need to get back to me. The good news is Spring is closer and closer, we have had some really great weather and I have been able to get out and run more!! Amazing what a RUN can CURE!!

But let me ask:
Do You have any struggles with your friends? How do You Deal with or Handle the struggles?

Three Things Thursday: 5am runs & Winners

2012-02-16T22:12:00.000-05:00

1. I went on my first ever 5am run with some friends. Once again Sarah asked me to join in on the 5am run, a few of them have been meeting up. Lucky for me, my first time was in a nice light drizzle! I wasn't too sure if I would like it or not but to my surprise I LOVED IT!! There ended up being six of us this morning and everyone broke off into their own pace and such. I am just really amazed at how much I enjoyed it! Can't wait to start that on a regular basis. Sarah Thanks girl I think you will but please keep on asking you are helping me get off my rump:)

1. The lucky ROADID winner is Whitney from Running with Whit!!

3. The lucky GU Mixis Holly from The Pioneer Apron!!

Ladies EMAIL ME your mailing info and Congrats!! Thanks to ALL for entering and following MY JOURNEY!!

Thanks to Scott @OutsidePR for providing the prizes!!

Regret Signing Up?

2012-02-15T22:28:00.000-05:00

I left my last post with a to be continued, well here is the rest of the story!

I have already signed up for Run the Bluegrass half marathon, actually my mom signed me up as part of my Christmas present Thanks Mom:) This is the third year for the half and they decided to change to course to an entirely new course. They also offer practice runs on the course a couple of times a month. Early last week, one of my fairly new running buddies/friend (just started kinda hanging out at races last summer :) Sarah asked me if I would like to go to the practice run. OF COURSE! If I have a chance to learn the course I definitely want to do so. Then a couple of days later she asked if I wanted to do the entire course. I have NOT had high mileage for a LONG time and haven't had many long runs plus this run made my third day in a row of running, so I told Sarah that I would gladly do the entire course but I will be very slow.
There was about 15 people that showed up all of which was already familiar with the course, you could tell they always attend the practice runs. Every one was really nice coming up to us asking our names and such. The race director asked if we had reviewed the map, of course NOT, no problem he said "when you see the chickens turn left". Chickens??
Off we went, not everyone was doing the entire course some was only doing 7mi. The weather would have been perfect if the wind would have stopped blowing, our faces were so cold. The first mile went by and we felt pretty good. I was worried about having tired legs but was feeling confident. Then right at the end of the first mile was the first MONSTER hill! I am talking about one you have to lean into! That was just the beginning....the entire course is nothing but hill after hill after hill!! Thinking back I heard someone say while we was waiting 21hills in 13 miles, I didn't count them but there may have been more than that! And they aren't just small steep hills they are long steep hills. About 3mi in we started doing run/walk thankfully my tired legs was starting to feel it. For about the first half of the course you don't get near as much down hill as up hill, and sure enough at about 3.9mi there is a house with chickens running around in the road must be where we turn left! The second half of the course has hill after hill after hill but it has just as much down hill with the up hill which really helped us not to take 3hrs to finish the crazy thing!! We ended up walking up the hills and running down them as far as we could and walked completely the last 2mi. My legs were so sore I was so ready to be done! I know I wasn't ready by no means to tackle something like that but I am proud I had the courage to try!

While we was out there struggling to finish I made the statement" This is awful, if I had known it was going to be like this I probably wouldn't have signed up!" That nice encouraging Sarah said "No we will be there together and complete it together!" Thank You Sarah :) Now I know what I need to be training for HILLS!!! Which leaves me to ask.......

Have you EVER regretted signing up for a Race? Why? Did you Run it anyway? Any Good Advice on training for 21 large hills in 13 miles? (Oh yea and the course was way long, not sure of the exact ending location but all the way back to the car was 13.68mi)

WIR- From 10mi to 25?? Crazy??

2012-02-14T22:31:00.000-05:00

Hooray for me, I finally got a FULL week in:

Monday 2/6- Run 3mi/27:41
Tuesday 2/7- Step & Tone (Aerobics)
Thursday 2/8- Step & Tone (Aerobics)
Friday 2/9- Run 6mi/56:30
Saturday 2/10- Run 5k Race(3.10mi)/28:00
Sunday 2/11- Run 13.68mi/2:38:25

Except for the fact that it is stupid & crazy to take your weekly mileage from 10mi to 25 in one week, last week was a pretty good week!

Monday I wasn't really feeling like running so I was thankful that I was scheduled to meet Shalan. I left it up to her how far we wanted to go we happily agreed on 3. I felt slow and sluggish until half way through it. We was also scheduled to run again Wednesday but the hubz got sick at work and went home early so I went straight home after work to be with him (being the awesome wife I am:). Friday's weather was forecast for snow, I was excited it was going to be the first run in snow as we just haven't had any. Sure enough it flurried the entire 6mi:) I stopped for a potty break at the gas station we came back out and the flakes doubled in size WOW what a difference a couple of minutes make! It was really pretty, just didn't enjoy getting hit in the eyeball with flakes! The weather man said we was going to get about 2inches of snow which is big for us, well that didn't happen we ended up with a bunch of slick spots and only a dusting of snow in the grass.

Saturday was another race day (Heart Glove & Sole 5k), I was expecting snow on the ground there has been the last two years that I ran this race so why not this year, the was only a little in the grass areas but there was several slick spots on the race course. I really wanted to place in this one in my age group but having run 6mi the night before, the extreme cold & wind(20* with 25mph wind made the wind chill feel like 10*) I was happy to finish in 28mins flat although I didn't place! While waiting for the race I heard a gentleman beside me talking about how he wanted to finish the race in 27mins or under, so I just asked him if that was his goal for the race. Come to find out this was his first race ever and since that was also my hopeful plan to finish 27 or under he decided he wanted to line up and stay with me!

My new Friend!

We walked and talked to the starting line, I learned all about him, he was a talker :) as we were standing there waiting to start he looked down and found 2pennies and a nickle tried to pick them up but they was frozen to the ground in which he kicked the pennies free and said "here ya go a lucky penny for you and me!" Wow thanks! When the race started so much for staying together cause he took off FAST!! Had I not ran 6mi the night before I maybe could have stayed with him as I could see him ahead of me the entire race until the very end. Lucky for him on his first race he placed 2nd in his age group!!

Then Sunday came along and I had already agreed to go practice the upcoming Run the Bluegrass half marathon course with Sarah (another friend met through running:) and well I think I will save that for another post all on its own........................................... *to be continued**

Oh yea I look like a "serious" runner, LOL!!

Gift Ideas for Your SweetHeart (+ A Giveaway:)

2012-02-10T20:00:00.001-05:00

So I had a few more items I should have reviewed during Christmas for great Holiday Gift Ideas (and I kind of fell of the blogging wagon for a while) and Christmas has come and gone so how about Valentine's Day!!!

Safety is Important- I have recently been forced into running alone on most of my runs something I rarely have done in the past so safety has been an even more important issue to me. And you DO want your SweetHeart to be safe......Enter RoadId! RoadId offers a wide variety of "safety" items like a WristId, AnkleId, ShoeID & FixxId.

RoadId also makes a ScoutId for your dog!! I think this is a wonderful thing as an animal lover!
Along with all of the variety of Id's available, RoadId also has an awesome selection of Firefly Products (High Visibility Gear) to choose from!

I used a Clear Firefly Light during our Bourbon Chase 200mi Relay. These blinky lights are the coolest things ever and VERY helpful on dark evening runs!

Energy & Fuel are just as important for your SweetHeart during long runs! And what better way to energize and fuel your run than with GU Energy Products!!

GU Energy offers a great variety of different flavors and products for your energy needs! Some of my favorites are:
New Peanut Butter Energy Gel- OMG if you like PB you will LOVE this :) tastes just like getting a spoon from the jar!
Island Nectars Roctane Gel- A nice fruity taste that is just plain YUMMY!
Pineapple Roctane Gel- Same opinion as the Nectars, fruity and YUMMY!
Blueberry Pomegranate Electrolyte Brew- Gives plain ole water a little more umph and tastes GREAT!
Recovery Brew- I enjoy both flavors available!

Want a chance to WIN some of these GREAT products?? One Lucky winner will win a RoadId "e-Card" AND One Lucky winner will will a "Mix" of GU Energy products!! (It's up to you if its for yourself or your SweetHeart if you win:) Here's how to ENTER:

**Follow this Blog! This one is a MUST!!
**Like RoadId on Facebook
**Follow RoadId on Twitter
**FollowGU on Twitter
**Like GU on Facebook
** I usually have stomach issues when I take GU's and have thought about taking one a day while at work to maybe get my stomach "used" to them??? Give me your thoughts, Think it will help?? How do you combat stomach issues??
**Spread the Word- Link this Giveaway to your Blog :)

A winner for each will be selected on Valentine's Day February 14! All info above is my opinions and not paid for!

WIR- A Race - A Review- And some Randomness

2012-02-08T15:06:00.000-05:00

Last week was an ok week, still not much in the running department as far as miles but I am finally feeling focused on getting my mileage up! Here is how my week went:

Monday 1/30- Run 2.38mi/21:44
Tuesday 1/31- Step & Tone Aerobics
Thursday 2/2- Step & Tone Aerobics
Friday 2/3- Run 5mi/50:05
Saturday 2/4- Run 3.15mi/31:27

Along with most parts of the US, we here in Ky have had some wonderful winter weather, temps in the 50's with sunshine although windy most days. Monday was one of those days, I text the Hubz to see if maybe he would be interested in going for an easy run and he DID :) He doesn't run all of the time just when he wants to, my legs were tired from the miles from the day before so I wanted an easy run. He was running like a SPEED DEMON, well to me anyway! I was glad though because it made me push harder than I would have alone~ thanks again Hubz Love Ya :) I have been doing "long runs" with my friend Shalan, I should be at a much longer run by now but I am just thankful to have someone to run with. Anyway she stated that she was maybe interested in the run/walk method for the half and she is doing her first marathon in Chicago this fall, so we tried it out Friday. I enjoyed the run/walk method but wasn't too happy with the overall pace (10:00). Which makes me wonder~ Is it possible to complete a Half in under 2hrs using the run/walk method? Any tips on how to do it?

Saturday was my first race of 2012, I mostly do 5k races we have lots in our area and I LOVE EM' :) The weather forecast for Saturday wasn't looking too great at all it was showing 90% rain oh yea first race of the year in the rain?? Lucky enough it stopped raining in time for the race BUT when I arrived at the race I found out it was the HORRIBLE cross country course that I despise! Great and it had been raining this will turn into a muddy mess sure wish I had my old shoes! Thank goodness the rain made for a small crowd but that didn't really matter to me I had already decided I was taking my time so I wouldn't hurt myself. There was terrible sink you in the ground mud out on the course and I did take my time but I was proud of myself for only taking two short (15seconds) walk breaks! (Normally on this horrible course I walk lots) Once again I finished with a 10:00 min pace for a finishing time of 31:27 with a small crowd I was the only one in my age group so I walked away with a 1st place ribbon! I was mostly just happy to be at a race, I love going to the races and seeing all of the runners we are kind of a pack here locally ;)

Like several other bloggers I was contacted by Emily with Pure Fit to try out their "All-Natural Award Winning" Bars. I am not a huge fan of protein bars the consistency usually grosses me out and I can't swallow them and the taste usually isn't all that great either. I looked at the web site to get a little info before I agreed to try them out. The flavors sounded yummy and they were invented by a runner so I decided what the heck. I was sent the sampler pack (Purchase your sample pack HERE for only $9.95) shown above with all the flavors: Granola Crunch, Almond Crunch, Berry Almond Crunch, Chocolate Brownie and Peanut Butter Crunch. I gave the Chocolate Brownie to the Hubz so I can not comment myself on it but his reply to is it good was"Its ok tastes kind of like protein powder." On the other hand I CAN comment on the other four flavors= AWESOME!!! I actually really liked these bars!!! I must admit I was shocked that I did like them so much. It would be hard for me to choose my favorite but I think the Berry Almond Crunch had a nice little sweet flavor that I enjoyed. I did not use these PureFit Bars on a run I ate them as part of my breakfast but I don't think I would enjoy it while out I needed water or some liquid to wash them down while eating them. I am also not a good eater or look at the "gluten-free, no dairy vegan" info but I do agree that it has to be better for you and works best on your stomach before or during running. I believe Robb Dorf has done a FABULOUS job in creating these great tasting PureFit Bars~ Thanks Robb I look forward to purchasing more of them in the future! ( I also like the fact that they encourage you on their packages to Adopt your next dog or cat:)

I was sent the sampler pack of PureFit Bars to try out and give MY opinion on them NOT paid to do so!

WIR- January is Done

2012-02-02T12:07:00.000-05:00

So yea last week was another WEAK week but anyway here is how mine went:

Tuesday 1/24- Aerobics (Step & Tone)
Thursday 1/26- Aerobics
Friday 1/27- Run 4mi 38:40
Sunday 1/29- Run 6mi 58:28

As stated in my last post, I am now the mother of an adult~ holy cow time flies! But anyway I had birthday stuff to deal with this week so that is my excuse for another crappy week! (Crappy in my opinion anyway) I am finally starting to understand and pick up on some of the step aerobic moves, its about time since I have been going for a couple of months. Now to just work in a running schedule along with aerobic classes, I am getting there though!

What am I training for anyway???

This is a regular half for me. It was my first half and the first one held in Lexington, Ky March 2010. This will be the third year for it and they have changed the course this year. I was hoping that this would be my under 2hrs half but after looking at the elevation chart for the new course I am not so sure about that! But there is still about 2months left to train so we shall see what happens!

I had really hoped to get my act together for January and really produce some numbers, not only in mileage but weight loss as well, however neither happened for me :( I ended the month with 49.38miles and actually about +1.5lb ~UGGHHH! I am really hoping the pound+ is the forming of some muscles from the aerobics and such but somehow I just don't think it is! Trying NOT to beat myself up about all of this I am looking forward on to February and hoping for some better numbers!

I am in NEED of SIMPLE EASY good recipes for dinners and snacks? Unfortunate for me I am not a lover of good for you food which makes it hard to eat healthy! I am trying and maybe if I had some ideas I could work the foods I do like into them:)

Wordless Wednesday (Almost:)~ I am Now A.........

2012-01-25T11:38:00.000-05:00

OMG I can NOT believe how fast times flies by! I am now the mother of an ADULT?!?!?!?!! ~~I am still a Kid myself how can this be~ LOL!!~~

She looks so Happy doesn't she? Ha! And yes I am the shortest one in our family.

$$$ always make you appear happier huh?

WIR- Getting Better & Zipfizz Winners

2012-01-23T15:29:00.000-05:00

Monday 1/16- Run 3mi 27:20
Tuesday 1/17- Aerobics
Thursday 1/19-Aerobics
Friday 1/20- Run 3mi 27:27
Sunday 1/22- Run 6mi 57:43

Hooray last week was the first week since Jan 1 that I actually got in 5days of exercise:) Yay me!! Now to just keep it up and add more to it, intensity wise. Tuesday my best friend had surgery I took off work to be at the hospital with her and her family thinking I would have time to go home before aerobics class, well barely did I have time! She got out of surgery at a about 4:15pm which left me just enough time to drive home change for class and head back to the gym, ugghh I hate making waisted trips into town so wish I would have taken my gym stuff with me! I decided to use a heavier Kettle Bell in class and HOLY COW I could sure feel it Wednesday!! But as my hubs said "That's what you want to feel! Burn BABY!" he loves lifting weights. Friday I had planned a run with my friend Shalan and am so thankful I did otherwise I would have done NOTHING at all! There was a small chance of rain Friday afternoon so I checked the weather radar before leaving work, it showed nothing but it was looking awful out. But we ran anyway. With about a mile left to go I had to stop for an unplanned potty break when I came out of the gas station and we took off it began it pour rain~ nothing like a downpour to make you do some speed work! I really wanted to do a longer run on Sunday but once again it was one of those talk myself into days so I just told myself to just go and see how far I "felt" like going. 6mi is what I ended up with could have/should have done more but hey at least I did something!

I am still having a hard time with my body adjusting to days and days of exercise. Just about every part on my aches in some way or another, I went to get a couple of Aleve and noticed that I have two(2) FULL bottles unopened as well as half of the current bottle and I have two(2) FULL tubes of Tylenol Precise cream! Why do I have all of this? Oh yea from marathon training last year I couldn't get enough of either of those items:) so glad I still have them looks like I am in need of them again!!(But not for marathon training yet anyway!) So how long does (or will) it take for me to adjust and not feel so tired or sore???

And finally the two LUCKY Zipfizz winners are:
Ellen Holley from Sucking Air (awesome blog title :)
and
Christy from My Dirt Road Anthem
Please send me an EMAIL with your mailing info and I will pass it on to the fine folks at Zipfizz!
Thank you all for following my Journey!! And WELCOME new followers!!

21 years Ago.......

2012-01-19T15:19:00.000-05:00

I know today is 3things Thursday BUT

21 years ago my husband and I went on our first date :)

This was one of my Senior pictures for High School! Taken 19yrs ago

Now I am not going to lie and say it has been full of roses and it has most definitely been a wild roller coaster of a ride but that's life right? And most importantly I wouldn't change any of it for the world!! Baby I LOVE YOU THEN AND NOW AND FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!

Week In Review(WIR) -From a Pat on the Back To a Kick In the A$$

2012-01-17T22:50:00.000-05:00

Yes my friends that is what I NEED, a kick in the A$$ to get me going! Here's how my pathetic week looked last week:

Tuesday 1/10- Aerobics
Wednesday 1/11- Ran 3mi 28:24
Sunday 1/15- Ran 8mi 1:18:20

I just didn't have the get up and go this week. Monday I went grocery shopping and instead of doing both running and shopping I decided on one. Tuesday I went to aerobics class. Wednesday I was on the fence again about running, should I go or not?? Sent the hubz a text saying I think I am being lazy once again and skipping my run. However once I stepped outside after work and felt how warm it was I quickly changed my mind and decided to run~ I think Mother Nature was/is confused I was able to run in shorts on January 11! That warm weather was short lived because it finally snowed for the first time on Thursday:) and it started really coming down so I skipped out on aerobics.

Sundays long run went pretty well, should have since I hadn't done anything all week! We decided to run in town which is mostly flat. My overall pace is way off from where it needs to be for a 1:59:59 half but I still have time to work on that I just need to get back in routine of running!!

Don't forget to enter my Zipfizz Giveaway!

3TT- Aggravated Frustrated Stress

2012-01-12T16:18:00.000-05:00

I am having a pity party on myself today so please excuse me. The other day I read Tricia's post at Endurance Isn't Only Physical about I quit and it has had me thinking about my life in general (not really on blogging just in general). I think these three things pretty much sum up my general everyday feelings I have been having for several months:

1. Aggravated- Just plain ole aggravated in myself for feeling down, worthless, not sure as to even why I "try" to think I am a runner, feeling like I let everyone down I could go on and on but no one really enjoys reading depressing thoughts. I am good at hiding these thoughts however if you was around me you would probably have a hard time seeing this in me.

2. Frustrated- In the fact that I have let myself get in this shape. Why have I let my feelings get so out of control. Why can I not seem to get back into MY routine of running and eating better (not healthy not too many healthy options I like but not JUNK all of the time!!) I have good intentions on getting back but just can't seem to commit to it! I always say "Only You YOURSELF have the power to HELP yourself. Until YOU believe it no one else can make you." so why can't I convince myself of that.

3. Stress- About everything. Why I don't know I have went from being the most care free person to worrying about everything and letting everything get me "down". I am not a good talker about my feelings person so I am putting it on here Hope I don't bring any one else down ~Sorry!

Its all ok though it will get better (I hope:)

Zipfizz- Healthy Energy Drink~ Wanna Try It?

2012-01-12T09:59:00.001-05:00

Looking for some ENERGY?? Or maybe just a little "pick me up"? I think you should try out Zipfizz!!!

Sometime around the beginning of December I was contacted by Zipfizz about trying it out. Sure thing I will! First I should tell you, I am a HUGE skeptic on "energy" things, most of the time I feel like they really don't work and maybe it is just a mind thing. And most of the time I don't enjoy the taste(s) of energy items. That was NOT the case with Zipfizz! Too my surprise I actually felt more energized while drinking Zipfizz and the taste was not bad at all either. The Orange Soda actually tasted exactly like Orange Crush (I used to LOVE Orange Crush when I was a little girl!). I fixed up my bottle of Zipfizz one morning when I was preparing to house clean. As I stated I was really impressed in the "extra" amount of energy I had while drinking Zipfizz, it gave me the "push" I needed to keep on going and get that house cleaned :) Another great thing about Zipfizz it is carried at local stores (and I am sure at one near you) like Costco, Sams Club, Target & WalMart + many more!!

Here is some info provided by the wonderful folks from Zipfizz:

Hope you can read that ok :)

In addition to the Energy Drink mixes Zipfizz also has Energy Shots and Immune Fizz! Hope they carry these at my local Walmart I would love to try them out as well!!

Wanna WIN some Zipfizz to try for yourself?

Two(2) lucky followers will WIN the bottle shown above with a sample of flavors!!

How to Enter:
*Must BE a FOLLOWER of this Blog!
*Visit Zipfizz and tell me WHY you want to try it!
*Follow Zipfizz on Twitter!
*Like Zipfizz on Facebook! Get a $1 off Coupon when you do :)
*Spread the Word- Blog It, Tweet It, Share It on Facebook!

Winners will be selected on January 21! Sorry BUT can only be shipped in US!

Thank You Zipfizz for letting me try your product! I really enjoyed the video on the USB drive :)
*I was contacted my Zipfizz to try it out and give MY opinion on it. The above info is MY opinion!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLINE :)

2012-01-11T11:15:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLINE (from Canadian Runner in Exile)!!!!

HOPE ITS THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER :)))

Tell me when your b-day is, I will do my best to post it on your day as well!!

Bittersweet

2012-01-09T11:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Sheri and I went out for a (somewhat) long run down the good ole' country road we always train on. As we were heading out a small Jack Russell dog was on the corner running around. Being SUPER cute we stopped and pet her thinking her owner would be out shortly to get her. We started to run again and the cutie followed us. We got about a mile in and I stopped to use the port a potty and I told the dog "You better go back home sweetie, if you are going with us its for the long haul of 7mi!" Sure enough she continued on with us! We discussed what we would be doing with this dog the entire run. My hubz would kill me if I brought her home so Sheri had decided she would if we didn't find the owner. I told her we should name her Brook since we wear Brooks shoes but Sheri wanted to call her June. That little dog was the best entertainment ever, we would stop every couple of miles to give her (and us) a little rest except that little dog didn't know the meaning of rest! She would take off in the fields and just run and jump~ Super CUTE!! And although it was a little slower she was an excellent pacer :) We fell in LOVE with this dog! We were almost completely finished with entire 7mi and a car pulled up, I knew they were looking for "June" and yep they was! Turns out her name was Baylee (which is one of my daughters names). Although relieved to find her owners, we were kind of sad. We really liked this adorable dog and had planned on taking her for runs as often as possible! Talk about bittersweet :/

Giving Myself a Pat on the Back

2012-01-08T21:58:00.000-05:00

I must say I AM proud of myself for putting in exercise. I "LOVE" having something to train for! Here is how my week went:

Monday- Run 4mi 37:21
Tuesday- Aerobics & Toning
Wednesday- Run 3mi 26:52
Thursday- Aerobics & Toning
Sunday- Run 7mi 1:09:51

I am not big on Resolutions but I did decide that I WAS getting myself back into fitness and not just running. I want to put some serious work into my core and arms which in turn I think will make me a better runner. During the month of November I went to the aerobics class at my gym and really liked it, then I took my "break" in December and am now returning. I know I have to work myself up but HOLY COW I felt like I had been run over by a truck after the first night at aerobics! They do a lot of arm toning exercises also so I really like the class, some of the moves are a little challenging on the step but again hopefully with time I will get them down :)

I am also trying to get back into a regular running routine. I was going to run Friday as well as we had perfect weather for it but I was tired and it made me think about it. Maybe I shouldn't go "All In" at once and kind of work my way up going from just running 4 - 5 miles a week into 14 is a fairly big jump!

Now I have a question for you blogger friends. How would you recommend (or have you ) start a new routine? Do you just "jump" into 5 -6 days of exercise or slowly build the days up 3-4 then on to 5-6?

Thank You Bloggers

2012-01-06T14:49:00.000-05:00

I started this post yesterday for Three Things Thursday (3TT) but never finished so this is a day late!

1. This year I participated in the 2nd Annual Holiday Blogger Gift Exchange hosted by Run w/Jill.

The Gift I received was the GU sampler pack from Beth @ Chasing my Joy! Thank You Beth for the awesome gift, just in time as I begin Half Marathon training again:) Also Thank You Jill for hosting I can't wait to do it again !!!!

2. I also participated in Courtney's Holiday Sock Swap @ Third Time's a Charm Runner. Being a crazy sock person I LOVED DOING THIS!!! Below is the socks I received from Alex @ Healthy Life Happy Wife

I LOVE the stripped Santa socks (just wish I had them a few weeks ago when I did the Santa Hustle 1/2:) my socks were filled with lots of goodies note cards, fruit snacks, nail polish, Rudolph chapstick, Santa window cling and some chocolate coins~yummy! Thank you Alex for the awesome socks & goodies!! And Thank You Courtney for hosting, can't wait to do it again either!!!

3. Last year I did participated in Zaneta's Christmas Card Swap and thrilled to see that she was hosting it again this year. I love to send cards out and this was a perfect "excuse" to have to send some more cards!! So I also participated in Kim's Holiday Card Swap from (Just) Trying is for Little Girls! Just look at all FABULOUS cards I received in the mail!!

Thank You to Group Cookie and Team Santa Claus for all of the awesome cards! I also got several idea's for next years card exchanges :) Also Thank You to Zaneta and Kim for hosting the Card Exchanges can't wait to do them again next year!!

40

2012-01-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

That is the number of races I completed in 2011! If I have them all down on paper correctly I think it breaks down to this:

1 Marathon
4 Half Marathons
1 Relay race (Bourbon Chase)
2 3k's
1 10k
1 15k
30 5k's

Although I did not achieve ALL of my goal times in 2011 looking back through the year I have found some motivation in moving forward in 2012. I feel like I have spent way too much of 2011 in the "funk" (and still somewhat struggle with it everyday) BUT I am happily looking forward to WHATEVER 2012 may bring!

Also let me apologize for the absence, I had thought I would spend my long holiday weekends blogging and getting caught up on several computer things and well NO that didn't happen. Instead I decide to unplug from the computer for a while and just "THINK" about things. The few times I have been logged on I have enjoyed reading all the end of year/new year goal posts~ good luck and best wishes to everyone with their goals:) I am still thinking about my "big" races for 2012 besides all of my regular 5k's! So I hope to share my "future races" soon!

I still haven't heard from a couple of the Wright Socks Winners.......by the end of the day tomorrow I will be submitting all the names and address I have.

Happy New Year!!

The Last of the Wright Socks Winners!

2011-12-28T10:52:00.000-05:00

Oh Golly I am so far behind with everything in my life right now~ Ugghhh!

But anyway here is the list of the remaining Wright Socks winners!!!

Wednesday- Detroit Runner (Jeff) and Elle from Eat Run Sail
Thursday- Heather @ Just a Colorado Gal and Suz and Allan from Cows and Lasers and Everything in Between
Friday- Penny from Pink Hat Runner and Mother Runner from Life in the Twin Lane
Saturday- Baby Weight my Fat Ass and Crystal from Am I a runner......or Just Crazy

In case you missed the first round of winners check HERE! (I am still waiting to hear from one of those winners!!)

EMAIL ME your mailing info and shoe size so I can pass the info along:)

Hope EVERYONE had a WONDERFUL MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Santa Hustle Smokies 1/2 Marathon

2011-12-21T15:51:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, December 11 I ran my last "race" of 2011, the Santa Hustle Smokies 1/2 Marathon in Sevierville, TN. This was an inaugural event so I wasn't too sure how organized it would be. After my huge FLOP at the Nashville Half (Read about it HERE) I said I was going to take advantage of the 3weeks leading into the Santa Hustle Half and put in some good training runs along with some hilly runs, BUT DID I??? Of course NOT :? And I knew this going into the race therefore I looked at this event as just for fun for me!

We ended up staying at the host hotel which was the Wilderness of the Smokies, they have an indoor water park should have taken my suit, which is also where the packet pickup was. I really wasn't feeling all that well but didn't say anything about it to anyone. We picked up our packets, checked into our room and headed out the door for some retail therapy at the outlet mall! After a couple of hours of shopping we headed on over to Olive Garden for some YUMMY pasta salad and breadsticks :) We ended up back at out hotel and in the bed by 9:30p.m. ~ look out husbands we are party animals LOL!

Something the race directors wanted (and included) was for everyone to wear the red Santa shirt, hat and beard!

HO! HO! HO!

We wore the full garb for a before photo shot but certainly wasn't and/or couldn't run in a Santa hat and beard!

Me, Sheri, Carmen and Sarah
Aren't we the cutest Santa's EVER?!?!

Miles 1 - 4: I felt pretty good waking up and preparing myself except that I didn't bring anything to eat for breakfast and could only find some cookies in the snack machine, I didn't want to eat too many of them in fear of getting a belly ache while running. I lined up with Sheri in HOPES of being able to stay with her the entire way even though I knew better. Right as we approached the first mile marker a "dude" starting talking with us. "Hey was that the first mile? What kind of pace to y'all have? What kind of goal do y'all have?" Guess he could tell we was buddies :) There was also another girl to the left of me wanting to know the same information. I told both of them they should stay with Sheri, she is a MUCH better pacer than me and I knew I wasn't going to be able to hold the pace for much longer. I felt good these miles and we was pretty well ahead of our "9:09" goal pace. When we reached the 4mile mark I bowed out and told our "group" see everyone at the finish I am out! Even though is was chilly I started out sweating but around mile 4.5 I stopped sweating and got the chills.

Miles 5 - 9: I am so thankful I told myself I was doing this just for fun I was really feeling the effects of NOT training. During these miles I did lots of run/walk at first I would take short 30 - 45 second walk breaks and run at least 5mins or longer. After I reached the turn around I started feeling a little better and was able to run about a mile and a half without walking. Then I was back to run/walk but with longer walks this time. I kept checking my watch and trying to figure out how close to 1:59:59 I could get IF I could just pull myself together and GO! Nice thought anyway remember I am doing this for FUN!

Miles 10 - 13.2: (Isn't it suppose to be 13.1??)Yea by the time I reached mile 10 I was pretty much done for. I told myself several times "its only a 5k left" only the longest 5k ever! I tried my very best to actually run as much of it as I could then I told myself just try to run the entire last mile, well that was out as well....at about mile 12.85 making the last turn to the finish one of the race officials asked me if I was alright, if I needed anything and if I could finish?? Did I really look that bad??

My Finish Stats: Official finish time 2:19:00
Age Division: 35/65
Overall: 384/634
Looks like I was stuck in the middle!
Not my best performance, Not my worst, Not too bad considering lack of training! I felt AWFUL when I did finally finish, my legs hurt, my head hurt, my belly ached and I quit sweating and had the chills.

Overall for a first time event it was very well organized. Will more than likely do it again next year! (With better training :) I would recommend this race to anyone even though it is pretty much just one long hill both ways in/out but with the right training I think anyone could achieve a PR!

Super Thirsty!

Sheri, Sarah & Me -I look super tired UGGHH!

Super Cute Medal!!
I am all about the Medals :)

Wednesday Winners

2011-12-21T15:27:00.000-05:00

First of all let me say "Welcome New Followers!! So glad you have found my fabulous Blog & I hope you continue to enjoy it:)"

Now lets get to some WINNERS!!!!!

The winner of the Ultimate II Running Belt from IFitness is.........
          Rose @ Eat, Drink and Be Meiri

Mondays Wright Sock winners are.........
          Just Jen     and    Running Moose

Tuesdays Wright Sock winners are........
         Jill R (couldn't find a Blog link for you!) and Sweet and Savory By Sarah

Congrats Winners!!! Email Me your mailing info so I can pass it along!!

Also Don't forget there is still 4 more days of Wright Sock Winners to come!! If you haven't entered to win yet do so HERE!!!!

2011 Holiday Gift Guide- Giveaway #3 Wright Socks (With 12 WINNERS:)

2011-12-16T14:34:00.000-05:00

Its getting late in the Holiday season but another great gift idea for the "Runner" or Any Special Someone in your life is......

WRIGHT SOCKS!!!

I was sent three different styles of WRIGHT SOCKS to try out. They were the Lightweight Cool Mesh II, the Midweight Running II and the Cushioned DLX. First of all let me just say I LOVE socks, socks of any kind!! A few years ago I showed up at work with a hole in the heel of my sock that was visible, one of the ladies I work with bought me a pair of Christmas socks during her lunch hour and brought them back to me! From that point on I haven't worn plain white socks (except for running:) since, almost always now when I purchase socks they are colorful or designed!!

But anyway back to the Review/Giveaway....... I have a worn WRIGHT SOCKS before and LOVE them!! They are one of my favorite brand of running socks. These socks are the softest socks ever and they have a perfect fit, they don't slide around or bunch up on my feet! My favorite style of the WRIGHT SOCKS would be a tie between the Cool Mesh II and the Running II. I also like the Cushioned DLX but they are a heavier weight and it has to be VERY COLD out before I wear cushioned socks, if my feet get to hot I am done for!

Here is a little info on WRIGHT SOCKS from there site:
*WRIGHT SOCKS have a patented Double Layer® construction that helps with Blister protection! (A HUGE + for me!!) Double Layer® delivers the no blister promise through a three part system:
                    1. Moisture Management
                    2. Temperature Regulation
                    3. Friction Reduction
*Outer Layer is constructed of performance fibers specific to each activity.
*Inner Layer: Smooth, undyed, hydrphobic Dri-Wright™ wicks moisture away for cool, dry feet.

Are ya ready to WIN some WRIGHT SOCKS!!!??? 12 yep that's right TWELVE lucky Followers will win their choice of the Cool Mesh II, Running II or the Cushioned DLX!!

How to ENTER to WIN:
*MUST BE A FOLLOWER OF THIS BLOG!
*Visit WRIGHT SOCKS and tell me why and which pair you want to WIN!
*Like WRIGHT SOCKS on Facebook!

Two Winners will be selected Daily starting Monday, December 19 - Saturday, December 24! Each person can ONLY WIN ONCE!! So don't delay~Enter today!!

Oh Why Do I........

2011-12-15T21:46:00.001-05:00

Oh why did I NOT train during the 3weeks I had before this last half... it wasn't pretty and a full report to come.

Oh why have I turned into a last minute Christmas shopper this year...I have never been this far behind EVER!

Oh why haven't I rolled out the giveaways I have like I planned on....where does time go? Stay tuned for some great giveaways and don't forget to enter my IFitness giveaway!!

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.2

Oh What a Week- Almost House Fire, Car Trouble and a Winner

2011-12-10T07:58:00.000-05:00

Wow what a week it has been for me! It all started last Sunday morning I woke up at 5am to get a drink of water and use the bathroom, a few lights in the house had been left on so I was going around turning them off and I heard a hissing like sound?? I use some electric heaters in our house and just assumed it was making the noise I was hearing so I turned it off, turned to walk back through the kitchen and the hissing noise got louder, I turned around to look AND......

There was a FLAME shooting out of the cord our fish tank is plugged into! OMG!!! I went into panic mode for a brief second, wasn't sure what to do, so I grab the cord and unplugged it from the wall. As soon as I did that the flame went out. I am SO thankful I just happened to wake up when I did or our house may have just went up in flames!! (and possibly us!)

Then Friday comes along, time to head out for work I had started my car early to clear the frost. I go out to leave jump in my NEW 2011 Volkswagen Jetta that I have had since June and the engine light is on and an "EPC" light?? Ok I back down the driveway get on the road and my car doesn't want to drive, it starts sputtering and jerking!! Once again this week ~OMG!! The hubz is an awesome mechanic so I called him and asked what do I do, his answer GO HOME and call the dealer. They sent a tow truck to pick it up!! Sure enough when it gets there Jane (that's my cars name :) was perfectly fine all the lights were out and it ran just fine!! Isn't that always the way! But because everything is so super smart these days the computer in the car had "memory" of what happened so they could see that something really did happen and I didn't make it up however they couldn't find anything to fix since everything was showing fine. It possibly could have been some bad gas, hoping so anyway! The scary thing about that is I am going about 4hrs away to Tennessee today for the last (I think it will be the last anyway) race of the year so I am very thankful it happened at home and not away from home.

And finally the WINNER of the Plain Clothes Runner Cadet Hat is........

Miss Zippy!!! Send me your mailing info and I will get your wonderful hat right out!!

2011 Holiday Gift Guide- Giveaway #2 IFitness Belt

2011-12-07T22:30:00.000-05:00

The fine folks at IFitness contacted me about doing a giveaway during my Holiday Gift Guide! Hmmm....let me think about that? SURE!!! And actually the timing couldn't be more perfect, during the Bourbon Chase I used my IFitness Double Pouch Belt and one of my zippers broke. Yep sure enough they will replace it for me :) all I have to do is send mine back in ~ Hooray!!

The belt up for the giveaway is the Ultimate II Running Belt

I do not have this belt but I think it would be nice having toggles to hold your bib! I think one of these would and should be on any Runners wish list! Here is what features are listed for the Ultimate II Running Belt :

•Water resistant pouch, stretchy and sturdy, made of neoprene will keep your cell phone or iPod (any size) dry.

•4 elastic slots will hold your gels on your belt, for easy access.
•Additional side pocket perfect to hold an ipod, mp3 player, inhaler, house/car keys, sport beans, etc

•A special inner pocket will keep your ID/credit cards or room key securely.
•Comes with two reflector strips in the front and one in the back, for night time safety.
•Also featured are two toggles to hold your race number, under the pouch.

There are several color choices to choose from but if I was to WIN one of these fabulous Ultimate II Running Belts I would pick this awesome looking pink one :)

So how can you win?? Simply :)

*Be a Follower of this totally cool awesome Blog :)
*Like IFitness on Facebook and tell them I sent you
*Follow IFitness on Twitter and tweet you want to win @bobbie087 (I am still not the best with twitter or I would give you something to copy :)
*Visit IFitness and tell me Why you want to win and What color you would choose
*Post It on your blog

A Winner will be selected December 17

Amazing

2011-12-01T23:30:00.001-05:00

I haven't been feeling the greatest this week but I was able to talk myself into going to the gym on Monday and run 2 miles on the "dreadmill" and do some strength training. Tuesday was the same yucky feeling but I still went on to aerobics. I could tell during aerobics that I wasn't really all with it but I still did ok. Wednesday I should have went to yoga but I let my yucky feeling talk me out of it :'( It has been another rainy and gloomy week.

Today the sun was shining and it was about 45*, I WAS going for a run outside! The end of the work day approached and I asked myself "do you really want to go now?" It was a struggle in my mind for a couple of minutes. I went :) and feel so much better.

Something that always seems to be true: It is Amazing how much better you can feel overall mentally and physically if you just do a little exercise!

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.1

2011 Holiday Gift Guide- Some Discounts I have Found

2011-11-30T14:24:00.000-05:00

Today is suppose to be Wordless Wednesday, however with Holiday shopping still to be done (for me anyway:) I thought I would share the discounts and things I have found or that have been in my email. Hope you enjoy and can use some of them!!

I LOVE RAZZY ROO Headbands!! I am having problems getting my link on my sidebar to work but make sure to use code: PROMOBP10 to get a discount!! The Funky Runner Headbands are ONLY $5!! Perfect for Stocking Stuffers or just an inexpensive gift for your "runner" friend or ANY friend, they work well for ANY occasion!!

This was in my email, Shutterfly is offering an extra 20% off with code: U5AA-7GS1-FATN-ND7ME2 That code runs out today so don't delay:) They are also offering Free Shipping with orders $30+ I personally haven't ordered anything from Shutterfly but I enjoy giving photo books and photo gifts!

Sony is offering $10 off the W Series Walkman and Free Shipping I have one of the older versions and LOVE IT!! It is so NICE to not have to worry about cords and such, the only complaint I would have is when I get I get really really sweaty (lovely image right??) I have a hard time keeping them in my ears sometimes! With the $10 savings the 2GB W Series Walkman is only $49.99 ~ a GREAT Bargain!!

Gone for a Run is offering 20% off Beanie Hats! Another place I have never ordered from but they have LOTS of great looking gift ideas! Use code: RUNHAT11 through Friday, December 2! (Another email)

Lift Your Sole is offering Free Shipping until Friday, December 2 use code: stuffing. Lift Your Sole has an awesome assortment of gift ideas! Last year I purchased two necklaces for my running friends and they LOVED them! A new item I have my eyes on are the Barnwood Signs, be sure to check them out!! Lift Your Sole is also offering a Free Stocking Stuffer with any order $50+

Now for some Bloggy Fun!! Last night as I was catching up on blogs I was reading Erica H's Weekly Roundup (from I Run Because.....I Can). Two of the Blogger events I had already signed up for and some I hadn't seen yet, so I thought I would share them as well:) I didn't share all of Erica's awesome links so be sure to check out her BLOG as well!!

Courtney @ Third Time's a Charm Runner is hosting a Sock Swap. I think this is a really cute idea! She is accepting sign ups until Friday, December 2. Make sure you tell her you found it from me!!

Last year I participated in Zaneta's Christmas Card Swap, and she's doing it again! (Zaneta is from Runners Luck :) I really like the card swaps as well, gives you a chance to connect with bloggers you feel like you "know" and find new ones as well! You have until Friday, December 2 to sign up with this one as well! Kim @ (Just) Trying is for Little Girls is also hosting a card swap but sign up is over for it!

And last but NOT least, Jill @ Run with Jill is hosting the 2nd Annual Holiday Blogger Gift Exchange. I did not participate in this last year but am SUPER excited to be a part of it this year!! Sign ups for this one is over Monday, December 5.

ENJOY!!

**Don't forget to enter my Plain Clothes Runner Giveaway!!**

2011 Holiday Gift Guide- 1st up Plain Clothes Runner (+Giveaway)

2011-11-27T21:20:00.000-05:00

It's that wonderful time of year again, the time to begin our Holiday shopping! I did it last year and am doing it again (like many other great bloggers:) I will be having several post with GREAT product options, many with GIVEAWAYS and hopefully some discount codes!! If you would like your product displayed or discount code put out there let me know I will be glad to help!!

First up I would like to remind you of this AWESOME company I found a while back.

Plain Clothes Runner My hubz and I both have several items from Plain Clothes Runner and for both of us they are some of our favorites! The name of the company pretty much says it all

Every item has the logo on it one time and they come in Plain colors, which hello matches up easily with other items! And all of the items are affordable, I don't feel like I am spending my life savings and am able to purchase more items :) If you haven't checked out Plain Clothes Runners from any of my other posts do so NOW or if you are searching for an affordable gift for your runner friend and/or family check out Plain Clothes Runner NOW!!

I contacted the fabulous Mike with Plain Clothes Runner to let him know I would be including his company on the 2011 Holiday Gift Guide and see if he wanted to do a giveaway. A few days later I received an email and this in the mail

This is a SUPER cute hat! And perfect to put on after your run and finish your errands or whatever you have to finish before going home! I totally LOVE it!! And I have one to GIVEAWAY!!! It is a dark grey color, the web site show khaki but it is dark grey and SUPER cute I had a hard time choosing which one to keep!!

HOW to WIN your VERY OWN PLAIN CLOTHES RUNNER Cadet hat:
*MANDATORY- Must Be a Follower of THIS BLOG!!
* Visit Plain Clothes Runner and tell me what product you would like to try and why!
*Spread the word,-Blog It, Tweet It and/or Post It to Facebook
*Bonus Entry- Make a purchase from Mike at Plain Clothes Runner let him know in the comments of your order I sent ya, come back here and leave a comment- trust me I will verify!!

Sorry but US entries only! Winner will be selected on December 7

Black Friday

2011-11-25T06:14:00.000-05:00

Glad that's over, for me anyway. I always do the black Friday thing and usually that is when I get almost all of my Christmas shopping DONE!! This year I bought very little Christmas presents and mostly ME stuff!! Don't get me wrong it happens every year I end up with ME stuff but I usually buy more gifts for others! I did NOT like the midnight thing at ALL! Or the 10pm WalMart thing! Not sure how many of you went but I like it much better when everybody opened at 5am -OR- if EVERYBODY wants to start at midnight either way just lets all be on the same time! My friend and I went to our local WalMart at 9:15 to find NO parking places in the parking lot and NO carts!! We went in to a JAM packed person to person and Dreamia (my friend :) spotted a cart that no one was around it had a vacuum in it so we stood beside it for a couple of minutes nobody claimed it- IT was OURS!! OK I thought the "sales" started at 10pm?? All the "stuff" was already ripped open by customers and people grabbing left and right! I DON'T understand people, WHY do you NOT follow the SAME direction with your cart as everyone else? After fighting the traffic flow picking up our items along the way we head to the check out to wait a good 30 - 40 minutes, I had decided to pick up a $49 Blue Ray player for me & the Hubz (Merry Christmas to us honey!) The cashier says you can't buy that now it doesn't start until 12am?!?!?! So WHY was it ripped opened and OVER half the stack of them GONE?!?!? Didn't matter to her the register wouldn't ring it up anyway (ok never mind honey no Merry Christmas to us !)

Surprisingly we ended up only being in WalMart for about 1 1/2 hour so we decided we would head on over to Old Navy. They opened at 12am we got there at 11:40pm and there was a line a mile long so we decided to wait in the car until time to stay warm. We walked up and I saw Kelli so as bad as it was I cheated and got in line with her:) They had some pretty good deals ALL for ME of course:) maybe not all! I waited for Dreamia for a while and the line kept growing and growing I finally decided to get in line and surely I would see her. The line wrapped around the ENTIRE store I lined up at the door! This line was SLOW I believe this line took well over an hour to go through and I NEVER saw Dreamia. Dumb me left my phone in the car and I told her that so she knew she couldn't call me. I checked out went to take my bags out get my phone and there she was out front waiting, freezing she had been out there for 45mins!! SORRY!!

Last stop at Kohls we got there about 2:15AM! I felt totally confused on time USUALLY I am doing this during daytime hours NOT in the middle of the night time sleeping hours! Kohls was pretty uneventful I took my phone this time so we separated at the door to go get what we wanted. This trip I planned on getting me stuff because its for work, good excuse right :) but true!! Once again an extremely LONG checkout line but it moved fairly quick I think we waited around 45mins.

Hit Starbucks one the way home. Drop Dreamia off at her vehicle. Type this post. I have officially been awake for 24 hours. Oh and I ran a 5k Thanksgiving morning (I am all confused on what day it is right now!)

Looking back I used a lot of punctuation!

Goodnight or Good Morning all! Do YOU have any Black Friday experiences to share? Do you do the Black Friday thing, Do you enjoy it??

My Thoughts on Tuesday

2011-11-22T16:19:00.000-05:00

I am ALREADY tired of gloomy weather! We are not even officially into winter yet and I am tired of cloudy rainy days! We haven't really been hit with cold weather yet, THANKFULLY, but we have had lots and lots of rain!

I have decided NOT to worry about my lack of being on a regular schedule for running and/or gym related stuff. There is only a month left in the year, all of my major races are over, I might as well just enjoy the rest of the year! I will run when I feel like it Go to the gym when I feel like it But also not let myself go to NOTHING! (I am going to aerobics tonight :)

I am working on some great giveaways and reviews to share and hopefully some discount codes to help with your holiday shopping! Be on the look out for 2011 Holiday Gift Ideas

Any one have awesome Turkey Day plans?

Another Week Gone

2011-11-20T21:40:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else feel like I do, Wow where has the year gone? I can NOT believe Thanksgiving is this week!!

Once again I am finding myself TRYING to get into some type of a routine, with NO LUCK! This week was a little bit better. My goal for October was to join the gym again with the hubz, that never happened. So November 1 I made myself do it:) It made it easier on me that the first was on a Tuesday and they have a step aerobic class that I wanted to start doing. The next week I never made it to the gym but I went back to the step aerobic this Tuesday! My legs was just a little tired from the half but not too bad! Wednesday Sheri and I ran 4mi and I felt like I ran 50! My legs were SO heavy I felt like I was pulling lead weights ~UGGHH! Not even a mile into it I told Sheri I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but I did and in a not so bad time of 36:36.

Me & Kelli

On Thursday night I ran (for the third year) the Southern Lights Stroll 5k with my friend Kelli and her son Caden. Last year Kelli got third in our age group and the competitive side of me came out and really wanted it this year thankfully my legs felt better. This year they changed the course up, it goes through Christmas lights so it is almost completely dark the entire way. I didn't like that at times, the course wasn't too bad it made a couple of loops but it was hard to see the road, I kept worrying I was going to fall off the edge and hurt my foot! Kelli and Caden started right on the starting line, I went a couple of rows back. The start was crazy nobody was announcing anything then all of a sudden the air gun went off. I heard a couple of men come around me talking to each other saying we need to slow it down we are at 7:50, thanks whoever you was cause that made me slow it down also! I caught up to Kelli/Caden about 3/4mile in and he was walking, he took off way too fast, I took about 5 steps with him and told him to come on and lets pace it out. Being 8 he did the fast slow walk thing for a while and I just tried to keep my pace. When we made the final turn for the finishing stretch the three of us was lined up together, Kelli said come on we can catch that girl in the green and off she went! I did my best but couldn't catch either one of them. That darn Kelli got third again!! :) Love ya girl but it just makes me want to try harder next time! My finish time was 25:49

Caden coming through the finish! He is so cute :)

Saturday Sheri and I ran the Turkey Leg 5k in Burgin, Ky which is where I live, normally we do the Turkey Trot 5k in Liberty, Ky but since this was closer to home! The course was the same as the Run for the Pets except that is a 15k for us and this was just a 5k (yay!). It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining and it was about 45*, however on the coming back part it was SUPER windy! Sheri and I stayed together almost the entire way :) the wind was so brutal coming back I paced with a man for a long way. I looked over at Sheri and said I hope he doesn't mind me pacing off of him, he commented on the wind and said he was going to pace off of us for a while now :) Sheri took a little of a lead on me, I got a snot (gross I know ~sorry!) attack had to take about 5 quick steps to clear my throat and pull out the mantra I have been using "Mind Over Matter". The finish was so close and I was NOT going to walk any! Only the top 3 male/females got awards.

Sheri came in 2nd and I came in 3rd with a time of 26:33! Hooray us!! The awards was little turkeys that say gobble gobble gobble ~ how cute!

What's your favorite "different" award you have received or seen?

Going the Distance - Guest Post by Jackie Clark

2011-11-18T09:27:00.002-05:00

A little while back I was contacted by Jackie about doing a guest post and I thought it was a great idea! I have seen others have had some guest posts from Jackie as well, here is mine hope you ENJOY IT :)

Going the Distance

By: Jackie Clark

There are a few things every serious runner knows about a marathon. One being that it is 26.3 miles long, another being that the marathon itself was created in honor of the run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. Of course, aside from the technical aspects of just what a marathon is, every runner knows it takes intense concentration, determination, dedication and heart.

I learned all of the above earlier this year when I completed my first marathon for charity. In addition to determination, dedication and heart, the amount of emotion involved in running a marathon, especially one held to raise money for people suffering from cancer, like mesothelioma, is staggering. Running a charity marathon for cancer is not simply infused with the emotion of the physical demands of the run and the completion of it, but with the emotion of the spectators and fellow runners, many of who have had a family member suffering from the disease or the treatment thereof.

Anyone who has trained for either a marathon or half marathon can attest to the arduousness of the physical aspect of the race. Training is something that has to be done on a daily basis, and again, requires dedication and commitment. Most marathoners train on a roughly 40 to 50 mile a week basis, with a beginner needing to log at least 35 miles. And it is not merely the physicality of the race a potential marathoner should train for; it is also the mental aspect of the run that must also be part of the preparation equation. If these preparations are made and practiced consistently, it makes the completion of the race all the sweeter.

The amount of work put into readying yourself for a marathon can be daunting, but you find ways to help get you through the run. Music has always been my personal motivator to help me get through those long miles. I love blaring my music, which varies from classical rock to country and just singing with the beat of my heart and feet. It really helps me focus on every physical motion as well as clearing my mind of the typical days stresses. This is why I love to prepare for marathons.

Whether it is a water station worker, medic, or simply people in the crowd cheering you on, crossing that finish line bring on the kind of emotion that creates both tears and laughter. The fact that I knew that not only did I personally accomplish something, but also that I did so while potentially helping others was certainly one of the most satisfying aspects of crossing that finish line.

Three Things Thursday- A Few Quick Recaps

2011-11-17T16:09:00.000-05:00

1. Pokey Pig 5k September 24, 2011 Lebanon, Ky- This a favorite race for both Sheri and I, we did this race for the first time last year and loved it! For me its all about the Pigs :) The race is part of a festival that usually is an awesome one, this year wasn't so great but it was ok and gave us something to do after racing! The course for this one is okay, it starts on Main Street and makes a square around back into town. During the last half mile or so you start to smell the festival food ~ YUM! all the not so good for you stuff :) At another race earlier this year I was beat out of an age group award and I saw her at this race, so my goal was to beat her for sure! (Sorry not being cruel just competitive!) Sheri and I stayed together almost the entire way until the end when I started slacking off. I did come in before my person by a couple of mins! Awards time came and they announced that girl in 2nd so I knew I had first BUT they didn't say my name!! I went straight up there and said "Excuse me but I have a problem on what was just called out!" The announcer was reading from the wrong page and they had to call up all the groups they had already given out!! I WAS 1st in the age group with 26:23
2. Black Cat Chase 5k October 28, 2011Frankfort, Ky- Once again one of my favorite races, just about all Frankfort races are favorites even though I don't think the course is the easiest. They usually have LOTS of people and fun things going on:) and they are usually at night so its a family event! I didn't talk up the hubz this time so I really thought he would beat me. My friend Kelli and her son Caden was also there, he is my little running buddy! I took off pretty fast at the beginning and couldn't see anyone, then around half way point I heard someone say "Hey Bobbie!" I looked down and it was Caden full of energy and ready to "run FAST!" Holy Cow I thought I already was fast :? I could only keep up with them for about a half mile or so. Turns out I did beat the hubz and I got a new PR..........24:59!!! HOORAY My first 24 something!!! Who cares that it is one second from 25 :)

Caden & Gerard (the Hubz)

3. Harrodsburg Hobble 5k October 29, 2011 Harrodsburg, Ky- The very next morning after the Black Cat was the Harrodsburg Hobble which is in my town and right outside my office! This is a new race but it was the same course as the Beef Festival Stampede so I am familiar with it, the first half is pretty much uphill to turn around and come back down. Once again Sheri was with me, her hip had been bothering her about a half mile into the race she said something about her hip and I said "I will be GLAD to walk if you want to" my legs were very tired from running the night before! Not sure why I was so badly sore but they was! I walked way more than I should have and really should have tried harder! Sheri ended up with first and me second in our age group (they went by 10's) and I came in at 26:08 not too shabby considering how awful I felt!

Jennifer, Megan, Me & Sheri
The awards was Baseballs since the race was for the schools Baseball team!

Winner Wednesday!!

2011-11-16T22:42:00.000-05:00

The Winner of the YANKZ is..............

JEN

from

Running With The Girls

Send me your mailing info and I will get them right out to ya!!

Thank You to ALL that entered and for Following MY Journey!!

Maybe One More Chance??

2011-11-14T20:27:00.000-05:00

Well it looks like there is going to be one more Half Marathon on my calendar this year :) The Santa Hustle Half Marathon & 5k once again in the great state of Tennessee but this time in Sevierville which just so happens to be where we got married at! It is really pretty there during Christmas time and with LOTS of shopping places maybe a little Christmas shopping can be done. This race is December 11 so that means I have 3 weeks to get in some good training runs, however I am not going into this one thinking 1:59:59. I am thinking whatever it is it is! I have a feeling this one will be quite hilly also so I will be sure to start right away on some hills. I also am not wanting to put any pressure on myself usually that's when the best in me comes out when I am "not really" trying (if that is ever possible :)

We have a local half here in Lexington, Ky Run the Bluegrass

2012 will be the third year for it and it was my first half that I ran! They are also changing the course completely in 2012. I kind of feel obligated to run this half so my mom went ahead and signed me up as part of my Christmas! Right now in my mind this will be the race that I train for to get that 1:59:59 or maybe even better! So I guess I am like several other of you fabalous bloggers, I am looking into 2012 races. Do you know of any good half's in the Kentucky, Indiania, Ohio, Tennessee area??
Tomorrow a winner will be selected for my YANKZ GIVEAWAY if you haven't entered yet do so HERE before its too late!

No 1:59:59 for Me :(

2011-11-13T19:22:00.000-05:00

Yep that's right I bombed out! However it wasn't my worst finish time ever.....

Me, Shalan and my mom made the 3 hour trip to Nashville, Tn for the I run for the Party Nashville 1/2 Marathon Friday afternoon. This is a fairly small event and there was only a packet pick up. (I Run for the Party seems to be a pretty neat series if you live in the Nashville area you should check it out!) It was a little difficult to find the packet pick up, the location wasn't marked very well and was easy to drive past.

We went back to the hotel and walked to the downtown area to find something to eat. The valet at the hotel told us about a great place but we couldn't find it. We walked all around turned a corner and saw the resturant he was talking about! I don't remember the exact name but it was something like Dems? OMG it was amazing!! The best spagetti, bread, cheesy bread and salad :) Will go back if ever in Nashville again!!

We get up Saturday morning and head out it was a few blocks away from our hotel but it was a nice walk. The weather was great, I really wasn't sure what to wear. The sun was shining it was about 44* and wind of 8mph. I choose not to wear a headband just my ear warmer, wasn't happy with that later! On the walk to the start I figured I better go ahead and turn on my Garmin, with all of the large buildings I figured it would have a hard time getting satellite there. IT WOULDN'T COME ON! Trying not to panic I just kept on hitting the start button over and over again, it would flash on and go right back off(flash the garmin words). UGGHH!! NO WAY!! WHAT!!

The pit stops we made along the way. Thought maybe Elvis would give my watch a little power to come on!

Apparently the battery was dead on it even though I charged it ALL DAY the day before :( I tried really hard not to let this bother me BUT IT DID. That was all I could think about! They had pace flags on the sides and we got in by the 9:00 - 9:30 area. I started looking around at the people trying to remember outfits and such so I would know who to half way look for out on the course to judge my time. I was even asking people around me what their goal time was hoping to find someone to pace with. I don't always look at my watch but I like to be able to look down and see if I am making it for goal time! I am pretty sure I started off way too fast, the first couple of miles was a slight up hill the enire way. Mile 3 had a pretty steep hill and I walked! Shalan was smarter than me and slowed her pace, she got beside me asked if I was ok, I replied with "No not really my head is spinning and I feel like I want to vomit!" But I started to run with her again, not for long and I told her I wasn't sure if I was going to make it she told me I would and went on. I started getting really hot and took off my gloves and ear warmer thankfully that was also about the time we was looping back through towards the start and I saw my mom and tossed her my ear warmer and gloves, somehow she only got my ear warmer but they was only $1 gloves!

I also told mom I felt like I was going to vomit, she said the same you are ok! Right after I threw her my stuff it was yet another steep hill and I walked up it. Mom was at the top of it and I asked her what the time was, she told me it had been about 55 mins.

See the disappointment on my face

That really disappointed me the last mile sign I saw was 3 and I thought I was on 4 but went a little way and saw the 6 mile flag! A little way farther there was a time clock so I assumed it was half way point, the clock read 1:02 something and I had a brief thought of maybe 1:59:59 was still possible. I do belive every mile from 7 to the finish had one steep hill that went on for at least a quarter of a mile each! I had already walked way too much and couldn't get a good steady pace going! By mile 8 I knew I had already blown it so just go ahead and accept it and do the best I can to finish!

Thankfully the last half mile was all down hill! As you can tell in the pic above I was so ready to be done! My toe was killing me I knew for sure there was a HUGE blister on it and yep I was
right :( Overall I had a good time and am glad I did it next time I know to train for more major hills!

2:14:54 my finish time!!

Three Things Thursday- The Next Half

2011-11-10T15:12:00.000-05:00

1. Last Saturday another running friend of mine Shalan and I did a 10 miler to get in one good long run before the Nashville 1/2 Marathon by I Run for the Party & Hard Rock Cafe. We had only ran once during the week and Shalan had been out of town for work for two weeks so neither of us was really sure how we would do. Oh and she has a Zumba class she taught before we ran! Girl has way more energy than me! Well to our SURPRISE we ROCKED that 10 miles at an 8:46 pace!! WHAT?!?!!? I have never had an awesome pace like that for such a distance!

2. I found this Nashville 1/2 Marathon way back earlier in the year and just knew I wanted to do it! WHY? The looks of this suckered me in

One GREAT thing about half's and longer races is EVERYONE gets a medal :) and I LOVE all of my medals. The cooler they look you can pretty much go ahead and sign me up!! How cool is the guitar medal?? I can't wait to get my hands on that one!

3. Any one else gonna be in Nashville for the half or maybe just because this Saturday? Maybe I will see YOU there! Or maybe YOU can help ME pace it to a 1:59:59 finish :)

Don't forget to enter my YANKZ GIVEAWAY!!

Iron Horse Half Marathon

2011-11-07T11:54:00.000-05:00

Me & Sheri A sleepy cold morning!

The Iron Horse Half Marathon was Sunday, October 23 in Midway, Ky. I had never been to Midway before the Bourbon Chase (read about it HERE and HERE!!) My third leg ended right in Midway and one of the "chicks" in my van had ran the half last year. So as we drove into Midway I asked her if any of it was the route. We actually didn't go through any of it but she said it was pretty much the same, I had already heard that it was gently rolling so I really wanted to check it out first. Sometimes my version of "gently rolling" is different the the officials version of "gently rolling". It really didn't appear too bad and the main street area was just adorable, I will have to make some time to go back and check out some of the little shops!

Me and my bestest friend/running buddy Sheri (who also has a great recap Here) had signed up for this half a long time ago when early registration was to save some $$. So we have had PLENTY of time for training, did I take advantage of it......NO! Why?? Just a bunch of sorry excuses on my part! We got in a pretty good 10mi a few weeks before and we had the Bourbon Chase (11.5mi for me) two weeks before so there was a few long runs out there :) and I had at least two weekly runs of 4mi every week and a 5k every Saturday, not like I wasn't running at all just not distance! The night before the Iron Horse Half I told the hubz "I so really want to get a 1:59:59 but with the lack of training I think I am really hoping to just be able to finish!" 1:59:59 could I?? The weekend before I ran a trail 4k race which wasn't the greatest idea since I twisted my ankle! Nothing terrible just a little pain.

The weather has been cooler and it was almost perfect race morning. It was a cool but sunny 35ish* it was comfortable running and I passed off my gloves at the half way point. We ended up lining up pretty far back, its chipped timed and we aren't trying to win it just 1:59:59! But I think we was too far back, we did a LOT of weaving in and out and focusing on trying to find a path to get through a little exhausting! Around mile 2.5 there was a man in front of us that seemed like he had a good steady pace, I told Sheri we should stay with him a little while so she talked to him. His name was Kyle and he was hoping a under 2 as well but we didn't stay with him long. This course was really great! For a sight seeker runner like me ( I lOVE to look around and take in my surroundings :) this course is perfect! And it makes like a figure eight, in and out one way then in and out another which means you are always seeing people!

The worst hill at mile 6

The first half wasn't too awful with the "gently rolling". It was fairly hilly but you pretty much went down hill for every uphill. Until mile 5 - 6, right at the 6 mark it was a LONG uphill! That is when I started to notice my opposite ankle hurting :? I guess I was so worried about the twisted ankle that I favored the other too much! But I keep on slowly falling back from Sheri, at first I was getting upset with myself but had to put in a "pep" talk to me! I still had a decent pace and when I passed the half way point at 58mins I knew I had a couple of mins "banked". I think I was able to keep running until around mile 8 then I took a tiny walk break up the hill, the hills on the second half weren't as nice as the first half they pretty much went up with very little downhill. I could still see Sheri but she was way up ahead of me I was just glad I could still see her. That was about the time that my ankle really started throbbing, it began it hurt so bad all I could think was "I am getting me some ice for this thing as soon as I finish!" When I reached the 12mi/1mi to go I looked down at my watch for the first time to see how close I was, I was at 1:50 something and all I could think is less than 10mins to finish in 1:59:59 I MIGHT just be able to do it?!?! So I sucked it up tried to forget about the pain my ankle was giving and run the best I could the last mile.........

Coming through the finish

2:00:43

Dang just 44 seconds short of my goal!! Disappointed? Yes and No! Yes because I only missed it by 44 seconds. No because that is a great half time for as little training as I put in! Thankfully the ankle wasn't that bad afterwards and I didn't have to ice it afterall! I have one more chance this year to get that 1:59:59, this Saturday I will be running my last (I think anyway) half for this year in Nashville, Tn. I sure hope 1:59:59 or better is in the cards for me!

Be sure to read Sheri's Post Here to see her finish time!

Do you YANKZ? I love myYANKZ (Giveaway:)

2011-11-05T08:34:00.000-04:00

Do you YANKZ? Know what YANKZ are? Let me tell ya!!

From the YANKZ site: Expandable cords provide an unsurpassed level of “personalized” fit and comfort. No more tying, retying, double knots or frazzled dirty laces. Slip on your shoe with Yankz!

I saw these laces at an event and wasn't too sure I would really like them or not. I am one that likes to tie my shoes tight (usually too tight) and with double knots to make certain they don't come undone. So the thought of NOT tying my shoes had me curious?! I contacted the fine folks at YANKZ to see about doing a review with a giveaway and P.j. was super kind enough to agree. I had just purchased a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline in the purple color but I didn't like the purple laces (little too much overkill on the purple:) so the timing on this was perfect.

More info from the YANKZ site:

*A personalized fit with two different points of adjustment on the shoe, creating the most comfortable fit.

   *Expandable lace cords form to your foot and reduce blistering and bruising.
   *Available in many color combinations, including reflective colors for early morning and night activity.
   *Uniquely designed for many different sports such as walking, running, aerobics, biking and   other sports.
   *And finally, you never tie laces again

YANKZ come in 22 different colors and you can customize your own! I choose the Multi Black color laces. When I got ready to put the laces on my shoes I asked my hubz to please help me as I was a little confused. He made me watch and do the other shoe myself, but after watching him, reading the directions and watching the video it really is EASY to do!

In fact here is the video

Let me just say I LOVE these laces!! They make my shoes just tight enough and they don't make me feel like my shoe is going to fall/come off my foot at all. I went for a 4mi run the first time in them then I ran a half marathon in them still a little concerned that they might be too loose for the half but once again to my surprise I LOVED them! I even think they helped me not to get blisters on my toes because they were just the right "tightness"!

I still haven't cut off the "extra" part yet wanted to make sure they worked out ok!

Wanna win a pair of YANKZ? P.j. was super duper kind enough to send another pair to giveaway! You can win the YANKZ shown below by simply entering below!

*You MUST be a FOLLOWER of my BLOG!

*Go to YANKZ site and tell me why you wanna try YANKZ and what's your favorite!

*Like YANKZ on FaceBook and tell them I sent ya!

*Blog It, Tweet It or Post It on FaceBook (one entry for each!)

A winner will be selected on November 15 Sorry but US residents ONLY!

Thanks to our Sponsors :)

2011-10-28T14:26:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in the first Bourbon Chase post, Sheri worked at getting us donations and sponsors to help with our costs. Here is a HUGE THANK YOU to all that helped!!

Scott with Outside PR SportsMarketing sent us a variety of GU gel and Chomps as well as some Road ID FireFly Lights. THANK YOU SCOTT AND GU ENERGY AND ROAD ID!!

A HUGE THANK YOU to FUEL BELT to getting us Reflective Vests!!

A HUGE THANK YOU to the following Local (Danville, KY) for monetary donations:
      Mark L. Morgan & Associates
      McDowell Wellness Center
      Guadalajara - (Great Mexican restaurant :)
      Back to Basics Chiropractic- Dr. Craig Arnold
      Webster Orthodontics
      Little Caesars Pizza
      AutoMartt LLC- Harrodsburg, Ky

A HUGE THANK YOU to Megan with Build a Sign.com for making us an awesome door magnet at the last minute :)

A SUPER HUGE THANK YOU to Stuart Powell Ford for rescuing us in our "no van crisis"!! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR SAVING THE DAY!!!!! :)

A HUGE THANK YOU to our van drivers:
      Donna Kissick
      Katrina Alexander
      Ashby & Bryan Jakober

And finally.........................................

A HUGE THANK YOU to my MOM for going along with both vans to take pictures and such!! LOVE YOU :)

Bourbon Chase cont'd........

2011-10-26T09:49:00.000-04:00

**In case you missed the first part READ IT HERE!!**

Map of the entire course

After my van completed all of our second legs it was brought to our attention that we were dead last, meaning we were the last team to come through the exchange. This confused us terribly because the previous time they post some results we were right in the middle, how did we get so far behind?? Another team told us they had already received a phone call telling them to bump up, I asked what that meant and was told that basically both vans are active and running the last runner in van 1 just doesn't have anyone to pass off to. So we wondered why we didn't get the same phone call? We drove to the next exchange that we would have meet back up with van 1 and asked the race directors what would happen? We knew if we kept on running like we was we wouldn't finish on time and they would pull us off the course, that was right along with we wouldn't get finisher medals or a finish time! Not what we wanted so they told us to go ahead and bump up also.

Leg 32 (M) 4.3 Miles - Scenic Old Frankfort Pike

Description: This short leg runs along the famous Old Frankfort Pike, passing beautiful horse farms.

0.0 mi. -Carefully cross US 60 to follow KY 1681 / Old Frankfort Pike

0.3 mi. - Enter Woodford County

1.5 mi. - Continue on KY 1681 / Old Frankfort Pike (by veering right across the railroad tracks and soon begin a long climb.

4.1 mi. - Left on Woodlake Rd. to exchange.

Since my legs and total distance was so small I didn't train doing any double runs, in my mind as long as I did some long runs I would be okay. Well that would be true for a normal race. And well this was NOT a normal race. My vans third legs was the first and only legs we had in the blazing HOT sun that we unusually was experiencing that weekend. So put the heat + lack of sleep + with a nice LONG hill that went on for like 2 miles = Not a very pretty third leg for me! I already knew going into it I was feeling fatigued so I didn't go all full force and I passed about 4 or 5 people. I went pretty strong for about 2 miles then the long crazy hill came along and I did run/walk for about a mile and a half. When I saw the one mile to go sign I did my best to run it but I walked just a small little part. It wasn't just me of course though everyone was feeling it in their last leg even van one. I am not positive on the exact time but it was around 50+ mins for 4.5 miles.

A few "chicks" had to leave early so this isn't our entire team!

Team "CHICKS THAT KICK 'ASS'PHALT" crossed the finish line some time after 7pm with an overall finish time that was originally posted as 29 hours and 46 minutes!

A few days later they removed our finish time and posted "No Official Time"??? WHY??? Well apparently when van 1 went through their last to exchange points there was no race officials there and they didn't record our team as coming through those points, so they ASSUMED that we skipped 3legs and only did the last 6 legs in which they was WRONG!!! So now they have given us a time of 32:53:27 BUT I am sticking with our original time since that is what we calculated!!

Overall I had a GREAT time in The Bourbon Chase and will do it again if our team wants or if I am asked to join another team. The couple of weeks leading into the Chase was not good weeks for me and my frame of mind wasn't there to enjoy it like I should have and since it was our first year it was a learning experience for how and what we need to do next time to improve!

The Bourbon Chase - WOW What an Experience!

2011-10-24T22:05:00.000-04:00

**Two weeks later and I finally have a post! Sorry for the delay but I think I am getting back. This is a long post so I have broke it up!**

First off let me say......OMG!! What an experience it is to run an overnight relay!! During the course of 29 hours and 46 minutes I do believe I had almost every emotion and/or feeling possible good and bad! But in the end, I am ready to sign up again next year :)
The Bourbon Chase has been a year in the making for Sheri and I (what little I did, she was our team captain!) We recruited a team of 12 all female runners We had a few team meetings and We had a few girls drop out and had to replace one even 3weeks before the event day!

1st meeting Getting down to business!

Looks like serious Business! LOL

In our first meeting we all (ones that was present) picked out which runner number we wanted to be. The route crossed through our hometown two times and past my office one time so I really wanted one of those routes. Luckily enough for me the one that went in front of my office also was the one with the least mileage :) I would have taken another one however if someone else REALLY needed it!

Sheri worked really hard at getting donations from various local business( a "Thank You" post to follow :) to help us pay for costs with the race, it was $100 a person to register plus renting of two vans, gas, snacks etc.. She also called Enterprise vehicle rental to reserve us two vans in April(or earlier) so they had plenty of notice, we knew of a couple of other local teams so we wanted to make sure we got vans. That girl did great at getting donations! We had enough to buy short and long sleeve wicking shirts pay for vans/gas and still have enough for snacks and such.

The last group meeting

About a week and a half before race day Sheri called Enterprise to check on the vans, bet you can't guess what happened?? YEP they had NO reservation for us and they had NOTHING available anywhere!! Thankfully Sheri and her mom are best of friends with one of the owners of our local Ford dealership, Stuart Powell and they graciously donated TWO 15 passenger vans at NO COST!!!

Our Team Name:

Chicks That Kick 'Ass'phalt

Van #2 My van minus one, she was out running!

Van #1 These Chicks look ready to roll!

The wonderful state of Kentucky has several Bourbon distilleries, hence the Bourbon Chase travels 200+ miles to and past those distilleries! The starting location was at Jim Beam and van 2 (my van) started at Makers Mark. Our team starting time was at 1:15pm but since I was in van #2 we didn't start until sometime around 6.

Leg 8 (E) 3.7 Miles - Heart of Kentucky Description: Rolling course over country roads early until you enter the city of Lebanon
0.0 mi. - Continue south on KY 429 past golf course
1.2 mi. - Turn right on KY 2154
2.5 mi. - Take first left on KY 49 (across from Hampton Inn)
3.4 mi. - Continue to follow sign for KY 49 by turning left on Walnut and then immediate right on N Depot
3.7 mi. - Exchange zone is after you turn left on MLK St. at the Heart of Kentucky Downtown Pavilion

I was runner #8 my first leg was around 6:45 or 7pm which meant I had to wear all of the safety equipment (reflective vest, head lamp and rear blinky light), nighttime running I am used to safety equipment not, but it wasn't too bad the only thing that half way bothered me was wondering if I would step on road kill~ YUCK. The total mileage was 3.7 and very little hills. I felt GREAT during this leg! My legs were fresh from not running all week and the sun had gone down as it was around 85* with full sun for all of van #1 legs. I ended up passing 4 other runners and finished 3.7mi in 30:40 not too bad!

Me running my 1st leg

After our van (#2) completed the first round we went to eat around 1am at The HUB Coffee House & Cafe in Danville, Ky (our hometown) which is one of my favorite places! They make the best lattes and sandwiches and such! They was also kind enough to stay open ALL night long just for the Bourbon Chase! After we ate we went to the hotel room my mom reserved for us to use, a couple people took showers but all I wanted to do was lay down and close my eyes for a little while. We figured we needed to meet van #1 around 5:30am or so but we told them to text us when there last runner started running. By the time everyone got settled and closed our eyes it was time to get up again, I think we got maybe an hour & half of sleep~ NOT MUCH!!

Leg 20 (E) 3.5 Miles - Kentucky’s First City Description: An extremely short run down a wonderful Main Street into Kentucky’s oldest city - Harrodsburg
0.0 mi. - Continue north on US 127
1.2 mi. - Continue straight past the traffic light for US 127 Bypass
1.6 mi. – Cross US 127 Business – just before Spirit Chevrolet GMC dealership - and turn right on Beaumont Avenue; this road twists a little, but just follow the main drag toward town
3.2 mi. - Bear left and then immediately right to end up on Main Street and at the exchange

It was a little cool but actually perfect weather for running when my second leg started around 6am. This was the leg that went by my office so I was very familiar with the route! For about the entire first mile it was all down hill then a somewhat gradual uphill for about a half mile before it leveled out. The greatest thing for me on this leg is that I knew the volunteers so when I came through I said "Thanks Kevin" he was shocked to see me and said "Hey Bobbie! Great Job Girl!!" and then I heard another voice that I still am not sure who it was say "Alright Bobbie Way to go!" praise always makes you feel better! After I finished the lady that finished right before me said" Glad you followed me, the other person took a wrong turn!" On this leg I didn't pass anyone (except the wrong turn person~ha) nor did anyone pass me I didn't start my watch right so my estimated 3.5mi run was about 31 mins.

Lisa, Me, Kelli and Tara after 1 1/2hr night of sleep and running!

***To keep this post from being a mile long....I am breaking into another post! But I will wait until tomorrow to post it :)

Please Forgive Me................

2011-10-05T22:13:00.000-04:00

Please forgive me for being absentee from blogging and reading blogs. I have been doing some running until this week......... Last Thursday my last Grandma passed away :(

It wasn't unexpected I knew it was coming. That is why I went to visit a couple of weeks ago, I am so VERY thankful that I did. Although I have lost touch and not stayed in touch like I should have(we live 6 hours away!) I still love her dearly.

Then on Sunday morning Death struck my family again. This time TOTALLY UNEXPECTED...........

My baby Zeus passed away in his sleep :( Unfortunately for what ever reason I seem to be taking it harder than my grandma~ sorry. I am all teary and trying HARD not to really break down again. I do not know what happened he seemed just fine the night before. He was 7yrs old and an AWESOME GREAT LOVING dog. I am still in shock so please forgive me...........

Go Girl Sport winners I have not sent the info yet but I will do it tomorrow. I am trying to snap out of it and get back to reality. I have ran a couple of good races and will try to blog about them. The best thing is on Friday me and my running friends (some new) will be running the Bourbon Chase 200mile Relay through wonderful central Kentucky passing several bourbon distilleries. So please stay tuned and Please forgive me I will be back soon...............

Winners Winners Go Girl Sport Winners!

2011-09-27T16:13:00.000-04:00

Random.org selected numbers 10 and 76.

Lucky # 10 is Laura Elaine from LauraElaine Designs! Laura Elaine you have won an awesome Toga Tank please go HERE and tell me what color and size you would like!

AND

Lucky #76 is Stephanie Anne from Running to Health! Stephanie Anne you have won an awesome Visor please go HERE and let me know what color you would like!

Congrats Ladies and THANKS to ALL for following my Journey! Trust me there is LOTS more to come :)

9/12- 9/18 Mind over Matter

2011-09-21T15:55:00.000-04:00

Tuesday- 4mi/36:21
Thursday- 3mi/26:25
Sunday- 3.05 (5k race)* see time below :)

So once again like usual I was a slacker last week. I keep giving myself little pep talks and think I have myself convienced to get it in gear. I have decided starting October I am going to join the hubs and go back to the gym. He is always there for at least an hour and a half 3 - 4 times a week, that gives me time to run outside and spend around 30 mins working on my arms/abs with weights. Wish me Luck I can stick to that!!

On Thursday night we decided to run the 5k route that was coming up. For some reason I never run at race pace during weekly runs or just because, but on this night I decided I was going to give it all I had. I have been telling the girls (my running buddies :) that this was the race we was going to kick my hubs butt! He always beats me and never runs like I do and dang it not this time. He went with us on the practice run and I kept a lead of at least 30 seconds or more at all times, every time I started feeling weak and wanting to walk I would tell myself "Its just Mind over Matter, you Can Do This!" I think I may have just found my new mantra! Saturday morning Sheri and I was suppose to go run 7mi together, which we hardly ever get to do anymore, and for what ever reason I wasn't feeling it and backed out. I felt ashamed and tried to catch Sheri but she was already gone, so I laid around lazy all day!

Sunday race day came, not just any race but the last race of the "Serres" and one that I really want to win an award. They are the neatest awards, hand made plaques super cute! This is usually a big race and brings out all of the fast ones. I went into the race with two goals 1. Beat the hubs 2. Win an award. The only goal I was determined to reach was #1 and I told everyone of my running friends before the race that today was the day, the day I was going to beat him. This race also starts at a slight downhill and is super easy to get caught up in a way to fast take off, I tried telling myself to start off around a 9min pace and pick it up from there. I never look at my garmin during races cause if I see a faster pace than I think I can handle it scares me and I really start slowing down. At the start line hubs stood in front of me, I think he did it on purpose thinking he could take the lead on me. The start was crowded and I tried not to weave in and out and use unnecessary energy, I kept my eyes on hubs and once we rounded the first turn I passed him! I kept my momentum going as fast as I could and trying not to overdue it and end up walking, this route has a couple of good steady uphill inclines as well as a couple of good downhill declines if you pace it out right it is a great course. I saw my mom and Steve on the corner and tried judging their looks if I had a good lead or not but couldn't really tell, I passed the first mile and the time person said 7:49, WOW I wish I didn't hear that!

Looking at Mom to see if I had a good lead or not??

I could tell I was slowing down and just tried to keep a steady pace. Around mile 2.25 you pass through a loop like and get a chance to see who is behind you, the only person I saw was Sheri and no hubs, now I knew I had at least a 30 second lead. The last half mile or so it like a roller coaster up and down and I used my new found mantra "Mind over Matter" Bobbie that's all it is "Mind over Matter". Although I had nothing left in me to kick in at the finish I felt so HAPPY and PROUD of myself I could not believe I did it! I beat him :) Not only that but I met goal #2 also and took 2nd in my age group!! My official time was 25:47 and the hubs was 27:04 since it may never happen again I made sure to leave him in the dust :)

See the look of excitment

Heading to the finish shoot

Aren't these awards the coolest?!?!

Go Girl Sport Giveaway

2011-09-15T22:10:00.000-04:00

The Athletic Apparel Brand for Women Who Dare to Be Different

Earlier this summer I contacted Go Girl Sports to see about trying out one of their products. The fabulous Susan with Go Girl Sports was kind enough to send me a Toga Tank and a Sport Visor (wonder if she already knew I LOVE visors???)

In MY opinion you can NEVER go wrong with a Visor!

Have you seen the Toga Tank? This tank has been one of my FAVORITE tanks this summer~ Why? Well the entire back of it is mesh which allows air to flow through it SWEET!! With as hot as it has been this summer the Toga Tank has been a great relief. I was a little concerned about the front, the top of it looked like it crossed and I worried I wouldn't like the way it fit. However I was wrong, it was a perfect fit and very comfortable to wear. Choosing a color was the hard part, I like all of the color choices but I choose the Rose color, the front is a light grayish color and the mesh back is rose color super cute!! I don't like anything to fit snug so I got a Large and love the fit for me it is perfect.

I think this Awesome Toga Tank was my lucky charm, the first race I wore it to is one that I NEVER get an award at

Not this time around :)

Here is what the Go Girl Sport site has to say about the Toga Tank:

The Toga Tank lets you show your wild side with a full mesh back for superior breathability while providing enough coverage to satisfy your modest side. Seams are sewn flat and offset from tender areas to avoid chafing. The moisture wicking performance fabric keeps you comfortable even in the most challenging workouts.

Are you ready to show your "wild side"?? Susan is also kind enough to let me Giveaway one of the AWESOME Toga Tank AND a Sport Visor!! One LUCKY Winner will win a Toga Tank of their choice and One LUCKY Winner will win a Sport Visor of their choice! Hooray :)

How can you WIN???

Mandatory- Be a Follow of this Blog
Mandatory- Go to Go Girl Sports and let me know what is Your favorite item
EXTRA ENTRIES
Tell me what is your favorite item of clothing to run in
*
Spread the Word Blog It, Post It to Facebook and/or Tweet It
*
Follow Go Girl Sport of Facebook Tell them I sent you
*
Follow Go Girl Sport on Twitter
*
If you are having problems (like I do) leaving comments and want to enter just EMAIL ME and I will make sure you get in :)

A WINNER WILL be chosen on Sunday, September 25

15k, a Lesson Learned and a Razzy Roo Winner

2011-09-13T17:49:00.000-04:00

Saturday, September 10 I completed the Run for the Pets 15k in Burgin, KY this is another race in the local "Serres". They also do a 5k but being the hard core runner (ha ha ha yeah right :) that I am I do the 15k. As usual this is an extremely hilly route, the worst part is from mile 3 - 4.5 I do believe it is uphill the entire way that gets steeper and steeper. Last year Sheri and I ran the course several times to prepare for it and when race day came I had terrible stomach issues and did horrible and walked lots, this year we have only practiced on the course a few times and I made sure NOT eat Mexican food the night before :) The week leading up to race day was nothing but rain rain rain all week and I was too wimpy to run in the rain so I only ran once during the week (which is why I haven't done a week in review post for the last two weeks!) so I had pretty fresh legs. Race morning weather was about perfect but it heated up quickly. I had already planned on starting very slow and work my way faster, I just really didn't want to walk any. To my surprise I was able to run the entire first half and was able to stay right by Sheri's side (she is way better than me at long distances and well overall she is a much better runner than I am). After the turn around is when I started slowing down, I made sure that I kept Sheri in my sights and even had to take a couple of quick short walk breaks, I kept the walking to 30seconds or less. I finally caught back up to Sheri and she was walking and not looking happy, I asked her if she was okay and her legs were bothering her, I happily walked a little way with her and we stayed together through the end of the race. At the very end there is a monster hill to go up (it is just wrong, wrong wrong to make us finish a 15k on that crazy hill!) I told Sheri I was probably going to have to walk up that crazy thing but once again I was surprised and paced myself very slow up it. My main goal for this race was to beat my time from last year:
2010- 1:33:18
2011- 1:27:32
HOORAY!!! I beat 2010 time for sure but I wasn't able to keep the pace I wanted and need to finish a half in 2hrs or less. I still have time to work on that though!

After the race and breakfast (race morning tradition gotta eat something :) my oldest daughter and I got in the car and drove 6 hours to go see my grandma. I wore my compression socks for recovery. We had to turn around and come back home the next morning early, 6more hours in the car. On the way home we decided to stop at the outlet mall, when I got out of the car my upper legs were so stinking sore I could hardly walk! The lesson I learned is it is not wise to run 9 miles and then sit in the car for 12hours!! Holy Cow !!

And FINALLY a RAZZY ROO WINNER..........

Penny from Pink Hat Runner

Yay for Penny!! Please just email me your "Funky Runner" headband choice :)
Don't forget Purchase ANY RAZZY ROO product by clicking the link on my left sidebar and use code PROMOBP10 for a discount!!

Lost and Found...

2011-09-09T10:17:00.000-04:00

Lost: My running schedule, my motivation to run, my wanting to Blog and the words I want to Blog, and just my normal happy go lucky self :(

Found: My Blog (oh yea I do have one of those things)

Sorry I haven't announced a Razzy Roo Funky Runner Headband winner yet so if you still want to enter you need to go HERE NOW I will pick a winner on Sunday, September 11!

8/22 - 8/28 Sore Legs = Crazy Dreams?

2011-09-01T15:11:00.000-04:00

Its kinda late in the week to be posting about last week but anyway.....

Tuesday - 4mi/36:45
Thursday- 3mi/28:02
Saturday- 5k/26:25
Sunday- 8mi/ 1:06:42

My goodness will I ever get on a regular schedule? No probably not so I might as well accept it and quit trying! Sometimes things come together better if you don't try so hard but we shall see...

Sheri and I both really REALLY want to get this fall half in under 2hrs even if its 1:59:59. We have been trying to keep our runs close to that pace, the upcoming 15k will be a test to see how possible it is! Tuesday's night run was hot and humid although it hasn't been as hot it is still pretty warm even at 8pm. I felt pretty good this night. I had all intentions of going out Wednesday but quickly talked myself right out of it since I was going to be solo. That meant I HAD to go Thursday night which I thought was going to be solo again but Sheri text me so I was HAPPY about that! Her legs were a little tight from boot camp exercises and I wasn't really feeling into to it, Sheri said she was sorry but she was probably going to be slow and for me to go ahead if needed. I told her no problem I was into an easy run tonight, however I don't really think we took it as easy as we thought we would! We mixed our usual route up a bit for a change of scenery and ended up going up a long hill and still kept a 9:10 pace :)

I was also going to run Friday morning as I had taken off work to take my girls to the Ky State Fair in the afternoon, but I was running a 5k Saturday morning and knew we would be doing A LOT of walking at the fair so I decided to save my legs. We ended up not getting home from the fair until 1am and I had to get up and leave by 6am to make it to the race on time~ uggh I was SUPER tired and almost didn't go but I had already registered so I had to go. This was a new race for me I had no idea of the area or anything. Driving in mom and I saw the markings for the course, I could tell it was a gradual uphill coming out which means slight downhill going back SWEET but then I saw it......the MONSTER HILL! My mind instantly said "Holy Crap! It is totally ok if you walk up this hill today you are running off 4hrs sleep!" And that is exactly what I did. This was probably one of the only times I paced myself good and didn't take off like a bandit which helped me keep an even pace until I reached that terrible hill coming back, going out it was pretty steep but coming back I believe it was twice as steep! I was thrilled to finish in 26:25 because I felt like it was going to be a 30min run! I went straight home and took a nap, my body was so tired for such little sleep I felt like I had just ran a marathon. It took me no time to fall asleep and the dreams started rolling, I hardly ever dream that I remember anyway, but on this day they was jumping from one thing to the next. One moment I was somewhere running, the next I was eating some kind of crazy food to being somewhere crazy....Amazing how your mind works when you are super tired!
Sunday morning I got up early once again to meet Shalan to head out for 8mi. I was still super tired and just told myself its okay you aren't in a race today just pace yourself slow. Well the first half of the run was around a 9:09 pace. Then we set off to finish the rest of the run...we ran in town and I almost stomped on a bird that was on the sidewalk ~OMG!!! Why didn't the crazy thing move? It just sat there and hopped to the grass after it almost lost its life! I was losing steam and fast and was so ready to be done trying hard to not start walking, so I ask Shalan if she cared if we cut it off at 7mi instead of 8. Thankfully for me she didn't mind either as she had ran up a mountain a couple of days earlier! I think we ended up with around a 9:31 pace overall which I was very pleased with!!

Hope everyone had a good week last week! Happy RUnning!!

8/15 - 8/21 Hitch Runners

2011-08-23T22:54:00.000-04:00

And it went like this:

Tuesday- 4mi 36:30
Wednesday - 5.5 mi 51:52
Saturday - 7 mi 1:06:15

Not the best effort this week on distance but the runs I had were good ones! On Wednesday I think the Hubz was feeling sorry for me because I didn't have anyone to run with so he agreed to go to the park, his words were "I will go to the park but I am not running in town and all that crap!" And I told him if he was just doing one lap around the park it wasn't worth my time, he said he would wait while I did the second lap if he didn't feel like it. Okay that works! Well lucky for me, some how I timed it (and not on purpose wouldn't even know how to) just PERFECT because when we reached the front of the park we 'ran' into Sheri and her Hubz running for boot camp and we decided to join them!! That made my 4 mi run into a 5.5 mile run and it involved a big hill - Great workout :) It was kind of funny though all of the boot camp people were looking at us like where did they come from. A couple of them we know and my Hubz works with one, I told him we was 'hitch runners' instead of 'hitch hikers'.
There wasn't any race this weekend - wow that is surprising I honestly would have to really think of the last Saturday that I didn't run a race. So we decided to go ahead and do our long run so we could sleep in on Sunday :) Another friend that is on our Bourbon Chase team ran with us also. We decided to head on back to where we always train, the lovely Bluegrass Pike nice and gently rolling hills, gotta LOVE Kentucky. When I woke up a little late I thought this is not going to be a very good run for me I can already feel it, but I tried to stay positive and see what happens. I was very pleased with my 9:27 pace!

Don't forget to enter my Razzy Roo Funky Runner Band GIVEAWAY!! Or you can ALWAYS click on the link on my left sidebar and purchase any Razzy Roo product and use code PROMOBP10 for a discount!!

Happy RUnning!!

My new Kicks......don't seem to agree with me :( But it was a 5k like no other!

2011-08-18T15:59:00.001-04:00

On July 23 I competed in the RJ Corman 5k in Nicholasville, Ky. This was a different 5k than I have run before. It wasn't anything crazy different but different because the registration fee was $0 and the winners (overall and age group winners) won Pearl Izumi running shoes!!! Yep no entry fee and free shoes count me in for sure! Oh and they had a free cookout with awesome homemade banana ice cream!! :) It has been a couple of years but I have ran the course before and felt pretty confident that I might be able to place in my age group. Also set up was the local Run Bike Swim store that was offering the same Pearl Izumi shoes for half price along with other items offered at the store. Come to find out they was holding the race for RJ's birthday and he was funding the event. RJ Corman is a local (in central Kentucky) railroad businessman who is also a runner and does lots of awesome things for the community, he is such a super nice man! It was race time and me and my friend Carmen lined up towards the front, beside us was a man in a kilt - ha ha. To begin the race they blew a train whistle and I mean a LOUD regular train whistle, even though I knew it was coming it still scared me and off I went way too fast. This was also one of the super hot days we had and it was super humid. I did okay until about mile 2 then I was tiring very quickly, we had to cross a small concrete foot bridge that swayed with all the people on it. After coming off the bridge I had to take a small walk break due to my head and stomach feeling a little dizzy. I took a quick peek at my Garmin and told myself "if you want to place you better get to moving!" At this point there was less than a half mile to go so I slowly started trying to pick up my pace, until I came around the finishing curve then I gave it all I had, which wasn't very much but I finished in 26:51! Usually it doesn't bother me if I place or not but on this day I REALLY wanted to, I WANTED to WIN me some shoes!! RJ really goes all out when races are held at his place, at the finish line there was a tub filled with iced towels super nice to have after a hot humid race. And I saw a long line of people so I went to check it out, they also gave out these sticker things that had everything on it, your name age finish time overall place and age group place, very cool! Unfortunately I did not place :( and to be honest I was quite disappointed!

But since my birthday was just around the corner my awesome and wonderful mom bought me a pair of the half price Pearl Izumi ISO Shift (shown above). When I tried them on they felt great! Then I put them on to try out on a run and well they didn't feel so great any more. They felt really tight around my toes but they were fairly comfortable while running. I wore them on about 5 or 6 runs before I have decided to go back to my old faithful Brooks! After wearing the Pearls my calves and legs hurt something terrible! So it looks like Pearl Izumi brand isn't for me.

Thank you Mr. RJ Corman for a great race! Hope to give it another try next year!!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Week in Review 8/8 - 8/14- A 5k in my new age group or NOT???

2011-08-16T22:59:00.000-04:00

***ENTER MY RAZZY ROO FUNKY BAND GIVEAWAY HERE***

Here's how my week went:
Monday- 3mi 28:22

Pretty cool we show up in the same colors and
the same headband without planning it!!

Wednesday- 3.05mi 27:12
Saturday- 3.10(5k race) 25:19 *NEW PR*
Sunday- 6mi 56:27

On Monday and Wednesday Sheri and I decided to put in a couple of practice runs on the course for the 5k. It is a fast course and its where I got my PR for last year, I love this course! Wednesday our husbands ran with us, always nice to share some quality time with spouse and friends while running :) Sheri's husband has just recently started running (again I think he used to in the past) and on this night he finished in way under 30 minutes~ HOORAY MIAH!!!! :)

Saturday was suppose to be my first race in my new age group (35 - 39), this made me nervous. With such a fast course I really wanted to do great but at the same time I am not used to looking for and watching the times for the new age group which meant they could be really really fast.

Shalan #72, Me #44 and Sheri #36

The beginning is a little zig zaggy, it goes around a small curve a little straight stretch then a 90 degree right turn into a straight which leads you into the main route. When we hit the straight Sheri being awesome like she is yelled out "7:30, 7:30" and I knew yep lady you better slow yourself down a tad or you are going to wear down, Thank You Sheri :) My plan was to stay with Sheri, she does a great job at starting out right and picking it up when needed, a wonderful pacer! There is only one little hill in which I took it a little easy on which gave Sheri a lead that I used to keep me going. At the end you have to make a lap around a track, there was one man in between us and I decided I was NOT going to let him finish in the middle of us! So I waited for just the right time and gave it all I had and chicked him!! Then I saw the time clock and said out loud "Heck ya!" I just got a new 5k PR of 25:19!!!!!!(previous 25:31) Then it came time for awards and it was announced that the age groups were off by a year, I couldn't really hear everything that was said but then people we knew started getting awards in groups that was shocking and we was confused! My age group ended up being 31 - 35 which basically put me with the same people I have been with minus Sheri (she's 30). I took 2nd and was Happy with it! (even though I would have had 1st if it was normal age groups!)

Sunday morning we FINALLY was able to get up and do a longer run of 6 miles. We have decided to start doing long runs on the upcoming 15k course, it is very gently rolling. I was really surprised but I was able to keep up pretty well and hold a 9:25 ish pace the entire time.

It feels so wonderful to get back into a running routine! I hope I can keep these Happy Runner feelings I have had the last couple of weeks!

Razzy Roo.........Awesome Headbands for ONLY $5..... Get one(or more) Today + Giveaway

2011-08-12T23:18:00.003-04:00

A while back I did a review and giveaway for RAZZY ROO HEADBANDS. I really love my RAZZY ROO BAND and wear them quite often! And the owner Cheryl is SUPER nice and VERY fast with her service and response time. Recently Cheryl added the "FUNKY RUNNER BANDS". OMG these bands have the best patterns and bright colors, as soon as I seen them I knew that I HAD to have one! I mean look at some of these patterns:

AWESOME RIGHT?!?!?!?!!!!

There is so many awesome designs they will match any running outfit and make the PERFECT accessory to complete your running outfit or well any outfit! And these WONDERFUL Bands are ONLY $5 each, which is a good thing since its hard to pick just one! With such an affordable price these bands make the perfect gifts for your running friends, groups or clubs! To browse the site and PURCHASE a "FUNKY RUNNER BAND" or ANY RAZZY ROO product click the link on the upper left (above the yearly mileage counter:)

Me running with a Razzy Roo!

Oh but WAIT......Cheryl is so nice and wonderful she is offering one lucky follower a chance to WIN a "FUNKY BAND" as well as a discount code ( PROMOBP10 ). Only $5 and a discount code, what are you waiting for click the upper left right away!

Enter to Win by doing one or more of the following:

*This one is MANDATORY- Be a Follower of this Blog

*Like RAZZY ROO on Facebook and let Cheryl know I sent ya!!

*Go to RAZZY ROO Here and tell me what you would like

*Follow RAZZY ROO on Twitter and tweet this giveaway

*Post it on your Blog and or Facebook- Spread the word

Entries will be accepted through August 27th.

LOVE my Razzy Roo Band :)

Week in Review 8/1 - 8/7

2011-08-09T13:53:00.000-04:00

Monday- 4mi 38:12
Tuesday- 4mi 37:10
Saturday- 3.15 27:20 (5k race)

Yep that's it and this was suppose to be my first week of training for fall half marathons??? Not off to a great start but I am getting there. Life events got in the way this week but sometimes there are other things that are more important than running! Our daughters birthday on Thursday and a death on Friday left no time for running on those days and Sunday I was just plain lazy after two very LONG days in a row :)

I (we, being Sheri and I) have a new running buddy that has been running some week night runs, which is super awesome, the more the merrier! Monday night it was just me, Shalan and the Hubz, the Hubz hasn't been running hardly at all and it sure showed this night as we left him in the dust ~ ha ha just joking honey! Tuesday night there was a group of 4 running the same route as Monday night but a minute faster :) Yay us!!

Saturday I ran the last 5k in the 30 - 34 age group, still not sure how I will hold up in the 35 - 39 but we shall see. It was the Mid Summer Night 5k in Lexington, Ky. This is ALWAYS a crowed, humid race where people NEVER line up right. This was the third year the Hubz and I have ran this race and appartenly they reverse the route every other year, so we had to change direction and walk down to the starting area that was already SUPER crowded. We saw a sign telling walkers to line up behind the sign so we kept on walking what I thought was a long way and we saw an opening so we jumped in. There was still about 5mins or more until the start of the race so I was looking around trying to see if I could see anyone I knew and sizing up the crowd, the more and more I looked around I told Hubz " I think we have made a mistake, I feel like we should be ahead of at least 1/3 of the people around us;" he agreed but it was too late to try and move up any more. The gun went off to start and there we stood, NO MOVING up AT ALL waiting and waiting ~ Oh wait here we go well no maybe not! It took 2 1/2 mins to get through the starting line and then it was at least 3/4 mile of weaving in and out, trying not to step on others heels, dodging the young fellow that just fell face first on the road, several people stopping right in front of me and listening to Hubz saying "slow down, quit weaving you are going to wear yourself out!" I shouted back "Follow the lady in the orange she is doing a good job!" Around the first sharp curve everyone was on the sidewalk and I was almost the ONLY FOOL still on the road, as I was looking around realizing this I twisted my ankle/knee in a small pot hole ~UGGHH! Then there was the foolish boy on the skate board riding in and out of the crowd, as I was coming to another sharp curve he got right in front of me slowing himself down so he was able to take the curve on his skateboard! I yelled out " GOOOOSSHH GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" The greatest thing with this race is the Hubz and I was pretty much right beside each other the entire time, I LOVED it for that fact alone :) At 2.36 mile I told Hubz "go ahead Baby my knee is killing me I need to get to the side for a moment" (get to the side like a poliet runner out of the way not right in front of someone!!) but the sweet and awesome Hubz he is stopped with me to make sure I was ok and encouraged me to COME ON!! From that point on he had a slight lead on me but it was just what I needed to keep on going~ Thanks Hubz. He finished in 27:06 and I was 27:15 a minute less than last year.

Sunday was suppose to be a longer run day of at least 6mi but I woke up to thunder and lightening so I text Sheri and went back to bed! Oh well maybe this week I can get it all together !!

Happy Birthday to ME today!!! (August 9th)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PENNY!!

2011-08-08T16:27:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PENNY FROM OVER AT PINK HAT RUNNER!!!
HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING YOUR DAY PENNY!! (Mine is tomorrow:)

Let me know when "YOUR DAY" is and I will give YOU a shout out!!!

Hello August - July where did you go.....

2011-08-02T11:27:00.000-04:00

WOW, I can not believe it is August already! This entire year has flown right by but geez it sure seems like July really went by fast! August is my favorite month, of course that is due to it being my birthday month:) When I was younger I used to think no one had a birthday in August but boy was I wrong. Lots of famous people have birthdays in August, just to name a few : Martha Stewart, Martin Sheen, President Obama, Billy Bob Thorton, Neil Armstrong, "Magic" Johnson, Madonna, the list goes on and on! Check out FamousBirthdays.com to see who shares a Birthday with you!! My youngest daughter, my best friends son and my father also have August birthdays. For me this year not only will I be one year older I also move up in age groups :) and to be honest it doesn't even bother me! After next Tuesday I will officially be in the 35 - 39 age group. Not sure right now if that is good or bad but I will soon find out.

I say lets ALL celebrate all month long, how about you? Anyone else have a birthday in August? Be sure to let me know so I can give you a shout out on your day! Be on the look out for some giveaways this month.

So where did July go? Flying right on by like all the other months this year I guess. I had really hoped that July would be my come back to running month but that was a failure for me. I did however make a great start to a regular schedule the last two weeks of July so at least I made an effort! And I am off to a wonderful start for August since it is now time to begin training for fall half marathons ~ HOORAY!!!

What are YOU currently training for???

Oops I Forgot SORRY!- Some Race Recaps and a Gel-Bot WINNER

2011-07-26T10:43:00.000-04:00

Oops, this was my 5 things Friday post that I wrote on Friday and for whatever reason I forgot to post it ~ Sorry!! What the heck was I thinking, who knows!! Anyway here goes:

I am really liking these list things, in trying to get caught up in blogging they are very helpful. And I am stealing these simple little race recaps to catch up from my bestest buddy Sheri ~ Thanks girl hope you don't mind :)

1. Pregnancy Resource Center 5k- May 28-This was held at the lovely Millinium Park in Danville, Ky. Not my favorite course but anyway...The weather was perfect not too hot not too cool. I felt good and ready to race! Sheri and I pretty much stayed together until right at the end, at the end there was this younger girl we was approaching that was running in the center of the pathway. I started to pass her as we was going into a curve and what did she do? She curved right along with the path and basically pushed me into the grass! (The same thing happend to Sheri) So I backed off a little thinking I would pass her in the next curve, but NO it was the same thing again almost in the grass, I just backed off completly and let her go on, Sheri did pass her IN THE GRASS!!! I don't mean to sound pushy or better than anyone else but come on PLEASE!!! The age groups for this one went by 10's which for me is not always the easiest to place in but Sheri, Katrina and I dominated it:) Sheri was 1st, I was 2nd (25:52 only 30seconds away from my PR) and Katrina 3rd ~ Great Job Ladies!!!

2. Beef Festival Stampede 5k- June 4- This one is in Harrodsburg, Ky just a block down from my office. I sorta like this course, its an in and out with the in being slightly uphill which leads to the out being downhill! This year they changed it up a bit but I still enjoyed it. This is also the race that I fell at last year, so when I got there I was asked that a million times "Are you gonna fall this year?" Luckily I didn't but I did have it on my mind the entire time!! No age group awards at this one only top 3 overall needless to say wasn't me but I was still pleased with my time 25:52 ~ huh same as the week before!

3. Run for the Brass 5k- June 11- Once again at Millinium Park. This race usually has a larger crowd than some of the others since it is held for a local Brass Band Festival held in town, it draws in lots of out of towners. The weather looked a little questionable with dark skies but thankfully the rain held off.. This time around Sheri was 2nd and I was 3rd with a 26 flat, first time I have ever got a flat time!

4. RJ Corman 5k- June 25- Wilmore, Ky Another course that isn't my favorite and this race is not part of the local "Serres" that my crew and I participate in but it is a local race that I have done and I got to (well really WANT to) do a race every weekend possible! Usually it is SUPER hot for this one but once again the weather was perfect. This year was the first year that I didn't walk a SINGLE step, maybe it was the perfect weather or maybe just maybe I have finally learned how to pace myself. I ended up cutting 3mins from my time last year which I was super excited about and I got first in my age group, none of my crew came along it was only me! The best part about this year this year, they made homemade banana ice cream after ~ YUMMY!!!

5. And finally the Gel-Bot WINNER is...........Stacie from Impossible is Nothing. Stacie send me an email with your mailing address so I can get your bottle on its way!

Thank you for following my Journey!

3Things Thursday-Thoughts on another Marathon

2011-07-21T10:41:00.001-04:00

1. When I finally completed the Flying Pig marathon I said "never again will I do that!" I felt so miserable and hated my finish time.

2. A few days later when my emotions had calmed down I said "ok so maybe not ever again just not Cincinnati. Next time I will look for a flatter one!"

3. I am now looking at the calendar for next year and have been considering another full marathon. I have even been talking about it with a couple of my running buddies. This morning I get in my car to leave for work and look what my trip mileage read (in the pic above :) I think its a sign, how about you?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Whoa Nelly Its HOT!

2011-07-20T11:22:00.001-04:00

So I decided this was for sure going to be the week that I get my routine back together and get my butt in gear. And what happens......it is the hottest week EVER ~ ugghh! But don't count me out yet ;) I just won't be jumping into speed work or major long distances this week. I enjoy running and do better in the mornings but its even HOT in the mornings and I have become a non morning person so late evenings during the week it is.

PLEASE BE SAFE OUT THERE! DRINK LOTS OF WATER AND TAKE BREAKS WHEN NEEDED! I know as runners we know this but we are stubborn and sometimes we need to be reminded!

HAPPY HOT RUNNING!! :)

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Just wasn't feelin' it - Run for Independence 5k

2011-07-17T00:40:00.000-04:00

This is my third year running this race and I do NOT like the course. It is one of the harder courses around my area, lots and lots of hills and not just little ones. I really thought I was going to be ready for it today, the only day I ran this week was Thursday so I knew I was well rested. But today, today I just wasn't feeling it. And it started when my alarm went off.....I did not want to get up and didn't allow myself time enough to get up and get myself prepared ~ thank goodness I already had my outfit picked out! Today was the first race in the local "Serres" that my friends and I participate in for over a month so I was glad to see everyone. The weather was overcast and felt good standing out waiting to start, it usually seems to be terribly hot at this race and there seemed to be low turnout of people which is not normally the case either. For some reason some people thought the race started at 9am instead of 8 so they decided to delay the start time about 15mins, by the time we did finally take off I felt tired and ready to go back to bed!! I just wasn't feeling it. That good feeling weather quickly became Holy Cow its humid and hard to breathe, my legs felt very heavy and for what ever reason my arms felt heavy. I just wasn't feeling it. I was able to stay with Sheri until about half way point then I started slowing down, I started to have drainage in my throat and really felt like I couldn't breathe! For the first time in a LONG time I walked a few steps! UGGHHHH!!!!! And not just once but three times ~ UGGHHHH!!!! But they were quick little catch my breathe couple of steps up the hills steps. A young little boy got right in front of me and he had a good pace so I paced myself off of him ~ thanks little buddy:) I was never so happy to make the final turn and know it was the final turn. I have been trying to have nice strong sprint like finishes, didn't think I would today but actually I did, at least that's what I heard someone say on the side lines as I came through. I have never received a medal at this race before so that was my main goal today. When I had the walking moments I thought well I probably shot that goal but surprisingly I was 2nd (27:40) and Sheri was 1st ~ HOORAY FOR US!!! Even though I just wasn't feeling it!

Katrina, Sheri, Me, Carmen We all was WINNERS!!

5 Things Friday- Hooray it's Friday :)

2011-07-15T14:36:00.000-04:00

1. HOORAY IT'S FRIDAY!!!!! :)

2. This was going to be the week I really got back on track. Monday and Tuesday was hotter than I don't know what, actually it was mostly due to the humidity. On Tuesday at 6am it was already a heat index of 90*! Not running in that kind of weather for sure, Sorry I am not much of a treadmill girl.

3. Although I haven't run this week I have tried to start getting up in the mornings and do some arm exercises with weights :) Just trying my own stuff like curls and things to work on my arms ~ they NEED serious attention. Any suggestions on workouts for arms/abs???

4. Have you seen the Gel-Bot? It's really cool. Try your luck at winning one HERE!!

5. Have I mentioned it's FRIDAY yet? HOORAY the work week is almost over :) Going back to work is so hard after vacation!

Have a GREAT weekend everyone! Anyone Racing ~ Good Luck!!

Have you seen IT yet? The GelBot

2011-07-12T15:09:00.000-04:00

If you like being able to drink water along with your energy gel you WILL LOVE this GelBot! The great Scott with Outside PR was awesome enough to offer this bottle for me to try out. Since I really wanted to do good at my last 10K (read all about it Here!) I knew that would be the perfect race to try it out (even though I generally don't and wouldn't recommend using new products for races).

So what is the GelBot?? Here is what the Hydrapak site has to say:

The Gel-Bot delivers two performance essentials, fuel and hydration, in one easy to use sport bottle. This patent-pending design lets you fuel or hydrate with just one hand. Perfect for racing or total gel addicts. All the Gel-Bot components can be taken apart and easily cleaned.

Here is me loading my gel into the gel chamber (have I told you I LOVE Pineapple Roctane GU!! If you are a follower you have heard me say that several times:) At first I thought this would be a messy process, having to squeeze the gel out of the package and into a bottle?? To my surprise it was super easy and I didn't make ANY messes!! I used two gels to put into the gel chamber and I am not too sure it would have held another full one but maybe a half .

I really meant to prepare my water in the bottle the night before so it would be nice and cold, but did I, NO so I added some ice cubes to the water.(Which made my gel nice and COLD!:) Then I pushed the gel chamber onto the lid and put it into the water bottle.

Taa Daa!! Here is my bottle fully loaded, gel + water = GelBot!!!

How did the GelBot work for me? I really liked using it, I liked the convince of having my gel and water all in one step without having to open a gel package and getting it all over me and I had no package to carry until I could find a trash can, I HATE LITTERBUGS!! There is also a hand strap to be able to carry the bottle while running, I however still had trouble with the strap fitting my hand properly and it wasn't very comfortable the first time I used it, the next time I tried to tighten the hand strap a little more it was a little better. I do LOVE the fact of having everything ALL together in one place, CONVINCE :) The only other minor problem I had with the GelBot is getting the gel chamber not to fall down into the water, it took me a couple of times to get it to stay put. I thought it would be hard to get the gel out of the bottle but it was super easy! Overall the GelBot is something I do not use all of the time but I do LOVE using it!

Wanna try a GelBot bottle for yourself?? Your in luck (maybe:) cause its
GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

MANDATORY ENTRIES-
*Be a Follower of THIS Blog
*Like Hydrapak on Facebook and tell them I sent ya :)
BONUS ENTRIES-
*Go to Hydrapak's site and tell me what product you would like to try
*Spread the Word- Blog It, Tweet It and/or Post it on Facebook
(one entry for each item)
*Tell me how you Hydrate while Running

Enter as many times as you like from the choices above! Entries will be taken until July 19 and a WINNER chosen after then!

McDowell Wellness 10k - Watchout

2011-07-09T22:26:00.000-04:00

Here is another past due race report~ Sorry trying to get caught up!

May 21, 2011
       I really wanted to do well at this race, half of this course is what we used for marathon training. I had planned on running the course a couple of times before hand but did I ~ NO!
     So I knew that I could not get caught up in the fast take off if I wanted to do decent, so I ran to where I felt comfortable and even talked with Carmen for about the first mile and a half. This course goes through a local neighborhood, about a mile into it a truck started backing out of the driveway. We was about .25 away from it but the truck never stopped! WATCHOUT!!!!! there was about 50 runners coming through and it just kept backing right on down the driveway, the man that almost got hit smacked the back of his truck. He was an older man driving the truck and had nerve enough to pull up beside the other man and ask if he had a problem and kept driving slowly beside him for a little ways! About 4 or 5 male runners all kinda grouped together (still running) and told the man he better just go on! What a JERK! WOW that was the most exciting thing I have ever seen during a race, I was ready to speed on up to them and help out I just knew for sure a fight was getting ready to break out, thankfully it didn't!
     After all of that excitement I felt like I was ready to start picking up the pace a little, I held off until I reached about mile 2.5 and just slowly sped up as I could. One thing I don't like about this race is the course loops back around by the finish line but you have to keep on going about another mile and a half before you come back around to the finish, seeing that finish line messes with my mind a little! I still felt comfortable and at a decent pace but I could tell I was starting to slow down. Coming down the home stretch and I could see the finish line I did my best to kick it in and finish strong...........
Official Time- 55:11    Overall Place 54/102

I was thrilled with my finish time, it was 5mins better than last year!!

Hello My name is Bobbie and I think I am a Blogger...........5 Things Friday + Winners!!

2011-07-08T16:18:00.000-04:00

1. I have been so absentee from the blogging scene and well just about everything. I know I keep on whining about it but I think I have finally busted out and seeing the light! I now have two half marathons coming up in the fall and a reason to TRAIN!!

2. I finally got the hubs to do a 5k race. 4th of July we ran the Great Buffalo Chase 5k in Frankfort, Ky.

It is held at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. I have never ran this race before but hope to do it again in the future! The top overall winners get $$$$ $2000, $1500 and $1000, I laughed and told my mom I would have to take my $2000 to pay my medical bills from running so dang hard cause I could never run a 16 something 5k~ ha ha ha!!! Overall it was a good race, the hubs wasn't in the best of moods so we didn't even speak or start with each other, I stayed where I could keep an eye on him though:) I passed him a half mile in and kept the lead until the very end. I felt like we both ran a great race, of course with the cash winnings involved the fastest of the fast was out! I think I ended up being 6th overall in my age group and was 142/476 with a time of 26:28. Not sure what place the hubs was in age group but overall was 139/476 with a time of 26:25.

3. Since I have been an absent blogger I have many race reports I still haven't wrote and a couple of giveaways to post! Please hang in there with me, I promise to get them all out soon and I am sorry in advance about post so much stuff all at once and late :/ I have been on vacation this week and am trying to get caught up on top of our big project at home but more on that later!

4. The WINNER of the CLIF SHOT ENERGY GELS is Haley @ Climb Run Lift Mom. Haley please EMAIL ME your complete mailing address and what flavor you would like! Congrats

5. The winner of the CLIF SHOT BLOKS is Megan from Fit Crafty English Teacher. Megan please EMAIL ME your complete mailing address and what flavor you would like! Congrats

Don't Forget.....Today is the Last Day to Enter

2011-06-30T10:39:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to put this out there in case you missed it or just forgot.............

Today is the last day to enter my Clif Shot and Clif Shot Blok GIVEAWAY!!!!

You can ENTER HERE! Don't delay enter today!!

Mobile Blogging.....

2011-06-26T22:41:00.001-04:00

I am now a member of the smartphone club. Still do not quit know what I am doing with it but have been trying to get the Blogger app for about a week now. Maybe just maybe I have finally got it.

Here's hoping this works!?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2

I NEED a Routine!! Wanna tell me yours?

2011-06-24T09:55:00.000-04:00

For the last month or longer I have been trying so hard to get on some kind of regular "fitness" schedule. Just about every single day I have told myself tomorrow will be the day I start, start something.
Well guess what??? Tomorrow STILL hasn't come ~ bet that one shocked ya!
The only true routine I have is a 5k race just about every Saturday. I am not training for anything right now so I have the mentality of who cares if I go run.
How do you change that? Set a goal!
So my friends that is what I am doing! I have already signed up for a half marathon this fall and was considering doing another three weeks later, now I have decided yes I am doing both and I am going to train my best to get a new half PR preferably with a 1 at the beginning of it instead of a 2 :) I have trained for and ran 3 half marathons and one full marathon so I know how to do the running training,

BUT I also want to do some weight training and this is where I need HELP!!!
I am wanting to work on my arms and abs and looking for some great workouts. I am pretty much clueless when it comes to any kind of weight training. My husband loves weights and I could ask him for some suggestions but who really wants to listen to their husband? (LOL ~ Joking Dear I Love Ya!!) So if any of you wonderful bloggers have a routine PLEASE share it with me!!!

Don't forget my CLIF Energy GIVEAWAY!!!!

Looking for some Energy? Wanna try Clif Shot?

2011-06-17T17:57:00.000-04:00

Well you are at the right place!

Although I didn't use any gels of any kind during my marathon, I DID use the heck out of them while training. I decided to contact the fine people at Clif Bar to try Clif Shot Energy Gels.

Some reasons I enjoyed CLIF SHOT ENERGY GELS:

*They have a different consistency than some of the other brands (I like those also:) which for me made it easier to get it down, sometimes with the other brands being thicker it is hard for me to swallow or get it all down.

*They are 100% natural and organic ingredients which offers clean natural energy

* I am a "Keep America Beautiful" type of person, I hate litterbugs!! CLIF SHOT ENERGY GELS have a handy "Litter Leash" packaging !

* A variety of flavors available and some with or without caffeine and a TURBO gel. I am a fruity kind of girl so my favorite flavor was the Strawberry!

Another AWESOME energy product CLIF SHOT BLOKS

The CLIF SHOT BLOKS are chewable energy chews that for me are PERFECT for long runs! I am a runner that can not eat before I run and run out of energy on long runs because of that fact.

CLIF SHOT BLOKS really helped me during marathon training to have something to put in my stomach and give me some energy all at the same time!! I really enjoyed the CLIF SHOT BLOKS better than some of the other brands because they are so tasty but mainly because of how easy they are to chew and swallow or just leave in my mouth for a little while. Once again the Strawberry is one of my favorites but I also like the Tropical Punch:)

So are ya ready to try out some CLIF SHOT ENERGY PRODUCTS for yourself?? The fine and fabulous Dean with ClifBar has given me the opportunity to giveaway a box of CLIF SHOT ENERGY GELS and a box of CLIF SHOT BLOKS ~HOORAY!!! (One lucky winner will be selected for the gels and one selected for the bloks!) Wanna know how you can win?? (Keep on reading:)

**MANDATORY ENTRY** Be a follower of this Blog

**Extra Entries**

*Like CLIFBAR on Facebook tell them I sent ya

*Follow CLIF BAR & COMPANY ON TWITTER

*Spread the Word- Blog It, Tweet It or Post It on Facebook

Entries will be taken until June 30 A winner will be chosen after then!

PlanetGear.com Winner

2011-06-16T22:04:00.000-04:00

I am surprised that there was ONLY 20 entries, you folks don't know what you missed out on the chance of! Maybe later I will be able to offer this again?

The WINNER is..........................................
                  Kiley
                              from
                                 Daily Vitamin F

If you haven't seen her awesome blog, what are you waiting for?? Kiley just send me an EMAIL!!

Thanks to ALL that entered and to everyone following my Journey!! As always more Awesome Giveaways, Reviews, Race Recaps and more to come:)

Need a Father's Day Gift? Check out PlanetGear.com /Giveaway

2011-06-08T15:07:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted about PlanetGear.com, now let me share a little more about PlanetGear.com!

PlanetGear.com hosts weekly sales that usually change on Tuesdays. The sales are all related to great products used for all types of outdoor activities at affordable prices. When you sign up for PlanetGear.com you will receive a $10 Credit towards your first $50 purchase ~ SWEET! Also once you become a FREE member of PlanetGear.com you can refer your friends and family, when they make a purchase of $50 or more you too will receive a $10 Credit for yourself!!

Are you still in need of a great Father's Day gift or maybe a great gift for a runner?? Head on over to PlanetGear.com!!
This weeks sales are for GU Roctane gels and Ultimate Direction Hydration products. PlanetGear.com is offering 6packs of GU roctane gels for $7.95, that breaks down to $1.32 per gel~ super cheap!!! And they have my FAVORITE flavor Pineapple Roctane GU, if you haven't tried it yet you really need to!! They also have Ultimate Direction Hydration water belts that range in price from $7.95 - $21.95!! Another great bargain!

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to PlanetGear.com now!! How about winning a $25 credit to use at PlanetGear.com?? Here is how you can enter to WIN!!!

Mandatory Entry- Be a follower of this Blog!
Bonus Entries-
*Go to PlanetGear.com and tell me what you want to purchase
*Spread the word-Blog It, Facebook It or Tweet it do all 3 if you want an extra entry for each one
*Like PlanetGear.com on Facebook and let them know I sent ya
*Follow PlanetGear.com on Twitter
*Help me get more followers! Refer your friends/family/whoever to my Blog. If they list you as a referral you will get +5 extra entries :)

The last day to enter is June 15 and a winner will be selected on June 16

Comments???

2011-06-08T10:01:00.000-04:00

So I am not the brightest when it comes to technical things, I am a trial and error person, try something and if it works it works. Lately I have not been able to leave comments on some blogs and I do not know why? It just keeps taking me to the log on screen of blogger and won't leave my comments or leaves my comments as anonymous??

If any one knows how to fix this problem PLEASE help me??!!

I have been reading all of your fabulous blogs I just can't comment on some of them:(

ProActive for Life 5k

2011-06-07T16:22:00.000-04:00

My funk is slowly getting better. Just being able to get out and run really helps and being with friends and family. Thanks to all that left me happy comments:)

May 20, 2011
This race is in Frankfort, Ky around the Capital. Usually the hubs and I would have run this together, however he felt like he wasn't ready to 'race' a 5k yet he is wanting to be really SPEEDY! (Last year there was no way I could keep up with him, this year the first time we ran together he told everyone I sprinted~HA HA! but now he is back to being faster than me!) Since he decided not to run this I almost didn't do it either, BUT I am addicted to races and Frankfort is having a Trifecta Series in which you receive a medal for completing all 3 of the races, I am also addicted to medals:) If you haven't heard this before Kentucky weather is CRAZY (like several states I am sure), it rained for about 3 weeks straight then for about a week it turned cold and damp now for the last two weeks it has been smoldering HOT! This was my first evening race in a while and yep it was HOT. Also with the Trifecta Series they do age group awards for the three races, in the first race I was 1st in my age group so I really wanted to do good in this one but I also had a 10k the very next morning so I didn't want to run it too hard. This is also the first race that I didn't have at least one member of my posse' with me it was only me.
I have been trying really hard not to get caught up in the fast take off thing and did okay with it this time. I know this route pretty well so I knew where the hills were and how I should pace myself. The first mile was around 8mins and some seconds (I am at work typing this and do not have my garmin to check and DailyMile isn't working on my computer) which is fast for me so I knew it was time for me to slow down a bit since there was a hill coming up. The best thing with this course is its an in & out so you get to come back down the hills! It was so hot and humid I had to really slow myself down for the second half, I even thought about walking a few steps but told myself not to just slow my pace down but keep running not walking. I kept playing back and forward with a couple of girls that I thought might be in my age group towards the end, I tried really hard to pass them but I was losing steam and getting tired. I saw my mamarazzi (the new name for my mom, picture taker and #1 fan!!! :) towards the end and I told her I was wearing down, her reply "come on Perkins pick it up so you can beat last years time!" so I tried my best. I think I passed one of the girls at the end but not both of them.

My finish time- 26:16
Age group- 3rd place
Overall- 83/702

Hooray! I got third place medal and was very happy with my finishing time (especially since it was 5mins better than last year:) and I met my goal of finishing in the top 3 of my group!

The FUNK.............

2011-06-03T10:56:00.000-04:00

Not the funk like movin' and groovin' but funk like down in the dumps :(
I really wish I could figure out what is wrong with me. I hate to ramble on with my worthless feelings on here but sometimes you just gotta let it out. It seems like since the marathon NOTHING has gone right or like it should and more and more just keeps coming up ( car issues, family issues and life in general issues!) My back still isn't 100% and I am beginning to wonder if I am just going to have to live with this pain for the rest of my life. I haven't been able to run like I want to for about 3 weeks because of my back and just life in general so I am hoping that is about to change, well actually I AM MAKING IT CHANGE. I feel useless and worthless, I just want to get back to MY normal self.

How do you handle "the FUNK"?

Sony Walkman Winner

2011-06-02T23:04:00.000-04:00

Lucky number 53 was chosen by Random.org. Lucky number 53 is......................

Jesse

Jesse has until Sunday to send me some mailing info!!

Sorry it has taken me so long to post, life is BUSY right now! I am still about three race reports behind and several product reviews and giveaways:) Please hang in there with me my bloggy friends and THANK YOU to all that follow!!

Haggin Hospital 5k @ Shaker Village & Terrible Back Pain

2011-05-27T15:34:00.000-04:00

Once again this week I have been hit with TERRIBLE TERRIBLE back pain! I woke up 3am Monday morning with pain in my upper back and felt like I couldn't breathe. It really bothered me because usually when I have back pain it is in my lower back so I was scared it was something else so I went to my medical doctor. She said that my muscles on the left side of my back was having spasms gave me some muscle relaxers and strong ibuprofen, I think that I took about 5 muscle relaxers(not all at the same time of course!) and still no relief! Tuesday was the same, Wednesday I tried to go to work but sitting in my chair hurt so I left at lunch and finally Thursday I went to the chiropractor before going into work even though I was still in pain. Today (Friday) I am starting to feel better, like 75% and that's a HUGE improvement. The hubs will be pleased also since I have been keeping him up at night moaning and groaning and crying!

Back to the race recap-
This race is memorable to me in two ways..... 1 This was my first race in the rain last year and ever! Not only did it rain, it was monsoon rain with wind, thunder and lighting!! 2 This is also the race the me and my running buddy (I consider best friend too not just running friend:) started talking and hanging out with each other! From that day on last year one of the best friendships have developed not only between us but also our husbands and families.

Now on to this year..........................May 14, 2011
OF COURSE it HAD to rain! At least it wasn't monsoon type rain it was just rain. I choose to keep my long sleeve shirt on because of the rain and although I did get a little warm and I am glad that I did. This course is tuff the first half is on pavement and the second half is on a gravel path and it is full of hills!!! Through out marathon training I have really been trying to pay attention and 'learn' how to run, things like pacing myself and such. But I always do it and get caught up in the fast take off at races, I really tried not to at this race due to it raining and the pavement being wet, I didn't want to fall. Wasn't too successful at that though my first mile was a 7 something but it was mostly downhill! I slowed my pace way down to where I felt more comfortable at until the last mile came along, it is all uphill and mostly on a gravel path! This of course ended up being my slowest, I was out of steam and walked about 5 steps to catch my breath! Once I got off the gravel and back on the pavement I knew it was just around the corner to finish. This is something else I have been trying to focus on, saving just a little energy to have a nice strong finish. Too my surprise I was the 2nd overall female:) !!! Even if there was only 44 people I was thrilled!! Even better was the fact that last year my time was 31:17 this year.............27:20!!! What an improvement!!

I think this pic is really cool! Great motion shot-Thanks Mom! :)

Me with all my winnings

Me and Sheri- Love ya girl:)

DON'T FORGET MY WALKMAN GIVEAWAY HERE!!! YOU HAVE UNTIL MONDAY the 30th TO ENTER!!!!!

Smokin' @ the Jennie Carol Memorial 5k

2011-05-22T19:38:00.000-04:00

Please forgive me, I am several race reports behind so here goes catch up time.

May 7, 2011 Jennie Carol Memorial 5k
     This is a larger race for our local area, it is in memory of Jennie Carol Tarter who was a runner and died unexpectedly (I did not know her) and the proceeds goes to the Backpack for Kids foundation. There was 479 finishers our local races usually have around 50 - 85! This also happened to be the first race after my marathon (one week after) and the first race of the that I participate in.
     I was a little nervous about it and told Sheri after we took off I would like to start off a little slower and build up some speed. She told me I better slow down then because like always I was getting caught up in the fast take off. But for whatever reason I just keep on going, I did slow down some but I was still movin' on! And I felt good, not tired, worn out but fresh and ready! I forget what my first mile was but the second was around 15:56 and I thought to myself maybe just maybe I can finish with a 25 something and a new PR?? I also knew there was one hill left so I tried to save some energy for it as well. The race ends at Centre College's track, they had their time clock going on the scoreboard, when I entered the track and saw the time clock it said around 24:35 all I could think is GO GO GO!!! There was a girl in front of me that i had been gaining on the entire race and in the last turn of the track I zoomed right past her! (Sorry but I really wanted to do that:) I hit stop on my watch, took a second to catch my breath and looked down to see my finish time ~ HOLY COW!! 25:31!!! For me that is flat out smokin'!! And a new PR!!! AWESOME even if I didn't get an award!
     Overall I was 82/479, so I was even in the top 100. Now if I can just keep this up all summer long maybe just maybe I can break through with a 24 something???..................

Don't forget my Walkman Giveaway!!

My Shopping Experience & PlanetGear.com

2011-05-17T16:02:00.000-04:00

Last night I told the hubs to get together we are going to Kohl's, I had $20 in Kohl's cash and a 30% coupon, he needs shorts so I told him come on let's go! I am a passenger almost always, I like it that way! So as I am day dreaming out the window I heard a noise and asked "What the heck was that?" He said it was a plastic bottle that blew from across the road and hit the tire, Ohhhh okay. We get to the intersection of Kohl's (in Nicholasville for anyone local reading:) there was a break in the traffic and I said "GO!!" the hubs pushed the pedal to go and OMG :/ it sounded like the engine fell out of my car and we was stuck! Not just on any old road but a VERY BUSY road! We ran over to Starbucks to use the phone book for a tow truck, waited for the tow truck, called my mom to come and get us and off to Kohl's we walked!! He did get some good deals two pair of shorts and a pair of Nike running shoes and only owed $67!!! SWEET :) I told the cashier our sob story and asked if we qualified for the next Kohl's commercial?!?!?! She just laughed !

Although we did get some good bargains, maybe a safer or easier way is to just shop at PlanetGear.com! PlanetGear.com is a pretty cool site that has different sales every week on great outdoor products. This weeks special is on KSWISS.

Super cute and for ONLY $19.95

Adorable! A steel at $17.95

The Outfit above could be all yours if you go to PlanetGear.com now!! PlanetGear.com also has KSWISS shoes for $74.95~ another bargain!! They have different sales every week and they usually start on Tuesdays! All sales have limited quantities so don't delay go to PlanetGear.com now!!!

I have NOT been paid by PlanetGear.com although I do hope to do a review/giveaway with them soon!!

Gotta have some Music- Sony Walkman W-Series Giveaway

2011-05-14T18:51:00.000-04:00

I know several have already seen or done this same review for the Sony Walkman W-Series , well this is LONG over due but I truly used or tried out my Sony Walkman in my first ever marathon and thought if I and it can survive that then I can post a review:)

I mean just look how cool the Sony Walkman W-Series looks!

When I received the Sony Walkman and ripped open the package I was unsure how I was going to like it. I felt like it wasn't going to fit my head properly and wouldn't stay put. To my surprise it fit PERFECT! Then I was hesitant on wearing the Walkman outside, I am one of those people that only wears one earbud to make sure I can hear everything going on around me. With the Walkman you don't have the option of wearing just one but it isn't a problem as long as you don't have the volume LOUD LOUD ; ) During the marathon I even took it off and ran with it around my neck for a while~ it never bothered me and was SUPER EASY to put it back on!! The only problem I had with the Walkman was putting music on it, however it was my own stupidity and trying to hard because it was really easy! Not only do I use my Walkman while running but also while doing exercises with the Wii Active or doing things around the house. Another wonderful thing about the Walkman the battery life, its lasts forever!! The package says 11 hours it seems way longer than that! A neat feature with the Walkman is a shuffle, its plays a few seconds of each song until you find the one you want!

The fine people at Sony was kind enough to let me GIVEAWAY a Walkman~ HOORAY!!! But just in case you don't win or just want to purchase another Walkman you can go HERE and purchase a fabulous Walkman for ONLY $48.99!!!! (normally $60)

How do you ENTER to WIN

* You MUST be a follower of this Blog! (I promise I will try to keep it exciting:)

* Look at the Sony Walkman site and tell me what you like best about it

*I am always searching for new music, What's YOUR favorite song to run too

* Spread the word BLOG IT, FACEBOOK IT, TWEET IT (one entry for each one)

* I am looking for more followers send your blogging friends my way if they become a follower and say YOU sent them YOU get an extra entry!!

A Winner will be selected on May 30

I was given the walkman to try out and review with my own opinion~ NOT paid for it!!