Why did I stop running???

  I've been trying to find my inner Runner Girl since November 2011 after the Savannah Rock-n-Roll 1/2 marathon, but I have actually had some legitimate...not good... reasons why I've been MIA from the running world.

Last October 30th my husband and I decided to build our dream home, and I had NO idea how much work that was/is.   So after the RnR "injury" came the holidays.  Of course I needed the extra time to heal because who really trains through the holidays?  Right?!  Plus, we had to get our house designed and pick out of the pretty granite, cabinets, flooring, tiles, colors, etc...

 So January was here before I knew it and we broke ground!  This adventure was getting so exciting as each day something new was happening with our new home.  On the other end of this was that we had to sell our current home.  YUCK!!!  This is definitely not the time to sell, especially if you bought 5 years ago, just before the market started going down.  So after many insulting offers on a home that we had priced low enough to lose our shirts on, we decided that renting it would be a much better plan for us right now.  That worked out MUCH better. 

We had our home rented within 3 days of a Craigslist ad.  Unfortunately, it didn't work out in the end.  BUT we rented it again within 2 weeks from the same ad.  We were truly relieved and could finally breathe again.  So we are so happy to finally have that chapter closed and ready to move in May.  OMG!  That's next month!!!

So now I'm packing and cleaning and making arrangements, the best I can, for things to be transferred and turned on.  WOW!  There's just one big BUT in the equation this time.  I promised myself that I would use the Iron Girl race to be my kick-off to push my Inner Runner-Girl out and truly start running and training again.

I'm still enjoying my runner's high from yesterday and I'm REALLY looking forward to my run tomorrow.  I haven't decided if I'm going to tackle the causeway just yet or run my favorite, peaceful, and much easier route, but either way, I'M RUNNING!

Thanks for joining me and I'll see you at the races!!!

Team To The Moon and Back

So today was the day that my "baby" officially became an Iron Girl.  Today my beautiful, smart, determined, and mostly competitive 4 and 3/4 yr. old little girl finished her first 5k.  She told me a few months ago that she wanted a "big girl" medal, so I signed her up for the Clearwater Beach Iron Girl 5k.  I wasn't sure what to expect other than to finish a fun run with my best girl.

The weather was terrible.  Quite literally, severe for the hours leading up to race day. I was up most of the night watching the weather as it jumped from tornado wacthes to tornado warnings.  The tornado watch expired at 7:00 am, which was good because our race started at 7:30 am.  By the time we got to the starting line, the weather was chilly, 70 degrees for Florida, and overcast.  As all runners know that equals PERFECT running weather.  We stayed to the back of the line because I knew we would be slower than most and I didn't want Sarah to be trampled by the PR driven runners. 

The announcer said go and we were off.  What a GREAT feeling to be sharing this experience with my only baby.  It was almost hard to hold back the tears as she naturally just took off running. 

As we were running through the streets of Clearwater, I reminded Sarah that if she ran up on someone that was going slower than her, she could go safely around them.  This was something that caused a collision for her and another little boy in the Creaky Bones race in October last year.  She did great.  She was weaving in and out of the runners like she had done it before.  And then we got to the Memorial Causeway.  Causeways are Florida's version of hills.  We decided to walk up.

After enjoying our view from the top we decided to run down.  Sarah had become VERY tired by this point and really wanted a drink.  I guess the sugary, gummy snacks I fed her on the way up didn't do anything for her thirst.  Thankfully the water station was at the bottom of the causeway so I used that as motivation and it worked.  :) 
We took our water break and pushed forward.  She decided that she wanted to sit for a bit, but I reminded her of the "turtle and the rabbit" and that we had to keep moving.  So, once again, my mom mind kicked in and challenged her to a "race" to the nearest sign or palm tree.  That kept her fairly focused...until it didn't and then we played tag.  She was ready to see the finish by mile 2, but still in good spirits.  I credit that to the many amazing women running/walking along with us that thought she was cute and kept cheering her on.  I can't thank them enough!

After mile 2, we were practically at the finish and we could hear the cheering and the music.  Once I told Sarah that the finish line was around the corner, she pulled all of her runner girl power out and RAN!!!  I was happy to keep up with her, especially after being sick for a week and still recovering from the cough, but somehow I managed.  We finished our race, her first real race, TOGETHER and it was amazing!!! 
I don't like to brag, BUT I'm so proud of Team To the Moon and Back's time, I just can't help myself.  We finished in 53:16!!! WAHOO!!!!  I was just so happy to share that "nice little run" with my daughter and then something hit me...pretty hard.  Four and a half years ago, when I ran my first 5k, I ran it in about 51 minutes.  I truly thought I was running and I was; just as fast as I could go. 

It appears that I have a runner!  Sarah truly is amazing and I am such a blessed mommy to have such a special little girl to call my own.  I'm looking forward to seeing her grow into her own runner girl. 
Thanks for reading and I'll see you at the races!!!

Running Partner Needed...

Just to remind everyone, my running partner for my "Gator Lake" runs was a 12 ft. alligator.  She was always "somewhere" lurking in the waters around my favorite lake, and sometimes on the shore.  My daughter and I named her Ali, mostly because I'm not that creative. 

Well I learned today that Ali, was taking a walk around the lake when she became curious and decided to cross the street.  As she was crossing the street at 2:30-ish A.M., she was hit by a car.  The driver of the car had no idea what she had hit until she got out of the car and found Ali, who was actually a 10 ft. 8 inch gator, stuck under the car with her head peaking out from under the passenger's side.

Although the car did not kill Ali, when the trapper came to get her, he put her down.  :(   I'm sure what was done was the right thing to do.  I mean, who wants an 11ft. gator showing up at their front door, or making "friends" with the family dog...or worse?  However, after 5 years of having so much fun driving/running/walking by the lake and looking for her, I'm sad that she's gone. 

So this is my official "See you later Ali-Gator!"  We will miss you!!!

Confessions of a Marathon Drop-Out

Hi all!  It's been WAY to long and I don't have any "real" excuse other than being lazy and mostly embarrassed.  I, obviously, didn't run the full marathon I was training for and am so disappointed and upset with myself.  Although there were legitimate reasons why I didn't actually reach my goal, there aren't any reasons why I have lost touch with my inner runner girl.  So here I am, once again, with my marathon goal in front of me, but this time it's a bit different.  Welcome to the party, once again...

 I ran the Savannah Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon in November 2011.  Although it was an awesome race, and I PR'ed, I also learned a very valuable lesson.  ALWAYS use Glide on the inside of your thighs.  The friction, after 13.1 miles, was more than enough to leave me raw and bloody at the end of the race and not able to walk "normally" for almost a month.  I know, YUCK!  The good news is that because the temperature was around 50 degrees, my body was numb and I didn't feel anything, well much, until my post-race bath.  AND I did PR with 2:19!  I "shaved" (no pun intended) nearly 20 minutes off of my last half marathon time. So no pain, no gain, was never more true for me.

This race was also my husband's first 1/2 marathon and we ran it together...for the first 10 miles.  At mile 10, I told Chris, my natural runner husband, to finish as strong as he could.  He finished with a 2:14, and I couldn't have been more proud.  He said he wouldn't run another race over a 5k, but after the runner's high from the 1/2, he has changed his mind and will be running the Savannah Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon again in 2012.

Speaking of the Savannah Rock-n-Roll race, it will be my first full marathon.  I have already signed up, unlike the last time I said I was going to run a full, so I am truly committed to running a FULL MARATHON before I turn the BIG 40 in November! 

There are MANY fun and exciting things on the horizon for me, so stay tuned and I'll let you know all about them. Until then, I'll see you at the races!!!