You Can't Miss Me!

Long gone are the days of cute summer running outfits :( It is now a matter of survival. Appearance is unimportant - warmth is everything!

A few years back I was on a volleyball team. When we ordered our team shirts, we expected yellow...but we didn't expect to glow in the dark! This shirt has been stuffed in the back of my dresser for years...but at long last it has a purpose! I feel very safe and visible now when I am running with my "bright as the sun" shirt on!

Today it snowed and was cold, and all I wanted to do was curl up and take a nap...but instead I met my running buddies and did another 5 miles. It was hard and cold but the company was good and we managed it! And now, I am back home, warm and cozy, and ready to sink into the couch for a good long while :)

I'm So Excited...And I Just Can't Hide it!

Today was the perfect running day. It was cool, but not too cool. A light breeze, the sun shining - perfect. The park was gorgeous, surrounded by beautiful gold and red trees, a blue sky...just an overall perfect day to go running.

So after work, I went running.

I was hoping to be able to do about 3 miles, but wasn't sure if I could since I have been running only 2 or 2 1/2 miles each time recently. It has been a couple of weeks since I've done 3. Once I got going, I realized that I felt pretty good and thought I could for sure do the 3.6 I had planned. Once I finished that...I decided to keep going!

And I ran 5 miles! I REPEAT - FIVE MILES!!! I cannot believe I did that without dropping over dead. The signs at the park said I ran 5.4 miles, but based on my usual running paces and how long it took me today, I'd say it was closer to 5.

Either way, that is the farthest (furthest?) I have ever run. I am a happy camper :)

A Perfectly Lovely Saturday

It used to be a very well-known fact that Rachel did not get out of bed on a Saturday before noon FOR ANYTHING. The house could be on fire...and people would still be afraid to wake me up because I would be ridiculously cranky.

This morning (Saturday) I got up at 8am, had a piece of toast, strapped on my new running shoes (which by the way have almost completely cured my knee pain!) and headed out to a trail with a running buddy.

Anyone who has ever lived with me who is reading this post is gasping, I just know it.


It has been a good week as far as running goes. I ran 2 miles on Monday, 3 miles on Tuesday, 4 miles on Thursday, and 3 miles today. I think that is the most I have ever run in one week. I'm still loving it...but winter is approaching and I don't like cold, so we'll have to see what that does to my enthusiasm.

Today, Brad declared it "sweatpants day" (well, not officially, but he wore them all day long and kept saying how much he loves wearing sweatpants and how great it is that it is now Fall and he can sit watching football in his sweatpants all day...) and I spent some time scrapbooking and watching "I Love Lucy" (one of my favorites).

Around 4pm, I managed to persuade Brad to put on some real clothes (we have had the discussion many times about if sweatpants should be allowed out of the house...) and we headed to the park to take Daisie for a walk.

Next, it was on to Brad's parent's house where we watched more football and then had a bonfire. It was a perfect evening for it and his mom even brought home apple cider and donuts for us to enjoy!


After the walk in the park and playing with her "cousin", Dakota (Brad's parents also have a basset hound), poor Daisie was exhausted! We are looking forward to an uninterrupted night of sleep.


I was playing around with some of the features on my camera and managed to take this kind of interesting picture of the fire. I thought it was cool!

It's been a lovely day and now I must go to bed because Brad and I are helping in the Toddler room at church tomorrow and we are fearing for our lives :) Just kidding (sort of), but we will need our energy for sure!

I Never Thought I'd See the Day...

I never thought I'd see the day:

• That I would enjoy a 5k run


• That I would run a 5k in a downpour


• That I would win a MEDAL in a 5k....

Yes, you read that right. I won a medal! But before you get too excited, I'd better explain.

When Brad and I awoke this morning, we stood looking out the window for a moment, then turned to look at each other and burst out laughing. It was POURING with rain! I do not mean a little drizzle, I mean the kind of rain that makes me not even want to go to the mailbox because I know I'll be soaked.

Not running did not enter our heads (we already paid the money!!!) so we headed down to pick up our friends, Chad and Rachel. Rachel has been my running partner for the last few months and we were both so excited (mildly giddy). This was her first 5k ever and my 3rd. I think we were probably annoying the boys with our excitement, but we didn't even care!

Once we arrived for the race we met up with several friends from church who were also running and Brad's brother, Josh. Brad's mom (bless her heart!) also came out to cheer us on and take pictures. Now that is dedication!!!

Below is Brad heading out. He did so great and I was so proud of him! He beat his time for this course by over 2 minutes! His brother, Josh, made it in just over 20 minutes (holy cow!) and Chad also did great.

It was a hilly course, which made it a bit harder. The rain made it quite interesting. Squishy shoes, difficulty seeing, and being soaked to the skin was a new running experience for us!

As Rachel and I approached the finish line we were just trying to stay ahead of two ladies who we had passed not too much earlier. We were so excited to not be the last runners! And we were only passed by one walker (that is embarassing to type but he was walking really fast - I promise!). We got up to the finish line and saw that we had finished with a time of 36:50 which is 2 1/2 minutes faster than we'd run it before! We were very happy with our time and I was so proud of Rachel for how well she did. Having a running buddy made this race much more enjoyable than the other two I've run.

Due to the rain, or perhaps because not many people had signed up for the race...every single one of us ended up finishing first or second in our age groups! It was so hilarious, we could not believe it when they called our names! Rachel and I were so excited (can you tell?)

Rachel and I with our gold medals!

I think Josh came in fourth overall which is awesome!

Overall it was a very memorable day and so much fun. I am looking forward to doing some more training and another race in October!

Needing Help With Some Very Unimportant Decisions...

Something you may or may not know about me. I have a hard time making small, insignificant decisions. Big ones don't trouble me too much, but it's those little ones - which candy bar to buy, what to have for dinner, what color socks to wear...those are the ones that cause me to freeze up. I know they don't really matter...so why can't I just decide???

In just a few weeks I will be running another 5k race. I have been training really hard and hope to do well, but more than that...I need to be wearing the right outfit!! Over the past few years I have been gathering some cute running clothes, and this week I picked up my first ever running skort (which I never thought I would have the guts to wear but since Rachel got one too I think it's okay!). Now I just need help deciding which outfit to wear for the race! Please vote on the poll (and yes, I do realize that it doesn't really matter what I wear!) Maybe I should get some therapy (I'm sure heads are nodding everywhere as that statement is read).

Oh well, thank you for helping me anyway!

Outfit choices:

(**Note - outfits A, B, and C are with the skort. Outfit D is with black shorts, and Outfit E is with grey shorts)

Heartbreaking Humidity

Ok, so heartbreaking might be a little overdramatic...but it was extremely muggy and humid on Saturday morning when I ran my first 5k of the year. I must say I'm kind of disappointed with how I did - it was SO hard and I kept saying to Brad every time I passed him (he was there to cheer me on) that I thought I was going to die!

I was very thankful for my two new running buddies and for all the encouragement they have given me. It's much more fun when you're not alone.


On the bright side, I finished the race, I didn't die, I wasn't the last 5k runner, I got a t-shirt, and I beat my last 5k time. So I guess it wasn't a total loss!

I was very grateful that my mom-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law and niece came to cheer me on. I love this picture - I am not actually that sweaty! My mother-in-law poured some water on me after the race to cool me down :)

I have one other funny picture to post, but will have to wait till I get it from Brad's mom.

Brad and I are leaving on Wednesday for Seattle and can't wait! Should be an exciting trip :)

On the Run

A while back I wrote a post about how I was starting running again because I had gotten some cute new running shoes...well, at that time, I did and I didn't start running again. What I mean is that I went a couple of times here and there but never really got back into it again. Then about a month ago, I read one of my friends' blogs and saw pictures of her from her 10k run...and I was back on track! I don't know why, but I find it very inspiring when I hear about other people that were able to reach their goal.

That was the kick I needed and off I went! I found a plan online (because I don't really do anything in my life without making a plan!), wrote up my calendar training schedule, and off I went. Slowly. At the pace of a turtle. There have seriously been times when I've been jogging at the park, and I come upon a person who is walking, and I think to myself, "Ok, Rach, gotta speed up a bit so that you can pass them..."!!!! HA! Yep, I'm slow and I know it. But my goal is not to win a race (because I am a realist!), but it is to finish a 5k in June and to hopefully do better than the last time. Oh yes, and I hope I can finish without feeling like I am going to DIE because that is how I felt last time and it was not pleasant!

My big encouragement so far has been having one good day. Brad has been doing some of the runs with me, but it is always impossible for me to keep up with him...until last week that is! For some reason, I had a great day and was able to keep up with him. I cannot describe the elation I felt knowing I am getting faster! Unfortunately, the next time we went it was back to slow poke. But at least I had a glimpse! And on Monday I ran a mile in just over 10 minutes, which is a lot faster than I used to be!

Here is the schedule I have been following - I am so proud of myself for actually doing it! Last week I went jogging 4 times which is a record for me - I couldn't ever make it past 3 before! I have even been doing the walking on the other days (one day this week we went bike riding with some friends which was a very nice change of pace). I'm such a nerd, but I love getting to cross off the day after I complete it!

Today we will be doing run 14, walk 1, run 14. Actually we did that yesterday as well so I know I can do it! I like doing the gradual increase of running time and still having my one little minute to recover in the middle. I think it's mostly a mental thing!

What I love about running:

• Being outside
• Being with Brad
• Cute running outfits (got a new one this week!)
• Seeing improvements
• Sleeping better at night (big deal for me)
• Being excited about an upcoming race
• MOST OF ALL - accomplishing something that is really hard for me and crossing off that I did it!

What I hate about running:

• Pain
• Feeling like I might throw up (hasn't happened too many times this year though! Yey!)
• Not being able to breathe (getting much better)
• Side stitches (they make me so mad!)

Hmmm...is it really worth it? Guess it must be because I keep going out and doing it again!