37

Back in November I turned 37. It's pretty close to 40 and I'm not happy about that, but what are you going to do. I was surprisingly shocked when we went to the airport Friday night to pick up our nephew (who is a pilot and flying all over Florida right now) and in walks my best friend.

I really can't believe the hubby pulled this off. Obviously he had a lot of help from Shannon and a little help from my friend Beth, but I give him a lot of credit. I was completely surprised. I woke up Saturday morning and participated in my first 10k race. Nice little run to start of my birthday. Runs, and birthday's, are a lot more fun when you have friends with you.

 That's a photo finish right there.

I had one birthday goal and that was to finish this race under a 10 minute mile. Well, there you go.

The day was full of surprises. My friend Magaly, who had no idea that Shannon was even in town, decided to stay the rest of the weekend. We all went for massages and then we were off to dinner that night. But before dinner, a competitive round of Bingo. They didn't even let me win.

 Taken before we walked in the restaurant.

Where, guess what? Another surprise was waiting for me. A table full of friends there to celebrate me. Here I was thinking it was just the 3 of us and then I realized Shannon pulled another fast one on me. She had been in Facebook communication with a group of my workout friends and coordinated this whole thing from NY. See people. Social media is sometimes a good thing.

It was a pretty special 37th birthday. Definitely one for the books. You guys better start planning my 40th for me. This one is going to be hard to beat.

color vibe 5k

I ran a color run in Gainesville last weekend with some great friends. Cole was really excited about his second 5k, but was slightly disappointed when I told him it wasn't timed. Timing it would take all the fun out of it. My friend Allison didn't run with us, but was our photographer for the day. Here's Cole and in the parking lot warming up. I showed him how to do a couple of burpees. Look at those nice white shirts. Also, let's point out how tall Cole is. He's only 14 and is growing like a weed.

Allison's parents came out to support Cole. I love Dennis and Diana. I've known them since birth so they've been there for some crazy stuff in my life.

Cole decided we needed a little color to get the party started.

 I love this kid. 

This is me, Stella and Magaly before the race even started. I was already messier than my last color run.

Allison caught me crossing the finish line. I haven't run in awhile so there was a lot of walking, but I did make it a point to run to the end.

 And the after shots. Someone did a really good job with the pink.

 Me and the girls. Poor Magaly got it in her eye. I literally had it caked inside my sports bra. 

These color runs are always a lot of fun. Can't wait for the next one.

color run

I'm still running. I can run a 5k without much trouble and I enjoy it - a little. Back in April my friend Magaly asked if I wanted to do a color run with a bunch of girls. I've seen them, but have never done one. We came up with a team name - Kicking Asphalt - and decked out in pink and black. Here's me, Magaly and Kelly (below) all nice and clean before the race.

I found those ridiculous looking pink camo shorts at Marshalls the week of the race. The socks came from Target. They came in handy since it was a cool April morning.

The race was held downtown in and around the football stadium. They had us going up the ramps and then coming down the other side. You ran through the field and the guess what? You had to go up another set of ramps and then down again. I don't know about the other girls, but I don't train on an incline. That's why I live in Florida. I like that everything is flat. Those ramps were BRUTAL! Good thing this wasn't a timed race, because at the end I was nearly crawling up those things. But it was worth it. We had a great time getting blasted with color, which is just corn starch.

After several failed attempts at this picture with an iPhone, a photographer walking by was nice enough to take it for us. I stole it from Facebook. Credit to Philip Hertz Photography.

 Here's our crazy group. I only knew Magaly and Kelly, but it was fun running this with a group of girls.

And my favorite running picture of all time. If you're going to pose for the camera, go big! It's no fun if you're not making a fool out of yourself.

The next color run is in October. I can't wait!

two more under my belt

I ran some more races. 

I got a phone call one night. It was my cousin's wife who saw me running on her way home from work. She asked if I wanted to do the Pumpkin Run with her around Halloween. It was a fun little run through a downtown cemetery. And when it was over we got to take home a pumpkin. This was before the race. I'm glad Lawren brought the orange and black knee highs. It turned out to be cool that morning.

After the race. It wasn't my best time, but we both ran the entire race. No stopping for a breather. I was pretty proud of that.

This past weekend Lawren and I ran the Festival of Lights 5k in San Marco. A couple of pictures before the race. I was all decked out in my jingle gear.

They had a lot of activities for the kids before the race. Both the girls got to see Santa, get their faces painted and pet some of the animals in the petting zoo area. It was nice to have kisses before the race.

San Marco is an area of town I don't know much about. The race had us going through neighborhoods with really old and really big houses and no street lights. In some places it was really dark. Most of the houses were lit up with Christmas lights and decorations so that was nice to see. Then we took a turn by the river. I wouldn't mind living in that area someday.

I ran in the hat, but it didn't last long. I got hot towards the middle. It wasn't my fastest time, but I knew it wouldn't be since I hadn't run in almost two weeks. I was able to make it through the whole thing without walking. Another plus in my book. I'm not sure, but I may be able to fit one more race in before the end of the year.

the cute picture

I just found more race pictures online and had to redeem myself. See, some of them can be cute as long as they are taken at the beginning of the race.

It's funny how pictures at the beginning of the race are so different than ones taken at the end. Michael told me I look so serious. I was serious. Serious about finishing under 30 minutes.

That's all I got until next time.

just another 5k

This past weekend I ran another 5k. I had my timing chip on and I was ready to go.

The course had photographers taking pictures. I found this sweet picture of me about to cross the finish line. I knew I had a good chance at breaking 30 minutes so I was pushing it hard. Note to self: make sure to look pretty when there could be a possible picture.

My friend Jill ran the race with me. She was the one I was supposed to meet up and do the first race with, but I could never find her. We found each other this time. This was after the race.

I felt really good running this race. I had a good week leading up to it and I felt really prepared. The finishing clock and my iPod both said I had made it in under 30 minutes, but nothing was official. I hoped I had reached my goal.

That night I checked the results. I did it! 29:33. I improved my time by 2:18 seconds. 

This running thing is starting to become fun. I like signing up for the races because it keeps me going. I get out and run at home. I go to the gym. I even started throwing some Jillian Michaels videos into the mix. I'm going to shoot for another 5k in about 2 months. Then we'll see if I'm ready to up the mileage.

3.1 miles = 5k

At the beginning of the year I set some resolutions for myself. I don't put them on paper or take them too seriously because most are broken by mid January. But something about this year was and is different. I've committed to making some things happen and reaching some goals.

This weekend I accomplished one of my goals. I ran my first ever 5k.

It was raining Saturday morning and the 7:30 a.m. race looked horrible on the news, but I was running the 9 a.m. race whether I got soaked or not. I'm not on a strict exercise routine, but I have been training. I started at the gym and worked my way up to 3 miles on the treadmill. Then I transitioned outside, which is a lot harder than it looks when you're a treadmill runner. This past week I hardly ran because of the migraines and the weather so I didn't feel as prepared as I should be. There was definitely a knot in my stomach on the way to the race.

My first ever 5k and I signed up for one on the beach. I ran twice on the beach while we were on vacation. That was the only sand training I had. Turns out it's not that bad. It was a little slushy in some spots from the rain and soft at the turn, but I didn't really have any problems. I am feeling it in my legs today. That's me on the right almost to the finish line.

I was going to run the race with a mom from school and her gym group, but I was never able to find them before the race. And since I didn't have my phone I couldn't get in touch with anyone. That includes Michael after the race. We failed to make a meeting point and it took me forever to find him and the girls. I was so happy when I saw them.

Other than complaining about the rain and the wet sand sticking to their feet the entire time, I think they were happy to see me too. Addison and those gloves. With me being nervous and trying to get out the door that morning I didn't even notice that she had those on. Michael said they got a couple of really nice comments.

I have a love/hate relationship with running. I love how I feel and I love the great workout, but I really hate doing it. I think this race changed that I little. Setting a goal and committing to it sure does make it all worth while.

My official time. I used my iPod to track my run and forgot to stop it at the end of the race. After a minute or so I looked down and it said 33 minutes. My best guess was 32 minutes. Just under. Now I have a time to beat for my next one.

I feel like this was the kickstart I needed to really get into running. The excitement during the race is so much fun. And I need the goal to keep me motivated. I'm already on the hunt for the next one.