Holidays

Happy New Year everyone! We had a great Xmas! This was the first year that Elliott knew what was going on and she had a blast! She even loved visiting Santa this year! Here are a few photos from our holiday.

Elliott with Santa

Grinch Cookies that I made for Xmas Eve

Elliott opening her Xmas Eve gift from us. PJs, Twas The Night Before Christmas book, and The Grinch DVD

Xmas Morning! Ready to open gifts!

Paul handing her gifts

Paul was Santa and I was the Elf. Elliott had a silly hat too, but refused to wear it!

We had a great Xmas! Elliott got way more toys than she needed. Paul got a new engine for his airplane. I got a new hand held water bottle, a yoga mat strap, and 5 other water bottles.

From Paul's parents, we got tickets to see Cirque Du Soleil: Quidam! We went this past Sunday and it was soooo cool!

On NYE, I ran the Resolution Run 5k. It was a beer run! You had a beer at the reception when you got there, and then there were 3 beer stops on the course, and then another beer at the reception at the end. I thought it was going to be fun, but it ended up being miserable! I had signed up because Kim did and I kind of thought that we would be running it together. Well, her boyfriends SIL went too. They are much faster than me and I couldn't keep up. I actually caught up to them at the first beer stop and was trying to chug my beer as fast as possible. It seemed like Kim was trying to wait for me, when Brandi started shouting "Come on! We have to go!" and they left without me. Not to mention that it was snowing wet cold snow the whole time. Running a beer run with friends= fun. Running alone in the cold, wet, dark, slippery snow without music even= miserable. I got to the 2nd beer stop and they were out of beer, so I continued on. The third beer stop had beer and I chugged one down and kept going. When I crossed the finish line, I guess it was a apparent that I was miserable. Everyone kept asking if I was okay, which I said I was. I was basically just having a pity party about having to run alone.

At the reception before hand- we carried those mugs while we ran

Before the race started- out in the snow

New Year's Day, I had a training run on my schedule, 3 miles. Since the Thanksgiving run, where my goal was 36:52, I've been trying to get that every time I have 3 miles on the schedule. Well, New Year's Day, I finally met that goal with time to spare! I finished 5k in 36:23! I was so stoked! Not only was it redemption from the 5k the night before (45:xx), but it was a great way to start the new year!

Tomorrow is my 29th birthday! I'm going to run 2.9 miles to celebrate! My mom has been on her own weight loss journey, and is doing awesome! She's lost about 15lbs already! She has been walking almost every day! I told her that she should walk 2.9 miles in honor of my birthday as well! She said she will!

Last night I went to yoga at the YMCA. It was crazy! There were over 50 people in class! I was the last person in and there was barely room for me! A lot of people talk badly of all the people in the gym at the beginning of the year, but I think its great! Nobody should have to feel badly about wanting to get healthier!

I signed up for another round of bootcamp again this month too! I really like it! I'm already planning to sign up again next month as well! I got an email from the Y this morning with a coupon in it for bootcamp that said it can be used next month! I feel like yoga and bootcamp are helping me become a better runner as well!

Well, that's all I have for now!

New PR!

So, I have 3 long runs left before I start to taper before Prairie Fire Half Marathon. I am feeling really undertrained right now.

I was sick all last week, so I didn't do any training runs. I had signed up for a 5k on Saturday and I had planned on going to the group run before hand to get all my miles in. When my alarm went off at 6am Saturday, I knew that there was no way I was going to do both. At about 630am, I texted Kim and asked her what time she was planning on going down the the race and she said around 715am. It started at 8am, and we still had to pick up our packets. I asked her if she wanted to ride together and she said yes. So I met her at her apartment and we went over to the race. She asked me why I hadn't gone to the group run and I told her that I still wasn't feeling 100% and she said I didn't even sound like I was 50%! I still planned on running the 5k hard and trying to PR. My goal was 40:59 or less.

We got there and got our packets and pinned on our numbers and went back to her truck and chatted for a little bit. Then we got out and went to the starting line. There were way less people than I thought there was going to be! We started off and I immediately felt my lungs burning. I knew that there was no way I was going to be able to keep up with Kim, so I just fell into my own groove. I run the whole first mile and my time was 11:00 which is the fastest mile I've ever run! After the first mile I got into a walk/jog and was keeping a pretty good pace despite the fact that my lungs were burning like crazy, I was having a hard time breathing, and that I felt like I was going to vomit.

Kim and I post race! A PR for both of us!

I made it back close to the finish line and Kim had finished and come back for me. I had put in my headphones, but pulled one ear bud out when I saw her. She asked me if I needed water and I told her no, and then she asked if I wanted her to take my headphones and I said "No, I'm listening to The Final Countdown right now!" and a couple people near us giggled at that :)! I was getting close and a guy who had finished already started cheering me and told me I was almost there! I got to the straightaway and saw 38:xx on the clock and gunned it to the finish. I finished 39:11! I'm so happy to finally have a sub 40 min 5k! I know that is still very slow, but I've taken about 4-5 minutes off my time since March! I got through the finish chute and got my water and a piece of watermelon and then Kim and I chatted and watched the awards. The two overall winners were both over 50 years old! That inspires me! If I keep this up, when I have 20 years practice, maybe I'll be able to get an award someday too!

My Girls On The Run coaching starts tomorrow. I ended up getting to work with the younger girls. We had our parent meeting last Wednesday and we had only one girl signed up for our site for the 6-8th grade, so I got reassigned. I'm excited and nervous!

I don't have much to report on the weight loss front. I really need to get my act together. I've lost less than 10lbs this summer! I thought it would be easier to lose weight over the summer... To be honest, I haven't really been focusing on that. That stops now!

Labor Day was uneventful. Saturday was the 5k, Sunday Paul and I took Elliott to the zoo and then we had lunch with my brother and his fiance, Monday we did nothing except go for frozen yogurt. I'm on vacation from work for the rest of this week.

I'm running the Tiger Trot 15k this coming Sunday and I am SUPER nervous! I was looking at the course map, and it is so long!

I'm going to try to get back into regular posting as well! So I hope you all hear from me again later this week!

GOTR

Jennifer, Sarah, and Me Pre Race

Girls on the Run 5k race was today! My 10-year-old niece is in the GOTR program, so she and my SIL, Jennifer, were doing the race! I was so excited to run this with them. Jennifer doesn't run, so I had decided before hand that I wasn't going to try to PR, and I would run with her and walk when she needed to walk.

Before we started it was raining a little bit, but it stopped pretty much, as soon as the race started. Jennifer was asking when there would be water and I told her that there is usually water around Mile 1. We passed the 1 Mile marker and there was no water. She said "You said there would be water!" I told her "There will be! It probably right up here!" It wasn't much further up. We got water and started running again.

The Keeper of the Plains with Exploration Place (pointy building) the background Source

I REALLY liked the course! It ran right by the river and past one of our museums, Exploration Place, that has some really pretty water and bridges. Then it crossed the river at the Keeper of the Plains.

We crossed the bridge at Keep of the Plains and it had the 2 Mile marker on the bridge! There was another water station at about 2.5 miles and there were some people with some inspirational signs! One of my favorites was the one about courage. "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." I think of that quote often. I feel like it describes me perfectly! I pointed it out to Jennifer!

After we passed the signs, I looked at my phone and saw that, even with the walking we were doing, I was on time to PR. So I started pushing Jen more! The last time she stopped to walk was at about 2.9 miles in, so I didn't stop, I continued running.

I've said it before, but there is really nothing like the finish line! There are lots of people cheering you on, telling you "You're almost there! You're doing great!" Then to see the finish and just to push so hard and give it everything you have, and then you cross the finish and you feel so proud!

Me, Jen, and Sarah Post Race

When I saw the finish line, I saw that the clock said 42 something and I just started gunning it! I crossed the finish and there are boy scouts and firemen there giving out pins and carnations. Then they had water and bananas and apples and the best freaking salted caramel biscotti that I've ever had!

Jennifer 2 and I

After the race I saw a girl I know from running and Facebook. Her name is Jennifer too and we chatted a bit. She told me that she did this race last year as her very first race and she took 10 minutes off her time! That is awesome! We got a post race photo, also!

I was so bummed about not being able to wear the race shirt. Oh well, I'll wear it next year!

All in all, this was a great race! I'm glad I got to run with my family and I'm glad I PR'd!

Wesley 5k Race Report

So, I ran the Wesley 5k with Paul on Wednesday. We both left work early to get to the expo by 5pm. We had Elliott with us. Kim said that she didn't have class that night, so she offered to watch Elliott and cheer us on while we ran! She even made a sign!

Paul and I. This is the M shirt!

We were on a "team" with some other people from sister companys of his company. They had made t-shirts for the event and I had told Paul to get me a size M when we registered. I had been wishing I had gotten a L. I was right! The shirt was pretty snug!

Elliott and Kim

After we took a group picture, I took the company shirt off and wore the race shirt, which I really liked! I saw that Elliott was getting along well with Kim, so we didn't go back over to her. I had told Kim to bring M&M's with her, and they worked like a charm!

We got up to the starting line, and there was a news anchor from the morning show that I watch not to far ahead of us!

The gun went off and Paul and I ran together for approximately 90 seconds before he started going way too fast for me to keep up! I saw him realize I was gone, and he was looking back for me, but I kind of wanted to run it by myself! Plus I didn't want him badgering me the whole time to run faster than I was comfortable!

The race started and immediately went up a hill to go over a bridge! Ah! I ran the first mile dying of thirst! It was SUPER hot and humid! When I finally saw the water station about 1.5 miles in I was so excited! Except for the water was warm! Ew! I walked through the water station. Then I walked a LOT the next 1.6 miles. I was running at about 2 miles in, and I saw some girls with a cooler holding out a bottle of water! Once I realized it was water they were waving at me, my face lit up and I ran fast over to them and thanked them profusely! I downed 1/2 the bottle immediately, and then felt like I was going to vomit! Then I wished I hadn't taken it, because I hated running with it! I finally saw a trash can at about 2.5 miles and threw it away!

Getting close to the finish!

I pretty much felt miserable the whole time because it was so hot! At one point while I was walking I had resolved that I wasn't going to PR. When I was close to the 3 mile marker, I could hear a crowd cheering and I got really excited and picked up my pace! I passed the 3 mile mark and I knew I was almost there! There were a bunch of high school kids cheering as we ran passed and then I saw my stroller, then Kim and Elliott, then I saw the finish line! I was close to the finish line and I heard Paul cheering "Come on Carrie!" and I started running HARD for the finish line! I crossed the finish line with a time of 43:07! I was completely shocked that I PR'd! My time 6 weeks ago was 44:54 and I ran the whole time!

Me and Paul post race

Paul and I went and got a banana and some water and went to find Kim and Elliott. We talked about the race and Paul told me that he wanted to stop right after the bridge, less than 1/2 a mile in! He did really well though! 37:19 was his time. We wore each others numbers on accident! Oops!

I'm really glad that Paul ran this with me! I feel like it's brought us closer in a new way! He has been hurting bad the past two days since though! He asked me if I hurt at all, and I do not!

I realized at this race how much I love crossing that finish line! There is nothing like being so close to the finish line and just giving it your all! Leaving it all on the course and then you are done!