What's new?

So it's been over a week since I last posted a "real" post. So sorry, life has been crazy! Here's an update...beware, it's very long!

------------------------------------------------------------------
Lucky Trail Challenge
First things first. The SeabrookLucky Trail Marathon and 1/2 Marathons were great!

I drove to Seabrook Saturday morning for day one of the challenge - the 1/2 marathon. First, I met Kay along the way so we could follow each other and hopefully not get too lost. Lucky for us, it was easy to find. We made our way to the parking lot and walked to the pavilion where we collected our interesting looking chips (which looked like little square card we began calling our "bingo cards") and just hung out until the start of the race. We forgot about the early time change and realized that it might be a bit dark when we 1st started running. We also ran into Coach Gaye, Patti and Abbie from Houston Fit. Also, I finally got to meet Sarah!!! When they announce that the race was starting, we headed to the start. There was moment of silence, the singing of the national anthem and we were off.

Kay and I decided to stick together. Since we were both running again the next morning, we decided to just take it nice and slow. We said we would do 12 minute miles the entire way, but actually ended up at a 11:24 pace. As soon as we started running, we realized we had no clue where we were going. No worries though, there were lots of nice volunteers to point us in the right direction. There were not only mile markers, but trivia questions along the way. Hey, anything to keep my mind off the running! The course consisted of 2 loops on a Memorial-like trail. There were also a few out and back parts, so you got to see some areas twice on each loop. There were a few places were the course was a bit muddy from the rain earlier in the week, but again no worries....it was manageable. Somewhere along the way, I saw JD and his wife Jaclyn. By the end of my 1st loop, I was feeling the bonk. Definitely caused by my lack of training since Austin, thanks to my crazy school schedule due to the previous weekend's mid-term. Luckily, I managed to finish the 2nd loop and collect my cool St. Patty's Day bling! Also, I got to wear my cute black and smooch running skirt, which I LOVE! I may have been tired, but the skirt was comfy and looked cute! By the way, the post-race party was fantastic! There were hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, red beans and rice, chips, fruit, live music, massages, etc. Awesome!

Loop 1 - 1:13:31, Loop 2 - 1:16:01, Total chip time - 2:29:33

Sunday, my alarm clock went of before 5 am and I seriously considered saying "screw it" and sleeping in. But, I knew I would kick myself later if I chose that option, so I dragged my tired ass out of bed and headed back to Seabrook. Kay and I met again and as I passed the Hawthorne Suites on Nasa Rd 1, I wished I had stayed there afterall. :-) After enjoying my new skirt the day before, I really wanted to wear my pink camo running skirt. However, when I put it on that morning I noticed something I didn't notice before....the shorts underneath are mighty sheer! In fact, my blue undies underneath were very visible. Hmmm...not sure what I will do about that. I opted to stick with my trusty black running shorts instead.

Sunday, there were quite a few more runners than the previous day. Kay was opting to run the full. My non-training-since-Austin butt was running the 1/2. We ran into Abbie, JD and Sarah again, and we were also joined by Abbie's Mom, Sandy, Rebecca and Diane. We all started the race together and pretty much ran the 1st couple of miles as a group, well except for JD who is quite the speed demon. The 1/2 and full marathon starts were staggered, so the trail was not too crowded and the course was a bit drier than the day before. This time the miles seem to pass faster...maybe because I actually knew where I was going. As we made our way by the bay on the 1st loop, I was happy to see girl scouts at the water stop with oranges and GIRL SCOUT COOKIES! Yum! Before I knew it, we had finished the 1st loop. By this time, Sarah and Abbie had run ahead. Kay, Rebecca and I were still together. However during the 2nd loop, we all began to seperate. Kay was feeling good and ran ahead. I continued with our 12 minute pace and Rebecca was not far behind me. I definitely had more energy than the previous day, but my legs were a tad sore which resulted in a slower pace than Saturday. I continued to feel good until about mile 12, were I opted to walk a bit longer than my 1-minute break. It was about that time I saw JD and Jaclyn. It's funny how you get a little boost of energy when you see people you know on a course...even when you don't know them very well. Seeing those two gave me the little surge I needed to run the remainder of the way in, finish my 2nd 1/2 and collect the bling and BIG bling. (By the way, JD managed a nice PR!) Next, Rebecca and I grabbed some grub and waited for Kay to finish her 3rd loop. I managed to squeeze in a massage during the wait...it was heavenly! Thank you Koala!!! For split second, I felt kind of guilty. Here I was chowing down and getting a massage while Kay was running all those miles....like I said, it was just a split second. :-) We cheered for Kay on her second loop and handed her a bag of ruffles. Kay did an awesome job and finished her full in 5:15.

Loop 1 - 1:18:29, Loop 2 - 1:20:13, Total chip time - 2:38:43

All in all, this was a great event. I'm not sure if I want to do the challenge again, but I will definitely be back for at least one of the two events again next year!

More updates to come tomorrow....

Happy Easter!

Here's a pic of the kiddo with the Easter Bunny! We went to the mall yesterday to do some shopping. Suprisingly, there was no line for pictures.

Me to Kiddo: Look, it's the Easter Bunny! Do you want to take a picture with him?

Kiddo: Oh, Easter Bunny? I want a picture!

Me to DH: Do you think she'll really take a picture with him after the debacle with Santa?

DH: (shrugs shoulders)

(Note: he wasn't there when we stood in line for an hour for pics with Santa only to have the kiddo cry hysterically when it was finally our turn.)

Me to DH: Should we try?

DH: Well, there's no line. (That's my Dh. He's a man of few words.)

Kiddo: Easter Bunny! (jumping up and down)

So, the kiddo and I proceed through the Easter Bunny's garden ever so slowly. I am wondering if the kiddo is really going to do this. Sure enough, I put her on the Bunny's lap and she is all smiles. Wow, what a difference a few months make!

Sorry!

Sorry about the long hiatus from blogging. Life has been so busy over the last week! I will update tomorrow if I can...I have lots of news!

I survived...

the double 1/2s this weekend! Congrats to everyone who participated!

I'll have to post a full race report later, but I will say this - running back to back 1/2s was not as easy as I thought it would be. But, suprisingly enough, it was fun and I felt better on the 2nd day (although my time does not reflect this)!

I have to give special props to fellow Fit-er, Kay, who ran a 1/2 and a full...and managed to finish the full in 5:15! The best part? Hanging out with friends and making a few new ones, meeting fellow bloggers Sarah and Joe, plus seeing JD and meeting his wife Jaclyn. All in all, it was a great weekend of running!

Statistics Hell

Last semester, it was Accounting hell...this time around it's Stat. I think I will have nightmares of forecasting and regression for years to come.

Wed - 45 minutes Si6 (it's getting easier!)
Thur - 25 minutes on treadmill (while watching Grey's)

Tonight, I may just do 25 minutes of Si6. I'm running the Lucky Trails 1/2 Marathon on Saturday and Sunday! Wooohoo! I picked up my packet yesterday and was pretty happy with the swag - 2 short-sleeve technical shirts, 2 caps and 2 pairs of cool socks -very nice! And, the weather looks like it is going to be pretty nice too.

Last night, wouldn't you know it, my shins starting bothering me. I hope they don't do this over the weekend. I'll probably take an aleve in the morning just to be safe.

I don't have a lot to report. I had a great weekend! On Sunday, I went to a big fish fry at my cousin's house in Missouri City. It was a celebration in honor of my Cousin being home from Iraq for a few weeks and my Grandpa Murrell's 83rd birthday later this month! The kiddo had an awesome time playing with her older cousins. Yes, we both ate too much birthday cake.

Monday I did 45 minutes of Si6. I know that in order to get the best results from Si6, I have to do it everyday for 6 weeks. Let's face it, most weeks I do not have the time for both Si6 and running. I have too many chapters to read, stat problems to do and group projects to work on to do both...and unfortunately, running does come 2nd to school. So, I am going to have to say goodbye to the 2-a-days. (Actually, I said goodbye about 2 weeks ago, but this is the official goodbye.) Instead, I will alternate - run one day, Si6 the next. Wow, I feel better all ready. Now I won't feel the guilt of not getting both workouts in because I have to study...or the guilt of not studying because I had to get both workouts in.

Yesterday as I was leaving for work, I noticed my 26.2 sticker on the ground. (It's usually on the back window of my car.) Then, I realized...my entire back window was on the ground too! Lovely! But, all is well. The insurance company sent someone over the same day to replace the glass. That night, I made a mental picture of each mischevious teen on our block and wondered which one might have broken the window. I also mentally beat them up as I ran 3 miles on the dreadmill. :-) Punks!

Yoga anyone???

My friend, Sofia, teaches yoga and is trying to get her business off the ground. I met Sofia about 4 years ago at a surfing class in Port Aransas. She is just about the sweetest person I've ever met and a wonderful yoga instructor.

If you're interested in trying yoga, now's your chance! Or if you are seasoned and would like to check out her classes, here's the information:

AHIMSA YOGA

in Bellaire

1st class is FREE

$8, $9 & $10 packages available - 50% off for new students

8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 am - Mon, Wed & Fri

*6:30pm - Mon & *7:00pm Tues

* evening classes by reservation only - please call

713-443-4436

sofia_ahimsa_yoga@yahoo.com

Located at Beatty Music Works - 5415 Bellaire Blvd.

What a week

Well, by Tuesday the kidding was awesome again. However, by that evening, it was my turn to have a much less severe version of the nasty stomach flu. Luckily, I was feeling much better by Thursday, because I had a mid-term to study for! So, I woke up at 4 am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to cram. Thursday and Friday I stayed up as late as I could doing the same. I hate cramming. I prefer to take my time preparing for an exam and going in feeling confident. Oh well, the test is over and I think I managed to do pretty well...3 pages front and back of what I hope will be a collection of A-worthy essays. I'll keep my fingers crossed just in case! (and no, I do not use "..." when writing essays for school!) I reserve those for my blogging.

While it sucks to be in class all day when the weather is beautiful, we did get out of our 1st class early. Some of my classmates decided to head over to the Black Labrador for lunch so we could sit out on the patio and enjoy the day. Yes that's right, the Black Lab does serve food! Something I never realized, even after my handful of visits there during college. The only downfall to sitting on the patio under the shade of trees would be the birds. Yep, one of my classmates received a lovely suprise from one of them. At least it landed on his notebook and not his head! :-) Oh, the other downfall would be that you have to eventually get up and head back to class..which happens to be in a windowless basement. bummer.

The in-laws are in town again this weekend and they took the kiddo to visit her cousins. They weren't planning to return until after 7 pm, so after class I headed over to Memorial. I planned to run 3 loops, but I didn't realize how hot it was going to be! When I left the campus, the temperature was 84. Yikes! I immediately wished I had packed a sleeves tank in my back of running gear. I remembered the new Target on I-10 and made a quick stop for a new running shirt....a girl can never have too many!

I headed out for my 1st loop, realizing that I had not had much water all day. I try to cut back on the water during class...otherwise, I'd be back & forth to the bathroom the entire time. I don't think my professors would appreciate that. I also suddenly felt the last few days of sleep deprivation kicking in. My pace was slower than it has been in the past few weeks. I around the loop and to the mile 3 marker in 33:11. Amazing what 20 degrees will to do you.

And yes, I admitted it last summer and I might as well admit it again...I hate heat! Whiner, weenie, wuss...go ahead and call me those, because I am all three. I slip in to whiner mode the minute the temps go above 75. So get ready. I'm just preparing you. I promise, I'll try to hold back. But, here I am whining about 84 degree temps, when in just a month or two 84 will be the daily low! Sigh. I hate the heat. Really. I am NOT one of those people who say, "Oh, I love to sweat! It really makes me feel like I had a great workout!". I don't need the heat and sweat to tell me I had a good workout. Just some tired muscles will do the trick, thankyouverymuch!

So anywho....sorry for the tangent. Do you know what I did? Don't laugh. I went home, cranked up the A/C and did the remaining 6 miles on the dreadmill. Yes, that's right. I spent this beautiful day on the treadmill. Watching trash TV too. It was actually kind of terrific. About the time I finished, the inlaws were pulling in the driveway. Perfect timing, gotta love that.

Have a great weekend!

Little did I know...

The weekend went well. Naturally, things had to take a turn in the opposite direction...murphy's law.

Around 10 pm, the kiddo wanted to come to bed with me. No biggie, this is a nightly routine for us, but usually she doesn't do this until 1 am or so. A little before midnight, I hear "Mommy!" and wake up to projectile vomiting in my bed. Oh, the joys of motherhood! My poor baby had a nasty stomach flu. We were up until about 3 am, when she finally seemed to be doing better and could go back to sleep. Ugh, this happened once last year too and it was not fun. (Now that I think about it, I also caught the bug and then the hubby.) At least this year, she can tell us a little more about how she's feeling, what hurts, etc. Needless to say, I did not get out of bed when my alarm clock went off at 4 am. Nope, I slept right through what was supposed to be my workout and mid-term study time. You know what they say...life happens!

Fortunately, by last night she was doing much better. And today, she's almost back to her cute, happy little self. We spent the afternoon having "tea" and "coffee" in her little playhouse in the backyard. After she went to bed, I managed to do 45 minutes of Si6. Hopefully, I will get in a good run tomorrow before I have to hit the books. My Marketing mid-term is Saturday...trust me, I would much rather be joining my fellow Striders at the Bayou City Classic!

The Kiddo's 1st 1K

Here's my adorable kiddo in her 1st 1K:

I think we will be buying multiple copies for us, the grandparents, godparents, etc. :-)

Great weekend - day 2

I am loving this weather! Last night, the kiddo hung out with her grandparents and the hubby and I went out. We wanted dinner and a movie, so we decided to check out our local Movie Tavern where we could do both at the same time! I have been to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, but this was my 1st time at the Tavern. It was great! The setting was a bit nicer than Alamo, the chairs were comfy, the service was great and the food was yummy (the "Blue Beast" margarita included). We ended up seeing Zodiac. It was very good, very suspenseful and since it was based on true events, very scary!

This morning, I headed to the park for my Sunday LR. Technically, I don't know that I can call 6 miles an LONG, LR...I know with the Lucky Trails 1/2 Marathon coming up in 2 weeks, it should have been more like 1o miles. But for some reason, I could not bring myself to go farther. In fact, I was very tempted to stay in my nice, warm bed and not run at all! But, I managed to drag my butt out of bed and into my running gear. By the time I pulled out of my driveway and was greeted by the gorgeous blue sky and full moon, I was feeling a tad bit more motivated.

I made it to the park a little after 7 am. The park was pretty quiet and I managed to get one of the coveted parking spaces near the tennis center. After a few minutes of stretching I was off...my 1st 2 miles were both exactly 10:16. I decided to slow down a bit, because my goal was just to maintain a 10:30 pace. My next mile was 10:39 - better. Then, 10:51 (?), 10:35 & 10:38. I started at the mile 0 marker and ran clockwise around the park, stopping at the mile 3 marker. Then, I headed counter-clockwise all the way around until I made it back to the mile 0 marker. Between my two loops, I stopped at the restrooms and at my car for water. I must have stopped a tad bit too long, because when I 1st started again, I felt heavy and flat. (Guess that explains the time for mile 3.)

Later, we took the kiddo to get pictures taken. Between school, work and the holiday craziness, we never had a chance to take the kiddo for her 2nd birthday. Bad, I know! We'll be taking Easter pics in about 2 weeks too. The photo shoot went extremely well! What a world of difference from last year, when I was lucky just to get one good shot without tears. Her favorite cousin also came along to help make her laugh...it worked!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Race Against Violence 5K

I feel like it's been forever since I've run in perfect weather. I think it was Austin, which was only 2 weeks ago, but it feels like forever.

The kiddo and I started our day at the Race Against Violence 5K. We met Kay & Pam and just hung out until the start. I love Sam Houston Park. It's such a serence little place and of course it's even more beautiful with the beautiful blue sky and skyscapers as a backdrop. The kiddo was really quiet at first. I think she was taking it all in - all the people and the band that was warming up. Plus it was pretty chilly. After refusing to put her hat and gloves on in the parking garage, she finally looked at me and said, "Mommy, I want hat. I want gloves."

The course took us from the park to Waugh and back via Allen Parkway. I wasn't sure how the kiddo would do in the jog stroller, but she did great. That is, after I made a quick stop to give her a banana and then again to wipe off her hands and put her gloves back on. :-) Heck, today was not a day for PRing...just a day to hang out with the kiddo, get some exercise and enjoy the awesome weather. We finished in approx. 36 minutes...I don't know my exact time because I left my watch in the car. But, after fighting with the damn jog stroller the entire way I felt as if I had run twice the distance. Note to self: must get new jog stroller! Here are some pics after the race...

Here we are with Kay after the 5K

Before the kiddo's 1K...and after having a donut :-)

After everyone finished the 5K, it was time for the Kid's 1K. I went ahead and registered the kiddo. I thought she would have fun, but I had no idea if she could run the entire distance. She was busy picking up leaves with a fellow toddler when they started her race, so we were pretty far behind the pack. At first, she wanted to hold my hand. It was cute, but it was messing up her balance. She had a bit of a fall right before we made it to the turnaround, so I carried her for a little while. Then, she got excited seeing all the kids making their way back and wanted to run on her own again. It was too cute! She slowed down for a second, so I asked her if she was tired and wanted to walk. She told me "No, I keep running" and smiled. And run she did...all the way to the finish. Thanks to Kay, Pam and their co-workers who stuck around to cheer for her and give her high 5's at the finish. She was really excited to get her very 1st medal after crossing the finish line.

Next, we headed to the post-race party. The event was great. They had lots of activities for the kids - face painting, a moonwalk, balloon animals, etc. Plus a bad playing all the favorite 80s tunes with a few newer songs mixed in. As the names of the winners were being called, we played in the bubble area where the kiddo was having a blast. I did recognize a few names of folks who placed - Strider Brett Riley and Lisa Foronda. However, I was only 1/2 listening, so I'm not sure what either person won...but congrats to you!

All in all, it was one of the most enjoyable mornings I've had in a long time. Now that the kiddo is napping, I am going to steal a few minutes of peace and quiet to study. Later, the hubby and I are having a real date night and going to the movies! Enjoy your weekend!