Finish the Sentence Link-Up Part 2!

I had so much fun with Holly and Jake on their first Finish the Sentence Link-Up that I had to come back for Part 2!

Make sure that you go by and check out their blogs because they are hilarious! :)

1. If calories didn't count, I would eat..Mexican food all of the time! I love queso, salsa, and chips and could eat them all the time. I love them more than sweets and hardly ever eat candy.

2. On my Prom night....I was a good girl and didn't drink. I did boogie my but off and loved every second of it!

3. When I go to the store, I always buy...cheese. Shredded, string, processed, and sliced. You name it we buy it and eat it constantly!

4. Family functions typically...leave me going insane and wishing I didn't attend in the first place.

5. I think my blog readers...are awesome and I consider them my friends! :)

6. I'd much rather be.....in my final semester of Grad school instead of still hanging on with one more year to go! Ahhhhh!

7. I have an obsession with....reality t.v., t.v. in general, and reading blogs.

8. My work friends....are my lifeline. My para, Gayla, is probably one of my best friends since moving to Manhattan. She listens to my drama and I listen to hers and we laugh a ton! It's always a good day in the room with us together.

9. When I created my Facebook account....I had no idea what the hell I was doing and only did it because my friend, Lindsay, wanted me to try it. I have to say that I am getting pretty tired of seeing political rants and stupid pictures on Facebook that have nothing to do with the person I'm friends with. Blah!

10. My least favorite word is...failure.

11. I really don't remember....my wedding reception. We took way too many shots and drank way too many beers. I was told at one point I flashed people, so that can't be good! C'est la vie!

12. Justin Bieber....is apparently loved by tweens and looks like he is 12. Is he ever going to hit puberty?

Diva Dash

Today was race day and to say I was nervous is an understatement! We stayed at my friend Amber's house in Lawrence since it was closer to KC than Wamego. I had a sleepless night and was anxious to get to the race in the morning.

We left her house at 6:45am and headed to Leawood for the race. I brought with me my bag of shredded wheat to eat on the drive and tried to get down at least 20 ounces of water before we got there. Once we arrived and parked we headed to the packet pick up to get our bibs, shirts, and race chips.

It was a pretty chilly morning I was definitely chilled but made sure to bring my thermals and my jacket. As the time got closer to race we headed to the start line. Since the race was so large, 2000 people, they let racers go in waves. Amber and I got into the second wave and waiting anxiously for them to let us go.

Once we got the okay we headed off and started our run. We tried to stay to the outside of the pack while running and after a mile it started to thin out and not be so bunchy. I kept going strong for 2.6 miles and then walked for a brief minute before starting to run again. Amber was an awesome friend to run with. She was coaching me and talking to me along the way. She really pushed me to keep up my pace and I liked that. The last leg of the race she ran ahead. As I crossed the finish line they announced my name and where I was from and it was awesome! :)

I finished with a time of 32.47 minutes. This put me at a 10:47 minute mile. I will take it! Crossing the finish line felt great and I almost felt like crying! Lame, I know! I took off my race chip and then headed to go get my medal.

Amber and I showing off our medals and bibs! They even put our names on them!

Tried to take a picture of the atmosphere but didn't get a great one since we were in line for our results.

My overall stats were: For my age group 30-34 101 out of 265. Overall was 427 out of 1380. Not terrible but definitely not placing.

The swag we got from the race was a cool t-shirt, that I of course picked up the wrong size for, and of course our awesome medals! I think everyone's first 5K should be a race where they get a medal. It's a great motivator! :)

Happy Girl!

Final training session

Today was my final training session before my 5K and I'm feeling pretty good! I ran the same route from Monday and it was a good run. I felt good about it. The weather was in the 40's and it was perfect for a run! It's crazy how I've gotten so in tune with the temperature and how that can affect my run.

I think my ideal running temperature is 40's to low 50's. We shall see how my body does as the Spring continues and starts warming up. Especially since I will be running in the heat of the day at 4pm after work.

I'm getting nervous for my 5K on Saturday and how it's going to be. I just don't know what to expect or how the event will go. Some of my biggest fears are: getting nervous diarrhea before the race, not drinking enough water and being dehydrated, getting lost while running, and not finishing the race.

I know they seem pretty irrational and none of them will probably happen but they are my fears none the less! I guess only time will tell and once race day gets here I will know what really happens!

Wish me luck!

5 days and counting...

Today marked only 5 days left before my first 5K! I went to school to do some work (Yes, teachers work over their Spring Break!) and brought my stuff to run after I got done.

I worked for a couple of hours and then was getting itchy to go and run. So I quit working and hopped on my running attire and headed out. I headed to City Park and decided to run around the neighborhood instead. I headed down my favorite streets and just kind of zoned out of how far I was running and thought about where I was going instead. I decided to finish my run at City Park and then head back to school.

The best part of this run was that I ran the W-H-O-L-E time! I did have to stop for about ten seconds at a red light because the traffic was thick but other than that I ran and ran and ran! I even ran into some of my students and kids from TR as I was finishing my run and they rooted me on! :)

In other news I have also ditched the C25K program. It gave me a great start to train with at first but the last two weeks I have been really just focusing on the running and not really doing the warm-ups and cool downs. I've also been focusing on my distance ran and pacing. I think I'm going to be able to sustain this and just focus on running times a week. After I get my 5Ks done for my Operation Red Bikini goal I'm going to start training for a 10K in August. I have also been thinking about doing some trail runs, since it would be a good way to break up my road races. Don't I sound like a professional now!

Can't believe that I just beat my longest distance ran by 0.75 mile!

Busy Evening

As of 1:30pm today I'm officially on Spring Break! Yeah!!! Oh but now I have a giant list of things I need to do and planning that must happen. Boo! But at least I don't have to get up at 6. Yeah, again!

I started off my spring break by going and running. Mike is putting up fence around our land on Saturday (the day I scheduled to run) so decided to take advantage of my foot feeling good and just go one day between runs. I headed over to City Park and just ran. I was pretty pleased with the results other than I wish I would have went farther. I ran every part of the 24 minutes except for 2 minutes of it. I will take it! I even went farther than I did on Wednesday running before walking. Go me!

Love this watch!

Sporting another new Urban Halo!

This run was pretty new for me because I've been training outside all winter and this was the hottest day I have ever ran! To say that I was feeling it, is an understatement. I did make sure to try to dress appropriately and had on capris and just a t-shirt. I felt almost naked running.

The best part of my run was at the end when I saw a parent of 2 of my former students. We stopped and chatted for a couple of minutes. He told me that they just didn't know what they were going to do when their daughter went to middle school next year and couldn't see me everyday. I hadn't even been thinking about that! How am I going to get through the day without seeing her at least twice and checking in on her to make sure she's working hard for her teachers and not goofing off? This was a big realization for me. I always knew she would go to middle school but just kept thinking that that day was a long ways off and now it's just around the corner. Ahhh!!!

Once I got home and got Wyatt from daycare we headed to Subway and got dinner for another picnic. The weather is absolutely gorgeous and we had to take advantage of it.

Then Mike got home and we headed to Manhattan to Tractor Supply and Orschelen's to pick up a gate and the hardware he needed to get it attached to the fence post. Of course the best part of any farm supply store during March/April is Chick Days! We love going and looking at the baby chicks, ducks, and bunnies. Wyatt even convinced a lady at Orschelen's that she should get out a bunny for him to pet and she did!

Wyatt said he needed every animal we saw and that they could live with Elephant his hamster or in his wagon!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Today was a gorgeous day and I wanted to make sure that I dressed for the beautiful 70-degree weather. I decided to try on a pair of slacks I had worn in the Fall that were too tight but thought I would just push through the tightness and it will be fine.

I was shocked to slip them right on and my muffin top wasn't hanging over! Say what?! This was a complete shock and a happy one at that. This is definitely a NSV (non-scale victory) for the books.

Room in the waist!

I always dress in layers for school.

Then this cutie wanted in the picture as well!

After school I headed home to get Wyatt because we had decided this morning that we would have a picnic dinner since it would be so nice outside today. He had a grilled cheese and I made a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a salad. It was a beautiful evening and we spent almost 2 hours outside just hanging out and enjoying the sunshine.

Dinner Date!

Putting the finishing touches on his airplane!

Week 7 is in the books!

Today I finished Week 7 and was very happy! I'm loving my new Garmin Forerunner 10 and have been using it whenever I run.

Today I really tried to push myself while running and focus on distance of running and not just time. I skipped the 5 minute warm-up and ran instead. So I ran for 18 minutes straight without stopping which put me at 1.75 miles. I couldn't believe that I could do it. I just kept pushing myself and after the first quarter mile I said just do another and then did another. I did stop and walk for 2 minutes after that and then ran until the five minute cool down. I would say success!

Showing off my extremely red-face and my favorite head bands Urban Halo! This is a new pattern for Spring called Riptide. Love it!

 

After every run I have been trying to drink a Xypstix. This is a Xyngular product and the Xypstix contains aloe which helps restore muscles and your body for recovery after working out. I'm loving it and feeling better after my workouts rather than so tired and exhausted. So far, so good! :)

Podiatrist Update!

Today I went to the Podiatrist and got an answer to my foot problems!

I found out last week that my insurance wasn't going to cover any of the podiatry costs. Yeah!! I had a $40 co-pay to pay at the appointment and was worried that the doctor was going to ask to do all of these crazy tests or say I needed special stuff. I was prepared to tell him "no" that I can't afford it and to just you the x-rays that I had brought. Oh and by the way I'm still racing in March and April since I've already paid for those races. Again, this is all in my head as I've been practicing it so I won't be talked into anything that I don't want to do or is unnecessary.

The doctor came in after looking at my x-rays and touched my foot instantly in the spot that hurts really bad and is sore. He then tells me that I have a bone spur between my tarsal and metatarsal. He said that there was a nerve over the spur that probably happened when I fell in October. He also said that the running has been aggravating it causing the inflammation of the nerve over the bone spur. The pain will only get better if we can get the nerve un-inflammed so that it will move back to where it needs to be.

He prescribed me a cream that I have to put on my foot 2-3 times a day to help with the inflammation. He said that I should be pain free by my race on the 23rd! :)

I'm so happy with the outcomes and can't wait to see if the pain will lessen. Once the pain lessens hopefully I will be walking better and not limping so much.

Yeah for good news!

Windy much!

Well the upside is that I completed Day 2 of Week 7. It wasn't the best run I've ever done and I spent quite a few minutes running in short bursts and then walking in short bursts but it's done. The End!

I ran around the Sports Complex which is a big circle-ish track that is technically only 0.9 mile. The wind was ridiculous today! I got on weather.com when I got home to see how windy it was and it was blowing 12 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. I believe ever bit of it because at one point I was running against the wind and I felt like I wasn't moving at all. I'm sure to cars that were passing it looked like I wasn't moving!

This is me thinking why in the hell am I doing this!

Also, today was the coldest day of the weekend. I always regretting waiting an extra day to run and this one just cements the deal. I should have ran last night when the rain had stopped but it was still a good 20-degrees warmer.

I always feel like I run like shit at the Sports Complex as compared to City Park because there isn't any way to visually mark your quarter miles like at City Park. I always end up walking more than I should and feeling like poo because I'm walking and then the whole guilt cycle starts in again. Somehow I always manage to pull decent pace times when running here. Not sure how or why!

 

 

P.S. I have my podiatry appointment on Tuesday so look for that update! We shall see how the whole foot issue goes. I haven't been having as much pain but I've also been taking 2-3 days between runs and drinking a recovery drink with aloe after each of my runs. More info on that coming in another post! But apparently there is still a problem because both my hubby and my mom have said that I'm walking funny.

Finish the Sentence Link-Up

Today I'm linking up with Holly for a Finish the Sentence Link-Up! I've loved reading every one's answers and just had to join in!

 

So without further adieu... My answers to "Finish the Sentence..."

1. People always tell me that I'm funny! I try, what can I say. I love to make people laugh!

 

2. In the movie based on my life, I would be played by some gorgeous blond who is taller than 5' 8". I've always wished I was taller.

 

3. Typically, I end up regretting not doing that extra load of clothes because I'm always scrambling in the morning to find what I want to wear and it's always dirty! Go figure!

 

4. I always ask to leave off the the sides on my plate. I like for everything to be in it's own container and for my food to not touch. Crazy, I know!

 

5. Kim and Kanye really need to keep at it because I'm glued to watching it.

 

6. My Parents always reminded me that money doesn't grow on trees. Trust me, I wish it did at times! Graduate School tuition bill anyone?

 

7. Every single day I convince myself that I don't need a pop and try not to think about it for the next ten minutes and then have to convince myself again, that I don't need a pop. Hi, my name is Sara and I'm a recovering pop-aholic. My last drink was on Sunday, February 11th.

 

8. This one time in College I spent every single Thursday night partying after student teaching all week and would arrive hung over to my Seminar class and still had more sense than some of the morons that were in my class.

 

9. My grossest habit is not taking home lunch containers from work and letting them sit and mold for weeks on end and then throwing them away because I don't want to wash it. How lazy sad is that?!

10. My latest white lie was the one I convince myself that I have extra money to go out to eat when I don't.

11. I know all the words to any country song from the 80s and 90s. My friend Lindsay loves to play this game with me!

12. When I grow up I want to be a good mom. Still a work in progress!

13. Sexy time is when we can sneak upstairs and have a quickie while our toddler is watching cartoons, unattended, downstairs.

14. I will never, ever shop at JC Penneys. I hated that they always had "one day only"sales every freaking day of the week! Sorry you lost me!

15. I think it's hilarious when people get hurt. I know, it's sick, but I laugh hysterically when people get hurt and can't quit. America's Funniest Home Videos usually end with me crying because I'm laughing so hard at the people falling and getting hurt. I even laugh when my family and friends get hurt. I'm sure I should be in therapy for that. :)


17 days and counting...

I started Week 7 today and was really anxious to get it started because if you've been counting like I have that means I only have 17 more days until I run my first 5K!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

It's really starting to sink in that I need to start pushing my stamina more and using my mental focus to get farther between the little one minute breaks I take. So I tried it today and it worked, kinda.

Wearing another one of my new Urban Halo headbands!

 

On the program today you are supposed to warm up for five minutes and then jog for 25 minutes and then cool down for another five. I ran for 12.50 minutes before stopping. I just kept jogging and thinking to myself when they say "halfway" then you can break for a minute.

That's exactly what I did but didn't make it all the way through the next half without stopping again for another minute. I still consider it a victory and one that I'm willing to build on. My goal for Day 2 will be running for 15 minutes before stopping.

Boom Week 6 is done!

Today I got my booty back out and finished up Week 6 in C25K.

I asked my co-worker to come along for the run. I haven't ran with anyone these past six weeks and I wanted to see how I would do. Am I a really slow runner? Is she going to smoke me at City Park?

We ran and talked and it was fun. I don't know if I'll be able to run with a partner again but it was fun to try.

I also go to try out my new gear that I got on Friday. My new (to me) Forerunner 10 is awesome and I love it! A great investment in my running program and worth every penny. :)

I wasn't pleased with my pace but given this was the first time I had ran with a friend I will take it. Now I definitely have to make that number go down. I guess I also need to remember that for the first five minutes I'm walking to warm-up and the final five minutes I'm walking to cool down. So that's not terrible.

After going to school and doing no work that I said I was going to do while here I kept thinking about how close I was earlier to 3.1 miles. I was feeling really good so after I left school I decided to go back to the park and run another mile. Crazy, right? I actually wanted to run and see if I could better my pace and I did!

So that made 3.62 miles for the day. I will say that's not to shabby.

New running gear!

Today was a perfect way to end the first day of March! I didn't run today because of the cold and wind. I was feeling sorry for myself and wishing I would have just went ahead and ran after school and then it would be done with and I wouldn't have to feel so lousy about not running. But then I got home and to my surprise I had my new (to me) Garmin Forerunner 10 waiting on my doorstep and my new Urban Halo headbands! Ca-ching!! Now I definitely have some running to do tomorrow after my Grad class in KC. :)

There was a great offer on Facebook from Urban Halo that if you bought 3 you got 2 free! Holla!