Motivation Monday

My favorite day on the Tone It Up Calendar is Monday. Karena & Katrina always have a motivational challenge that isn't a workout. Last week they asked us to journal goals, this week they asked us to reach out and encourage a friend. What a great way to start the week, right?

So, friends, I want to encourage you. If you are thinking about getting in your workout today, you should just do it. You will never regret working out, but you might have some regret and guilt about not working out. Take it from me, the ultimate procrastinator (as I blog before class starts...) that it is worth your time and effort.

My goodreads quote of the day seemed like a perfect reminder that routine and diligence are what lead us to freedom!

"Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty"
-Frank Herbert (author of Dune)

What's waiting for you today?????

These were waiting for me!

He needs exercise, too!

Head on over to Tone It Up to pick up your own October Calendar!

Green Lemonade For Breakfast

When I ran the Color Run (to see sweet pics from that, go here) I got a free Competitor magazine. Inside along with awesome running advice and a piece on Olympic runner, Allyson Felix, there were some interesting recipes I wanted to try.

My first adventure was the Green Lemonade. I had to change a few things since I did not have Amazing Grass Berry Green Super Food, but I thought my newest breakfast addition turned out great.

Green Lemonade
Ingredients:
12 oz lemonade ( I didn't have lemonade, so I mixed a lot of lemon juice in with 12 oz of water and then added some trivia to the whole thing after blending)
1/2 c. frozen strawberries
1/2 c. frozen mangos
1 large handful fresh spinach
truvia to taste
*1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
*1 tsp green tea powder

Method:
Blend all the ingredients in a blender and drink while still cool!

Enjoy!!!

Pre Blending

Post blending - it tastes good, I promise!!!!

*my substitute for the Amazing Grass stuff - if you have it, feel no need to add these

Sunday Runday

Today was a Sunday Runday!
This was my mantra as I ran today: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Exercise is a great way to keep your temple in good shape!

 Mack and I headed out from my parent's house (we're in CO for little bro 1's graduation). We were ready to conquer the altitude. The plan was to run out for 15 min and run back for 15 min. This worked great till a little after the half way point when Mack lunged across me at a moving car and we both went down.

Mack is totally okay - I look like a 3rd grader who skinned her knees in a bike accident.

Those knees will look super hot when I wear a dress to little bro's graduation.

Thanks Mack...Here's to hoping they don't hurt too much to run this week - I need to be ready for the Color Run in Denver on Saturday!

Partial Success - We did not get hit by a car!

That was a great run 4500 ft higher than I've ever done 3.2 miles before!

Mack and I managed to enjoy 2 out of 3 of our success goals:

My leashing skills coupled with an inkling of self control led to Mack not darting at cars - hooray!
We enjoyed being outside!

Unfortunately, after the 2 mile marker Mack was in desperate need of a quick walking break and my heel started to give me shoots of pain like it does when my plantar fasciitis s acts up. So we walked about a quarter of a mile and then ran the rest of the way home!

2 out of 3 isn't bad!

Next weekend we're supposed to run even further! Cannot wait to see how far I can actually go!

Since Mack is super cute and I do not take pics while running, are some after shots of the tired runners.

Enjoy!

One Woman & Dog 5k!

Tomorrow is the day! It is the day that Mack and I test whether our HIIT runs and time in the much higher altitude (in comparison to coastal TX) have gotten us ready to up our milage!

Tomorrow we are embarking on our own personal 5k.
Success will be:
Finishing without Mack's love of cars ending in either of our untimely demise...haha
Running/jogging all of it - except for Mack's pit stops (I usually try to jog in place)
Enjoying some time outside

Hopefully I'll be reporting back that Mack and I had some running success!

Was your Sunday a Runday or a Bumday??

It's On

I have not been running much lately. I've just been enjoy the awesome Tone It Up ladies and their awesome workouts I can do in my living room. Spring is definitely here (I have a sunburn from weeding in my front yard to prove it). And the COLOR RUN IS ONLY 69 DAYS AWAY!!!!!

Wait, you want to know what the Color Run because I never mentioned it?? It's a run a found out about via another Pi Phi blogger. She and her buddies did it in Dallas. I found out that there would be one in Denver, so I asked my long distance workout buddy, Allie  and my awesome brothers (yes, I have two of those) to do it with me. So, we are a team of 4 plus one of Allie's work friends, so a Team of 5 and we are running it together.

This is from the official Color Run website Gallery

The cool thing about the color run is that you wear a white shirt and at ever kilometer they throw colored powder on you. The run in Denver support the Children's Hospital, which is a great cause, so that is even better. We have dubbed ourselves Team Fruit Salad and Allie is searching for fake fruit tattoos for us to put on.

If you're interested in finding a Color Run near you or signing up for Denver one, go here.

To be inspired about the running it or just see flying powder, watch this awesome video from their website:



So, basically it is on! I am back in the game to get ready for the Color Run!

Someday, I want this too!

One of my favorite running blogs is written by a runner and mom from  Texas, named Leslie. In her latest blog entry she talks about her kids responses to her running and healthy eating. It is so motivating to see how she is setting a great example for her kids. Someday, I hope it's the same for me. To read her blog entry, go here.

Sunday Runday

Today was Sunday Runday! I got up, leashed up Mack and away we went!

Running lets your mind wander and I found myself thinking about the decade that has passed since 9/11/01. The time has passed quickly with so many  changes along the way. My only hope now as we go forward in this next decade is that America can show even more resilience than we already have and live lives that lit by hope for a better future. I think today's entry over at One Fine Day says it best.

Ghandi also had a good thought:

"When I see despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always."

Since it is Sunday Runday, I thought I'd leave you with this:

I got my miles in this morning. Did you?

30 Day Shredding - Half Way Done!!!

Well, today is the 16th of the month and because I totally spaced my workout day with E on Sunday, we are now half way through the 30 Day Shred.

Every day except for this past Sunday, E and I have shredded ourselves to exhaustion. I like to think it's working since we're working so hard.

On day 10, I measured myself again and found I had lost 6.75" overall. I think that's pretty good! As of today at the half way point, it's 8.75". Not a ton, but definitely a good start!

All of my shredding friends are working their inches off too and I am so proud of them for keeping on. I know first hand how much I'd really like to turn Jillian off sometimes! I'm especially proud of my Mom for jumping in a few days late and rocking out her shredding EVERY DAY since she started. Mom you are awesome!

For Allie's winner announcement for this week. Go to her blog here.

Also, I ran across this super random fb page because a friend had liked a picture. It's a running page or something. I mostly just looked through all the pics and loved them. It made me want to get out and run again! It made me want to kill those miles. I especially loved all the pics that looked like people running in crisp fall air. I thought about it and then I went outside and almost got heatstroke from the humidity. I probably won't run outside for another couple weeks, but this page is making me anticipate the moment of being able to pound the pavement again. Hopefully we'll be in NM soon and I can run in air that does not maintain a heat index of 110 all day long. Check out the fb page here.

All you runners and shredders, we can keep going!

I think most of us feel this way sometimes...

Love List Wednesday

It's that time again. It's time for Love List Wednesday!

I love

• Beach Biking in Port A with WM
• Mack's pouty faces (I just realized I always love Mack in my love lists...)
• The History of the World in 100 Objects podcast - go here to see how you can check it out
• Podrunner Intervals podcast - free running music! go here to get some sweet tunes of your own
• "Green Eyes" by Coldplay - My hubby told me when we were dating that this song made him think of me. So now it makes me think of him!
• The Secret History of the Pink Carnation series
• Soaking up sunshine by the pool
• The sharp and spicy smell of cinnamon

Swimming Reindeer found in Montastruc, France made about 13,000 years ago - from podcast History of the World in 100 Objects #4

The Air is Strangling Me In the Dark

I know you're looking at this title and going, "What??? Has she dug up an even stranger 90's country song?" To answer the second question I imagine you're asking, the answer is no.

Basically, my running has stopped. I don't like running on treadmills and down here in TX it has been way too hot for the CO girl to get out there in the day. Tonight I decided to try my luck at running at night. It seemed like it had cooled down a little and there was a nice breeze. So, Mack and I got geared up (He got a collar and I got a headlamp) and headed out. The first quarter mile felt great. It was so breezy I couldn't even hear my music. Then after we warmed up, the humidity kicked in.

I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Wait, I think she likes humidity. She said once she loves the humidity. Something about not having to blow dry her hair..." I still do love humidity, I just don't enjoy strenuous activity in humidity. Tonight running counted as strenuous humidity and I thought the air was strangling me. Mack and I stayed strong; there was no giving up!

Then after we hit the mile mark we had a problem....The headlamp went dead!!!! You might think that street lights would be enough. If you think this, you have clearly never lived in Texas, land of the residential skunks. Yes, skunks.

Don't be deceived by their size or cuteness!

There were skunks all over base in our border town and there are skunks all over base here too. So at night, especially if you have a dog that thinks the skunks might be his long lost lover, you NEED a light to pick up their presence at a distance. So, after the headlamp went out, the last part of the run was aborted. All in all we only did about a mile and quarter. We did it speeding along in 15 minutes, so that was pretty good.

In other news, I managed to end up on my local sorority alumnae club executive board. I thought I just said yes to a project. Apparently I said yes to an exec position. So, that's cool. I think it will be a fantastic experience while we're here.

44 DAYS TILL UPT IS OVER!!!!

On this joyous note, I leave you with a picture of Mack hoarding his dessert...

Yummy Frozen Yogurt - I'm not sharing!

Now I need a nap...

Race Report #5 - This might have happened a couple weeks ago - whoops

Well, I know I slacked off in April. I didn't end up running any 5k's. I decided to schedule my May 5k pretty early so I didn't slack off again. I decided on the 2nd Annual Emmanuel Christian Church 5k Fun Run/Walk. It was an awesome run for me! I had a PR with 39 minutes! I always seem to go slower on race days than runs around the neighborhood. Maybe it's stage fright?

The route was partial road and partial trail in a park. The clouds rolled in right before the run which gave everyone a little shade and I had two friends running "with" me. By run with me, I mean we started together and then celebrated together after the race. In between, I just lagged behind them.

The most exciting thing was we all placed in our age groups and came home with trophies! Julia got first in our age group, I got 2nd in our age group, and the other Julia got 3rd in her age group! It was a success!

I am soo excited to have gotten my first real bling at a race! Hopefully my next race will be in a few weeks on a runway in Alice, TX! Sooo excited!

P.S. Come back tomorrow for a sneak peak on my newest finished sewing project!

How Many Times Can I Go on Hiatus and Come Back (sitcoms do it all the time)?

Well, it has been many, many, many, many, and many more days since I have posted. I'd like to blame my inactivity on work, but that is only part of it. The fact is that my life got busy and between my new job and all my old commitments, I got a little overwhelmed and climbed into a hole that was filled with instant netflix and lots of books. After almost finishing MI-5 (I'm saving a few episodes because I don't want it to end), constantly adding books to my goodreads account (check out my sidebar to see what I'm reading), and forgetting to ever work out, I have crawled out of my hole and reemerged into civilization. I am so sorry for my absence to those who have missed me. I'm back for good this time (until my next accidental hiatus).

Here is a quick run down of what I have and have not been doing:

#1 - We went an awesome air show hosted at our base. Our favorite event of the day was the Fat Albert demonstration.

Part of a short field take off

#2 - I did not run at all because I was so tired from work. However, I am back on the work out wagon and have my next 5k scheduled for this coming Saturday.

#3 - One of the horses shut me in the feed room last week.

The guilty party who will remain nameless

#4 - I registered for Pi Beta Phi convention!!!!!! So excited!!!!

#5 - I slacked on my siesta verses, but have caught myself back up: since my last entry here are my verses:
*3/1 (I'm not sure if I posted this one): But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
Micah 7:7
*3/15: And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. 
Hebrews 12: 1b & 2a
*4/1: Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
*4/15: Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
Isaiah 30:18
*5/1: Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!
Psalm 27:14
To check out Beth Moore's awesome blog, including the Siesta verses, go here. I have been using her verses as my own because they are awesome!! I have to say that my own Siesta verse partner has been doing much better than me, so props to my awesome Mom!!


#6 - I drank lots of coffee (wait, I always do this).


#7 - My exercise buddy Allie did the most amazing thing ever, which is to run her first half marathon! I think this is sooo cool. I'm so proud of her and her friend Cortney and I wish I could have been in Cincinnati to cheer them on! To read all about the Flying Pig Half Marathon that Allie did, go here.

#8 - Mack got shaved for the summer heat. This was semi traumatic for him. He hopes we'll go somewhere  cold next so he never has to get shaved again. Check out his before and after pics:

Last day of shag!

He's so pouty since the haircut. If he was standing, you'd see no belly or butt feathering and way less hair everywhere else. The goose was his toy for being good at the groomer. He picked it at Petsmart.

#9 - I cooked some. Be on the look out for recipes. For example, go here to check out my newest clam recipe. I have never cooked clams before, so this was a new experience.

Delicious!

#10 - I made sweet wall decorations for my soon to be nephew.

I only took a pic on my phone. Sorry it's fuzzy!

#11 - I made a giant wall countdown chain to countdown the days till pilot training is over. Here is what it looked like when I made it and what it looks like tonight. Tonight it is at 66 days left!

Sooo many links!

There's not many left - Oh my!

All in all, life has been crazy but good. Hopefully I'll be back in another day or so to share lots of pictures, fun times, and food. I also hope to be sharing how much I've been working out. haha!

Race Report #4

Despite the beautiful scenery, this was not a beautiful race! Last week, I started a new running plan that has  me doing more short runs with one long run a week. So, I was counting on this week's runs to get my body back to about the 5k distance. I was on track as of Monday, but Tuesday was really busy and I got a job lead. I followed up that evening and was employed Wednesday morning. Since we're just in Corpus for a little bit, I've been looking at part time work. My new job is working at a horse boarding stable. It's so great being around the horses. I took riding lessons as a kid and have always loved horses. Being able to work out at the barn is the best thing ever! The only drawback to my new job is that I am not used to the level of physical work required for this job. Basically, I come home from work in the early AM super exhausted and conserve my energy to head back to work in the afternoon. One day this week, I got in a short run around lunch time, but I was so tired from work, I thought I might collapse on the sidewalk. So, after this long and hard week, my 5k on Saturday was not looking pretty.

The race was the Whooping Crane Strut in Rockport, TX. The run went on a path along the beach through a nature preserve. I really enjoyed all the birds flying around and the breeze when I wasn't desperately hoping/looking for the turn around. I ended up doing this run in 39:45 and powered through the last half mile. I think I was practically flying so I could cross the finish line and be done. Probably, the only additional hickup was forgetting my long sleeve running shirt at home. I was really cold at the beginning of the race, so I kept my sweater on, but ended up taking it off while running and repinning my number during the end of the first mile.  Whoops.

Overall, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I can definitely do better. I'll leave you with a couple pics and then I'm off to see the horses!

Starting out

Pressing on!

Recent Discoveries, like whatever happened to the Pink Ranger...

This past week/weekend has been a week of exciting discoveries. I thought a quick list would be an excellent way to share with everyone:

#1 - Where is the Pink Ranger now?
After posting a picture of the ever awesome pink ranger last week, I was left wondering what this actress went on to do post power ranger. The original Pink Ranger was played by Amy Jo Johnson. Apparently she has a seemingly successful post rangers career. She played Julie Emrick on the TV show Felicity for 2.5 years. I remember this show being a big deal, but didn't actually watch it, starred in a movie about singer Nancy Nevins (the first woman to sing at Woodstock), and is now on a tv series called, "Flashpoint" on CBS that is moving to ION. Pretty great for a girl who got her start fighting for Zordon.

#2 - Goodreads.com
If you and your friends love reading, this is the best thing ever! It lets you show the books you're reading, review books, win free books, and talk with your friends about books.

#3 - Oysters
This weekend WM and I met up with friends and hit up Oysterfest. We enjoyed live music, watching an oyster eating contest (the women's winner at 195 oysters in 5 minutes), an oyster shucking contest, and checking out the arts and crafts tent. We tried fried oyster and raw oyster on the half shell. I liked the fried ones more, but the raw ones weren't terrible. An experience, for sure.

#4 - Don't take too long of running breaks
Ever since I let my schedule go to pieces when I hurt my foot, I keep losing motivation. Thankfully, having my awesome running buddy Alli encouraging me and keeping me accountable has helped me keep going.

#5 - Mack can be really bad when he wants too...

We left Mack at home in the backyard for awhile today and when my hubby came home at lunch, he discovered a very guilty Mack IN the house. Yes, we did leave him outside. It turns out that he decided the partially open windows would be a great opportunity to shred the screen and hop on in. Guess we won't be leaving our windows open again...He is in soo much trouble...

Don't trust that cute face...

This week, I am going to get in my next week of running training, which is a 1 mile run, 2 mile run, 1 mile run,  and a 4 mile run. Hopefully my ninja work outs will also continue to improve. 

I also signed up for the Cupcake Half Marathon. Before you get all excited about how far, I'm running, check out the website. I will not be doing this distance all at once. I get to do it over a few days. Yes! With that and my 5k this weekend, the end of March will herald 5 runs in for Run For the Bling of It! Yes!

What exciting discoveries have you made lately?

Run for the Bling of It Race Update #3 - Just a week late...

Last Saturday, I woke up super early and headed out to the Cupid's Chase 5k. Down here in Corpus it was relatively cold. The starting point for this 5k was the Brewster Street Ice House (a bar by the baseball stadium). I expected a pretty big crowd since the Cupid's Chase is a nation wide run done in multiple cities.  My guess is the unexpected cold front kept people at home. When I picked up my number and chip there were many preregistration bags left unclaimed.

I wasn't expecting any miracle times for this race. The past two week had been spent letting my heels get better after finding myself dealing with severe heal pain. I did some research and came up with the possibility I had plantar fasciitis. For you non runners, this basically means that due to how I run and worn out shoes that the tissue on the bottom of my foot had started to have micro tears and then running on the tears irritated it and they became inflamed. Everything I read on it said to rest my feet and get some good padding for my heels. Two weeks of rest and a new pair of shoes later, things seem to be much better.

I ended up running the 5k in 37:40. This is better than my time in the sand at the Surf-n-Turf, but way longer than my practice runs were taking prior to two weeks of rest. I'm back running this week, but am having a really hard time getting my speed back up.  I did come in 2nd in my age group, which was pretty exciting!

The bling was pretty skimpy for this run. They didn't even have shirts because the bad weather delayed them in Dallas. Boo! They said they'd call when they came in, but a week of good weather later there has been no call...

It's a pretty industrial area

I think the question is what haven't I done since I last blogged...

Despite all my efforts to regularly update this blog it seems I once again to a spill off the wagon...whoops.

So, I thought I'd give a giant summary of what I've been up to:

#1: Craftiness...

I've been trying to be crafty, so I made this year's Christmas newsletter cards and decided that Valentine's cards were way more fun than Christamas. So some of my dear friends got handmade Valentine's from Will and I. Another crafty project I tried out was inspired by one Lisa Leonard's blogs. It's an easy decorative project. She did hers as a small Valentine's project, but mine is giant C-130 wall art! To see Lisa's project, go here. Check out mine:

It's sideways here, so it hangs with  the plane going up. It's a C-130 in a heart. If you look closely, you can see it's 4 propellors!

#2 Running...

I am back to running. My feet are healed up and I am back on the road. After 1 week of no running and another week of light running and long walks, I'm excited to get back to my running routine this week!

#3 New Shoes...

I deduced that my running shoes were old and contributing to my sore heels, so the hubby and I checked our accounts and it was decided I could purchase new shoes. I went over to Fleet Feet here in Corpus where their awesome staff had me run around the store like a crazy till we found the right shoes. I ended up with Saucony Omni Progrid 9's. They are awesome!!! They keep my heel gripped nice and tight and have great padding.

Beautiful new shoes...

#3 Ran a 5k

I'll have more about this later, but I ran the Cupid's Chase on Saturday. It was pretty brutal after not doing a long run for two weeks. I didn't die, I didn't stop, and I did finish, so I'm going to say that it was a success...

#4 Valentine's Day

My dear hubby is back in pilot training, so week day celebrations don't happen for us. We had a great night in on Saturday instead. We bought some delicious sushi to take home from the HEB (WM picked out our rolls). We watched an episode of Bones (our favorite). We drank champagne. We made each other desserts. WM made me sopapillas!

Valentine's flowers from WM

#5 Baked Alaska

My friend Claire over at her blog Spare Thyme posted a Baked Alaska recipe back around Christmas. I found it inspiring and decided to make a Valentine's Baked Alaska for WM. I used her recipe. The only change was my ice cream flavor. I went with a swirled variety that had raspberry, white chocolate, and chunks of dark chocolate. It had an appropriate red tint for Valentine's Day. For the recipe, check out Claire's blog here.

Top View. My meringue got a little toasty, but still tasted good.

Yum!

#6 Decorating Cakes...

I am taking a cake decorating class. Last week we learned about making stars and star clusters with one of the frosting tips. We practiced on cookies we brought to class. Here is one of mine.

They will get better!

#7 Read about a Million Books...

Maybe not that many, but a lot. The local librarians think I'm weird when I carry out my stack of about 14 or 15 books at least once a week. One of the stand outs this week was "Miss Harper Can Do It" by Jane Berentson. It was a quirky and sweet novel. As a military spouse I was a little sad at the end, but still really enjoyed it.

#8 Helped Mack with His Weight Loss Goals...

Mack is doing great on his smaller amount of food diet and getting even more exercise. I am happy to say most of his pudge is gone and he seems to be a much happier dog. I think my friend Julia getting a puppy named Shadow that comes to play might be part of it too!

#9 Siesta Scripture!

I'm part of a group memorizing two scriptures a month. You choose one on 1st and one on the 15th. For more info, go to Beth Moore's blog here. I think it's great and I'm so excited to share my verse for today. 

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

2 Corinthians 12:9

This verse is a great reminder that our weaknesses are okay. We don't have to be perfect, we just have to know when to ask God for a little help. So, this verse will help me to remember that when I feel like I can't quite do it all and feel like I'm lacking that it just gives God a chance to help me out! I also love the imagery in the NIV translation of God's power resting on me. It is very comforting me. I imagine that God's power is like a foggy hug resting on me.

#10 Drank lots of coffee

I drank coffee with my husband, with my friends, with my dog, and by myself. I'm a good Colorado girl at heart, what do you expect ;)

I think that's my life since the last update. Hopefully my race update will be up tomorrow for all you running folk!

Till next time!

Healthy Snacks!

So lately, I have been reading so many health books for work that it is impossible to not change some of my worse eating habits. After you read over and over about how bad the processed food is and how much more you can eat of non processed foods and get similar calorie intake, you have to be a convert!
So, I thought I'd share my three (current) favorite healthy snacks:

1. Bananas with ALMOND butter!!! SO delicious. The key to getting good almond butter is to make sure you choose a band who's only ingredients are almonds and salt. You don't want any preservatives or added sugar.

Soo good!!!

2. Kale chips! This sounds totally weird, but they are delicious. Select some beautiful, curly kale. Rip into bite size pieces. Toss in bowl with a mix olive oil and grape seed oil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, and chili powder (or any spices or your choice). Spread on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake at 300 for 20 ish minutes. The kale will look weird and shrivelly and until you poke at it, it looks kind of wet. Despite their disgusting appearance they are wonderful!!!!

3. Hot black tea with AGAVE nectar! It's been so cold down here that hot beverages have sounded good non stop. In order to help keep myself hydrated during the day and not up too late, I stop with coffee by mid morning. So, hot black tea is perfect to give a little caffeine and a lot of comfort. The only question was finding the perfect sweetener. This super healthy and super sustainable sweetener is wonderful. If you haven't tried some, you should!

Perfect sweetener!

On another note between the cold and sore heels, I abandoned my running for the week. The last couple weeks my heels have been so sore that wearing any shoes but shoes with lots of padding have killed my feet. I couldn't wear flats, boots, or just socks around the house. I did a little research and I think that I need some new running shoes. Mine are really old and are probably worn out in the padding. So, my goal is to go looking for some tomorrow in hopes I can run normally to get ready for next weekend's 5k!

Playing catch up - Rain boots, Running Buddies, Beach Trips, and WORK!

So much has happened since I last posted. I realized when I put up my race report tonight, I had barely posted between last week's race report and this one, so I thought I'd fill everyone in on the exciting events in between.

First, I satisfied my desire for rain boots. This sounds silly, but I have wanted rain boots since the October before last. I always put off getting them and then the rain is over. Since it's so rainy here, hubs and I decided with my discount coupon at Old Navy I could purchase my very own rain boots. Notice my color choice. They're pretty snappy! We've had several down pours I can wear them in!

My awesome running buddy, Alli, and I have been faithfully setting achievable work out goals and meeting our goals 100%! This means that now the end of the month has arrived we are sending each other presents!!! I bought my mysterious gift for Alli at the Corpus Christi Farmer's Market. When she gets it in the mail next Tuesday (that's the estimated arrival date) I will tell the world about the amazing and delicious thing I bought her! I just hope she enjoys it! I love buying presents for people. Good job Alli for keeping with your goals! You are hard core and rock!!!!

Yummy mystery gift (this is not what it really looks like)

We took Mack for a midnight beach walk earlier this week and he surprised us by exploring the water on his own. He even put his face in the water and snorkled. It was hilarious! On Friday, I had to pick up my race packet for the Surf-n-Turf race out at Padre Island. We decided to head to the beach afterwards to check out the race route. Since the day was so gorgeous, we took Mack and he explored the ocean even more!

He really wants to get those seagulls!

Wave dancer!

The last exciting thing is about my work! That's right, I said work! Corpus has proved to be a tough job finding environment. Funnily enough, my blog ended up helping me get noticed for a job. My sweet friend Liz (check out her blog at Down Home Diva) from back home in the Rocky Mountains reads my blog (I also read hers, it's awesome and has lots of insight and great recipes) and thought that I might be able to be an article writer for a website she works for. She forwarded my info to her boss person and I eventually got hired. I'm now writing articles of many varieties for www.my719moms.com. I am so thankful for this opportunity and for my sweet friend for thinking of me! You can check out my article on organic food here.

All in all, life has been pretty exciting!!

P.S. WM got his T-44 start date!!!! We are so excited. He is getting back into training on Feb. 4th!!! Downtime is nice, but the hubs is ready to get back in the cockpit and finish training! So here's the next 6 months!

Hubby's new plane

He'll be doing this soon!

Run For the Bling of It - Race #2

Today was my 2nd Run for the Bling of It race! I was really nervous about the Surf-n-Turk 5k because of all the running on the sand. Every time I practice ran on the sand it completely wrecked my time. I went today hoping all my practice would pay off, but ended up with a lot higher of a time than I would have gotten on straight pavement. Oh well. It was a great day for a run and I got to run along the beautiful Gulf Coast on North Padre Island.

My total time for today's 5k was 39:29. Definitely slow, but not horrible either. I don't really track my speed per mile, but I would bet my first mile was the fastest because it was mostly on the pavement. Since I don't have a Corpus Christi running buddy yet, my awesome hubby comes out and watches and takes pictures of me! So great to have a built in photographer. I keep trying to get him to run with me, but running just isn't his thing.

All the race money today went to the Padre Island Baptist Church's mission fund, so that was awesome. I love knowing my entry money is going to a good cause. Plus, the mission committee made pancakes this morning and just asked for a donation if you ate some. I treated myself to one pancake post run. It was delicious.

With this run being so much bigger, they had door prizes afterward which was awesome. I was hoping for the gift card to the running store, but ended up getting a gift card for a month of free JAZZERCISE. First off, to any jazzercise fans that read this blog, I'm sorry, but I didn't know anyone actually did jazzercise anymore. So, I'll probably eventually use it just because it's free, but I keep having images of Richard Simmons in my mind....

Pre Race jitters!

Coming out of the starting shoot

Heading off for the one strip of pavement

Pavement between the beach grass

Passing more people!

Just crossed the finish line!

The beach where we ran - way down you can kind of see a pink buidling, we went all the way down there, turned around and went past where I'm standing.

Beautiful beach on North Padre Island

My Bling - T-shirt, bag of coupons, and jazzercise coupon!

Now my feet are killing me!!! That much running on sand make me thankful for running on pavement. I'll be glad to get back to runs where every step does not have the momentum sucked out of it! Cupid's Chase in February, here I come!!!