All Packed

Ready for Memphis! Here's what a girl needs to get through a 1/2 marathon (well at cold one):

- running capri's, tank top, dri-fit long sleeve shirt, thin fleece pullover
- right/left foot socks (thin so they don't interfere w/my orthotics)
- New Balance running shoes (w/custom orthotics)
- Heart Rate Monitor
- Garmin
- Throw away gloves
- Headband to keep my ears warm
- Blister Block
- Band-aids
- Bengay for my neck/shoulders
- Chapstick
- Sport Beans (I like the Fruit Punch)
- Kleenex
- Sunglasses
- Anti-inflammatory meds (taken both before and after)
- A little thanks to God pre and post race for keeping me healthy enough to run
- Most importantly---friends w/me at the start line (we wish each other luck before parting ways) and those same faces after the race

My goodness.....did I forget anything??? And that doesn't even include normal outfits, PJ's, and the like!

On The Go

Today was pretty busy! This morning started off w/5am spinning, then I came home and put laundry away, fed Maxx, played w/about 8 different toys Maxx kept bringing me. Made sure Ben was up, dressed, and fed in time to get out the door and make it to work in Conway. Oh, also took the garbage out (love having garbage pickup 2x a week!!).

Did an abdominal DVD, then off to the shower. Went tanning, then to base to stop by work and say hello. While there, I picked up a friend and we went to a Chief's retirement luncheon. That was really fun...and lasted a little over an hour. Back to work to say hi to more people, check my email, then stopped by the Reserve squadron I'll be working w/starting in February. Talked to the Sq Commander, he introduced me to a few more people, got patches for my uniform, and was on my merry way.

Went to the bank, dropped movies off at Blockbuster (they are so expensive to rent), then homeward bound. Played in the yard for a few minutes w/Maxx, then changed into running clothes for one last run before Memphis. Total mileage was 4. Since it was still light out when I got home, I took Maxx for a quick walk around the subdivision.

Returned home to play on the computer, then popped a Jazzercise DVD in.
Ben got home a little bit ago and now I guess it's time to make sure I have everything packed for the big Memphis trip, fix dinner, and start to wind down.

I love days when I feel like I've accomplished something!!!! Oh, I talked to Mom a few times today as well. I like that she has this job because she's not being pulled in every direction (like her old job) and I can talk to her more often.

Memphis Trip

Tomorrow we leave!!!! I was informed by Annette this morning, the big red truck will pick me up at 9am. Ok, so in my mind I've told myself 8:50am, since I'm always late....Annette will usually give me the 10 minute earlier time as well. She does a great job getting me to my destinations on time!!!





The weather is suppose to be much warmer on race day than it was last year. Think the temp at the start line last year was mid 20's....all I know is it was FREEZING!!! You can tell by looking at what I wore:

Oh, so much has changed since Dec 2006! Most importantly is my run times have gotten much faster. My 1/2 marathon PR is 1:56. Of course, Memphis set the baseline and I went from there. And well, I don't always wear so much at races---but, I do in comparison to other runners. I just don't get very warm and I don't sweat much. But, from a fashion perspective, I've improved: I know what "dri-fit" and "wicking" means, along w/being the proud owner of many "Right/Left foot socks". Ok, I do wear my favorite blue Air Force sweatpants, but now I only strut in them during our training runs!!!!

Blog visit from Mom

Thanks Mom for checking out my blog and posting a comment!!!

However...this means she'll be checking in to see how much I'm running...oh well, she already knows my love affair w/exercise! Mom and Dad live in a small town in Ohio, near Vermilion/Sandusky. There's one major landmark I use when describing where they live: Cedar Point Amusement Park. Usually, people are familiar w/that.

I'll be visiting them for 2 1/2 weeks in December!!!! Not looking forward to the cold though :( But, I'm very excited to see my family.

Memphis Countdown

2 days until we leave for Memphis!!! We're running the 1/2 marathon (Annette, Cheryl and I) plus others from our running club. Our friend Susan from Benton is running the full!!! This race has special meaning to me because this was Annette and I's first 1/2 marathon, which we ran last year. As the saying goes, "baby, we've come a long way since then"---we have numerous 1/2 marathons under our belt, along w/one marathon (Chicago). Oh, and I can't forget to mention the best part of the drive to and from Memphis-----stopping at our favorite place, Starbucks!!! We're frequent customers there, we should invest stock or something!

I did run today. After Jazzercise class this morning, I went to the Old Mill and ran 6 miles. Nothing speedy, just strollin' along, checking out the geese, squirrels, and the rest of nature.

Tonight was pretty uneventful. I did some housework, took Maxx for a walk, then bathed him. That was a chore since I had to bathe him in the tub because it's too cold for an outside bath. For those of you who don't know Maxx, he's our 86 lb, 2 yr old black Lab. He's also our "child" since we don't have (or want) kids. Maxx is VERY SPOILED!!!!! But, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Tuesday Run

As I mentioned in my previous post, the weather yesterday was beautiful (in comparison to the 40's we seen the past few days). As much as I love running w/my buddies, I do enjoy a run by myself every now and then---it helps me clear my head and gives me some wonderful "alone time".

It's about a 2 mile run to the salon I go tanning at, so I decided to incorporate a trip there into my run. Geared w/my Garmin, I-pod, sunglasses, and I'm embarrassed to say---running tights (capri's), I headed out for my adventure. A little note on the running tights: why in the world do they have to be so unattractive???? So maybe I'm the only one who thinks this way, but I kept wishing I had my running skirt on so my bouncy butt wouldn't be exposed to all the cars passing by!!!!!!

I ran the 2 miles to tanning, spent 14 minutes baking in fake rays, and continued my run. I toured subdivisions, ran past shopping plaza's, and got to enjoy some nature (saw lots of squirrels darting up trees).

Total mileage for my run was 7. Average pace was 9:30.

Catching Up

I'm sure I'm not the first to mention this, but the transition from Summer to Fall to Winter is very difficult!!!! In fact, I really hate it. Yesterday was in the 50's, but it was rainy and cold the few days prior. Makes it challenging to get my training runs accomplished. But, the show must go on!

Saturday I was suppose to run the Stuttgart 10K w/Cheryl and Annette, but I think I shopped to long on Friday (about 10 hrs) and wasn't feeling well. I took a healthy dose of Nyquil Friday night and knew I wasn't going to make the race Saturday morning. Instead, Cheryl and I went to the River Trail and did an enjoyable 10 miles.

On Sunday it rained ALL day! I had no desire to run in those conditions, so I didn't---and went shopping and did some exercise DVDs instead.

Weather was similar on Monday, but we did have some afternoon reprive, and I met Cheryl at the Old Mill and managed to get a little under 4 miles. It was a brisk 40-something degrees, w/the wind not being kind to us. I also went to Jazzercise class and water aerobics.

A blog of my own!!

Well, I finally did it---I started my own running blog. I'd been thinking about it for a long time and have been reading Annette's, Cheryl's, and Arland's blogs for a few months now. I have my own journal I keep my running thoughts in, but think it's time to move my thoughts online! Also, I'm going home to Ohio in December to visit my family for 3 weeks, and this way my AR running friends can keep up w/my cold weather runs.