St. Jude Sponsor Link

In my last post, I listed the link incorrectly. If you would like to sponsor me and St. Jude Hospital for the Marine Corp. Marathon, the linke is
www.stjudeheroes.org/user/kellydowns
Thank-you

MOTHER'S DAY

Just got back from an 8 mile run on a beautiful Sunday morning! I was feeling great during the run today and nothing hurt. I really have to find a place to run that is flatter than around here though. The hills are good, but flat would be nice once in a while. Now I'm going to head down to the store to pick up cards for Mom. You can see that I am a last minute kind of person. Then it's off to church and brunch at Black Bear Golf Club. Tom and the kids think they are going to get some golf in. We'll see since my son has a soccer game at 5:00.
Happy Mother's Day to all! (all 3 people that is that read this - lol)

I'm back!

I can't believe I haven't posted since March! I didn't realize it was that long. Well, a lot has happened in the past month. I ran my 1/2 marathon on April 26th in Central Park. The weather was unusually hot (almost 90 degrees) so the people hosting the marathon got nervous and decided to cancel the full marathon and then make the 1/2 marathon a fun run that wouldn't be timed. I was very disappointed initially, but then once the race started I was over it. It was wonderful to be running in Central Park. I had forgetten how beautiful it is! I also found myself becoming very emotional. It was an overwhelming feeling of joy, contentment, peace, excitement, etc. I was even getting teary eyed at times and that wasn't even at the finish line. I finished in 2 hours and 15 minutes and was pretty proud of that time.

Onward now. I have signed up to run a full marathon in October. The Marine Corp Marathon in DC. What is even more exciting about this one is that I am running it as a St. Jude Research Hospital Hero. I will be raising at least $1000 for this wonderful place. If anybody wants to support me, you can donate online at www.stjudeheroes/user/kellydowns

I have been thinking back on this past year and can not believe what I have accomplished. I know that I have been able to do this soley by the grace of God, but I can't help feeling a little pride now and then.

Run, Run, Run - it has become so much a part of my life now! The best drug ever!

OOOHH!! My wonderful 10 year old son ran his first 5k two weeks ago and finished in 29 minutes! We ran together and it was a blast. We are doing another one next Sat. For the first one, I ran right with him to make sure he was keeping a good pace and not tiring himself out. Next week he told me to just run because he was holding me back - lol. He may be holding me back now, but given a little time, I'll be eating his dust. I'll just enjoy my advantage for now.

I've been a slacker

I didn't do any form of exercise over the past two days. I feel like such a slacker! I even took my son out for ice cream sundaes yesterday. I had vanilla fudge ice cream with hot fudge, nuts, and whipped cream. It was delicious. I'm leaving for the gym in about 15 minutes, though, so i'll try and make it up today. The plan is to run intervals for about an hour. I'd like to try and get a little faster and beat that 27:51 time on the April 4th 5k that i'm running.
Found a really neat web site www.prevention.com/mvm
You put in your current weight and then you ideal weight and it shows you what your body looks like. It's pretty neat.

Longest Run Yet

Sunday morning I got myself up at 6:15 and went running. I even left a good party early on Saturday to make sure I wouldn't slack off. I ran 11.8 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes. That is longest I have every run and it felt terrific. I am not even as sore today as I thought I would be. My goal is to finish the 1/2 marathon in under 2 1/2 hours. I don't think that's going to be a problem. Having a wheat tortilla with peanut butter and a banana before the runs seems to be working well, so i'll stick with it. I also like the sport beans much better than the gel packs.

The weather is a little cooler this week, so i'll probably be hitting the treadmill in stead of outside like I did on Sunday.

Beautiful Day!

What a gorgeous couple of days we've had! I love the nice warm weather. Went up to the state park for a run yesterday afternoon. I got almost 5 miles in and was so happy to be outside in shorts. I had every intention of going to the gym tonight for a spinning class, but it's just too nice out. I'm throwing a few porterhouse steaks on the grill and having a glass of red wine instead.

That sounds so much better - doesn't it? I'm starting to like this blogging thing. Of course once I get the hang of it, something new will come out, but that's ok.

Day of (much needed) Rest

After such a bust weekend, it's nice to take today and rest. I'm not going to do anything physical at all today (not even pilates). I am totally wiped out after this weekend and my body needs some healing time.

Just had my St. Pat's dinner - cornbeef, potatoos, and carrots. I set it up in the crockpot this morning and it was so tender that it just fell apart. We don't do the cabbage because nobody likes it. Why did I cook this meal today instead of tomorrow? Well, I have no idea to be honest. I know that I want to run about 5 miles tomorrow, so maybe I just don't want the big meal after that.

Bloggin if fun, but how do I get people to read this???!!! It's all new to me, so I guess I'll just start researching a little to see what I should be doing. If someone does read this - can you give me some pointers? Thanks!

The dreaded stomach virus!!!

Had a great time last night - exhausting day, but it was a good time. My son called us at about 10 pm to say that his friend just got sick (threw up). We went home and found his friend on the floor very ill. We took him home with a stomach virus and crossed our fingers that no one in the house would get it. I woke up early today and felt great. Decided to do my run before church instead of this afternoon, so I got dressed and ran 8.85 miles. The weather was great and I felt good. Tried a belt for the first time today with a water bottle and sport beans. I liked the belt - just had to tighten it up a bit because it was sliding around when I started. Anyway, it is now 6:50 pm and I don't feel so good. I am praying that I don't get the stomach bug! I HATE to throw up.

I'm really tired and can't figure out if it's because the weekend was so busy or because I am getting sicking. Please, please, please don't let it be that i'm getting sick.

I got the Lysol out today and really cleaned everything, but it may be too late.

March 14, 2009

The race today was amazing! We got up early and left at 7:15. My son and his friend weren't too happy about that since they had stayed up until past 2 am the night before. Anyway, we got to Morristown at around 8:30. The kids 1 mile started at 9:30 and the 5k at 10:00. I was so energized and excited. It was great to get started because it was pretty chilly and I wanted to start sweating. My goals going into this race were 1. Do not get overwhelmed by the crowds (there were almost 1500 runners today) 2. Do not start too fast and poop out. 3. Finish in under 32 minutes. I have a Nike+ and the fastest 5k I have run so far is 31:18. Guess what? I ran today in 27:51!!!!! I couldn't believe it. I think that all of people must have just pushed me too go faster. I wasn't too tired - in fact I felt great the whole time (even up the little hill). Needless to say, my first race was a success and I will defnitely be signing up for more.

My stats were: placed 716 out of 1500, 251st female out of 734, 79th out of 264 in age range 30 - 39.

The Morristown parade was really crowded. It ended up being a gorgeous day today which probably brought a lot of people out, but I think this is a big deal every year. Our governor was even in it. The first thing I ordered when we got to the bar was a Guiness - it went down so well! Next year I will bring my daschund Oscar. The last group in the parade was the Oscar Meyer Weiner truck and people with their dogs. It was really cute.

Just woke up from a nap after an eventful morning and now it's time to shower and go out to dinner.

March 13, 2009

My very first entry! Yay!
Let me give a little history about my year so far. Back in September, if you had told me to run a mile, I would have laughed (hysterically). Tomorrow I will be running my first 5k and am signed up for a 1/2 marathon in April. How did I get from there to here? Well, I had put on a few pounds over the summer and when a bunch or coworkers decided to do a biggest loser contest, I thought why not? I can get these pounds off and possibly win a little money. I am very competitive (mostly with myself) and I did very well in the contest. I didn't win, but I did take off nearly 30 pounds! During the fall I started running a little. I ran (or rather jogged) my first mile in October and was ecstatic. I then bumped it up to 2 and 3 miles. My pace was only about 12 minutes per mile, but, hey - I was doing it!
In the middle of December I ran 5 miles for the first time on the treadmill and haven't felt such a sense of accopmlishment since I gave birth. It was quite an amazing feeling. I was enjoying running so much by this point that I decided to give it my all and train for the 1/2 marathon. Here's where the real test came - I had been a pack a day smoker for about 18 years and knew it had to go (for real this time!) On December 28th, I smoked my last cigarette and with some help from Nicotine patches and God on my side, I have been smoke free every since.
Last Saturday I ran 10.8 miles in 2:07 minutes.
So, needless to say, 2009 has been a life changing year for me thus far. I have found that my relationships are better, I am happier and healthier, and everything is just all around more joyful.
I am so excited for the 5k tomorrow that I can hardly stand it! It's in Morristown NJ and they are having a St. Patrick's Day celebration with a parade and all after the race. My son is running the 1 mile fun run first and we can't wait! The weather is supposed to be nice 50 degrees and sunny. Can't ask for much better than that. I know that I can run the race and am hoping to do it in about 32 minutes. I just hope that all of the excitement doesn't get the better of me. We shall see.