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.