Favorite Little Princess

K2 has been participating in a running club,  the Mustang Movers,  at school and they wanted to celebrate the end of the program by competing in a race. Some of the kids ran the 1 mile fun run and others challenged themselves with the 5k. Most of these kids had never ran in a race before, so it was a big deal. K2 knew that she would do the 5k from the beginning  since she has ran in one before.  Our local running club, the Brandon Running Association , hosts the Shamrock Classic every year in our home town so we decided to not just go to support K2, but to run with her. I love our family races and this one did not disappoint. It was the 35th annual Shamrock Classic, and we are so glad we decided to join in. K2 stuck by her dad during the race. I think that we've only ran once since the Gasparilla races , so we just took it easy and enjoyed ourselves. The morning started chilly, but I quickly warmed up while running. Some day, when I get m...

After I completed the Disney TOT 10 miler , I figured why not just do a half marathon? I only needed to go three more miles, right? Little did I know that the holidays and cold weather would put a wrench in my training. One would think that training in cooler and dryer weather would be preferable to the heat and humidity. I guess I just had too many distractions. I let every excuse keep me from training. In the end, I felt totally unprepared for the Best Damn Race half marathon.  It was NOT my Best Damn Race. I messed everything up. I had it in my head that the race was in a different location and a different time. I'm surprised we made it at all.  On top of it all, it was cold. Not, oh I should wear pants cold. More like, I need to wear 10 layers and just hibernate cold. I didn't want to get out of the car to go to the start line. Then we turned off the engine and the car got cold, too.  So I put on my big girl panties and high tailed it to the start line. I dec...

We have stopped being so serious about our 5k races. No, really. We've started looking for races that are fun, in unique locations, or support something that is important to us. It has really made a difference in our experience. This past weekend was exactly that. I had heard about the Color Run from another blogger and it looked like it would be fun.  We signed up early and created a team. K1 decided to name us the Super Awesome Rainbow Unicorns. Huh? Ok, no one could come up with anything, so thus we were named. Then she came up with a design so we could have matching t-shirts. The day before, teammate Mer and I went across the bridge to pick up our race packets. December is beautiful in central Florida and St. Pete is the perfect beach location for a run. We stopped for lunch at a little Thai restaurant that looked not so good on the outside, but was surprisingly cute on the inside. Lanna Thai and Sushi on Park Street gave us good service in a beautiful setting. The ...

Yes, it is week 3 of my   runDisney   Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler   training. Things are moving right along. I ran three days this week for a total of 7.65 miles, just shy of my 8 mile goal. It was pretty warm  (89 degrees)  Tuesday when I ran, so I decided to cut it a little short. I'm still pleased with my progress. This coming week I'm set up to run two days of 2.5 miles each and one day of 3.5 miles. I think I'm up for it. Now for the good stuff. This past Saturday was our LEGOLAND 5k race. Can I just tell you, this was the best 5k race we have ever done. We had gone to Cypress Gardens before it was turned into LEGOLAND, so we were really excited to go through the park.     It was the first time that I went over 40 minutes on a 5k (41.something) but I've never finished a race feeling so good before. We must have stopped half a dozen times to snap a picture.   K2 found this guy sleeping on the job just inside the gate of the cas...

Let me just start by saying this was the HOTTEST 5k I have ever participated in.  Isn't it still winter?  At almost 90 degress, it sure felt like summer. Heat aside, we had a blast. Along with 13,783 people.  Yes, you read that right.  It was a HUGE turnout.  Look at all those people!  Those were just the ones in front of us.  We couldn't even see the start line.  While waiting for the race to start, we kept ourselves busy posing for pictures. Ok, so it was my second slowest time ever, but that's ok.  We stopped for beads, we stopped for water, we stopped for walkers, and then we stopped to play in the sprinklers - yes, I was running with the little one.  Sometimes time isn't everything and nothing can replace the time I have with my girls. After we nearly passed out from heat exhaustion, we were given smoothies, water, fruit, and beer for the grownups.   We went inside to find our names on the big wall of participants - it...

Many of you have asked me how I got started with running.  Well, let me tell you!  This was no easy task.  My motto used to be "No one should run unless they are being chased."  Seriously.  Not only could I NOT run, I had always been told I would not ever be ABLE to run.  I have what's called physical activity induced asthma.  How is this different?  It means that any type of physical exertion can cause an asthma attack.  Lucky me!  I found this out when I was on the swim team as a child and pretty much sat everything out from there. Currently, I work with a young woman who has truly inspired me to run and she also has asthma (although not the same kind).  You can check out her blog here .  But it wasn't until October of 2010, when another co-worker started running and my thyroid was at an all time low, that I finally said, "get off your butt and go try it!"  And I did, along with my 14-year-old daughter.  And every ...

Several days a week I get out to run, but usually 2 miles or under - there just isn't time for more before the sun goes down. I've even convinced my family to join me. Once a month we try to register for a 5k race, hopefully for a charity we like.  Yes, the whole family.  We aren't out to win, but enjoy just finishing the race.   My Running Family  This past weekend we ran the Honest Abe 5k race for the Boy Scouts.  It was a lot of fun, even though Kourey (our youngest) beat us all.  Must be nice to have all that energy.  Afterwards, we pigged out on a huge breakfast that was put on by the race.  We didn't win any prizes, but still had a good time.  I did, however, wear my shoes that I won at our last race.  Brooks Shoes - Won! The next day, however, I discovered that I injured my groin muscle.  In three more weeks, we will be running the Gasparilla 5k. Hopefully, I will heal by then.  Time to rest up so I can ...