Exciting news and some pics!

Recovery week is going well after the Nation's 1/2. I rode on the bike trainer last night and did 3 miles this morning. Feeling pretty good. That's not my exciting news though........... drum roll please.......................

I RODE OUTSIDE CLIPPED IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the Fall I clipped in for the first time and fell. Hard. It sucked. The 10 year old next door ran over "Ms. Ann! Are you ok?!" Nope. I was not. I bruised my leg badly, scrapped up my hands, and my ego? Shot. Mortified. I laid there crying, clipped in, and yelling for Sam. He informed me "Everyone falls." Oh? I asked when he fell. He told me "I haven't."

I instantly returned my shoes. I vowed to ride with running shoes and convinced myself that my transition times will be faster because I'm not changing. Well, I felt like a giant dork not having bike shoes. So, I bought another pair. I practiced all winter at the Fexy Saturday morning rides. I clipped out no less than 1 million times. I was ready. As soon as the wind died down and the sun came out, I was going to be awesome at this.

Nope. First nice day last week and I sat at the top of my driveway with one foot clipped into my bike. Sam was next to me "Just do it. Just pick your foot up and go." Not helpful. And it was hard to hear him with the actual sobbing I was doing. No lie. I was at the top of the driveway sobbing. Like a baby. Terrified to "just go". I went inside. Totally defeated.

So, I asked some questions, got some advice, and knew I had to try again. I mean, my first TRI of the season is Mid-April. I don't have much time. We took the boys to the park yesterday and I was determined to do this. I got on my bike with running shoes and rode around in the grass. Not scary at all. I got on my bike shoes and clipped one in and rode around. Then I clipped the other in and rode like crazy. I DID IT! Yeah! I actually screamed "Sam! Look at me! Look at me!". Nerdy, I know. But I was SO happy to get that initial clipp in clipp out over. I practiced stopping, clipping in and out and then we sat and watched the boys play. Ah, relief!

Now for two half  marathon pics.

really thought i might puke. i think this pic captures that well

clearly missed my calling as an arm sleeve model

Loves of the week

Sometimes I stumble across new things and I just LOVE them. I can't stop thinking about them, reading their website, liking them on facebook.....you know - basically stalking. Well, here's my 4 for the week:

1. Tough Chik. I'm not sure where they have been all my life, but I just discovered them. I heart them. Alot. For so many reasons. I love their clothes. They have t-shirts, cycling jersey's, cycling shorts, sweatshirts, hats, performance wear, and yoga clothes. That's a ton! And it's all for tough chiks (I've decided I am one). Also, I emailed the owner and she got right back to me! You gotta love that costumer service. She even is going to add me to their website as a "friend".

I mean, who wouldn't want this?

This company was started for women that didn't want to just wear pink and baby blue and also wanted to be able to afford their workout clothes. A balance between cute and strong. From the website: This is women’s apparel that appeals to real women who want to make a statement about who they are and what they’ve experienced along life’s journey.

2. Try Chips: I found these at the Multi Sport Expo in Bethesda last weekend. I admit, the free sample lured me in. I LOVED them. Try Chips are based on deliciously wholesome, sweet tart apple chips infused with freeze dried superfoods like acai berry, maqui berry, green tea, pomegranante, ginger, and more. Each package is 100 calories - my kids LOVED them! They have three flavors: Aspire (apple, apricot, pineapple, banana, pomegranate), Endeavor (apple, blueberry, mango, banana, acai berry), and Venture (apple, strawberry, peach, banana, maqui berry). I tried each one - hey free sample, right? De-lish! You can try all three flavors for $7.00. That's pretty fantastic!

3. Road ID: I can't say enough about this company. I really love what they do. I have a fancy pink bracelet and each of my kids have one. I bought Sam one for Christmas, black, and he has NO clue where it is! He's on my "list" until he finds it. The boys wear their bands everywhere there are crowds and craziness. The airport, D.C., metro, aquarium....anywhere we might loose them. I ordered them the small size and it is perfect. It's a velcro close, so it will adjust and fit them for a long time. I wear mine running, biking, and during races. You just never know when you might need it.

Sammy and Mason's Road IDs

4. A new blog! I know, there are a ton out there, but some are hilarious, some are serious, some are super informative, and some are super interesting to read. I do feel a weird connection to some of the bloggers I follow. Odd, since I've met none of them - I even had the chance to say "hi" to DCRainmaker and chickened out. A friend of mine at work has totally inspired me to eat healthy, stay on top of my fitness, and also have fun with it. Many people do not understand endurance athletes, moms that work, moms that exercise (one of two words I can NEVER spell correctly. Any ideas what the other is?), and people that try and eat clean. Clean eating is hard. It's doable, but it's tough. Alot of people I know think I fall in the "crazy" category and it's really nice to have a group of people I can talk to about all the "crazy" stuff I'm into. Marah is one of those people. Her blog is pretty new and I love reading it. The Three F's of Happiness is something that she's wanted to start for a while and finally checked it off her list of things to do. She focuses on Food, Fitness, and Fashion. I'm a fan of all of those things! She's big into clean eating and follows the Paleo Diet, she HEARTS Crossfit, and she's pretty into fashion - although we work at a school and none of us can always dress to impress. I highly recommend checking her out!

Any other amazing things I need to stalk checkout this week?

biggest giveaway I've even seen!

http://skinnyrunner.com/2011/03/28/the-biggest-giveaway-in-the-history-of-the-world/

Nation's Half Marathon Race Report and Running Angel

Yippee! 13.1 done and done well. I'm super happy with my race morning, which doesn't happen often. Let's start at the begining:

Friday night: Pasta party with friends and family. Lots of kids, lots of food, lots of laid back talking. I left from there with two girls to go to our hotel. We figured since the race starts at 7am a hotel stay in the city would be perfect. It was about 5 miles from the race start. We got to the hotel and asked for a cab at 5:45am. They told us "No problem. Just tell us in the morning." We went up to our room and I laid out all my stuff. It was a good amount of stuff.

I had a brilliant plan. I only brought what I was going to wear to in the race. I threw away my toothbrush at the hotel (had a new one at home waiting for me) and the sweats I wore to the race I hope got donated to people that can use them. It was really nice to go to the race with nothing extra. No bag to check. Nothing weighing me down. Maybe I'm moving towards minimalist running?

Saturday am: Wake up call at 5:15. Brushed my teeth. Brushed my hair. Started to get dressed. I put on my my gear and pinned on my number. Ready to go! We walked downstairs to the lobby and asked about a cab. We did notice about 10 other runners waiting and no one looked happy. We finally were told "The cab will be about a 3 hour wait." I almost passed out. I couldn't believe it. Metro wasn't really an option. What to do? We were a little tired and overwhelmed which equaled a lot of runners just standing there staring.

A girl (can't remember her name) from Philly said her dad would drop us off! Yeah! Our running angel. I still can't believe it. We piled in their car. A girl from Philly running her first 1/2 marathon, a girl from Charlotte, a girl from Winston-Salem, me (from Fairfax), and a girl from Cancun (I know, I am jealous too). We left right around 6am to go 5 miles to the race start. After getting turned around and making some crazy turns we got dropped off 1 mile from the start. It was 6:55! We missed the National Anthem. I still needed to hit up the porta potty too. I jogged with Philly to the start. I got to the porta potty, took off my sweats, and got to a early coral. I had no clue which pace I was jumping into, but I knew I was running my race. It didn't matter.

Race Time: I had a fantastic run. I loved every minute of it. No ipod, no water, no worries. I typically get race anxiety horribly. Everything about this morning should have made me crazy with nerves. Nope. "Trust your training". Coach Rob had me prepared. Mile 1 a good friend ran by and slapped me on the butt. Mile 2 another Fexy runner ran by and slapped me on the butt. Mile 4 more Fexies were cheering/screaming from across the road. Mile 6 I literally ran into Sam's cousin. We hugged and he ran with me for a minute. There was some GREAT music on the course and even better spectators. Mile 8.5 both my quads were shot. That has not happened to me before. They hurt bad, almost felt bruised. It hurt to run at a 10 minute pace and it hurt to run at a 9:30 pace. So....I just ran. I didn't walk once (one of my goals). I also didn't get any water or take my GU. Maybe that was a bad choice, but that's what I did. I had good energy and mentally I was soaring. At mile 10ish another Fexy passed me and slapped me on the butt (nice theme huh?). Right after that another Fexy, that I hadn't met yet, gave me a high five. Wearing team clothing sure does have it's perks!

I crossed the finish line at 2:11:30. A PR. I can hardly walk today, standing up sucks, and sitting down is awful. I don't care. I left it all out there. Every piece of me is out on that course. I would not have gotten to that race without Philly's Dad driving us and I wouldn't have completed that race without Sam and Coach Rob.

I only got one picture at the race. Sam forgot the camera in the car - oops! Hopefully the professional race pics come out....might have to get one of those.

Me and Adam after the race

My job now is to write down all the key components of my race and my goals for April. Next weekend is a 10K - Sam's first road race. Yeah! It's tapper week and recovering week for me. The 10K is all about Sam. Be looking for a picture of us crossing the finish line holding hands!

Thanks for all the support - it's been a great season so far. 2 races and 2 PR's.

Nation's 1/2 Marathon packet pickup, prep, and a special delivery

It's here! The 1/2 Marathon is tomorrow at 7am! I'm pretty excited, and for once not dying of anxiety. I'm cool, I'm ready, I'm trusting my training. It helped that Sam is so supportive and Coach Rob called and wished me luck. That felt pretty cool.

If you want to come watch and cheer, here's where they are saying the happening places are:
Start/Finish line at the DC armory
Mile 5 Dupont Circle - suntrust bank
Mile 6.5 Adams Morgan - 1800 columbia rd
Mile 8 Howard University - 5th and harvard st. NW
Mile 9.5 - north capital street at R street
Mile 11 800 H St, NE


Here's all the stuff I'm bringing

Notice something missing? No IPOD for this one.

Fexy arm warmers

My race number

We took the metro to DC to get the race packets. The boys were great and had a blast! Mason is officially potty trained and he did great with that on a long metro ride and walking around DC.

sammy out

mason out

When we got home we had a special package too! Our wetsuits came!!!! Wahoo!

Let the season begin!

So, my race plan should be simple, not east, but simple. I am focusing on each mile - not the finish time. If I can pace through the way Coach Rob and I talked and trained I can PR. I'm ready. I must trust my training!
I know tons of people are running this, hope to see you out there!

Some of my favorites

I LOVE THIS Pepita Sun Seed BUTTER!!! I crave it. I think about it all day and all night. It's UH-Mazing! I've been putting it on barley, oats, a spoon. SOOOO good. I got the green jar at Great Harvest Bread. Mouth watering......

I've had a hard time finding a swim suit that looks cute, stay on when I'm playing with the boys - or running after them (running in a suit is my nightmare), and I can train in. Swimsuits tend to be pricey, so I have just two right now. I have a bikini and a tankini - same bottoms for both. I LOVE them. I got them at Dick's Sporting Goods and keep looking for more.

The bikini top is pink and black and the tankini top is all black with white circles. I get compliments on it and it fits PERFECT!

Reebok Bottoms. Stay put and so comfy

Straps never fall off. Stays put. Awesome fit.

Mine is pink and black. Stays put. Covers the girls. Love it

I'm a huge fan of being able to wear things for training, races, and play. I don't need a wardrobe of tri clothes, training clothes, hang out clothes....well - I would like it, but cant afford it. Each piece was about $20 and there are a bunch you can mix and match.

My favorite running skirt. Not enough good things to say about this one. I bought it at the Marine Corp Marathon expo. It's the best thing that ever happened to my chub rub. It has pockets. It doesn't move. and it's pretty darn cute. Running Skirts has got the skirt nailed down! Here's the one I sport:

And hydration? Nathan's nailed it! This thing holds everything and feels like nothing! Water, phone, ipod, key, Gels, gloves....you need it? You can put it here. I heart this one big time! It's made for a female too - which is SOOOOOOOO nice. The fit is amazing, and I feel pretty tough using it too!

What are a couple of things that you LOVE for your workouts?

Reston 10 Miler race report and my Gatorade winner!!!!!

My first race of the season is done! I'm so glad to have gotten the race jitters out before the 1/2 marathon (on sat!!!!!!!). The Reston 10 miler was great, kind of chilly at the start, but there were something like 12 Fexy members there! This was my first official race as a Fexy - I wore all my gear and we all met up for a pic before the race. It felt GREAT to be there as part of a team, especially a team that rocked the race! Our ladies took 2nd and 4th overall. Pretty impressive! Most of us were using this as a training run to get us to our full and 1/2 marys next weekend. It was a hilly course, but a good one. I PR'd too! Our training plan had us doing the first 3 miles at E pace, then turn it up, then back off for the last two miles. It flew by! I had one cup of water from the volunteers and no Gel. I was happy I didn't need it, but will probably have one for the 1/2. At mile 9 1/2 I looked down and realized if I turned it on I could possibly hit a PR. So my friend/pacing partner told me to go for it and I made it! It felt so good to do 10 miles on a hilly course, with my team, PR, and not feel like passing out. Yeah Spring!

Team Fexy at the Reston 10 Miler

Slightly blurry cause I'm SOOOOOO fast! Thanks for the pic Ryan

At the finish with my great Pacer Katie!

We hung around after the race to hear the awards and get cookies and juice (love race support). It got super chilly so I left to get home. Sam had a plan to run 6 1/2 miles around Burke Lake with a friend. I got home, we switched jobs, and I got to sit outside and play with the boys for a few hours. Sam ran the 6 1/2 without any walking!!! This is the farthest he's run and I could not be more proud. My little runner. He got home and I went to do my swim. It felt pretty good to get in the water and stretch. I did NOT appreciate the old man spitting lugies into the pool. Ga-ross.

Good weekend overall! Today is my day off. Waaa-Hoooo! And it's taper week. That sometimes messes with me. I'm hoping my confidence boost from the 10 miler stays with me. I might also have to stalk Katie and use her as a pacer. We are having a big family/friend pasta dinner Friday night and then we are staying in a hotel. Race time is 7am, any extra sleep we can get will be awesome.

And, the Gatorade winner is.......

Tri Like Mary!!!!! Congrats! Thanks for following my journey.

Check hers out at trilikemary.blogspot.com

Send me an email with your mailing address at ann_hardman@hotmail.com

Happy St. Patty's Day! and giveaway deadline

Hope everyone is having a super green day! My kids had green milk and green pancakes (cooked by Sam) for breakfast. Yum! I'm sure they have been outside enjoying this beautiful weather all day and I've been stuck inside.

To get my runs in this week I've been going to the gym at 6am, showering, and then going to work. So far I love it! To be done with work and not have to worry about working our has been great! Happy mom here.

I also signed up for the Reston 10 miler this Sunday for my long run. I just can't do another all by myself. I am not racing it, my coach has a plan for me to do with it to get me ready for the 1/2 Marathon next weekend. He has high hopes for my time at the 1/2. I hope I don't disappoint!

I forgot to put a deadline on my giveaway....ooops.

Deadline: March 20th

SOLE SISTERS: Gatorade G Series Product review and GIVEAWAY!!!:

Gatorade G Series Product review and GIVEAWAY!!!

Sam wants to make sure everyone knows that he is a guest blogger today. His info is in italics (happy Sam?)

Gatorade was nice enough to send me a HUGE packet of stuff to try out. Just so happens that they sent me two of everything! What better thing to do with it than try it and share it. So here's to my first giveaway! First, the review:

My goodie box!

Saturday morning is our Team Fexy group ride. This week it was 3 hours of awesomeness (ugh). I figured that would be a great morning to try out the new Gatorade products I got.

Here's what Sam ate

I had the 01 Prime Pregame Nutrition Bar (Chocolate Chip) before our ride.  The 02 electrolyte drink during the ride and the 03 recovery drink.

So when Ann asked me to try these things with her and write a review on them, I have to say, I was not too excited.  It's not that I don't like trying new things, I do.  And it's really not that I don't want to help my wife out, I'm much smarter than that.  It is however that I don't like trying new nutrition on the morning of 3 hour trainer rides.  I mean, what if something doesn't "agree" with me if you know what I'm sayin, and I think ya do! (i also really like my pre Saturday ride PB&J...i mean, Jif extra crunchy and Smuckers Strawberry  jam...get out of my face with that...it's amazing!!)

I ate the pregame bar on the was to our ride (it's a 40 minute drive).  It was pretty sticking good.  Well, first, let me share with you a rule I live by.  Feel free to live by it too, it will make life a little easier.  Here it is: You will never have a nutrition bar that tastes exactly like a Snickers, or a protein shake that really tastes like a real, hand spun milk shake.  If that existed, we would all already know about them.  They would dominate the world of sports nutrition, and everything would be right in the world.   So just know that what you are eating is as close as the hard working folks at Gatorade can get it.  And they do a pretty good job.


I really did like the 01 bar, it was easy to eat.  Some of these pregame bars are hard to chew and sit heavy in my stomach.  Not this bar.  It was almost light.  It was 220 calories and left me feeling pretty satisfied.  The chocolate chips on top were awesome, real chocolate!!  I didn't feel hungry again for another 2 hours, 1.5 of which I had spent pedaling hard on my bike.


The 02 electrolyte drink was great!  I drank it 1.5 hours into my ride and it was just what I needed.  It wasn't think or overly sweet like some electrolyte drinks tend to be.  I had already drank a bottle of water before I got to it and had been sweating for a while.  It seemed to actually do what it said it would do, replaced lost electrolytes.  It gave me a nice second wind.


The 03 recovery drink was on the same level as the 01 and 02 are on.  It tasted really good.  It was the sweetness that I typically think of when I think of Gatorade.  But for a recovery drink, I sort of like that and almost look forward to it.


I will def be using all of these again...I hope you all give them a go.



Here's what I had

I had 01 before the ride, drank it about 30 minutes before hand. Tasted great - not at all syrupy like I remember Gatorade tasting. It's 330 calories, so it totally replaced making something for breakfast, which I love when I'm out the door for the ride at 7am. I didn't get hungry until about 45 min-1 hour into the ride. I noticed at that time that everyone was breaking out oranges, GU, Gels....so I wasn't alone there. I drank the 02 electrolyte drink during the ride. It tasted great! I had 2 water bottles and 1 bottle of the 02. Yum. I recovered with the 03. This tasted great, although it's 2 servings. I like when servings are for 1 because I have no willpower and sometimes forget that one bottle of something can have 4 servings in it. Sam and I split it, poured it into two water bottles, and drank it up. It was delish!


Before my 11 mile run on Sunday I tried the other 01 product:

The flavor was good. One serving - which I LOVE. It was a different consistency than gels that I'm used to. I was expecting more of a frosting texture, but it's pretty much like juice. That through me off, but it worked. I went on my 11 mile run and didn't even use a gel (which normally I do). Thumbs up!

What can you win? Here it is

Goodie Bag 

Inside: 01 (2 products), 02 (4 products), 03 (two products). The two tiny 02's are electrolytes for people that cramp up.

How do you win?

1. Follow this blog (mandatory) and let me know
2. Post about this blog on FB or on your Blog (one entry)
3. Tell me your favorite pre, during, or post fuel (one entry)
4. Tell me a horrible experience that you've had with pre or post fuel (it can be so tricky!) one entry

Happy Fueling!

Goody Basket Giveaway

http://chasingatalanta.blogspot.com/2011/02/goodie-basket-giveaway.html

Product Review and then my first giveaway!!!!!!!!

trainer ride. sorry about the armpit picture

Here's me on the bike trainer yesterday. I had a 1:05 ride to do. I used to sweat seeing that time on the trainer. Sounded SOOOOOOOOO long. Saturday group rides are up to 3 hours now though, so I laugh at the 1 hour rides.

The view from my trainer

The boys sat so nicely so I could get my ride done. Nothing like a full hour of cartoons and chocolate milk. The ride felt good, toes did not go numb and lady parts are feeling good! I also got a special package yesterday:

Pro Series

Gatorade sent me a package of their Pro Series to sample. Lucky enough I got 2 of everything - I smell a giveaway coming up! I'm excited to try this out as I have not used this before. Anyone tried it and like it? I'll be researching this, trying it, and writing up what I think soon!

A Day in the Life of......me on a Tuesday

sammy making pizza

Believe it or not - some people have asked "How do you do it?" I don't always have an answer other than "I just do." I work full time as a speech therapist for the school district (moderate to severe disabilities), I have a 4 year old and an almost 3 year old, and Sam. He counts as one of the kids I think (sorry Sam).

Mason, my monkey boy

We don't have a maid - probably can tell if you've been to the house. For the most part I do the cleaning, although I'm teaching Sammy to be an awesome duster, and the laundry (hate it!), and organizing (love that part). Sam and I share grocery shopping. Cooking? That is Sam's department.

I'm very lucky that he loves to cook and used to do it for a living - so he's pretty stinkin good at it.

Daycare used to be such a great help, but due to some safety issues (long story short) we had to pull them out of there. Ugh. What a sad day that was. Alot of crying. So, now we rely on family to watch the boys when we work. This has made working out creative - but not impossible. When you want to do it, it gets done!



So here is what Tuesday looked like for me yesterday:

6am: Wake up! Get ready for work, make breakfast for me, make my lunch, kiss everyone good bye.

7am: Out the door and headed to work

3pm: Leave work (wahoo!) and head home. Sam was with the boys and Mason was napping. I cleaned up the kitchen, changed clothes, put some toys away

4pm: 5 mile run around the neighborhood

5:30pm: Dinner at the in-laws. Steamed salmon veggies. Some wine....YUM!

8pm: Put boys to bed. Sam and I CRASHED (normally we bike Tuesday nights on the trainer)

So that was my Tuesday. Here's what a typical week looks like:

Sam and his bike/love

Monday: Off
Tuesday: Run and Bike
Wednesday: Run
Thursday: Bike
Friday: Run
Saturday: Bike and swim
Sunday: Long run.................. then do it all again

I am hoping as the weather gets nicer I can do my runs in the morning before work. It would be nice to have one thing checked off the list.


I love my life. I love my family. All this exercise keeps me sane and sometimes it's a little nutty - but it works because I want it to. It works because Sam is the best husband/BFF ever. He supports it all and joins me for some too.

It's the little things that keep me coming back

What a great weekend! Sam had a touch of something: flu, food poisoning...we may never know. I do know that he was on the couch and in bed ALOT. This was slightly annoying because I had a 2:45 bike trainer and 12 miles to run. But my in-laws came through with watching the boys and I got most of the trainer ride done.

Decided to list the highlights of the weekend - look out - cause there's alot!

1. Sam had the flu and I got my long workouts in!

2. I had a comfortable 2 hour bike trainer ride - no lady part soreness!

3. My toes did not go numb during the ride (first time ever)

4. I ran 12 miles at ez pace with a negative split!

5. I ran 12 miles in the rain with a smile on my face

6. No chub rub!!!!!

7. First long run in a long time where there were NO bathroom issues!

8. No blisters

9. I wore all my favorite running gear and totally didn't care that I looked like a rainbow threw up on me

10. I realized how ready I am for the first 1/2 mary of the season

I'm solar powered!

I have been running outside for the last week since it's been SOOOOOO nice out. You just can't beat a good run in the sun - especially when it's not 100 degrees outside. It's really nice right now too because all the spring sports are out practicing. The high school in my neighborhood has tennis, lacrosse, soccer, and track going on. So fun to see all those kids outside playing around. It is a little sad that I am twice the age of some of them (I don't at all feel like I'm as removed from high school as I am.....sigh)

So apparently I'm solar powered. I've been running some super speedy runs lately. Coach Rob did tell me to back off some. I have to listen. When he says EZ pace that's 11 min miles. When he says race pace that's around 9:30. Got it. I can do that. I will do that. But this week so far I have just been going. I'm averaging some quick paces and feeling good. Tired. But good.

I came home from my run yesterday to Mason asleep on the couch, Sammy playing video games, and Sam had home made pizza dough getting ready. What a nice scene to come home to.

I  have realized that I used to back off when my legs felt tired or my lungs burned. Thus, the 11 min mile that was every run. EVER. Now I'm mentally registering that when my legs are tired or my lungs burn it's because I'm working hard. It's a good thing. I'm pushing through it and maintaining it. I feel good about that. So often when it hurts I slow down or think "this run is going to suck". Now when it hurts I'm saying "let's keep it here for a mile" then sometimes I need to back off, sometimes not.

I hope this weather sticks around. The 1/2 Marathon is in 3 weeks. I'm pretty excited about it. Normally I get so anxious, nervous, worked up that I can hardly stand it. I feel super prepared. I'm ready!

I rode the bike last night after the boys went to sleep so that today is a real day off. Tonight is GIRLS NIGHT! Wahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE my girls nights. They are with a great group of friends that I've known for 15 years. Just doesn't get any better than that. Oh, and a margarita or two.

What a great day to run outside......

Workout today: 5 miles ez and 1:25 bike ride.

It was beautiful yesterday so we ran outside. Sam needed to run 4 miles (woot!) and I needed to do 5. We decided that the boys could play with the neighbors and we could run together. Yeah! A running partner! Well, sort of. I love running with the girls, chatting, and just getting out. Running with Sam was not much of a chat. It was great to run with someone (he did 2 miles out and I did 2.5 then turned around). I tried striking up the conversation "what's up?" "how was your day?" - got alot of one word answers. No questions back.

When I run with the girls it's lots of talk about boys, sex, body parts, kids, pretty much nothing is off limits. Sam was not feeling that. He turned around at 2 miles to head home and for some reason I just took off. I ended up running mile 4 at 8:56! What? Who ran that? I felt great. I was just going. Didn't even look at the Garmin.

Got back to the house and hung out with Sam and the neighbor - she offered a beer, I said "yes". Then it was time for dinner. Yum. Then bedtime....even better. Except that meant bike time. Oh no! My legs were tired from my amazing run.

Getting ready for the run. Wearing my new Bondi Band

Stupid sideways pic. Sam gearing up for the run.

The boys getting in some hill sprints

We got on the bike. I was a pretty big b-word to Sam. Oops. Cranky, tired, just wanted to lay on the couch. AND no Glee?! WTF?! We made it through the ride (1:25) and I high fived Sam for putting up with me.

Run done. Bike Done. Whew!

Race Month is Here!!!!!

Yeah! It's officially race month! All this training and the 1/2 Marathon is March 26th. I can't wait. I'm nervous - of course - but I know I'm ready. This will be my 4th 1/2 Marathon and it's the first one I ever did. I kinda get nervous tummy thinking about it......

I will be running through D.C. and this time I will bring my camera. I saw so many people taking pictures last year so this year I will too! I will also be taking that beer in Adams Morgan that the community offered. mmmmm. That sounds good now, way to nervous on my first 1/2 Mary to partake the first time.

Here's the map of where I will be.

Not sure if this is what the race T will be, but I do like it.

February was a good month, but I'm really looking forward to getting this season started! March is the 1/2 Marathon, April is a 10K and my first race with Sam (!!!!), and the end of April is our first Tri of the season. Pretty excited.