Featured Athlete for Team Aquaphor Racing Team for June!

Hey Everyone-

Just wanted to share...I am one of the Featured Athletes for the month of June for Team Aquaphor Racing Team! Check out my Bio page:

http://www.teamaquaphor.com/Page1652.aspx

Happy Running to All!!

Race into Summer 5K

Had another 5K this morning. Felt alot better than the last race I ran, now that I am finally healthy and getting some miles in. The race started at 7:30 am...I know that is way too early...but you would be thankful considering once that sun comes up in Florida it gets HOT fast! I was running very late, got there with about 5 minutes to spare! I ended up 5th female finisher, and first in my age group with a time of 21:49- I think I was 34th finisher overall male/female combined.

Noah ran his kiddie run and was 3rd- Yay! He once again was very proud to get his ribbon at the end.

Happy Running Ladies!

Back in the Game!

Ran a 5k - Girls on the Run, with three of my daughters on Saturday. Their first official race ever! They were HOT by the end, but we had a great time. My little chica, Hope, jumped into my arms on the last quarter mile from the cheering section, so I ran with her on my back... but she crossed the finish line herself - and they gave her a medal! - so now she thinks she's a marathoner. Next year! It was awesome sharing the experience with my kids. I was so proud of them and they were thrilled they did it.

Just got back from biking Ireland with my 11 year old son and 9 year old daughter. I thought it would be good training for my triathlon. HA! Almost died the first day. (For the record, 40 hilly miles is not equal to 40 flat Chicago miles by any means.) It was cool that my children were there, because I just kept encouraging them and not letting them see how utterly challenging what we were doing really was. It was like biking in Colorado in the mountains. However, we did it, it was an incredible experience, and I am also so proud that we rose to the challenge and didn't quit. Ended up going around 110 miles over 5 days, sometimes in high winds and with our luggage on the back rack. It dawned on me that the people who take cycling trips are probably cyclists, not stay at home moms with seven kids... but it was a wonderful, rewarding experience.

32 days until my first triathlon. The run and bike are easy, need to be seriously praying and training for the swim. I'm on a training team that is great, although I've missed most of it up until this point. If anyone is reading this, keep dreaming and challenging yourself- the rewards are amazing!

Awards Dinner with Suzy Favor-Hamilton!!

Last night was the awards dinner for the last of the 3 running series I competed in this year- The Running Zone Racing Series. I ended up 1st in my age group and took home an award and $50.00 gift certificate to Running Zone- a running and triathlon specialty store- needless to say I went and got 2 new pairs of Nike Tempo running shorts today with the money!

The absolute best thing about last nights awards was our guest speaker, who also handed out the awards...Suzy Favor-Hamilton! I was so excited! I remember being in Junior High, High School and College watching her with amazement as she ran in college and in the Olympics...I wanted to be just like her. She was a huge role model for me. Listening to her story I now realize she is just one of us- a mother, a runner, a wife. Although I will NEVER be as fast as she ever was, last night she really did motivate me and made me want to be a better runner.

Happy Running to All! Stay Motivated!