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!

11th race of the Year

So, I had not run a race since April 26th because of the flu, and really have not trained much either since feeling better. I found a race to run yesterday, but decided to just run it to run it- since I knew my time would not be great. And yes, my time was not great...for me anyways- I finished the SportsFest 5K in 22:34- but somehow ended up finishing 3rd Female Overall. The only 2 females that beat me were 18 years old, so being 30 I felt a little better after learning that! Anyways, since I am now feeling better and have realized that taking a few weeks off does slow you down I will get back on track with training. My next race is not until June 14th...unless I can find another between now and then.

I have finished 11 races since January 1st, and have only 13 left this year to accomplish my goal! YAY!

Just incase any one is wondering about my jersey...I am on 3 different racing teams- a local team for Running Zone, the See Mommy Run one and Team Aquaphor. I am done with the racing series for the local running team and will focus my summer on racing for Team Astavita (See Mommy Run) and Team Aquaphor.

Happy Running!

Titusville and Runner of the Year Racing Series Awards!

The three racing series I was competing in have come to an end for the time being...until August anyway. We had the award ceremony for 2 of the series and here is how I ended up!

For the Titusville Racing series ( had to run 3 of 4 races) I ended up 9th Female Overall...took home an award and $40.00! YAY! For the Runner of the Year Racing series (had to run 8 of 10 races) I ended up 6th Female Overall and 1st in my age group- took home a very nice award. My son Noah competed in the Youth Series (had to run 5 of 8 races), and took home a very nice award for which he is very proud!

We will have the 3rd racing series awards banquet on June 3rd...so another blog after that!

Last 2 Races of April

Okay...it has been a while since my last blog...and I have alot to add! LOL!

My 3rd and 4th races for the month of April went well ( I already blogged about numbers 1 and 2). The 3rd race was the Stingray 5K, which I have to say has been my best so far. I ended up 2nd female overall with a time of 21:14- a season PR for me. The 4th race was the Artsfest 5K- did not do as well as I wanted to at this one...but again the bridge got me- I hate those things! Also, this was the first race in my new age group (30-34), I ended up 3rd in my age group with a time of 22:28- very slow for me...

After those two races I was supposed to do one of May 3rd and another on May 10, but did not end up doing either. I got the Flu BAD- was out of comission for 2 weeks altogether. I have never had the flu before and I can say I never want it again! Just last week I finally was able to get a few decent runs in.

A couple more new blogs to come...

GET IT

My new favorite quote from Sally Edwards. My triathlon official training group starts this Wednesday.

"Get smart. Get fit. Get going. Get strong. Get healthy. Get a training program. Get a new friend. Get a bike. Get running shoes. Get moving. Get a new suit. Get a club membership. Get a coach. Get a new life. Get empowered. Get a relationship going with the most important person in your life--you. This time, it is all about you. Get it."

I LOVE that!