Pink on Parade 5K

Lu and I had a perfect morning at the Pink on Parade 5K in Celebration! I haven't been running hardly at all lately so it was really nice to just focus on supporting the cause and enjoying the experience. I ran when I could, and walked when I needed to. I was very slow but I did it:).

Getting up before 6 at the weekend (particularly after a late night out) was tough but I did the old drill of laying out all my stuff and it wasn't too bad once I was actually out of bed...

Like peas in a pod again:)

We loved the T-shirts!

I was so nervous on the start line - I haven't run for 3 miles since May!

 And we got cute medals!

I'm feeling really inspired to focus on my health right now and I'm working on Daily Habits to stay on track for the last 100 days of the year. It's going really well. I read an excellent article (Forget the Goals) which explains the philosophy perfectly. I'm determined to end this year stronger!

Miles for Milk 5K

Lu and I have been doing Couch to 5K together over the past few weeks and it's felt great to get back into our old routines:). We were so happy when we realized that the Miles for Milk 5K - one of our all time favorite races - was towards the end of our training schedule so we signed up!

Miles for Milk is to support the creation of a much-needed Milk Bank for Florida. It's at Bill Frederick Park which is close to home and so pretty and on Mother's Day weekend, naturally:)

Last time we did the run, Lu wasn't even pregnant yet - and now she's an actual breast feeding mom - what a perfect celebration for her first Mother's Day and my birthday weekend!

We both had such a great time. No pressure (it was a training run for us), plenty of chatting and thanks to some misleading signs we ended up with an extra half a mile at the end to take in the scenery:)

And we made a new friend too - hi Leslie!

All that fun calls for a sweaty hug :)

Love ya sister!

Love all

No races this month but we did manage a game of tennis with the Simards which was a lot of fun!

Lady Track Shack - making a comeback!

The Lady Track Shack 5K is one of my favorite races of the year! Lu, Maddy and I registered months ago to celebrate our comeback after Lu's baby, and Maddy's first 5K - together! It all felt like a bit of a fantasy after a whole year of not racing but I completed my Couch to 5K training on schedule and managed to complete a couple of practice runs. I laughed my head off when I saw the email that Track Shack sent out this week to promote their next event...

I thought it was one of those clever personalized emails until I got a whole bunch of texts from people who got it too. How hilarious!

On the big day I felt really nervous and out of sorts but ready to try a race again. It felt so strange to get ready at 5 a.m. when it was still dark and I was thrilled that Maddy decided to come (I wouldn't have blamed her if she had wanted to stay in bed!) and Lu pulled off the small miracle it takes to leave a 2 month old princess and get out of the house!!

The T-shirts and tutus were so cute and it felt really great to be among 2,700 amazing pink ladies running to provide free mammograms within our community:) And to be back with Lu was really special - we took a million pictures just like the good old days!

And with Maddy too this time!!!

 I have waited so long to share a day like this with my baby...

The weather couldn't have been more perfect and I managed to run (slowly) the whole way just like I had planned. We had beautiful medals at the end and I was super happy with my performance:)

But Maddy stole the show and managed to pull in a sub-40 minute 5K without trying or training!  We were all really proud of ourselves and each other!

What an amazing day!!! Now I need to take my own advice (!) and "Stay Motivated" - it's going to be a great year!

Back to Basics in 2015!

Happy New Year to you all! A fresh, new start to a lovely, perfect, unspoiled new year is one of my favorite times of the year. It's a time to set new goals, dream a little and start over. I love it and it's exactly what I need to kick start my activity levels right now. 2014 was disappointing from a running perspective:(. I'm not going to go over all of the goals I missed for a change - I didn't do so badly in all areas and I've decided to just be kind to myself and look forward instead :). I am very happy to say that I did manage to end the year much more committed than I started it, and I've been running regularly again lately and am nearing completion of the Couch-to-5K program! I feel super proud of the training plan on the fridge with sessions actually crossed off to schedule!

I'm not sure that these goals won't change but feel like I should write them down anyhow so here goes for 2015...

1. Work out more often (3 times a week at least)
2 12 events
3. Any of the following: 10K, sprint tri, bike 25 miles
4. Increase my walking
5. Lose 15 lbs!

 

These seem to be in line with where I am at right now and I know how to do this so it's time to get back to basics and make it happen! Happy New Year!