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!

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!

Team Daaaaaamn!!!!

Cool action shots from the race...

Event 2 of 14 in 2014 - Winter Garden 2 miler and 10K

Team Daaaaammmnnn!!! showed up for the annual Winter Garden 2-miler and 10K this weekend! I didn't feel quite ready for the 10K yet this year so rather than give up altogether, I decided to focus on running a bit faster for the 2-miler instead.

 

I came in at just under 20 minutes which was the fastest I've ran in some time so I was really pleased! Mike did the 2-miler as a warm up for the 10K :). It was fun to be a spectator and cheerleader for his race a change!

 

We went for a coffee at Axum - the best coffee shop in the world - while Mike was setting the pavement alight...

 

And just over 50 minutes later - he was in so we gave him some 'over-the-line' love :)

 

He looked great and earned some fabulous bling...

 

Great job Mike!

 

My activity levels are gradually increasing in 2014 now and I've even tried hot yoga a couple of times (which was tough but made me feel really great afterwards). This week I also played tennis again after a 15 year hiatus and totally loved it! Getting back to regular activity has been so much tougher than slacking off was but it's coming back together now and I'm starting to feel much better. I'll get there :)

Event 1 of 14 in 2014 - Seasons 52

It feels like such a long time since I've done a race and one of my goals for 2014 is to do at least 14 in-person events. So we signed up for Seasons 52 which is a beautiful 5.2K in pretty Winter Park to get the year officially underway! It was really cold - just above freezing point - so I broke my golden rule never to wear cotton during the run. After a nerve racking start we were off and warmed up in no time! My goal was just to run the whole thing which I did for the first time in weeks! 

 

 

Mike has discovered photobombing....:)

 

 

He was done in just under 27 minutes!

It was Lu's birthday!

 

It's a Team Daaaaaammmnn!!! reunion - Happy New Year:)

Turkey Trot 5K

Today we celebrated Lu's 3rd year runniversary! Track Shack hosted a fantastic Turkey Trot benefiting Seniors First in downtown Orlando. It has been a while and it was 38 degrees when we got there so we were freezing and full of nervous energy at the start line!



Thousands of people turned out - many in costume - and loads of families to celebrate the day together. We felt so happy and positive with such great people around us :)

 

I saw the lovely Sheila after the race - she finished in under 30 mins:)

We came in at right around 33 mins however :) but managed to run the whole thing which was exactly what we had hoped for. The route was so pretty - I love Lake Eola!

 

 

Today was perfect. I am so grateful for my husband, my daughter, my family, my town, my health, my work and my running partner :)

 

 

Running friendships are as beautiful as they are STRONG!!!