Marathon #4 Completed

The first time I ran the course of Chickamauga in 2008 I fell in love with it. The great scenery of the fall colors and also the battlefields. The hills are killer but it's still one of my favorite courses.

Note to self: DO NOT PR ON YOUR HALF MARATHON TIME DURING A MARATHON!!!! =)I went out waay too fast for my usual marathon pace. When I ran Chickamauga in 2008 I did the half in 2:40:37. When I hit the 13.1 mile marker I had hit the 2:38:40. So from mile 14 I ofcourse started slowing down but mile 21-26 just ripped out my pride. My whole right leg decided it didn't want to run anymore. Knee wasn't wanting the bend, the calf was locked up and the ankle is purple but needless to say my right side took a beating! Mile 24 I was pretty discouraged because my sub 6 goal was out of the question however I still PRed. According to Garmin I did 26.23 in 6:10:11 but by chip time it was 06:11:17. Either way it's still a PR!

Marathon or Half???? "What the Flood" =)

April 24th 2010 was set to be my Full Marathon for the state of Tennessee. I am set on only doing one per state and never doubling but 50 states will take a while. This weekend just had to end up as one of the worst Nashville floods that's ever happened. I ran the course with Tim Cook (Granddaddy long legs) he's over a foot taller than me so me and my little legs have to work to keep up! He's the greatest running buddy you could ever ask for! At around mile 11 or 12 they let us know that we were required to finish the half instead of the full for safety reasons... oh come on it's just hard rain.... lightning...and a little hail.... =D We headed on to finish 13.1 miles but that was a little dissapointing. What was AWESOME was my rockin' mom busting her tail and running in this psycho weather like a freakin' champ! She completed her 2nd half marathon that day and it was all heart and soul. HORRIFIC hills!!!! Horrible weather but amongst it all we had a great trip and that's really what it's all about anyways. We did lots of celebrating that night! A LOT! 1 word- Patron!

Gasparilla Half Marathon... im back in the saddle

Headed home today from doing the Gasparilla Half Marathon. It was a great race but I could tell my body is still recovering from the past two months. Having surgery and then pneumonia really kicked me on my fitness. I can't complain though! Thank goodness it's not an injury!

The half yesterday was a good run. I am happy with my time 2:39:26 is the garmin time. Course ran a little long and my chip time was 2:41:00

Now it's keep on keepin' on for this week. 2 days off and then it's a Wednesday 6 mile morning track run, Thursday 4 mile trails in WR and Friday a 4 mile track run. Taking the weekend OFF!!!!!!! Back again on Monday!

Picked my next 2 marathons and 1 half marathon

January 9th- Mississippi Blues Marathon

Feb 28th- Gasparilla Half Marathon Tampa FL (I LOVED this race before)

March 6th- Snickers Marathon in Albany GA... finally picked which one I wanted to do for GA. Im trying for the 50 states.. slowely but surely.. just like my running! =)

Marine Corp Marathon DONE!!!

Sunday Oct 25th 2009 I completed the Marine Corp Marathon. Was doing really great until mile 23. Had major calf cramps and had the walk the last 2 miles in. Took a little kick to my pride but once I hit that finish line I was just happy to be DONE!!!!

Chip time: 06:18:35.. slow but i made it! =)

been a slacker!

ok so I have REALLY been a slacker on this blog. Im too busy facebooking! ok hawaii was amazing!!! The marathon was awesome and now im training for the Marine Corp Marathon up in DC that's on Oct 25th. Lot's of running... same ol' same ol'. Here are a few pics from the Kona Marathon.. check out those tan lines! about 12 miles of the race is running through the lava fields. Hot Hot Hot!!!!!

Reached the big goal!

Even after completing a marathon I still could not run a full 5k without taking atleast 1 walk break. Well yesterday at the 5k in Swainsboro Ga (for the first time) was able to run the entire race without having the take that little rest walk. I usually always do 7:1 Galloway ratio's whether im just training, doing a 5k or the marathon! so now im on a mission! Even though im slow I feel like a reached a big goal. =) I also got 2nd place in my age group and got a really nice trophy. The best part of all was getting to help my mom run in the last .25 of her race and she also placed 2nd in her age group. That's the first award she has ever received..ever.. of any kind! So she is really excited about all of this and THAT makes me really happy! =)

IM BACKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!

ok so I took a little break from running. I'm back and training for my next marathon that is in less than 8 weeks. The Run 4 Missions 5k was this past weekend. I had my 2nd fastest time but I was actually really proud of the consistency of the pace. I tried to hold a 7:1 ratio. EVERY run I do now regardless of low long or how far I try to run 7 minute and take a 1 minute walk break. This is my goal for the marathon. I want to chill and actually enjoy it without killing myself.

Kona Hawaii June 28th..... ohhh yeah =)

I DID IT!!!!!!!!

I cant believe it but I am officially a "MARATHONER". I had a few "issues" along the course but still made it in 06:24:33. THANK GOD IT'S OVER!!!! however, I look forward to the next one! =)

=(

My running is at a complete stop. I either got the stress fracture running chickamaugua or either on the first 2 miles of running zooma. Either way, I can't run! I am having to take 6 weeks off and this is week 4. I think the mental side of not running is the worst part. I need to move! All the junk I used to could leave behind when I ran is piling up on my shoulders. I guess I can unload at Disney. I will be at the start line and who knows how it will turn out. I have a feeling that I will finish it even if it causes me more damage but it's been such a goal that I have worked so hard on that I just have to do it. I don't care about the time at all. Just the finish line. Either way, I miss the running club. I miss my buddies. Miss the energy from everybody... Hope to see you all soon!~

oh yeah, I have lost 6 pounds in the past month on the stress diet! It really works! Stay stressed all the time, forget to eat, work all night and before you know it... weight loss!

theres too many side affects to mention that go along with this diet but it's working pretty well... =P

Chickamaugua Half Marathon

Great race! 2:40:37 was my time so I was satisfied with that. Zooma half is coming up this weekend and im bound and determined to atleast do it in 2:37. That's "the goal".

Chickamaugua was a pretty big race. Lot's of folks freezing our butts off but within an hour everyone was peeling of the gloves and jackets. Bartram Marathon is in 2 weeks and Disney Marathon will be before I know it =O

The knee.... grrrrrr!

Damn this knee!!!!! That's about all I have to say!

I do good to run 2 miles before it starts feeling the size of an elephant leg. My question is, how the hell am I supposed to be ready to run the Disney Marathon. =( oh well I guess that's just "one of those things".

My next race will be the Jim Herrin 5k. It seems like every 3 or 4 months I have to start all over with running. It's a bit discouraging but I guess as long as I do get the chance to "start over" then it's ok.

Zooma half and the Disney will both be here before I know it.

druuuuuunk times!!!!

9:30ish Vodka and redbull
10:30ish Smirnoff and some nasty rasberry that made me think bad thoughts!
then between 11:30-12am I downed almost an entire bottle of rum. The first drink was mixed, 2nd was mixed... after that was 2 shots of straight rum... now for the timeline of only 30 seconds apart...
"Why not just drink it straight and save the calories of pineapple juice"

Bike Week Baby! ohhhh yeah!!!

I look on my left shoulder and there's this devil saying "Leave work, go to bike week, go cole slaw wrestle and live it up". I look on my right shoulder and there's this angel wearing white leather chaps saying "I think you should go to bike week". What do I do????? Ok... I give in =) I'm outta here! I will leave next Wednesday night and come back Saturday night. Then haul butt to Atlanta for the team to perform twice at NASCAR on Sunday. I cant run right now so I might as well find something to do... right??? =)

Yehaww a new week!

This weather is awesome! Still kinda on the mend with the knee. Some how I let Leora talk me into going to Spinning class at the gym this morning. For anyone who has ever taken one of those classes can understand when I say those seats suck! 45 minutes of butt whoopin is what I call it! We then hit a quick abs class that was a lot of fun. Thanks Yora for making me go! I start teaching the new Boot Camp class tonight at the studio. This is where I get a chance to make people hate me =) Wahoooo! Good Luck to those of you doing the Snickers marathon this weekend. I sooooo wish I were going. Instead its the AAU state taekwondo championships. This is usually where our studio kicks some serious tail so hopefully it will be another good year. Have a great week everybody!

Great weekend!

ok this weekend made up for last weekend! Had a great time down in Jacksonville. I hate that I missed the Sweetheart 12k in WR and the Frog Hop in Athens but I said goodbye to that goal of doing 50 races this year. Dr.Pope tells me today that if I have surgery really soon (as in the next week) that I can still fight on March 15th which is a MUST. I was expecting to hear the usual doctor words of "dont push it". The Al Toll races are this weekend in Macon. I had been running the 5k course to get used to it and had planned to PR. Now I will be a "volunteer"... like I had a choice with Deb asking me at gun point! (jk)

Had a client this morning so I took her down to riverwalk for some cross training. I ended up finishing up the workout by walking 2 miles with her. I feel better simply for getting out and moving but my knee is not happy with me. I guess that's called "takin' the good with the bad"? Everyone have a great week!

Florida bound again.... round 2 and this one soooo better be better than last weekend!

After all that arm twisting =) from Deb to go to Florida this weekend I finally gave in. How can I turn down a girls weekend at a condo on the beach.. I mean really? May I just give you all a word of advice from past experiences... Never turn down a girls weekend with a bunch of married women with kids because when they do get away from home they have more fun than anybody else! I started learning that early on!

I had a great Valentines day yesterday. I went and got a bunch of balloons to decorate the studio and gave all my students candy. Then went to Giuseppi’s. If you haven't been there you need to go! It's my new thing to do on Thursdays. I just went with a few friends last night and one of them was bound and determined to see who would fall off the bar stool first. Can I make a suggestion... stay away from shots called a water moccasin!

Well im off the Jacksonville. Monday I go for the xrays and mri. I still cant even attempt to run which really really really sucks but it’s all good. Who knows this might make me slow down a bit at work.. Nah probably not! =) Have a great weekend!

hmmm... am I doing something really wrong???

I guess it's about time to blog! I had to take a few days to chill out after everything that happened this weekend. Incase you havn't heard the story of my wild weekend then get ready. Left here Thursday night and drove almost 7 hours to Tampa. I actually stopped at 3 exits trying to get a hotel just to sleep for a few hours. They were either all booked or over $150. Well for one thing Im cheap! and the fact that I would only be there like 4 or 5 hours just seemed crazy to spend that much $$$. So I decided to drive on down to Tampa and parked on the side of the road in a busy section of town. (where I thought was safe). At about 3am I look up and see 6 or 7 big college age guys who were really drunk. One of the guys walked to the SUV in front of me and kicked it as in hauled off and kicked it. So here I am thinking "oh ____ this is not good and im about to die". Im looking everywhere for my key's (by the way they were in my lap) right as I find them the guy seriously kicks my car. I say again for the 50th time "Thank God I did not get out of that car". I think I would have either 1- gotten raped by a big group of drunk guys 2- gotten killed or 3- I would have f'n killed the guy that kicked my car. It would have been one of the three options. Ok I fight for a living and for me not to get out and want to beat the mess out of this dude... that had to be one of the hardest things ever. I was beyond pissed. So I drive around trying to find a cop, come back to the area and they are long gone. Then I drive about 20 minutes outside of Tampa and check in the most ghetto hotel EVER. They didn't even have hot water ok! I stayed there for almost 3 hours and it cost me $72. (grrrr!) but that's not even the best part. I leave there and check in to my real hotel which cost me $532 for 2 night... just don't ask. It sounds just as stupid now as it did when I was checking in but oh well. It was a kick ass king suite and it was sweeeeeet! The hotel had free cocktails from 5:30-7:30 every night so atleast I got some of my money back! =) The expo was great I brought back enough souvenirs for just about everyone I know! The race Saturday morning was amazing.. well with the exception of tearing my meniscus in my knee. Im not sure yet if it's a full tear or partial but that junk hurts! I did it only .31 miles into the 5k and ran the rest of it and ran straight to a doctor afterwards. Keep in mind that was the 5k that I just did for fun to get ready for the half marathon on Sunday that I ended up not getting to go to. I also missed the BBFC banquet in Orlando that I was supposed to speak at Saturday night. Instead I spent the evening icing my knee and drinking rum and pineapple juice. (remember I had to get that $532 back some how). I spent the day yesterday with my brother up in Atlanta. Went and bought a pizza and sat at my cousins grave and talked her for a while. The interesting part is after I left there I went to my other house over on lake Sinclair. Noones been there since I walked out the door during my divorce and haven't been back. I had actually forgotten that when I left I left all my clothes, shoes, purses, guitar, all my pictures and all kinda of other stuff. So last night was like Christmas. I packed everything I could fit into the car and brought it home. Tomorrow I get to go pay the $190 speeding ticket from a few weeks ago and the taxes are due on both houses this week. Hmm... maybe this is what God calls "tough love"... happy Valentines Day!!! =).

"Tampa... here I come"

This is a pretty big weekend. I leave tonight for the Gasparilla 5k and Half Marathon in Tampa as well as the annual BBFC banquet in Orlando. This coming up week will be the 2 year anniversary of losing someone really special. Almost every day I relive getting the news that my cousin had committed suicide. I lived with her and her family during my junior and senior year of high school and I thought she was the exact person I wanted to be. They own Lake Lanier Islands, the Georgia Force football team, air planes, a helicopter and everything else money could buy. To a teenager I thought they had it all. She was also the person that taught me about God, showed me how to treat and love people. She opened the Boys and Girls club in their town. Took in 3 elderly families after the Katrina Hurricane. She was an amazing person with so much to give to this world. On February 13th (the day before Valentine's Day) she walked out side of their extravagant home and shot herself. My mom drove to Macon to come tell me in person and I still remember falling in the floor and crying the hardest I had ever cried. Within hours I was on my way to her house where I just sat in my room there and asked God why something like that could happen to someone like her. I believe that it's by her death is the reason why I chose to LIVE. Every single race I run, I run it for her. She was always so proud of everything I ever did. This race this weekend will be an emotional one. Not only is it my first half marathon but it's just a few days before the anniversary of losing her. The amazing thing was just a few months before her death she had paid me $1,000 to make a video to celebrate her and her husbands 20th anniversary. Because of it I ended up spending alot more time with her and it also gave us a video to watch of her life and the many accomplishments they had made. I wouldn't trade that time together for anything. I thank you for taking the time to read this blog and I hope in some way it causes you to tell someone you love them or maybe just appreciate what you have.

"Oh Snap"

This post goes with the one I did earlier today. Well, the fashion show went GREAT. 400+ people so the energy was rockin'! The stress levels were mad crazy. 10 seconds before everyone went out im yelling "oh shit give me your gum", fix your dress, pull that up, tighten that... can someone hit the lights, wheres the spot... What the hell is he wearing". It was great. People tell me all the time that I thrive on chaos and stress... I think they might be right! =/