It's a Wonderful Run 5k - December 15, 2013

Whoaaaa, another post from me?!

You know it.

I decided very last minute (like... on Friday) to sign up for a local 5K, which was today.

One of my friends, who's kiiiind of a big deal in the running community, was running it and I've been wanting to run a race that he's in for a while.

It was a small race which I LOVE. It gave me a little bit of hope that perhaps I could place. But more on that later.

I got there about an hour before Start Time. I should've listened to Jon when he told me that it was a small race because I certainly didn't have to be there that early. So I had a lot of time to stretch and stand around.

The race was well organized. It was held at a Catholic high school, they had mass beforehand but I had actually arrived too late to partake in that. We did say Our Father before the race itself and then all recited the Pledge of Allegiance. No national anthem, no big speech, and an on-time start: can you beat that? I don't think so!

I hydrated really well the day before my race knowing how hot & humid it'd be, but I dont think that nutritionally I really did that well. Last night Dan was at work and I had popcorn as an afternoon snack then just cereal for dinner. (he's the cook in the relationship)

Started out feeling really strong and even throughout the whole thing I thought I was holding a decent pace. Small race but didn't feel like I was really being passed by many and I felt strong. Little tired on mile 3, but Ali's voice "why would you ever stop on the last mile?" rang in my head and I pushed myself.

Plus, I knew Jon was going to shoot for a sub-16 min finish and then run the route again as a cool down so I HAD to be sure that I'd finish before he finished his 'next round.'

I don't have a Garmin and I had the notifications turned off on my Nike+ so I had no idea what kind of pace I was going and usually that helps me. But when I came down the final stretch and saw the clock say "32" ... I have to admit that I was disappointed in myself.

I went to the cafeteria where they were posting the results to see if Jon had broken the record for the race which was his goal, and he had! He ran 15:37, a 5:02/mile pace. And upon talking to him later, he was even disappointed! If it had been cooler he thinks he could've been sub-5/mile. Guess it goes to show that no one's ever truly pleased with what they do; there's always room for improvement.

I checked out my results as soon as they were posted. 7th in my age group... if only i had been 6 months earlier and fell into the 30 year old age group; i would've placed 3rd and earned my first award! But alas... didn't happen.

Since I've been out of practice with blogging, I hate to admit  that I forgot to take ANY pics!

Results:
Time: 32:10
10:23/mile pace
7 out of 9 in my age group
Overall: 142 out of 274
Results


*Note: There was no start mat, so times were gun time, not chip time. So mayyyybe I was sub-32?! Let's hope.

Nicaragua / Rancho Santana, Nov 2013

Lo siento for my more-than-month-long hiatus from the blogging world. Did you miss me? Yeah yeah yeah. Sure ya did.

The trip to Nicaragua was part of a work Mobile Symposium for reps from each division of Agora to meet together off-site to discuss how we can better reach our customers via mobile. Not only did I leave with a ton of takeaways for my division to implement... I made so many connections and got to talk to so many people within Agora that that in itself was rewarding.

Agora purchased a plot of land in Nicaragua and has been developing it into a residential community. You should check it out: Rancho Santana. Highly recommend it; for vacation or investment opportunity.

View from clubhouse to the Pacific

I shared a condo located walking distance to the Clubhouse with a fellow co-worker from my division as well as with another guy from Agora HQ. They were the best and I really lucked out to be "stuck" with them for the time I was.

Sure, we had meetings Mon-Weds from 8:30 to 3:30-4ish. But we also could sign up for activities at 7:30am and afternoon. I was able to take some hikes... surf lessons (private in fact, no one else showed up. AND we spoke in Spanish the whole time; awesome practice!), kayaking (also quite an experience... it was in more of a "Muddy creek" and the guide couldn't come with us because we were over capacity. It was me and 3 guys and let's just say it was a bonding experience... while it was smelly, dirty, and trashy DURING the trip... that's the kind of stuff that makes the best memories, right?!). 

Hike down to Playa Escondida

 In the one morning I didn't have any planned activities (due to a scheduling conflict actually), I took a walk by myself from my condo to the "main road" and saw the horse stable... It IS a ranch afterall! The grounds were absolutely beautiful. Plus we were there right at the tail end of rainy season... And while it DID rain each afternoon it really only made the grounds that much more beautiful.

 

 

 

How gorgeous is this?!

 One of the hikes I took in the afternoon was the Lava Shelf Walk. During low tide, you're able to walk along the hardened lava which is right up against the Pacific. We were walking along here right at sunset and it was too pretty to be able to truly capture it in pics.

Perfectly timed wave crashing onto the Lava Shelf

During our hike to Playa Escondida, we were unable to see any monkeys. This was day #1 so we were all so excited to see as much as we could (though that never really faded during the whole trip)... so our guide had a car pick us up, take us off the ranch and to a local restaurant that has 2 monkeys on site. I even got to feed them a banana!

Feeding a monkey! He jumped onto the pants of the guy in the yellow shirt so I was a liiiiittle apprehensive.

Of course, the sunsets were to die for.

view from just outside our patio

While I didn't get any running in... and I ate a LOT, I was still able to do the hikes and surfing and stay active. I would love to go back to Rancho Santana with a group of friends. It really is affordable if you go there with  a group.

I only have my job to thank for this amazing opportunity.

AVDA 5K - Oct 12, 2013

Ugh I can't believe that I am just NOW writing this recap. That's just crazy. But, as the saying goes - better late than never, right?!

I was looking forward to this race for a few of reasons. First, the AVDA 5K was my first ever 5K. Second, this route is a very popular one for 5K's in Delray so I knew it well. Third, other local Alpha Chi's were running it, as were some of my trainers from Slash.

Dan had been working crazy hours so I left the house alone and let him sleep. My dad decided to come so I met him at the race. I then went over and introduced myself to the Alpha Chi's. One was even a cousin of a girl who was in my chapter at Stetson University!

The route is right along A1A which makes for a beautiful sunrise.

I saw 3 of my Slash trainers and it was really nice to know that they were there.

When it came time, I lined up at the start. I am a terrible racer because I always wind up too close to the start and I am definitely not even close to fast enough to be starting there.

I politely allowed myself to be on the right though so people could pass me. The race was both a 5K and a 10K. If you were doing the 10K, you simply did the route twice.  The 5K was just an up & back on A1A.

Of course the trainers took off ahead, but it was really inspiring and pushed me when I'd see them after THEY did the U-Turn and they'd cheer me on.

hey, i'm smiling!

I felt really good the whole time. I went in hoping to get another sub 30 but fell just short. I'm determined once it FINALLY cools down here, I can do it.

Crossing the finish line, I had my dad there & 2 of the trainers were nearby too so I swung over by them to congratulate them on finishing fast. (One guy got 1st place in the 10K in his age group!). They even made a comment to me that I wasn't even winded upon finishing. Must be Slash Fitness. ;)

Official Results:
Time: 30:08 (avg: 9:43/mile)
Overall place: 168 out of 445
Gender place: 78 out of 285
Age group: 7 out of 27

Morning Cult

It's no secret that I'm a morning worker-outter. That feeling of being DONE with my workout by 6:15 is awesome. I feel awake by the time I even get to work. My metabolism gets jump started right at the beginning of the day. What's not to love? (And yes, my body now naturally wakes up at 4:55am. Not sure if I am liking that or not!)

But you know what? I'm not alone in my craziness!

Even when I was doing spinning at LA Fitness at 5:45am, it was always the same group of people at the gym at that hour.

Now, at Slash... it's our own little Morning Cult.

Look at the beautiful new Slash gym!

It's the same group of people each day. These people call me out on days I'm not there... Applaud me for showing up on Friday mornings at 5:30 (those are the hardest days for me to get there)...

Not to mention, it's welcoming to come in and see familiar faces and be able to say hi with a smile at 5:30 in the morning.

I mean we all have to be kind of crazy to be doing this, right? I guess I have to say that I enjoy the company. :)

Hey look at me! Upper left pic in the red killin' those ropes! (pic courtesy of Slash)

Fells Point, Baltimore, MD

I traveled to Baltimore, MD earlier this week for a 3-day Marketing Conference. 

Turns out a lot of the topics covered were very similar to what I went to a couple of years ago, but was still nice to see people that I e-mail with constantly but either have never met in person, or rarely get to see. 

I even got to chat with the Publisher of one of our Argentina Affiliates and also the Publisher of International Living, based in Ireland. Pretty cool, right? Oh, and can't leave out the other guy from another domestic affiliate who told us our product is terrible. Ohhhhhh, I let him know my thoughts on that. ("Why are we making more sales than you guys then?" :)

My hotel was right on the water and I had a gorgeous view of the harbor.

Panoramic pic of the view right outside my window.

I brought 2 pairs of workout clothes, with some wishful thinking. The hotel had a gym but it was locked and I wasn't entirely sure how to get the passcode. (yes, I'm sure I could've asked the front desk.) And the book in the hotel room stated that the gym wasn't even in the hotel, but down the block. So I'm not sure. 

So, instead I decided to venture outside! I had dinner with my cousin on Tuesday evening and she gave me some pointers as to what area was safe. There were so many running paths, sidewalks, along the water, down the old streets, it was so inviting. 

I checked the temp when I woke up Wednesday morning and it was a beautiful 50 degrees. :) Glad I had brought capris and not just running shorts. 

Could this sunrise be any more gorgeous?

I started off running to the right as soon as I exited the hotel... The boardwalk soon turned into a brick sidewalk and wound around the wharf. I was able to see the Under Armour headquarters.. Domino building... so many boats. 

The paths were bustling with runners which made me more motivated, plus it was a Wednesday morning! I can only imagine what it'd be like on a weekend morning. 

I could take in this view during a run any day of the week!

After the number of runners started to dwindle and my nice waterside sidewalk ended, I turned around, headed back towards the hotel but passed it and ran the other way for a little bit. 

I was a little tight for time because I needed to get some work done before the next round of presentations started and I was out of luck for the day... So I could only get in about 1.7 miles. 

But I gotta say... those miles felt GREAT. 50 degrees with very little humidity was exactly what I needed. I wish that I could've gone farther (while also knowing WHERE I was going!)

But still proud of myself for getting out there at all. 

And of course we had to finish up the trip with the Crab Pretzel at BWI. :) 

Cheesy, Crabby, Pretzel-y goodness!

Jeff Annas Firefighter Memorial 5K - Sept 14, 2013

My last few runs on the weekends have been pretty miserable. I blamed the heat (rightfully so.) Then I twinged my back. Then at Slash this past week my ankle bothered me. I still went to Jiu Jitsu Friday afternoon, worrying that I would mess up my back again.

All this, knowing I had a 5K I signed up for.  I thought maybe it'd help me push through the bad runs. And it was for a cause that I love. I love supporting local Firefighters/Rescue Teams. I think if I could, I'd love to work in a fire station. Maybe not AS a first responder firefighter, but the whole thing just intrigues me. I even listen to Fire Rescue radio on scanner radio. :)

Anyway, Dan and I went to a Food Truck Invasion last night in Jupiter, FL. There were about 30 food trucks there, and it was amazing. At this point I had already given up on any hopes of  PR in the Firefighter 5k. "It's too hot anyway."  I told myself. Knowing that I can't perform my best.

I continued to consume a beer and eat a Crabby Cheese Melt. Not exactly the best pre-race dinner, eh?

We arrived at the race site around 6:45 for the 7:30 start time, even though I had already picked up my race packet. I just get really anxious about figuring out parking, starting line, etc. They had a bunch of fire trucks on display... Some firefighters were getting into their gear to RUN the 5K in their full firefighter get-up. (and let me tell you... I was passed by many of them on the course!)

firefighters in full gear ready for the race.

This race had over 1100 runners and I THINK that may be the largest race I've been a part of.

pic of a part of the crowd at the starting line

Getting excited to kick it off

I'm off!

The race was a fast & flat out and back course. The entire way out was in the shade and had some really nice big trees. At the first part of the turnaround, you were running right into the sun but then the road curved a bit and you were protected again by the trees.

I decided to turn off the mile notifications on my Nike Plus app so I wouldn't have any idea what kind of pace I was doing. I did this during my best-ever 5k and figured maybe there's something to it.

I crossed the finish line with the clock saying 30:11. I completely forgot to account for the time it took me to get to the starting line so I didn't realize for a while that my time was actually quicker than that.

Turns out I finished in 30:00.997.

I think if I had realized I was that close to breaking 30 again, I would've sprinted even harder. But I gotta say, for 'mentally giving up' on this race before I even started... I'm pretty proud of this time.

Results:
30:00.997
9:40/mile pace
Overall placement: 519 / 1128
Gender placement: 234 / 680
Age group placement: 29 / 88

Sitting in the "cool chairs" after the race (arms in some ice bags.)

Horrible Bad Awful Runs

This isn't a very inspiring post but just have to write about it...

I forced myself out for a quick run on Friday morning (because I overslept and missed 5:30am Slash which is what I had been planning to do.) and just did 2 miles, but I was miserable for every second of it. Even afterwards my knees, feet and ankles were sore and achy.

I even told my cousin that I regretted even going at all; which is a feeling I've never had before. She scolded me saying I should NEVER say that, and I should be proud of myself for getting out there at all.

Yesterday I went out for another run and knew when I set out that I was only going to do 2 miles because of how I had felt the day before and my body was still aching. When I hit the 1 mile mark, I was surprised my pace was under 10 minutes because I was feeling so sluggish.

But that helped push me through to speed it up even more for the 2nd mile.

I think I know what is causing the sluggish feeling during my runs...

1. heat and humidity (no matter what time i do)
2. dehydration
3. poor dieting the past fewdays

But it made me hesitant to even sign up for the 5K I wanted to do in the beginning of September. If it's still going to be crazy hot.. how am I going to make it 3.1 miles if I'm struggling with my 2 miles?

I'm sure in the next couple of weeks, I'll give in and sign up but... not feelin' it right now.

NL Batting Title?

I haven't done a baseball post in a longggg time and I vowed this blog would be both my working out and baseball. (Get Up, Get Out!)

I'd just like to quickly talk about Chris Johnson. I didn't know him directly but he went to Stetson at the same time I was there. We have quite a few mutual friends. When I heard he was coming to the Braves I was pretty excited. He had to fight to win over the 3rd base position from Juan Francisco. (who has since been traded.)

Dan and I were lucky enough to attend a lot of Spring Training games (as per usual!) and after one of the games Chris was signing baseballs so went over there. As he was signing mine, I said "Go Hatters!" .. he did a double take then smiled and said "That's right!" and another guy who was standing nearby also went to Stetson and was there seeing Chris play.

Anyway, he's been quite the shining star this year. I don't think anyone really expected it. And thanks to my weird loyalty because he was a Stetson student, too, I picked him up in my fantasy team. Boy, has that paid off! I just hope that he can keep up this momentum!

Saturday Morning Jog

I decided I wanted a change of scenery for my run this morning so I drove out to A1A (about 7 miles). However, there were a few factors working against me this morning. But I prevailed.

#1 - Dorian. Yes, as in the weak tropical storm off the coast of Melbourne, FL. I don't do well running in winds (or even a breeze.) I feel like it adds so much more work. Well, Dorian's outer bands are off our coast and there was still a breeze. And I wish I would've taken a picture of the flags I saw along the different points in my run because some times they'd be blowing west, then south, then east. It was kind of neat to see it following along the 'spin'.

#2 - Parking Meter start time. Back in the day I used to come to A1A just about every Saturday and/or Sunday to run. And I know for a fact that the meters didn't kick in until 8am. Well, now they start making you pay at 7am. I got there right at 7am. You know, in some cities, metered parking is free on the weekends! I decided I didn't want to risk it (didn't bring any quarters because I wasn't expecting to pay) so I drove about a half mile west to my office and parked there.

#3 - Intracoastal Bridge. Since I had to park at my work, I now had a (not a monstrous) bridge over the intracoastal to have to go over twice to get to A1A. Thankfully I was never there during its openings, that would've really messed up my rhythm. But let me tell you... Breeze + uphill isn't my fave. However, i did have negative splits in my last mile which is impressive since that bridge was tackled in the 3rd mile.

#4 - Pinched Nerve. Okay, well I'm not entirely sure that that's what it is. But something in my upper back has been bothering me at night the past 3 nights and yesterday during the day it started to kind of affect me. I probably should've listened to the voice in my head (and my trainer... if something hurts, don't force yourself.) and not ran. BUT it didn't bother me at all during the run. We'll see about the aftermath today.

I went 3 miles in 30:40. I probably could've gotten it done quicker but when I got back to the office my Nike Plus app hadn't told me 3 miles yet so I paused to unlock my phone and check to see how far off I was. I had another tenth of a mile so I ran up and down the block to meet my 3 mile mark but I did have to waste a little time stopping to assess the situation.

Despite all this, after my run I had 40 minutes until the first Slash session of the day. I almost stayed for it (it's a block away from my office), and I actually feel really guilty not going. Weird... I know. (but again, probably better until I see how my back feels after the run.)

Song that pushed me during the last bridge: Brian McCann's Walk Up song randomly came onto my playlist and that song always gets me going. Even at Slash. "All I Do is Win"

But you know what else I was thinking about on my run? (wow that animated gif of Mccann is very distracting haha) People who say "Oh I have an "easy 8 mile run today." HOW IS 8 MILES EVER EASY? Ok, I've never trained for a marathon or half marathon (started to train for a half, but once I started getting to about 6 miles I'd get really bad pains in my lower calf/soleus) so I get why at some point maybe 8 miles is easy. But anything over 4 miles to me is just crazy.

No Excuses

This past week was a very busy week, we had the kickoff of our big campaign on Wednesday and I know that launches always mean very long hours and very little sleep.

But I was determined to not let it ruin my workout regimine, it just took a little adjusting and determination.

Each morning this week (with the exception of Friday), I was at the office by 7am the latest.

Here's how I still managed to get in all my workouts:

Monday: 12pm Slash workout

Tuesday: I got up early and got to the clubhouse treadmill at 5am for a very quick 2 miles. It wasn't a long workout, but the way I figured it... at least I did something, right? And it's a good thing because we skipped Jiu Jitsu at work due to so much work to be done for the launch.

Wednesday: LAUNCH DAY! I got barely 2 hours of sleep off and on the night before. 12pm came around and I had the choice to go to Slash or not. I knew it'd either energize me or completely wear me out and it'd be a huge mistake. BUT I WENT! And it did make me feel good and especially on such a stressful day. (and I didn't even really start to crash till about 4:30pm)

Thursday: 12pm Slash

Friday: Jiu jitsu at 12:30 with my co-workers.

So while I wasn't really able to do my normal early AM workouts, except Tuesday's quick run, I am still proud of myself for making an hour of time during this craziness to keep up my hard work!

The Treadmill Phenomenon

Yesterday was a very, very rainy day here in South Florida. Dan and I had a nice morning together, but he had to go into work around 11am.

I did some major house cleaning which felt awesome, and then I was finally able to finish my book. (Which, by the way, was the perfect atmosphere for reading. I was curled up on the couch, lights dimmed, candle lit, and listening to the rain and rumbling thunder.)

There was a little tiny break in the downpour and I thought, "If I don't go now... I"ll never go." But then another little voice in my head said, "But it's sooo cozy in here! You haven't had a day off of work outs since the 1st of the month."

But the foreshadowing of that feeling AFTER I finished my workout won out and I drove myself over to the clubhouse.

I ended up running a 5K in 29:26. But this is when my "Treadmill Phenomenon" comes into play.

I am able to run SO FAST on a treadmill. I upped my speed at each mile and by the end I was running a 8-something mile.

I can't do this outside! I don't know if it's because of the air-conditioned controlled environment, the ability to manually choose my pace and stick with it or what. I used to hate the treadmill, why would I want to stare at a wall for that amount of time when I could be outside in the fresh air?!

But somehow, someway.... the treadmill is winning me over.

Boo Marlins

I took the day off from work on Wednesday to go to Marlins Park for the Braves/Marlins match up with my dad & Dan.

Both my dad & Dad made comments prior to us arriving alluding to the fact like, "Could you imagine if today's Kids Day at the park?"

Welllllll, it was.

And it was miserable.

We started out in our regular section, upper deck, first row in right field. It was fun watching a few of the Braves on the DL take batting practice (including my love Evan Gattis; he was hitting bombs!) And a few kids started filing in.

We decided to take a nice little walk around the park, but WOW. Kids Camps everywhere. Lines of kids throughout every section of the park. We had to switch seats about 4 times and finally found a section kids-free.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like kids. I like baseball. I understand it was probably a really fun event for them. But as a grumpy 29 year old, it was terrible. There were only about 6 sections in the park not filled with groups of kids in similar colored shirts.

Also makes us wonder how many of those kids get LOST during the game?!

To add insult to injury... the Braves lost.

Here's an image of a peaceful park before the kids. :)

Tutu 2 Miler - June 28, 2013

Two posts in two days, you lucky ducks!

I did my first "evening" race. Though it really wasn't a race. We didn't have bibs or anything. However, I'm really not a fan of the after-work races.

1. it's too hot (well, yes, it was June 28 in So Fla.)

2. my body isn't used to working out in the evening, i'm a morning worker outer.

3. i feel too rushed after work to get there. (i get really anxious about parking situations, check-ins, etc. before a run.)

But it was fun, AND it was Dan's first run!! We met up with a couple of our friends; Kim and Melissa. It was just a 2 mile run, and the proceeds went to benefit the Special Olympics.

We got there a little over an hour before the start. Melissa and Kim revealed the Braves tutu that they crafted for Dan (that was the deal: if they could find him a Braves tutu, he'd run this race. Done!)

he's pumped!

 It was really hot too. There was a contest for "best costume" ... we hoped that Dan's Braves tutu would be good enough, but some guy came in a complete Captain America costume (no clue how he did that without dying of heat exhaustion.), another guy had a Yankees jersey, baseball tutu & Yankees knee high socks, too. Guess Dan wasn't the only one influenced by baseball.

By the time the race was finally ready to start, I just had to kind of chuckle at the "start line." No one was really lined up or anything, where they usually are pretty serious about it in a timed bibbed race. But we were off!

Dan took off right away, and Kim and I fell into a groove running together for a while. The path went around a lake, then through the Downtown at the Gardens outdoor mall area. So we got to run through by the all the shops (and shoppers) and restaurants (and diners). It was really fun! People were cheering and everything. (I'm sure it was quite a sight to see these people running through in tutus!) The route was this loop twice. Dan ran his first mile in 7:28 then he walked and I walked with him for a while, we jogged off and on for the 2nd mile (soooo hot), and then race sprinted it out at the end. Hey, had to show him that's what you do in races to reach the finish line. He out ran me by a second though.

I don't even know what my "time" was, and I don't even care. It was fun and was great to be there with Dan for his first run! And he's even told me that he will do a 5K now!

Today I was re-inspired to go out running. I almost made the mistake of running outside around 3pm, but it started to rain. I texted Dan and he said, "why would you run outside at 3 in the afternoon?" And I realized I really WAS being stupid. So I went to my community gym and used the treadmill. I felt really good and made myself go faster each mile of the 3.1 mile run. I kind of think I could've even gone further.

And you know what else is odd? The treadmill was sort of facing a mirror. And I haven't been on a treadmill where you SEE yourself run since probably freshman year in high school. And it kind of HELPED me to run. Not sure if it was an inspiring thing or what, but it felt good!

You'd be in for a surprise if you attacked me...

I refuse to let my blog fall to the wayside! Haven't had much of anything exciting to write about so why post, ya know?

But I've kind of picked up another form of exercise lately.

Through work, our big wig Marketing Consultant (who has helped hundreds of start ups) is also a black belt, so him and HIS instructor teach us Brazilian Jiu Jitsu twice a week for one hour, just down the road from my office at his private gym. Tuesdays @ 4 and Fridays @ 12:30 you'll find me there :) There's just a small group of us that go from the office but it's been great.

First of all, it's been nice getting to know these people a bit more outside of the office. Second, it's good interaction with my bosses! Third, I'm learning some great self defense, heaven forbid I should ever need it. Fourth, I'm burning calories! Fifth, it's just FUN!

I've always kind of been interested in BJJ but didn't know how to get into it as an "adult." But in this setting, we're all beginners learning at the same pace and there's no pressure at all.

Hopefully it's something that we continue with! 

Sights and Scents

I went on two short-ish runs this weekend. Well yesterday's was my new-normal 3ish route. And today's I just wasn't feeling it but needed to at least get out and do something; so I went 1.6 miles.

I feel as though there were so many random sights and scents, I just had to write about it. And these aren't in any particular order.

1. Scent: fried chicken. Darn that Publix for being along my route... delicious, delicious fried chicken.

2. Scent: dryer sheets. There's on neighborhood in particular that I always seem to encounter this.

3. Sight: a fallen palm frond onto an electrical wire. I kind of think perhaps I should've alerted someone about this! I ran safely around it but it's just kinda dangling over a wire!

4. Sight: frog carcass. Nothing too out of the ordinary around here but worth noting. 

5. Scent: dead animal. I'm not sure if it's a skunk or what, but again, one spot in particular on my route I always encounter a disgusting smell!

6. Sight: other runners. For some reason I love coming upon other runners, especially in the morning. A little friendly smile & "morning" to each other. Both knowing we're out there doing something good for ourselves!

Eric Patrie Firefighter 5K - May 18, 2013

Another long lost blog post... So you get TWO in THREE days! Will the streak continue? Stay tuned...

A couple weeks ago I ran my last real race of the season - gets WAY too hot in the summer to sign up for races and there really aren't very many offered. Ugh, I hate humidity.

This one was located locally in Delray Beach along A1A. I've ran a couple other races along this portion of A1A previously as well.

It was a smaller race (which gave me hopes that maybe I could place but since it was for a firefighter, a LOT of firefighters ran in it and let's face it; they're in better shape than me!). I believe the total number of runners was 408.

Runners at the starting line! Note: Guy in the yellow was the winner.

Action shot just past the start line. Can you see me?

Dan's friend Kim also ran this race, so it was nice to have someone with me at the start.  She bolted out ahead of me at the beginning but ended up having some foot pain so I passed her shortly after mile 1. I was able to cheer for her at the finish line, though!

My heartrate monitor didn't work right so I couldn't roughly time myself with that, and my Nike plus app was announcing mile markers before I was actually hitting what they had labeled on the course. So I was completely blind as to how fast I was going. But the same thing happened at the Fast & The Furriest and that ended up being my best race.

Hi!

I crossed the finish line officially at 30:28. So slower than my fastest but still decent, especially given the heat.

There's my classic leg swing. :)

It was a very well organized race so I'd definitely run it again. We didn't stay for the awards. Instead I got water poured on me and then we proceeded to go to the Firehouse Open House. :)

So flipping hot.

Official results:
172nd place out of 408
20th out of 52 in my age group.
30:28

 

Wedding Bells

No, not mine.

Finally getting around to do a quick little post from my dear friend Allison's wedding!

It was a lovely hotel that she had the wedding at; the boys had plenty to do to keep themselves busy the day of the wedding while us bridesmaids got ready with the bride! And her bridal suite - ohhh, don't even get me started. It was 2 stories! It really was more like a little condo; corner room with a nice big patio...

The wedding was planned to be outside, we were taking pictures in the suite and Allison's wedding coordinator called her to tell her it's raining but it should blow through. But we're not just talking a LITTLE rain. No no no, this was tropical storm-esque. Big gusty winds, and everything.

But Allison's the calmest bride we've ever seen & just said "okay, whatever. It'll all be okay." (and it was!) We decided after the rain stopped it was probably a good thing because it made everything extra green!

The wedding ceremony itself was a long time coming and was SUPER fast! Reception was a lot of fun, lots of Stetson people but most were AK Psi so I didn't know too many people, but it was fun to be around some fellow alum!

Here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

The Stetson bridesmaids with the beautiful bride!

I love this picture. :) Groom & Bride laughing at one of the speeches.

Am I a Runner?

A few weeks ago... Dan said "Well, you're a runner."

Got me thinking... AM I?

I like to be active, but I don't log a certain amount of miles each week. I can't run more than X amount of miles at a time. I don't know some of the "runner lingo" used. If I push myself too hard, I get really bad pains in my lower legs. I don't own a Garmin. I use my running shoes to cross train. My legs turn out behind me when I run (which I'm sure it terrible form.) I don't have the desire to ever run a full marathon.

But yet, Saturday mornings are my time to hit the pavement. Or sometimes after my morning cross training workout, I want to get in a couple of miles. I love 5Ks (I mean... collecting bibs, finishers' medals and t-shirts is fun, too!!) and the sense of finishing one, especially if it's a PR. Or sometimes when I'm at my desk at work and I look outside and it's perfect weather, I just want to throw on my sneaks and pound pavement! And who can pass up that feeling after a great run.

So maybe I'm just a runner in training.

And if I ever need the extra motivation... I have this list.

A quick video

I have so much I'm behind on blogging about... Allison's wedding, my most recent 5K. (no details yet! I'm going to hold you in suspense.)

But I need to get the pictures unloaded off the camera first!

However, this video is too good not to share.

Enjoy.

A Stand Up Guy

I've never really had much of an opinion for Matt Kemp. Sure, I know he can hit the ball. He knows how to play! But never fought for him to be on my fantasy league or had a weird obsession with him. (as I do for Melky Cabrera. Don't ask. I don't know why, but I just do. My fantasy team last year was even named after him.)

But upon seeing this video of Kemp surface... I think this is really cool. Kind of makes me wonder if a lot more ball players do this but we just never see it.

Heroes in Recovery 6K - April 27, 2013

I've been putting off this blog post because I wanted to share more pictures, but enough is enough. I'm just going to write it & come back to edit later.

I was kind of nervous for this race because I haven't been running at all. Just been going to Slash and spinning. But I knew from the Fast & Furriest race that I didn't necessarily need to have a lot of running under my belt to excel. My cross training adds enough endurance.

My original goal was 32 minutes for the 6K. I had thought that finishing a 29 minute 5K would set me up for this. I finished at 36:22. And upon further investigation, this really isn't that shameful.

Of course throughout the race when I realized I wasn't going to hit the 32 minute mark, I was preparing excuses in my head. "I shouldn't have eaten that hotdog last night. Those chicken wings didn't help. The "random" songs on shuffle on Spotify weren't inspiring enough. The dead mouse on the path scared me and threw off the rhythm of my run. The landfill is nearby and there are probably fumes interacting with my lungs." Etc... etc... etc... :) When all in all, I did well.

I finished 8th out of 38 in my age group. Looking at the results page, I'm thinking there were about 466 runner total and I was 117th overall. I kept my pace under 10 minutes which I am very pleased with. (~9:47 minute miles.)

I even got a finishers' medal which was one of the main reasons I wanted to run this race!

 

All in all a successful race. And in the end, just the sense of finishing a race is always a great feeling. Onto the next: May 18!

Finally, She's the Bride to be

As my three months of craziness continues... I went to Bonita Springs last weekend with 2 other bridesmaids & the bride of the wedding I'm in next month.

I drove in with another bridesmaid who lives near me on Friday evening, we got in late but it was nice just hanging out talking with the girls for hours (wayyy past my bedtime... 12:30am?!).

Woke up early (naturally, you know me) the next morning and enjoyed the patio for a bit.

View from our room at the Hyatt, overloking Estero Bay

The other 2 bridesmaids and I had worked out a whole 'secret shower' for Allison the next morning at the Regency Club breakfast. We requested that mimosas be there, and we decorated with a little poster, a Disney princess tiara and rings. Of course we also got her a gift. (but she loves checking the registry so she was onto us a bit... knew that a gift had been purchased but hadn't been delivered to her house yet!)

Our little bridal shower

The rest of the day was spent relaxing by the pool... talking... By the time we all decided we had had enough vitamin D for the day, we headed in to get ready for dinner. We tried going to a little shop but it had closed already so we headed to the restaurant and were surprised to find a wait! But we spent it people-watching and it went by quickly.  We got the 'flaming cheese' appetizer. I'm an idiot and put my camera away right after our group shot and didn't get a pic of the flame! But mmm it's so tasty. Thanks, Sal, for dinner! :)

Cheers!

Sunday morning after breakfast we caught the first boat over to the private island and laid on the beach under the umbrellas for a bit. Got to see some dolphins!! We headed back to the hotel, grabbed some lunch, showered and then all parted ways. But don't worry! We'll all be together in a few weeks for Allison's Big Day!

I really slacked with my workouts the week between Atlanta and Bonita. Just couldn't get motivated and kept telling myself there was no point in getting into the habit if I was just going away again the next week. (rational... right? no?)

But this week I'm getting back into my game, and while I may not get an actual run in before my 6K on Saturday, I think I'll be okay. My goal is 32 minutes... We'll see what these trips & lack of exercise have done to my body. :)

Deep South, Y'all!

Woo... Ever get back from a trip that you kind of thought was a vacation but you also knew you'd be on the go the whole time, and just feel so much more exhausted upon returning? Well, that's how I felt upon returning from Atlanta and Birmingham.

But it was such a great trip! Dan and I got our own private tour with a guide of Turner Field. We got to go onto the field, in the clubhouse, to a few of the special club levels, the press box and the broadcasting booth. It was very similar to the Wrigley Field one, but Dan had goosebumps the whole time, it was great!

Perfect day at Turner Field

Our hotel in Atlanta for the first night was the perfect location. We got to wander around town, went to a little market, Centennial Olympic Park, wandered through the CNN Center, even got some nice t-storms!

Headed into Alabama the next day and met up with the bride-to-be and my best friend from college for the rehearsal dinner, then we headed to the sports bar next door to catch the end of the Braves game. :)

Following morning Dan and I drove into Birmingham and had a nice little breakfast than walked around downtown for a bit. Everything was closed because it was still early, but we came across a nice park (and they were setting up for a Cajun Cookoff!)

Park in downtown Birmingham

The wedding later that day was gorgeous, it was outside at a botanical garden just outside Birmingham (where the bride and groom went on their first date and got engaged).

Following day we headed back to Atlanta fairly early and were so glad that the Stonehurst Bed and Breakfast we stayed at were able to let us check in early. So we dropped off our bags, asked the innkeeper for the best local bar to watch the game at and headed out. My friend from college came out for a bit too and it was great to catch up with him, too.

Our last dinner was at Mary Mac's which was great... I got my last dosage of fried green tomatoes!

And finally on our last day, we got to walk around Piedmont Park. I LOVED this park. I mean.. aren't these sidewalks just BEGGING to be ran on? Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to, but I hope to some day! I'm sure that a 5K or 10K there would be quite an experience.

Piedmont Park in downtown Atlanta

Work has been very crazy this week but that's good because time goes quickly and it gets me back into the swing of things. I'm off to Bonita Springs this upcoming weekend for a girls' weekend for my friend's wedding that I'm in next month in Orlando!

We walked around a lot during our trip to the south which I am thankful for. And even hit the gym at the hotel one morning! But since returning, I haven't been able to get into gym mode (especially knowing I'd be gone again this weekend.) So I'm hoping to get hardcore again upon returning from Bonita.

I am all signed up for my 6K at the end of this month, too!

Playyyy Balllll

I got to experience something that some people never get to; went to a home opener baseball game. Granted, it was the Marlins but it was against the Braves. The crowd was there (about 34K for opening night; the next night's attendance? Dropped to a whopping 14K! ... and if you're watching the Marlins/Braves game right NOW, you can have a look at the crowd yourself.)

My dad treated himself, Dan and I to the game. Duffy's was having a special where they provided a bus, $10 gift card plus tickets. Any way to NOT have to drive to that ridiculously located stadium is a-ok with me! (And no, it wasn't a "party bus." The median age of the people on the bus was 74.)

Marlins Park upon our arrival

We had great seats, too. Even had some Braves fans surrounding us. Of course I was excited because I knew more about some of the players than those around me. (Thanks to Dan!) Chris Johnson who went to my college played so that was cool to see him, too. But even more so is seeing my own fantasy baseball players hitting so well live & in person!

It was such a gorgeous night out, they even had the roof open.

However, the concession stands were NOT ready for the 'massive' crowd. The line moved so slowly and was always SO LONG. No one was exactly hustling; I'm sure that they lost out on much-needed revenue from this.

Though there was a nice showing of Braves fans, I do have to say that I was surprised by the number of people in Marlins attire. I didn't know they existed. Real, true, live Marlins fans? Well, I guess they're not very loyal judging by non-opening-day attendance.

Forcing a Day Off

I've been really very dedicated to my new workout regimen. It's even gotten to the point where at the beginning of the week I mentally "plan" my workouts. Monday & Wednesday mornings are usually my spinning classes at L.A. Fitness. Tuesday & Thursday have been saved for my new-found-love: Slash Fitness. Friday is a toss up. Saturday & Sunday are run-outside-days.

I have noticed dramatic improvements in myself mentally and physically since starting at Slash. I'm sure my body's glad to have me mixing it up again. And I love it because it's HIIT workouts and I'm done in 45 minutes but know I'm still burning calories WELL after it's over. I'm building muscle and losing fat.

I've been feeling that awesome sore muscle feeling after many Slash sessions, which always is reassuring to me. It's working!

Yesterday afternoon though I went for a 3 mile run. Now that I KNOW I can run it in 29 minutes... My body & mind think that running any slower than that is a letdown. So I pushed myself hard yesterday, especially since I hadn't really had a decent run since the 5K.

And boy did I pay for it.

taken from RunningMemes

I was even careful to stretch before & after which I know is important. But VERY soon after my run I got terrible pains in my achilles and all along the outer side of my lower leg. The rest of the evening was spent in bed with Tylonel & icing my poor legs.

Of course my bf reminded me that he told me I need to take rest days now and then. So today's Sunday... and I'm forcing myself to lay around and do nothing. (which is NOT ME.) It's really hard to not get outside & run. I'm all signed up for 5:30am Slash tomorrow. We leave for Atlanta/ Birmingham on Thursday so I'm hoping to keep up my activity levels!

And so it Begins

Well, I've been here before. Started a blog with high hopes, but I feel this time may be different. (Plus I'm a bit intimidated by my other blogging friends. Do I have the writing ability to do this? Am I funny enough? Do I have enough to even talk about?) But this time, I have more of a feel for what I want this to be. And today's a tad monumental  so I figured this would be as good a time as ever to have my inaugural post. 

Perhaps first I should begin with the meaning of my blog what I foresee this being. "Get Up, Get Out" has two meanings to me & that will be applied to this here blog. The first is the activeness of it, I'm always on the go and people are often amazed by my preferred workout time: 5:30 am. Get Up, Get Out.

Secondly, it's something often yelled at a baseball while it's in the middle of the air, sailing towards the stands... get up, get up, GET OUT -- homerun!!  And baseball is sort of an obsession of mine. Onto why today's monumental.

Today's OPENING DAY! I'm currently lounging on the recliner with the boyfriend spread out on the couch... We're checking our fantasy teams, flipping between all the games, waiting for the Braves to come on TV. (I'm a Cubs fan forever but the bf is a Braves fan and I'm officially drinkin' the Kool-Aid.) We went to a ton of Spring Training games this spring -- a perk of living in Florida! -- so we're all set for the season to start. 

Aside from that, this past weekend shocked myself and I think it really moved me to a completely different mindset. I drove over to Fort Myers to run a 5K with one of my sorority sisters from college (you can check out her blog here.). My goal was to complete it in under 32 minutes. I came in at 29:00 flat! I've been working really hard this month in the gym and apparently it has paid off. But it has really done something to me mentally. I realized that it really is mind over matter. I know this has been part of my training this past month but I never would've thought I'd finish that race as fast as I did! And it's truly motivating. 

Sprinting to the finish line, with 29:00 on the clock

I think this wraps up today's exciting (right?) initial entry. I'm going to reflect a little more on my 'goals,' especially given this past weekend's results. Stay tuned!