40 by 40…check!

Race #39 – Nightmare on the Clermont Trails 5K, October 29, 2016

Race #40 – 15K on the Clay, November 20,2016

Done! Finished! 3 years ago I put this goal in place. I started this blog and started to count every race. In 10 days I will turn 40, and I want to thank everyone for their support, for reading this blog, for encouraging me to continue and for cheering me on.

Today’s race was hard. I hadn’t trained much and it was 9.3 miles on a course that I knew would already be challenging. My knees were bothering me and I was thinking that it was not going to end well! At mile 5 I recognized 2 awesome ladies from the run club I joined earlier this year. They invited me to run along with them and we stuck together until the end and finished strong. I’m not sure I would’ve felt as good as I did without them!

“When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.” Commit to your goals…you never know what kind of people you will meet or experiences you may encounter.

 

 

Double checking my count…

I have 41 days left until my 40th birthday and I figured I better check in and see where I am at. Since I fell “victim” to another cancelled race I have lost a little of my drive…but I must finish and then decide if another goal is in my future!

Race # 36-Summer Soaker 5K, August 6, 2016

Race #37-NTC Super Hero 5K, August 13, 2016

Race # 38-NTC Gridiron 10K, September 17, 2016

2 left….literally in the home stretch!

 

40 is fast approaching…

Well, the good news is I actually have put in a few races over the past 6 months…the not so good news is 40 is fast approaching. Although is that really not so good news?

We put in our heads what age milestones really mean. For example: turning 16 = freedom!, turning 18 = MORE freedom!!!, turning 21 = party time!, turning  30 = time to grow up (if there really is such a thing!), turning 40 = over the hill? really?  I feel like it’s time to embrace growing old. Turning 40 should feel fabulous, fantastic and fun! I’m  not going to go over any hill, I’m just going to keep climbing said hill and embrace life.

So here’s to the last few months in my 30’s and  to achieving my goal!

Here is a log of the races I have done in the last 6 months:

Race #27 – February 13, 2016, Tails and Trails 10K

Race #28 -March 12, 2016, Pig on the Pond 5K

Race #29 – March 26,2016, Run in the Garden 5K

Race #30 – April, 16, 2016, Legoland Brick Dash 5K

Race #31 – May 26, 2016, Friends of Lake Louisa 5K

Race #32 – June 4, 2016, Central Florida 5K

Race #33 – June 18, 2016, Beach Ball Boogie 2 mile

Race #34 – July 16, 2016, Caped Crusader 5K

Race #35 – July 23, 2016, Desafio 5K

I guess I was closer to my goal than I thought! 5 more to go!

 

Just the Facts…

I realized I’ve been a little behind in posting and keeping track on my races…so here’s the facts:

Race #22, Grid Iron 10k, September 26,2015

Race #23, Race for the Cure 5K, October 18, 2015

Race #24, Give Kids the World 5K, November 14, 2015

Race #25, Space Coast Full Marathon…26.2 baby!!!, November 29, 2015

Race #26, Toy Trot 5K, December 14, 2015

Time to sign up for some races!!!!

Race #21-Volition America Half Marathon, September 19, 2015

I was a few weeks into my marathon training and noticed that it suggested I do a half marathon as one of my training runs. One of my favorite websites to look for races is http://www.runningintheusa.com. It was there that I found a half marathon in Orlando. This half was put on by a non profit group called Volition America. There main focus is to help fallen soldiers families with education scholarships. The sun was shining, it was hot and humid, but I made my goal of finishing under 2 1/2 hours.

Heat, Humidy and Hills…Oh My!

So, in case you didn’t know….it is hot in the summer in Florida. The high has been 94 for about 8 weeks now, with about 91% humidity…consistently. During the week I usually do my runs at night. I’m thinking, oh it will be cooler at 7 at night…not so much! I have mentioned how hilly it is around our house too…so between the heat, humidity and hills, this training has been quite a challenge. My motto has been, slow go is better than a no go, and that works for me! I’m glad that fall is right around the corner, I could use some 80 degree days for a change 🙂

Race #20-Gem of the Hills 5 Mile, August 22, 2015

Half way there!!!! 20 races down, 20 to go in 14 months…guess I have some work to do!!! This was another race in the National Training Center series. I actually had to get in 9 miles this day, so I though it would be a great idea to run to the race, run the race and run home. Needless to say, my time was not that great…but I got the miles in!

1 week down…17 to go….

Most running peeps knows what this means…yep, I’m training for a marathon. I am hoping to actually run this one and that weather will not be an issue. (see previous post from May 2014 for details) My luck a hurricane will blow in that day! I am signed up for the Space Coast Marathon which will take place in Cape Canaveral around Kennedy Space Center…cool huh??? The race is the day before my 39th birthday, so happy birthday to me….here’s some sore legs! I’m really excited to have this goal in place again. I found myself without motivation to run.

Now, I have my training plan posted, hubs has put me on a healthy eating regime and I am ready to conquer this!

Race #19-Caped Crusader 5K, July 25, 2015

This is the second race in the National Training Center (NTC) series. This was a super hero themed race, which unfortunately I didn’t have any garb to sport. Thing 1 offered to make me a cape out of a blanket…I kindly passed. It’s hot in Florida in the summer, so even though this race was at 7:00 am….it was hot and humid. Almost half way there!

It’s a Family Tradition

Hank, Why do you drink? Hank, why do you roll smoke? Wait…What? No, No, No…I’m talking about our family tradition of spending a week in northern Minnesota (although there is wine and bonfires if that counts.) This year was different. We didn’t load up the front of the truck, the back of the truck, hook up the boat, which was also filled to the max. Nope, this year we each packed a carry on, hopped on a plane and rented a car. A lot has changed since our last family trip.

We had a great time. We got to see all of our nieces and nephews, sisters, sister-in-laws, brother-in-laws and of course our parents.  The hardest thing is realizing that we might only see our family once or twice a year now. We also spent some time back in our old town and neighborhood. It seemed strange to be in such a familiar place, but as a visitor.

The tradition will continue on as the cabin is booked again for next year. If Minnesota could just do something about those gosh darn mosquitos!