The Peachtree

All the girls: Danielle, me, Kathryn, Amanda, Margaret, and Evelyn

  Since Patrick was in Australia over the summer, I convinced my sister to come over and visit me for about a week over the fourth of July. Pat and I had also gotten our Peachtree race numbers as well, so I had an extra number for Margaret. Last year was my first year running it and I didn't get to put in a time  and was in group X. Ugh, that was terrible to start running so late! But since I entered in last year's time for this year, I moved up to group L. Woohoo! I kind of decided the week of that I actually wanted to race for time, but neglected to tell my sister who thought that it would be just a fun 10K. Whoops! We had a great time anyway and it was nice to show the city off to Margaret (even though I don't think she was listening to any of my comments along the way, especially once we got around 10th Street).

me and Margaret

me and my bestest

me and my seester

  Margaret and I finished the race in 1:15:12 which was an improvement over my race the previous year (1:23) and I felt great during this race! We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging at Danielle's pool and then went over to a neighbor's house for a backyard barbeque. It was a great week and I am so happy that Margaret came and shared it with me! I'm also glad she didn't kill me after the race! :) I am looking forward to next year's race!

Race Recaps

  On August 18, I ran the Vinings Downhill 5k with Allison. Doc and her husband also signed up for the race and we met them (accidentally) in the port-a-potty line. (This wasn't quite like we had planned, but I hadn't been able to call her before the race yet, so it worked out nicely!) I actually had a PR on this race! Hooray! I keep improving my time each 5k I do, though I haven't gotten under 30 minutes YET. Oh don't you worry, I will!! :) This was a pretty fun race to do and there were so many people out since it's called "the fastest 5k in Atlanta" and is a Peachtree qualifier (like most races in Atl, I'm discovering). 

Now I have never run straight down hill before and later in the day, my calves were killing me, but it was a good race. Apparently, they changed the course from last year (they said) and ended it up hill at a school over 3 or 4 speed bumps, but I was still able to sprint at the end. I finished with a time of 31:20.18 which is my best time for a 5k yet. I do want to break 30 minutes in my next 5k, but I haven't signed up for another race yet.

Welcome to Atlanta!

the morning sun was rising 

doc, me, and allison ready to race

  Y'all saw that I signed up for the Big Peach Sizzler 10k over Labor Day and I was quite impressed with this race! The course was relatively flat for Atlanta and it was fun since it ran around my 'hood. I actually ran this race by myself though my friend, Katie, was running a 10k in Cumming at the same time. I was a little nervous running by myself (I am always at least meeting someone at the race), but I met a very nice (and fast!) girl in line at the bathrooms before we started. I was enjoying the run when I heard a lady next to me on the left say that she was "going to take it easy since she had run 12 miles the previous day". I was super impressed, but just kept running. Maybe about a half mile later, I look to my right and there is the 12 mile lady! I ask her about her run the day before and she tells me she is training for an iron man at the end of the month and when I ask her what pace she is going to run, she says, "just to keep up with you". We chat for the next few miles and I tell her my roadblock is 3 miles. Once I'm over 3, I feel like I can keep going, but until then, it's a little harder (especially on a treadmill). She agrees and says she isn't going to walk until after mile 3. Well, mile 3 comes and goes and I think I ended up losing her around mile 4. I swear, mile 5 was tortuous and I was freaking out to myself, wondering how the heck am I going to finish 13 in November, but then I saw mile 6. Hallelujah! There was a photographer telling people to smile for the camera (seriously? I took the most awkward pictures here!!) and then I rounded the bend to see the finish line! I was able to sprint at the end for this race too and felt okay except the outer side of my right knee was starting to bother me. I finished this 10k in 1:07:13.55 and shaved off about 8 minutes from the Peachtree!! Here is hoping to shave off another 8 minutes on my next 10k!!

Such a cute logo and it's on bright orange shirt! Fabulous!!

Post race photo-I might need matching tops and shorts for racing (I'm a little wild with my colors!)

  I will probably try to run both of these races again next year as they were both fun and seem to be staple runs in Atlanta. I haven't done that much running since the Sizzler and am really needing to amp up my runs for my half marathon training, but my right knee has been bothering me. I am thinking it's my IT band and that I might need to find out where I can buy a foam roller and some good stretching exercises for it so I can keep it healthy. Fellow runners, any thoughts?

Here We Go

My next race to help me prepare for my half marathon. Hopefully I can improve my time from the Peachtree this year. So far in all of my races, I have improved my times, but I haven't really kicked my training up yet so I'm a little nervous about this race! (don't even get me started about the half!!!)

Terrifying

Patrick and I are signed up for our first half marathon. I'm not so sure about it, but I've got to start training!! Eek!!

Birthday Weekend Fun

  On June 1, I turned 28. EEK! I can't believe it! Sometimes, I wish I could return to being 23 and push pause for a while, but time keeps just marching on. My birthday fell on a Friday and I didn't have to work (bonus!) and met up with Kelly and Allison at one of our favorite places, Verde, for dinner and drinks! My sweet friend, Erin, couldn't make it as she was out of town, but on Thursday, she brought me over two delicious cupcakes from Cami Cakes. One was red velvet and the other was chocolate peanut butter--talk about delicious!!

  We went home and tried to rest up for the 5K on Saturday morning. I ran the Virginia Highlands Summerfest 5K with Kathryn and Danielle, who will be running the Peachtree with me come July 4. Maybe I am just nit-picking or may be just spoiled, but as nice as this run was, I was pretty irritated with it. Thankfully, they set a limit of the number of runners allowed because the start was quite packed and hectic. I swear, it felt like the Peachtree because you basically couldn't run at all during the beginning of the race. Now I might look like a crazy woman, but I have started carrying my own water bottle with me as I race (security blanket, perhaps?) because I just don't trust the races to have enough water since we ran the Stache Dash. The major issue that I had with this race is that at this point, I am not a good enough runner to know what my average mile is so I can't really judge how long I have been running and when I need to speed up or how close I am getting to the end. Therefore, it is pretty imperative that the courses I run have mile markers.

Anybody still reading through my rant? Look! Corgis on the Google header on my birthday!!

   Well, this run was marked at the first mile and that was it. We ended up running a big circle back past the start line where a guy yelled out "only 1 kilometer left", but that didn't quite help me at that point. I did improve my time slightly and could have given a lot more which really angered me because I was able to sprint at the end, but I didn't hit the 32 minute mark. Bummer. I ended up at 33:30, but was okay with it since I had filled up on Verde with some margaritas the night before. :) I don't know if this whole not marking the course is normal for 5K's or not. Perhaps they aren't marked because they are only 3 miles? I have no idea, but I really would like them to be marked so I have some sort of idea how much further I have to go and when I need to push myself. Overall though, I do think I would run it again because it was at 8am and was a pretty course running through the neighborhoods in the Highlands. Of course, mile 2 was all hills, but I swear it wasn't as bad as the Bolt! Plus, the t-shirt was pretty cute. Next up is the Peachtree on July 4th. I've got to get in some running before then, but my ankle's been bothering me again. I might try to switch shoes this weekend or try different stretches. We shall see!

  Later that night, we tried out a new (to us) restaurant called Cafe Circa. It helps that we had a ScoutMob, but seriously, the food was a-mazing!!! I will definitely be going back! I ordered the shrimp and grits which were extremely creamy and well seasoned with sauteed bell peppers and onions. Yum! Kat and Danielle had the salmon with a black bean and plantain cake while Dave had the braised ox tails. We also had some plantains as an appetizer and then had the most delicious sweet potato fries that were lightly battered with tempura and dusted with sea salt. I mean, they were to die for. I probably could have devoured another serving of them by myself! Cafe Circa also has a cigar shop with a rooftop deck so the cigar smokers can go upstairs to "The Reserve" and enjoy their purchases. We went upstairs after dinner and it had a lounge-y feel to it with couches around the perimeter of the rooftop and high boys in the middle. We ordered another drink (spicy margaritas--yes, please!) and enjoyed the comfortable evening at the bar before heading out to Ri-Ra where Allison met us and we danced through the night. What a fun evening with such wonderful people who helped make my weekend special!!

Getting into Running

  I am really trying to get a little healthier and am trying to start running. I wish I enjoyed running like Suz does and wish I had her motivation. The girl just finished her 8th half marathon in the last 4 months! WHAT?! I don't think I can do that ever, but I am starting slowly with some 5K races. I signed up for the Peachtree again and right now I need to do a little more running to be able to do decently in the race. Eek! It's pretty soon, so I've got to start training stat!

Pre-race with our mustaches

Pre-race Man Mates

With Pat who can't stand the sun! hehe!

  On May 5, Kathryn, Patrick, Dave, Danielle, Amanda, Evelyn, and I ran the One Stache Dash 5K. It was really hot and the race didn't start until 9am, but we had fun! The boys ran together and the girls ended up running together. It wasn't my best race, but considering I haven't really run since the Peachtree last year, it was okay. There is definite room for improvement, so hopefully we shall see some!

Post-race (notice we all lost those pesky "staches")

Post-race margaritas with the bestest

Looking rough post-race

  I felt pretty terrible Saturday morning, but figured I could try and run the Brookhaven Bolt as I had already paid my sign up fee and I had also begged Allison to run it with me. It was a gorgeous morning with the perfect amount of breeze! I felt like it took forever to get started, but it was a good run though I had nothing left once I crossed the finish line. The race took place through my neighborhood, but half of it I had never been through before, so that was cool to see how beautiful different parts of my neighborhood is. This was the biggest Bolt they have had yet and I'm glad I was finally able to participate in it after living here for several years! Lots of the neighbors were out on their porches, driveways, and yards hanging out, drinking coffee, and watching us run. I thought that was hilarious, but fun to have random people cheering you on while we ran. We ran past our house and Wrigley was watching everyone run past through the window; it was precious! Next year, I might possibly take Penny on the run with me because I don't think Wrigley will be able to make 3 miles, but Penny should.

Me with Allison post-Bolt

  The next race I'm running is through the Virginia Highlands with Kathryn, Danielle, and Amanda in June. I'm going to try to run a little between now and then, so maybe I can shave off more of my time! According to the results of both races, I was at 35:59 for Cinco de Mayo and then my "chip" time for Saturday was 34:02, which I think is more accurate than "gun" time which was 34:23. Not too shabby for  feeling bad! Maybe I can get to 32 for the next one? Is that wishful thinking or can it be done??

Catch Up

  I have no excuse for not blogging, but I've been feeling rather uninspired recently. I have been reading all of my materials for work and that has kept me busy. I'm waiting for this line of storms to hit and am nervous about all of the pine trees in my yard. I really hope they don't fall! EEK!
  On Friday, I went to see my cousin play soccer and got to spend some time with my aunt, uncle, and saw my other cousin for a second. Even though his team lost, I was excited to finally see him play since he is a senior in high school (ah, I can't believe it!). He just decided on the college he will attend in the fall and I really cannot believe he is that old because I always remember him as a little baby! Weird! We had a good time and my aunt made us a killer salad when we got home. I'm hoping to catch one of my other cousin's lacrosse games soon!
  Saturday afternoon, I accompanied Patrick to watch the 8-10 year olds whom Patrick coaches. The sun was out, but it was very windy and I now have a little redneck from it! Whoops! His team unfortunately lost and I hope that all of the kids actually will show up for the game because he said there are a couple of boys who know a little bit about soccer. We shall see.
  Saturday night, we hung out with some of our friends and watched the semi-finals. I didn't do a bracket this year, so I really have no interest in any of the teams. I did like that Butler won. I really have no idea why, but maybe they will be strong enough to beat UConn.
  Patrick and I then took Wrigley out to Piedmont Park for the dog park where I thought he would be really excited to play with the other dogs, but he didn't really seem too interested. This is the second time we've taken him down to the park and the last time he was just a puppy and we kept him in the small dog area but we put him in the large dog area this time. He had his hackles up for the first five minutes and then just moseyed along. He walked around with a few of the dogs, but really would have rather had all of the people pet him than play with their dogs. Still, once we got home, he passed out, so he must have had a little exercise.
  Agility on Thursday night was pretty fun. There is one other corgi in the class but she is about a quarter of Wrigley's size. It seems like it will be a good class and I'm excited to see what Wrigs will learn over the next several times. This week, we have to teach our dogs a new trick to perform at this week's class and I'm trying to teach Wrigley how to crawl. He is able to do it for the most part, but he doesn't go very far. I'll try to get a video of it and post it here.
  Today, I went over to one of my neighbor's house and we sat on her back porch and let our dogs run around the yard. Her dog is a little black toy poodle and Wrigley just loves him. He ended up having so much fun that I had to carry him back home for a bit because he wanted to lay down in the middle of the road. I guess these last two weeks that I haven't been able to walk him have really deconditioned him. (Oh yeah, I ended up spraining my ankle after I finally went to the doctor two weeks after my original injury, but should still be able to run the Peachtree and my uncle wants me to run a half down at the beach around Thanksgiving. We shall see. I'm supposed to wear this brace and take a couple of pills until I can gradually increase my running. UGH. I guess I'm glad that I finally went to the doctor, even though I felt like my nursing skills came in handy as I was correct in my diagnosis.)
  Alright, off to hunker down tonight as this crazy weather sweeps into the city!

Blog Anniversary

  It's been a year and one day since I started my little blog and though it's been quiet around here recently, I hope to get out of the blogging slump and add some more excitement to it in the next few weeks!
  I tried to start back running last week and I don't know if I didn't stretch enough or what, but I diagnosed myself with Achilles tendonitis and tried to rest my left leg for a bit so I can run the Peachtree on July 4th since Patrick decided to sign me up. (Well, I guess I'm "signed up" but may or may not get selected for a spot, so only time and luck will tell.) I confirmed my diagnosis with my dad and he told me to walk for the next two weeks and rest it. I've been trying to RICE my left leg this week, but yesterday my ankle started really bothering me. I might have to go to my PCP on Monday if things are still feeling weird with it. Pat says it looks swollen and that I probably compensated for my tendonitis and sprained my ankle. Awesome. I can still walk on it, so I'm just taking some Advil and "not doing it again". We shall see how that turns out next week. Good thing I can wear whatever shoes I want to work! Tennis shoes with support, here I come!!
  I've signed up the Wrigster for agility classes starting on Thursday. I'm sure it will be an interesting experience. Supposedly, if he and I are good and train for a year, we might be able to compete. I'm hoping he will be very attentive and responsive, but I'm a little worried since he is always very interested in other dogs at puppy class. I'll keep you updated that for sure.
  On another note, I  would really appreciate it if someone would buy me one of these:

I mean, petite lap giraffes? YES, please!! I'm still trying to figure out if this is a hoax or not. Please let me know what you think. Go here to check it out for yourself.

5K-ed

Last night, I ran the Kaiser Permanente 5K. Patrick had signed us both up in June or July to run this thing and since I am not a runner, I have been trying to work out/run a couple of times a week to prepare for it. Unfortunately, P has some torn cartilage and muscle betweeen his ribs that we just got the "official" diagnosis this week and the doc told him not to run/limit his exercise for the next couple of weeks so we had a little problem with the run being this week.
 There was no way I was going to run it by myself and even if Patrick and I decided to walk it, he had a soccer practice he is coaching for the YMCA at the same time as the run. Thankfully, my best friend is a crazy, avid runner, so I called her up Wednesday night and she said she would definitely run it with me.
  Well, we did it! My first 5K ever and while my time was probably not wonderful (32:30), I'm okay with that because I just wanted to finish. I did make Kat walk with me for a bit as I got an annoying cramp, but I finished it. The next 5k I run, I will definitely know where the finish line actually is because I probably could have sped up had I known where we were ending. Whoops.
  Kat, thanks for running my slow pace with me!!