Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!!

2014 Year End Race Recap

Wow I can't believe 2014 is almost over, this year really flew by.

My only race goal for 2014 was to PR during the Space Coast Half. In 2013 my goal was to run 34 races. When I went to count how many races I did this year, I was shocked that I ran 22 races. I didn't think I had run that many.

I ran:

1    2 Miler
13  5k
1    10k
1    15k
1    10 Miler
4    Half Marathon
1    Triathlon Relay

This year I ran in Amish Country in Pennsylvania, through Cinderella's Castle, I dressed up as pirate, got to be a total diva and around Kennedy Space Center property. I placed 5 times in my age group. Got 1st 3 times in my age group! I did PR at the Space Coast Half! Came close to my 5k PR. And of course during every race I rocked my Sparkle Athletic skirt!

Can't wait to see what 2015 brings!!

Reindeer Run 5k Recap

For the forth time I ran the Cape Canaveral Reindeer 5k! It's the third race in the Holiday Series. This year I decided to dress up as a gingerbread man. Click here for the costume.

It was freezing race morning, I think it was in the low 50's. Before the start of the race I just tried to stay warm. I even had a woman offer to let me borrow her coat for a few minutes. 

When we lined up at the start line, I decided to just run. I wore sleeves and left my watch under it. If I can't see it, I have no idea how I'm running. Something I NEVER do.

It took the first mile for me to warm up and finally start sweating. Shortly after the 2 mile mark I started passing people that normally pass me. I felt good so I kept pushing on. Since I run this course on my normal training route, I knew about when we had four blocks to go. As soon as I saw that street I started picking up the pace. There was an older guy next to me and when I sped up so did he. I finally looked at him and said let's go! We both sprinted to the end. 

After I crossed the finish line I stopped my watch and realized I finished in 28:05! My PR is 27:59. Have't come close in a very long time. This race is a Space Coast Runners series race. I NEVER place in these races. To my surprise I placed 3rd in age group!! I walked away with two medals!! 

I'm sure I'll be back for a fifth time next year!!

Gingerbread Man Costume

This year for the Reindeer Run 5k I decided to dress up as a gingerbread man. This was a simple costume.

Things you need:

Sparkle Athletic Brown Skirt
Brown Tank Top (I found mine at Amazon.com. It's 100% cotton, not wicking)
Red Buttons
Green Ribbon
White Rick Rack
Sparkle Athletic Power Bands (White)

 I pinned the rick rack to the shirt. I placed it around the neck and the arm holes before sewing.

I added a green bow and the three buttons down the front. Last minute I decided to add rick rack to the waist.

Final outfit!

I had to make a last minute change in the outfit. Turns out it was colder than I thought it would be. I had to make sleeves. All I did was bought footless tights at Walmart and cut them to fit my arm. They kept me warm!

Diva St. Augustine Half Race Recap

I ran the St. Augustine Run Like a Diva Half!!!

What a fun race! I was debating on whether or not I should run the Diva 1/2 that was in Peachtree City, GA. For months I thought about it. It was to take place over Labor Day weekend. The reason I was having a hard time deciding is because I was trying to figure out if I would fly or drive. For once my procrastination paid off!!! I was stalking their website yet again and I noticed they added St. Augustine!! I immediately emailed my mom to see if she wanted to do the 5k. I signed up and booked my hotel. Little fact about me, I was a travel agent a very very long time ago. The website said the hotels would be announced later, but I didn't want to wait. I decided on the Hampton Garden Inn. It was close to the start/finish PLUS it had a microwave and fridge!!

We live 2 hours from St. Augustine, so we left Saturday afternoon and drove straight to the expo. The expo was at the St. Augustine Amphitheater. The expo was smaller than I thought it would be. It was a very easy and fast to get our bibs.

We walked around the expo then headed to our hotel. After we unpacked, we decided to walk out to the beach. That's when we discovered just how close we were to start/finish line.

Flat Megan

Finish line!

We took a short walk on the beach and headed back to our room. The rest of night we just hung out in the room. I know boring :) I had no problems sleeping that night! Finally a good nights sleep before a 1/2!! Our alarm went off and we got ready to head out to the start line. We got there and took our prerace photos. Right after that I was about to go look for water to take my ENERGYbits when it occurred to me that it would be easy to just walk back to the room. Back to the hotel we went. Again, great location!!

When we got back to start line I found my Sparkle Cheetah twin!

I also met Amber in person! We "met" on Instagram!!

Before I knew the race was beginning! My plan for this race was to finish between 2:15-2:30. I wore my 2:15 pace band. For the first mile I ran straight through no intervals. Mile 2 is when I started doing my 3:1 intervals.

This was a very fun race! The spectators along the course were awesome!! I'm not sure where in the race I met the megaphone guy. I was walking along and this guy with a megaphone saw my bib number and kept saying 1688 you can do it! I started running before my walk break was up after I heard that. Then I kept hearing him say my bib number and I kept waving! I ended up seeing him two more times on the course! The last time I saw him, he was in his car stuck in traffic. There were also two other guys that were following runners along the course. I love seeing that!!

Just before mile 10 we made a turn and there was the wind. Oh my... I believe for the next mile we were in a strong headwind. Wished I had gloves, it was cold. Mile 11 and 13 there it was again that wind. It was terrible. I just put my head down and fought my way. Right before the finish line, they have a boa and tiara station.

I tried to cross the finish line with my tiara on, but when I made the last turn it fell off so I ended up crossing with it in my hand. Oh and one of the things that makes this whole race worth it, is the shirtless fireman at the finish line with our medals.

As I was heading to the champaign table I saw Tara. She and I ran in the same pace group during Space Coast the week before.

I didn't use them, but they had pink porta potties!!

Got back to our hotel with enough time to shower before checkout! I asked for late check-out, but I didn't need it. I quickly got ready and we headed out. Stopped by the front desk and had someone take our photo.

My mom and I went out to the course and cheered for other runners! After watching the rest of the runners finish we headed back south.

This was one of my favorite races!! I'll be back next year for sure!!

Workout Recap 12/1/14-12/7/14

Monday 12/1 - Rest day!

Tuesday 12/2 - Ran 1 mile

Wednesday 12/3 - Ran 2 miles, also walked Mousse .4 miles

Thursday 12/4 - Ran 2 miles

Friday 12/5 - Ran 3.1

Saturday 12/6 - Rest

Sunday 12/7 - Ran the St. Augustine Diva 1/2! Not a PR this week, but it's my 2nd fastest time!!

Space Coast Half Marathon Recap 2014

For the third year in a row I ran the Space Coast Half Marathon!! This is my favorite race. Maybe it's because this is the first half I ran after I swore I'd never run another half again. Or maybe it's because it's a local race. Or maybe it's because I love running with the Running Zone. Anyway it's my favorite.

Photo Credit: Space Coast Marathon

This year was the second year of The Big Bang Series! I'm planning on getting all 7 of those medals pictured above. The medals that you earn after running these races are as fabulous, if not more fabulous as runDisney medals. Yup.... I went there. They are awesome! Pictures don't do them justice. 

2012, 2013, 2014

This year the expo was held at the Radisson in Cape Canaveral. The past two years that I went it was at the Kennedy Space Center. I know the Space Center is far away from the host hotels and even the start of the race, but I always enjoy going up there. Oh well... My husband and I went in the morning to pick up his packet. I actually went to the store to pick mine up earlier in the week. Every year I buy a cup and a shirt. I figured I'd skip the expo lines and just go to the store. We picked up my husbands stuff, walked around and looked at the booths, made a purchase and left. It was busy, but not as bad as other expos I've been too!! 

My plan for the day before the race was to do as little as possible, and that's what I did! I was hoping to be asleep by 8:00pm. Well my cat had other plans. I think around 10:00pm is when I finally went to sleep. Of course I was wide awake at 1:30 and my alarm was supposed to go off at 3:00. 

At 3:00 am I got out of bed and started my normal pre-race preparations. We decided this year to park at the Merritt Square Mall and use the shuttle service. Normally I go to one of the hotels to get on a shuttle, the only down side to using the hotel shuttle is they stop at several hotels. Figured since we live about 5 miles from the mall that would be quicker. The shuttle to/from the mall was new this year! Hopefully it will be there next year, because it was perfect!!

Once we got to Cocoa Village we just walked around. I was hoping to join the Moms Run This Town photo group, but was stuck in a porta potty line. Bad timing on my part. Around 5:45 we walked to the start line. It was jammed packed with runners. This year 3307 runners started the race, according to the Running Zone race result page. The first year I ran there were 1995 runners. Yes the Big Bang Series has helped this race! I lined up with the Galloway 2:15 pace group. It was perfect because they were doing the 3:1 ratio!! 

It's hard to tell but that bright blob in the picture above is the jumbo tron that showed the countdown and the "launch" to start the race!! 

We were off!! I'll admit my training wasn't the best for this race, but I really wanted to PR. I really wanted sub 2:15. That's why I joined the pace group, at last minute I just jumped in with the group. The beginning of the race is in the dark and there are only a few street lights. This year I remembered my flashlight. It's small, I wear it on my finger. But it was dark. My husband actually fell because he couldn't see. 

The first mile flew by! We skipped our first walk break. I set up my watch for a 3:1 interval and the entire race I was off the pace leaders timer. Guess I should have asked what the plan was. Oops.... Our goal was 10:18 min miles. Our first mile was actually 10:27, BUT there were a lot of runners and getting through traffic was difficult. The second mile we ran 9:56, so we made up our time!! The best part of this group was if you got held up in traffic, when they leader started to walk you could always catch her. 

Race selfie!!

The sun was up and I was keeping up with group, life was good!! Around mile 10 I heard the pace leader say we were two minutes ahead of schedule. Awesome!! Ok not awesome that's when I lost my steam. Mile 11 I couldn't keep up with group. Another runner and I were both fighting to keep up. We weren't taking our one minute walk breaks because we were too far behind and were struggling to keep up. HOWEVER we were pushing each other. With about 1/2 mile to go the group was gone. They all sped up and left us. The pace leader fell back with us and said if we keep going we will have no problems making our goal time. And as she was saying this we were at the corner where my mom was a course volunteer. That was pretty much my boost and I just kept running. We made our turn into the park and I saw the 13 mile sign! I had nothing left to kick in and sprint to finish. I just trotted along and saw that finish line and crossed with a time of 2:13:24!! PR!!!!!

After getting water and taking a moment to catch my breath and take a few photos, I walked to the corner where my mom was volunteering. My husband was behind me and I wanted to see him. First I saw my friend Joe. He was struggling, so I went out and ran with him for a few feet making sure he was ok. Just as I was turning around I saw my husband. I have no idea how, but I ran with my husband. At this point my legs were killing me. I ran with him until we got the turn into the park and I cut the corner and he finished.

After grabbing a beer, we headed to shuttle and went home! I was exhausted. I guess the being up since 1:30, pushing myself in this race just wore me out.

This was our reward.

This was an awesome race for me!! I got my PR!! This is my favorite 1/2 and I'll run it every year until I can't run anymore.

Are you running next year with me?

Living on the Space Coast

One of the best parts of living in Cocoa Beach is that I get to see shuttle launches (well I got to see them) and rocket launches. Before I lived in Florida, I really didn't know much about NASA or the space program. Of course living here you really get immersed in it. On my street alone, three of the residents work(ed) at the Cape. One of the previous owners of our house worked there too.

We moved to Orlando in July, 2003. We were watching tv and the news broke in and said NASA is launching, NOW. We ran outside our apartment and watched it.  The first launch that I saw was at night. I think it was a rocket?!?!

The next year we moved to a town called Port St John. Which is just west of where they launch. From our backyard we had a great view!

This rocket is going to Pluto. Seriously the rocket in the picture is still on it's way. It launched January 19, 2006 and will arrive next year. Read about it here.

This is a picture of the Atlantis Space Shuttle. My husband was in the air at the time of the launch. It was September, 2006.

This is the Space Shuttle Discovery. Launched July 4, 2006. 

When we lived down here the first time, I was outside during every launch! I even set my alarm for 2:00am to watch a rocket get launched to Mercury. 

We moved to Indiana in October, 2006. It was sad having to watch the launches on tv. It just wasn't the same. In May, 2011 we moved back!! 

Somewhere behind the clouds is the Space Shuttle Discovery taking it's final mission.

This is the last time the Space Shuttle Atlantis launched.

Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Shuttle Endeavour

I walked down to the beach to watch both the Space Shuttle Discovery and Endeavour fly by our coast for the last time.

This is one of my favorite launches. I had a great view!

It's hard to see in this photo, but I even saw a rocket launch while I was at Disney!

Today history was made. The Orion had it's first test flight. It was cloudy I only saw it for a few seconds but, it was loud and awesome!! 

Since moving here, I've missed a handful of launches. I think two were because I fell asleep after they were delayed. I absolutely love living here!!

I can't wait to watch the Orion to continue to make history!

Have you ever seen a launch?

Turkey Trot 5k (2014) Recap

For the 4th time I ran the Cocoa Beach Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving morning. I guess it's become a tradition. My husband usually works on Thanksgiving, so it's a great way for me to get out and be active.

This is one of those small town races that when you sign up you have to be prepared that nothing will go right. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that the race management team is so incompetent. ANYWAY........Since this race NEVER starts on time, I did not show up an hour early like I usually do. More like 45 mins. When I arrived I picked up my packet and realized it was colder than I thought. I live 5 minutes from the start of the race, so I went home and grabbed more clothes. Best decision I ever made!!

I don't know what the temperature was, but it was clearly below 70.

This isn't the original outfit I had planned on wearing, but that's ok cause warmth trumps fashion in my book.

Original Outfit!

The last time I looked at my watch it was 7:48 am (race should have started at 7:30), shortly after I looked at my watch the National Anthem was sung and we were off. Again local race so no one has race etiquette. Walkers at the very front, moms with double strollers walking at the front. I have nothing against walkers or moms walking this strollers. I do however think they should not be with the sub 6:00 minute runners. Please go to back, thank you.

My plan for this race was like it has been for the last three years. Just have fun. With the Space Coast half being on Sunday, I didn't want to hurt myself or push it too hard. I looked at my watch about three times during the entire race. Even after it was over I didn't look to see my time. I really didn't care.

Every year people in the neighborhood come out and cheer us on. My favorite house is just before the 3 mile mark. They have grown their "water station" over the years. This year they had more people than last year giving out water and of course there were beer shots!! I didn't notice if they had jell-o shots this year or not. 

I have a love hate relationship with this race. I love that it's 5 minutes from my house, but I hate the disorganization of it. I'm sure I'll be back next year.

Did you run a turkey trot?

Weekly Workout Recap 11/24-11/30

This week, since it's the holidays and Space Coast Half, I decided to take it easy this week.

Monday 11/24 - Rest

Tuesday 11/25 - I walked Mousse.

Wednesday 11/26 - 3 mile walk on the treadmill

Thursday 11/27 - Turkey Trot 5k

Friday 11/28 - Saturday 11/29 - Rest days since the Space Coast was Sunday

Sunday 11/30 - Space Coast Half!!!

How was your workout week?