Roxymama's 5k to Marathon, Time to Collect Another Castle

[roxymama]

I did not run last night. First missed Tuesday in a long time as Tuesdays are my easy days and so easy to not make any excuses. But coughing up a lung/nose congestion and running just didn't seem like they would go together really well. Mouth breathing is hard enough just sitting here without coughing.
I do appear mostly human until I explode into gross fits.
Probably good that I went to bed relatively early since I was up at 2:30am coughing again and didn't fall back asleep. So much fun!!!

I'll get healthy soon. That's my mantra. Just hard when there isn't time to rest beyond normal sleep hours.

But on a fun note (instead of the sad sack stuff above) my hubby and I found a May race. Waiting for Monday to register since that will be after pay day. There's a Chicago Spring Half marathon but it also has a 10k. It's on the lakefront trail which I enjoy running on and does not seem like it will be an overly huge field (for a Chicago race that is.) But the kicker is there is a free breakfast buffet after. There is a medal too for the 10k but I literally have no idea what it is. They only show the half medal and pics from past race appears there is some kind of either smaller or differently colored one for the 10k. But I'm good with or without one. This one will not be an "A" race...just a chance to have one on the May schedule and change the scenery from running in my neighborhood. Also the free breakfast buffet. (If you knew what I spent on post-race Chicago brunches you would understand my excitement!)

 

[ZellyB]

Good call on resting up to get better. A missed short run won't hurt you overall but forcing it could certainly slow your recovery.

As for the race, you had me at "free breakfast buffet"!

 

[roxymama]

I literally have to force myself to eat anything before a race. Either because of nerves or just being up so early. Eating is the worst.
But the moment I am done with a run....GIVE ME ALL THE FOOD!

 

[roxymama]

Confession time: I've been "practicing" walking while drinking water. On my way to filling my cup at our work cooler I make sure to take sips as I walk quickly back to my desk. (No one is nearby to see this.) I'm that terrible at water stops. Just laughing at myself and had to share.

 

[roxymama]

Gosh it's been a while since I updated my journal and I have to admit it's because I didn't have a lot of positives to report. But I guess that's why I am keeping this journal...to keep track of the goods and the bads. But I'm feeling better today after yesterday's run so here I am again

My glands in my neck are still a bit swollen so I still get that inner ear ache throughout the day when I swallow or cough, but it is so much better than it was last week. I've caught up on a lot of sleep since my coughing isn't non-stop anymore. So I'd say I wouldn't describe myself as totally better or not-sick, but I would say I am much better than I was.
Last night my hubby came back from work trip and I put on my gym clothes and got myself out the door. Did 35 minutes on the treadmill at my EA pace...well I may have gone a little bit easier than my easy pace (not by much) because it didn't feel as easy and I decided going by feel is the mantra this week...not by numbers. I figure on Thursday I will do closer to 45-50 minutes depending on how I am feeling and try more of an EB type pace...more than easy A not quite LR. I know that's not how a normal taper works, but that should put me in a position to do my 10k at my LR pace on Sunday without my body completely feeling like it's coming out of nowhere and gives me room to go faster if my body feels capable. But mostly this 10k is going to be a "training run" for me. I will gladly get my PR no matter what, I will take my flying pig medal, and I will eat the requisite bacon waffle after and make sure to enjoy the beautiful Cincinatti river and bridge scenery the whole time. My corral is C (out of A-H) because of my proofs of time...I'll probably still go in that corral so I don't have to stand around as long waiting for it to start. But I'm gonna hang in the back and keep to the side so as to keep to my 11:14 (or what feels like - that's key) out the gate. Anything faster I will pick up as I go...or not.

And I'm super excited to bring my daughter to her first kids race. I know there is in all likelihood a 50% chance she balks at it as soon as we are there....and clings to me and says she doesn't want to. But since there is a 50% chance she will go gung-ho and have a fantastic time we will try. And if she says no...at least she gets a cute t-shirt and poster for the $10 I already sunk into it

My hubby ran while he was on his business trip along the Mississippi river. I love that he brings his running stuff with him now and I love that he texted me that a colleague was with him who did the same. I think he's going to rock this 10k and would not be surprised if he beats me and I'd be 1000% fine with that. I pushing all my "race mojo" his way for this one.

So back to my workout...I discovered a new thing at my gym!! They have one tv in the middle (I almost never run in the middle as those get taken first for some reason)...and it's HGTV! I was able to watch the Fixer Upper while I ran and see the whole episode. Exciting right? I'm not against crime dramas/hospital shows/gory stuff...it's just not my favorite. Although I love GOT which is the grossest ever. But for some reason those being on tv while I'm running bums me out. My brain just associates having to see people die now with going to the gym and I hate that. So I was happy in my little HGTV bubble, well except the time I glanced over at the ABC screen and some guy was getting a needle stuck in his eye and then another guy was being choked. Yeah...really motivating while running, not depressing at all.

New topic: My buddies girlfriend signed up for the WDW half marathon yesterday after we talked all about it on Saturday night out having drinks. I am excited that she went for it (10k is her longest distance to date) and I told her that would have been my choice if I were her since you get to run through the castle. I am an enabler but I think she didn't even really need me to enable her, she was pretty excited about it. She sent me a link to a Thursday night run in July which breaks all of my rules...
1) No weeknight races
2) No races on the north-side of Chicago, especially on weeknights
3) I'm running a challenge that weekend previous...so would be Sat 5k, Sun 10k, Thur 10k
BUT it's a women's race called Esprit De She or something. It would be a group of girl friends just running together at similar pace. And the medal...dang that medal. It has a removable charm and it's silver and orange and big. Aggghh

So I have time to decide. I'm nuts if I do. Probably would force myself to take a vacation day that day just to beat the traffic insanity.

I plan on posting some new cooking pics today, I have a lot of new fun dishes I've made. So stay tuned for that.
I also haven't coughed since I started typing this so there is still hope for me yet.

 

[Ariel484]

Glad you're feeling better, I think running by feel is a good call.

Fixer Upper! I love that show even if parts of it get a little repetitive (I swear you could make a drinking game out of it for every time Joanna says "shiplap" or whatever it's called). But if they came and re-did my house, I wouldn't be mad.

 

[roxymama]

Glad you're feeling better, I think running by feel is a good call.

Fixer Upper! I love that show even if parts of it get a little repetitive (I swear you could make a drinking game out of it for every time Joanna says "shiplap" or whatever it's called). But if they came and re-did my house, I wouldn't be mad.

An open kitchen - Drink
You can see the living room from here now - DRINK
You don't want to cover that brick up - DRINK
This is just how I drew it - DRINK
Joanna puts a "charger" under a plate - DRINK
That thing under the plate is something weird (a book, a wreath, a piece of wood) - CHUG

We are currently in "re-model" our bathroom discussions, so we watch a lot of HGTV lately. I'm also obsessed with all the "tiny house" shows. I would like a tiny house myself...to put in the backyard of my normal size house like a club-house for a grown woman. But only if I could install a tv.

 

[Ariel484]

An open kitchen - Drink
You can see the living room from here now - DRINK
You don't want to cover that brick up - DRINK
This is just how I drew it - DRINK
Joanna puts a "charger" under a plate - DRINK
That thing under the plate is something weird (a book, a wreath, a piece of wood) - CHUG

We are currently in "re-model" our bathroom discussions, so we watch a lot of HGTV lately. I'm also obsessed with all the "tiny house" shows. I would like a tiny house myself...to put in the backyard of my normal size house like a club-house for a grown woman. But only if I could install a tv.

and every light fixture has to have an exposed/bare/Edison bulb - DRINK
Chip does something goofy - DRINK

etc. etc.

I LOVE me some HGTV. And Tiny House Hunters is fascinating.

 

[roxymama]

And Tiny House Hunters is fascinating.

And every time I watch it, and a person says "but I need a little more room for X" before they can say whatever it is hubby chimes in with "a normal sized house."

My favorite one so far was the guy who kept saying he needed more room for his "home-brew"...and then when they showed the final reveal...he was home-brewing in the woods behind his tiny house. ?????

 

[Ariel484]

HAHAHAHAHA

HGTV is funny.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Gosh it's been a while since I updated my journal and I have to admit it's because I didn't have a lot of positives to report. But I guess that's why I am keeping this journal...to keep track of the goods and the bads. But I'm feeling better today after yesterday's run so here I am again

My glands in my neck are still a bit swollen so I still get that inner ear ache throughout the day when I swallow or cough, but it is so much better than it was last week. I've caught up on a lot of sleep since my coughing isn't non-stop anymore. So I'd say I wouldn't describe myself as totally better or not-sick, but I would say I am much better than I was.
Last night my hubby came back from work trip and I put on my gym clothes and got myself out the door. Did 35 minutes on the treadmill at my EA pace...well I may have gone a little bit easier than my easy pace (not by much) because it didn't feel as easy and I decided going by feel is the mantra this week...not by numbers. I figure on Thursday I will do closer to 45-50 minutes depending on how I am feeling and try more of an EB type pace...more than easy A not quite LR. I know that's not how a normal taper works, but that should put me in a position to do my 10k at my LR pace on Sunday without my body completely feeling like it's coming out of nowhere and gives me room to go faster if my body feels capable. But mostly this 10k is going to be a "training run" for me. I will gladly get my PR no matter what, I will take my flying pig medal, and I will eat the requisite bacon waffle after and make sure to enjoy the beautiful Cincinatti river and bridge scenery the whole time. My corral is C (out of A-H) because of my proofs of time...I'll probably still go in that corral so I don't have to stand around as long waiting for it to start. But I'm gonna hang in the back and keep to the side so as to keep to my 11:14 (or what feels like - that's key) out the gate. Anything faster I will pick up as I go...or not.

And I'm super excited to bring my daughter to her first kids race. I know there is in all likelihood a 50% chance she balks at it as soon as we are there....and clings to me and says she doesn't want to. But since there is a 50% chance she will go gung-ho and have a fantastic time we will try. And if she says no...at least she gets a cute t-shirt and poster for the $10 I already sunk into it

My hubby ran while he was on his business trip along the Mississippi river. I love that he brings his running stuff with him now and I love that he texted me that a colleague was with him who did the same. I think he's going to rock this 10k and would not be surprised if he beats me and I'd be 1000% fine with that. I pushing all my "race mojo" his way for this one.

So back to my workout...I discovered a new thing at my gym!! They have one tv in the middle (I almost never run in the middle as those get taken first for some reason)...and it's HGTV! I was able to watch the Fixer Upper while I ran and see the whole episode. Exciting right? I'm not against crime dramas/hospital shows/gory stuff...it's just not my favorite. Although I love GOT which is the grossest ever. But for some reason those being on tv while I'm running bums me out. My brain just associates having to see people die now with going to the gym and I hate that. So I was happy in my little HGTV bubble, well except the time I glanced over at the ABC screen and some guy was getting a needle stuck in his eye and then another guy was being choked. Yeah...really motivating while running, not depressing at all.

New topic: My buddies girlfriend signed up for the WDW half marathon yesterday after we talked all about it on Saturday night out having drinks. I am excited that she went for it (10k is her longest distance to date) and I told her that would have been my choice if I were her since you get to run through the castle. I am an enabler but I think she didn't even really need me to enable her, she was pretty excited about it. She sent me a link to a Thursday night run in July which breaks all of my rules...
1) No weeknight races
2) No races on the north-side of Chicago, especially on weeknights
3) I'm running a challenge that weekend previous...so would be Sat 5k, Sun 10k, Thur 10k
BUT it's a women's race called Esprit De She or something. It would be a group of girl friends just running together at similar pace. And the medal...dang that medal. It has a removable charm and it's silver and orange and big. Aggghh

So I have time to decide. I'm nuts if I do. Probably would force myself to take a vacation day that day just to beat the traffic insanity.

I plan on posting some new cooking pics today, I have a lot of new fun dishes I've made. So stay tuned for that.
I also haven't coughed since I started typing this so there is still hope for me yet.

Welcome back to the land of the not sick (well almost). Glad to see you'll be feeling well enough to race this weekend. I think you have the perfect approach, let your body dictate the pace. That's so awesome about your daughter and husband as well. The WDW marathon weekend is spreading. Soon friends of friends will take part!

Have to admit though I'm a bigger fan of Tarek and Christina (Flip or Flop) than the Fixer Upper people. I'm more of their home style.

 

[roxymama]

Welcome back to the land of the not sick (well almost). Glad to see you'll be feeling well enough to race this weekend. I think you have the perfect approach, let your body dictate the pace. That's so awesome about your daughter and husband as well. The WDW marathon weekend is spreading. Soon friends of friends will take part!

Have to admit though I'm a bigger fan of Tarek and Christina (Flip or Flop) than the Fixer Upper people. I'm more of their home style.

I have not watched Flip or Flop yet! I'll add that to my short list of non-cartoon toddler shows.

I'm a wee bit nervous for my race now, but I think I will not be after my run on Thursday. Just knowing I have it in me to run close to an hour at easy pace will give me confidence that I can do the 6.2 easy. That's all I need is a little confidence. I really didn't want to have to bow out...If it was last weekend I would have though.

Once I get back in town next week I'll have to push my sleeves up and get my excel out and adjust some numbers and I may run them past you to see if you think "thumb's up or down or needs editing" etc. For my road to my July race weekend.

 

[surfde22]

Chip does something goofy - DRINK

Won't you be wasted about 5-10 minutes in if that's a rule for the drinking game?

 

[Ariel484]

Won't you be wasted about 5-10 minutes in if that's a rule for the drinking game?

mwahahahaha

 

[SarahDisney]

I feel so left out ... I don't watch HGTV. Can we do a Food Network drinking game?

In terms of the kiddo at the kids races ... I feel like I should weigh in here, since I have some experience (as a kid, not as a parent ... I don't have any secret kids that nobody knows about). I sucked pretty bad at these races (seriously ... I came in last at least once). But it's still something fun, and it's a family experience. We generally did the kids races right before my dad did a race, so it was a chance for us kiddos to do what Daddy was doing. If she seems reluctant, see if painting it that way will help - it's her chance to be like mommy and daddy!

Good luck on Sunday and enjoy your race (and bacon waffle)!

 

[roxymama]

Flying Pig Weekend, Cincinnati, OH Recap part 1: Arrival Day and Expo


Every year we visit family in the Cincinnati, OH area over Memorial Day weekend which has been a lot of fun. Last year I had let my Aunt know about the couch 25k app that I had started and about a 5k walk that I had done in March where I ran a bit but also walked a lot. Without prompting her she went on a mission to find me a race while we were in town and found pretty much the perfect fit. It was called the Candy Race and was a 300+ person 5k in a park on jogging trails along a river on very flat ground and was very "fun-run-esque." Oh and it had a ton of free candy at the end. So that was my very first ever running/jogging 5k (yes, I still walked several times during mile 3 but you get the idea.)

During that weekend a lot of Cincy people told me about the Flying Pig which is their major race weekend, full of challenges and tons of events and probably the closest thing to a Disney race weekend without the Disney. Like a Rock n Roll series on steroids may be a good comparison. So I spent the year running a bazillion 5ks with the Flying Pig kind of stuck in the back of my brain as something maybe we'd do one day.
My hubby (who is the bestest) brought up an idea not too long ago that maybe we just fast forward our annual memorial day trip and come the weekend of the Pig. Pick a race or two to run and just see if it lived up to the hype. Also still getting to do the other fun family stuff we usually do. Everyone was on board so we got to work picking out a race.
Here's where it gets complicated. You have A LOT of choices.
Friday - Little Kings 1-miler. Elite field then general field.
Sat - 10k at 8am, then 5k at 10am. Kids dashes. Pig-abilities race (disablilities). Fur race (person + animal.) Kid's 26th mile race (finish through marathon finish line.)
Sun - Half and Full Marathon. Marathon relay and Corporate team marathon.
EVERYTHING GETS A MEDAL, Everything is timed with awards. Yes, even the dog race.
Then they have the Skyline Chili challenges named after popular ways to order chili in Ohio.
The Three-way: 10k, 5k (you literally finish the 10k, drop off your bib and medal onto a parked school bus, then walk to the 5k and start running again.) + Half marathon.
The Four-way: 10k, 5k, Full
Three-way and Four-way with extra cheese: also run the 1 miler on Friday
Then they have streakers medals for people who've run all 18 marathons.
Then they have squandron medals for people who've run 5 marathons and also for 10 marathons.
I got dizzy looking at all the bibs and combos and I've seen rundisney stuff.

Long story short...we chose the 10k so we could maximize family time and still get a good distance and taste of the event. But we may go a little bigger in 2016 (spoiler alert.) Oh and it would be our first 10k race ever!!

So on Friday we drove from Chicago area to Ohio and went straight to the race expo. I liked that we had the option to pick up our stuff at the race sight on Sat. morning too for no extra cost (which is surprising considering there were at least 10,000 + people running Sat. morning.) The Expo was at a convention center and was very well themed to all things Flying Pig. I'm still not 100% clear on why Cincinnati and Flying Pigs go together so I just googled it again. If you care to read a lot of info. here is a link http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1999/05/07/spt_the_story_behind.html
My daughter loved going around finding every statue of a flying pig and every flying pig balloon sculpture, etc that she could.

Of course her favorite thing there was a giant inflatable Charmin Bear.
It took us no time to get our bibs (they seemed way less strict than Chicago races about checking ID's, print outs and getting our blood types, etc...I kid!) and our free t-shirts We also all got a big box containing a free poster. They are nice thick paper and I guess there is a new one each year that people collect. My kiddo got her 200 yard dash kid race t-shirt, bib and poster too.


We did spend some money in the race-merch shop because the prices were more reasonable than the Chicago expos we attend. $31 is still pricey for a Asics tech shirt...but you got to pick you color, size, and screen print and the non-free shirts for my last race were all closer to $50 and up. I got a pink piggy shirt and my hubby got an orange "run the pig" shirt (his is not shown because he wore it for a training run and I didn't want to touch it...ewww.) I also grabbed the requisite sweaty band, although this is technically a different company...but same idea.
The official free shirt was very very soft cotton but not tech. The theme this year was Oinked for Life and was tatto-ish.


I didn't notice until I got home that my headband says "marathon" on it. So now I need to find a way to earn it. Eating 26.2 lbs of bbq pork maybe? Or maybe I'll just come back one day and run it. Or I'll get a sharpie out and write "1/4" next to marathon. Oops. (Oh, or I can just think of it as the Flying Pig Marathon weekend...then it's ok?)

We didn't buy anything from the booths save for a piggy cake pop for the kiddo as a reward for being well behaved. We promised it to her on the way in and she didn't get it until the way out. Parenting win!


TBC with our pre-race dinner, exploring the race sight and the Little King's 1-miler.
Then the actual race recap

 

[roxymama]

Flying Pig Weekend, Cincinnati, OH Recap part 2: Exploring Cincy, Pigs & 1-miler


After settling in to our Aunt's house we hemmed and hawed over our dinner options and decided to make the biggest gamble of our lives (ok, not really, I am being overly dramatic) and we gave in to our hunger for world famous skyline chili! I had oyster crackers and two skyline coney's (chili dogs...and they are squatty so basically equivalent to one chili dog) the night before a race. Stupid? Yes! Deliscious? Yes! Were we totally ok the next morning? Yes! And thank goodness.
My daughter was wiser than us and ordered her kids "sketti" with only cheese and NO MEAT!
I don't have pics of my dogs so here's a pic of my chili cheese fries from Sunday because I have no will power.


We drove downtown to the river front area because the weather was amazing. High 70's, sunny, blue skies. Exactly the opposite of the weather forecast. It was our hope it would be like that the next two days too, but forecast called for rain all weekend.
We took advantage of checking out the kids carousel (I rode on the pig naturally), the outdoor playgrounds, and some really cool kinetic play sculptures...including a giant metal flying pig!




They had a giant pig pintata set up and later that day would be wacking it open and the first three small pigs to fall out would be the grand raffle winners.


There were also bands playing a giant beer tent set out. And a million girls in prom dresses which was fun for my daughter who loves princesses, but not race related...haha.
We stuck around the area because we had read in the race program a little more about the Little King's Mile. I had written that off as just a fun run thing for kids and didn't sign up. It actually ended up being very cool and something I think we've roped my cousins and Aunts into maybe doing with us next year. My hubby would have done it right then and there but there was no same day registration.
You go to a brew pub which is right near the beer tent in the middle of downtown/riverfront. Get you bib and tshirt and drink and hop one of the many school buses to drive you up one mile down the road. You run the mile race at 8pm and get a big beer opener medal (for only a mile run!), a free skyline coney (see, I'm not the only one to eat that today) and two drink tickets. Pretty sweet deal.

What was really cool is that they had an Elite Corral and the prize money was $2500. We sat along the finish area and could not see the start since it was around a corner and a mile away, but we all started buzzing when we noticed the finish line clock already had passed the minute mark. The winner came in at 4:40 something with another fellow fairly close at his heels. And there were a lot of people in the 5 min range. The women who won passed another woman literally right before the finish line. We stayed and cheered for almost everyone.
We headed to bed slightly early hoping that the rain would hold off just long enough for us to run our 10k at 8am. The forecast said rain may start anywhere from 9am to 11am.

I forgot to take pics of the one mile finish line so this pic is grabbed off the web from last year. But I just had to show the Pig People that were literally at the finish line of every race all weekend.

TBC with my actual race recap.

 

[ZellyB]

Loving all the info on the flying pig race weekend. That looks like a blast!! Can't wait to read how your race went.

 

[roxymama]

Loving all the info on the flying pig race weekend. That looks like a blast!! Can't wait to read how your race went.

Thanks @ZellyB - I never know if all my information is informative/entertaining or if I'm like the Great Aunt who makes you sit through her slide show of her second cousins' vacation from 10 years ago?

I have sooooo many more pictures but I'm trying to edit myself a bit!

 

[roxymama]

Flying Pig Weekend, Cincinnati, OH Recap part 3: 10k Race and Final Thoughts


Woke up bright and early at 6am and got showered and dressed in what I thought would work for the weather. Which was literally identical to my Disney 5k in January this year. Just below 50 degrees, dewey/humid and rain 50/50. So I literally wore my 5k outfit minus the minnie mouse skirt and bows. Same capris, same t-shirt, same light weight pullover. If it's not broke...

My Uncle was nice enough to tell us he would drive us as close to the start area as he could and then come pick us up afterwards since bringing the kiddo down while it was gross out didn't seem like much fun for her. She woke up and only had playing with my cousin's 15+ year old Polly Pockets on her mind, so she was like "see ya mom and dad!"
I drank water but couldn't stomach much food, like always. I really need to get myself better at force feeding while nervous. I think of all the nervousness pre-races this past year, I was actually the least nervous this time. So maybe I'll grow out of this at least a little bit more this year.

Uncle C dropped us off and we picked a meeting spot for pick-up and we headed down two blocks to the corrals. They were lined up right in front of the Great American BallPark where the Reds play. We were early and so we just decided to hang out in the port-a-potty lines because that's where everyone else seemed to be. It didn't really take too long and we had no gear check. A weird thing about today's 10k and 5k was no gear check was allowed UNLESS you were running both and had the bib yellow bibs that indicated your were a challenge runner. The Gear check were school busses that you handed stuff through the windows. Was a funny sight. They were adamant on telling everyone that any clothes/bags/bottles ets would be swept up and donated or trashed after the start because they had to open up the same corrals for the 5k once the 10k started. Made sense, glad we had really nothing much with us anyways.

Hubby was Corral D and I was C. I mean "Pig Pen." So we just kind of stood in the amorphous area where the two came together. There were no actual medal barriers or anyone that I could tell was policing them. Another interesting thing was after the National Anthem when they started the A corral...there were no hard stops to wait for each corral. We all just walked briskly and started jogging once we got to the front. Was a bit crowded so maybe waves/pulses would have been better. But since it hadn't started raining yet I was okay getting going with it.

Oh, my strategy. Forgot to talk about that. You really thought I was going to actual start talking about the race didn't you?
At the beginning of April I ran my first 8k and I had been building my endurance up for it for a full training cycle and I crushed it (my version of crushing it) and a 50:02 for 5 miles. For reference I run in the mid low to mid 29ish range for 5ks save for a few crazy sub 29 outings last Fall. So my initial plan was to just keep up the fitness and try for right around the hour+ mark for this 10k. Then I got a cold...an upper respiratory demon. I won't go into detail but it was gross, and if you read my journal you know it side-tracked me big time. So my plan started dwindling into no plan pretty quickly. My hubby asked me literally 10 min before the race start what I was going to do and I said "Ummmm? An hour 15? That's like my 11:15 training long run pace + fudge factor for me just slowing up a bit etc." And he said "I bet you get 1:06" I said...well I'm starting off at 11:15 and I'm not going faster unless I feel totally normal and I'm not gonna try to push anything.



Ok, not back to the race. We started together and I got stuck behind a family of 4 in jeans walking off the bat...WHAT? I literally saw the daughter shrug and start slowly jogging while the mom had a look of horror on her face. Got around them and just kept my body running at an easy pace. About the .250 mile mark I caught back up to my hubby who I think he thought I was ahead of him. And I waved like a maniac to him because he had his earbuds in and then I kept on jogging past him after a big smile and fist pump. Had a nice little downhill part and then A BRIDGE! The same bridge from the picture in the beggining of part 1 of my recap. I knew there would be three bridges and I knew they would be steep ones from talking to my Aunt.
OK, this is where I pause and I will finish and add pictures tonight



Some things to look forward to
A) Will my husband be right about my time?
B) Will I run up the hills?
C) Will I cross the Finish Swine?
D) What will I be eating for dinner tonight...because I really need to decide that now.