5.28.09 = 5.5 mile run

I got a cryptic message on facebook for more information on this 5.5 mile run. :) Kati and I have been running for several months and we hit 5.5 miles on thursday of this week! My knees were a little mad at me thursday night and friday morning...but they feel great now. Nothing a little rest didn't help with.

The speed demon: Kati made a work out mix on her ipod which she hasn't had in the past...just listening to anything and everything. I kept bugging her to make one, but I think finding the time was the problem. She did and that very night I had to yell at her to slow down b/c apparently some up beat tunes really make her run faster! :) I have had a running mix all along, and definitely find myself slowing down/speeding up with the speed of the music.

The plan is to do a half marathon in November of this year. Typing it on this blog makes it official...so no backing out now! :) Johnny has been researching training schedules (he's in a our running club too...just not every time we go) and we have picked one that we are changing up a bit...and will start doing it probably this next week. Bryan and I ran with Kati and Johnny saturday morning...but this is what it looked like: Amy, Kati and Johnny jogging together and Bryan running out of sight, running 1 mile farther than us AND beating us back to the car. We are going to let him still be in our club b/c I love him and he'll be my husband in October...otherwise we would boot him out for being in ridiculous shape and running too fast.

I am a little scared of this summer heat and how this will change our running plans. But the plan is to go either early in the morning or late in the evening so that none of us pass out. I also ordered a belt that holds two water bottles...apparently I will be hydrating everyone in the group...if they are nice to me.

PS We jogged 5.5 miles, but I like to say run b/c it just sounds better! :)

My first 4.3 mile run and some funny stuff...

I am not going to say where I ran this evening all I will say is that I picked the route and drove it knowing that 2 blocks of it were going to be considered in my book "sketchy." I thought sketchy might make us jog faster.

I carefully routed out this 3 mile run, and along with way added a few extra turns and loops in the hopes to bump it up to 4 miles. Kati was meeting me to run, and I knew I couldn't tell her we were going to do 4 miles or she would have strangled me. So, I told her I had 3 miles planned out and that two blocks of it were going to be interesting.

It was SO nice outside and other than one shoe tied too tight, I was feeling great. So, as we turned onto the sketchy street I crossed my fingers and waved at her and smiled, I really assumed it would be uneventful..... and it's really not THAT bad, just not somewhere I would want to be hanging out after dark. So we turn onto the street and I look to my right and there are 8-10 people in the front yard with shields and what I thought were hockey sticks (or golf clubs) covered in ducktape and some type of foam rubber or cushioning. The age ranges in the group were from kids to what appeared to be atleast a 50-60 year old man...and they were RAGING WAR on each other. I could hear the "whap, whap, hahahaha, whap, whap" over the music on my ipod. I was pretty much laughing out loud at this point, not b/c it was all that funny (more alarming) but because I just knew Kati was about to fall over behind me. I also knew that if I looked at her the run would be over, because I would be DOUBLED UP laughing in the middle of the street. So I just kept running and watching people hit each other with sticks out of the corner of my eye. So, I look on down the street and I see a yard FULL of junk, and about 15-20 people standing amongst the junk holding sticks and shields and looking down the street at the yard that was in the middle of a full on war.....it looked like they had drug everything out of their condo, layed it in the front yard and created weapons out of it. (padded weapons atleast) Every INCH of their yard was covered in junk. And I swear, at that VERY moment a police car pulled onto the street. I nearly fell out. I still NEVER looked at Kati. I couldn't because I would have fallen out laughing. It's the kind of laugh I knew I wouldnt' be able to stop for quite some time. Pretty much like when something is funny at church or in a meeting and you know you can't laugh....it's SO much more funny then. I love it.

Anyway, Kati did figure out my trickery, and she said some ugly things to me.....and then kept on running. Trooper.

Anyway, I am proud of our 4.3 miles...and I seriously wish I would have had my camera with me tonight. It was funny stuff.

PS Maybe having war with padded weapons is like their family time/therapy. Whatever works for them.

My Day With Hadleigh

I kept Hadleigh today while Elizabeth went kayaking with her friends (and Joe slept since he's working nights). While in Fayetteville she got to try out the mercedes convertible Bryan bought at The New School fundraiser (just what we needed...right?). We are taking it to Riley this weekend...and when Riley out grows it...we are going to let Hadleigh use it! She's not quite big enough to pedal it, but she loved grabbing the steering wheel. She was SO happy sitting in it...I text Granddad and told him to get to saving...this girl liked the convertible.

big girl!

After some playing in the floor Hadleigh and I ventured to the mall, and we went to Old Navy where she picked out her very own white ruffle dress, gold sandals, floppy hat and over sized sunglasses. I held up two dresses, a white and a navy one with ruffles and asked her which one...she grabbed on to the white one and didn't let it go until I pryed it from her hands at the check out. I totally agreed with her..white was the way to go. However I was thinking navy would be a bit more accident proof. Oh well.

The hat

the sunglasses

I aspire to make a mini-me :) woohahaha (don't tell my brother)


Just kiddin'.

the trick....

Gran Gran has requested a blog update.
(I don't know if this makes for interesting reading or not but it does have a bonus picture of Hadleigh...so it's worth posting!)

In January I printed this "couch to the 5K" training program. I wanted to run the Race for the Cure in April of this year. Every year I say, "next year, I will try to run it" and every year....I don't!

So I started doing the couch to the 5K program on my treadmill....it was basically alternating walking/jogging for increased times. The goal was to complete 3 workouts per week and by the end of like 10 weeks (or something like that) you would be able to run 3.3 miles. I did well, took a week off, did well, took a week off...and then one day I decided I completely HATE the treadmill. And I do. It's SO boring. With the TV on...I just want to sit on the couch and watch. My ipod does help but just doesn't motivate me when on the treadmill. Sometime in late February I bundled up and went for a slow jog outside, and ended up completing 2 miles with out stopping. So, since then I have decided running outside is definitely THE TRICK for me. I think it's the trick because if you jog far enough away you have no choice but to turn around and get back home. :)

April came and I couldn't do the 5K because it was the same day as Linda's graduation. So the monday after the Race for the Cure I went for a run outside. And when I hit 2.7 miles...I made myself keep going and completed 3.3 miles. I was excited. However, nobody get too excited...because I might be the slowest runner in history of the world. But atleast I'm running...and not having to stop and walk. Later in the week I ran with Kati and SHE jogged 3 miles with me!!! I told her we might become runners someday! I never thought I would be into to it...but I do love being outside and listening to my ipod! Now, if this weather will just cooperate..I will continue. :) Oh, and if someone could meet me at about the 2nd mile marker with a drink of water...that would be good. I get SO thirsty while running....no one else seems to have this problem but me. (no one=bryan, kati, johnny)

Miss Hadleigh June hanging on my bed wearing my Minnie Mouse ears looking like a sweet big girl!!

Linda's Graduation

Linda and I....old college roomies!!!!! :)

Bryan and I went to St Louis this weekend for Linda's graduation! She is now officially Dr. Linda Jones, DC and a graduate of Logan College of Chiropractic. I am SO proud of her! Her graduation was Saturday morning and there was a reception afterward. Later in the day we went to Mount Pleasant Winery. It was a BEAUTIFUL weekend and perfect for sitting outside. Here are some pictures from our weekend!
Travis, Linda, myself and Bryan with "our tree"
the graduates!

The view at Mount Pleasant
Hayden and Bryan after graduation!

Baby Mary Claire is here!

Cindy had baby Mary Claire on Friday morning. She weighed in at 10 lb 7 ounces of cuteness! I was very excited to meet her, and even got to hold her! Congratulations to the new family of four!!! :)

Nashville Trip!

I had a great time in Nashville a couple of weekends ago! I landed at about 11:00am and Mariellen picked me up and of course we headed straight for some lunch! We ate at Nero's (yum) and did some shopping at one of my favorite spots in Nashville. I had an encounter with denim leggings for the first time at Francesca's. Well really Mariellen tried them on, I just watched. I was filling a little sluggish from stuffing myself minutes earlier at lunch! I still haven't decided what I think about them...alternative to skinny jeans? I don't know.

We then went to Murfreesboro so I could see her house for the first time, I should have taken a picture. It's beautiful, complete with two white rocking chairs and an American flag out front! :) I did get to meet Mike's and Mari's new puppy Ringo...and say hello to my old roommate Sidney-pup. For dinner we met up with Erin and ate some super yummy sushi and caught up on life.

Myself, Mariellen and Erin at Lime trying some yummy drinks after dinner! My sangria was awesome! That is on my list of things to make some day....with all the yummy fruit floating in it!
Ringo Pup
Sidney and Ringo playing!

On Saturday Mariellen and I met up with Ashley at went to Arrington Vineyard which is owned by Kix Brooks. It was fun, we did a tasting (which involved a chocolate truffle that was made with the raspberry wine) and sat and enjoyed the sunshine. I loved their reisling and the KB special wine....of coure b/c it was the most expensive...dangit. :) They also had a live band playing which made it even more fun!! Mike then took Mariellen and I out for a great dinner that night!!

I had so much fun visiting, and sure wish my "mari, mari, mari" lived in the same place as me!


Ashley and Mariellen at Arrington