~ My 1st 1/2 Marathon! ~

So, I did my 1st have marathon on the 27th. Did it go as planned, no it did not.  But did I finish, yes I did!

The weather was just flat our horrible... rained the whole time (not to mention it was cold)!  Even while waiting for it to start!  We were drenched by the time we actually started.

The whole experience was simply amazing.  I seen people in wheelchairs from people running bare foot!  The spectators, AKA our cheerleaders, were everywhere.  Most were making it a tailgate party, but still... the cheering, the signs, everything just make you want to push yourself.

Mile 8 my thighs were bothering me along with my left knee, but I tried keeping up the pace... I would alternate jogging and walking.  Come mile 10, my legs were done, I had to power walk the rest.  I did try to run, but it wouldn't work.  I did jog (slowly) past that finish line though!  I was determined not to walk across!

Should I have trained harder? Yes, I take full responsibility in that! :) I plan on doing the one next year, so all I can do is beat my PR, right?  The only one I technically have.

My goal was to finish in at least 2:30, I really wanted to finish in 2:15, but the 2:30 would have been fine.  I finished at 2:44:08.

5K was 34:16
10K was 1:10:08
9.9 Mile was 1:57:17

As you can see my pace was slowing down.  But listen, I'm not discouraged at my time, I am extremely proud of myself, I just know I have to train harder next time!

Oh, and I bought a Iphone case that is water proof along with a set of headphones.  The case was great, didn't get my phone wet, the headphones sucked!  Let me know if you want the brand name!
After I got done, I couldn't feel my hands, couldn't take my phone out of the case, couldn't open my water, my snacks, etc.  I literally just wanted to lay down and wait for someone to find me, I was that cold... shivering.  If it wouldn't have been raining, it would have fine.

Here are a few pictures that my mom got.  I refuse to buy the professional ones, because they charge like $29.95 just to download 1 photo, yes 1!! If there was just a flat out AMAZING one, yes I'd download, but come on... your running.. how cute can you look? I wish we would have gotten a finish photo... but sadly we didn't.

My fellow running buddy!

Crossing the line, the one in the blue shirt and black shorts.

Reunited with my peeps!  COLD!!

My bib and my finishers metal!

Oh, also I ran with my Pace DJ app going!  I strongly suggest this if you have a problem keeping a pace!

Long story short... if you put your mind to something, do it, DO NOT let others tell you that you can't! Prove them wrong! Finish it! It doesn't matter your time, just finish!  Be proud of yourself for this accomplishment!  Next year... I'm hoping I can get my stepsister to do it! 

~ Weekend Shenanigans ~

The weekend has past, sad day! :(  But today is Monday and also April 1 aka April Fool's Day!  I have yet made it to work this morning and I had a 1/2 day Friday, so it gave a coworker ample time to get what he needed to get done to get back at me for this 5 years ago.

Today is my first time to link up with Sami for Weekend Shenanigans and I look forward to doing it more often:

First, let me get to my amazing week:

• It snowed Monday and Tuesday, although the previous Saturday it was quite warm. The crazy weather here in TN!

Took this to prove to my brother we had more here in TN than at where we work in KY.

• Sarah stayed out of her cage all week.  She has stayed in her cage (when we were gone) for the 2 years we've had her because she had separation issues. 
• Tuesday I signed up for bloglovin and hootsuite, although I haven't had a chance to learn how to use hootsuite yet!
• Wednesday I emailed Sarah over at Fortune Favors The Brave to help me with my blog design.  
• Wednesday I also finally ran my 8 miles in preparation for my 1/2 marathon April 27th! 
• Thursday was spent working, nothing interesting.
• Friday I actually accompanied my friend for surgery (went to work while she was in surgery, 2 blocks away).  It was a fun time!  I love it when people wake up outta anesthesia.  She actually was technically "under", but named the song that was playing (Tom Petty), they were amazed by that.  That hour and 1/2 of her "coming to" was quite interesting to say the least!

And finally the WEEKEND:

• First let me say I was a trooper this weekend taking care of my friend... lots of funny things happened... but when she is around.... the crap that comes outta her mouth is worth starting a blog about in itself (I'd call it the S*&# Candice says).  EXCEPT when she decided to vomit... being the nice person I am, I held her hair.. meanwhile turning my head because I was about to vomit myself! IF you were there, you probably would have been rolling! Also... Sarah fell off the back of the couch (bad dream) while we were napping in the recliners... not funny at first.. but then after she was ok, we laughed... poor Sarah.  Skipping a little forward here... I took her grocery shopping on Sunday (did a little myself) because she couldn't lift anything heavy.  I desperately wanted some sparkling grape juice... top shelf... all the way back.  I stood on the buggy... and on the 2nd shelf... couldn't reach it.  So... she held one end while I climbed in the buggy and got my goods!  Can you imagine seeing two 28 year old's doing this?  Wouldn't that be something on the people of walmart website?  

Ok sorry, a little carried away... here is the rest of my weekend:

• Saturday I went over to my mothers to celebrate Easter.  We had a little too much fun with the kids toys they got in their basket, oops!  And those masks were definitely made for kids, because as you see our eyes are VERY squinty because they were so tight! 

• Saturday, I actually caught up on ALL my shows throughout the week!  Only to have 6, yes 6, more recording for Sunday which will throw me behind again! One of which is Game of Thrones that, thank God, came on at 8, 9, and 10. I already have my max shows recording at 8 and 9. 
• Saturday/Sunday Amber at My Three Bittles and I tested out the "reply" button through the comments section.  If you reply directly on the comment, that person doesn't see that unless they go check the comment they made.  BUT if you reply to the email you received about the comment, that's when they get it directly in their inbox.  SUCCESS!
• Sunday I made a little breakfast (my house still smells like maple syrup from the maple bacon) and I also used a Pinterest trick I found.  The first time I done it, it took forever to "dry" so this time I made my "bowl" a little bigger. This was a time lapse of about 3-4 hours.  

•  Sunday, my husband also came home from going to Kansas for work.  Having him gone for 3 years working overseas, then back for 2 months, then gone for a week.  I have to say I've missed him for sure!!!

Hope your weekend went well and this week goes even better!  

~ Pace DJ app & possible weekend recipe ~

Oh lovely time change... yeah 4 days into it... I am not liking it right now!  I will after this weekend when I catch up on some sleep, if that's even possible!

Weekend recipe... I can't remember the EXACT name of it, it'll be a pretty simple one.  It's with the macaroni looking noodles, chicken, and brussel sprouts!  Don't dis the sprouts just yet!  I HATED them until I cut them up and sauteed them with butter (or EVOO) and some almonds!  Seriously, try it!  I have converted over my mom and my husband into liking them.  My mom actually bought some and has cooked them multiple times and my husband actually asks for them now.  Although, he wasn't liking the whole new recipe idea I threw at him last night. We will see.

1/2 marathon training update: Not doing so good!  My infamous 5.17 miles I did on Sunday actually put a downer on me.  Besides the back and abs hurting some I rubbed myself where my bra was, to where there was an open wound.  I did try to do some running last night.  Walked 1.5 miles and ran .69.  I couldn't do it, even with a bandaid it hurt, so the best bet is just to let it heal and see how it looks this weekend.  It makes me mad, but now I know how to prevent that from happening next time.

Also.... it's getting warmer and with the time change I can run outside until about 7:30ish.  My problem with running is I can't do it at a pace.  If I run without music I get bored... if I run with music I either run too fast or too slow and end up having to walk.  I tried doing the whole audio book thing, but #1 can't see spending that much on a audio book and #2 the one I previewed was just terrible!! So I started googling songs that would have me running 5mph.  Then I was like  "Hmm... wonder if there is an app?"  There is! It's called Pace DJ.  It goes through the songs on your phone (or Ipod) and counts the BPM (beats per minute).  To do a 12 minute mile I would need 130 BPM. So I set it to -/+3.  The only flaw it has is that it doesn't have the whole GPS, tracker thing.  But you can open another app, like MapMy Run.  The only downfall to 2 apps open, your battery! I haven't used it yet, but it seems like it's going to be great and I can't wait to run outside!

For those of you interested in this app, here is a run down of how many BPM to get your desired time or mph.  By the way, I found them here! 

12:00 minutes/mile = 05.00 mph = 130 bpm
11:30 minutes/mile = 05.22 mph = 135 bpm
11:00 minutes/mile = 05.45 mph = 140 bpm
10:30 minutes/mile = 05.71 mph = 145 bpm
10:00 minutes/mile = 06.00 mph = 150 bpm
09:30 minutes/mile = 06.32 mph = 155 bpm
09:00 minutes/mile = 06.67 mph = 160 bpm
08:30 minutes/mile = 07.06 mph = 165 bpm
08:00 minutes/mile = 07.50 mph = 170 bpm
07:30 minutes/mile = 08.00 mph = 175 bpm
07:00 minutes/mile = 08.57 mph = 180 bpm
06:30 minutes/mile = 09.23 mph = 185 bpm
06:00 minutes/mile = 10.00 mph = 190 bpm
05:30 minutes/mile = 10.91 mph = 195 bpm
05:00 minutes/mile = 12.00 mph = 200 bpm



One last thing. Scanning pinterest this morning I found a cute little Easter idea to do for my nephew and niece's.  Just a little bit excited about this one... once again, THANK YOU PINTEREST! :)  Stay tuned for what it is!

~ Weekend in Review ~

My weekend was actually quite eventful (I cleaned this weekend too, unlike last!).

FYI!  I hate time change!!  Went to bed at 10 last night, which is extremely late for me!  I'm going to feel it today, I hope I can stay up for 3 hours of the bachelor!

On Friday, my friend Stacey and I were an extra on the show Nashville.  It was volunteer work.  They do have paid work. If you wanna keep a look out for stuff with them I suggest following their facebook page.  Anyway, we were in a concert scene.  Can't really say much about it since I don't wanna be black listed from doing any other work.  I know if you are paid you can't talk about it, not sure about volunteer work.  Better safe than sorry, right?  When it airs, if I see myself, you can bet I will post about it! Anyway, it as fun to see the behind the scenes stuff!

Saturday......the dogs had their shots, nails trimmed, and anal glands done.  March is rabies month, so expecting to get their shots done for that... we didn't have to. Guess that they usually give the shots that last 3 years, but legally you have to get them every year.  The just lifted that "ban". So, yay for not having to get them done for 3 years!
We went to my moms later that day (after a lovely 2 hour nap).  My lovely niece and I played around some and she helped me top some potato skins with bacon..... she thought the little potatoes were so cute! She actually ate those bite size ones for dinner! :)

Sunday.... I went to the gym and actually ran 5.17 miles (without stopping)!  The without stopping part is actually kinda big for me!  I usually do 1 mile or less and have to walk some to catch my breathe!  I wanted to do 8 miles, but didn't.  I did 59 minutes at 5.2-5.3 mph.... then the last minute I did 7.2.  Needless to say, I was very proud of myself!  Later Sunday we picked up Lenny and Larry and made Lobster Bisque.  A very expensive meal to make (ugh!), but GOOD!  :) Check it out!

~ Weekend in Review ~

The first 5 days after the weekend are always the hardest!  Amen! J

My weekend consisted of NOT cleaning, which is what I should have done.  I did get caught up on some of my shows, grabbed some groceries, washed clothes, etc (ya know, the usual stuff).

Last night was a new recipe night, check it out here!

½ Marathon update:  I ran a total of 12 miles this week (5 of which was on Friday). Super proud of myself!  Don’t ask me how long it took though!  I have finally figured out my groove though, poor lil’ ol’ me was trying to run at 7.0 and I kept getting winded!  So I was “Oh, what’s this?  Jog? 5.0?”  There you have it… jogging is my friend, with no music, helps me with my breathing!  I’ll stick with the 5.0 and gradually work my way up, probably not in time for the ½, but eventually.  I’m not about being the 1^st to cross that line, I’m about finishing it at the best I can do!

Also signed up for the Missouri Tough Mudder, September 14^th!  Although it isn’t as close as we would like it, it’s gonna be warmer than any other one close to us.  Check out a photo from the Missouri one we did in October!



Worked on the blog a little, trying to add some social media icons, it’s pretty easy, but a lot of going back and forth to the website I’m working off of.  I’m kinda stuck right now at mapping the icons.  

Not much of an eventful weekend, but I was constantly busy doing something (yes watching TV is something, although it is relaxing).

6 days to Daylights Savings time (March 10^th)

13 days to St. Patrick’s day (March 17^th)

16 days to the first day of Spring (March 20^th)

27 days to Easter (March 31^st)

~ Let's Do This ~

So as mentioned in my very first post I signed up for my very first 1/2 Marathon!  I planned on getting started weeks ago, but obviously that didn't happen. So tonight I am back at it!  I've got a little less than 9 weeks, which from what I've read I need 12.  Oh well, the way I look at it, I'm doing one, right?  Whether I walk, run, jog, or crawl past that finish line, I will finish it proudly! 

One thing I try to do when I hit the gym again is TRY my best to eat SOMEWHAT healthy, it's very hard to do for me!  Am I pro at knowing what "healthy" is, NO!  But with the help of my fellow gym buddy, she helps me know what is good and what is not!

I'm not a big fan of fruits and vegetables at all!  One thing I found that I loved was a banana smoothie.  I actually HATE bananas, the texture side of it, but I love the smoothie version.  I've been doing the smoothie version here and there and decided to add strawberries to it this morning. So below is just some ice, 2 bananas, and 2 strawberries.  I was scared to add any more strawberries because of the taste, but maybe I'll add more tomorrow morning, it wasn't that bad!  My lovely husband was glad to be my taste tester for this one!

Another favorite of mine I actually heard of on the radio on a Kroger ad.  It was about tuna avocado salad.  I told myself, I needed to find a recipe.  All the ones I could find had stuff that I'd rather not put in there.  I got ideas and put something together myself.  1 avocado, 1 can of light tuna, and 2 hard boiled eggs.  I usually cut and mix at work because I keep forgetting lime juice which helps the avocado not turn brown.  It does take up some of my lunch time, but oh well!  The first time I had it I thought to myself, wow I'm not full at all!  But give it 15-20 minutes, it'll settle and you'll be full!  :) 

If you have any healthy recipes for a picky person like me, please throw them my way!