Next Half Marathon coming right up!

My next and final Half Marathon of this season will be on Sunday, March 27, 2011!

I’m running the Rock and Roll Dallas Half Marathon!

This race is significantly smaller than Rock and Roll New Orleans (I think their corrals don’t quite reach the 20’s)…but I was VERY shocked to find out that they put me in corral SIX!  Yes, that’s right SIX!  I hope I don’t get trampled!  HAH!

I have a cousin who is a long time runner that will be running the race with me, as will my sister in law Kayla.  My cousin is also in corral six (I found that out today), so hopefully we can get Kayla’s corral changed so we can all start the race together!  I guess we’ll find out!  I can’t wait to see Running Skirts at the Expo and I of course can’t wait to see my family!!

I ran 8 miles on Saturday with my running group friends!  It was a warm, humid, muggy run, but we had a good time as usual!  :0)

 

Us after the first six miles…..we went out for 6, then went out again for the final 2….

Hahaha Here we are finishing up our 8 mile run!  Woohoo!

This is us after we finished the 8 miles!  We have a lot of fun together!  I didn’t get the purple memo, unfortunately! :0)

Very cool story I just have to share……..I am in need of new running shoes.  I thought I may have had the opportunity last weekend at the 3 mile race to purchase new shoes at 30% off, but they didn’t have my size.  I’m glad it didn’t work out because today, I came home and checked Running Warehouse and guess what?  I put a pair of Saucony Hurricane 12’s in my cart and the price said $104.95. I had to do a double take!  These shoes are usually $140!!!  I looked back at the price on the product page and it still said $140. Strange.  I also applied a 15% off discount code in my cart and it WORKED!!!  YAY!  I definitely bought them….and at almost 50% off!  You also can’t beat Running Warehouse’s free shipping!!  I’m SO excited about my new shoes!!! 

So, if you are in need of new Saucony Hurricane’s, now’s the time to get them!! :0)

The DCC and BOXES!

Oh my goodness.

Be still my beating heart.

Guess what I just discovered?

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will be at the Rock and Roll Dallas Half before the start of the race on Sunday morning!!! 

I’m not a dancer, never have been…but seriously, Making the Team is one of my favorite shows on television!  The fifth season finished this past Winter I’ve been a very faithful viewer every Fall for the past 5 years! 

I’m SO excited, can’t you tell?  :0))

In other non-running related news….today after church, I came home and tackled this huge project….

Wow…that’s a LOT of boxes!  You know what’s inside of them?  WEDDING stuff!

I kept pretty much umm…EVERYTHING from my wedding and it has come in handy because a LOT of people have borrowed and used my stuff! (So it wasn’t only used just one time!)  In this particular instance, my Sister-In-Law borrowed my stuff for her wedding that happened just a few weeks ago! 

So I had the task of taking all of this….

…and making it fit into all of this….

(See Madalynn in the background? Hehe!)

I also have another side note here….I bought these tubs at Wal-Mart today and I am SO excited because they are almost exactly the same color as my main wedding color!!  How neat is that?!  AND, they were on clearance!  Even better!  So now when I need a wedding related item, I know to look at in the teal blue tubs because teal-ish (really Pool Blue from David’s Bridal…very close to their Tropic Blue) was my wedding color! :0)

The verdict?

I did it…..with two tubs to spare!  Yay!  Now it’s going to be a lot of fun getting these puppies in my attic!  Hah!

…the trash men aren’t going to like me very much….

And of course, my sweet Pixie has to be in the picture because every time she sees me with the camera, she comes running! Hah!

:0)

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!  I’ll have a running related post up tomorrow!

Flea Market Saturday! :0)

Thanks SO much to everyone who commented on my last blog post about my 3 mile race this past weekend!  You guys ROCK, seriously!! :0)

As mentioned at the end of the previous post….after the race, I went home and cleaned up so I could meet my parents/brother and sister in law in Texas!  The original plan was to ride with my parents to Texas on Saturday morning to shop at a Flea Market (about an hour away from where we live).   The plans were changed though, and instead of riding with my parents to Texas, they went over on Friday night to spend the night with my brother.  They watched my sister-in-law run the Gusher Half Marathon the following morning.

I was ok with the change of plans even though I didn’t like the idea  of having to drive myself to Texas because gas prices are so high. Oh well.

So we arrived at what they call “Larry’s Old Time Trade Days”… it’s in Winnie, TX by the way….they have it once a month and we go on occasion, not often at all. 

Our first stop is almost always this nice little Cajun food booth for lunch!  They have the most AWESOME Cajun egg rolls…stuffed with Jambalaya!  YUM!  Their bread pudding is a close rival of Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian.  The Bananas Foster at Ohana is my FAVORITE dessert ever so to say something comes close is pretty darn good!!!

Yummm!

My brother and my mom…

Me, my dad, and Kayla

After we ate, we shopped around and had a good time!

 

I LOVE this shirt!!!

I’ve never seen this booth before…it was rather interesting. At first I thought it was an elliptical or something but at closer inspection, I saw that it was a stupid weight vibration machine. Seriously, you stand on it and it vibrates your whole body.  Really, people?  Wow…

These hammocks were SO comfy!!!!

Flowers were in bloom everywhere!

Lots of yard signs, too!  They also  have a lot of homemade crafty items!

We couldn’t leave without my dad’s usual Kettle Corn purchase!  He bought us each a bag.  They actually pop the pop corn in a huge black kettle!  It’s neat to watch!

I didn’t buy a whole lot – I got a friend of mine something for her baby shower, I bought Jason’s niece a “Just Dance” pillowcase with a ballerina on it (too cute), and I got a cute little knit hat for myself!  Oh yes, and I got another Fleur de Lis necklace!  :0) 

We stayed until Trade Days closed (we saw everything we wanted to see), then we left for one of my favorite restaurants…Cheddars!!  We don’t have one here, so every time I’m on that side of Texan, I request this place!  :0)

Hawaiian Chicken Salad…yum!! :0)

Hope everyone is having a good week and is recuperating from the time change this weekend!  I haven’t run since Saturday…ugh so bad!!!!

Athletes Corner 3 Miler!

In a hasty, last minute decision made just this past week, I ran a local 3 mile race on Saturday. I’ve run it the past three years and I remember the last two years being HOT and MUGGY and miserable.  Well, the weather for this weekend looked decent, so I signed up to run!

Jason was working nights and was unable to come with me, but he did take a picture of me before I left for the race! :0)

I got to the race and met up with my friend Amanda.  We decided last week that we would run together and push each other. I train with Amanda every Saturday so I knew that we were going to do well with “pushing” each other!  She also ran her first Full Marathon in January – The Houston Marathon!

We took a big Running Group group photo before the race…..

….then we lined up to go!  One of the guys in our running group said a prayer….

….and we were off…..

You can’t see us in the above picture. You know why? Amanda wanted to stand in the FRONT, right behind the guys that TAKE OFF when the race starts.  I glanced multiple times at my Garmin the first half mile and we started at 6:30!!  I knew it felt like I was sprinting!  Hah!  I’m used to starting more towards the middle but oh well! We slowed down a lot and were able to get into our comfortable pace.  My goal for this race was anything in the 26 minute range…

We stopped for water at 1.5 miles (and I wish I hadn’t cause it threw off my groove).  Pushing on, we continued running and saw the really fast people passing us on the way back. I counted the girls as I saw them.  Eight.  Only EIGHT girls were ahead of us!  What?!  That’s insane.  I knew right then and there that Amanda would place in her age category and I was SO excited for her!!!!

One of my goals last year was to place in my age category in a “short” race, but I never accomplished that. I was only 8 seconds away from placing in a race. Ugh.

I don’t have any photos of us running towards the finish line, but I know that I was ALL smiles. You know what time the clock said?!  25 something…TWENTY FIVE?!?!?  Oh my gosh….wow.  I kept saying “Oh my gosh oh my gosh I can’t believe this!” We kicked it up into MAJOR overdrive and crossed the finish line at….

25:25!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Holy Moly I couldn’t believe my eyes!  I felt like I was walking on a cloud!!  Twenty five?!   Granted, this was only a 3 mile race, but that’s not far off from a 5K! 

 

After the race, we posed for pictures with our other Marathon friend Heather, then we went inside to shop for shoes!!

 

Our shoe shopping experience was halted because I heard them announcing awards outside.  I knew Amanda placed in her age group so I made everyone go outside! Hah!

As they arrived in my age division, I listened, but only halfway cause I didn’t think I placed.  Then, all of a sudden, out of no where, I heard my name….wait?  Is that really what they said?!  I placed THIRD in my age category!?  WHAT?!  I FREAKED out and jumped up and down, then I ran up to the awards people like some lunatic on the Price is Right. I got my “award” and was still so much in shock, my mouth hung open in disbelief….and Amanda’s husband captured that glorious moment on camera.

    

Yeah, well…that’s not so glorious, that’s a little scary. WOW, Karen. Good job.  Promise Kid. 

Anyway, moving on from that embarrassment, Amanda and I posed with our awards….I received $5 off a pair of shoes and she received $10 off a pair of shoes (cause she did indeed place in her age category!  She got 2nd place!).  Right after awards, they started throwing door prizes out like a Mardi Gras parade! LOL  I caught this really nice Adidas red cinch sack!  Awesomeness!

We went inside to buy our shoes and they didn’t have my size in the Saucony Hurricane’s…bummer.  The shoes were 30% off on top of my $5 coupon. Oh well. I decided to check out the $25 table and believe it or not, I found a really nice pair of New Balance shoes (reg $130) for $25. I was able to use my $5 coupon so I got them for TWENTY dollars!  They are my new work shoes!! :0)

  

After making my awesome shoe purchase, I high tailed it home…but not without a Starbucks trip first! I decided to get a pastry!  Chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing!  YUMMO!!!!  I had to hurry to Texas because I was meeting my parents and my brother/sister in law for a shopping trip!  More on that in a future post! :0)

All in all, it was an incredible day. I felt like I was walking on Sunshine and Cloud 9 all day long!!!!!  :0)

Runner of the Week!

I’m Run Courtney Run’s Runner of the Week!!!

How cool is that?!

Click on the link below to check it out!

Runner of the Week

Thanks again for the opportunity, Courtney!  :0)

I Just Felt Like Running 5K!

This past weekend, Jeff at Detroit Runner hosted a Virtual 5K called “I Just Felt Like Running!” 

I signed up for this race when he first announced it because I knew that my running group wouldn’t have a meeting on that day and I needed an excuse to run!  Also, the race was scheduled for the day after my sister in law’s wedding so I knew I needed to run off those reception calories! Hah!

Well, Friday/Saturday came and went…and the weather looked like this…..

….so I skipped the run on Saturday and planned it for today instead!  I’m so glad I did!  I woke up this morning to GORGEOUS weather!  Clear blue skies and cool….my favorite!! :0)  I got dressed and off I went! 

Here’s pictures of me pre and post run!  You can tell in the 2nd picture how red/sweaty I am!   I wore my brand new black/teal running skirt for fun! :0)

The run for the most part was good.  My plan this season was to run at least one 5K this I could see if my time improved any (which I knew it did I just didn’t know how much!).  For this 5K, I started off strong and at 1.5 miles, I hit 13 minutes.  I figured if I kept going, I could finish sometime in the 26 minute range.  Prior to today’s run, my most current 5K PR was 27:35.  I really pushed myself today and hit that queasy “I need to vomit” feeling but other than that, I had a great run!  I only had to stop once to walk for a few seconds to catch my breath because I could feel my heart acting up.  Taking a few deep breaths helped it calm down and it was fine after that!

I finished in 26:55!!  A new 5K PR! :0)

Following the run, my breakfast!  Yummy!!! 

I had a great day, too!  The weather stayed gorgeous all day long!  We went to church, had lunch with Jason’s family, then met up with a running group friend of mine for a 7 mile run in the park! 

I love weekends like this!  I wish they happened more often! :0)

Hope you had a great weekend as well!

They went to the chapel…

…and they got married! :0)

Last night, my Sister-In-Law (Jason’s sister) married her best friend.  They’ve dated for a long time and their whole wedding process was incredibly sweet.  They did things the right way and I think that makes it all the more sweet! :0)

The Bride and Groom at the rehearsal!

Bridesmaids Gifts!

 

We got Tom’s!! :0)  If you have no clue what Tom’s are, check out the Tom’s Website. For every pair of shoes bought, Tom’s donates a pair to a child in need!  How cool is that?

Some of my favorite friends!  Melissa (in the middle) was one of our Bridesmaids!

Wedding Day

My hair needs NO help with volume, thank you!  Sheri still teased my hair, though!  I began the whole hair process with no bangs.  The girl that did our hair is incredibly awesome and does an amazing job!  So, when she suggested a hair-do to me, I asked if it came complete with bangs!  She agreed….so bangs I now have!

This was the “idea hair-do”! :0)

Kelly Clarkson from the 2011 Country Music Awards! :0)  The Bride wanted all of our hair to be up, low, and to the side.  I have SO much hair that I could do “to the side”, so mine was all across!

When I left the hair place, I asked the Bride if she wanted “real” food fr0m Wendy’s.  Her eyes got HUGE and she nodded her head.   She wanted a Hamburger so that’s what she got! :0)

And now….introducing…..

MY NEW BANGS!

They aren’t anything dramatic, but definitely different from anything I’ve had before!  And yes, I squint when I smile.  Always have, always will.

My favorite “little sister”! :0)  Our bouquets make…Mickey Ears! Do you see it?!  We’re nerds it’s ok!

Jason’s gorgeous sister! :0)

My daddy and I matched!

My husband is the goof-ball of the bunch!  He was an Usher!

The wedding party!

 

No cake-feeding mess!

This Grooms Cake is seriously the most amazing cake EVER!  It’s SO good!  I get it for my birthday cake EVERY year!  It’s chocolate cake with peanut butter icing.  HEAVEN!!!!!  The groom wanted a bite and it wasn’t cut yet so I told him to get a fork and dig in!  Hah!

My niece and I! :0)  She was the flower girl and she changed for the wedding so she could have fun and not worry about spilling on her white dress!

Just like old times…for a picture at least.  All four of us used to hang out ALL the time!!!!!  We were inseparable!  The guy all the way to the right of the picture was our best man.  He also is the one we went to the album release party for!  This picture makes me sad that times have to change.  We all used to hang out before any of us were married so that was a long time ago!

Us wearing our Tom’s!  We wore dress shoes for the wedding and changed at the reception! :0)

 

Time to go!  It was a gorgeous wedding!!  Many happy years to Lacey and Aaron! :0)

We didn’t get home until 2 a.m. because we stayed at Jason’s parent’s house visiting with his siblings that he never gets to see!  There are seven kids total (step/half/”real”) and they’ve NEVER ever all been in the same place at the same time, so this was neat!

I’m so glad this wedding was on a Friday night because we had all day today to recover, then tomorrow’s Sunday so we have even more time to rest up!  Yay!

I was supposed to run a Virtual 5K this morning at home but I woke up to this outside….

 

…and now it’s freezing!  I’m going to try again in the morning!  I was too tired today anyway! :0)

Hope you are having a fabulous weekend!! :0)