13.1

 

(before the race)

first of all i need to say thank you.

for those of you who sent emails, messages on facebook, texts,

thank you thank you!!

what encouraging friends i am totally blessed with!

let me throw out my disclaimer before we get rolling:

i do not have my finger on the pulse of all the latest & greatest in the world of running.

i am not on the cutting edge of half marathon training & nutrition.

so for those of you who have asked for tips & advice, i'm not your girl!

i am however,  a 44 year old mom who decided to run one again

& i did.

overall i felt good about my run

but i was a little disappointed with my finishing time.

the course was described as basically flat & fast.

well, most of those people were fast indeed.

while i run about a 9minute pace when i'm running a 3 miler, 

bumped up to a 10 minute pace when i run 5,

i certainly can not run that fast for 13 miles.

the course was a 6.5 out & back.

which is great if you're fast, you can see all the folks you are passing.

if you are not fast ( moi) it can be a little discouraging to see all the the runners passing you.

let me back up a tad~

as with any time i need advice or information,

i asked on facebook what training schedules were good ones.

there are so many different ways to go about preparing.

i love to run 

& run 3 miles everyday.

but hadn't run more than a 10k in over 20 years.

i chose a hal higdon schedule that worked best for me & where i was in my current running pace/distance.

the schedule i chose had mostly running with cross training thrown in there.

i didn't cross train & now wish i had.

a friend of mine who also runs halfs told me it made a big difference for her

when she trained with just running vs. running and adding in the cross training.

next time, i'll cross train too.

next time i run one i plan to prepare with a little more holistic approach.

eating more super foods, specific nutrients , etc that help with endurance.

back to the fast people.

there was a time in my life where i might run several 5k's and 10k's a month.

therefore i always felt prepared to run.

i got the feeling this weekend, many of those runners were not casual

"hey lets go run a half marathon" runners.

it looks like over half of the 2,220 runners ran a sub 10 minute pace.

maybe i don't get out much, but that totally impressed me!

i felt great cardio wise

& even my legs and feet felt fine.

speaking of feet--a few months ago i went to the big peach running company.

there i went through their fit process where i was analyzed for my style of running

& then fitted with the best shoe for me.

turns out i had been running in a good choice ( new balance)

but went with the saucony's that were advised and they have been awesome shoes.

now that i know which shoes to wear, i'll try to find them for a discount

vs. paying over $100 for them in the stores.

while i felt great cardio & strength wise,

i wished my endurance had been better.

the schedule i used only had me run one 10 miler prior to the half.

also my schedule told me those last three miles would be very doable with all the excitement.

i ended up running 2 10's and 1 11...& felt fantastic during that 11

however sunday....i thought those last 3 miles were pretty tough.

i intentionally started out slow, running the first 6 a tad slower than i normally run, 

hoping to have a burst of energy at the end

which incidentally never showed up,

but overall i felt i did the best i could & kept a pretty even pace the entire time.

( i'd give anything to remember my finishing time when i ran these 20 years ago).

as far as future runs, i'm hoping to keep some mid-distance runs ( 5-6's) in my weekly schedule

a couple of short distances a week ( 3's)

& run a 10 miler at least once a month.

i'm also going to research nutrition tips for distance running too.

when i crossed the finish line i looked up and saw my sweet man cheering me on.

i just about started to cry.

monday morning when i logged into facebook and saw all the love

i just about started to cry 

again.

seriously

i might not have been speed racer

but i loved it!!!!

& hope to be back in seaside to do it all over again next year !

 (& here's the after!)

since you probably feel you could have run a half marathon in the time it took to read this post,

i'll share some scoop about our b&b, the weather, seaside, etc later this week.

she believed she could

(found from the fun etsy shop, valentinadesign.
& used with permission)

before the sun comes up, dan & i are headed out this morning
driving down to seaside for a quick little trip to the gulf coast
for the vera bradley sponsored seaside half marathon!

for those of you who have already heard me talk about this ad nauseum
i apologize...it's almost over. i promise.

13.1 miles.
people do it all the time.
yet
i'm about as fired up excited as i can be.
i think as with the completion of any goal, the joy of just being able to say
i dreamed, i planned, i worked
& yes, i did it....
is a huge milestone


i've always been a runner
but running 2-3 miles a day isn't enough to prepare for a half .
back in january on those bitter cold mornings,
i began to wonder if i'd really be able to wrap this up.
i usually run with my favorite companion, brinkley
but have had to leave him at home for much of my training.
his vet warned me that long distance for a big dog such as he
combined with the fact that goldens are prone to hip dysplasia, etc
it would be in his best interest to keep his runs right at 3 milers.
sadness.

i have several close friends who run their own half's
& have been a constant source of encouragement
& a wealth of information.
linda paul, kathy parker, cathy henry, & amy pauls
ya'll are awesome &
thank you thank you for all the love.
i promise i'll stop posting my run distances on facebook now!


two uber generous friends showed up at my back door with a ginormous
good luck basket.
& yes,
i cried.

not being one for personal car graffiti,
i will definitely slap that pink 13.1 on the back of my car come sunday morning!

i picked up a few goodies for my girls

( i didn't photograph all the health food but the fridge is full too)

praying they have a safe weekend
at all their destinations while we're gone.
& also praying for a little miracle,
the latest weather channel forcast is pretty bleak.
80% chance of severe thunderstorms.
oh my.


alrighty,
i'll be back next week to share all about it!
& then i promise i'll hush about running.
until the next one anyway~
wink!



"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the

mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give

up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the

mind is not tired."

- George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian

wahoo grill & a celebration

i have a few more images to share of madison's birthday.

so thankful we had a gorgeous spring afternoon to open gifts

& a gorgeous evening to dine alfresco.

caroline made up a sweet 16 cheer.

yes ma'am, there's always time for quick cheer at our house!

i was thrilled when i found this juicy key chain.

madi has looked for this for some time & thought they were no where to be found.

she's hoping to put a vw bug key on there sometime soon.

maybe...

i printed out mr darcy's proposal and framed it 

 to go along with the janet hill 'austen dresses' print we gave her at christmas.

dan did a little research & chose Wahoo Grill for our dining destination.

& it was wonderful!!!!

wahoo was awarded best outdoor dining & best seafood awards here in atlanta.

we ate outside in their charming little garden area.

everything we ordered was delicious.

madison chose the hawaiian ahi tuna

& it may be the best i've ever eaten.

( i know that because she generously shared a bite with everyone)

for any local friends, i highly recommend wahoo.

the service was excellent , the seafood fresh, and vegtables are grown locally & organic.

 

(final image is from their website)

i also have updated my  photography website. with a few images from my 365 project.

please swing by~

let them eat cupcakes

 

yesterday we had a fabulous time celebrating madison!

being the little baking goddess that she is,

i felt a little intimidated to serve her something sweet & pretty for her birthday.

so, i turned to the atlanta cupcake factory.

they're located just off ponce in the virginia highlands area,

one of our family favorites for shopping & dining.

i chose the chocolate salted caramel

red velvet, 

lemon,

sugar cookie & vanilla,

chocolate with vanilla,

& the  vanilla with salted caramel frosting.

i'm not a huge sweets eater

but that vanilla with salted caramel frosting

was beyond scrumptious!!

here's a quick peek into their charming little shop~

wished madison had been with me, 

she would have flipped seeing none other than her

dream car parked out front...

confirmation of a good choice!

 

 

 i'll be back tomorrow to share about the rest of the evening.

but for now,

i'll leave you with a little cupcake bliss ....

 

 

this one's for you , my sweet 16 madison grace

my sweet middle child

this morning of your 16th birthday i pray above all, that you feel loved!!!

you are my dreamer

passionate about much

my lover of all things glamorous

quite possibly born in the wrong century

 the tender hearted one who cries so very easily

 owner of , albeit seldom seen, quite the fiery temper

competitive one who desires to be right

needs justice & fairness

easy to please

keeper of the messiest room

owner of the most shoes

my perfectly manicured

hater of green beans

ballerina turned cheerleader

teachers pet

blue eyes & a dimple

P.I.N.K. wearing fashionista

my lover of the arts

cupcake baking

helper extraordinaire

voracious reader

believer in destiny

stiletto wearing

straight A

harry potter fanatic

happy birthday little bird.

you fluttered into my life, three weeks early weighing only 6 pounds.

you were the tiniest thing i had ever held. 

you were so beautiful you took my breath away.

you never cried ( ironically) and were so easy to please. 

i find it intriguing that you took on the middle child temperament 

even when at the time, you were the youngest.

 a happy, quiet ( again, how ironic "miss chatty") child, content to let older sissy do all your talking. you've read jane austen with a passionate resolution that you have your own mr. darcy out there somewhere!  i pray that one day you too are swept off your feet by a tall, dark and handsome man who will declare his ardent love is only for you and you alone.  until then, keep your covenant to remain pure. love the lord with all your heart. be who God created you to be. never let your dreams fade

& may you one day hear the following declaration~

"In vain have I struggled. 

It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. 

You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you"

he's out there, somewhere, baby girl

just don't be surprised if he's driving  a truck instead of a bmw!!

margaritas, milkshakes & mac gloss

recently i had an exciting morning at Nordstrom's.

not just one, but

two purchases in the cosmetics department = exciting day indeed!

first, i swung by the Mac counter & got hooked up 

with some dazzle glass gloss in money honey~

i really wanted my mac girl to give me an updated make over.

 i could really use a lift around my eyes, one that's cheaper than botox

even if only with new shadows. but i was in a hurry. 

another day.

i love this gloss.  a little pink & a little gold frost.

perfect.

then i scooted over to the jo malone counter

for a bottle of blue agava & cacao

pure heaven i tell you.

besides the salty fresh beach air, i'm hoping heaven smells like the jo malone line.

i couldn't help but wonder if my jo malone representative was a little mesmerized

by my new glassy glossy money honey lips.

said mac girl went a little heavy on my demonstration application.

i coulda swore he looked at my usually unexciting lips the entire transaction.

honestly he was probably thinking...girl, get a grip & wipe some of that stuff off. 

anyway.

 i am totally finicky about fragrances.

i personally can only wear a few,

& i'm sensitive to the smell of most candles, perfumes, & artificial room fresheners.

however

there are several from jo malone that might bring a total sense of euphoria to my home.

 

they are all about combining fragrance .

over at j.m.

 my mesmerized representative( i'm going with mesmerized instead of the probable disapproving)
mixed up a little cocktail of my new fragrance
& sweet milk ( a limited edition fragrance from their 'how do you like your tea' line).
divine!

funny thing,
i did a little research on the notes in my favorite fragrance
& now i can see why i love it.
blue agava is the base ingredient in tequila
cacao is the base of chocolate.
throw in a little sweet milk & i am a walking
albeit pricey
glorified margarita milkshake.
or something like that.




speaking of new cosmentics,
for valentines day i gave each of the girls a new bottle of essie.
current fave's in our home are chinchilly , sand tropez & nice is nice.

i guess i don't get out much.
besides spending time photographing new additions to our ever growing nail polish inventory,
because for less than $100 i felt like a new woman after my quickie at nordies.
seriously though, i think whether it's an updated make-over
a new lip gloss, fun nail polish, or a new fragrance
we all love the luxurious feeling a simple cosmetic purchase provides us.


do you have a favorite beauty product?
oh please, do tell...