Friday I got up and realized I forgot to measure myself on Thursday when I was working from home.  That’s just the day I picked so I’ve stuck with it now for a year!!!  Can’t believe I have been running for a year now.  I started my very first couch to 5k on Sunday the first weekend in December.  So I was not expecting any changes since I’ve been stuck for a few weeks.  I was shocked.  I lost 1 inch out of my hips and 1 inch out of each thigh.  That’s 3 more inches for a grand total of 29.5+ inches are officially gone!!!  I took new pictures yesterday in almost the same clothes.

I need to make up a neat one year difference picture based on what a friend did.  Hopefully I can get to that maybe tomorrow.  I’m wearing a shirt for a company/group founded by a good friend of mine (who also cuts my hair) it’s called Heart Sweat Lipstick and here is their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-Sweat-Lipstick/322611027830422?ref=ts&fref=ts  They were doing a photoshoot and I got to go and be a part of it.  It was lots of fun and I can’t wait to see the pictures.

So to commemorate my 1 yr runaversary I decided to run 2 – 5k’s this weekend.   I did the Jingle Bell Trail on Saturday with a huge group of my MRTT ladies.  We were all dressed up as a string of christmas lights.

I’m the second yellow tutu from the right.  Our fearless leader took over 480 pictures that day.  I will post more of me when I get them.  My wonderful husband took one very bad shot of me before the race.  it’s so bad I’m not going to put it here.

The whole family headed out.   The boys were running the 1 mile fun run.  Here is our jogging stroller after they decorated it.   Yes my husband has a classic mustang.  It’s a 66.

I headed out for the 5k first and then they did the 1 mile fun run.  I had lots of friends all around me (in tutu’s) and the weather was perfect.  Once we got over one big hill, the first friend I was running with decided to see how fast she could go since she wasn’t pushing a jogging stroller.  I told her to go if she wants too and to have fun.  She did and smoked it, somewhere in a 32 min for her run.  She was very happy.  Another friend joined up with me and we stayed together for the rest of the run.   She was needing someone to stay with her and we had the same pace (or close enough).  We chatted some and encouraged each other.  There are two main hills on this course.  The first one is the worst and then you have one more to go.  Then the remainder of the course (until the very end) is pretty flat.  My calf muscle in my left leg was being tight but that was my only major complaint. 

I decided early on that my main goal was to run the entire race.  I don’t care about getting a new PR, just want to not stop.  I did accomplish that.  Don’t know why there is a spike at 33 min.  I never stopped running and only slowed coming up the last small hills.  who knows, it’s a gadget so therefor it does what it wants too.   As I came up to the finish line I started finding a bunch of my MRTT ladies.  It is so uplifting to have them all cheering for you.  Now what just about had me in tears what when one of them joined me to run to the finish line to keep me going.  That was the most wonderful thing ever.  I told her later how much that meant to me.  I also saw my boys waiting for me at the finish cheering me on.  Right after I crossed the little one asked “can I play on the playground?”  lol  we told him he could but after I got done.  He did great and was pretty patient too.  We hung around cheering for other MRTT ladies coming in.  It was a lot of fun.

Just found a shot of me from the race.  A race photographer took this one.  I am waving at my boys just after the start.  I’ve got a santa hat on too. 

We all got home and cleaned up when I got an early christmas present.

I think it was Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving and my favorite running skirt store was having a huge sale.  They had 1/2 off with free shipping.  I convinced the hubby that I “NEEDED” 3 new skirts and I promise to not buy any more workout gear for a while.  Though I didn’t really define what “a while” really would be LOL.  I got these three from www.runningskirts.com  these are the tri-skirts.  So they don’t have any shorts or briefs under them.  I can wear them over bottoms I already have.  Which includes my long tights during the winter – i.e. more versatile and me even more happy.

So on Sunday I went on a photoshoot for my friend, once that was done I made a quick stop at the dollar store for glow sticks, bracelets, and necklaces.  I also got some glow wands for my boys.  I needed these for the Glow Light Your World 5k.  I had a neon green tutu, green shirt and my neon green starry night socks.  I got there around 5:45 pm and there was a ton of people hanging around.  I easily found my MRTT friends (actually they found me, kind of hard to miss).  I got my packet and came back to find them.  I spent a few minutes getting my glow on and then I was good to go.  What do you think?

It was actually pretty nice, in the low 60’s and dropping into the upper 50’s.  I wore shorts and short sleeves but was till hot by the time I finished.  I was dripping in sweat so it must have been a little humid.   The 5k was suppose to start around 6:45 but they surprised us and had us line up before 6:30.  We were a little confused.  But then we stood there for for first 10 min, then they said just 5 more mins, and then 5 more min.  I think we were standing around for 20+ min before they started the race.  It was an interesting course with having us going around buildings and up and down streets.  We did go down the center of the main shopping center and around the christmas tree which was nice.  I was doing fine for the first 1/2, but then my calves were getting tight.  Not a cramp just tight muscles.  My friends had gone on ahead of me so I ran the whole race by myself.  But since there was so much – go here, go back, turn here, etc.  we saw each other a ton of times on the course.  By mile 2, I was ready to be done.  My hip was sore and poking at me, my calves were done and I was worn out.  So of course I’m now thinking “maybe running two races in a weekend is a bad idea”.  Instead I just kept going.  I was determined not to stop running, I didn’t care how slow I was going, I wasn’t going to stop.  I started counting down the tenths of a mile left to go until the end.  When I got to mile 3, I noticed where the finish line was and I knew that this course was long.  I didn’t know how much longer till the end.  I hit 3.1 and was pissed that I wasn’t done yet.  I just kept going.  I was making faces, my legs were toast, and if I didn’t know that the finish was right there and all my friends were there I might have stopped.  I kept putting one foot in front of the other.  I was a couple hundred yards away and I heard them all start cheering for me.  Seriously the best sound in the world.  I started crying.   By the time I crossed the finish line I tears running down my face.  Several asked me if I was crying b/c I hurt or not, and I said BOTH!!!  My legs are done and having you all here to cheer for me just made me fall apart (in a good way).  I started this journey with me running all by myself and now I have all of these wonderful ladies to run with and cheering for me.

Here is the longest 5k ever!!

You can tell I was getting slower as I went.  But I checked what my 3.1 mile time was.  36:57 – almost a minute faster than my Jingle Bell Trail run the day before.  Yes this one is a little flatter, but I’m running on tired legs.  Made me feel much better about it since it sucked as I was running it.  A finish time of 40:12 is kind of depressing when I’ve been seeing 34 to 36 min.

Ok so finally, I took this shot the other night before a quick run.  I just like it!!  I think my face looks skinny and I look great in my new pullover.

I will leave you with this great pic that I found today on https://www.facebook.com/RUNwJESS  I love the stuff she posts.