Three Things Thursday

I'm back with a vengeance this week!! 

1. I love pub runs! Our local Fleet Feet has weekly Tuesday runs @ 6pm and at the end of the month they host a pub run. It seems every one of them this summer has been ridiculously humid and warm so when we get back to the bar we are all one sweaty mess. I love hanging out and socializing afterwards and replenishing our carbs.

Heat makes me delirious and I cannot take pics!!

2. It's amazing that I can run 19 miles and walk perfectly normal the next day, but spend a mere hour pulling weeds followed by not being able to walk like a human being. The areas around our garage and deck were starting to look like a weed forest so I decided to tackle it with one of my days off this week. This 'small' pile is now drying out to be burned in the near future. 

3. I was so, so excited to get invited to the Packers preseason game on Friday night, I did not even care that I had a half marathon to wake up for the next morning. I probably would have gotten 5-6 hours had I stayed home and tried to sleep anyways. I was bummed A Rodg (as I call him) didn't get to play more than one series but I still had fun and get to sit in the new section of the stadium. First time in forever that I've gone to a game outside of December!

La la la la Lambeau!!!

Is it bad that half marathons don't really seem like that far to me anymore? When did these become casual races??

Hope you all are having a fabulous week and enjoy the holiday weekend!

First Anniversary

My husband and I celebrated our first anniversary just a few days ago. I cannot believe the year has flown by so quickly, we have faced our share of challenges over the 6 years we have been together and this past year was no different. It has reinforced our love for one another. This is one of my favorite shots of the day, we had just gotten married and were walking back down the aisle with Vito.

I celebrated by running a half marathon in the morning (recap coming), one portion was on a trail and it brought me back to the shakeout 3 miler I got to run with my cousin before all the beautification for the day began.

We are so exciting that all we did was go out to dinner, after celebrating our nuptials in the only way possible :) The following night we had our free anniversary night in the hotel we got married in and we ended up with the same exact room. Since it was Sunday night we basically had the place to ourselves, we enjoyed playing around in the pool and sat in the hot tub for awhile. The hotel is only a mile from our house so we just decided we would stay at home in our bed and allowed another deserving couple to use the room for a little getaway after we met up with them for dinner.

We haven't exactly taken a real honeymoon or anniversary trip yet and I want to plan something for this winter. Anyone have any recommendations on where to go? We would like to go someplace warm to have a short escape from the cold.

Race Recap: Bellin Run 10K

Ok, so I have been majorly slacking and have not done a single race report all summer!! #Epicbloggerfailure Just bear with me as I go through them and get you caught up with my racing. I have not fallen off the face of the Earth on that front. First up is the Bellin Run that took place on June 8th. I am going out on a limb but I think this may be the largest event put on in Wisconsin, registration hit 20,000 people exactly and is in the top ten 10k's in the US. It just happens to be a 45 minute drive north to Green Bay.

The race also attracts elites to the area and makes it hard not to pass on the opportunity to say you have run with the likes of Joan Samuelson, Uta Pippig, Tegla Laroupe, Bill Rodgers, Joseph Kimani, etc. Even though they are most of the way done before I even get started, just following in their footsteps is enough of an amazement. The race doesn't disappoint there, as you the entire race is filled with spectators to cheer you on. It's usually a toasty morning so the residents are out there with their sprinkler showers in full force to help and a few of the aid stations also have ice in addition to the water and Gatorade available.

Even though the race has gotten bigger, they still manage to keep things running pretty smooth. Major problem with this though is when you have to drive up separate and attempt to meet up with runner peeps. Not making plans ahead of time of where to meet was stupid, I was bummed not to be able to catch up with Kim, Rachel and Kathy pre-race so I was hoping I may get to see them afterwards. They have corrals and officials strictly watch your bib color before entry. You may enter a later corral but not an earlier one, lesson learned this year to guess faster since you can always drop back. I got in early so I could at least be at the front of corral 4 out of 8, 7 is all walkers and 8 is strollers so I realized I was too far back. Good thing I registered with Fleet Feet's team so we had easy packet pickup at the store Friday and did not have to drive to GB or hassle with it on race morning.

Back of cotton shirt and race number ready to go!

Race morning did not go as planned, after parking I forgot to take my electrolytes and eat right before I left my car. Failure #1!

Not being able to meetup with my running peeps. Failure #2! Standing around waiting to get started in a corral like herded cattle for 45 minutes in the heat blew and I was getting warm just standing there.
My legs felt like bricks, as if I'd just run 10 hard miles before we even started. Dead legs to start the race, ugh! Failure #3!

I dragged my legs through the long, slow uphill straightaway for the first two miles, rounded the corner to the rolling hills section and great crowd support. I passed the banjo guy singing "..and run, and run, and run the Bellin Run!". This guy stands on a ladder in the same spot each year and truly is a landmark for this race! I crossed the 5K mat before I had to walk the first time, as evidenced in my split times. I allow myself only very short walk breaks as I want to PR this sucker!! The next glorious aid station had ice and I felt in heaven for the next few minutes, only to feel like I was dying in the humidity again. This run/short walk thing plays out through the next few miles until I finally get a half mile out and will myself to run the last bit as hard as I can with my legs. When I crossed I was happy to get in under an hour, but was slightly disappointed that I did not meet Goal A of sub 55.

After I crossed the finish, I still can't find anyone I know and get herded the next few blocks to grab water, get my picture taken, grab a banana and a bag of food on the way to the park. I head to get our race printout results and then the Fleet Feet tent and see a few familiar faces and hang around to chat some about our race experiences and times before heading out.

On a sidenote, the Crossfit GB people were out there doing stuff throughout the course, when I saw them doing burpees at mile 4.5 I thought to myself..."now that is hell!" They also ran in groups and passed along a weighted vest through all of this. I seriously think those peeps are nuts and did nothing to inspire me to jump into their box!

Demotivational Monday

Go check out Rachel's page for all the details, but she's hosting a linkup for Demotivational Monday. A little spin off from all the motivational posters out there. Check out her page for several other hilarious posters and get in on this too.

The first thing that popped into my head to use for this week was pretty much a done deal for me. It's something that has only happened once so far during a race, but a few times during training runs.

It may not be the best, but what can you expect out of me!!

Breaking Out

Lately I have been making a push towards living more in the moment, enjoying the days as they come and go. I am working to grow personal relationships and really build the connections we have. I am constantly trying to learn from others, which has been a real drive for me lately. I feel that every person has something to offer, even though we sometimes don't always agree with everything they do in life. After hearing and reading experiences of others I feel like my life has been a bit sheltered.

My family never took any long vacations too far away from home, as in 2-3 hours or less of a drive away. I've never flown in an airplane, never seen the ocean, never seen a mountain.....well this list could get a little out of hand if I keep going. So my intentions lately are focusing on ways I can expand my horizons.

I tend to over think and reflect on items too much. I'm starting to release fears and learn to just live in the moment; enjoy who I am and those around me. I'm focusing more on others and really trying to reach out and give to others. I used to be more open, but a few people hurt me badly during my high school days that closed the doors for me. I refused to put myself out there and take chances, thereby sticking with the 'safe' route all of my life.

All that has taught me is you will end up where you always expected you would be. Keeping everything in doesn't allow others to help you and it's OK to accept help. Opening up to others allows them to understand why you are the person you are and for them to help you achieve your wildest dreams. While this seems obvious it's taken me forever to understand the concept. I have finally started to put my faith in others and it's released so much stress from me. I learned to accept that I can only do so much and that is enough, I don't have to be superwoman and do everything on my own.

It's taken so much for me to even put this down but I'm happy it's out there. Have you ever gone through phases where you closed yourself out from the world? After awhile you kinda forget what it's like to not be that way and I'm slowly gaining confidence and pride in myself along the journey. And I have running to thank for getting me started on this journey. Triathlons have helped me conquer more fears than I cared to admit but I love it!

Bitten

Have you ever been bit by the cleaning bug? Well it finally got me and I'm glad it did!! My house really has been a disaster, so bad that I've been having anxiety over cleaning and would find any reason to get out of the house so I wouldn't even have to see it. I seriously felt like the pregnant ladies in their nesting period.

Over the course of the past week I have managed to deep clean and organize just about everything in the house, including going through our fridge and getting rid of old condiments. I just have one room left and most of it is my husband's so I'm trying to be patient and let him take care of his own stuff. If I was at home and not working I was busting my hump doing something towards progress. My husband kept asking if I was ever gonna sit down!! My niece is the cutest mess ever :)

It is amazing how much energy that has freed up from my mind towards other projects. I love having that negative energy far away and I just need to keep it that way! I think I need to come up with a weekly/bi-weekly checklist to stay consistent as I forget about it otherwise. Has anyone gone through this before? I am not the neatest person in the world and I seem to go through cycles. I let everything go until it gets bad enough that I'm disgusted enough to clean it, or I am expecting guests. I need to break out of this habit!

Are you a clean freak or a messaholic like me?

Becoming One Again

There has been a reason for my absence lately....I have been in a giant funk!! I seemed to have lost motivation for a number of things in life. I needed to get in touch with me and also make a few drastic changes to kick start myself.

I took 2 days off work around the 4th of July and I did NOT check my email or work while I was gone! That is seriously a first for me in years. I was able to spend time with my family at our cottage and was hubby and dog free. It was so great to relax and de-stress! I really needed it because I was becoming quite the craba$$. I enjoyed a 13.5 mile run along some quite country roads surrounding the lakes loving life, other than the few moments choking down a chocolate honey stinger gel. I can't believe they can even call that chocolate!! I spied a deer at the top of this hill, of which I was too slow to get a picture of it.

Then it was time to chop off most of my hair to donate, to where I still need to figure out. I usually do locks of love but I'm looking to see if there are any other options out there. If you know of any let me know.

I participated in several group runs and a triathlon with my dad (recap to come) to get me rejuvenated. The most memorable for me outside of the race was my solo long bike ride in the rain. It was my last chance prep for my upcoming Olympic tri and was amazingly fun.

I made sure to wear my obnoxiously bright socks so cars would spot me.

I also had a week long vacation at my hubby's cottage where I was able to become one with nature several times. There was a 17 mile hilly run along quite country roads around lakes with my Fox Cities Marathon peeps. A bike around the nature preserve to spot a place to park so we could hike on the Ice Age Trail with my pooch and MIL. I also got in a chilly morning swim in the lake where I apparently attracted a large fish to jump out of the water near my legs. Hubby was in the canoe by me and wisely decided not to tell me about it when I stopped and was trying to figure out if my kicking caused it. I even got to feed a momma duck and her 7 ducklings while being within arms reach of them in the water. They were sooo adorable and stinkin' cute!

I am an expert packer! When it comes to fitting a week's worth of supplies including a road bike and hammock into a sports car, just call me! Vito rode shotgun in order to create optimal space.

And to top all of that I off I tackled an Olympic Distance Triathlon that I've been pooping my pants about the last few months. I will let you wait to figure out how that turned out as well.

Today I am feeling the least stressed I have in a long time and I'm thinking clearly. I have some new ideas how to approach life and things are starting to fall into place. Sometimes it just takes getting back to your roots and re-evaluating what you want out of life to enjoy it. Onwards my friends!