Monday, October 29, 2012

running running and running running.

First off, who is not absolutely loving this cold weather we are having?! Unfortunately, it looks like we'll be back up in the 80's by the end of the week, but this first real cold spell has been marvelous! Now onto the part where the cold weather was not my friend....

A few of you already know this, but it's been a goal of mine this year to run a race. Not just run a 5k or anything like that, but something with a little more distance. Well, Saturday my friend and I ran the Huntsville Half & Quarter Marathon! We did the quarter, as this was the first race I have ever been in and his first in a long time. So yeah, the cold Saturday morning was BRUTAL! I can't run in pants, leggings/spandex are included in that category. So I was out there in the 41 degree weather with my shorts on. I did wear an Adidas version of Under Armor with my t-shirt, so that added a little warmth. I also sported a very stylish headband for my ears, circa the 80's. This was my first official race (even though I've been running on and off for years now) and I wasn't about to let some silly weather ruin it! For those of you that don't know, a quarter marathon is 6.55 miles. We ran all through campus and the surrounding area, so there were plenty of hills! :/

I didn't set any crazy expectations about times or anything. I just wanted to finish the race without walking or having to use my inhaler (I have Asthma). Due to the cold, I went ahead and used my inhaler before we started since my lungs were already burning, but it worked out well! I didn't need it again and I really didn't have any trouble breathing throughout the course. There was an initial big hill by the stadium that my legs don't even remember climbing, they were numb from the cold, and then it was kind of rolling with nothing too big until we reached University Ave. There was a long steady incline and it was brutal since it was more than halfway through the course. People were dropping like flies on that thing! Everyone around me was stopping to walk up it, but I just kept repeating to myself (and possibly aloud like a crazy lady) to just keep running. Even though it was more like a jog on that hill, I got up without stopping and was able to resume my pace at the top. I was so proud of myself and knew that I could finish the rest of the race without stopping. Well that, and Bon Jovi came on my iPhone singing "It's My Life" and that accompanied with my happiness of getting over the hill pushed me to keep running for the rest of the race. You know, Bon Jovi is very inspirational. =D

I really had no idea what to expect for time or anything, like I said, my goal was to finish without walking I had no illusions that I would somehow become The Flash and crush everyone. But, I actually ended up getting 5th place for my age group, so I was happy with that on top of meeting my original two goals! After the race we headed over to McKenzies and chowed down on some delicious BBQ! I have been loving their chopped brisket sandwiches, even though I rarely eat them. It was mighty tasty on Saturday!

I think we're going to try to run a 10k, which is just slightly shorter than the quarter, in December. I'm hoping to get to the half by early spring. It's really hard for me to run outside in the warmer months in Texas with the crazy humidity we have and my Asthma. We shall see, it's definitely on my list of things to accomplish that's for sure!

On a much different note, I had several projects I was going to work on Sunday but I had a water pipe bust Saturday night and water was leaking out of THREE different walls! That was definitely not fun. Neither was going without water of any kind from Saturday night through Monday morning. The plumber got me all fixed up though, so now I have water. I need to fix the gigantic hole in my bathroom wall, but that's nothing as long as the water is back! ;) 

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend and enjoyed the little taste of cold weather!

xoxo,
kris

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