However You Choose to Celebrate Today...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!! (for all those who celebrate it) and Happy Thursday!!!!!! (for all those who don't). I'm off from work today so I'm having the best Thanksgiving/Thursday :)

A lot of my friends ran Turkey Trots this morning but I wanted to stay close to home so I started off the morning with a 10 mile run instead...

I didn't do anything profound during my run like spend it thinking about all the things I'm thankful for. It would have been fitting for the holiday I guess, but I was too busy trying to figure out what was happening with my ear buds and why I couldn't hear the podcast I was trying to listen to. 

Once I finished my run I video tapped my stride for a bit. I like to do that after I run because that's when I'm most likely to have poor horrible running form...

(need to work on my arm movement as well as my gait... but my gait is getting better)

The Trifecta and The Old Days...

I've been nursing blisters ever since my 15 mile run on Saturday...

I joined up with a local Friends-In-Training running group and ran with the 3:1 interval runners for the first half of the run and then ran the rest (along their mapped out route) by myself. It was great to join up with them because they have designated water stations which means I don't have to run with a lot of water. The pace wasn't as fast as I would like though so I know I need to pick it up on my upcoming long runs.

During the 15 miles I ended up with blisters on my feet, including the bottom of my toes (which is as painful as it sounds)...

That Moment When...

...you realize today isn't Friday:

All day long I thought today was Friday. That happened to me yesterday as well. It was quite a shock when I realized that the weekend wasn't coming as fast as I wanted it to...

source

I also thought Thanksgiving was this weekend so clearly I need to pay more attention to what's happening on my calendar :(

...you want to start your "Race Week Countdown" one week early:
I got an email about the Reggae Half marathon and it reminded me that it's two weeks away!!! I'm excited! Less about the medal (sigh) and more about the pre-race pasta party and running the race with family. I messaged my BIL yesterday to see if he was as ready as I am...

On Fire....

2015 will be over in a few weeks. Ok, maybe more than "a few" but it's less than 50 days so not much more. I've been blown away by all the things that happened this year. Some amazing, others devastating. Both the bitter and the sweet have permeated all aspects of my life (home, work, running), and have made me feel a bit cautious of what 2016 will bring. Cautious, but not afraid...

Being fearless...

Volunteer Extraordinaire...

Before the sun even thinks about rising, runners head to the Start line on race day. But you know who's already there? the race volunteers :)

That was my role today, and I had to remind myself how important it was to do this when my alarm went off at 3:30am! The drive to my check-in location was about 40 mins but I got a little a lot lost on the way there (of course). I mainly got lost trying to find the best place to park. By the time I got to the water station there were only a few of us there...

Just us and lots of boxes...

A Colorful Saturday...

I got up this morning and completed 10 miles...

[current run:walk intervals - 2min: 30sec]

The weather was pretty nice this morning...

There was still a little humidity in the air, but it wasn't nearly as humid as it has been in the past few weeks...

After the 10 mile run I took a quick shower and got ready for the Color Run 5K. Kai was already dressed (shocking) so I got ready quickly and we headed to the race. Once we got there people were already lining up at the Start...

There were no colors at the start but I SAW BUBBLES!!!!!

Life Happens, So Make Everyday Epic...

It's been a crazy week but I was able to get a few short runs in. Not much cross training happened though so I'm really going to try and fix that next week. Last night's 5K was a tough one...

I'm trying to stay at a sub-12 min/mile pace and work my way to a sub-11 pace. My goal to have a 10 min/mile pace by the end of the year isn't going to be possible, so I'm working from now to achieve that by the end of next year. That requires a more rounded training plan though so I know I have to get back to the gym and continue my physical therapy exercises etc.

Post-run selfie from last night...

My pace on Wednesday was much better...

(a whole minute better!!!)

The Disney Wine & Dine Quarter Marathon {RACE RECAP}

I know a lot of people were upset about what happened at the Disney Wine and Dine event but let me just start off by saying that I was not one of them. And I'm not just saying that because I want Disney to guarantee my entry into next year's race ;)

I headed up to Orlando on Saturday morning and went straight to the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex...

One Step Closer...

I wasn't chosen to serve on the Jury today. It was a pretty traumatic moment when the clerk advised the entire jury assembly hall that we were dismissed. But I tried to be strong as I saw my dreams of being a jury foreperson disappear...

My mom helped me to stay focused on the bright side of things...

It's About Progress, Not Perfection

Tomorrow I have to report for Jury Duty!!!!! I think I might be the only person that gets this excited about Jury Duty. I could give an explanation about feeling honored to do my civic duty for this great nation yadda yadda yadda. But really I'm hoping it's like a real life version of a great John Grisham novel... except I'm in the jury and not a part of the legal team.... and it's probably not a major court case... and it's even less likely that there will be any jury sequestering or tampering... so in reality maybe nothing like a John Grisham book :( Oh well! I'm still excited about it ;)

Just in case I get picked and the Jury gets sequestered I figured it would be wise to run tonight. 

So I did a short 4 mile run with my Disney Wine and Dine training partner...

The Year of the Full: Chapter 11: Running for Wine (and Food)...

I started the morning (and the month) with a steady 8 mile run with one of my running friends. As much as I enjoy my solo runs I've been lacking the motivation to get out and do them, so running with friends has been a blessing for me...

The Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon is next weekend so it was also beneficial to train with someone else who is running that race...