RACE UPDATE AND BOOT CAMP

I'd been waiting all week for the race results to be posted and finally last night they were up. My time was actually 36:26 and I placed 4th. I also noticed that I was the oldest person running. How does that make me feel. I'm amazed that I continue to do this and enjoy it. Are you ever too old to run?
There were three of us at boot camp and we did a circuit inside consisting of lunges with weights, jumping jacks, chest press, squats on the Bosu with a weighted ball, triceps kick back and push ups. After we finished three sets of these we did 50 crunches.

Tomorrow I go pick up my race bib and take it easy, race on Sunday.

TRAIL RUN

Today's run was on the city trails. I decided to take my camera with me along with a small bag of bread. Allie had mentioned that there were some ducklings up at the park and I was hoping I'd be able to get some pictures.

This is one of the bridges that I cross on my runs. I always stop to see if there are any turtles underneath and usually there are at least two or three.

Today there was only one sunning on the bank. As soon as I snapped the picture he went into the water.

Thirteen babies and they were happy to have the bread crumbs. They were really small.

On the other side of the pond were some bigger ducklings. I gave them some bread too.

The park maintenance people have been out planting, lots of flowers everywhere.



I'd been noticing that they have been doing some kind of work at two of the crossings and today I saw the results. They have installed two fountains for water but the neat thing is they are pet friendly. The fountains were donated by Walmart.

As I was nearing home I happened upon a pair of road runners. They were a bit leery of me and every time I tried to get a picture they would scurry away. I did get one of the female.



It was great to be out the temperature was around 64 and there was a strong wind most of the time so I did more walking then running.

COOL MORNINGS

The weather this week has been awesome. Cool mornings and nice breezes. Yesterday I ran 5.50 and the fields were full of the wildflowers in all colors. The run seemed easy maybe because it was cool.
Today and Monday was bootcamp and we worked outside. I was glad there was such a nice breeze because we were working hard.
I was running carrying ten pound weights in my hands, ugh it seemed like fifty. Then I got to thinking this is how much I lost, no wonder running seems a bit easier.
This Sunday Christy and I are doing a 10K the Heels and Hills. I'm looking forward to it just hope this weather stays until Sunday.

TORTOISE AND THE HARE

This was an inaugural race and was starting at 5pm on Saturday. The temperature was around 77 and there was a good breeze. My husband and I headed up to the shops around 4. We were going to get some raffle tickets and weren't sure how the parking would be. Turned out parking was a snap. My husband was going to take photos while I ran.

There were around 250 runners, I was on the right in a bright pink shirt. My neighbor was also doing this race only she was walking. She was a bit behind me. I started out good noticed my pace was faster than I wanted so slowed it down. We ran down the street turned and then another turn back.

I gave a wave to my husband and told him I'd see him at the finish. We turned on to the trails and at the 1/2 mile hit a hill and also was running into the wind. There were several more hills and some of them I decided to walk up. There was one nice hill down that went around a small pond and then we turned back on the trails and headed for the finish. My first mile was a 10:xx pace which was good for me. Somewhere on this course my neighbor (The Tortoise) also passed me. If you remember the story the Hare(me) was ahead and then stopped to take a nap and got passed. I didn't take a nap but got passed by Lucy.

Here comes Lucy nearing the finish line. Way to go for a first race.

I'm looking for the finish clock but there is none. I know it's not much farther and I'm thinking about the cold beer I'm going to have. Actually I had two! Crossed the line and my Garmin said 37:42, I'm happy with that and glad I'm out of the 40:xxs. Found my husband and he said Lucy beat me! "What, she's a walker" I said. Later I saw Lucy at the restaurant and said she should stick around because she probably got a medal.



Lucy with her first medal for third place.

We had a great time and I would definitely do this race again.

SO EXCITED !!!

I'm so excited! Just heard the news today, Jenny, Kathryn and Carin made it into the Nike Women's race in San Francisco. How cool is that. They will be doing the marathon.

I had boot camp this morning, went home and showered and then went to pick my race packet up. I was talking with the gals and they said I probably had a good chance to get a medal. Oh I didn't think so because my age bracket is 50 and up. They looked at the list and saw one in that age group but then said she was a walker. And this is the best part, they looked at me and said "You look like a runner" Knock me over, no one has ever said I look like a runner. I was so excited to go home and tell my husband someone thinks I look like a runner.

Tomorrow is my race so we'll see if I grab a medal.

YELLOW TULIPS

I bought myself a bouquet of yellow tulips today, the grocery had a special price and they are one of my favorite flowers.

This morning I went for my run, tried a new route which was pretty flat so decided to time myself for a 5K and see how I did. My time was 38:56, not the fastest I've done it in but I realized I also had some pauses when I waited for traffic and there was a hill that I walked up. Finished with 3.40 miles for the day.

Wednesday was boot camp and this time we did a circuit of 4 different exercises, ten reps for 10 times. That came out to 100 squats with weights,100 lateral pull downs,100 lunges and 100 ticep dips. When we finished we were all dripping with sweat. As hard as this camp is I really enjoy it (except for Monday) and love the challenge to push a little harder.

BEAUTIFUL DAY

So this morning it was coffee at Starbucks with my friend. We tried the vanilla bean scones I'd been hearing about and they are definitely worth the calories.

When I got home I decided to mix up a loaf of bread and let it rise while I went out to do my run. Something went wrong with the first batch so I had to make another.With it safely in the oven to rise I headed out on the trails. How beautiful everything looked as I ran past the fields that were full of wildflowers. It was like someone had spilled a bag of jelly bellys on the green grass. I would have loved to pick a small bouquet but then they wouldn't be there for others to enjoy.
I did 5.40 miles today.

TODAY I SUCKED !

I really sucked at boot camp today and we were only doing two things, burpees and push ups. Everyone else was managing to do the reps but my body was having none of it. I made it through the third set of 13 burpees and 3 push ups and then I was struggling. I tried the next 12 burpees and 4 push ups but had to quit. Sitting on the mat with sweat dripping down she asked if I was okay. I said I couldn't finish and so first she suggested that I just eliminate the jump when I do the burpee, you'll get the same benefit. I tried, still struggling. I was disappointed that I was having so much trouble. Everyone else was doing it. Once again she asked if I was okay and I replied that I couldn't do this so she had me do crunches and push ups.
This is what were suppose to do,
Start with 15 burpees
1 push up
14 burpees
2 push ups
13 burpees
3 push ups
Keep doing this until you reach 1 burpee and 15 push ups. When finished you'll have done 120 reps of each.
We ended with a nice 10 minutes of yoga stretches.

SUNDAY WORKOUT

If I didn't know it was April, I'd say it was November. This weekend has been rain, rain and more rain with a temperature today of 54. Yesterday I talked myself out of running because it looked so nasty. Today I knew I had to go run so I went to the gym. Haven't been there in awhile.
I don't know what it is about the treadmill but I have a real hard time running on it. I managed 3 miles and then called it quits.
Below are pictures taken at boot camp this week when it was sunny and warm out.


Squats with shoulder press

crunches on the pavement.
Pulling the sled with 45 pounds on it.

No slacking off this week, I Have a 5K on Saturday.

RETAIL THERAPY

Yesterday was boot camp and we dragged the sled through the parking lot again along with doing squats with shoulder press, crunches and sprints. Tough work out!

This morning I had coffee with my friend and then a hair appointment. I was looking a little shaggy. On the way home I decided to stop at Penney's to get a new pair of pants. I walked out of the store with three pair of pants and three new tops. All were on sale and then I got 25% off for opening a charge.

I tried them on for my family and then they wanted to take pictures so I decided to post them.

Can you see that muscle? Boot camp is doing that!

Yoga top with black pants. Pool is not warm enough to go in yet.

Light blue and brown top with brown pants.


Sleeveless top for warm weather . I didn't put the third pair of pants on but they are a dark olive green.

It sure makes you feel good when you can fit in to a smaller size.

SASSY CAME TO VISIT

I went out and did my run walk today, 5.25 miles. I came home and was going to go do some errands with my husband. I was ready to go when he walked in the house carrying Sassy. She was out in the street in front of our house. A dog with no collar or any other identification on. LUCKILY we knew where she lived but he had gone there only to find no one home. So we babysat Sassy. Three hours later the nice lady that owns Sassy pulled in her drive. My husband took the dog home. The lady said" Oh, she escapes on us" People if you know your dog gets loose than put a collar on them.

So here's the deal, if you own a pet your are responsible for it. If you know it escapes, don't leave it outside when you go away.

And one other thing, the poor dogs ribs were sticking out and its nails needed cut. Take care of your pets.

LET'S TAKE IT OUT SIDE

We did our 1 mile warm up and then hauled the weights and mats outside to do the rest of the workout. Started out with push ups, do 10 then sprint to another mat and do 9. Continue this until down to 0. After that it was lunges with weights and running. This was followed by 3 sets of crunches.
Today seemed hard, I was guessing it was because it is warmer than usual and we're not use to the heat. Or maybe I didn't eat the right things for breakfast. I had oatmeal with blueberries, 1/2 cup of milk and a banana. Sometimes it seems hard to know what to eat before a workout.

LAST CHANCE WORKOUT

What a day I've had. First this morning was boot camp with weigh in. I was down .2 of a pound on the scale. We had 5 girls today and it was another great workout. Once again there were some new things thrown in with the usual exercises. We did everything out in the parking lot.

When I got home I made an omelet with asparagus for lunch and then headed out for a last chance run. My legs were tired so I ran 2 minutes and then walked 2 minutes. This gave my legs a chance to rest a bit. I did 5.25 miles.

This evening I had WW and last week I missed my goal by .2 of a pound. I was nervous getting on the scale and then she looked up and asked me what my goal was. Oh no did I not make it again. I even took my rings off to weigh in. SURPRISE! I lost 1.6 pounds and was under my
goal by 1.4 pounds.

IT"S ALL ABOUT THE PANTS!

This morning it was nice and cool, perfect day to go out for a run. I grabbed a pair of running pants from the closet and put them on. Oops, they were a bit loose but I thought that would be okay. I strapped on my
Garmin, hit play on my ipod and headed out. An easy warm up to the corner, crossed the street and then started to run. And the pants started to slip, not bad but enough to be annoying. So my run was run, run, yank, yank. After 2.5 miles of doing this I just headed home and the pants are going in the give away box, after I wash them.

BLUEBONNETS ARE OUT

Yesterday I went for my run on the trails and spotted some bluebonnets in the fields. Can't wait until the rest of the wildflowers come up. Did an easy 5.34 miles. I was having some pain every now and then in my right knee so decided to walk down the hills instead of running them.

This morning was boot camp and after our mile warm up we were inside for upper body. There were four of us today and we were working on the ball doing chest press, skull crushers. and crunches. After three sets of those we did a circuit of jump rope, push ups, squats with shoulder press and crunches.

I came home hungry and am trying the Special K protein shake in chocolate. It's contains 10g of protein and 5 grams of fiber.

JUST WHEN...

I thought things couldn't get any harder at boot camp, they did.

There were four of us today, three women and one guy. We were outside in the parking lot and she was setting up some new things. " Ready" she called. Wait, I have never done that one with the ropes on it before.
We were to pull the metal sled that held 45 pounds (the guy had heavier weights to pull) down the length of the parking lot and then turn and with our backs to the start pull it back the length of the parking lot.

Here is what we did today.

Sled pulls
push ups 20 reps
crunches 20 reps
lunges with weights 20 reps
sprints
repeat for a total of four times.

The thing I like about boot camp is that there is always something new to do. No time to get bored with the same old thing. I also like working in a group and getting to be out side. Yes, sometimes what we're doing seems hard but it is also a challenge. Can't wait till Wednesday!

Oh, I forgot to mention that there were no wheels on our sled. It was a flat piece of metal that we dragged across the parking lot.

HAPPY EASTER

Sunrise service on The Mound in Flower Mound.

CHECK THAT SCALE AGAIN

Yesterday was boot camp which was also weigh in day. I was down about a half pound. If I'd weighed after the workout I'm sure it would have been a lot more down. This seemed like one of the hardest since I started.
Our warm up was 5 sets of the following:
Lunges down the length of the room
5 push up, I did regular
lunges back to the start
5 jumping jacks

Next we grabbed some weights and did the following for 5 sets
Squats with shoulder press 5x each side
reverse lunge with weight 5x each side
20 crunches
20 mountain climbers

After we finished that we got a 25# disc and did the following for 3 sets
25 pelvic lifts with weight on lower abs
25 crunches with weight on upper abs

For the grand finale we did planks for 1 minute and partner push ups 3 sets of 15

In the evening I went to WW and was hoping to make my goal. The leader had me get on the scale and then looked up and said" Is there anything you can take off, you only need .4 more."
Well I can't take clothes off so I went to the bathroom and even with that I missed my goal by .2 of a pound. ARGH, I tried really hard this week but guess will have to wait until next week.


Hope everyone has a nice Easter.

STARBUCKS DAY

Coffee with my friend this morning. Starbucks was really hopping, maybe because it's Easter this weekend and a lot of people take off. After coffee I headed home so I could get my run in before it got too warm. I know, 2 weeks ago I was complaining of cold.

What I didn't count on was the wind. It seemed like no matter which direction I was running I was heading into the wind. My legs were a bit sore from yesterdays hills and this wasn't helping. I finished with 2.27 miles.

As I rounded the corner I could see the tulips my husband had planted this Spring and thought I'd put a few pictures of them on my blog today.