My goals this year have me embracing the idea of a racecation…seeing the country (and maybe the world) by traveling to great races all over.
The first installment of racecations took me to Little Rock, Arkansas for the Little Rock Half Marathon. I had several firsts on this trip…first half marathon in 5 years (and second half ever!). First time in the state of Arkansas. First half marathon of my racecation series. And to make it extra special, my oldest daughter ran her first half marathon with me, along with her long time best friend (who also ran her first!)
It may seem like a random race to travel to, but once we figured out that my daughter’s friend could make it work (she lives not far from Little Rock), it all came together. I had earmarked this race because it was rated high based on crowd support, organization, fun, a not-super-hellish course, cool medals / swag, and a generous time limit. I am definitely a “back of the pack” runner by most standards, and freaking out about being taken off the course for moving too slow is something I don’t want to worry about.
I’ll be writing about several races this year, so I’ll focus on the highlights of each:
This race has a different theme each year. The current theme is dinosaurs which was a little funny, but I loved how the expo and all the local neighborhoods embraced the theme with enthusiasm. People ran in dinosaur costumes. Some of the pacers were dressed as Flintstones. The medal, known for being exceptionally large and heavy, was a sparkly triceratops. Easily a favorite.
There were great groups and signs along the way. Even a lipstick stop at the end where a well-known sorority was handing out lipsticks to make sure your finish was picture-perfect. The course was relatively flat. I loved running over the bridge, which also allowed us to cheer for the faster runners and wheelchair racers who were on their way back over as we made our way across.
I have been training with the Galloway run-walk-run method. The group of people running near me were in the same vein. It was pretty cool to hear a chorus of beeps and bells throughout the run and see people of all shapes and sizes getting their run on. I felt like I was in the right place. The weather was awesome, cool but not cold.
I had a great race and loved being congratulated by my daughter and her BFF at the end. They enjoyed their time together…it’s fun to see the two of them as girls who enjoy taking on adventures and challenges together too. Fit and adventurous friends are the best! Such great memories.
The only downside to this race was actually the town. Little Rock didn’t seem to have too much to do. There were hikes and caves and outdoor sports, but we couldn’t really take advantage of those since we were saving our strength for the race. We did enjoy Arkansas cheese dip after the event and an ice cream flight. I would 100% run this race again! Next stop: Disney!
Month 2 is complete and I’m still reaching for new milestones. I can’t even explain how excited I am about how far I’ve come in such a short time. First in-person race completed. The Hot Chocolate 5k on 2/4/24. This seems like a lifetime ago to me and why I am so glad to have this blog to reflect on. Rain and wind in the forecast but warmer than it’s been lately. I guess it wouldn’t be exciting without battling the elements. Just one week after my virtual 5k. I originally signed up for the cool swag bag and to run with friends well before I set a running goal for 2024, but it definitely puts miles in the log book and gives me another 5k time to catalog. Great start to the month and I’m content running a 5k currently as a race day event while I still focus on my 1 mile time and just improve my running overall. Longer distance races can come in time, when I feel I’m ready and my body is prepared. 20 gym pals teamed up for this run which made it so much fun! Too many pictures to post here but so many memories. Lots of celebrating at the end and maybe some great hot chocolate.
My 5k time was 37:37 on 2/4/24. I almost forgot how slow the start of a race is with all the people and the weaving you have to do to get around the swarm of people at the start area. Definitely wasn’t a straight line to mile 1. Bloody lady after a face plant before mile one was sad. An ambulance, fire truck and police car dodging runners at a cross street. Me being one of them was new for a race day. Just a day in the city on race day I suppose. So much fun with a group of friends and a repeat from 2020 for a handful of the same people. Chocolate at the end to celebrate. Can’t complain about that. Definitely cold before and after but hot during the actual race. Cute purple skirt for a little flair, a little glitter on the face to sparkle, and a great play list to go go go. Great Sunday run-day was had by all. Ready for the next one.
Maybe I’ll work my way up to 10k or 4 miler on race day, but for month two we are sticking with the 5k and hoping to build up to that half marathon I signed up for in November 2024 with a few friends. This month I will also be faced with a new challenge. Training for the DEKA Fit competition in Knoxville, TN in early March. This is a unique competition with 10 fitness segments with running built into it. A 5k will be completed in conjunction with the 10 fitness segments. Luckily I will have a partner to divvy out the work with but this will be another test of my running and overall conditioning. More to follow on this next month. Lots of interval training this month with a few longer runs built in.
My 1 mile pace was 9:57 on 2/6/24 on the air runner. Hard to believe but no outside elements I suppose.
I ran in just one state.
I ran 19 days in a row. This seems so crazy to me because never would I ever have expected to be this consistent when I started.
I ran over 40 miles this month. A goal I scribbled on my calendar that seems like a stretch was now a reality. I did it!
I’m at a year-to-date total of 76 miles.
I did my first longer run (4.5 miles) in a vest with water. That was new and took some getting used to. The sloshing of water was definitely a new distraction.
I ran intervals with friends a few times a week and really enjoyed settling into a rhythm. I feel like my breathing and pacing is improving. Run at an easy pace. Run for longer, slower. Simple concept. Harder to apply when you live the fastest girl in town lifestyle. Walk without dropping my heart rate too much in between intervals. I felt like I could endure for a while. I didn’t test my theory for maxing out, but maybe I will in the coming months. This seems like a good approach for me when tackling large mile runs and most likely my game plan for my big races. Continuing to work on my strength in cross training as well. Added a few sprints at the end some days too. I can definitely feel a change in my endurance now that I’ve been running more. Shoulders are thinning out a bit from the running, but I’ll never have the runner physique.
I also focused my training on 500-meter segments to better prepare for my competition next month as well as improve my run times by focusing on interval training in a 500-meter distance chunk. Then fatiguing myself with weight bearing exercises and continuing with the run/work scenario. Slightly different form of intervals that were noted above with a run/walk scheme. Just a little training shift this month I suppose. Still progress no matter which way you look at it. Every step is forward no matter which way you look at it. Unless I’m doing backwards lunges which I loathe.
This is my birth month. 52 wise/wise ass years behind me. I was aiming to hit 52 miles by my birthday this year as a mini-milestone. I was already pleasantly surprised I went over 30 miles last month which meant I was over half way to 52. I ended up with 67.75 miles by my birthday. I actually hit 52 miles on 2/12/24 and I was over the moon excited. I was definitely pumped and felt so much accomplishment just to get here, let alone achieve the goal early. So much encouragement along the way. My fit friends texting or getting together to run. My pal who gives me motivation notes to view for each mile I complete. The list goes on. I am truly one lucky girl just having the ability to run. I know some pals who would love to run but can’t for one reason or another. For that reason, I’m motivated to move because I can.
Self-discipline is something worth writing about. Not everyone has it engrained in their soul. I can’t do this subject justice exclusively in this post, but many work at it. Some need more of a checklist to stay on track. I’m definitely self-motivated. I work and rework my plan and offer myself rewards for efforts. I celebrate milestones and I try hard not to compare myself to others. My journey is unique to me. Keeping the focus on what I can control keeps me disciplined. I can always help others. I can show others how I stay on track. What I can’t do is the work for others. That’s the difference. A self-disciplined person can work hard solo. To improve themselves. No strings attached. No comparison needed. They can make the finish line without something or someone pushing them over the line.
Another footnote for this month is I’m officially signed up for my first full marathon in Savannah, GA in November 2024. 6 friends participating along side me and a few more thinking about it. Different paces but a common goal of completing the marathon. Not too far away and the same month I have a half marathon so hopefully my body can withstand both. I guess my half marathon is now my training run for the marathon. Here we are month two into my running project and I’m signed up for my first marathon. What’s next? Here’s to making memories and achieving milestones. One step at a time.
And for those who want to know why, it’s because I can and I have the will to tackle the challenge. I’ve never set my mind to running thus running 2024 was a good goal for me to take on. Time will tell how I fared. How my overall fitness was impacted. I have hope that I can endure the grueling 26.2 miles and earn my medal. Maybe I’ll make it two marathons to hit 52 miles for my year of 52.
Since I’ve now signed up for a few races my medal rack seems a little crowded. Retail therapy to the rescue. I now have a 2024 race bib display and medal rack mounted and waiting for each and every bib and medal I earn this year. It’s gonna be a great year of running. It’s gonna be fun to flip back throught the medals and bibs at year end to reflect on my accomplishments. I can feel the success in my soul/sole already. I’m doodling on the back of each bib with my race time and splits to see how I improve in time. A fun data point to look back on in the years ahead.
The end of February also marks the start of the CrossFit Open. An annual event that I partake in. Year 8 for me. Some years are better than others but I put my best foot forward each time. 3 weeks of testing my strength in the CrossFit world while balancing running and training for the DEKA Fit competition. Never a dull moment over here. Moving. Training. Writing. That’s my agenda for the immediate future. And for curious minds, I work full time. This means I train at 6am, nights, lunch breaks, weekends and whenever my schedule allows. The balance is also part of the challenge this year.
Balancing strength training, work, family, paddle sports and running isn’t for the weak at heart. That’s for sure. Almost forgot to mention I’m eating clean to make sure my body is fueled to endure the demands I’m putting on my body. On top of that I’m making sure to take time to get a massage and pedicure at regular intervals to keep everything in sync. I’m also not forgetting to spend time stretching. A very important step to continuing to build those miles. Busy life.
Stay tuned for what’s lurking at the end of the first quarter.
It seemed slow then fast. Loud then soft. It was so annoying. I heard the breathing of my dog. Every little sigh. The rest of the house was ever so quiet, but my mind was racing.
Racing on much to do about nothing. Yet I couldn’t fall asleep. I tried the sleeping mask. I tried soft relaxing music. I tried to empty the bladder. Every possible trick was tried. The efforts were futile.
Funny tummy grumbles picked up after a while but I wasn’t willing to go for the midnight snack. More ticks. More tocks. They almost gave me a dreadful headache. Blankets on. Blankets off. Try to sleep on the side. No the back. I don’t even think hanging from the ceiling fan would help.
Yawns begin yet my mind just can’t shutdown properly. Much to do about nothing. What a night. Early to rise tomorrow and somebody isn’t going to be happy or full of zest. Drank some water. Still not sleepy.
In the distance an owl is stirring. Whoo. Whoo. With a slight gurgle in the whoo. Or maybe it more of a whistle-like whoo. It’s definitely an owl yet I can’t express in words the tone or tune of its call in the wee hours of the morning. It’s there. Nearby of course. Doing its thing. One ear is hearing the owl while the other is focused on the ticks and the tocks. Some dog sighs sporadically sneak into the rhythm of the night’s symphony.
Every once an a while a car or truck passes in the distance. Not heavy traffic more like a lone car here and there that I hear the acceleration of. Such a quiet night for me to hear these sounds that I miss every other day. Today they seem to be accentuated. For my pain? For my pleasure?
As the minutes turn into hours I start thinking about how to be productive. Shop on Amazon. Write a blog post. Make a packing list for my next trip. Counting sheep didn’t work, the darkness of the mask didn’t work. Nothing was helping me sleep today.
I will never know the root of my sleepless adventure, but I will remember how tired I am tomorrow. Signing off as a sleepless soul of the night. I’m sure many others are floating in their thoughts somewhere.
And on that early February morning, there was smoke. And all that goes with it. And my in-laws were wakened by firefighters rousing them in time to get away from the danger.
By the time I arrived on the scene, hours later, all the flames were extinguished. The smell of smoke hung thick in the air. Water from the hoses still swamped the weathered tile. Where there had once been weddings and birthday parties and rehearsal dinners and showers, there was now charred wooden beams and fallen insulation. Memories of what used to stand.
I have never thought of fire as one of my fears but I still didn’t need to linger long in that space. I didn’t want to remember it that way. The very sight of the destruction just repulsed me.
I watched our family review the scene. My daughter was immediately shaken. “Things can be replaced, people can’t” I said, over and over again. I meant it. But that didn’t change the feeling of loss. It is hard to see a place with that many memories just go up in smoke.
Now the work of rebuilding begins. I try to frame it as an opportunity – it will come back better than ever. In the mean time, our family schedules and rhythms shift. Some of us have to be sure to get our steps in when it used to come through the course of work. Sleep interruptions are more frequent. Minds race with very different concerns than before.
I am reminded to be grateful that everything can be fixed. And to appreciate what we have while we have it. And especially, to appreciate who we have while we have them.
5 long years ago I wrote a blog about the 31 days in January as a reflection point. Nothing fancy just a glimpse of life. What I might have thought was important at that time. What I might care to revisit later. A simple way to showcase my mindset at the beginning of year. Just a recap.
Now that I am sitting here five years later I’m a little amazed and feeling fancy. I’m cataloging my life story as it unfolds. Moments I might have forgotten about are captured here in this blog. Five years is a long time. A lot of personal growth. A lot of loss. Many challenges. Many more triumphant moments. As I type away on my keyboard I will once again leave you will a list of 31 moments from my reel of life and some wisdom to go along with it as a bonus. I also love a good calendar humor to start each morning with breakfast. See photo below:
Don’t underestimate the power of starting your day with an out-of-the-box comment or thought to ponder. It gets you stirred up for the day. A little spark. Leverage technology and share with friends near and far and boom you have some instant memories to share. This is my little new year’s tip to you. I’m on about year three for flip calendar fun with friends. We all love it and love to see what new calendars we all start with in January. One day I’ll have my own I’m sure. May be just whispering that to the universe now. Stay tuned.
Rehabbed a property in short order
Listed and closed on property in 14 days
The above is nuts for a timeline. A little bit of luck. A lot of hard work. A positive mindset. An ability to engage resources was all critical. This will to date be one of my favorite quick projects to be a part of. However when I looked back in 2019 I was moving and shaking in real estate as well. A little irony.
I began training as a distance runner.
I logged a lot of miles.
I hit personal bests running.
I don’t like to run but I opted to give myself a goal that would be challenging. I committed to tracking along the way to document the success and/or failures. So far so good. I’m not injured. I’m running happy. I’m confident in my progress. I’ve had a lot of personal growth this month as I pound the pavement with my Clydesdale-like body.
I did some fundraising for local sports.
I did tax paperwork for business/personal.
I paid bills.
I worked out: CrossFit, pickleball & tennis.
These four items on the list are redundant for the most part. Requirements that surface with the new year. Never fun. Always boring and can be hard in different ways. I put in the work nonetheless. That’s the rule follower in me and consistent behavior girl.
Made time for family & friends.
Checked in on those who are sick or challenged in life at the moment.
Took some time off for just me.
Bought some new shoes, of course.
Last year I had a lot of loss to reflect on. People who passed on. This year it seems more about health in general. Mental health issues for some. Serious medical conditions for others. Covid and flu hitting others very hard. I’m more worried about the longevity of some around me this year. Maybe that’s better than loss but the worry part I could do without.
I met some new people.
I traveled by plane.
I experienced new things.
I floated in my hot tub on cold days.
And boy was it cold this month.
I signed up for a half marathon.
I signed up for a DEKA Fit competition.
Competing has been on my January logs in previous years as I usually sign up for the CrossFit Open. Which I did again this year for year #8 however, I’m also doing other events to diversify. Look at me! Fit and fabulous over fifty. How nifty is that?
I would like to have more sunshine in January. My older skin needs the warmth of the sun more so than rain and cold.
I played with my dogs a lot. A real comfort point these days. Many hours with my dogs alone just enjoying each other’s company. Nothing more loyal than a fur friend. They usually even follow you willingly to the bathroom!
I played the lottery. Not something I usually do but felt compelled to give it a go. I didn’t win. No surprise.
I said farewell to a workout buddy and work partner. Not gone gone but far enough away to say it’s bye for now.
I started mentally preparing for my big trip to Greece this year. Started the countdown now that 2024 is here.
I also have a digital countdown for many other flagship events over the years. They seem to be stacked one on top of each over. This just means 2025 will be here before I know it.
I reviewed at a quick glance my list from 2019, 2020 and 2021 just to see what’s different, if anything. Interesting task.
I thought about what big moments I will have this year. Both planned and unplanned. Gives me a little excitement to think about the possibilities.
I thought a lot about retirement. A new one for me. Where will I want to go. What will I want to do. When is the right time. What is the exit strategy. So many choices.
What’s next? The dreamer in me asks. Ponders. Deliberates. Creates. Scribbles. Draws. Plans. Thinks some more. Ah the beauty of dreaming what can be. Then making it be reality. We all have that opportunity but many won’t take the chance on themselves. I do daily.
Me. Just me. For once I’m thinking about me. My kids are adults. They are charting their paths. My significant other likes his things. I like mine. I’m doing more of my likes and wants. Filling those desires that maybe went on the back burner while other priorities were front and center.
This is me. Over the 50 year mark. Some don’t make it to this point. I’m looking ahead next year, 5 years, and beyond. Whether I get there or not is not the question. It’s what will I get to do before my time here is done.
I’m doing all that I can in the time I have left. I’ll report back next January but in the meantime enjoy my interim blogs and look for publications in the future because writing is just a part of my journey.
Feeling flirty.
Feeling fun.
Feeling fulfilled.
Feeling festive.
Feeling free.
It’s great to be in my world this January.
Wonder what you would put on your list of 31? Give it a try. You might surprise yourself. You might get to thinking it’s time to do something exciting with life.
hopeful for sleep in the coming hours.
2 Chicks and a blog 