Merry Christmas and an Update!

Is it shitty that I'm blogging on Christmas Day? What can I say? The kids are playing (fighting) with their new goodies, and I'm still in my jammies avoiding clean-up and whatnot. So why not blog?

So I last left off with the local 5k/10k that Evan, Nonni, and I were going to do? How did it go?

Well, the star of that show was Evan. Don't really have a race report because I was doing my own thing at the same time, but the gist of it is that he took off at the start (left poor Nonni in the dust!) and never looked back. He did say at one point that he helped another kid up who fell on the course (sweet boy!), and I did manage to get a glimpse of him around Mile 3, (for me--I was ahead of him doing the 10k, which started 4 minutes earlier than the 5k) where I cheered him on. He looked strong, but little did I know *how* strong until I met up with him at the finish line. The print-out read 23:02. The official results, however, are 23:46, so who knows what it really was or if it was even a true 5k (mine was short... more on that in a bit). At any rate, he ran under an 8 minute mile pace in his first 5k ever. What???? He's 9! Just incredible. I am really excited to see what the future has in store for him. He was so excited afterwards that all he could talk about is how he wanted a new pair of running shoes for Christmas. So Santa delivered!

Kid's PureFlows! Unfortunately, Santa delivered 1/2 size too small. CRAP! Now to exchange 

discretely...

Pre-race shot of the fam! Nonni ended up finishing 4th in her AG!

Proud AG winner in 9-Under Boys

I ended up taking the win in the 10k for the women. My Garmin read 6.07 at the finish and 42:04. The official results were 42:18, which I can't figure out. I was right at the front of the pack at the start and crossed the mat maybe 2-3 seconds (if that) after the horn blew, yet there is a 14-second discrepancy between my Garmin and the official results. I give up. Anyway, it was a great race for me. I felt strong the whole time and felt like I had a lot left at the finish line.

There are 32 days left until the Yuma Territorial Marathon, and I'm feeling great about where I'm at in my training. Sunday's goal for my long run was 18-miles with miles 4/5, 8/9, 12/13, 16/17 at 8:00P. I ended up doing the intervals between 7:53-7:55P Overall, I ran an 8:28 pace for 18 miles. Felt tired at the end, but I still had a few more miles left in me. The next two weeks will be 62 mile weeks, so I am just hoping to make it through them still feeling HEALTHY. Fingers and toes crossed.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! I'm feeling very grateful for my family's health and well-being. Even though my boys are a handful, fight like the dickens, and drive me to the brink of insanity several times per week, I'm so blessed to have them here with me. The shooting in Newtown has been on my mind daily since it happened... Really puts things into perspective in so many ways. I continue to pray for the Sandy Hook Angels' families and the community of Newtown each and every day.

My Blessings

Wednesday Ramblings

I'm back for my monthly post! And I'm going to do it bullet-point style in 10 minutes or less. No rest for the weary! My house looks like a garbage truck ran through it, I have to log 8.5 miles today, and I've got to wrap presents!

Here goes... since my last post:

• Running has been going really well albeit a minor setback in the hip department last week. Turns out that jumping back into hill workouts in a pair of worn-out shoes is probably *not* the best idea in the world. Ooops. No worries though... Feeling better every day. Hubby let me open my Christmas present early after my hip complaints. 

It's call the "Cold Roller." It's the "Grid's" cousin, I suppose. You can read more about this rehab tool here. Pretty cool. Thanks, honey!

• Hip issues also mean getting back to this. Since this hip issue is IDENTICAL (except on the other side) to the issue I had back in August/September (and after the same workout... duh!), I am back to my rehab routine 3Xs per week. It works!
• So I ended up retiring those shoes after that workout... And then I found a replacement for them in the form of an incredible deal at Holabird Sports:

Saucony Cortanas for $75.95 + free shipping. These shoes retail around $145.

• The shoes aren't my favorite color and they are not the latest Cortana 2s (which are about an ounce lighter), but at nearly 50% off, who cares?
• Last week was my highest mileage week EVER @ 58.6 miles. I capped it off with a solid 21-miler at 8:46P on Sunday. I'll peak at 62 miles in a couple of weeks. Wish me luck!
• Saturday is the "Reindeer Roundup" 5K/10K here in Yuma. My oldest will try out his first 5K with his Nonni (grandma)! Their plan is to do the first 2 miles at an 11-minute mile pace. I know Evan is itching to go fast, but I told him to stick with that pace and then if he feels great *after* mile 2, go for it.
• I'll be running the 10K. This race, last year, measured out to 5.95 miles on my Garmin. GRRRRRR! While I was happy with the 43:32 that I clocked for that distance, I didn't feel like it was a "true" PR because the course measured so short. It will be interesting to see if they changed the course this year. If not, hopefully I'll run it faster, right? My goal for a true 10K is 43:30. I'll let you know how it goes!