Friday Fill-Ins

I haven't written up my race report for the 5K/10K from last weekend because I have been waiting for the pictures to be ready. Their up now, but I am still not done with my report - it should be up next week sometime, sorry!

So, I got the idea for today's post from Holly (thanks!).


Friday Fill-Ins:

1. Fresh fruit, crackers and cheese -- the best food to take on a picnic.

2. Summer is wonderful, but goes by too fast!

3. *I HEART* flip flops.

4. To love someone is good, to be loved by someone is wonderful, to love oneself is a necessity.

5. While camping, I would love to go for a long hike.

6. When I crave food, it's usually salty snacks, and sometimes junk!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to heading home to the Bis, tomorrow my plans include possibly camping, and Sunday, I want to just chillax!


Have a great Memorial Day weekend, y'all!!

Fargo Marathon Weekend - Part 1: Youth Run

Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Fargo Youth Run: 1/2 mile and 1 mile run (ages 12 and under)

For the past couple of years I have taken part in the Fargo Marathon as a race participant but wanted to do more. So, when I overhead one of our gym teacherss talking about the Fargo Youth Run Committee last year, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. I told her I was interested if they needed more help. Flash forward about 7 months and the Youth Run Committee met to begin preparing for the 2010 event, with an additional member, muah. I jumped in head first and learned first-hand how much work really goes into putting something of this multitude together!

The committee was made up of about ten people, including our wonderful race director, a few elementary gym teachers, a retired teacher, a couple parents, and of course me. During our first meeting, we discussed the idea and purpose behind the Youth Run - inspiring the young to build healthy and active lifetyles. The Youth Run would be the event to kick-off the marathon weekend. It all begins with our youth, right? They are our future. Far too many kids are facing health challenges, particularily childhood obesity and diabetes, and this was a great reminder to kids and parents how important a healthy lifestyle is.

By Sunday of last week, 5 days before the Youth Run, we had approximate 1,200 kids pre-registered. Registration would be open until 5pm Thursday evening, with the hopes that our numbers would double.

I left work early Thursday afternoon to get to the site of the Youth Run and help with set-up and other odds and ends. I, with the help of another committee member were in charge of the finishing corral. Thank goodness we had the help of about 15 other volunteers and a dozen Boy Scouts. Thank you all for volunteering your time and helping out! We wouldn't have been able to do this, successfully, without you!

Both the 1/2 mile and 1 mile races were out and back routes. After crossing the finish line, the kids would be corralled into the fenced-in football feild about 25 yards from the finish line. The kids would come in through one end, grab their water and finisher medal, and be guided to the other side of the field where the parents would be able to pick them up. We had high security here, specifically at the end where the parents were able to pick up their child, with the help of police officers. Parents were required to show their matching bib numbers to pick up their child. I was working the other end, trying make sure parents weren't jumping the bike racks or trying to help their children climb over them. I had about 5 parents extremely upset with me for not letting them in or out without proof of identity. Being the loud and bossy person I can be, I stood my ground, for the safety of not just their children, but the other children on the field. Why is it hard for some parents to understand that we had things set up like this for the safetly of their child(ren)?

Asside from a handful of difficult parents, I would like to say things went pretty darn well. I don't know the exact number of kids that finished the race, but I do know that we had close to 2,500 kids participating! The weather was great - in the high 70's with a nice breeze. Almost every child finished the race with a smile on their face. It was such a great event to be a part of and help organize! I look forward to helping out again, next year!

*Next post: Fargo Marthon Weekend - Part 2: 5K/10K GoFar Challenge

3 Things Thursday

1. Allergies stink! I went to bed last night with a slight headache behind my eyes. I couldn't tell if it was just a headache or allergy issues. This morning I woke with a worse headache. Caffeine from my coffee hasn't helped. Now I am sneezing a bit, so I am about to try Zyrtec-D. It's great stuff!

2. The BF and I are planning a trip for this summer! In July we will be heading to San Diego for 5 nights! We have our hotel, airfare, and rental car all taken care of! We look forward to getting in some sight seeing, time on the beach, and a Padres/Dodgers game! Those of you who have traveled to SD or live in Cali and can think of anything that we should look into, feel free to share!

3. Random thoughts and comments in response to everyone's questions this week...

• Yes, I took that photo of the sun and clouds in my last post - while I was driving back home last weekend.
• I would prefer working out in the morning before work, but now that the weather is getting nice I look forwards to getting in those runs/rides outdoors in the afternoon. It's still too dark in the morning when I would need to go.
• Many of you asked for more info on the BF? I don't know how he feels about me sharing much on here, so I am going to keep it minimal for now. He's 28, an auditor or a bank, very family-orientated, and the truly the nicest guy I have ever met. Fo reals.
• I only have one picture of the two of us from this past weekend. However, it's not the greatest and I think I would need his permission before posting. In due time, peeps.
• When we changed our FB status it was after he gave me a hard time for still being "single". So we pretty much took care of that at the same time. It was mutual. lol.
• 200 miles back home is not a 6 hour drive. I go 75-80mph... do the math! hehe
• Any other questions!?!?

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Ten - Random Bits of Info

1. Sorry I have been MIA from blogland a bit in the past week. The weekends have been busy, and the weekdays have been just as busy. The last thing I have wanted to do when I come home from work is sit in front of the computer, again.

2. School is starting to wind down. Kids are talking about field trips, cleaning out their desks, summer plans, and I am just hoping we make it through the next 8 days (including today).

3. The weather is wonderful. Last week it rained almost all week and the temps were in the 40's and 50's. Now the temps are in the 70's and the sun feel's great!

4. I did my first outdoor run yesterday. Yes, my first of 2010... crazy, I know. It was 78 degrees and I just had to take advantage of that and the fact that there was really no wind.

5. I got some more Vitamin D when I returned home from my run and mowed my lawn. I then proceeded to spend just as much time trying to kill dandy lions as it takes me to mow my lawn.

6. It's Facebook official. For those of you who are not friends with me of FB, or are friends with me of FB but never on there, I have changed my status. Yes, my friends.. it's facebook official. I am in a relationship. There are two things that I don't spend a lot of time talking about on here in depth: my work and my personal/dating life. But, I figured I would spill the beans in regards to my long distance relationship. Yes, approximately 200 miles. Any questions?

7. It's Fargo Marathon week here and it's crazy busy! I am on the Youth Run Committee and we have the 1/2 mile and 1 mile run Thursday evening. As of Sunday, I believe we had 1200 registrations filled out for kids 5-12. Then, last night I think we had 150 walk-up registrations. We are accepting registrations up until the race day, so I can only imagine how many kids are going to be running!

8. I am looking forward to my Fargo Marathon Challenge! Friday night is the 5K and Saturday morning is the 10K. The weather will be nice and hot for the 5K and cool for the 10K (at 7am). My plan is to just go out there and enjoy both races. No desire to break any world records, here!

9. I am itching to get to the brand-spankin-new Target Field. I think we have plans to go down and catch a Twins game on the 3rd of July! They will be playing Tampa Bay and I am pretty much counting down the days!

10. NBA playoffs are here! I don't watch too much pro ball anymore, but I do enjoy the playoffs. Especially with the idea of a possible repeat of 2008! What do you have bets on? Let's go Celtics!

(Another reason why the number 5 is my favorite number....)

Cheribundi Review!

Cheribundi was gracious to send me a box of their wonderful juice to try and share my opinions with you all in blogland! It just took me long enough to try it and sit down to share my thoughts.

Cheribundi information, straight from their website:

Fifty Cherries: Our Tru Cherry™ juice packs fifty cherries into a short 8oz bottle. (We know because we counted them.) From there we add just enough water and apple juice to make it palate-perfect. Of course, to create the benefits of Skinny Cherry™ we decrease the cherries slightly and sweeten with natural Stevia. To get the benefits of Whey Cherry™ into a bottle, we add whey protein.

Freshness: The word "concentrate" isn't in our vocabulary. Our juice is freshly made with America's Superfruit™ grown in Michigan and New York. Other juices are made from concentrate once a year and then stored before you even get to drink them. Not cheribundi™, though. That's why it tastes so darn fresh.

Phytonutrients: These are the building blocks in fruits and vegetables, so they're good for you. They help plants grow and regenerate cells properly and they just may help regulate physiological functions in human, too. Cherries have a powerful combination of these nutrients, which provides more benefits than any other fruit or other good-for-you foods like tea, wine and other juices. ...

Vitamins and Minerals: .... In cheribundi™ you'll find Vitamin A, Potassium, Iron, Calcium and, in Whey Cherry™, muscle-growing B-Vitamins!

High ORAC Rating: The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity rating for cheribundi™ is higher than other juices - that means our juice has a
better ability to absorb and neutralize free radicals. Whether you're exercising or resting, cheribundi™ is working hard for you!

You can learn more about the Cherry Benefits HERE.


They sent me two bottles of the Tru Cherry, one bottle of Whey Cherry, and one bottle of Skinny Cherry. I just taste-tested the Whey Cherry and Skinny Cherry and thought they both were good. After my swim workout Wednesday night, I needed a snack and remembered reading about Wes (thanks for the idea, Wes) using this juice in a smoothie. So, I put something similar together using the Tru Cherry:

1/2 banana
1/2 serving chocolate Whey protein powder
1/2 c. strawberries
1/2 bottle of Tru Cherry
and ice

It was so yummy! It was very fruity with a little bit of tartness! Definitely hit the spot!

Have you ever tried Cheribundi? Do you have any cool recipe ideas to use this in other than smoothies or drinking it by itself?

Wednesday Wamblings

• I got my new shoes. I searched online for a steal-of-a-deal, but had not success. So, I checked out the local Dick Beardsley's Running Co. store and found the Brooks Trance 9's there. It too a few seconds to get over the price of $140. Yikes. I think the past 2 pairs of Brooks I bought were on clearance for about $60-$70, and I haven't bought shoes in over a year, so that made me feel a bit better. (Note to self: remember to always always check the clearance rack for shoes, even if I am not in need at the time.) After choking on the price, I had a new challenge to overcome: the color. I know I shouldn't worry about the color of my running shoes as long as they are the right ones for me, but I wasn't thrilled about all the white. Plus, I feel like I need to be a New Orleans Saints fan in order to wear them. Ummm. no thanks. Don't worry, I will soon get over that since the shoes feel won.der.ful.!

• It seems as if the cramping in the calves and feet is slowing disappearing. I haven't run much in the past week, but when I have, I haven't noticed any calf cramping. I am drinking more water and using nuun a few times a week, in addition. However, Monday, I was dealing with some serious side-stitches while running. I swear, if it's not one thing, it's another!
  
• Tonight is my last swim practice for this session. It's been a pretty good session. I made it to 7 out of the 8 practices. We will start up again the second week of June, which will give us a nice break.


• The Fargo Marathon is just around the corner! I will be working the Youth Run that Thursday night. The theme of this year is to promote better health for our youth, thus they are kicking off the marathon weekend! Right now it looks like we have over 500 kids pre-registered for the 1/2 mile and 1 mile run that evening and temps are expected to be in the 80's! I will be participating in the weekends events while doing the 5K/10K Challenge: running the 5K Friday night and then the 10K that Saturday morning! I have never done anything like this before, so I am super pumped!


• A little over two weeks left of school! Well, 12 days with kids to be exact. 13 days of work. Things are starting to wind down a bit. I am enjoying the fact that I only have two big meetings left this year; one is a transition meeting for a student who has moved in from out of state, the other is for a dismissal of a student from special education services. I have dismissed 3 students this year, which doesn't happen that often, but it's great to see students make such progress that they no longer need special education services.


• I am so sick of this dreary, cold weather. It's been in the high 30's to high 40's for the past week and a half now and I am sick of it. Even though my grass looks lush, the rain must go! Come Friday, and 70's and 80's will be here for the next week at least! Ahhh!


• I am looking for some new tunes! I want to organize my playlist for the upcoming 5K/10K challenge and would love if it any of you would give a few suggests! I love all kinds of music, but would prefer something upbeat suggestions for race day!
  

Final Update on 3 Changes Challenge

I want to give a big thanks to Amanda on putting together the 3 Changes Challenge! It's nice to have some sort of challenge from time to time. When's the next one, Amanda?! lol.



Here's my recap of the final week:


1. No Soda/More Water - It feel so good to have cut back on the soda! My body is thanking me for it! I have cut back on a bit of water in the past week thinking that drinking to much was flushing out my electrolytes, but I don't think that was the case at all. The cramps didn't go away, and I have been getting side stitches like crazy on my past few runs. More water is needed, I know.


2. No treats at work - Still working hard on this. This past week was better than any of the other 3 weeks. Such a good feeling too!

3. 20 minutes of Core and Stretching 4-5 times per week - I did some sort of core and stretching 4 days this past week!

1:00-1:45 plank (4 times)

1:00 - 1:30 rocking plank (4 times)

1:00-1:45 side planks (2 time)
255 side crunches - with 8# ball

50 regular crunches - with Bosu Ball

115 reverse crunches

95 pushups

Here's some totals for the past 30 days:

* I have turned down approximately 80% of the treats at work. Keeping track this month made me realize how many unhealthy things are floating around the school and sometimes shoved in your face. Why do people have a hard time respecting one's decision to turn down a caramel roll, donut, cupcake, ice cream treat, etc.?!

* I haven't had soda in for 15 days ... and there are no cravings!

* Other:

1,140 side crunches - with 8# ball

380 pushups

245 reverse crunches

145 regular crunches

110 crunches - with Bosu Ball

50 side crunches (scissors)

If you participated in the 3 Changes Challenge, how did you do the past 30 days?!

3 Things Thursday

1. Like never before, I have been dealing with nasty calf/feet cramps. Mom thinks I am drinking too much water and flushing out my electrolytes. Maybe mom's really do know best. :) So during my run yesterday I drank water with a little something something in it - Nuun. I use the Tri Berry flavor and love love love it.

2. I NEED new running shoes. BAD. I think I realize this at about the same time I realize I need to get my hair cut - when it's well over due. The shoes I have right now look like their in good shape, but I feel like my feet are sliding all over the place in them. I checked out Scheel's after my run yesterday and they had ZERO pairs of Brooks Trance. Supposedly they are out of last year's style and probably not getting the new style in until June 1 or July 1. The guy didn't know for sure. Some help he was. I can't wait 1-2 months to get new shoes! Dang.

3. I skipped swim team this morning. I just didn't have it in me and have already swam 2500Yds between Sunday's triathlon and Tuesday's practice. As much as I was disappointed that I didn't make it (since I am paying for it) it was nice to try and get an extra hour of sleep. Once again, I am having a hard time falling asleep and sleeping through the nights this week. This is so not like me, because I usually can fall asleep shortly after my head hits the pillow, whether it's 8pm or 10pm, and can sleep for 8+ hours if given the chance. It's so frustrating, but I think it might be stress related. I am not overly stressed, just extremely busy at work and such.

Tall Mom's Virtual 5K

I was planning on biking after school and then doing a short run-off the bike this afternoon when I remembered that I "registered" for Tall Mom's Virtual 5K!

With the weather being in the 50's, wet, and extremely windy, I opted to do this run on the treadmill. My spring allergies will thank me for this later.

There was nothing special about this run, unfortunately. It was hot and stuffy in the gym, I was over dressed, and I have been dealing with a lot of muscle cramps lately.

It was a very very slow run with lots of walking. But, I conquered and now it's time to move on!

Thanks Tall Mom for putting together the virtual 5K! And for a good cause!

Updates All Around!

If you missed my Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon Race Report and are interested in reading it - I posted it yesterday! Click HERE to read it! Thanks to all who have left such kind comments!

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Here's an update on my 3 Changes as part of the 3 Changes Challenge put together by Amanda over at RuntotheFinish:


1. Less Soda/More Water - I am doing really well with the cut-back in soda. Actually, I haven't had soda in 8 days. I am drinking more water and still cutting back on swinging through the drive-thru at Caribou or Starbucks for my coffee fix.

2. No treats at work - I really stunk at this last week. I don't know if it was because I was craving dairy or what not, but I just couldn't turn down a couple drumsticks after lunch with my co-workers. Plus, it didn't help that a co-worker of mine was pretty much shoving them in my face!

3. 4-5 days of 15-20 minutes Core and stretching each week - I only did this 3 days.

1:00-1:45 plank (1 time)

220 side crunches with 8# ball

50 side crunches (scissors)

45 reverse crunches

25 regular crunches

85 pushups

used foam roller two times

It will be interesting to see how week 4 goes. It's Teacher Appreciation Week and there are TREATS everywhere! It's SO annoying and DISGUSTING! Add on birthday treats from students and I am in deep trouble!

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I have done some deep thinking about the Olympic Triathlon I was hoping to do in August. After weighing the pros and cons, taking into account many of your wonderful comments and talking to my swim coach this morning, I decided that I am going to pass on this race....this year.

*sigh*

My swim coach, who did the Oly last year, reminded me that the Oly swim was longer than they stated and the Sprint swim was too short. For it only being my second triathlon, I even noticed that.

Plus, I am really looking forward to doing the YWCA (ALL WOMEN) Triathlon with my sister and a couple friends. It's going to be a great experience!

And, with the summer being jam-packed with weddings and other exciting things, I am okay with only doing a couple triathlons. I look forward to training smart and hard, and building off of what I consider to be a good base built already! And... just maybe....I will find a fall half marathon to do....

I am keeping my options open!

Indoor Triathlon Race Report & Upcoming Races!

Yesterday I completed my first triathlon of 2010! It was an indoor triathlon and I did it with my friend Jill, my sister Steph, and her friend Amanda! This was Steph and Amanda's first triathlon, evah!

I did this same sort of event two years ago, and it was my first triathlon ever, as well! Here's a comparison of what I did in March of 2008, what my goal was for this time, and what I accomplished this time around:


March 2008 ..........May 2010 GOAL.........May 2010 Results
Swim 17.5 lengths .......Swim 19.5 lengths ........ Swim 20 lengths
Bike 11.4 miles .......... Bike 15 miles .............. Bike 14.8 miles
Run 1.55 miles .......... Run 1.75 miles ............ Run 1.75 miles


The Swim: When all was said and done, I thought that I swam 22 lengths, but I guess I should trust those who were counting, right? I pushed myself pretty hard at the end and finished strong!


T1: I swear we didn't get our full 10 minutes for transition, but whatev. When we reached the cycling studio, the guy told us we have 1 minute to get on our shoes, adjust the bike and get on. I had to have the girl adjust my seat and handlebars when I started cycling.


The Bike: I felt really good on the bike. I don't think I could have turned my legs over any faster! It was a great 30 minutes of riding!


T2: We had 5 minutes here. I had to kick of my clipless shoes, put on my tenners, and run upstairs to the treadmill.


The Run: My quads were pretty tight but it probably took less than a minute or two to transition into a good stride on the treadmill. I did a bit of walking here and there but pushed myself really hard in the last 6-8 minutes of the 20 minute run. I ended up sprinting (sprinting for me) the last couple of minutes with a pace less than 8:00 minute mile. As soon as I hit pause on that treadmill and jumped off, I thought was going to puke for coming to a quick stop.

I met my goal in all areas but the bike! But, I must admit that the goal I set for the bike was quite a jump from last time. I placed 29th out of 52 participants and both newbies kicked my butt! Congrats, Steph and Amanda on your first triathlon!


Here are a handful of photos:

My sister and I

(wow, I look rough in the morning...messy hair and no make-up!)

Waiting for our wave to start...

On the bike...

Unfortunately, there are no pics of us on the run. The time went by too fast and I forgot.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: If you have a Lifetime Fitness near you and are looking to try a triathlon, this is the place to start! Doing an indoor triathlon is a great way to get a feel for the sport!
There was a lot of discussion about race schedules this weekend with these lovely ladies. So much discussion that I am thinking of revamping my race schedule. I have come to the concensus that I will be doing the Average Joe Sprint Triathlon (June 26th) in Perham, MN, and the YWCA Women's Sprint Triathlon (August 15th) in Minneapolis, MN.

However (there's always my signature "however"), I have had the Younglife Olympic Triathlon (Aug. 21st) stuck in my mind for months. I did the sprint distance at this triathlon last year and loved it. I was really looking forward to doing this one as an olympic distance, since I am familiar with the course. The thing is, it's 6 days after the YWCA Women's Sprint Triathlon and I don't know if it's a good idea to do my first olympic triathlon that soon after a sprint triathlon. I am torn. I was hoping to get in an olympic traithlon this year, but it doesn't look like it will happen.

Sooooo..... calling all triathletes, what are your thoughts? Do you think I should/could do the sprint one weekend and then the olympic 6 days later?!