Independence Day 5k!

This year we began a new tradition- 5k on the Fourth!! :) It was pretty chill, lemme tell you!

It was a last minute decision-- I was originally going to be working all day but miracle of miracles- had the day AND night off! Woot!

The race began at 8am, with registration at 7am, so we got there around 7:30.

I loved running in the race because it supported our local community. The race was sponsored by several local small businesses and the proceeds went to the annual firework show! I love me some small town- especially MY small town!

Before the race I was really jittery because my left knee was feeling incredibly weird. Yuck. I warmed up and stretched and stretched knee still felt weird. 

The beginning of the race was weird and I almost lost my focus. I started towards the front of the pack and within the first 100 feet, nearly every person had passed me. I was in the last 10 of the 140ish runners! I was having a hard time judging my pace with all the other runners but I just kept telling myself it was O.K. if they were all THAT much faster than me!

I found my pace and just kept focused........and started passing people like crazy. Within the first 1/2 mile dozens of people dropped down to a walk or slowed significantly. Passing the people should have been exhilarating, but it was exhausting. There were a lot of people runnings in groups-- 4 or 5 wide so passing required running around them and dodging people. I was unbelieveably frustrated but just decided to cool off and just run for fun. Don't sweat the small stuff! I'm glad there were people out there running and running together-- even if they did slow the race down for lots of other people!

It was about 90 degrees and the heat made the run tough. The heat really got to me towards the last part of the race. I've been running EARLY in the mornings when it's about 70 out, so the 20 degrees made a big difference.

The race route was about 1/2 gravel and 1/2 pavement. It had some rolling hills and one stinker of an uphill stretch! There were several aid stations and people out cheering you on the course.

Best running buddy ever!! :)

I finished with a 30:56 time which was 2 seconds faster than my first 5k in May.

After the race there was plenty of water and gatorade and bars- LUNA, Cliff etc...
They gave awards to 1, 2 & 3 plus several different age groups. I would be lying if I was calculating how much faster I have to get by next year in order to place. :)

Post race fuel- scrambled eggs with veggies & chocolate milk with espresso. Super love.

Looking forward to another great 5k next year!!

The run when my tongue fell asleep.

Work last night was a long 8 hours of nothing. As awesomesauce as my job is, it includes some insanely boring shifts where all you can do is find things to do to stay awake and ready for whatever emergency comes your way. As a result of the very quiet night, and my officers all out of office; I barely said a word the entire night. Half way through my run this morning my tongue fell asleep and I resolved to never again allow so many hours to pass without speaking.

I mean, good grief what if I had met my soulmate on my run and when he greeted me my stupid tongue slurred my words and crippled the bloom of love that could have been? You can't take chances like that!

Running incentive #1 today- running from a bad hair day.

I got literally run off the road by this truck pulling a building the size of a small house on it. Whew. #1 reason why I run with 1 earbud and always check over my shoulder for traffic every few feet!!

Same-old-same-old running route!

#1 priority today.....sleeping. Another midnight tonight, plus extra day shift work Tuesday!!

Blueberry Tears

This morning I slept in, because it's Saturday, and that's what normal people do on Saturday. Sleep in or do yard work. And being that I am yard-less, I stuck with the sleeping in.

Before I went to bed last night I made a mental note to make a breakfast that included bananas, because I have 5 that turned from green to brown in 1.5 hours. This morning as I walked out of the kitchen with my fully prepared breakfast in my hands, I spied the basket of brown bananas and realized that my mental note must have gotten stuck somewhere between the pillow and the pillowcase.

I had a very 'Return to Me' moment and said "I don't want no brown bananas" before I sliced one up to add to my breakfast.

Being a Saturday AND my rest day, I'm not very motivated for anything goal related, but I did set a goal to NOT burn the egg pan. I have burned the pan to charred blackness every morning that I made eggs for the past two weeks. Something is seriously wrong with me.

I didn't burn the pan, but it took 3 minutes longer to cook the eggs than usual. 3 minutes is 3 minutes, but we all know how much I looooove eggs, and 3 minutes is just too much extra time for me to contemplate significantly yummier breakfast options and abandon the eggs. Who has tummy-time for eggs when there is oatmeal to be had??

Just chillin' the afternoon away sitting out on the deck watching a storm roll in. The clouds are beaaaautiful! I journaled it up while I had my afternoon snack- yogurt & granola. I cried almost as much as it rained after I found out that someone used the last of the blueberries. My poor snack is incomplete. How can I eat yogurt and granola sans blueberries?? This is a first world problemo fo sho.

Zombies on my morning run.

Last night I was tuckered out and went to bed at 8:30.

I promptly woke up at 10:51 and couldn't fall back asleep to save my life!!

Sweet.

This morning I got up early to go for my run. The heat has really been killing me these past few evenings (90+ degrees at 8pm) so I decided to take advantage of the fact that it is about 60 in the morning. Yay.

Lacing up the shoes.

Yes, I typically eat my earbud cord for a mid-run snack. Small wonder I am always replacing those bad boys.

Shade!!

This dilapidated old trailer may or may not have urged me to run just a little bit faster. It was tucked into these wildly overgrown trees & bushes, and then right in the midst of the thicket was this perfectly cleared path.......I kid you not......I was waiting for the zombie apocolypse. Of all the days to leave the artillery at home!!

The engine is evidently MIA. Maybe the zombies took it.

Mr. Train. Where is your engine??

This was supposed to be a thumbs up picture, but my pointer finger went rogue.

What up homies? It's be your own gangsta day!!

Breakfast. Oh yum. Oatmeal + grapefruit.

Go kill your Wednesday before it kills you! 

Here I am.

It's just my little place in the world..............

Expect to laugh.

Expect to cry.

Expect to roll your eyes.

Expect to scratch your head.

Expect to be mad.

Expect to sigh.

I can't promise that you'll like what you read and see.

But I promise it will be me.

(And I also promise NOT to rhyme all the time.

It would simply be a horrible crime!)

:)