My 40 for 40 | Peaches Prattlings

{April 26, 2013} Fun, fun and more fun!

Tonight was so much fun!

I participated in the Vampire 5k, http://www.vampire5k.com/. Proceeds to go to local blood banks. It was being conducted in five cities around the country tonight! The only bad thing about this race, is it moved 3 times! The first was at Piedmont Park, pretty good for everyone, then it moved to the Conyers Horse Park, great for me, not so great for everyone else, then it moved to Six Flags, not great for anyone!

I was doing this race with RS and DL, a friend from work and NM, who used to work there as well and I’ve become friendly with through lunches.

Before I left the house,I got dressed. I was running as a vampire: black tights with bones criss crossed up the front and back, my black running skirt, black socks, bright pink sneakers (the only thing I had on that wasn’t black and I mean only), a black t-shirt that I made for us, in red puffy paint, I wrote our team name “We Are Fangastic”, it got quite a few compliments! I did my hair in two tight buns on top of my head and put gauzy pony holders with spiders on the ends.

I had bleeding bite marks on my neck, a tattoo I had from a while back, but knew I wanted for this! Then I did my makeup, that’s where I shine, it was one of my specialties in college. After my face and neck were done, I added my fangs, which someone had brought back from a horror convention for me a very long time ago, I finally got to wear them! Apparently I looked pretty good and scary, someone asked if I got my makeup done in the makeup tent and I scared a few kids!

I made it in plenty of time, if I had waited any longer to leave, it would have been another story.

RS got there after a while and I gave her her tshirt and did her makeup, she looked fabulous! It’s always great when we can catch up! Then we went to meet DL and NM, I was waving at DL, she kept looking a me, which I guess is a good thing! I also ran into some nurses that I taught at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta two jobs ago!

You could run as a vampire or as a citizen. If you were a citizen, you wore all white, vampires, all black. The citizens had a belt with 2 flags, and the vampires had to get their flags and when they were out of flags, they became vampires. The citizens lined up, got to start the race, then the vampires, we were off!

I ended up grabbing one person’s flag! I kept it! I couldn’t grab any others, they were too fast, but it was a lot of fun! The costumes were great, so many fantastic vampire and clever names of teams and clever costumes and socks and tutus, just a very fun event.

At the end of the race, instead of getting covered in red dyed corn starch, we got a red ribbon in honor of Boston. Nicely done.

I started out walking with all the girls, then we kind of got separated and RS met up with a friend, so we walked together. About half a mile from the finish, I needed to run, so I ran, it felt good. I ran right into the strobe lights that were on either side of the finish line, that was interesting and blinding.

There were some people towards the back worried they were going to slow or weren’t good at it. The important thing is that you did it and you finish!

It was so much fun to do the run with good friends, makes it all the more worth it! Let me know when you’re ready to do a run with me!

{April 25, 2013} Falling apart

I may very well be falling apart.

How old am I? Some days I feel like my body has it in for me and some of those days I think, “ok, you win”. Who wins and who am I talking to?

This last year has taken a toll on my body. I am only talking about the external, internal is a treat. I’ve had bunions on both my feet, something I inherited from my mom and grandfather, thanks! Most of the time I can deal with it, but it has hampered my ability to purchase some really cute shoes that might dig into them, I bought some ballet flats and said “the hell with it” and sometimes it’s a good day and sometimes it’s a bad day. There are times that they hurt after a long day, standing for a long time or just for being there, I have even woken up screaming from the pain.

When I went to see Dr Julian for something else, we talked about surgery, he said bunion surgery was his favorite, when I asked why, he told me because it was easy for him, and he didn’t have to deal with the recovery, gee thanks! I’ve considered it off and on for years, but, I found out, it’s 2-4 weeks off your feet completely then about 3 (maybe 6, I could be completely wrong here) months full recovery. That means no walking, no races, what? Nope!

The reason I went to see Dr Julian, and by the way, amazing podiatrist in Atlanta! Was my feet were hurting after I walked a few miles and when I did the Atlanta Women’s 2 Day, 30 miles in 2 days, I had blisters that had blisters, ouch. He told me I had heel spurs, thank goodness I wasn’t the hypochondriac I thought I might be turning into! He gave me some Smart Feet and recommended the sneakers I needed and exercises that I have to do. The Smart Feet are great, I just picked up some new ones, (they need to be replaced every 8 months) I wore them to my last mud run, so now I need new clean ones and a pair of new clean sneakers. I vowed never to run any kind of race without the proper foot-ware and Smart Feet, I learned my lesson, that which I am still paying for over a month later. (I do my exercises most of the time, I really try.)

The next fun thing to happen…I wrenched my knee! I was coming downhill, through the woods, in the mud, at a race and something snapped, great! Oh my word, I don’t know if I’ve been in that kind of pain before, well, maybe kidney stones, but it kept waking me up! Now I am very careful when I run, especially downhill. Luckily, each time it has happened, it was close to the end of a race. Yes, I said each time, I never claimed to be that smart! I saw someone after a race, he wrapped it with Rock Tape http://rocktape.com/products/tape/. I was rockin! And it helped! He told me what the issue was and I would love to tell you, if I could remember! One thing he told me to do was lunges, let me know how that worked out for you! I know, need to make an appointment with an orthopedist and I will, I promise! It’s hard to remember to make an appointment when nothing feels wrong, you know?

Now…I think I have carpel tunnel, really? I know it comes from a lot of typing and using your wrists, well, I have all the symptoms and when I spoke to a pharmacist, he said it sounded like carpel tunnel. So, it wakes me up at night, but when my hand falls asleep while I am asleep, then I don’t feel it, kind of ironic, isn’t it? I am wearing a wrist brace and making an appointment, when it happened the last time, I an to cancel the appointment. I didn’t think anything of it when it first happened, it only lasted a few days, these last few times have been for weeks a a time. I know, I know, make an appointment. I will, tomorrow! What I’m afraid of with the carpel tunnel, they’ll do an X-ray, tell me to take Tylenol and wear a wrist brace, thanks and here’s your copay.

I can tell you that as much pain as I am in, it has not stopped me and I just keep going, but wait, I’m not done. When my feet hurt too much to walk, I do take it easy and don’t do my morning run/walks, like today and yesterday, so there. I am sort of taking care of myself.

How old am I? Some days my body feels ancient, but I am stubborn like a 3year old, I won’t stop moving! Somebody stop me! (Wish me luck in the race tomorrow!)

{April 20, 2013} I am a Dirty Girl!!!

Today I did the Dirty Girl 5k Mud Run and Obstacle Course with CKM and it was AWESOME!

Hey, remember…. family blog!

Today was a great day! CKM spent the night after helping me to paint last night [great job by the way! texted a pic to the realtor and she was amazed!]. We got up, went to Bojangles drive through for breakfast. It’s one of CKM’s favorite places and there aren’t any where she lives and when she knows she’s coming to see me, wahoo!

On to Lake Lanier Island Resort for the Dirty Girl 5K Mud Run. Paid our $10 to park, found a spot, had to walk what seemed like a mile [on the way back, after the race, felt like 10!] and then stand in a very long line for a very long time to check in and get our race bibs. Next, pick up our shirts and necklaces [apparel and bling, what could be better!], drop off our bag at back check, last time at the port o’ jane, then off to the start.

There was a sea of pink, apparently we missed the memo! I was in all black and CKM in black and purple, not to worry, we still looked fabulous! [my sneakers are pink does that count?] and we were off! There were some great team shirts, a lot in support of breast cancer awareness, so just think about all the puns and go from there!

There were 13 obstacles and none of them were very difficult, that’s what I liked about it, it was something everyone could do. Some were in the mud, some climbing, crawling, under, over, through. Since this is a women’s only event, I would say if you have never done an obstacle race, this would be a great one to cut your teeth on. There was some running, but it wasn’t mandatory and all the obstacle signs said “we won’t tell if you go around” so there was no pressure.

There was a lot of comraderie, even with people you didn’t know, you encouraged, you helped and if, perchance your teammate was not muddy after the 3rd or 4th obstacle [DEFINITELY NOT myself or CKM] then, you helped those teams out by running up to the VERY clean members and hugging them! this was a mud run ladies, don’t buy expensive clothes and expect to not get dirty!

There were cargo net ladders, muddy baths, walls to climb [I did not skip one obstacle!!!] a slide that was so much fun, we did it twice! no one cared! the best was we weren’t being timed, so have some fun!

At the finish line we danced into the water to clean off the mud, but not to worry it’s still on our race bibs!

After the race, we collected our bags, went into the tent and hosed off, literally! There was a pipe that ran the length of the tent and hoses with spray handles on the end and the water was fffffrrriiigggiiiddd and if you were a modest person, you might have been able to find a spot in the very back corner to change, but if you wanted to wash off the mud, bite the bullet, drop your drawers and hose off!

There was a sign posted “no cell phones, no photos” makes sense, all these women in the all together, who would want their photos taken, although, i thought it seemed like an artist installment, women together, something like that. you did your thing, got dressed and got out, simple as that.

Next, it was on to the merchandise tent…sweatshirt and performance shirt later [it’s going to be cold where I’m going, so CKM reminded me] and the sweatshirt is cozy and the performance shirt has a pocket and a hood, how could I not? CKM and I thought it would be fun to be twins, but, as it turns out…the shirt I liked didn’t suit her and the shirt she liked didn’t work for me! what are the odds?

Gather all belongings and new purchases, head the 20 miles back to the car, I’m telling you, after the race, it seemed to take forever to get back to the car! On to Cracker Barrel for brunch, along with a whole bunch of other Dirty Girls, we managed to keep our heads off our plates.

After lunch, get in the car, drop the top and away we went!

We are so doing this race again next year, even during the race, after the 3rd obstacle, we were talking about doing it again, who we thought would enjoy doing it with us and what cities we could do it in! Would I fly back to Atlanta to do the race with CKM next year? You betcha! [April happens to coincide with some important events that I want to be here for, so bonus!] and would CKM fly to Colorado to do the race with me? Why not!

If I haven’t stressed this enough, this was a very fun race that I recommend to anyone, well, any woman, who is looking for an obstacle race, a fun time, no pressure and lots of other women to share the experience with. Go for it! It will be worth the price!

http://www.godirtygirl.com/

{April 5, 2013} Ready for the Color Run!

The Color Run is tomorrow!

The tutus are made, white. The hats are made/ready, white. The shoes are ready, white. The socks are good to go, white. The packets picked up, T-shirt, headband, tattoos, white, white and white. Are you sensing a theme?

We are participating in the color run Atlanta tomorrow with about 24,0000 of our closest friends and if not, they will be. The only rule for this 5k is to wear white so we have gone all out! CKM, SDL and Miss A and CTS will be doing the run together tomorrow, well, we’re walking it. It’s at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, GA.

It’s a color explosion, at every 1/4 mile, they toss colored corn starch at you, the more color you want, stay on the outside. At the end, you are completely rainbowed! Hence the white clothing requirement. They call it the happiest 5k on the planet!

Last year, they added a an extra date; this year, they changed the venue because so many people signed up! They’ve even added one in September! So, if you have the opportunity, go for it!

We are staying at the Hampton Inn (not a coincidence), in McDonough because its about 1.5 hours to drive there from home and if a race is more than an hour, I’ve started staying overnight. I don’t have to rush and I get my hotel points (it’s all about the points, right?)

We met for dinner after work, drove up here and then compared what we made for our fabulous selves!

SDL found a white top hat, put a flower on it and some tulle, very My Fair Lady meets steam punk. Miss A has a barrette sized one with a pink flower, oh so cute! They both have tutus and SDL got a white sheet for the stroller.

CKM has her white keds, white socks, tutu and hat. The tutu, she made out of a white belt with holes in it and tulle knotted throughout, it was a great idea, so guess what I did!

I have a white skirt, white tutu, same as CKM, white socks and white extra extra hi hi top Converse All Stars! I’m stoked I will have an original pair (and I just tested them and my smart feet fit! I don’t have to take a chance of hurting my feet any more than they are!). I even have a white wrist brace (possible carpel tunnel syndrome), it will be an original too!

CTS is meeting us there in the morning, so not sure what fabulousness there will be, but I know it will be groovy!

We have been told that if you spray vinegar on the clothing, the color will set, we are so ready for that! When will we wear these things again? Not sure, but I’m sure we’ll find an excuse!

I’m excited to be doing this with two of my besties, a good friend and my fantabulous niece! Facebook friends, look out for our rainbow of photos!

http://thecolorrun.com/atlanta/

{March 29, 2013} Ready to Run!

Ok, I am ready to get back into my running shoes and get back out there and run.

Wait, did I just say that? I didn’t say it out loud, but I did just tell you guys, so does that mean I mean it? I guess it does! Who am I?

I’ve had problems with my feet for a long time, I have bunions on both feet and my feet hurt when I used to get up after sitting too long and after about 4-5 miles walking. My feet would also blister like crazy and easily!

I thought I was being a hypochondriac and I didn’t like complaining so I went to a podiatrist, Dr Julian, in Atlanta, he’s terrific by the way, go see him! He listened to all I had to say, took x-rays and it turns out, not only do I have bunions, but I have heel spurs, I saw the x-rays, it looks like an alien’s foot! There’s actually a spur [looked like a hook] off my heel! I was so relieved! Not that I have heel spurs, but there really was/is something wrong with my feet! It wasn’t me just complaining! I was also wearing the wrong shoes.

So, the order of things: Super feet, WOW! These are inserts I put into my shoes, it was amazing the first step I took, there was no pain, thank gawd! I will never be without these things! I can’t put them in every pair of shoes I have, but at least in my sneakers, what I wear when I walk the most. Next, exercises. I am supposed to stretch my feet 6 times per day, I admit, I don’t do the exercises like I am supposed to. I go through phases where I am golden and do exactly what I am supposed to and then i drop off and I pay for it.

Next, the right shoes. I finally got a pair of running shoes that I can walk and run in, why they don’t just make me a runner, I don’t get. hmm… I actually had to get a wide shoe to fit the insert, but I’m ok with it, if my feet feel this good [or at least, not that bad!], I’ll do whatever!

For the bunions, we talked about surgery, but it means 2-4 weeks off my feet completely and then 8 weeks no running, walking nothing, HUH? So, for now, NOT HAPPENING! other options please.

A few races ago, ha ha, in February, during the Diva Dash, I did something to my knee, I wasn’t wearing my smart feet in my shoes because I was terrified of getting them dirty [I have learned my lesson 5 r aces later] SMART FEET IN SHOES OR NO RUNNING!!! Am i getting the message? Not sure, only time will tell. I was coming down a muddy hill and felt something almost snap in my knee and I took a step and felt my heel! oh brother, when will I learn? So, my knee felt like it was being pinched and I couldn’t straighten my leg, I woke up from the pain. I iced and kept it elevated. After a few days, it felt better, so what did I do? another race of course and coming down a hill, ouch.

I finally talked to an orthopedist after a race and he told me a few of the issues I needed to see a professional for, he wrapped my knee with Rock Tape [I was a Rock Star!] and it helped a lot. I know I need to make an appointment with an orthopedist and I will, just need to do it.

So, it’s been about two weeks and I am finally starting to feel better, it’s been hard enough taking a step, let alone walking a long distance or running and I have felt like crud! I am saying it out loud… I am ready to put my Mizuno Wave Runners [my new sneakers] on and start running. I’m sure I should walk and then run, so I’ll do both.

I have two goals for this year. One: Run a full 5k start to finish, I know I can do it. One A: Finish a 5k in 33-37 minutes. Two: Train for an obstacle race, really train so that I can run it and do all the obstacles [ok, if I NEVER climb over a 7 or 8 foot wall, I will be OK with that!]. I want to be able to lift myself, jump, climb and get through it.

I have 3 races scheduled for April and 3 for May, let’s see what I can do.

Send me good vibes and root for me! I’ll make you proud!

{March 20, 2013} The end of an era

I may have exaggerated, but it feels like it.

Monday, I sold my motorcycle. Sigh…

I bought my bike, a Suzuki Savage 650 about 6 or 7 years ago, it had 4000 miles on it and on Monday, I sold it and it had 8500 miles, I know that’s so not much in terms of a bike, having it that long.

I am not a hard core biker by any means, I guess I am a fair weather biker, when its nice I liked to ride, when its cold, I’m good not getting on the bike, I have a car! And sometimes when it’s cold, drop the top on the car, crank the heat, you just don’t have that on the bike.

I loved that bike, please don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing like riding, you get a different perspective being a little higher, and it’s a freeing sensation.

As I said, I didn’t ride it enough, as ED keeps telling me, I know, I know. He’s got chrome running through his veins, what can I say? He’s the one who gets the bike running when it dies.

I’ve been saying for a while that I need a new bike, partly because I can’t keep this one running, but also, I need something with a little more power, especially for riding on the highway. The 650 was a good bike to start with.

So, it was time to sell the bike. A friend of mine, JT, needed transportation, worked for Victory Motorcycles, so he is well versed at repairs and keeping them running. We struck a deal and off he rode.

As he was going, I called DCM to reassure me that I was doing the right thing; she would be taken care of, he would ride the bike often, make sure she was in good shape and I can put that money towards a new bike, something that is better for me and will get me out there to ride.

There is now a little more space in my garage.

So, THNG2, is gone, the end of an era…sign

{March 9, 2013} Additional charges…bah!

Today I ran (ha ha, yeah right), ok, ran/walked the Spartan Sprint in Conyers, Ga at the Horse Park.

It was a 4+ mile race with A LOT of obstacles. http://www.spartanrace.com/index.html. We started off the race in the corrals yelling “I am Spartan!” I was invigorating! The MC was talking about everyone helping each other, even if you were running on your own someone would help you. I thought that was great until I asked for a hand and some guy clapped for me and then laughed at me, I didn’t think that was very helpful, but oh well. There were other places we helped each other, that was cool.

If you didn’t do an obstacle, you had to do 30 burpees! For those of you who don’t know what this torture is, check out the following link:
https://www.google.com/search?q=burpees+exercise&hl=en&client=safari&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=o_Q7Uf-RHou09gSkj4DQAw&ved=0CEEQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=672.

There were four obstacles I didn’t do and admittedly, I only did burpees at one of them and between you and me I’m ok living with the fact that I skipped 4 obstacles. (The one I did burpees at, and quite badly, admittedly, I had completed most of the obstacle, grrr). There were 7 & 8 foot walls (skipped) and ropes, tires, bricks, sandbags, javelins, barbed wire and lots and lots of mud! I’m still getting mud out of places!

I got my t-shirt and my medal (an odd pain in my knee) and the bragging rights, I am good with that!

Last weekend I did the Diva Dash and next weekend I am doing the Foam Fest 5k, apparently I like doing this obstacle races!

Ok, so, here is where the title of my blog comes in. Regular 5k races are generally about $25 starting and then the cost goes up the closer you get to the race. It’s worth it, you get to be a part of something, get some exercise and a t-shirt, (my Monster Dash half marathon jacket is my favorite, I’m wearing it right now) sometimes a medal and a belt buckle, how can you argue with that?

Half marathons start about $55 and up and some marathons start about $125, Disney races are ridiculous! Obstacle races start about $50 and up, when I registered for the zombie run last year, Run For Your Lives, I paid $85, I signed up late, this year, I registered for $45, timing is everything!

Sometimes, you can find a deal on Groupon, Living Social, Half Off Depot. I found the Spartan Race on Living Social, sign me up! The Vampire Run 5k coming up in April had so many people get the deal, it bogged up the race sight for registrations.

The only bad part about today…I purchased the deal for Sunday but they didn’t have enough registrations for Sunday, so I did the race today. The bad part was that I was supposed to have brunch with my good friends, SS and SD and meet their new daughter, my new “niece” SDS, pook…I know I can reschedule, but I was really looking forward to it!

I’m ok, mostly, with the cost of registration, the organization needs to make money. Parking at some events cost money, generally $10, I understand that, the host location needs to make money, I’m sure they are getting something from the race organization, but we are parking on their grass, so they might be using the money towards landscaping among other things.

Then the race organization sells t-shirts, socks, bags, all sorts of swag (yes, I have bought some additional swag, not every time, sometimes I want a little something extra and today I DID NOT buy the race bag!!! Be proud of me!). Why not, merchandising doesn’t hurt anything, it’s great advertising for the organization and we feel great wearing it, I love my I ❤ Warriors shirt.

Where I have an issue…you have to sign a waiver for all of the obstacle races, if you actually read the waiver, you might not do the race! (By signing this, you understand that you can be injured, catch something by swimming in the water and if you die, you can't blame the organization!). I sign the waivers.

Now, all of a sudden, in addition to paying for the race, you have to pay for race insurance, $12-$15 each time, really? So, I pay $65 for a race, then $12 for insurance? Next week, if I forget to bring the waiver to the Foam Fest, it costs $1??? For a piece of paper?!? Normally bag check is free, today at the Spartan Race, $5 for bag check?!? Really?

I'm all for making a buck, but c'mon…

Ok, rant over, icing my knee and chilling out, looking forward to Waffle House for breakfast!

{March 2, 2013} What a day!

Ok, so what a weekend it’s been so far!

Thursday, I drove up to Charlotte, NC to spend the weekend with one of my best friends, MY (sometimes I might call him MM, like you guys have a clue what that is, but he knows). The main reason I came up was to run a 5k with MM called the Run Jen Run, the inaugural run by the corporation Go Jen Go, they promote awareness and education about breast cancer, the money they raise helps people who are going through treatment financially. Check them out, http://www.gojengo.org.

So, Thursday after work, I got in the beetle bug and got on the road. Made pretty good time, just at 4 hours, we met for dinner at a Thai restaurant (after a quick stop in Victoria’s Secret). Then back to the house for more catching up, blogging and shut eye.

Friday, up early, MM left earlier, took a run/walk and got started with work. MM came home around lunch and we went out for Greek, back home, more work and then at 5 it was time to get ready to go out. We went to NoDa to see George Clinton and Parliament Funk!!!

We had dinner at Revolution, smoky butternut squash soup, house made chips and a very nice pizza crisp (tomato, avocado, cheese, cilantro, olive oil), it was very nice.

Then we went down the street to The Neighborhood Theater for George Clinton and P Funk! It was crowded and noisy and with no opening act, the show started at 9:30 and we were off! George Clinton is 72 years old! Still has it! For those of you who might not know George Clinton,
https://www.google.com/search?q=george+clinton+%26+parliament+funkadelic&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

The craziest part is, if you know George Clinton, you know the multi-colored dreadlocks and bright, colorful clothes, you were not going to see that at the show! We were all confused, there was the and, then 3 guys wearing suits and hats, like they were stylin’ on their way to church. Turns out the gent in the white suit was Gorge Clinton! The music was thumpin’ and the joint was jumpin’!

The only bad part, I am 5’1.5″ tall, so unless I’m at a concert with seats, I usually can’t see the stage, unless I’m standing right in front of it. MM was great, he kept a hand to my side to block people from walking into/pushing me, I appreciated that a bunch! For me, sometimes it’s like listening to the radio, just live?

It had been a long day and on the way home, I dozed off, glad I wasn’t driving! Got home and I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow!

Today, got up too early, but it was for a race. We go to the park and got our packets, odd thing. MM’s bib didn’t have holes, that was odd, but push the safety pins through and all was right with the world. As we are warming up for the race, it started snowing! It wasn’t bad during the race, but after I was finished, it started coming down in huge flakes, it was so pretty! And it got COLD!

MM injured his Achilles’ tendon about a week ago, so he wasn’t able to run with me, but he walked it and finished his first 5k in about 50 minutes!!! And with a boot on his foot the entire course, it was awesome! We got medals and there were cookies (Chick Fil A was a sponsor). On the way out, we got a flyer for next years race, you know where I’ll be!

We went to get some lunch, came home, cleaned up, got on the couch to watch movie and nap, wonderful! When the sleeting rain stopped, we went to Harris Teeter to pick up supplies, cooked dinner (tortellini soup, rotini and salad, later a cup of Ben & Jerry’s) and relaxed on the couch.

Tomorrow, we are going to the Columbia Fine Art Museum for an Impressionist exhibit, which is on my way home, what a treat that will be!
I would say that’s a full weekend!

What a day! I’m beat, see you tomorrow!

{January 15, 2013} First Race of 2013!

What to write about, what to write about, hmmm…

How about races? I ran/walked my first race of 2013! It was the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K in Atlanta, GA [ooh, now you know what state I live in!]. There were NINETEEN THOUSAND, yes, I said thousand, 19,000 participants. TWO TONS of chocolate and ELEVEN THOUSAND gallons of hot chocolate! You should have been there, I would have given you mine! What you say? You don’t like chocolate? What’s wrong with you? I get asked that ALL the time! Well, if there’s peanut butter involved, I’m in!

Ok, so back to the race. 19K participants, 2K chocolate and 11K gallons hot chocolate all for a 5K/15K. Apparently, I just like typing K! Can you imagine? I know, if you run the Boston Marathon or the NY Marathon you can, but this was a lot of people. The most people I have participated in a race with is the Peachtree Road Race. For those of you who do not know it’s one of the largest 10Ks in the world. People who have been running it since it’s inception in 1970 come to Atlanta every year to run the race.

It started July 4, 1970 with 110 runners, by 2011, they capped the number of race bibbs distributed at 60K [or 60,000] and you now have to participate in a lottery to get a number. A secret…if you join the Atlanta Track Club, you are guaranteed a number [you still have to pay to register, but you get a number]. My friend CKM and I volunteer and give out numbers at the expo the day before the race, it’s fun – we get to meet all sorts of people who are participating in this event. Some of the runners, it’s their first time and for some, it’s their 40th. You get a t-shirt for volunteering, a pin commemorating that year, a Home Depot apron and a Waffle House discount card. [Told you, it’s all for the swag]…We have volunteered for 3 years now and in 2 more years, we get the cool 5 year volunteer pin, pretty cool.

This is the only race I have participated in that you do not get your t-shirt until you cross the finish line, the design is always a secret. If you’d like a little more history on the Peachtree Roadrace: http://www.peachtreeroadrace.org/event-information/history.

The Hot Chocolate was so much fun, there were so many people of all ages, kids, adults, grans, big kids [hint hint] there were some great costumes: oompa loompas! and hershey’s kisses just to name a few. CKM and I did the run together and it was fun to walk a little, well a lot, run a little, talk a lot and just enjoy the perfect weather! It was almost 70 degrees! Yes people, you heard me right, SEVENTY degrees in Atlanta in JANUARY! [I know, CAPS mean SHOUTING, but this is a good shouting! I’m excited! and I want you to feel it!]. Layers came off of a lot of people, hey, watch it, this is a family blog!

After you cross the finish line, you go to get your chocolate goodies. There was hot chocolate for drinking, chocolate for dipping and a marshmallow, banana, pretzels, wafer cookie and a rice crispie treat, all the things perfect for dipping. We sat with new friends and chatted and watched people sitting and enjoying their chocolate goodies, admiring some of the costumes and did my favorite, look at all the different shoes people were wearing [we were sitting on the ground, it was easy].

After the race, we went to get some breakfast, it was only about 11am and by that time, we had accomplished a lot! The cool part was, there were people already there and coming in and out that had run the race as well. I know you’re asking – Peaches, how do you know they just ran the same race?” I’ll tell you dear friends… they were wearing the fabulous swag that we got! A wonderful and very warm sweatshirt and maybe the hat as well. We give each other a smile and the nod, you know, the one that guys give each other when they’re saying “s’up” and it really doesn’t look that cool, but when we do it, we rock! We greet each other and ask how we enjoyed the race, did you do well, did you have fun, how did you like the chocolate [that last one will only be for this race, you don’t normally get chocolate at the end of a race] what’s your next race. It’s nice, a kind of camaraderie that only comes from knowing what the other person just went through!

So, my fine friends, I completed the first race of 2013, but definitely not the last. I have races scheduled all the way through September and I know I will be telling you about all of them! I try to do at least 2 each month, keeps me motivated and as I have said and been told “it’s all for the t-shirt”. I enjoy the swag, but what I like is accomplishing something. By 9am, I’ve done a lot that day already! I have done mostly 5K’s, the Peachtree is a 10K and I did one half marathon in October, that’s 13.1 miles [why do they list them in miles instead of kilometers, not sure]. My goal this year is to run a full 5k [no more walk/run for me!] and to complete a 10K and possibly another half marathon. I said I did it [I have the jacket, medal and belt buckle to prove it] and I wouldn’t do another one, but who knows what the future holds. Could be like tattoos, you can’t do just one!

While I do these runs and walk or run about 2-5 miles per day several days a week, I haven’t found the love of running, I am hoping to, but I have a feeling either you do or you don’t and I may just continue to participate in the races because it keeps me active and I can tell when I’ve gone too long between runs or walks and I love the swag, but I love the sense of accomplishment I get from just doing it.

I will just tell you what I tell people when they ask how I like running. My plan is to keep doing it until I like it!

{January 17, 2011} Day 118/16 – Being accountable

Being held accountable can be very intimidating. That means that you have to fess up to whatever it is you want/need to be held accountable for.

I have been on teams, when I had my direct sales business, where I had to be accountable to another team member and then to a larger group [wow, that sounds like the collective, like the borg, ack!] and now, having a personal trainer at the gym, I am accountable to him, although, when I signed up for a trainer, he asked if that was something I had trouble with, nope. I am pretty good at keeping myself accountable, so now… I am going to make it public. Where I am with my workouts, what I am doing and what I am in-taking…

This will be an ongoing daily blog.

So, here we go.

Monday, January 17th

Black cherry yogurt for breakfast, apple with peanut butter for snack two hours later, vegetable soup [90 calories], 100 cal veggie chips bag for snack two hours later, one scoop of peanut butter, banana when I got home and after the gym, half a burrito from Moe’s, I could eat the whole thing, but not only would it be too much food, I would be miserable! I have started cutting my food in half and taking it home, I can hardly ever finish a meal, which, is a good thing for two reasons: 1-I don’t eat too much and 2-I have lunch or dinner for the next day! smart girl!

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What was I thinking?