Jingle Jog 2016

Happy Hump Day!!

Well, that wrapped up my last race of the year! It was COLD. 23 degrees and I had to use the port-a-pottie!! Ugh!!

This is me right before the race. I was sure I would freeze to death! 😉

3.7 cold miles later, and here I am!

It really was a fun race. Lots of festive wear. I had my Christmas tule skirt on to begin with, but I figured it would just make me colder. Probably not, but meh. Just wasn't feeling it. I wore the stocking cap that we got! That was so warm and awesome!

I ran it in 33:15. 9:02 minute pace! Not too shabby. I'm really happy with it! I wasn't sure how it would go. I tend to run slower when it's cold out for some darn reason. Ridiculous. I tried to beat a girl to the finish line, that did NOT happen. I passed her, and then I got ran over. 😊 Haha!

It's been really cold here lately. I need to get over it. I even bought fleece lined tights! I need to wear shorts with them next time. I wore two shirts, two hats, and two pairs of gloves!! Still froze.

Here's to 2017!! Hopefully this year goes MUCH better than 2016. Which, it should. I am healthy, everyone in my family is doing better, and I think this year will just be my year because I said so.

I am signed up for three 10k's (The BRIN Series) and I am going to run the Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon in November! My ex-roommate convinced me to sign up for the last one. Although, she didn't have to twist my arm very much!!

Saturday Long Run + A Floor Update

Hello! Sunday was a long run day. I've been increasing my long runs by 5 minutes every time. I'm up to 80 minutes now! I hit an overall 9:46 pace, total distance was 8.20 miles. Longest run ever!



Here are my splits:

Mile 1:  9:52
Mile 2:  9:47
Mile 3:  9:56
Mile 4:  9:51
Mile 5:  9:59
Mile 6:  10:00
Mile 7:  9:10
Mile 8:  9:38
Mile .2: 1:51



This run was exactly what I needed. Also, how is it November? It doesn't feel like it. It was in the 60s on Sunday! In Nebraska. Gorgeous outside! Just gorgeous.



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My Floors!

My house was built in 1925. When I bought it, it had carpet all throughout the entire house. Yuck. Fast forward 8 years, I went a little crazy when I became single, and ripped up all the carpet!! Here we are:

No. Just....no. I almost cried. How could you spray paint anything on a lovely, ORIGINAL, oak wood floor? My mom and I tested a few spots and stripped the paint off. Here's what that looked like:

We stripped all the paint off so that was done. Then, we rented an orbital sander and went to town on it. My dad brought his belt sander and hand sander to use as well. It took alllllll day! Here it is after we sanded it:

Gorgeous, right? People, if you have beautiful oak floors, no touchie!! NO. Don't do it. This took a LOT of work, but so worth it! I love them so much. Here they are stained:

I only used one coat of Early American (color) stain. Next phase is to put three coats of polyurethane on them. I can't wait! They are going to look fantastic!

Have a great week!

Bryan Health 5k/15k/1-mile Kid's Run

Here's the backside of the Nebraska State Capitol Building. It's so pretty! This race was held by Bryan Health. It was so much fun! I ran the 5k. I almost signed up for the 15k, but I wanted to see what I could do with a 5k since it has been a while! My official time was 28:40! A PR by over a minute! It's been a long time since I ran a 5k. Sweet deal.

They had cookies, orange slices, and bananas for the finishers. We also were able to swipe samples from Rita's Italian Ice! I had never been there before, and it was so hot out for a run! It was a nice treat. I stayed around until some of the 15k runners were through. The winner ran it in 55 minutes! Someday I would love to be that fast. Ha! I'm riding out on my runner's high yet. I felt so good after that race! My first mile was 8:36! It's so cool to see what my body can do when I push it.

I'm not sure I'll be racing anymore this year, but we'll see if I can find a decent 5k in December. We've been lucky with all of this nice weather, I'm a little terrified to see what winter will bring us! I have a feeling we are going to get a lot of snow!

Sidney Oktoberfest Beer Run 2016

Here we go! The Oktoberfest Sidney 5k/10k was a blast! Perfect weather. Decent course. Fun costumes. Hilarious medals. I PR'd! Yay! My previous PR was 1:12, I believe. Back in 2014. I haven't ran a 10k since! Ugh. I crossed the finish line with a 1:02:19!! 10:03 minute pace! YAY.

Here I am, ready to do this:

I was Ariel from the Little Mermaid. I had Sebastian on my shoulder for the race. I didn't have time for anything else more creative, plus I don't like adding weight with a costume when I am aiming to PR. :)

This is the medal we got for finishing the race! That's a real pretzel. I was so amused. I was also sad, mine broke within the first 5 minutes of wearing it! They also had a costume contest. Sadly, I did not win. Haha! A lady with a homemade shirt that said I run for beer won it. She even had a headband with beer mugs on it, and a foam beer mug that she carried around with her! Hilarious. It was a smaller race, but that made it so nice.

Here are a few pictures from my walk the afternoon after, and the next morning. Nebraska is so pretty!

There were two horses that I saw on my walk Sunday morning. They were so curious! I don't think they see a lot of people walking on the road. Such beauties!

Buffalo Run 5 Miler - September 11

My first actual race was the Buffalo Run! It was the 40th anniversary for the run, that was exciting! The run was held at Pioneer's Park in Lincoln. Such a fun race, and the weather was so nice! A brisk 55 degrees and sunny. Best running weather ever.

Technically I PR'd. I've never ran 5 miles before, so that was cool. My finishing time was 48:52 with a pace of 9:47. I was ecstatic that my pace was under 10 minutes! I think the excitement of the race helped with that. Ha!

My next race is a 5k/10k on Saturday in Sidney, NE. It's a Halloween costume party. I'm planning on running the 10k in an Ariel inspired costume. I even have Sebastian to put on my shoulder while I run! Pictures to follow, assuming I don't die. ;) Can't wait!

Running! Oh How I Love You!!

I just love it. I'm ecstatic that I can run every day and not get injured. (Knock on wood!) I also have a nutrition plan, which has helped with my Crohn's exponentially! I'm just so happy with how everything is turning out. Things have been looking UP since I started, and they will continue to do so! YAY.

My fastest run so far was a 9:46 minute mile!! I am ecstatic about that. I've slowed down since then, but that's alright! Usually I am around a 10:00 or so. That is fast for me! I can't wait to see what is in store for my running (and life in general) within the next few months!

My brother is getting married in June, so we have been doing the party thing for that. So much fun! It also helps me keep my mind in the game when it comes to that. I know it's stressful on all the people involved, but I think it's going to go off without a hitch!

So proud of my Clematis. I haven't killed her yet!

New Beginnings

Let's talk about something cheerful, shall we? I am running again! RUNNING. (!!!!!) I can't even tell you how happy that makes me. I just can't. I started a week ago. I have run every day since. Today will be my 8th run this year! YAY. That is crazy to me. Well alrighty then!

These are simple, easy runs. Nothing crazy over here. I am just so excited I get to run! I haven't ran since January 2014!! (According to my phone app). That is insane to me. I missed it.



Here I am after yesterday's run. I was sooooo happy! It cooled down a lot after work, it made the run that much more enjoyable!



I think I wore Kye Dog out yesterday. It was too hot in the house for him to lay on his bed, but he still wanted a pillow. I love him!