Starting Over

First blog post in a while. This year was a lot better than last year in a lot of ways. I 'think' everything will work itself out, but for now, I'm just taking it one day at a time. There's a lot to think about, and there's a lot to straighten out. I feel like I'm waiting for something to happen, but if I don't DO something, then nothing will ever change. Change is good sometimes, even when it sucks. (I wrote this paragraph in 2016. Crappy that I'm going through this again this year, but funny that a pastor said that exact same thing to me yesterday about DOing something if you want to find your strength). I can DO all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13. The catch is, you have to DO something, not sit on your butt waiting for things to happen.

I dealt with a lot of tragedy last year, and a little tragedy this year. Some of it has been absolutely terrible, and the rest of it seems to at least be improving. Hopefully. At the end of it all, I came out a little stronger than I thought I would. Now another blow has come to pass, and here I sit. I do not like the unknown. I find it hard and frustrating.

I have an opportunity coming my way, but I feel like it's going nowhere. I know I need to be patient, but it's running thin.
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On the running front, it's getting better. My calf has loosened up to the point where I'm not feeling like death after every single minor run. ;-) It's still very annoying! But, I have races coming up! Specifically my last 10k of the season, The Harvest Moon Hustle (I don't get my BRIN series medal until I finish all three 10k's!) AND my second half marathon. VEGAS. Hopefully I will be able to get back to training for real so I can at least TRY to beat my PR of 2:34:43. I guess we'll see when the time comes!

Before the half, I ran a 5k (ish). The Color Vibe! That was so much fun! Even though it was rainy and muddy! So much color!! Those volunteers were amazing, as well.

 


My last 10k was fun! Cornfield Cornfield on my birthday! That was crazy! We had a tornado go through the night before, so the whole thing was a mess! Oh sweet volunteers, we LOVE you!! They had it all cleaned up and ready to go for the race! The only thing they had no control over was the power. They had to use a generator for the mics. I didn't even know they didn't have power until they told us! 1:04:20. 10:22 pace. Much better than the Leprechaun Chase in March!

After that race, I had a friend that put on a 5k in her hometown of Firth, NE. They raised funds for CPR classes for the town! How neat is that? That was a fun little race, and we received medals! If I look like I'm in pain here, I am:

There were some hills...and I'm still trying to loosen up my calf muscle! So much fun!

I'm not sure what's going to happen next, I just hope things start to look UP.

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!!

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!