We defeated the hills of the Bearathon!!

We did it! It's done. We defeated the discustingly huge hills of the Bearathon!

My advice to anyone signing up for a race is to check the elevation map of your course BEFORE signing up. Steph and I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into until a couple weeks ago when some friends let us in on the wonderful adventure we were about to embark on.

First of all, I must say that I think I am cursed with freezing weather no matter when/where I run. I'm actually pretty convinced that if I signed up for a race in the middle of July, somehow an arctic cold front would come through the night before race day just so I have to run in 30 something degree weather! All week the temperature was forcasted to be in the 50-60s. I was so excited...no running tights, no gloves, no long sleeve shirt. Yes! Race day morning: 35 degrees. What!? I didn't even pack the right stuff!! Fortunately I had random gloves in my car and a long sleeve shirt in my bag "just in case".

The race started. We ran. A lot. Up hill. Up the hill, Up the hill, down the hill. Up the hill, up the hill, up the hill even more. Talk yourself into running more. Up the hill. Cross the finish line!! (That's pretty much the gist.) Oh... Steph and I looked up the elevation map of the course AFTER we ran the race. There was an elevation difference of 260 feet! That's absolutely CRAZY! The 1/2 at White Rock changes 180 ish.

There were tons of people around the course with motivational signs, which is always nice to see. There was one in particular around mile 11 that really helped me finish strong. We were on our way up one of the biggest hills and at the base of it, a girl was holding up a sign that said "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." That was exactly what I needed! He put the perfect sign in the perfect spot just for me. :)

Now, everytime I move, I am very aware of every muscle in my body. It feels so good to know that you have just accomplished something so big, and with my sister!

Go Stars Go!

I'm a little behind:

We went to the Stars game on Tuesday night with Katy and Matt. It had been a long time since we had been to a hockey game, and we had so much fun! I'm pretty sure we saw more fights in that one game than in all the other games combined.

At one point both teams had 3 guys in the penalty box!!

The Stars lost 5-2, but it was still fun. Katy and I were really rooting for them to make 3 goals. We weren't just rooting for them to win, mostly just for the goals :) If they made it, everyone in the arena would get free chips and hot sauce at Chili's. YUM! Maybe another time...


We had so much fun hanging out with sweet friends :)

If you need a good laugh, watch these...

Well, I love to read blogs. My friend's blogs. My friend's friend's blogs. My friend's friend's friend's blogs. And so on. You get the picture. It's so fun to see what other people write about and post pictures of. I have found SO many precious new websites from complete stranger's blogs! Lately I've been all about the videos. This post is pretty much a compilation of *borrowed* videos that are just hilarious! Michael and I watched these over an over and they never got old.

Enjoy:)

Pretty much all of Tim Hawkins' videos are great!

I'm not a huge fan of Carrie Underwood or fishing, but I am a fan of this!

"Gurl, da back of yo head is redikolus."

Are there any other videos that I should watch?? I love finding new ones!

Fitness Magazine

I admit, I have always secretly wanted to be one of the models in the magazine that demonstrates how to do certain strength training poses. Well, my mom called yesterday and asked how to do "The Plank" and "Side Plank" pose to work out your abs. I know I could have just told her to Google it, but I decided to take advantage of the situation. I got my chance to be a "fitness model"!! I set up my camera on the self timer and took a few pictures to send her. Since I've gained a few pounds, I will spare you the actual pictures. You can just pretend this is me. :)




P.S. I chose this Fitness cover because I love Kelly Ripa. Love her!

Sale

Real Quick. I just got an email from Victoria's Secret for 40% any clearance item when you use the offer code "SAVE40" at checkout. I love getting pants for $8. It makes me so happy!

Sunday

Michael ran a 1/2 marathon Sunday morning. It was the 1st ever Rock to Victory Race and he was a part of it. So cool! He ran it with a friend from work who is also an avid runner. He is actually the one who has put the triathalon idea into Michael's head. Thanks Jonathan :)

Michael set a new personal record with a time of 1:57:54!!!! I was so so excited for him! Way to go Hubby!!!

Thank you Ray and Alicia for coming to support Michael! And for the amazing sign! I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to frame it. :)

We went to eat with Jonathan and his wife and Ray and Alicia after the race. I lost my appetite very quickly when Jonathan and Gretchen started talking about how terribly hard the Bearathon course is. I wanted the cry after hearing how hard the run is. They have run marathons and they think the course is hard, mind you. I might die next weekend in Waco :( My sister and I are braving the 13.1 miles of hills and torture in exchange for a finisher t-shirt and medal. Is it really even worth it?? I'm beginning to have doubts.

An Eventful Weekend

Saturday

We Dashed Down Greenville in the St. Patty's Day 5K fun run. I have never seen so much green in one place!


It was tons of fun, but very crazy and hectic at the same time. Most of the 4,000 people were just there for the parade and fun of the St. Pattrick's Day parade, but some meant business. One guy was pushing a stroller and was obviously trying to set a personal record beause he felt it necessary to run over ankles and small children with his stroller. On the other hand, he might have just been in a hurry to get to the aid stations. It was the only race I've been to that served beer at the aid stations instead of water or gatorade. :)


Third Monday

Since we moved to McKinney, I have heard people talking about Third Monday Trade Days, which is just like Canton, just much closer and a little smaller. I have wanted to go for the past few months, but we have always had plans. Not this month! I finally got to go and it was a lot of fun! Most of the booths had home decor that you would find at Hobby Lobby or Kirklands for much less. Like I mentioned a while ago, I am in love with the shops in Downton McKinney. They're just a little too expensive to furnish our house with. Well, there were very similar things there this weekend and I definitely took advantage of the prices. I got some huge (3 feet tall) candle sticks, lots of little crosses to put on candles, and a big outdoor cross to put in our backyard. I love knowing that I'm saving money. I am excited about going again to find more great bargains! You know you want to go, too!

Spring Break!

One of the perks of being a teacher is Spring Break! I have no plans for the week except to clean the house a little, take Orion to the dog park, sleep in late and shop a lot. I'm quite excited about it :)
It would be even better if Michael got a Spring Break and didn't have to go to work all week too!

Happy Spring Break!! :)

Rockin the TAKS Test!

Tuesday was the infamous TAKS test for every 3rd, 4th, 5th grader in the state of Texas. Fortunately, my kiddos didn't have to take it. My school decided that Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grades were going to "adopt" a TAKS grade and decorate their hall, give them goodie baskets and basically just let them know that we were cheering for them and we know they'll do great! I might be a little bias, but I think we had the best hall :)



Thank goodness the TAKS is over. My kids had to be completely quiet all day long...which was a huge feat for them. Today was back to the good ol chatty chatty class. :)

Cowtown

A little window into the past year:
Michael and I decided our New Year's Resolution for 2008 was going to train for a Half Marathon for me and a Full Marathon for him. Two of our best friends joined us in this year long adventure!! :-) We found a great training program and ran at least 4 days a week for nearly the whole year in preparation for the White Rock Marathon in December. I was really somewhat obsessed with running. If I had an extra 30 minutes before dinner, I would rather go run than to sit and watch T.V. (Like I said, I tend to go into things 100% full force...) Well, the week before the long anticipated race, I got really sick and realized my year's worth of dedication wasn't going to happen. I went to White Rock to support my husband, Ray and Alicia as they ran and FINISHED the race!! I was SO proud of them! I was heartbroken that I couldn't run with Alicia after all of our blood, sweat and tears we shared while training. BUT...

I still had a Half Marathon to run! So all four of us signed up for the Cowtown Half Marathon in Ft Worth on Saturday.

Let me just start out by reminding you of the weather this past week. On Wednesday and Thursday, it was a beautiful, warm sunny day, and 80 degrees outside.
I watched the weather all week to try to prepare myself for the cold front that was coming through on Saturday. Nothing short of wearing my ski gear could have prepared me for how FREEZING it was on race day!

We left our house at 5:00A.M. to pick up our race bib and packet. We had lots of time to kill until the 7:30 race start, so Alicia and I pretty much huddled together drinking coffee in a tent by the starting line until 7:27 and then headed out.

We started running with the sea of people into the freezing wind. I honestly could not feel any of my fingers or toes thoughout almost the whole race. Typically, you start to warm yourself up after a couple miles or so; I kept waiting for it, but it never happened for me. It was miserable and very painful. Regardless of the pain, we started off pretty strong! We were even infront of Michael and Ray for the first 2 miles...but that didn't last long. :) Alicia was a great motivator and we pushed though and finished the 13.1 miles!! YAY us!

Michael and I after the run

The Fab Four

I don't know if I mentioned it or not, but it was SO cold Saturday morning!! :)Michael acually looked up the weather for the morning and at 7:30, it was 32 degrees, with a wind chill of 19 and winds at 22 mph. BRRRRR!!!

What great memories with great friends!! :-)