Happy Birthday to Me!

I stopped getting really super excited about birthdays once I turned 30. I think the whole getting old thing really started to sink in back then. The best part of my birthday is the time that I get to spend with my family.  We usually out to dinner, laugh a lot and eat cupcakes.  My birthday would not be complete without cupcakes and I already started last night! 

I always take the day off of work on my birthday. It's a ritual. I cannot remember the last time that I actually worked on my birthday. My staff always takes me out for my birthday ahead of time and we always have a good laugh and go back to work in a food coma. I work in the Finance Department but manage a smaller division of 6 people (4 full time and 2 part time). I am also good friends with another division manager who took me under his wing and helped me out a tremendously when I first started working in local government so we always invite Hershal to come along with us. Hershal is in his 60's and the man still runs! I hope I am still active like him when I am in my 60's.

Shawna and Hershal

We usually take a road trip to Vegas for my birthday but not this year because the puppies are still living with us and Sugar just had surgery so finding a pet sitter for 5 dogs is probably not going to happen. I am okay with it though because I love these dogs to pieces. 

I received a ton of free birthday offers so my weekend will include some of these things:

1) $10 gift card from Kohls

2) $10 gift card from Macy's

3) $10 gift card from Victoria's Secret

4) Free Birthday Burger from Red Robin

5) Buy One Get One Free meal from Soup Plantation

6) Buy One Get One Free meal from Mimi's Cafe

7) Free meal from Hooters

8) Free lunch buffet from Shakey's pizza

9) Free sandwich from Which Wich (I have never tried this place before and have been wanting to check it out.)

10) Free meal from El Torito

11) Free dessert or starter from Lazy Dog

12) $30 credit towards any meal from Benihana (THIS IS THE BEST OFFER!)

13) BJ's Brewhouse also gives you a free pizookie on your birthday and there is no coupon needed. You know I will be stopping by for my pizza cookie with ice cream on top!

14) Free birthday sundae from Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour

15) Free Drink from Starbucks

16) Free scoop of ice cream from Baskin Robbins

17) $10 Free game play from Dave and Busters

18) Free item from Sonic

So based on this crazy list, it is safe to assume that the month of September will include lots of eating, or should I say overeating! Having said that, I need to step it up and burn more calories this month! August was not such a great month for me in terms of mileage but I am ready to step it up and start working towards my new half marathon goal of 1:45!

Do you sign up for free birthday offers? What is the best offer you have ever received? 
The best deal I have received is the $30 dinner from Benihana!

Change is Good!

I was so happy to see this a few minutes ago.....

 I will be running the Long Beach Half Marathon! I feel so relieved!

Three Things Thursday

1. Sugar is not a happy camper! She had surgery on Tuesday which included a teeth cleaning, a hernia repair and a spay on top of that! She is wearing the cone of shame and will not eat or drink with it on so we have to remove it so she can eat and drink. She has to wear it for a week so hopefully the time goes by quickly because I feel really bad for her. I am considering buying her a Pro Collar like Kari used for Bungee.

2. I decided that I am going to run the Long Beach Half Marathon and not the full. I was able to go on-line and pay $5.00 to downgrade but I have not received a confirmation from Long Beach yet so it is not official.  This change was down after the 8/31 deadline so I am keeping my fingers crossed that they honor my request.

3. Tomorrow is my birthday!  I am taking the day off because I never work on my birthday.  I don't have any big plans but just don't want to spend the day working. I am hoping to get a short run in tomorrow morning since I have not ran all week due to my shin pain. The shins are starting to calm down so hopefully I can do a little something tomorrow to kick off my birthday weekend. I am sure the birthday celebration will include some of these things that I cannot resist! I know I am bad but YOLO (You Only Live Once)!

Back to School:First Day of Fifth Grade

Summer is officially over in our house since this little guy went back to school yesterday.  He was very nervous to go back since he had not seen most of his friends for the entire summer. I can't believe that he is a 5th grader already!

The good news is that he came home very happy and he really likes his teacher. His teacher asked him to set some goals for the year but his were not so much related to school. Two of his goals were to save money and to learn to ride his bike better so that he can do more tricks. That's my son for you! My goal is to spend more time at his school this year and get involved more than I did last year. He is getting to the age where he is embarrassed of me and doesn't want to be hugged to kissed in front of his friends so I have to be on my best behavior when I am at his school!

Weekly Recap and What's Next for Me?

Last week was NOT a very busy one in terms of running. I ran 7.25 miles on the mill on Tuesday night and then did nothing else for the rest of the week. I had a 20 mile week and a 113 mile month which isn't too bad for me.

Due to the pain I have been having in my right shin, I decided it would be best to rest for the remainder of the week since I had plans to run the Disneyland Half Marathon on Sunday. The good news is that it was a wise decision because I had some pretty fresh legs on Sunday which resulted in a mini PR. The bad news is that the darn pain in my shin is back and it hurts more than it did before the race! I think it is best to let the pain settle down before I attempt to run again. 

So what's next for me? Well, I am registered for the Long Beach Marathon on October 7th. I am not feeling 100% ready for it and this shin issue is starting to worry me. I was thinking about downgrading to the half marathon but then I found out that the deadline to downgrade was August 31st!  I was also thinking that I should focus on my half marathon time and works towards my goal of coming closer to a 1:45. That would be ideal for me right now but apparently I registered for Long Beach back in January when I was injured. The crazy thoughts of an injured runner wanting to run so badly!! What was I thinking??

The longest distance I have completed to date is 18 miles which means that I need to to squeeze a 20 and a 22 miler in like yesterday if a marathon is going to happen in the near future! I am working towards my Beach Cities Challenge medal so either way I am running Long Beach but I just don't know the distance yet. Any suggestions on what I should do?

Did anybody race over the Labor Day weekend?  

How was your holiday? 

My Labor Day holiday was very relaxing. We stayed home and BBQ'd and just took it easy.

Disneyland Half Marathon: 9/2/12

The Disneyland Half Marathon is my favorite half marathon and this was my third time running this race. I think it is the whole Disney thing that keeps bringing me back. I am also familiar with the area and the hotel that I stay at is within walking distance of the Expo and the Start so that takes away a lot of the race day stress for me. I checked into my hotel around noon on Saturday and then walked on over to the Expo at the Disneyland Hotel.  

The Expo is always super organized and is a pretty decent sized event. I really wanted to get taped up at the KT Tape booth but it was way too crowded. I stayed in the line for about 15 minutes and the line did not move at all so I had to tape myself up.

After the Expo we headed over to Olive Garden to get some carbs. They have the never ending pasta bowl going on right now so I loaded up and the took my leftovers from my second serving with me for later.

This year I was super nervous about this race. For the past two years that I have ran this race I have always had a goal and have met it. This year I did not want to push for a goal but who can get the thought of a PR out of their mind? I was also super worried about the weather since it has been in the mid to high 90's here in California for the past few months with no break.  Thank goodness this race started at 5:45am and the weather was great!

Anyway, onto the details of my half.  The weather was better than what I expected. It was 64 degrees at the start. Thank God the weather man had it wrong! I was in Corral A so I enjoyed watching the pre-race events with Mickey and Minnie.  

The fireworks are always a plus and Disney never fails to put on a good show. Another plus of being in Corral A is that they do not allow anyone into the area if they do not have a bib marked Corral A. I like that because some people just don't respect the Corral designations and make it hard for others. I also love that I didn't have to spend a lot of time weaving and finding a comfy spot on the course. I pretty much let all of the super speedy runners through and then it was time to see what I had for the day.

The course was pretty much the same as it was the past two years but this year the new Cars Land was added into the course which was exciting! I started out way faster than I should have but the adrenaline was flowing so I went with it for a few miles.

Mile 1: 8:00

Mile 2: 7:50

Mile 3: 7:54
Mile 4: 7:48

Once I exited Disneyland and headed out onto the streets of Anaheim, I decided to bring my pace down to a more comfortable zone because I knew I could not hold a sub 8 pace for 13 miles. I simply didn't train for that and didn't want to get injured again.

Mile 5: 8:11 (GU)

Mile 6: 8:11

Mile 7: 8:11

I was feeling really strong but very nervous. I kept wondering if I should slow down but I felt good and just let my body decide the comfortable pace for me.

Mile 8: 8:09

Mile 9: 8:11

Mile 10: 8:10 (GU)

Mile 9 of the course takes the runners through Angels Stadium where everyone loves catching a glimpse of themselves on the jumbo tron. The Disney crowds are just amazing. They keep you going and I love races that have great support from the crowds and volunteers.

Mile 11: 8:14 (shin starting hurting...got a little distracted)

Mile 12: 8:20 

Mile 13: 8:05
the last .22 (7:35) My Garmin picked up the course at 13.22.  I guess I need to stay closer to the corners!

These are my final results. I had a mini PR of 45 seconds which is not much but I feel like I am starting to get back into my running again and that gives me the confidence I need to keep pushing for Boston! 

I also met my Running Goal of running a half marathon in under 1:47! I am not sure if I should count this or not because I barely skated in under 1:47.

Me and my biggest fan and some finish photos!

#6!

Tomorrow morning I will run half marathon #6!

I am as ready as I am going to be!

Weather Stalking Part 2 and a Blue Moon!

With my race just a few days away, the weather forecast keeps getting warmer and warmer. I was hoping for weather in the 60's but it has now starting moving towards the 70's! It is what it is. Maybe my game plan should be to run as fast as I can to avoid the heat!

The shin is still tender and the toenail is feeling a lot better but does not like shoes! I have a pair of flip flops hiding under my desk and wear them as often as I can.  I have to stay hidden from the shoe police at work. I swear they notice all of the right things!! 

I know that it is just a half marathon and not a marathon but it is still a race.  We all look for those ideal conditions on race day but it doesn't always work out that way.  One of my favorite things about running is the meal I get to eat the night before.  I haven't had pasta in a while and I think I just might indulge. I heard that Olive Garden is having the never ending pasta bowl right now!

 

Source 

Did you hear there is going to be a blue moon tomorrow? This will be the first time we will experience a blue moon time since March, 2010. After Friday, we will have to wait another three years, July 2015, for the next one. So, if you have never had a chance to experience a blue moon before now is your chance! My son loves this kind of stuff so I am sure we will be spending lots of time moon watching with his telescope!

Anybody racing this weekend?  

Have you ever seen a blue moon before? I have not!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Peek-A-Boo!  Meet Roxy, my Pomeranian!

I'm Losing Body Parts!!

It's always something!  My right shin is super sore and I am starting to panic.  I put some KT Tape on it and I am icing it a few times a day. My hamstring injury was on my left leg and now I have a shin splint on the right one!

It doesn't stop there! My toe nail on my right foot has been super sore and I have been trying to ignore it. Well last night I was kind of looking at it to see if it was going to fall off or what the heck was going on with it and I realized that I had a blister under my nail. Weird, I know. I squeezed my toe and you can just imagine what happened next. After the blister popped, I tried to clean it and off came my toenail. It didn't hurt then but it does now. I have about 2% of my toe nail left.  It is really scary looking so I censored the picture for you! My son says I have a whole in my toe! Sorry if I grossed anyone out but hey it happens!

I was hoping to get a couple of runs in before my half marathon on Sunday but if this shin and toe continue to hurt, I am going to just take it easy so I have a chance of pulling off a somewhat decent run. So my right leg is a mess... I might be hopping on Sunday if I don't figure out how to deal with this right leg/toenail disaster I have on my hands!

Any suggestions on how I can deal with this toe nail fiasco and still be able to run on Sunday without too much pain?

 I don't think a band-aid is going to do the trick this time!

Weekly Recap, Weather Stalking and Plans for the Disneyland Half Marathon

After a less than stellar week, I was determined to make this week a better one.  My goal was 30 miles and I got it done.  My right shin starting acting up on my 15 mile run on Sunday so I am a little concerned. I slowed down the pace and came home and iced it right away.  One week before race day...just my luck!

I took a interval cycling class last week and I was kind of impressed with myself.  I was able to push myself pretty hard and I made it through the 55 minute class without dying. I was reflecting back on when I was injured and taking cycling classes as an alternate to running and I was feeling really burned out back then so I guess I am getting a little stronger.

I am also keeping up with the Friendly Challenge and making sure that I do my daily push ups, planks and wall sits.  I try to do just a little more of each everyday and I really like the challenge. I might try to stick with this even after the challenge ends on 8/31. My record plank is 2:30!

I can't believe that the Disneyland Half Marathon is this coming Sunday. Let the weather stalking begin! I have been waiting for the 10 Day weather forecast to come out and hoping for the best in spite of the horrible heat we have been seeing all summer long. It looks like the weather will be much better than expected. For the past two years that I have ran this race, it has been in the low to mid 60's and I can definitely deal with that.  

The race starts at 5:45 am and I will be crossing the start line with seconds of the gun so I can be done before it warms up. I have decided to run this race without any goals other than trying to beat my last time of 1:57:57 which is about a 9:00 pace. The course is pretty flat and I wish I was ready to set my eyes on a PR but I am not. I haven't been doing any kind of speed work or cross training and I have just kind of been running without any goal pace. I guess I am just so happy to be running again that I have yet to focus on cross training and all of the other components of a strong training plan.

I am excited to start picking out what I am going to wear for the race on Sunday. I have lots of new outfits in the closet that are waiting to be worn but can't decide. Disney races are supposed to be fun and lots of runners dress up for the race. I have never dressed up in costume because I thought it would be uncomfortable and distract me from doing my best. I am also busy getting my race bag packed to make sure that I don't forget anything important.

Do you stalk the weather during race week? Do you like to dress up in costume for races?

Some Preliminary Thoughts for 2013..

A full race calendar makes me nervous! I am not nervous about running the races but I fear the big "I" word.  Should I even say it?  INJURY!

At the beginning of this year I sat out quite a few races and I was not happy about it.  I was mostly disappointed because I had earned one too many DNS's and I also lost a lot of money!!! I think the only race that had any sympathy for me was Surf City! They allowed me to roll the marathon over to February, 2013 and this is the race I will dedicating to my Dad.

I am only signed up for a few races for the remainder of the year and I am mainly running them to see where I currently stand so I know how much work I need. I have no plans to PR this year. It's just not in the cards for me. My plan is to head into 2013 strong and hope for a PR or two! Here is what I have on the agenda for 2013 (s0 far):

January 13th: 13.1 Los Angeles  

February 3rd: Surf City Marathon

February 17th:Pasadena Half Marathon

April 19th-Ragnar Relay

**May 12th: Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon (This is not a for sure thing yet but I really want to give this marathon a shot.)

My main focus in 2013 will be improving my marathon time. I will be shooting for a sub four marathon and then working my way towards a BQ.  I am not sure when the BQ will come but I am certainly not giving up yet!

In 2013, I really want to try some races that I have not ran before but I have a few favorites like Disneyland, which I will probably end up running again. I also want to start focusing on setting some race goals again. I cannot get myself to set any goals right now. My main focus since coming back from my injury has been to regain my endurance and build a strong mileage base. My pace is not all that great either so I need to get back into doing speed work and all of that fun stuff. Oh how I hate love speed work!

"Me and running don't always see eye to eye. Some days it hurts more than others. But it doesn't mean I don't do it. I deal with it and I keep running because not everything that is good for you, always feels good for you." -Lance Armstrong

With 2012 almost coming to an end, have you started thinking about your goals for 2013? Is your race schedule pretty full?

A Friendly Challenge and a Short Break

Sometimes a little break from running can be a good thing!  After feeling so sore for the last few days and taking a short break I feel much better. Sometimes a break can be a good thing because it makes you feel refreshed and renewed. My soreness is almost gone with the exception of this weird pain on the side of my right shin. I hope it goes away since it is making me a little nervous with race day coming up in 10 days. I am going to to try to fit a short run in this evening because I feel so lazy and guilty when I don't run.

I have been keeping up with a friendly competition that Jen from Running with the Girls has challenged everyone with. The Challenge consists of how long you can plank, wall sit and how many wall sits/push-ups you can do from August 15th until August 31st. I have not made much progress but I am trying to stick with it.

Speaking of breaks, the house has been so quiet with the two puppies gone. The two that were adopted were both males and the two females who are left are very calm. There is also less mess to clean up and less puppies to chase around the living room. My son decided to spend the night at Grandma's last night because he said our house reminds him of the puppies. He is so dramatic but seems to be coming around.  

Did anyone else accept the challenge from Jenn at Running with the Girls? Do you ever take small breaks from running to get you back on track?

"Damien and Dexter"

My son has been such a mess since our Brownie and Spot left us on Monday that I had to text their new owners and ask how they did on their first night without us.

I was told that they did great and have new names. They are now known as "Damien and Dexter." The Siberian Husky in the picture is named "Diablo" so I guess they wanted all three of their dogs to have names that start with the letter D. My son is not happy about the name changes but I think the picture they sent us gave him some comfort.

I got a little teary eyed looking at the picture because I miss them a lot.  I think I made the right choice and I still have a link to them through my vet so I can check to see how they are doing. 

Are you a super animal lover like me? 

I am probably a little over the top and tend to treat my pets like they are people. My co-workers think that I am crazy for taking in all of the strays and raising these puppies.

Ouch and a Crappy Week!

Last week started out really well and then it came to a screeching halt thanks to that darn Peak 10 class that I took last Saturday!  I woke up so sore on Sunday morning and just knew that I was not going to be able to get my long run in! I was so bummed!  I ended up with the lowest weekly mileage that I have had in a while...22 miles! I have taken the last two days off and I am hoping to get back into things today or tomorrow at the very latest.

The soreness continued to kick in on Sunday and I mean everything hurts...arms, quads, calves, back, shoulders, rear end...you get the idea!  I guess I am out of shape and should probably not engage in this kind of stuff the day before a planned long run.  I knew it was going to happen but I took my chances.  Lesson learned and I won't be doing it again because my days have been consumed with these guys....

The Disneyland Half Marathon is two weeks away and I don't feel like I am ready for it but I am going to get out there and do what I can! I have yet to set a goal but I do know that I am going to be pretty upset if I can't beat my last time of 1:57:58.  I ran my last half marathon coming off of an injury and ran it pretty safe without taking any chances so I think I should be able to do a little bit better. I am hoping for cooler weather on race day and according to the weather forecast it's finally starting to cool down.  

I can't remember the last time I went for a run in the 60 degree temperatures. I am looking forward to getting some runs in this weekend while the cool weather lasts!

How is the weather where you live?  

What is your ideal running temperature? I prefer the temperature to be 50-55 degrees.

Two Tough Days!

The last two days have been emotionally challenging for me. Yesterday marked one year that I had to say goodbye to Baby, my little Pomeranian.  I knew it was going to be a tough day because all of the thoughts of that horrible day would become fresh in my mind. The only negative thing about having pets is having to say goodbye.

Today was also a sad day for me because it was my Dad's birthday and he spent the majority of his day getting his chemo treatment. This is probably not the ideal way to spend a birthday but he had no choice and it just sucks that he has to go through this. I feel so bad for him and wish there was something that I could do to take it all away.

It was also a very sad, yet happy, night because two of our puppies found a home..a good home. One of the technicians at our vet's office called and said that she was interested in adopting Brownie and came to see him after I got home from work. She brought her brother along and they fell in love with the two males and decided to take both Brownie and Spot. I was not prepared to let two of them go but I know that they are going to a good home so I was comfortable with these people. Sugar was not excited either and tried to bite the man when he attempted to pet her.  They were considering taking one of the pups and Sugar but I think she blew her chances when she decided that she needed to bite him for taking her babies away.

As much as I know that I cannot keep the puppies, I was heartbroken. My whole routine has been centered around these puppies for the last three months and I am going to miss Brownie and Spot.  The males were the wild ones of the litter but oh so lovable and sweet. I hope their new owners love them and care for them like we did. We reminded the new owners that Brownie and Spot can be returned at any time because we would never want to see these little guys at the shelter if things did not work out.

My son was devastated and it was a rough night for him to say the very least. He ran upstairs and cried for 30 minutes straight and it was not pretty. Sugar also cried and waited by the front door shaking and continuing to cry for a long time. The two female puppies were also very sad and they just went to their bed and looked at us as if to say "Are you getting rid of us next?"

We are going to miss Brownie and Spot dearly. I don't think we will be able do this again. It is so hard to let them go and my son is a mess! A huge, horrible mess! The puppies left four hours ago and he has been crying off and on asking me why I got rid of them. He is not happy with me at all! I guess he does not fully understand why we cannot keep 7 dogs... 

Do you ever have days like this when everything seems to be happening at once and you feel kind of overwhelmed?  

Peak 10 and a Visit with My Dad

This morning I tried out a new class called Peak 10 at my friends private fitness club. The class involved circuit training which really challenges your cardio and core strength. I hesitated but figured it was worth a try since the class normally costs $45 for members and I am not even a member.  I would really love to join her gym but the monthly fee is $110, plus there is a one time  initiation fee of $410.00, which is not in my budget at the moment. I pay $9.00 a month for my gym membership and it serves my purpose.

Peak 10 was fun since you were able to do it with a partner. The class included sit ups push ups, planks, exercises with sandbags, squats and resistance training. We rotated to the different stations around the room based on time. I was beat by the time the class was over but really enjoyed it. We also ran 2 miles before the class and two miles after so I was pretty tired when I got home.  

The real highlight of my day was seeing my Dad. He called me up mid-week and told me that he wanted to come and see me. He knows how much I love the little hole in the wall Thai restaurant near my house so he wanted to meet up and have dinner there.

My step-mom's cousin was visiting them from North Carolina so they brought him along.  I actually visited North Carolina when I was probably 7 or 8 years old and I think I actually met him back then but didn't really remember him. My youngest sister and her family also came to visit.

We had a great dinner and I ate more than I should have but I can never resist this place.  It is one of those places that you don't go for the service but for the great tasting food at a reasonable price. I am sure that my Dad's sense of taste is horrible from the chemo but he still ate pretty good. It is important for him to keep his weight up because the chemo really takes a toll on his body and he can lose weight very quickly.

We had a great visit and they met all of my puppies for the first time.  I wish my step mom could have taken one of the puppies because she spoils her dogs rotten. Her dogs do not eat regular dog food from the pet store because she makes their dog food for them and they love it. She really wanted to take "Chiquita", the smallest white pup, but my Dad said no. I think I will send her this picture to pull at her heartstrings!

My Dad will be celebrating his 61st birthday on Monday so it was great to see him since his birthday is so close.  I am glad that he made it another year and that he has not let cancer win this battle. He was not very healthy on his 60th last year so this year was a better one for all of us.  

Happy Birthday Daddy. I love you!

Three Things Thursday

1. I finally bought a helmet and the puppies checked it out for me and made sure that everything was okay. Now I just have to put in on, get on my bike and go for a ride!

2. We are registered for the Color Me Rad 5K and will be doing it as a family. It will be the first 5K for all of them. I am excited and I am sure we will having fun more than anything so I am really looking forward to it.

 3. I will be running a 10K on September 22nd since I signed up for one yesterday. I got a Schwaggle from Active.com and the deal was for 50% off so I jumped on it. I am glad that I waited to register since it would cost me $50.00 + fees instead of $25.00 and then I would have been kicking myself for not getting the deal. I am due for a 10K since I have only ran one to date.

Is your race schedule getting pretty full? 

I know mine is and I am not done yet.  I still want to sign up for a Turkey Trot and possibly another run in December for the holiday.

Wordless Wednesday

I Think I'll Keep My Full-Time Job!

I have a new found respect for woman who stay home to take care of their children and their households!  It is no easy job and many people think that women who do not work outside of the home have it easy. I know for a fact that this is not the case. I have always worked full time so I  have no first hand experience on how tough the job really is but I have seen other women in action.

 

Source 

While I was in South Carolina visiting my sister, I was able to witness what a tough job "stay at home moms" really have. My sister does everything for her household because her husband works to provide a majority of the financial support for the family and she believes that taking care of the house is her job. She also works part-time on the weekends so she never really gets a day off.

My sister gets up when the baby gets up, takes care of him, feeds both of her kids breakfast, takes care of the dog, plans out the meals for the day, washes the clothes, does the shopping, cleans the house, irons and starches all of her husband's Navy uniforms, pays the bills, takes care of the yard, bathes the kids, cleans up the messes that the baby makes, bathes the dog, and on and on and on. I was exhausted just watching her do all of these things. She rarely sits down to take a break and goes to bed kind of late. She never got stressed out or complained about doing any of these things. I helped her out with what I could while I was there because I felt bad watching her perform her juggling act. I told her that I really respected her and that I think I have it much easier working a full time job!  

Hats off to all of the moms who stay home and work their butts off!! I really respect all of the woman who have this "full time" job. I don't think I will ever let anyone get away with saying that stay at home moms are lucky or have it easy because they work just as hard as moms who work outside of their homes.

Are you or have you ever been a stay at home mom?  
I have always worked full time but have still remained active in my children's school events as much as possible.
Was your mom a stay at home mom?  
My mom either worked part time or did not work. She raised four girls and in my experience so far, girls are a bit harder to raise than boys.
What do you think is the toughest part of being a stay at home mom?  
I think the toughest part of this job is establishing a schedule that works for you and finding the time to fit it all in and still have time for yourself.  Raising small kids can be time consuming and if you do not have a good support system you could end up getting burned out if you don't take a break for some "me time."  I think we all need that time!

Getting Lost and a Weekly Recap

I have to be careful running in new places.  While I was visiting my sister in South Carolina I managed to get lost on my supposed to be 6 mile run! I had mapped out a route to try but some of the street were not marked so I am not sure where I was going so I just kept moving.

I was waiting for the sun to set before I left so I didn't leave her house until 7:30pm. It started to get dark about 30 minutes after I left and then it was really hard to see out there.  Not only are some of the streets not marked but the lighting is also very poor. The area looked familiar but I took another wrong turn and I was lost! I had to call my sister and explain where I was and she loaded up the kids and came to rescue me.  After I went to bed that night she posted this on Facebook. I (red star) was actually really close to her house (the orange triangle) but it was so dark that I didn't realize it. The good thing is that I ended up running 7 miles instead of 6!

My next run took place during the day because it was not fun getting lost in a strange dark place! My sister and my niece came along on my 5 mile run with me and rode their bikes but then my niece ended up with a flat tire and her chain also fell of of her bike.  FAIL!  They had to call for help and headed back home. I kept on going by myself and it was around 90 degrees so that was probably a good idea that they went home. I really struggled on this run because of the heat but I made it through and I was glad that I was able to get some miles in while I was away.

I also went for a 12 mile run with my Ragnar team at 5am on Sunday morning.  I was still on South Carolina time so I was able to get up without a problem. It was definitely an easy paced run but it was nice to get together and get to know these people since I only know a few of them. We realized that we are all connected in different ways and that we know some of the same people.  I guess it is a small world.

I had 40 miles planned for the week but it ended in only 30. I wanted to run further than 12 miles on Sunday but there was a last minute plan go to Starbucks after the group run and that sounded much better at the time since it was 75 degrees when we started and into the mid 80's when we finished. This week should be better since there will be no traveling and my routine is starting to get back to normal.

 Have you ever gotten lost on a run?  

This was the first time for me. I always dream that I get lost while running races though!

The Liebster Award

Thank you Jesica, from Run On Organic for tagging me! The Liebster Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

Rules for receiving this award:

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.

2. Then answer the questions the tagger sent for them, plus create 11 questions for the people they’ve tagged to answer.

3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.

4. Notify the people you have tagged.

5. No tag backs.

 11 Things About Me:

1. Although I am half Japanese, I do not like sushi and it drives everyone nuts.  They  cannot believe it!

2. I had a fear of driving and did not get my driver's license until I was 20.

3. My older sister and I are only 11 months and 3 weeks apart.

4. I am addicted to watching the ID (Investigation Discovery) Channel.

5. I am the first person in my family to earn a college degree.

6. I love cupcakes and they are my biggest weakness!

7. I have three dogs, of which two are strays.  I love dogs and will take any stray in that I find.  It's pretty bad.

8. I will be running a marathon in February, 2013 to honor my Dad who is battling cancer.

9. I am not really into cooking and prefer simple meals that don't take a whole lot of time.

10. I hate buffets. I can't stand the smell of so many different foods all at the same time.

11. One of the first things I notice about people is their teeth.

Jesica's Questions for Me:

1. What gets you up in the morning? Honestly, my alarm clock gets me up in the morning but if I have a long run planned, I am up and ready to go.

2. Who is your favorite professional athlete? Desiree Davila

3. What is your favorite US state? California

4. Beach or mountains? Beach

5. Day or night? Night

6. Favorite item in your refrigerator/pantry? My favorite item in my fridge would have to be my fruit and also my milk. I love milk!

7. What would your last meal be? My last meal would be cupcakes!

8. When do you feel the most alive (doing what)? I feel most alive when I am running or after a long run.

9. Lover or a fighter? I am a lover but if you cross me the fighter in me just might come out.

10. Favorite musician/band? I love the Eagles.

11. Outfit of choice? I prefer comfy clothes. Loose fitting clothes that are comfortable.

My Questions for You:

1. What is your favorite brand of workout clothes?

2. What is the longest distance you have ever ran?

3. What is your favorite cheat meal?

4. Cupcakes or Cake?

5. Where is your favorite place to run?

6. What event is on the top of your "Fitness Bucket List?"

7. What do you consider your biggest accomplishment in your life to date?

8.  Do you have pets? If yes, what do you have?

9. How many toenails are you missing right now?

10.  What are you currently training for?

11. Who has inspired you the most in your life?

The 11 People I am Tagging–You’ve just been tagged and must answer the 11 questions directly above! Some of you may already have more than 200 followers but join in on the fun anyway!

1. Chick Named Chuck

2. Believe in Running

3. Run Megan Run

4. Running.Fitness.Health

5. Running with Heather

6. 26.2 Before I Turn 40

7. Run for Life

8. Miles Miles and More Miles

9. The Running Paintbrush

10. Happy Healthy Runner

11. Curious Runner Girl

Have Fun Ladies!