Race Recap: Rock n Roll St. Louis 5K – Saturday

It’s been awhile since I ran this race but when I got back from St. Louis, I got sick and then I was on to Washington DC for Marine Corp. I’m usually really good about doing the race recaps on time but this time I failed.

Willie and I ventured to St. Louis just to run this race. That’s probably not very shocking to hear. The race started at 8AM so we had plenty of time to get to the race. The weather was cooler than what we were use to but that’s wasn’t a big deal. We left the hotel and walked to the starting line which was half a mile or so.

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We were passing by so many fun things I couldn’t resist. I had to take pictures with some of these things. Willie thought it was funny. He also thought it was funny I was in rush to get to the race. I used to be super serious about races which kind of ruined the fun for me. I’ve been going to a lot of races by myself so Willie hasn’t really been able to see how chill I’ve gotten about it until now. There were plenty of pictures to take a long the way.

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We finally made it to the race start but we still had a lot of time to burn. Rock n Roll has started these new weekend runs with races on both Saturday and Sunday. This was my first time doing the remix challenge. We were both excited because we would get an extra medal. Little did we know, we could have done the 5K + half marathon on Sunday too to get another medal. We totally would have done that if we had known that was an option.

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The race started on time and there were no corrals. You kind of just got in where you fit in and we were off. I’ve never been to St. Louis and I knew nothing about the terrain. I knew I was kind of itching to do well at the race where Willie was going more laid back. The three-mile race was a good preview for the next day. What I learned fro this race? There were lots of steady climbs, which I wasn’t expecting but I was able to run them. The weather was right and I was feeling really good. The miles just ticked away and then I was finished.

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I finished the race in 29:06, a PR for me. I probably shouldn’t have stopped at that water stop because I would have finished in less than 29 minutes, which would have been amazing. I was just really excited to get a PR. It just makes you feel good sometimes and I was in need of a pick me up because my marathons haven’t been going the way I thought they should be going. I finished 19 out of 124 in my age group, which was pretty cool.

Willie finished the race in 36:00. He did really well which left him positive for the race the next day!

My week with the Mizuno Wave Rider 18

My week with the Mizuno Wave Rider 18

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Mizuno for the Wave Ride 18. All opinions expressed here are my own! With the amount of running I do, I go through a lot of shoes, but I’ve never tried Mizuno’s before.  When it comes to trying new shoes, it’s kind of hard for me to take the plunge.  This time I am glad that I did.  The Mizuno Wave Rider 18 is a neutral shoe but it packs some good mid-foot support, which is very important to me. The shoes I received were Black/Silver/Florida Keys!  That’s always…

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Marine Corps Marathon Recap

Marine Corps Marathon Recap

Hello!  I’m still alive.  I’ve been sick lately and all my extra energy has been put into sleeping instead of working and/or blogging.  This past weekend I traveled to Washington DC for the very first time in my life.  I went with my mom because I raised money for Team Inspiration in the name of her. She’s my warrior!  I didn’t know until we were walking around that my mom had never been to Washington DC before either.  It was a special moment! I was so excited to see everything but man there are many things to see there.  We…

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Race Recap: Tyler Rose Marathon

Race Recap: Tyler Rose Marathon

I was provided a free bib to the Tyler Rose Marathon in exchange for a race review. On Sunday, I ran the Tyler Rose Marathon!  Last year I ran the half marathon and I kind of enjoyed it.  The course was really hilly and I remember thinking, “I would never run a marathon out here.” Fast forward to this year, I ran the marathon. Tyler is about 3.5 hours from home and a great excuse to hang out with some great people! There’s a method to my madness though.  I was supposed to run 20-22 miles for the Marine Corp…

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Race Recap: Plano Balloon Festival Half Marathon

Race Recap: Plano Balloon Festival Half Marathon

I was provided with a free bib to this race by the festival but all opinions are my own. Spoiler alert: This race was AWESOME! This race was one I put on my radar last year. I found out about it too late and I couldn’t participate but I made sure it made the list for this year. AND it was great because it was a race Willie and I could do together. I’m all about couple activities, especially when it gives us extra time together. We picked up our packets at Central Market in Plano. It was booming in…

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A week in review: washing machines and workouts

A week in review: washing machines and workouts

Happy Friday everyone!  This has been the LONGEST short week of my life.  I’ve been finding it hard to push through this week so I’m definitely glad to have made it to Friday.  I wanted to share some of my highlights from the week.  Sadly, I don’t have many HIGHlights but there are a few. First off, last Friday I went to wash clothes and something bad happened. This is totally not health and fitness related. This happened. The timer dial wasn’t engaging. I must tell you this is a hand me down washer but FREE is always the best…

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The lifestyle change is DIFFERENT for EVERYONE

The lifestyle change is DIFFERENT for EVERYONE

It’s different for everyone and it’s going to change over time.  Keep that in mind.  I’ve said it many many times.  The journey I took is different from the one Willie took and will be different from the one many people take. A lifestyle change is about developing new habits.  In our case, our lifestyle change was about developing HEALTHIER habits than what we did before.  McDonald’s drive thru and movie marathons for the weekend soon became weekend running and enjoying a good healthy meal. Losing 100+ pounds takes time and commitment.  That has to come from within yourself. No…

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Race Recap: Revel Rockies Marathon

Race Recap: Revel Rockies Marathon

On Sunday, I ran the Revel Rockies Marathon that ended in Morrison, CO.  I can’t tell you where it started because we had to take a bus to the top and there was no cell signal. This was the very first Revel ROCKIES race, so it was cool to be apart of the event. The race started at 6:00 am but we had to catch a shuttle to the top between 3:30 am – 4:15am. When I was leaving my hotel, there were people still partying. It was kind of funny! They dropped us off at the top but we…

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Race Recap: Run The Rockies 10K

Race Recap: Run The Rockies 10K

This past Saturday I ran an 10K!  I really wanted to go on a hike but since I was doing this trip by myself I didn’t want to be roaming the Rocky Mountains by myself and risk something happening to me.  I’m not an experienced hiker either so I decided that a trail run would be in order. My training plan called for an easy 3 miler and I cut my mid week run a little shorter to not overload my mileage. I took a gnarly 90 minute ride outside of Denver to Frisco, CO for this race. This was…

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Back from Colorado

Back from Colorado

It’s been a long weekend but one that I definitely needed.  I’ve been really stressed and a little unhappy with things in my life so I needed some time to just loosen up and have a good time.  The only thing that really sucked about this trip was Willie couldn’t go with me.  I really enjoy having adventures with my husband but this one we couldn’t make work. I had a great time.  I have lots to blog about so I’ll be loading up the blog to get things out of the way.  I really planned on doing more blogging…

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What’s in my race pack?

What’s in my race pack?

I’m leaving for Denver soon for the Revel Rockies Inaugural Marathon and I’m so excited.  The only thing about traveling is you have to pack.  I really dislike packing because I’m an over packer.  I don’t want to forget anything! Plus when I’m going away for a race, I never know what I’m going to want to wear.  I have to bring options!  It’s always hard! But first, did you see my ice bucket challenge from yesterday? Now back to my trip! As far as the food goes, I’m limited until I can get there.  I measured out my oatmeal…

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