March 2012

Its the last week of March. I am not going to reach my 100 miles for this month either. Which says to me "Leigh you need to make some changes" As I look back on my calendar I have noticed that all my miles are on the weekends with very few if any miles during the week.

Started out the month with a 5K here in my hometown. Sporting my new skirt from running skirts which was a hit!! With every race a constant reminder that I need to train more consistently. 

The next weekend the first Grand Prix Race for the Anniston Runners Club. I know that there is no way I can win the Grand Prix b/c I am just not fast enough. Yet I go anyway b/c I have missed all of my running friends. The 5K is called Mardi Gras so I made sure I wore Purple, yellow and green even Mardi Gras beads. Just wanting to get in theme. :-) I won a door prize. YEA!! Hey if I can't be fast at least I can win a door prize. A nike live strong bag and insulated water bottle. 

It was so good to see all of my friends and be running on a regular basis. Which is something I really haven't done in a long time. Partly because I was burnt out and partly because I let other things take priority over what I wanted. I convinced myself that some people were more important than what I wanted. Next thing I knew I had given up running, bible study and gained 30lbs. WOW and didn't even see it happening. Now I am running more regular , back in bible study and have lost 19 of the 30lbs I had gained. Finding myself again. So as crazy as it seems I got to thinking to myself that I couldn't believe I wasn't out running a half marathon for the month of March. (what in the world...this doesn't sound like anything I would be saying) yet I was missing not having a race. I found one in Germantown not far from my family and decided it was perfect. I signed up on Thursday before the race and let my Dad & Sister know I was coming for a Mini Visit. I got up that Saturday & drove to Memphis the Saturday before the race. We went to the expo which was where they were having the RRCA National Convention. Won a Race entry to the Gateway Outerbanks Marathon....ooops was I supposed to be a part of the convention? Thanks for letting me win anyway Alabama Rep had my back and mailed me my entry. So Now what?.....Im gonna run a Marathon in November. Finished the Germantown Half  (6th one this year) 6 is my record for number of halfs in a year.....Got a PR about died from the heat...well it felt like it during the last mile I started getting a heat rash. Overall Fun Day. I will write more about the race later.

Today is the 26th and Ive only run 50 of my 100 miles for the month so I will once again be behind on miles and will need to do a lot of catching up in the months ahead. :-) Running the Rumpshaker 5K on Saturday then going to the park for a Virtual 5K the same day ending the month with a bang and two 5ks for Charity. Sounds Good To me!!

New Office

After 13 years of driving 2.7 miles to work I have just been informed that I now will be driving 37 miles to work. So needless to say I left work that day and went out and bought a hybrid. I had no idea that Honda even made a Hybrid but I'm now the owner of a Honda Civic Hybrid. 40 - 45 miles per gallon.
I will enjoy change & the opportunity to listen to podcast on my way to work that has been one of my favorite parts. My new car will hook right up to my iPod . I love that!!
I'm going green so that's cool even if the car is plain.

February 2012 Review

January started off well above my expectations. 104 miles logged. WHAT?!! Last year I didn't hit 100 miles until April.
 I am a member of the Anniston Runners Club. We have two mini clubs within our running club. One is the mile a day club where you log 365 miles in a calendar year. 366 this year for leap year. Thats usually the group I am in. 
The other club is the 1200 mile club where you average 100 miles a month. Which is only approx. 3.33 a day or 25 miles a week. Which when you put it like that isn't really that many miles. Its just a matter of getting out there and putting one foot in front of the other. When I turned in 104 for January. Jim put me in the 1200 mile club.....Great now what have I gotten myself into. It was a challenge and I chose to accept it.
Due to injury, job change after 13 years and a few other bumps in the road I only managed 75 miles for February. Now I have 25 miles to make up. 

February was Mercedes Half Marathon. One of my favorite and special this year b/c I had 7 friends finish their first Half Marathon. We trained and they made it to the finish. I was so proud of them. It was freezing 20 degree weather yet they got out there and accomplished the goal they set out to accomplish. 

Then two days later was the Virtual Half Marathon for Kids. My first Virtual Half. It was fun we got our race shirt and bibb in the mail then I took off work & went to the park to put in my miles. There was a trail of balloons so it was like a decorated race course. The balloons I found out lead to a note where a girl was getting asked to prom. So sweet!! We logged our miles that night after the run/walk and received our bling in the mail. Pretty Neat!! 

Last but certainly not least the Princess Half Marathon!! The yearly Girls trip to Disney where we can wear our tiara and be a princess. My 4th Princess. Next year is the 5th year Anniversary and I get to be a "perfect princess" Im looking forward to it.