2017 Running Review

I didn't post a running review for 2016 because I injured my hip and had to sell off all my ADC bibs.  By the very end of Dec last year I was just starting to run maybe 20 mins every other day.  To help with my recovery I joined a neighborhood bootcamp.  Bootcamp helped me to strengthen my core and hips and reboot my fitness and health.  I had gained a lot of weight due to my injury and hit an all time weight high.  Bootcamp and my meal plan helped me to lose 20-25 lbs and strengthen my body again so that I could run!

I was able to run the Texas Independence Relay in March and Deutschen Pfest 5K in May.  I had a couple set backs and residual pain but after June that disappeared all together.  

Then my friend Jenn decided she wanted to run Austin Full for her 40th bday so I begrudgingly agreed to run it with her.  Hence began my training for marathon #3!  So far training has gone really well.  I had one set back in Sept when I broke my right baby toe and couldn't run for a good 3 weeks.  However by the 1st week of Oct I was back at it and was able to run the 80's 8K for my birthday.   ;)  Talk about being lucky!  I've heard some people couldn't run for over 2 months after breaking a toe.  Who would have ever thought a baby toe could be so bloody painful!?!?!

In November I decided to try the Shiner half marathon.  OMG this race is so much fun!.  :)  I will totally do this again next year.  I even got the hubby to come out and run the 10K.  They throw an amazing after party where you get 2 free sausages and 4 free beers!  BEST RACE EVER!

To end the year we signed up for the Austin Rockin' Resolution Race 20 miler.  We had to run a 20 miler anyways for training so why not do a race and get a medal!!  We braved the bitter cold 38-36 degree temps (yes it got colder as we ran), 13 mph winds, oh and misty/overcast conditions for an overall great run!  I took 3rd place in my age group!

Total miles ran in 2017:  744 miles according to Garmin.  Not bad considering my hip injury at the beginning of the year and a broken pinky toe!

Races:

3/25-26 - Texas Independence Relay, ran 13.5 miles total

5/21 - Deutschen Pfest 5K - 26:02, 8:21 pace

10/8 - 80's 8K - 42:32 (garmin), 8:33 pace

11/18 - Shiner Half -  2:02:36, 9:22 pace

12/31 - Rockin' Resolution 20 miler - 3:13:34, 9:41 pace, 3rd place in age group.

Upcoming races for 2018:

1/21 - 3M Half

2/18 - Austin Full

3/24-25 - TIR

April - Cap10K

May 20th - Deutschen pfest 5K 

Sept 30th - 80s 8K (ADC)

Nov - Run for the Water 10 miler (ADC) and Shiner

Dec - Decker half (ADC)

Jan 2019 - 3M (ADC)

Feb 2019 - Austin Half (ADC)

I plan to run the Austin Distance Challenge in 2018-2019.

Race Recaps 2017 - 80s 8K, Shiner Half, NYE Resolution Run

I've been bad about blogging my runs this year and have missed 3 races!  Recaps below.

80's 8K in October (my bday run!) followed by birthday brunch.
It was a great morning for a race!  68 degrees, 66% humidity and clear.  My toe did great (broke it Sept 2nd) and didn't bother me at all.  I finished in 42:32 (garmin) with an 8:33 pace!  Official chip time was 42:30.

Shiner Half in November.
This race was so much fun!!!  Totally running this again next year.  We arrived Friday night in Gonzales, the race and after party was Saturday morning, then we had a late dinner and spent the night to recover, heading back home Sunday morning.  An awesome weekend for sure!  Official time 2:02:36 with a 9:22 pace.  Malek ran the 10K in 1:04:44 with a 10:26 pace.  Thankfully it was overcast for the race as it was warm!  71-76 degrees and overcast with 16 mph winds.  The half course reminded me of Decker, but not quite as bad.  There was even about 1 mile where the course was loose gravel!  After finishing the race the sun came out which made for an amazing day partying in front of the Shiner brewery!  Couldn't have asked for a better weekend.

Arriving at the race grounds

Celebrating after the run with free beer and sausage!

haha Beef vs no meat athlete!

dinner and come and take it bar & grill

official race photo

official race photo

official race photo

NYE Austin Rockn' Resolution Race - 20 miler (training run for Austin Full).
Closed out 2017 with a 20 miler race!  Braved the bitter cold 38-36 degree temps (yes it got colder as we ran), 13 mph winds, oh and misty/overcast conditions for an overall great run!  I even managed to snag 3rd place for my age group.  I loved that we had RR donuts and champagne at the finish line.  Thank goodness for my partner in crime (Jenn C) who ran with me.  I wore a lulu long sleeve half zip, team beef tank, tights, rulu ear warmers (which I took off at mile 8), gloves (which I took off at mile 3) and hydration vest.  I ate 4 gu's the entire race as well.  The course was a bit short at 19.6 miles, so after we crossed the finish line we finished the last 0.4 in the parking lot.  Official time 3:09:34 with a 9:29 pace.  My Garmin had me at 3:13:34 for 20 miles with a 9:41 avg pace.

7:30am start, the warmest part of the day (38 degrees)

Feeling good at the finish!

official results

Garmin results

the medal

Happy Halloween 2017!

From my BOO-tiful babies

Spooktacular BOO-ze Bash! 2017

Another successful Spooktacular party in the books!  We had another excellent turn out and we rose the dead and partied til dawn (or kinda close to it) until 1am with returning and new friends.  This year the theme in our formal dining room was Hell's gym!  We had a skeleton on the treadmill, one lifting weights and another doing push-ups.  There was also a muscle milk/juice bar in the back.

This year for my costume I paid tribute to Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia (who passed away in Dec 2016).

FB link to all the pictures.

  Happy Halloween!

The ladies

Princess Leia and Jabba the Hutt

Your ghoulish (g)hosts!

Hell's gym

Carsyn's 4th Birthday

Happy 4th Birthday to our precious baby girl Carsyn.  You are full of spunk and life with a lovely, quirky sense of humor.  You brighten up our lives with your generous nature, amazing hugs and lovable kisses.

Carsyn was the happiest princess on the block for her royal celebration.  She was beyond ecstatic when Princess Belle arrived to socialize with the birthday girl and entertain her guests.  I was concerned about the weather as a cold front came through that weekend accompanied by 20 mph winds!  Luckily it warmed up to a comfortable 68 degrees just in time for her party, albeit a bit windy.  This year we hosted her party at our neighborhood pavilion and as she's all about Hello Kitty and Princess Belle, so we combined them both as her theme!  

We found Princess Belle at Princess Parties and More and booked the Glass Slipper package.  Carsyn and all the other kids reactions were priceless, totally worth it!  They played games, read books, had their faces painted and took pictures with the Princess.  The night before her party, Princess Belle called Carsyn to tell her how excited she was to be invited to her celebration.  She even sent Carsyn a thank you note with a picture of the two of them after the party.  

A huge thank you to everyone that was able to join us and celebrate Carsyn's royal 4th birthday! 

FB link to all pictures

Head over to mymomsmemos for the full recap

The evite:

Be Our Guest

for an Enchanted Royal Celebration!

Princess Carsyn is turning 4!

All Princesses, Princes and Pirates from across the land

are gathering for an event that's sure to be grand!

Royal attire encouraged. (Any storybook character will do!)

Carsyn is all about Hello Kitty, so it's a Princess Hello Kitty party!

We will have a visit from Princess Belle for storytelling, games, magic and so much more!

Royal Snacks, drinks and cake will be served.

Happy Birthday Carsyn!

Princess Belle and Birthday girl

Make a wish!

The setup

The royal setup, complete with costumes!

Princess Belle attended the party!

pirate coins

my little lady

Sarah - Gone but not Forgotten

This morning I lost my fur-baby of 16 years, Sarah.  We were on our morning walk when she passed away.  I'm not really sure what happened as I was walking just ahead of her at the time, I rushed to her side and tried to help her when Carsyn said she had fallen and wasn't getting back up.  I performed CPR and was with her in her final moments, petting her, telling her I loved her, and sorry that I couldn't do more.  I know she lived a good, long life and was loved...it's hard to believe she's gone.  I knew her time was getting close, in the past year her arthritis had gotten worse, she was on pain meds and sometimes would fall and couldn't get back up without help.  I know she's at peace now, watching over us from above, reunited with Guinness and playing with the energy of a puppy, waiting patiently for the day I will finally join her and Guinness.

I love you Sarah and will miss you deeply, you were with me through many of the important times of my life, a constant companion and wholeheartedly mine.  You will forever be in my heart, you took a piece of me with you, you are family.  

RIP Sarah
Dec 2001 - June 6, 2017

Pawprints Left By You
You no longer greet me as I walk through the door. You're not there to make me smile, to make me laugh anymore. Life seems quiet without you, you were far more than a pet. You were a family member, a friend . . . a loving soul I'll never forget. It will take time to heal - for the silence to go away. I still listen for you, and miss you every day. You were such a great companion, constant, loyal and true. My heart will always wear, the pawprints left by you.

The Broken Chain
"We little knew that morning that God was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you, you did not go alone;
for part of us went with you the day God called you home.
You left us peaceful memories, your love is still our guide,
and though we cannot see you, you are always by our side."

Keep running through those bluebonnet fields my fur-baby

loved this pose

play time

Fields of flowers, April 2017

Annual Deutschen Pfest and Kids K

Our annual family pfun run, the Dfest 5K and Kids K was back in May (5/21/2017).  We love this local race; it's close by, great for the kids and they give you free beer and pizza at the end.

This year I was recovering from my hip injury (which happened to start bugging me again the whole week up to the race), so I wasn't sure how I'd perform.  Lo and Behold I surprised myself and ran a 8:30 pace!!!  Thankfully a week after the race my hip seemed to be back to normal, finger's crossed as I have some big races lined up at the end of the year and need to start marathon training in Aug.

I ended up taking 4th place in my age group with a time of 26:02, 8:21 pace.
The hubby took 14th in his age group with a time of 31:36, 10:08 pace.

Results

Family of runners!

Friends and family Team Beef!

Ryland running the kids K for the 2nd time

Carsyn running the kids K for the 2nd time

Ryland's 6th Birthday

Happy 6th birthday to our little Ry-Guy! You are a sweet, caring, kind, funny, intelligent, energetic little dude full of life and smiles! You make us very proud and we love you very much! <3 🎂🎈

Hugs and Kisses always!

Birthday ribbon at school

lunch with my birthday boy

Ryland had a Jawesome birthday party this year.  Ever since he started playing this shark game on his table he's been really into sharks: shark toys, video games, shark Lego's, shark shirts...you name it!  So we settled on a shark theme and booked Austin's Park N Pizza for the venue.  The weather this year was perfect, normally we run into rain.  It was partly cloudy, nice cool breeze, high 60's/low 70s, couldn't have asked for better weather!

Ryland was super excited to spend the day with his friends from the hood, daycare and Kinder class.  They played laser tag, drove the go karts, tried their hands at mini golf, rode some roller coasters and enjoyed the arcade. 

A big thank you to everyone who came out and celebrated Ryland's 6th birthday with us❣

For a full recap go to MyMomsMemmos
All pictures located here

ready for cake

Happy birthday to you!

a boy and his shark toys...