Zebra Cupcakes

The day after the Little Rock Marathon is the birthday of not just one, but TWO friends that are running the LR full with me.  We're celebrating their birthdays the night before the marathon with dinner and dessert. 

 It was requested that I make a birthday cake, so I decided I'd like to make birthday cupcakes.  Cupcakes are easier to transport (6-hour drive) and don't require plates, plasticware, or anything else.  They're easy!  Since my female friend is an OKC Zebra, I've decided to attempt zebra cupcakes.  I had my first trial run and I think they turned out decently well.  It's chocolate and vanilla cake with peanut butter frosting.  We sort of have a thing for peanut butter.  Hahaa... 

Week 5 - OKC MM Training

20 MILES = DONE!

40 degrees with a wind chill of 30.  Brrr....  The wind was almost unbearable.  It was pretty much a steady 18mph with gusts of up to 35mph. So grateful to have my running buddy, Lisa, with me. We had a great time and even stopped by 7-11 to pick up something for a celebration toast. 

We were half way to our 20 miles!

We weren't finished until our Garmins said 20 miles.

We did it!

20 MILES = the furthest distance I've ever run!

I was pretty proud of myself and immediately messaged these photos to my husband.  A few minutes later, they were also on Facebook.  Yippee!

Actual running time wasn't bad, but we stopped a LOT (water, bathroom, 7-11, Starbucks, stretching, and being social at the water stops, etc. ; ) ) to make it more enjoyable. When we stopped at the Starbucks at May/Grand, I even ordered a coffee and ran 2.25 miles back with it to the finish. Yes, I'm serious about my coffee. I also think it's interesting that my pace picked up a bit once I had that coffee in my hand.

I ordered a tall coffee in a venti cup. The looks that I received from people passing me by in their cars were absolutely priceless.  I'm not sure whether they thought I stole the coffee or that I'm a girl who's serious about her coffee.  

A few of my running buddies.

Me and Lisa

Super excited about our 20 MILES!

After my run, I went home and rested with my pup and more coffee.  

Week 4 - OKC MM Training

18 MILES - DONE!!!  

YES, I RAN 18 MILES!  

Lisa, Matthew, and I started running just a few minutes after 5:30am.  It was going to be just me and Lisa, but Matthew was a little concerned about us 2 girls being out there by ourselves, so he joined us.  He's so nice!  We ran 6.3 miles and were back at the boathouse for announcements with the rest of the Landrunners.  After announcements and a bathroom break, we went back out to complete our mileage. 

It also wasn't easy, but we got it done.  Also, there are hills out there on that trail.  My average moving pace was 11:11/mile.  I was under 10:30 until we stopped.  It's those long breaks that absolutely kill my time.  Luckily, when we run the marathon we won't be making a 20 minute stop for announcements. 

It was a great day for running with friends.  I kept seeing different friends along the route and I'd talk with them for a bit and then I'd see somebody else and run/talk with them.  Aunt Amy was even out there and she successfully completed her 12 miles.  I am so PROUD of her!  She's doing so good!

I didn't ride after my run yesterday and I ended up regretting that decision.  I really wasn't sure how I'd feel after running 18 miles.  My day just ended up being somewhat relaxing and definitely unproductive.  Today, I rode my bike with a friend over to Coffee Slingers.  It was a short 8 mile ride, but it was wonderful.  The weather was fantastic!  We had so much fun.  I'm already looking forward to biking again next weekend.  In fact, I may see about biking during the week if the weather will be nice.  I really do believe that biking after running is the best medicine.  

Week 3 - OKC MM Spring Training

Well, this post is obviously late, but that's the story of my life right now.  I'm super busy and pretty much behind with everything.

Week 3 of spring training was tough.  I ran 15 miles of hills at Mitch Mountain (aka Mitch Park).  I ran 5 with Lisa before the rest of the group showed up.  They were scheduled for 10, so we finished with them.  It is so dark out there!  Luckily I remembered just how dark it would be so I made a special trip to Lowes the night before for a headlamp to wear while running.  Yes, I'm a nerd.... big time!  

The run was pretty good until I hit 13.1 miles (a half marathon).  At that exact moment my mind was finished.  I was frozen and so were my water bottles.  I just wanted to be done and go somewhere warm.  Mile 14 seemed to be the longest mile I've ever run in my life.  Seriously, it would NOT end!  Anyway, I finally hit that 15 mile mark on my Garmin and I was DONE.  What a relief!  The 15 miles with the hills and sharp turns felt like a 20 miler.  It wasn't pretty by any means, but I got it done.  

After my run, I quickly went home to shower and change.  I then placed my bike on the back of my car and drove to a friend's house.  We rode our bikes from her house to Whole Foods for some grocery shopping and lunch.  It ended up being a total of only 10.5 miles.  We had a great time riding, shopping, and eating!  Plus, I'm convinced the biking helps me recover from the long runs. 

Perspective

I have a new perspective on running distance.  The past 3 half marathons that I've participated in have had absolutely awful weather.  They have been super cold and wet.  Here's the breakdown.... 

1.  The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon had a freakishly cold thunderstorm blow through (complete with a torrential downpour or rain, lightening, and hail!) on May 1, 2011.  

2.  The Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, OK on Nov. 20 was freezing cold and misty.  The cold winds were brutal!

3.  The Dallas White Rock Marathon on Dec. 4 was freezing cold with heavy rain the entire 13.1 miles.  

These aren't my favorite running conditions by any means.  There is one group of people that I believe have it much worse than us runners.  Can you guess who?  My vote is the spectators, entertainers, and people who are there just to cheer us on and support us.  Can you imagine standing in those cold nasty conditions for several hours?  Well, I sure know I wouldn't be out there if I wasn't running.  I'm so grateful for each and every person that has been there to support me and all the other runners during these races.  

Now, because of the weather we haven't had quite the support that there usually is when the weather is good.  You don't really realize just how important the spectators are until they're not there for you.  I remember saying that making it through 13.1 miles without much of a crowd was one of the most difficult things ever.  

As my mileage has increased, so has my perspective.  The past two weekends I have run at least a half marathon.  I did this without any crowds there to cheer me on.  It was just me, the road, and some other runners.  Now, look how far I can go all by myself!  This sure puts a new spin on things.  Love it!

Week 2 - OKCMM Spring Training

Week 2 was AWESOME! I really enjoy these early morning runs because I can look up at the stars in the sky (I start running at 5:30-5:45am) and a little later I am able to see the sunrise over the lake.  It's quite the sight!  

Here's PROOF that I made it 16.1 MILES!!!  My Garmin does't lie!  : )  

I'll also mention that after my run, I quickly went home to shower and was back at the lake by noon for a Classy Ladies Cupcake Ride.  We dressed up (skirts, dresses, and all!) and rode from the lake over to a cupcake shop in the Classen Curve.  Our total mileage was 12.56 MILES.  I loved it so much that I'm doing it again next week, except that we're having lunch at Whole Foods this time.  Mmm.....

Week 1 - 2012 OKCMM Spring Training

The Landrunner spring training for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon officially began today.  It started at 7am and the full marathoners were scheduled to run 6 miles.  Since I have another run before the OKCMM, I met up with some of my friends at 6am to run additional miles.  My totals were 4.5 and 6.32 making my morning run a grand total of 10.82.  I didn't have any problems until I was about a mile out.  My right arch felt as though it was collapsing again and my left foot felt like somebody was standing not it. I stopped and tried stretching it all out for a few minutes.  It didn't completely solve the problem, but it did make it feel a little better.  

Over 300 runners/walkers of all paces/levels showed up for the training run this morning.  My friend, Amy, attended.  She went to Tulsa with me for the "Race Into The New Year" 5k.  That was her second 5k to ever run.  This morning she ran the entire 6 miles!  You have to remember that the 6 miles was for the full marathoners, so she's doing super.  I told her that now she must run the OKC half marathon.  I know she can do it!

I also met up with Aunt Amy this morning.  We both have our eyes on the prize and are training for the OKC full marathon.  I ran with her for a bit today and she's doing awesome.  She's a true athlete!  

After the run, the Landrunners met at Starbucks for our usual post-run treat.  We must have taken 50 group pictures.  It was so fun!  I'm really looking forward to running with the group again next week.  

300+ runners!

Me with my Aunt Amy

Me with my friend, Amy G.

Me with some of my fellow Zebras

Holiday Schedule

To say David's holiday schedule was really tough would be an understatement.  He left our home every day by 4:30 am for five days.  The poor guy would grab a protein bar on his way out the door and not eat until he'd arrive home in the evenings, which was about 7 pm.  I should probably mention that he's been working in the ICU.  ICU!!!  I sure wouldn't want a doctor working on me if they were starving, dehydrated, and sleep deprived.  The next morning I made sure he had little snack bags of non-perishable items to place in his coat pocket.  I know a homemade trail mix isn't the healthiest and most filling thing out there, but it does the job.  
Last night David arrived home and I asked him what he'd like me to heat up for dinner.  We had leftover ham and chicken so it would have been an easy fix.  He then tells me that he's to tired to eat and wants to go straight to bed.  Blerg.  
On a happy note, he was able to sleep in until 5:30 this morning.  Woot woot!   I'm positive he'll work over 80 hours this week, so hopefully there will be a week in the month somewhere that he doesn't work quite that many hours.  
Now, it's been a rough 5 days, but at least he had off 5 days for Christmas.  Yes, it was gloriously wonderful to feel like I had a husband for a whole 5 days!  Now it's back to being a Resident Widow.  Time for a run!

Half Fanatic

I am OFFICIALLY in the HALF FANATICS AsyLum!!!! 

Half Fanatic #1654.

I completed TWO Half-Marathons (13.1 miles) in 15 days.  Yippee!

I'm Alive!

I'm alive, I promise!  I knew it had been a while since I last blogged, but I can't believe it was OCTOBER. Really?  Oh, well.  Life has been really busy.


I think about blogging often, but I feel like there's just so much to post.  So, I end up thinking that I'll save it and post on the weekend, but that never happens.  I'll try my best to catch y'all up on everything.


October:
David was the House Officer during October.  He worked from 6:30 pm to about 7:30 am every night.  To say it was awful would be an understatement.  We didn't handle that month well and I think he's still recovering.


The only race event I participated in during October was the 5k to Monet in Edmond.  It was a pretty decent run.  My first mile I clocked at 9:20 which is pretty good for me.


November:
I took my honor chorus on a field trip to the HS on Nov. 9.  We rehearsed with the other schools on our side of the district for our area festival.  The festival was on Thursday, Nov. 10 and was a hit.  Seriously amazing!  I teach the best students.  They really are amazing!
The next day was Veteran's Day and we had our big Veteran's Day assembly at school.  Everything for that went smoothly.  All of my 4th and 5th graders performed and they did a great job.  We had a repeat performance of the musical selections from the Veteran's Day assembly on Thursday, Nov. 17.  It was nice performance and I think our Vet's felt appreciated.


On Nov. 19, I headed to Tulsa with my friends, Lisa and Barbara.  We took a road trip together to run a half marathon.  When we arrived to Tulsa, we headed straight to the expo.  It was a pretty good expo and I made some incredible purchases.  We eventually finished our shopping and then went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  All the OKC Landrunners met up for dinner at Olive Garden in Utica Square.  That was a lot of fun!  After dinner, we returned to the hotel and went to bed.
The next morning we woke up early for our half marathon.  It was cold, windy, and it was drizzling.  These are NOT the conditions I like to have when running.  We survived though and all finished.  It was such a fun experience and I can't wait to do it again next year.


November was pretty cool for me this year at school.  Somebody nominated me for Teacher of the Year.  I made it past several rounds of voting and was in the top and final 3.  Can you believe it?  Now, Teacher of the Year is a pretty big deal and comes with a lot of responsibility that I don't really want, but what an honor to make it that far after having only completed ONE full year of elementary school.  That was such a positive validation for me.  I feel like I AM doing what I should be doing and I AM doing a great job at it. The other candidate and new Teacher of the Year have taught more than half my lifetime.  I am honored to have my name even placed by theirs.  Congrats to our newest Teacher of the Year!  She will do a wonderful job representing LP.  


I participated in the Edmond Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving.  Some of my fellow Landrunners were there so we joined together and had a wonderful time.  Love them to pieces!


David lucked out this year and was off for Thanksgiving.  We went to his parents house and had a nice meal.  I took rolls, 2 sweet potato pies, a pecan pie, banana bread, and banana pudding.  It was all a hit, as usual. = )




December:
December has just begun and so far it's going great.  I hosted the Christmas Party for my Side By Side Bible Study.  It was wonderful!  I served a dinner of vegetable soup and rolls.  For dessert, I had a hot chocolate bar with tons of goodies.  After we ate, we had a gift exchange to the story of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas"Everybody had a great time.
I took a personal day on Friday, Dec. 2 so I could have a weekend trip in Dallas.  I bet you'll never guess why I went there.  Hehee....  Yep, to RUN!
My friends, Lisa and Ann, picked me up on Friday morning and we headed to the big D.... and I do mean DALLAS.  We stopped for lunch at an Applebee's in Denton for our first round of "laughing so hard that you almost pee your pants" moments and lots of silly photos.  After lunch, we continued on our journey.  We drove straight to the expo where we ended up spending almost 5 HOURS.  I loved every moment of it!!!  I bought so much running stuff that it's almost ridiculous.  How is it possible that I can love a sport this much?  Really?  My, how I've changed.
After the expo we went and checked into our hotel.... the OMNI.  It was magnificent!  Seriously, it was!  Shortly after we arrived to our room, Ann's friend, Jen, arrived.  She is AWESOME!  Jen mentioned that we may actually be twins separated at birth.  Hahahaaaaa.....  Anyway, we were all starving so we walked over to a local cowboy bar and had dinner.  It was crazy fun!  And yes, there were many more of the "laughing so hard that you almost pee your pants" moments and silly photos.  They're on Facebook.  lol!
After dinner I retired for the evening and went to bed (11 pm) because I had only received about 8 hours of sleep TOTAL for the past 2 nights combined.  I was so sleep deprived.  They all stayed down at the hotel bar until midnight.
We all woke up at about 10 am and got ready for the day.  Our mission for the day was to SHOP.  We drove to Northpark Center and had brunch at Corner Bakery before splitting up to shop for several hours.  This mall had everything.  It was the best mall ever.  Really, it was.  There were so many Christmas performances going on in each area of the mall that you could't be a grinch even if you wanted too.  It was glorious!  We all shopped, and shopped, and shopped.
The Landrunners had reservations at Maggiano's so that's where we met everyone with shopping bags in hand.  Maggiano's was delicious as usual.  I sure miss that place.
Lisa and I split up from the other girls because we had a couple of different places we wanted to go after dinner.  We went to Nordstrom Rack and they went to another sporting goods store in search of Smart Wool socks.  I scored some great things at the Rack and can't wait to return to shop there some more in a few months.
After our shopping adventures we went back to the hotel and got all of our race stuff out and ready for the next morning.  We went to bed later than we should have, but we managed to get some sleep.  The alarm went off at 4:45 am on Sunday, Dec. 4.


You'll have to stay tuned for the half marathon story..... it's currently my bed time.   = )    More to come soon!