First 5k of the Season

Race season starts this weekend!!! (for me anyways lol)

I’m running the Strides for Mental Health 5k tomorrow.  It starts and finishes right downtown … about 10 minutes away from my house.  This was the first race I ever ran!  Not to mention my sister ran it with me… it was a blast!!

I will be running this year’s race alone as my sister is still away at college, but throughout my first year of running I met a few people and now I don't feel so alone anymore when I head to races by myself! :)

Heading into my second year of racing, it has made me look back on my first year… my “firsts”, my PR’s, lessons I’ve learned…

Let’s just say that I have learned A LOT!  Now, I’m not really one to really voice goals… I mean… I kinda sorta have them, but I dont really make them known… something about failing… and not really trying hard enough… BUT…

this year I WILL run a sub 25 5k!! 

I dont really think I’m up to that point yet, but the season is long ;)

BRING IT ON!! ;)

Go Check Out This Super Awesome Girl!!

Seriously… she’s pretty amazing! :)

1) she thinks i’m adorable ;)

2) she’s a runner!

3) she leaves the best comments ever… seriously makes me smile every time i read a comment from her!

4) she has volunteered at a race instead of running it!

5) she used to teach preschool at a deaf school… seriously!  How awesome is that?!  And since you all know that I am going to school for sign language interpreting (or now know), I just HAVE to post a link to the blog she wrote tonight because it’s all about American Sign Language… and a little bit of Deaf culture thrown in ;) 

GO CHECK IT OUT and tell her I said “hi”! :D

EASTER CAKE!!

Ok… so, I’m feeling a bit tired and lazy and still have homework to do so I decided I’m going to bring you “Wordless Wednesday” on Tuesday! ;)  *SIGH*  I’m breaking the rules of bloggy land! haha… Hopefully I don't get arrested ;)

These are pictures of my second cake… all from scratch.  It’s chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream icing.  If you didn’t know I took up decorating cakes in my “free time” you can see my first attempt HERE. I made this one for my family for Easter… enjoy!

You can click on the pictures to enlarge them if you would like

  

60 Days Left!

I DID IT!!!

I totally made up my long run that I may have just not felt like running this past weekend! lol  8.08 miles!

Can I just say that I love you guys?! Seriously… after my last post about how I’m so not ready for the half marathon coming up May 7th, you all reminded me that running is supposed to be fun and that you don’t always have to be racing for time!  So thank you for that and for reminding me that I CAN do this!! :)

I’m not going to lie to you tho, this run was brutal!  I have no clue how I forgot about all those hills!!  Thank goodness the half marathon is relatively flat ;)

I did have to walk a little on some of the hills, but I made sure I never walked up an entire hill and I was always running before I reached the top! I took a strawberry GU Chomp every mile, so I ended up eating an entire package.

Things that happened during/after my run:

~ I saw another runner and his cute collie and after petting the dog and a quick round of witty banter with the older man, I found the strength to run the rest of the hill at mile 2!

~ It was more humid than I prepared for and I ran out of water around mile 4 so I stopped at a nice looking house with kids playing in the front yard and the dad kindly filled up my water bottle after joking that he had just ran out of water and then wished me luck on my journey back

~ Walked a little more than I wanted to

~ Saw beautiful scenery that I wish I would’ve had my camera for… it was just breathtaking!!  I love living in the country! :)

~ End of my run I had the biggest snot dangler!  It started out as a rocket but didn’t quite have take off… didn’t know one person could have so much snot… and runner’s are gross ;)

~ ICE BATH!!! NUFF SAID ;)

I was a tad dehydrated so i was a tad colder than I usually am
and opted to wear a hoodie this time

But then I couldn’t breathe OR drink my protein drink, so I had to untie the hood

And my puppy thinks I’m the strangest person on the planet… what do you think? ;) lol  

 

Here’s the rest of my Garmin stats for my run:

 

2 months exactly from today I will be a married woman!! :D 
Just had to throw that in there ;)

61 Days Left!

Weekly Roundup: April 18 - 24

 

Monday:  Rest
Tuesday:  3.07 miles in 27:58
Wednesday:  5.06 miles in 52:01
Thursday:  Rest
Friday:  Rest
Saturday:  Rest
Sunday:  Pushups/Crunches [15/75]

Total for Week = 8.13 miles; Pushups/Crunches [15/75]
Total for Month = 29.34 miles; Pushups/Crunches [15/75]
Total for Year =  60.36 miles**; Pushups/Crunches [78/475]

**Starting in March since I forgot to keep track, but I didn’t run much in Jan and Feb
*** @=outside run  in=treadmill run

March 31.02 miles

Cap City Half Marathon – May 7th

 
 
Yeah… I’m so not ready… I have tons of excuses… but in the end it’s all my fault because I just didn’t make the time to commit to training properly for this…  When I registered in November I had a goal in my head to run a sub 2 hour half marathon… My last long run was about 3 weeks or so ago… 8 miles… since then, my longest has been 5 miles… I’m in trouble…

Let’s begin with the excuses:

~It’s cold
~I hate running in winter
~I got engaged
~We set a date… what? 6 months to plan a wedding?!
~School
~Work
~Being sick (more than I like to admit)
~Wedding stuff
~Put on wrong medication and made me feel like sleeping 24/7 (Finally got on the 
  right meds last week…

Yeah… all of them are excuses… and I’m taking blame… I’m still going to run it, but it’s going to be more of a “push your way thru, try to finish with a smile” kind of race… I’m not very happy with myself…

Blog Posts From The Week

Wednesday 5 Mile Thoughts
Throwback Thursday:  This One's For Q
Happy Easter!

Registered Races

4/30/11 – Strides for Mental Health 5k
5/1/11 – “I can’t afford the actual race” Virtual Marathon
               (4/17 – 5/1) [8.13 miles done/18.07 miles left]
5/7/11 – Capital City Half Marathon
10/16/11 – Columbus Marathon

Days Left Until I Marry My Best Friend:  62

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you all get to spend some time
with loved ones and relax and enjoy the day! :)

HE IS RISEN!!

Throwback Thursday: This One’s For Q

Ok… so Q money over at Q on the Move posted a Throwback Thursday today, FRO style

It made me remember an incident when I tried to fro my hair and be fly…  This was probably freshman/sophmore year in high school… the pictures are kinda blurry BUT I’ll let you know right now… fro-style doesn’t really work on a white girl lol

  

That’s right… I’m so fly… I have a fro and I’m rappin… that’s legit!  ok… so THIS white girl can’t pull off a fro OR a rap lol… jeesh… I better find something else to bring in the dough…

So, Q, I have had to accept my fro-less state too.. but, I’m not going for the more stream lined look… It may cut minutes off my race times, but they may mistake me for a man ;)

Wednesday 5 Mile Thoughts

First, can I just say, I think I get sick more than anyone else I know! Seriously… I’ve been sick since Saturday!  Runny nose, sore throat, coughing, sneezing… I think I pulled a chest muscle!

Well, I got up extra early today… didn’t help that we were having some severe storms all night… I don’t think I ever fully fell asleep… anyways… I ran 5 miles this morning… on the dreadmill of course because it was pouring and cold outside. 

Here are my thoughts from my run:

     ~ Man, I’m feeling good… I thought my legs would be dead after running a “fast” 3miles
        only 8 hours ago!
     ~ Seriously?!  I’m only 1.3 miles in!!  Ugh! Guess I’ll have to stop and go take care of
        business… gross…
     ~ There is NO way I am ready for my half marathon on May 7th
     ~ I hope I’m ready for my first exam today… I better cut this run short and go study!
     ~ You are NOT cutting this run short!  You have plenty of time afterwards!
     ~ Hmm… I think my blog has become boring… perhaps I’ve lost my blogging mojo or
        whatever…
     ~ I’m not as witty as I was when I first started blogging (mental apology to all my bloggy
        friends)
     ~ You can do this! Only 2.5 more!  So not ready for my half marathon…
     ~ Can’t it just be nice outside? I’m tired of the rain!
     ~ Stop complaining already!  You have nothing to complain about! Have some fun!
     ~ Man… an ice bath sounds so good!
     ~ What?! 800 meters left?  Pick up the pace!!
     ~ Finished!! Yay!! oh no… please don’t puke, please don’t puke….  BDD would probably
        appreciate this thought… now coughing too?!  That’d be weird if I literally hacked up
        a lung!… ew…

There ya have it… I’m a strange one… Don’t pretend like you have no clue what I’m talking about lol… You know i’m weird ;)  After my run I hopped in the ice bath for about 15 minutes and then took a quick shower and ate breakfast and now i’m taking a break from studying… I have my first exam today… My last exam was last June before I graduated with my first degree… hopefully I’m not rusty! ;)

I will leave you with my “this is cold, but feels good, I’m gonna try to be cool like Janae and make weird faces” ice bath picture:

And yes… I drink Chocolate Milk straight out of the jug
after my runs cuz i’m just cool like that ;)

 

66 Days Left!

Good Luck My Friends!!!

It’s so exciting!!  This is my first year as a “runner” so the first year I've been aware of Boston!  I’ve spent the past few months reading all about Boston and I am so pumped and excited for all of you who are running Boston tomorrow!! :)  I’m also super pumped to be following quite a few of you via text message… including Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall ;)  I know you will all be fabulous!  Have fun and run hard!! :)  I’m thinking of you and praying for you!! :)  I can’t wait to read all the race recaps!! :) Love you all ~ Zaneta

Outside PR: Ryder’s Eyewear, Road ID, and GU Review (Vlog)

Ok, So Scott at Outside PR sent me some items to review and I feel like a VERY terrible blogger now because that was a few months ago! :(  I’m sorry Scott!!!  I realized that I am a bad blogger before work this morning but didn’t have time to write a review up before I left, so it was on my mind all day long!!  When I finally got home from work, I was so excited because the sun was out and it was 70 degrees that I got ready to run and then told myself I couldn’t run until I did a review.  Well the fastest way was by video… so i taped this little shindig and went for an awesome 4 mile run! :D

**Just to warn you, I get a little camera shy when its video so excuse all the fillers like “um” and “uh” and “and” lol…  enjoy!

 

 

Ryder’s Eyewear

HERE IS THE LINK

The style I have is the VTX.  Another thing that I forgot to mention is that the lenses are interchangeable!  They are 100% UV protectable and they are cheaper than Oakley and I think they are just as good, if not better quality!  Did I mention that they have never fogged up on me yet?  Well… they’re awesome like that!

 
They make me look good don’t you think? ;)

Road ID

HERE IS THE LINK

Ok, I seriously got one for both my dad and my brother for Christmas… this is definitely a MUST HAVE for anyone who is active outside, no matter what your sport… cycling, motorcycling, walking, running, skiing, swimming, gardening… GET ONE NOW!!  It doesn’t save you if you’re hurt, but it gives you peace of mind that someone will be able to know who you are, who to call, and any special health issues you might have if you can’t tell them yourself!

     

So… I just now realized that I’m gonna have to change my Road ID come June because it says Josh is my “byfrnd” and in June he will be my “hsbnd”  or “hubs” or “hubby”… tehe ;)

 

GU

HERE IS THE LINK

I LOVE me some GU!!  The Brew is yummy, the Chomps are yummy, the Gel is yummy… and I truly believe that it does help me get thru those long runs/races!!  I posted a GU review before on my blog… you can take a look to see some nutrition facts on some of my still favorite flavors :)  They now have Brew Electrolyte Tablets!!  Go buy a whole bunch!!  (and then share with me!)  ;)

So there you have it… 3 AWESOME products that you MUST go check out NOW!!!  :)  And once again Scott, I’m sorry for taking so long to get it up!

 

What do you all think about these companies/products?  Have you tried them out before? What are your thoughts on these products?

Crud!

well, crud….  That’s all I have to say…

75 Days and Counting!!!

There are only 75 days left until I become a Mrs!! I’m so excited!!  The past couple of weeks we have been working on hand addressing 100 envelopes, folding 100 invitations, cutting 100 ribbons, putting stamps on 100 rsvp postcards, stuffing 100 envelopes, tying 100 bows, sealing 100 envelopes, and putting stamps on 100 envelopes… My hands hurt big time after we were done!

  

Saturday afternoon, I dropped them all off at the post office and I’ve had a couple people tell me that they got them today!!!  I’m so excited!!! :)  I really cannot believe how fast time flies by!  I started out with 6 1/2 months to plan and now I only have 2 1/2 left!!

On my way to work a couple days ago, I got a call from the dress place and they told me my bridesmaid dresses are in!!  Everything is coming together!! :) ahhhh!!!!   :)  Ok, I want to share the last of the wedding pictures that were sent to me…  these are from the lovely Carla from I Run, You Run…

If you want to see more about her wedding you can Click Here!  And once again, thank you to everyone who shared your beautiful wedding pictures with me!  I get excited every time I look at other people’s pictures! :)  75 more days til I have my own wedding pictures to look forward to! :)

75 Days Left!

A Blast From The Past: Prom Dresses

Skinny Runner did a post Sunday reminiscing and talking about prom dresses…

I thought it would be fun to take a walk down memory lane as well…

 

My Junior year in high school (2004), the dress was given to me for free… it had been a bridesmaid dress, but the wedding never happened and I wasn’t planning on going to prom so it kinda worked out in my favor ;)  One of my friends said he didn’t want me not going just because I didn’t have a date…. so he went and got a matching tie and picked me up for prom.  I’m just glad his girlfriend at the time was also a friend and didn’t mind that he took me to my prom … (they went to a different school)

            

My senior year (2005) I ended up going to 2 proms because my boyfriend was from a different school and we were both seniors…They were the same night so we went from one to the other… he was my first and only boyfriend throughout my high school days… lasted i think 3 months lol… i was too busy for boys anyways ;)  and no, I'm not wearing heels lol… seriously, he’s just that short ;)

          
                       
              

well… guess blue and green were my favorite colors all those years ago too! lol… The picture above is me and my twin getting ready… well, we were already ready, my mom just wanted the picture lol… this is bringing back some good memories :)  BUT  its making me feel old lol…

All this DRESS talk is making me want to share some of my blog friends wedding pictures with you all!! :)   NOT TO MENTION… I ONLY HAVE 80 DAYS LEFT!! :)

Pam from Life Began at Thirty sent me some gorgeous pictures from her wedding and a picture of her BEAUTIFUL ring!!!  :)  Thanks for sharing your pictures with me and making me even more excited for my big day in June!!

Just lovely!! Thanks again Pam for sharing!!  If any of you have wedding pictures you’d like to share with me and let me post on my blog just email them to me at runners.luck@hotmail.com
I would love to see more of y’all’s (yes, I am a college graduate and yes, that's how a country girl makes “you all” possessive lol) lovely pictures!!  They make me so excited for my own wedding on June 25th!!

80 Days Left!!!