This will only make sense to the BLC18 Panthers. :)

Thursday, March 08, 2012

ROAR! Hey there Panthers!

I thought I'd make finding this picture easy for you. :)



Be sure to scour the rest of my page (including former blogs) to find the other 4 Vegas pictures.

Happy Searching!

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Myrtle Beach Half Marathon

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Yay! HM #2 is officially in the books. The MB half was Saturday, February 18. What a great experience!

The forecast originally called for rain, but thankfully that held off until late Saturday night. The race started at 6:30 AM so we were just fine. This is the first time I've ever traveled for a race and trying to pack for a wide range of possible race conditions was a little tricky. Fortunately, Myrtle Beach is close enough that we can drive there so over packing wasn't really a big deal.

This was also the first time I got to do a race with a friend. Oh gosh, that was terrific. Even though my friend was a walker and I was a runner it was still fantastic to have someone there. In that pre-race time, I usually find myself completely intimidated by the "real" runners...you know, the ones who are casually able to talk about doing the ultras like it's no big deal. But with my friend, well, she's got this awesome sense of humor and we just laughed the whole time. Great way to start!


I didn't have a big time goal for this race. I've been very busy teaching classes at my gym and while those are great for keeping me fit, they're not the best for making a certain time. However, in the back of my head, I wanted to beat 2:36 (avg of about 5 mph). I finished in 2:35:18 (lol!). There was a woman who traded the "lead" with me throughout the second half of the race as she was doing a run/walk combo, and every time I'd pass her, I'd hear her mutter the b word under her breath. I'll tell you what, I have HER to thank for helping me achieve my goal because I was bound and determined that I WOULD finish before she did. I truly felt like I was sprinting there at the end. Realistically, when I looked at my garmin, my speed was 6.45 mph, but you get the idea. :)

There were some great signs along the way:
At a left turn, someone was holding a sign that had a big arrow pointing RIGHT and the sign said, "The Kenyan went that way."

One sign said, "Worst Parade Ever."
Right next to him was a guy with a sign that said, "Run faster, there's a zombie behind you."

My favorite though, was at mile 6 and then again at mile 11. There was a lady who had a sign that said, "You made it to the start, you can make it to the finish."

I'm glad I proved to myself that HM #1 wasn't a fluke. Lol. Definite plans to run another HM at some point. Right now, I'm thinking *maybe* Disney Princess 2015 (present for my 40th b-day). But for now...bring on the Spin class! I can't wait to try it out!

ETA: Okay, so I'm a sucker for a good deal...signed up for the 2013 MB Half! WHOOT!! WHOOT!!

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Looking Back and Looking Forward

Saturday, January 07, 2012

I am now entering my 4th year of maintenance. Yes, I still have those pesky few vanity pounds that I am fighting with, but I have lost and kept off over 65 pounds since 2008. As an aspiring master of maintenance, it is now more important than ever to keep those NSV's planted firmly in my mind. So, I thought I'd remind myself of my favorite NSV's of 2011 and list my NSV goals for 2012.

2011 NSV's
1. 3 years OFF of my blood pressure meds, controlling it via diet and exercise.

2. Became a certified Group Power instructor and got my own class!

3. Knocked 5 minutes off of my RLAG 8K trail race time vs. 2010's time.

4. FINISHED the X-Terra 10K trail run in JULY (July?? What was I thinking??? Oh yeah, I already answered that in a different blog, he he he)

5. Discovered size 8's fit. Okay, not ALL of them, but the dress for DH's Christmas party did. :)

6. Getting a, "WOW" comment from my husband when I wore the above mentioned dress.

7. Wogging with my 6 y.o. daughter because she wants to be a "runner like mommy."

8. Became a certified Silver Sneakers instructor and got my own class.

9. Feeling comfortable enough with myself to step outside of my comfort zone and audition for a GP instructor position at a brand new gym.

10. Getting the position with the new gym (start this month!).


2012 NSV Goals
1. ALL 8's fit comfortably.

2. Complete second half marathon

3. Finish second HM sub 2:30--original goal was sub 2:20, but I got sick and training got put on hold for 2 weeks. Super secret goal is still to finish sub 2:20, but I'm putting 2:30 for my goal so as not to be completely crushed if sub 2:20 doesn't happen.

4. Arms like this:


5. 4 years off BP meds, controlling it via diet and exercise.

6. Sub 30 minute 5K

7. Get in the habit of at least 3 vegan or vegetarian days/week

8. Run 603.6 miles (201.2 x 3 thanks Molly!)

9. Beat 2011 RLAG 8K trail race time (55:47)

10. Become certified to teach Group Ride

I'll keep you posted as I REACH these goals!

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Panther Den Duties, Week 10

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

GOYB: SMALLERSHEEP Jeni
MTOD: ARQUETTEZ Mary Alice
Inspiration: CASSIEMOMOF4

Thursday:
GOYB: SMALLERSHEEP Jeni
MOTD: FT4EVR Laurie
Inspiration: JAMIECARDER Jamie

Friday:
GOYB: MARTY19 Marty
MOTD: MOM2AK Annette
Inspiration: PAULALALALA Paula


Saturday:
GOYB: WENDYDANCER Bev
MTOD: SMALLERSHEEP Jeni
Inspiration: ARQUETTEZ Mary Alice


Sunday:
GOYB: CASSIEMOMOF4
MTOD: PAULALALALA Paula
Inspiration: FT4EVR Laurie


Monday:
GOYB: JAMIECARDER Jamie
MTOD: MARTY19 Marty
Inspiration: MOM2AK Annette

Tuesday:
GOYB: PAULALALALA Paula
MTOD: WENDYDANCER Bev
Inspiration: SMALLERSHEEP Jeni

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GROAN!

Thursday, November 03, 2011

It's BEACH PARTY LUAU week in the BLC! In honor of this fun theme, I had to share this:

The Girl on the Beach

A couple lived near the ocean and used to walk the beach a lot.

One summer they noticed a girl who was at the beach pretty much every day. She wasn't unusual, nor was the travel bag she carried, except for one thing; she would approach people who were sitting on the beach, glance around furtively, then speak to them.

Generally the people would respond negatively and she would wander off, but occasionally someone would nod and there would be a quick exchange of money and something she carried in her bag.

The couple assumed she was selling drugs, and debated calling the cops, but since they didn't know for sure they just continued to watch her.

After a couple of weeks the wife said, "Honey, have you ever noticed that she only goes up to people with boom boxes and other electronic devices?"

He hadn't and said so.

Then she said, "Tomorrow I want you to get a towel and our big radio and go lie out on the beach. Then we can find out what she's really doing."

Well, the plan went off without a hitch and the wife was almost hopping up and down with anticipation when she saw the girl talk to her husband and then leave.

The man walked up the beach and met his wife at the road.

"Well? Is she selling drugs?" she asked excitedly.

"No, she's not," he said, enjoying this probably more than he should have.

"Well? What is it, then? What does she do?" his wife fairly shrieked.

The man grinned and said, "She's a battery salesperson."

"Batteries?" cried the wife.

"Yes," he replied.

"She sells C cells by the sea shore."

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