Wow. It is hard to find words that describe such a compelling experience.

Two nights before the mini I met with all my fitness buddies at a local restaurant and our trainers bought our dinner.  Super sweet of them.  We all shared laughs and our anxiety ridden stories about Saturday morning.  To end the dinner the trainers gave us a card.  I opened it and instantly knew I was going to shed some tears.  It was a card and paper filled with notes of encouragement from all of our fitness pals at BSeas.  A few girls I have named “the mean girls” (they aren’t really mean, they just like to pick on me and me to them) wrote something like “Don’t fall on your face.” I went from tears of joy to laughter.  I love my fitness buddies at BSeas and wouldn’t be the person I am today without all of them.  We are some of the craziest, most hilarious, and certainly encouraging people you will ever meet.

Love notes from my fitness pals.

The night before I met with my aunt, two cousins, and brother’s girlfriend to go downtown and get our packets and grab a bite to eat.  I am SO glad I did not have to drive downtown on a Friday night.  Or ever, for that matter.  I’m a country girl through and through and I hate traffic and lots of people.  Both of which downtown has plenty of.  The Mini Marathon Expo was really cool.  Lots of booths full of expensive items that were begging me to buy them.  I decided on a few head wraps to keep my hair out of my eyes.  One really cute one that says, “Walks for Wine.”  Quite fitting considering I do wog because I love me a good cocktail and other things including cupcakes and pizza. 

Mini first timers!

We ate dinner at a restaurant new to me, Palomino, and it was DELICIOUS.  My aunt who has done the mini before has been super encouraging and helpful in the entire experience.  She even treated us to chauffer rides downtown since we were all too chicken to drive and other wonderful treats.  I’m lucky to have some amazing aunts in my life who have stepped in for my momma.  Very lucky.  After the expo and dinner it was home to get to bed.  I was super panicked about falling asleep. Luckily melatonin is always my friend and I was out by 11.

4 a.m. came super duper early.  Too early.  But, as soon as that blessed alarm went off I wasn’t even tempted to hit snooze.  I was wide awake and ready to rock and roll.  I cooked eggs and toast. M got up with me and gave me a sweet goodbye hug and kiss. Shiloh was less than pleased that we were up that early. 

Shiloh pissed off she was up so darn early.

I left earlier than I needed because I thought for sure something was going to get in my way and prevent me from being where I needed to be when I needed to be there. 

I arrived at our meeting point of course before we had to meet and the adrenaline (and water) had already kicked in.  I dropped into the local gas station and used the restroom.  The chic working asked if I was going downtown for the  mini.  The smart ass in me wanted to say, “No, I just wear running gear before 6 a.m. every day.”  Instead I said “Yes!” as excitedly as possible. 

I was meeting the same crew from last night my aunt was driving us downtown again.  She got out of the car whooping and hollering.  Another reason I love her.  She was pumped and trying to get all of us first timers pumped too.  It worked.  We chattered the whole way there.  I was excited to try the “magic beans” she had bought for each of us. 

Arriving downtown was smooth sailing.  I think we beat most of the traffic.  Downtown looked beautiful early in the morning.



Beautiful Indy skyline pre 7 a.m.

Music was blaring and news crews were everywhere.  It suddenly hit me.  This was big shit!  Like people even watched this on the TV?!?!?  We walked by the start line so I got a feel for what I’d soon be running under.  Pretty cool stuff…

Start line!

Then I met up with my BSeas fitness pals.  It was time to get stretchin and get any last few words of encouragement from my trainers.  Have I told you that I have the most amazing trainers?  They are nothing but positive words of encouragement.  I’m very lucky to have one of them not only as my trainer but also a personal close friend.  She always makes me giggle.  Even when all I want to do is whine she listens and then tells me to suck it up and get over it.  God I love her. 

7:00 was quickly approaching.  I was nervous to get to Corral W before then so we didn’t get in trouble or told we couldn’t line up.  Corral W is obviously way in the back and this year was around a corner so the start line and first several corrals weren’t even in our sight.  Kind of a bummer.  When we first lined up there was hardly anyone in the corral but it quickly filled up.  We even had the pleasure of getting behind what seemed like the world’s tallest man.  He continued to bend over and stretch and we giggled and felt extremely awkward.  His bum was seriously right in my face.  I think he even passed some gas.  Either that or that’s just the stench of downtown. 

All corraled up in W.

7:30 rolled around and apparently the race started but it wasn’t until about 7:40 that things really started moving.  I think we crossed the start line about 7:50 or so.  That took forever!

I told myself I would jog the first mile, then walk a half mile, jog a half mile.  This is why I call myself a WOGGER.  After the first mile I was ready to walk but I was trying to keep up with my long legged cousin.  I realized about mile 1.5 that it just wasn’t going to be possible.  Her one stride was about two of mine.  So, I waved her on and realized I might just have to do this thing alone. 

Things I saw along the way:
belly dancers
amazing kid bands
old man bands
cloggers
bag pipers
accordion players
firemen in full gear and SWAT team as well
a blind man being led
one shirt that read “If you pass me you’re passing two of us” (prego)
another shirt that read “Baby’s First and Mommy’s Twelfth” (amazing)
a lady shouting with a megaphone words of encouragement (twice)
a couple carrying their child, Hope, the whole time
a couple who held hands the whole time
a blind man with what appeared to be his younger friend, or maybe son
people passing out

After mile 2 I had to use the restroom again.  This sucked because every single portapotty line I saw was extremely long.  Apparently I wasn’t the only one that had to go.  I stood in line for about 8 minutes.  Of course I got in the wrong line.  This crap happens to me everywhere I go, especially the grocery.  Next year I think I’d rather find a wooded area than stand in that line again. 

My feet started hurting (blistering) at like mile 5.  I was still doing the walk/jog method.  Panic set in.  I had the same damn socks and shoes on that I had trained in for 130 miles prior to this race.  Are you kidding me?  I figured the intense heat and humidity had something to do with it.  I felt like cutting my feet off already.  I knew it wasn’t good. I realized if I had to just walk I should.  It was better than not finishing at all. 

The track was bad.  No air and full on sun beating down on you.  I passed the fireman and SWAT team in the track and promised myself that they were NOT going to pass me again. 
I could do without ever walking that blessed track again.  It was cool to walk across the yard of bricks but dang, very hot.  Right after that I noticed they changed the flag from green to yellow.  This meant a caution to the runners and the heat was obviously an issue. 

Mile 9-12 were probably worse than the track.  My feet were hurting.  It actually felt better to jog or race walk than it did to just slow down my pace.  I probably looked like an idiot but I had to find some sort of stride that would get me to mile 13.1.  People started dropping like flies.  I was by myself at this point.  My cousin was way ahead and my bro’s girl was somewhere behind me.  I was aiming to be under 3 hours but the heat just took that away from me.  I couldn’t jog nearly as much as I wanted to.  My goal at this point was just to not pass out.  I had a hard time breathing and dizziness was becoming kind of an issue.  Every water stop I was smart enough to grab a cup.  I poured half on me and drank the other half.  Every spray zone that I saw I covered my iPhone and ran through it.  The cold water felt so amazing. 

Mile 12.5 I could see the finish.  This is when I was really struggling to breathe.  I honestly think it’s because I was trying not to cry.  They would have been tears of pride and also tears of pain, but I held it in somehow.  I saw a coworker and she cheered me on to mile 13.  In that last stretch I saw my guy, my brother, and my cousin screaming my name and I was all smiles at this point.  I didn’t know if I would be able to stand once I crossed that line but buddy I was happy to see some familiar faces.

Major cheesin it before the finish.

The finish line was overwhelming.  A medal was handed to me.  Someone over a loud speaker kept telling me to stay to the right and proceed to Victory Park.  Seriously?!!?  I want to freaking lie down and you are telling me to keep moving?  Come on people!

But, I did as told and headed to Victory Park where the guy and family met up with me.  Also found my fitness buddies and got some good photos…

Me and my sweetie.

We finished!

My medal and flowers from my trainer!

Official time was 3:22.  I’d like to subtract about 8 minutes for the bathroom.  My phone (Nike GPS+) said it was 3:09.  I know the GPS isn’t totally accurate.  It’s usually about .1 of a mile off.  I think I need to look into a Garmin or something I count on a bit more.  This running thing is becoming more and more addictive.  My feet hurt bad enough to debate over doing this again.  However, now that it’s been two days later I can honestly say I would love to do it again.  I’d love for my other aunts to join me.  I’d also love for my sister to do it with me.  My girlfriends want to sign up.  (We have a goal of 5 5k’s per year.) I hope I can do it with my best friend as well (She was pregnant and sick this year).  Even my guy wants to do it now!  We might have a huge pack of family and friends doing the mini next year.  How cool would that be? 

Oh and I plan to sleep with this medal and never take it off.  If you see me in it, don’t mind me I’m just super stoked that I actually did a mini marathon. 

Next year’s goal: Under 2:45.  This could possibly change if I have some family or friends who want to walk it.  I’d love to find a group to finish with rather than alone if possible. 

One more time I’d like to remind you that this is absolutely something that everyone should experience.  I probably didn’t do it any justice trying to put it all into words.  …..and sorry for so many words.  I had so much to say!

I’m kind of an anxious person in general.

This week I feel like its reached it’s maximum level inside me. 1) end of the year at work 2) the mini marathon on Saturday has me freaked.

The end of the year stuff is pretty typical. Some things are making it worse but I can’t go into too much detail there.

As for the mini. Well I received an email today with WEATHER ALERT as the subject line and it threw me into panic mode. I have worked pretty hard for this since like February or maybe even before that. But through this whole training process I’ve only ran on one day of extreme heat and humidity. We really haven’t had all that many days of extreme heat this spring. So am I really ready for it now that they’re calling for “high risk” conditions? My body does NOT do well in heat. I’m fair skinned and chunky so I burn easily and then my fat causes serious sweat and overheating. It’s not pretty. And then I get real cranky. Like major bitch mode.

Everyone tells me I’ll be fine. Deep down I’m fairly certain I will but every little reminder of the mini throws me over the edge. I just want Saturday to be here. I’m ready to do it and do it well!

And then I’m ready to have an extremely cold beer right after. Maybe more than one.

P.S. to my fitness pals – WOGGERS FOR LIFE! 🙂

I continue to be proud of my family.

This past week I shared some moments with my younger cousin who is soon to be off to another part of the state for a big girl job. I’m proud of her. She’s brilliant and beautiful and I can’t wait for her to have a chance to change lives in her future profession. Those who are lucky to meet her will for sure be forever changed by her compassion and kind heart.

Her little sister amazed us all yet again. First with her grace and beauty for the high school prom and then only to find out later on in the evening she was crowned homecoming queen. What a thrill?! Two royalty titles in one year?! No one I know deserves this more than her.

There really are no words to describe how amazing it feels to be part of such an extraordinary family.

Spring is so busy. Sometimes I wonder how I will ever make it when we have kids. We just have the two of us and a dog and currently some ewes and a ram out back and seems like zero time for each other.

This week was nuts. I fully expect it to be this nuts and stressful and irritating until summer is actually here. That’s pretty norm for the last few weeks at school.

One happy thought was hearing from my Dad on his newest granddaughter. There’s a sweet little picture of Baby J below. I haven’t met her yet but I hear she’s sweet and chunky and beautiful. Sounds like a perfect baby to me!

Another happy moment was enjoying some quality time with my aunt and cousin while watching the nephew play ball. And then taking a day off to spend even more time with the cousin while we visited my favorite niece at school for lunch.

One irritation from this week is that I hate making a nice home cooked meal and then eating it alone so I lost all ambition to cook. My guy was sitting in the tractor planting beans every night and I was either in meetings or overloaded with papers to grade.

Next week is even more busy so I took today off to mentally prepare myself for May. Jealous? That’s the beauty of “personal days”.

The laptop crapped out so you’ll be sad to hear my amazing blog entries with beautiful photos are on hold for a bit. For now you’ll get what I can provide via iPhone.

Here’s some photos from my week. Sweet baby J is below
My favorite blonde nephew playing ball.
Richard the Ram is also featured. You’ll be glad to hear he is no longer alone out back. Two very poor ewes has the pleasure of “meeting” him the other day. That’s as PG as I can get.

Looking forward to the weekend even if does look rainy in the forecast. That can only mean time with my guy!

My guy just called and said to head outside and look east. So, I did of course.

I opened the back porch door to an amazingly huge beautiful rainbow.

I love that he calls me even when he’s away so we can share something so beautiful together. But for now I shall listen to him go back and forth behind the house.

I’m not going to lie. A huge part of me wants it to start pouring down rain so he can just come in.

Until then I’ll smile knowing he thought to call me so we could see mother natures beauty together.

BUT, I shaved 28 minutes off my 10 mile time.  I couldn’t believe myself yesterday.  I told myself before my 10 miler that I was going to jog half a mile then walk half a mile until I couldn’t stand it anymore.

You see, the last time I did 10 miles I walked the entire thing.  Still an accomplishment, but I wanted something more.  

Really I thought this whole idea would last about 4 miles, but something pushed me to go above that into 8 miles.  Once I got to 8 my knees were hurting pretty bad.  I didn’t want to screw anything up, but I also wanted to just get it over with at that point.  It was almost like I couldn’t feel my legs anymore.  I could feel the blister growing on my toe though.  That sucked.

So, I came to my last loop into the park.  I started setting goals.  I was going to start jogging at the next post and go until the post down the road.  It really made things go faster and probably in those last 2 miles I ended up jogging at least three quarters of it, if not more.

I truly amazed myself.  I have to give some props to God, as always, because there were a few songs playing on my iPhone that made me think of my mom.  I know for sure she was there with me.  I asked God to just help me get through this and make her proud.  I knew if I could shave some time off my previous 10 mile time that she would be proud. 

Just as I was finishing and about ready to hear “You’ve reached 10 miles” the Sun came out.  It had been hiding those last few miles and got really chilly.  I’ll take that as a sign from my mom.  She always knew how to brighten up a place.  I’m pretty sure if she were here today she would be joining my in my journey of becoming a runner/walker.  She always loved to stay active.

Oh, and I’ve decided to change the name of it to wogging.  It’s more of a walk/jogging process for me. 

I finished my 10 miles in 2:16.  Last time it was 2:44.  I’ll take it.  

So, I’m not a runner…..yet.  But it’s all getting very addicting. For now I’ll be a wogger. 

Here’s my favorite Brooks running shoes….everyone needs to hit up The Blue Mile and get your fit on.  Totally worth it. 

Well, I did it.  I even did it way better than I ever imagined possible.  I never thought I would run a 5K.

And, I didn’t totally run this one.  I jogged and walked, but more jogging than walking.  I’m truly happy with just that.

I was nervous all day on Thursday leading up to the FDIC 5K.  I tried to eat lightly and drink plenty of water. 

I was fortunate enough to ride with friends downtown.  I love downtown, but I don’t like driving there.  Ever.  I’m a country girl through and through and the “big city”, as my niece calls it, scares me.  Too many one way streets and too many cars on the road to get there. 

After we arrived we stood in line to get our timers and bib numbers.  This was all so foreign to me.  I didn’t even have a clue how to put on the timer, but I figured it out.  The bib number reminded me of showing hogs at the 4-H fair.  Similar, but instead of having someone pin it on your back you got to pin it yourself on your front. 

I stretched with my Blue Seas fitness pals and really started to get nervous.  Ashley, my dear friend and also trainer, told me she was going to stay with me.  Problem is, I really didn’t want to slow her down.  She’s a true friend though and just smiled and said, “We’ll be fine!”

The race started and we were towards the back.  We started passing people even at our slow jog and I got a little cocky.  I thought, “I got this.  No big deal.”  I think it was all the adrenaline that pushed me in the beginning.  Finally we turned a corner and the sun wasn’t blaring in our face anymore, but instead on our back.  I could handle that much better.

I was having difficulty breathing and getting pains, as I always do in the first mile, and decided to stop.  Ash asked me where we were at so I checked my arm band and told her .77.  She went in “trainer mode” on me and said, “Come on!  We can make it to a mile!”  I tried to kindly remind her that I am NOT a runner, but a walker.  But, I did make it to 1 mile and then we decided (she decided and told me) that we would walk a half mile and then jog another half.  I thought that sounded like a good plan.

During this part of the race a firefighter in full gear, helmet and all, passed us.  I was shocked, amazed, and in awe of him.  It made me want to run harder but instead we waited until our half mile was up to get going again. 

All in all we jogged a little over 2 miles and walked about a mile.  I was pretty pleased with that.  My goal was to be under 40 minutes and we finished at 39:49.  More than anything I wanted my knees, hips, and back to cooperate and not over do it before the mini in 2 weeks.  Nothing hurt after the run and that really left me a happy girl. 

I’ve already decided my next 5K goal is going to be under 35 minutes.  Maybe that’s pushing it too far, but it’s worth a shot.

Next up for mini training is 10 miles on Sunday!  I hope the weather holds up and shines down.  We’ve been very lucky this spring so far.

I found this pin on Pinterest that listed 21 Suggestions for Success.  As I read through them I realized that so many are ones I will have to work on….either now or further on down the road. 

1. Marry the right person.  This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness…or misery. 
I think I’ve got this one taken care of.  I mean, there’s no ring, but I plan to spend the rest of my life with My Guy if he will have me.  I would totally appreciate it if people would STOP asking me when we are getting married.  I mean, seriously, don’t you think if I knew I would let you know?!?!  I guess we are at that age and point in our lives which we are expected to walk down the aisle and then reproduce.  Sucks getting old.

2. Work at something you enjoy and that’s worthy of your time and talent.
I definitely enjoy the little ones at my job.  There is something about the paperwork and other peeps that can make me stressed, but the real reason I went into that gig was for the little cherubs.  It’s absolutely worth my time and talent because I’m shaping our future.  Does that make you nervous knowing I have that much control?  Muahaha. (evil laugh)

3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. 
I try to do the above, but I could definitely use some work in this department.  Sometimes I can be a bit selfish.  And, sometimes, when I do give I don’t always do it cheerfully.  Definitey one to work on.

4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
You don’t haev to tell me.  I know.  I need major work in this department. 

5. Be forgiving of yourself and others. 
I’m my own worst critic.  I have major issues letting things go.  I tend to say too much.  All.  The.  Time.  I have forgiven many people in my life that have hurt me, but not always in the blink of an eye.  Sometimes it takes me a while.

6. Be generous.
I’d like to think I’ve got an A in this subject.  But as with anything, there’s always room for improvement.

7. Have a grateful heart.
Now more than ever I have realized how I am so FORTUNATE in so many areas of my life.  I think Mike probably changed that in me. 

8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
I wouldn’t say that I give up easily, but I definitely lack patience.  BIG TIME.  Just ask Mike.  He can tell you all about that little problem I have. 

9. Discipline yourself to save money, on even the most smallest of salaries.
I would like to think I have a nice amount set back for emergencies, but I don’t necessarily save.  I know I need to.  If I could just tackle some debt I have then I would be good to go on the savings part.  If I could make a difference in anyones lives it’s probably giving seminars at colleges about NOT getting credit cards.  Big.  Mistake. 

10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
All day long at my job I try and remember that being there might be the best part of their day because who knows what it’s like when they get home.  In that aspect I try and treat them just the way they want to be treated.  It’s not always easy, of course.  When I see homeless people I give them change.  When I see an elderly person struggling I make sure I hold the door for them or offer to help in any way I can.  My momma instilled in me that it’s very simple to make someone’s day and she also taught me how great it feels when you do just that. 

11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
I feel like my life is non-stop at times and I’m hoping that’s because I want to improve.  Once a week (preferably Sunday’s) we like to lay around and be lazy and rest.  That’s about the only time I would consider myself not improving.  That and the times I like to have a glass of wine 🙂  Even then, I’m helping my heart.  Right?

12. Commit yourself to quality.
Working on it. 

13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power, prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect. 
Absolutely.  I was taught this at a very young age.  I love how my friend Heidi said in a recent blog post to her munchkin at According to HM that being rich has nothing to do with possessions but instead on love and relationships.  So very true. 

14. Be loyal.
Yup. 

15. Be honest.
Oh yes. 

16.  Be a self-starter.
Absolutely.  In fact I annoy people with this because I want to start everything.  It’s that whole lack of patience thing. 

17. Be decisive even if it means sometimes you’ll be wrong.
Oh lordy I am TERRIBLE at this.  Just ask Mike again.  Whenever he asks where I want to go eat I ask him for three choices.  Even then I can’t decide.  Major decisions….haven’t been too many in my life but when they come along I’m probably in big trouble. 

18. Stop blaming others.  Take responsibility for every area of your life.
This is way easier said than done but H. Jackson Brown, Jr. is probably right!

19. Be bold and courageous.  When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.
I’ve always been pretty bold.  That’s not to say that I don’t have some regrets.  Sometimes being bold can lead to mistakes being made.  Hopefully I can always have the courage to get through it. 

20. Take good care of those you love. 
Amen.  This brings the most joy to my heart.  I love showing those I love how much I love them.  I hope they all know it. 

21. Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your mom proud.
Every day.  All day.  Whenever someone tells me “Your mom would be proud of you” I secretly go home and cry.  It’s one of the best things I could ever hear.  I miss her telling me that every day.

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.