Route 66 10K

What a morning!!   Today was the day we did our much anticipated 10K race. This race has been our motivation for some serious workouts the past 6 weeks. We were up bright and early. I was much calmer, less anxious this morning than I was last night. We had laid everything out so all we had to do is get up, get dressed and grab our stuff on the way out the door. We had debated taking our headphones, but decided against it. Maybe if we had earbuds. Honestly, I don't think I would do it in the future either..it was nice to just be in the moment, say hi to people, hear the birds, etc.

We arrived at the start almost an hour early. I am terrible about wanting to be places early - I tend to be too early. I want to see the lay of the land and not be rushed. Nothing is worse than stressing the whole way somewhere.

Finally it was time to race!  We all got in the corral. I planned to walk and we weren't sure what my husband's running time would be. He hoped to run about 5 of the 6 miles at around an 11:30 minute pace. We knew to stay in the back because we were slower. We might have done some internet research on race ettiquette :)

The people watching was great. I loved seeing everyone's running gear and gadgets. At this point, I was looking all around me to spot other walkers. Not sure what walkers look like, but I was looking. 

Off we go and it wasn't a block or two before this was my view:

I  could tell there were people behind me, but I didn't want to be looking over my shoulder. I wanted to hit my stride and walk my walk. I did make a point of saying "hi" to the volunteers - made it more fun for me too since I didn't have a racing buddy.

I had a Garmin watch malfunction..I believe they call it "user error." Turns out I didn't get it started at the beginning of the race. I was trying not to check my watch every 5 seconds so I didn't notice until about a 1/2 mile into the race. I started it as soon as I noticed. When it finally registered a mile I was happy to see I was just under a 15 minute/mile pace. I wondered how long I would be able to keep that up.

There were a few places along the way that people had set up cheering stations. Unfortunately, this was not the finish line...it was only about 1.5 miles in :)  The cheering was quite enthusiastic.

Some signs I particularly liked along the way...

Made me chuckle.

Who doesn't love a gingerbread man??

By the time I saw this I figured my husband was finished and couldn't wait to see how he did.

After about 2.5 miles through residential areas we turned onto the bike trail system. Our county has a really great bike trail system. The shade felt so good. We have been "training" early in the morning.  I was nervous that a later start would make it too hot. That ol' sun can really wipe me out.

Love these trails!!

I felt good most of the race. There was a tough hill right before the 3 mile marker. Miles 3 & 4 were a long bike trail straightaway. For me mile 5 was the toughest.  I think it was because it was in the sun.  Also, there was a bit of a psychological issue. At that point we turned away from the direction of the finish line. We would then turn back for the final mile. When we made the turn away I thought I could hear cheering at the finish line. Knowing I had another mile and a half was a little disconcerting. Turns out it was just another cheering section about a 1/4 mile away.  Finally, the end was in sight as well as my husband. I could not wait to hear his time. 

I look a bit more wiped out here than I really felt.

And here are your happy, happy 10K finishers!!!

Our times....

Husband 1:05:19 (10:32 min./mile average) - He ran the whole way!!!  I am so super proud of him :)  He never thought he would run the whole race. He would have been thrilled to have run a total of 5 miles with walking breaks.

Me - 1:33:12 (15:02 min./ mile average) - I walked the whole way.  If only I had not slowed to take so many pictures I would have been well under 15 min./mile average.  Okay, if you know me, you know not taking pictures is NOT an option. Several people asked me if I walked the whole way and seemed impressed with the time I made not having run at all. I didn't see anyone in front of me that didn't run at some point.

Placing - Husband 320/448 - Me 448/458 - Woohoo!!  I beat 10 people!! 

We were both very pleased with out times and are both looking forward to our next adventure.

There was food after the race. I just had water and a few grapes. They had lots of cookies, but if I decided were going to have a cookie it wasn't going to be from a box. We walked through the farmer's market a couple blocks away where I found a freshly baked (and kinda gigantic chocolate chip cookie). I thought of Katie from Runs for Cookies when I bought it and enjoyed every crumb. My husband  treated himself to the most delicious strawberry/lemonade (sugar free).  

Home for showers and then off to our celebratory lunch. There is a small airport near our house. We recently discovered a restaurant there that we really enjoy. Today we sat on the patio for the first time and watched the plans take off and land. The weather could not have been more perfect...sunny, breezy...gorgeous!

They were have a Kids Ride Free event - various pilots volunteer to take the kids on short plane rides. So cool! Wish I were a kid. Maybe when we hit our goal weights I will hire a pilot to take us for a ride.  Maybe in that sweet little blue and yellow biplane in the middle of the picture.

All in all we have a fantastic day.  I end this crazy long post with a big smile.  I love these guys - the husband and the inflatable bendy guy :)  Both make me smile.

Biking on the Prairie

Okay, I am not kicking myself about this like I did last week.  But this morning I did not get up to go walking. I just wanted to stay in bed a little longer.  Last week I think it ruined my day because we had only been counting calories for a couple days and I was questioning my will to do this thing.  Today I just realized I needed a little rest.

I don't want to feel like I have to workout everyday.  While in the losing phase of this journey I think I will push myself harder.  Then when I get to a maintenance phase I would like to follow the 3-5 times a week activity recommendations.  Hopefully, by then, the activity will just be fun things we have discovered that we like to do.

Unloading the bikes.  I love our bike rack...so easy to use.

Speaking of fun!  We had a great time tonight.  Since I didn't go walking this morning I wanted to do something active this evening.  We settled on riding our bikes and then debated on where to ride them...neighborhood, levee, bike trail.

Then while I was on the phone with my mother-in-law she mentioned that she was going to one of our local parks to mulch a flower bed that had been recently planted.  We offered to meet her there to help her.  We planned to get there a half an hour before her so we could ride our bikes for awhile first.  When we arrived as planned, she was already there so we mulched.  My job was to fill the buckets with mulch for the two of them to spread around the plants. It felt good to work my upper body a little.  And it felt very good to be helpful.  Many hands make light work. She was very appreciative :)

Next to the park is a prairie restoration project.  Volunteers have planted native prairie plants over several acres.  It is a beautiful place to visit.  I like to go several times throughout the season to see all the changes in the prairie.  I have spent hours there photographing the flowers and foliage. At this time the prairie plants are about a foot tall, but by summer's end many of the plants will be 4-6 feet tall. There are mowed trails  through the prairie for people to walk through and enjoy the scenery.  They hold tours and even offer golf cart rides through it for disabled people.  Such a neat project!

Off I go! No, that is not my underwear...there is a white stripe at the top of the pants.

Okay, back to the bikes.  After mulching we decided to try riding our bikes through the prairie trails.  It was so much fun. There were small hills and lots of curves.  One tight curve almost took me down!  I squealed but managed to stay upright.  My husband was like a kid...huge grin!  He is loving his new bike. I can't wait to go back.  I couldn't take my camera out on the trail because I didn't have a pocket. I guarantee I will take pockets and my phone next time. We took these pictures near the entrance with the cell phone and then left it in the car.   

We both had a great time! It was definitely a physical challenge, but we had too much fun to notice. I know we will be back soon.