Race Recap: 5-Kilt Run

I braved the cold for my first race of the year!

The 5-Kilt Run was part of the Fort Wayne Get Green festivities, sponsored by our professional firefighters. Obviously, by the name, you were supposed to wear a kilt or at least be festive for St. Patrick's Day.

I'm basically too much of a cheap-ass to buy something I'll only wear for 30 minutes and sweat in, so this was the best get-up I could muster:

The socks are more of a yellow, but they were necessary as none of my running socks were tall enough to reach where my leggings stopped. I'm actually wearing these over my fancy Balega running socks. And I'm holding my gloves in my left hand (in the pic above) because they got too hot about a mile in and my hands were getting clammy (at least I expected this).

Cora helped me stretch before the race

As for the race itself, this is the first time I've had a mental battle going on during one. The first mile was mostly in the shade, and it was COLD. I had a mild stitch-in-the-side and was really not very happy about the race at that point. There was also ice on the course. They warned us about it beforehand, they tried to salt it, but I still had to slow down and even had a slight foot slip on one part (kinda scary!).

We had run into B's cousin before the race, and one of my goals was to beat her. Mind you, I knew nothing about her running--no clue how fast she was, and I didn't even see her the entire time I was on the course, but it helped to just have some type of goal in mind.

I put my pacing song ("We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift) in the mix as song #4, so hopefully it would hit around just before the halfway mark. The course wasn't marked very well, so I have no idea where the mile splits were or how I paced. But darn if that song didn't help me out! The first time I checked my watch was around the 17 minute mark, and knew I was at least halfway there.

My cheering squad. Apparently they were handing out the hats.

I came down the home-stretch, yelled at Cora so she would see me, and did my best to sprint my finish. It was probably more of a stumble, to tell the truth. I was so glad to be done.

But my time? 27:16  PR!! By a minute!

[315th/901 overall, 25th/133 in my age group]

I just looked up my pacing song and it turns out it paces to a 7:24 mile. I had been running 9-10 minute miles on my practice runs, with an occasional 8:40ish. This whole thing has inspired me. B thinks I should just put my pacing song on loop, but I think I'm going to go full-force with actual speed work on the track. I'll be running a race in May and the new goal is under 27 minutes, with a long-term goal of under 25. Although I might just try B's suggestion eventually if I get to a certain point--that would get me down to under 23 minutes, which just seems unfathomable right now.

It turns out that B's cousin finished well after me (by almost 5 minutes), and he even went back with Cora and cheered her on while I did some recovery stretching. (I should probably pick a different target next time, eh?)

After the race, the firefighters turned our mucky brown river into a mucky brown river with some bright green in it.

And Cora met Johnny Appleseed and screamed.

I used to be scared of animatronics at Chuck E Cheese, so she is definitely my kid.

Quote of the day, from B: "You should have seen the guy who finished in first place. He came through like . . . like he was being chased by a dinosaur." (Sounds like a good theme for my next 5K. Fort Wayne Dinosaur Chase. Who's in?)

5 Favorites

1.

Ninja Blender

Specifically, the Ninja Mega Kitchen System 1500 that I had on my Christmas list. I make smoothies all the time now, especially because you can do it in a single-serve cup. The big part of the blender is super awesome and powerful, too. And I can't even vouch for the food processor attachment or dough hook it came with since I haven't even used them, but as far as just a blender goes, it's my favorite! I unloaded my old not-so-great blender on B's brother, who is very hand-me-down-friendly.

2. 

Electric blanket

I burned up some Kohl's cash on its expiration date and got this. I think I've used it every day since (and that was over a month ago)! So warm and toasty. And high-tech. Well, for a blanket anyway.

3.

Aldi

Back when we lived in the apartment on the other side of town, we were right across the street from one of these stores. I love it. I still go to it if I'm near one (there's one near the mall). They have added a lot of organic options, too. But I love the consistently low prices. I can't do all of my grocery shopping there, but I know the basics I can stock up on. Oh, and hormone-free milk and 44¢/lb. bananas? Yessireee, indeed.

If you've never shopped at Aldi before, but want to try, you should probably read this guide (and don't forget your quarter!):

4. 

My kid learning to talk

She's turning 2 this weekend and having that lovely language explosion. Everything she says is simply adorable. Well, until she says it 1000 times. But even then, still kinda cute. And she calls anything she doesn't know the name of a "twackle." Yeah, even after we tell her the correct word. It makes us laugh. The way she says "thank you" is freakin' adorable (something like "dat doo").

5.

A Night On the Town

Gourmet grilled cheese, hard cider on tap, and a community theater production of Driving Miss Daisy. Then we hit up Kroger, where I got 3 free items and walked out without even opening my wallet. I guess you could have called it a girls' night. I went with B's cousin who is back living with her folks here after finishing up grad school in December. All that said, I think I need to get out more!

I didn't take any pics of my Friday night out,
so here is the previous time we went out downtown.
With my parents when they were in town last July.
(We had tried to go to the gourmet grilled cheese and cider restaurant,
but they wouldn't let Cora in. Hot dogs instead!)

Race Recap: Fort4Fitness 4-Miler

This is the race I've basically been training all summer for. And it finally happened. And it was just as awesome I was hoping!

The race was back on September 28, but right after it happened we drove up to South Bend for the Notre Dame football game, then a few days later we headed off on a multi-state adventure. We're busy people!

I was looking forward to this race because I'd heard a lot a talk about it around town. There were actually FIVE different races as part of the event, but I chose the 4-mile race because I'm not quite ready for (or even sure I want to attempt) a 10K. There was also a half-marathon, but that's not even on my radar--I only get 2 hours of child-watch per day at the Y, so it's not even feasible.

A picture of the finish line I took the day before at packet pick-up

When I signed up for the race, I was asked my pace since they did corral starts. I put down a 9:30 pace, and noticed that my bib told me to go to Corral C. I figured the corrals were just big or something, because that pace isn't very fast. I got the corrals, and saw N and O at the back of the line. Seriously, I was right up front! Corral A was wheelchairs, so I was actually in the second corral! (I guess it technically was a Run/Walk, and I suppose there were a lot of walkers?) They did a little opening ceremony with a gal singing the national anthem, some minister did a prayer, and we had a countdown a canon-fire start. Then we were off!

Running through downtown Fort Wayne--fall colors starting to emerge!

The race had a pretty cool route. We raced a bit through downtown Fort Wayne, then through some old neighborhoods, then finished at our minor league baseball stadium. We ran the outfield, then down the first-base line and finished on home plate (although it was covered).

Yep, running through the dirt of the outfield!

We got lots of cool swag, the best being a Vera Bradley market tote, a more mesh-y t-shirt (although mine is ill-fitting), and FREE digital pictures!! They had a handful of photographers, too, so I got some good ones!

There was a lot of energy at this race, and a lot of community involvement. There were 2 drink stations on the route, and a lot of people just outside their houses cheering for us. This was also the first race where I've ever seen ads specifically put up for the runners. It was mostly banners for other races in the coming months, but I thought that was sorta neat. My favorite on-the-route thing, though, was the decorated streets! A few of the neighborhoods chalked some motivational messages for us to run over. Most were around the 3-mile mark, which is where we definitely needed it.

My favorite picture of me running EVER! Also how neat is it that our names were on our bibs?

I ran the whole race sans music. Mostly I listened to the pitter-patter of everyone else's feet (which was actually very cool to hear), but I also got to hear what I assume was a dad/daughter pair behind me. The dad was doing a really good job motivating the girl, and it was helping me out as well! They were right behind me for at least 2 miles but I lost them at a water stop I think. I never did get a good look at the girl, but thanks Dad!

I sprint my finishes. Can you tell?

The best part of this race, however, was finishing it! The whole point of this thing was to just get more people into fitness around here, so they did darn near everything to make you feel like a queen for accomplishing it. And hey, 4 miles is actually the longest race I've ever done, so I was okay with that! As I came down that stretch toward the finish, the baseball announcer said MY NAME over the PA system! And he said it in the style of a baseball announcer. It was cool! I also had signed B up to get a text when I finished (he stayed home again), and that was nice because I also could see my time (it was a second or two off, but still).

So yes yes, I should tell you my time, pace, and place, shouldn't I?
My time for this 4-mile race was 37:16. My goal was to be under 38, so I was very very happy with this! That's a pace of 9:19, which is way under what I was doing in practice runs. (I'm still convinced that races mark the courses short.)

My standings: I came in 293rd place overall out of just over 3600 runners! And I came in 18th in my division out of 286! I'm quite pleased.

Tough, but fun. Maybe I'll do it again next year?

7 Quick Takes (plus one)

--- 1 ---

I met a blog friend in real life this week! 'Poe Kitten' (not her real name) from Many Waters was driving sorta nearby here on her cross-country road trip. I drove up to Michigan and spent an afternoon in her cousin's house and just hung out with her and her adorable daughter (and a handful of other people, too, since her cousin is a mom of 6).

She was as cool in person as she is online! Granted, we talk on twitter all the time and even took a class on Coursera 'together', so I shouldn't be too surprised. It was just like having a baby playdate with an old friend, easy and relaxed.

--- 2 ---

Something weird about meeting an online friend in person: I realized about 10 minutes before I got there that I wasn't 100% sure how to pronounce her first name. Turns out the way I'd been saying it in my head for the past few years was incorrect. Well, now I know!

--- 3 ---

I did a Color Me Rad 5K this past weekend! Read all about it! There was a professional photographer there, and he got this extra pic of me (that I don't plan on buying, so the logo is staying).

At the 4K color station

--- 4 ---

Speaking of running, I'm less than a month away from my Fort4Fitness 4-mile race. I'm starting to realize that this one is THE running event around here! Well, not just the 4-miler, there's also a 10K and a half-marathon at this event. And being a big event, we get cool stuff. Vera Bradley is giving all the participants a market tote (retail value $8!). We also get a medal at the finish (an "EGAM" says husband--is this a military term??) and a FREE photo of us crossing the finish line. (Tips on what wacky pose I should strike are welcome.) Oh, and the finish line is the home plate of our minor league baseball stadium. B kept saying I was a fool for paying to run (something I can do for free), but at least I'm making some of that back in a way. (I think I paid less for this race than the Color Me Rad, too.) I'm sure the atmosphere at the race will be exhilarating, if it's the kind of event I think it will be.

--- 5 ---

The next few takes will be all about our new house! After posting the picture of us standing outside it on FB, there were requests for inside pics. Well, we aren't moving in for at least another month, since there is so much work to do! Seriously, the previous owners were both lazy and cheap--a horrible combination for homeowners--and never cleaned (or paid someone to clean). They also let their dogs pee everywhere and we're pretty sure they smoked indoors. So new paint, new carpet, new lighting, new knobs and kitchen hardware (1990's gold-brass--that has to go), lots and lots of cleaning, and a bathroom renovation are on the agenda. It seriously hurts my brain just to think of all the work, even though a lot of that will be hired out.

--- 6 ---

On that note, my in-laws are awesome. They came up here to help with the house last weekend, and B's dad did some serious work on our landscaping (oh, the people didn't keep up their yard very well either). The neighbors took notice and many came over to meet us and one even brought tomatoes from his garden! I have this strange hunch that they're glad the old owners are out.

While B and his Dad were working in the yard, my MIL and I tried to attack the kitchen. It was a lot of contact paper-removing and lots and lots of cleaning. Still not done. (I can only do so much when Cora is running around there as well.) They're coming up again this weekend, and we can hopefully accomplish more (although B is working every day). I totally feel like a slave-driver, even though I didn't ask them to do any of this.

Here's a sneak peek of our kitchen:

We need a refrigerator, new lights, new knobs, new (or no) curtains, and the floor needs to be professionally cleaned. Oh, my head.

--- 7 ---

Refrigerators? Got one that you love? Tell me about it! I think we want a side-by-side (with the freezer on the left, not on the bottom).

--- 8 --- Anyone wanna join me for Skirtember? All you gotta do is look purty in a dress or skirt every day of next month.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Race Recap: Riverfest 4K

I ran a race this weekend!

I haven't run in a real race in over 2 years (when I did the Fiesta 5K), right before I got pregnant with Cora. Pregnancy and running do not mix with me, and neither does being within the first 6-8 months post-partum (or so I've found).  I decided to go easy on myself and run a 4K first this summer. (Plus, it was only $5 to register. A steal!) It was definitely a small race, as I figured out pretty quickly. We ran all around the campus of a small college (IPFW) here in Fort Wayne, and it was part of a festival to celebrate our mucky brown awesome rivers.

After a couple of logistical mishaps at sign-in (my bib bag didn't have any twist ties for the shoe chip and only contained ONE safety pin for the bib), I was ready to run! Cora had fun playing with her great-grandmother, who came out to look after her while I did my thing. There were two other races that morning, and the start times were only staggered 15 minutes. This was a bit odd, since kids were still finishing their fun run which ended right where our race started. Also, about halfway into our run, we ran the opposite way through where the Mud Run was finishing, and I had to dodge a photographer and a few participants. Hopefully they can figure that out a bit better next year.

As for the race itself, I got off to a great start and blew ahead of a lot of people. Most of the race was just . . . me, and nobody else around. I passed the 1-mile mark and glanced at my watch: 8:06! Are you kidding?! When I run on my own, the fastest pace I've had was about 9 minutes, but it's usually closer to 9:30. I have noticed that the shorter the run is, the faster I am, though, so I believed it. I also train on some hills, and this course didn't really have any.

I sprinted the end (as I always do), and great-grandma didn't even see me! I had asked her to take a picture, but I looked back as a volunteer took the chip off my shoe and saw her looking very intently the other direction (at all the people finishing). Oh well! I had her take this picture of me afterward, though:

Just pretend the background is the photo below.

This was the actual finish line I ran through.

I also forgot to stop my watch right when I was done, so I had to wait two days for the official results to come out to know how I did! (I didn't stay around for the awards ceremony because Cora needed a nap and I needed a shower and Grandma needed to get out of the humidity--and the ceremony was over an hour after I finished.)

I finished my 4K (2.48mi) with a time of 21:14 (8:34/mi pace), and I came in 2nd in my age group!! And 20th overall. Yes, it was a small race, but I still beat over 140 people and 11 girls in my age group! Also, this is weird, but I had made a comment a week ago that I wanted to be 30 so I could do better at races, but actually I would have come in 4th in the 30-34 with my time. I guess everyone my age is too busy having babies/running big races like half marathons/did the Mud Run instead?

Here are all the final results, if you're curious: http://ipfwriverfest.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/4k-run-results.pdf

my cheering section

I'm signed up for one more race per month through September, and I'm excited to see how well I do!

5 Favorites

1.

Fort Wayne Zoo

I hadn't been to a zoo since I was 8 months pregnant, and that zoo was not very good and made me sad for some of the animals (namely, the monkeys). When we were moving here to Fort Wayne, everyone and their mothers said that we had to go to the zoo! It's fabulous, they said. Your kid, no matter how young, will love it!

So we went! Sure enough, we loved it. Kangaroos and giraffes were favorites. We'll definitely be coming back. (I bought a membership! I even tacked on an "add-a-guest" option, so if you come visit me, I'll take ya there!)

Zoo buddy babies

2.

Eating this for breakfast

A scrambled egg on top of a toasted English whole wheat English muffin, alongside a smoothie made with random fruit, spinach, yogurt, and applesauce.

I'm not a morning person, and my usual breakfast of cereal and milk reflects that. I just need something super-quick that requires zero effort because I'm usually in zombie-mommy mode. However, I always find myself really hungry around 10am and usually start scrambling through the pantry for unhealthy crap around then. But I'm taking this Child Nutrition and Cooking and our assignment last week was to make a balanced breakfast with protein, grain, and at least one fruit or vegetable. I had this, and it sustained me well until lunch. (The picky toddler loves the smoothie, too, so right now it's one of the only ways I can get her to eat green veggies. Sigh.) My new goal is to make this at least once a week for breakfast. I did it again yesterday, so I'm on track! I think I might freeze the smoothie as popsicles and then thaw them down back into smoothies in the morning--is that a decent idea? (I have no desire for a popsicle at 7am, sorry.)

3.

Daphne Oz

Speaking of food, I love the show The Chew on ABC. If we're hanging around the house on a weekday at 1pm, I turn it on. My favorite host is Daphne, who I had never heard of before the show! She's Dr. Oz's daughter, if you're curious. She also has a new book out called Relish, and I had it on hold at the library for the last month and it's finally my turn. Lots of delicious (and healthy) recipes and general Daphne Oz-someness. (Get it?)

4.

trulia

It's no secret that we're on the hunt for our first house. Although we now have a realtor and pre-approval for a mortgage and all the jazz, we started our house hunt on the trulia website. It has a lot of great searchable features (I narrowed it down to school system + price + age of house + other picky stuff), and we found a few open houses to look at on our first day out through it. I now just have it email me when houses that meet my criteria get listed. Which is like, every day. I guess we're not as picky as it sounds. We do have our first meeting with our actual realtor on Thursday, in case you were wondering.

5.

Lindt Chocolate Cremosi Assortment

I won these from a blog giveway (thanks to The Young Retiree!), and they are so good! There are 3 types in the bag, and I love them all. I got B to try one and he just popped it in his mouth like a piece of popcorn. I asked him what flavor it was, and he was all, "I dunno, chocolate..." Oh, I got so mad at him! I told him he wasn't respecting the chocolate and that he can't have any more of them. This would be a great gift for someone who respects the chocolate--check out the whole collection here at The Young Retiree's shop.

Vera Bradley Outlet Sale Recap

We moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, about six months ago.  Since then, I have found out there are only about two things Fort Wayne is known for. One is General Motors. It's not quite the Motor City of Detroit, but trucks are being assembled here every day by the fine hands of the United Auto Workers. (My husband could tell you more about that, though.) The other notable business around these parts is the queen of quilted handbags, Vera Bradley. Their impressive headquarters can be seen from I-69 as you come upon the city from the south.

Since I was never quite interested in a GMC pickup truck, I decided to explore the avenue more fitted to me. Vera Bradley has a multi-day outlet sale once a year, and I decided to dive in head-first and see what it was all about.

First of all, I had no idea that Vera Bradley had so many die-hard fans. Until Saturday, I only owned one Vera Bradley item, which was a Christmas gift from my husband. However, women come to town from all over the country to attend this sale. It's a huge boost to the economy here, since their main goal is to spend money! The outlet sale is at our Memorial Coliseum, which is where the hockey team and big music stars play.

My one and only Vera Bradley item, pre-Saturday.

I got there around 10:45am on Saturday, which was probably a huge mistake. They can only let so many people on the floor at a time, so we waited for over an hour. I was probably the only one there by myself. And I didn't bring anything to entertain me. Seriously. No smartphone, no book, no e-reader, no mp3 player, not even a rosary, and I wasn't really in the mood to chat up the people around me or do a rosary on my fingers. I just had to make due. When's the last time anyone my age did that, really? I played this game in my head where I thought of a famous person then had to think of another famous person whose name started with the first letter of their last name (i.e., Barry Manilow to Martin Van Buren to Vanna White to Whitney Houston, etc.) We had also been given a shopping guide that had the names, locations, and prices of all the bags available at the sale. I spent a few minutes circling the ones I wanted to look at (hey, I did bring a pen!).

After the long wait where most of us ended up sitting on the painted concrete floor, we were let into the sale! We noticed as we filtered in there that we probably had the longest wait. There were only a few people trickling in at that point, and they had changed how they did the lines based on numbers. I actually found out that my husband's aunt went on Friday afternoon around 3pm and said she didn't have to wait at all. Lesson learned.

I spent over an hour on the floor looking for awesome deals and pretty patterns. It was a bit overwhelming, but I took my time with it. Checkout was an absolute breeze, so that was a major plus. I impressively did not buy anything over $20. I wasn't really looking for big-ticket items, since as I've said I'm not a die-hard. But I did end up calling both my mom and mother-in-law to see if they wanted anything. I ended up buying a lot of Cosmetic Trios! Everyone is getting cosmetic bags!

Alright, alright, I'm sure you want to see my haul:

While I drove there, I heard an ad on the radio for the sale where a woman said, "It's not how much you spend, it's how much you save, right, ladies?" Yeah, we're gonna go with that logic today.

The Carnaby print bag (lower left) is now my 'baby/kid' bag that we throw toys and food in to take to church or wherever. (I have been keeping a diaper bag in the car for the past few months in case of emergency, but I don't really need to drag it everywhere any more.) The Espresso purse (top left) is my 'class it up' bag when I need to look more polished and it is my hands-down favorite buy of the day ($20!). Just a gorgeous bag! The column on the right is four sets of Cosmetic Trios, with the Priscilla Pink one at the bottom being mine. And the scarf in Portobello Road got worn yesterday to church.

Overall, I had a good time at the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale 2013. I will do a few things differently if I go in the future, though. First, I will find a friend to go with (I'm still working on making friends in this town). If that doesn't pan out, I will bring a book. I also won't go in the 10am hour on Saturday. When I was leaving around 2pm, it had really cleared out. The employees were still opening boxes to restock, though. I'm sure there are some cool things that go quickly, but most of it probably went to the die-hards who bought tickets and came the 3 days before. (I saw some headbands on another blog that I would have bought in a heartbeat!)

To top off my experience, I am going to give away some of my great finds! Come back tomorrow for your chance to win!

What I Wore Sunday

Y'know, back before I got pregnant, I used to do some of the "What Am I Wearing?" linkups.  But then I got lazy and basically existed in falling-down maternity jeans and the same four t-shirts. Well, I am pleased be joining a brand-spankin'-new hop that will show off my Sunday best. Fine Linen and Purple has started a new one, and it's all about what we wear to church!  Generally my best outfit of the week happens at mass, so this is perfect.

Check it out!

Today was an anomaly.  My MIL was here and offered to watch baby while B and I went to earlier mass, and then she went later.  It was the first time since before she was born we went to mass without her!  It felt a bit odd, especially because we're new in this town and it was our first time attending mass in Fort Wayne. Well, my first time, that is.  We went to the church where B attended K-5 Catholic elementary school.  He even remembered the priest once he heard the voice (said he hasn't changed a bit!).

So, on to what I wore:

B told me I looked like a starving grad student in this outfit!  I was wearing white socks with my shoes, which was dumb (after living in FL, I have no idea what to wear on my feet--and yes, my feet were cold in those shoes), and my jacket is literally from my mother's 1970's-era closet.  So here is it without the jacket or shoes:

I need a hair makeover . . . and yes, it's quite obvious we're still unpacking this place.

The sweater is new (from Target), the pants are old, and the necklace is this one with Baby Cora's birthstone.  I'll try a bit harder next week, I promise.  If you have any shoe suggestions for me, please leave it in the comments!

Link up what you wore to church over at Fine Linen and Purple!