I've moved!!!

I've taken the plunge and gone for a real blog :)  Come visit me at www.irunhetris.com  !!!

That's what friends are for

Happy Halloween!! I hope everyone has a spooktacular day!  We got to dress up at work today and I am dressed as a marathon runner :) What other day will I get to wear running clothes to work???

I am so excited because this little beauty will be arriving next week!! Just in time for the Savannah Rock n Roll!  I can't believe the race is only 10 days away, which means I can start obsessing over the weather forecast for the day.

I have been running with the Garmin 110 that Colin bought me for my birthday.  I have been so happy with the watch, but as I've started running more I really want a watch that has more functions. (Mainly being able to display my current  pace instead of just average pace)  So fortunately I was able to sell my 110 for a reasonable price and get this one!

 

I got home rather late from work yesterday because I had to go by Walmart to buy lots of candy and some last minute supplies to finish the props for Brice's costume.  I needed to go for a run (both physically and mentally... yesterday was just one of those days) so when I got home, Colin took over baby duties and I headed out for my run.  When I first started, I was feeling rather sluggish.  My legs felt heavy, I was tired but I just shook it off and pushed through.  I did my first two miles and mentally was feeling better but physically just wasn't into it.  I was about to head back to the house when I ran into Matt & Kat out for their run.  They turned around and we did two more miles together and they were SOO much better than the first two.   Chatting with them made the miles go by quicker and I was actually running faster than I was for the first to miles. That's what friends are for right? To push you forward when you just don't feel like going.

 

Colin and I got into a short discussion last night about people running fast.  (Colin is one of those people, he doesn't know how to not run fast) He saw one of his friends post on Facebook about her 7 mile run at 8 mpm and that was her 'slow day.'  I've decided there are two types of runners: those who were born fast, and those who have to work to be fast.  Unfortunately I am in the second half of that group.  I'm not saying that in a negative way because in the past 8 months since I started running again I have seen huge improvements in my times.  Sometimes it just seems a little unfair though that some people can just go out and be super speedy and I have to work so hard to improve my speed.

 

Which one are you?? Born speedy or work for it?  What is your comfortable running pace?

 

Dear CPA exam,

I hate your stinking guts. You make me vomit. You're the scum between my toes! Love, Brianna

The CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam has been the monkey on my back since May of 2012.  Well actually long before then, because I knew while I was working on my accounting degree, one day I would have to take it.  This is a 4 part exam that has THE lowest passing rate of any professional exam. Check this chart out from the AICPA...

Yes, you read that correctly.  Only about half (or less) of the people that take it pass.  I kept putting off studying for the exam.  I attempted to study while in grad school, but I had enough school work that kept me busy.  Then I started working while going to grad school.  Then when I graduated it was 'tax season' so I was working 50+ hours, 6 days a week.  There was just always something going on.  So finally May 1, 2012 I was done with my excuses and I was going to tackle this test and get it done with. Well... on May 20th I found out I was pregnant!! Funny how life loves to throw hurdles in your way.  The pregnancy just gave me the extra motivation to study, because how in the word was I going to study with a baby at home?

Fast forward to the present.  I have now taken this test a total of seven (SEVEN!) times and the end is in sight.  I have successfully passed two parts, and made 71s on the other two (you have to make a 75 to pass (only 4 points?? how frustrating is that??))  Also, did I mention that you only get 18 months before you lose credit?  My 18 months will be up 1/31/2014.  I am currently waiting on one score, and just scheduled what will hopefully be my last test for November the 23rd.   

I can't even put into words the weight that will be off of my shoulders when I get this test done.  I will actually be able to relax and not feel guilty about sitting around when I should be studying.  I'll finally get to catch up on all the books I've wanted to read, maybe make a scrapbook or knit a few scarves :) anything will be better than studying!!

I feel like there is a life lesson or a way to correlate this into training for a marathon, but right now my brain is just too fried from taking my last test (this past Sunday) to speak profoundly about it.  Or maybe it's because my child has decided he doesn't need to sleep at night.... but those topics will be saved for a later date!

What is something that has been a monkey on your back?

Running with deer

Growing up I was always more of a Spring/Summer person, but in the past few years Fall has become my favorite season by far.  What's not to love about boots, scarves, and pumpkin spice lattes??  The mornings and evenings have started getting chilly, but the temperature is still in the mid-high 70s during the day, and that makes getting dressed a challenge!  It's even worse trying to figure out how to dress Brice for the day.  Friday night we had dinner at Uncle Matt's again so luckily it was a PJ night for us.

Brice absolutely loves dogs, and will chase Uncle Matt and Kat's dogs around the house all night.  Between them, they have three Brittany Spaniel's, but Brody is away at "camp" right now learning how to hunt.  Brice and Brody's birthday's are only a few weeks apart and this was them when they were both about 2 months old. So sweet!!

 

Before we headed home Brice was required to bundle up in his Lightnin' McQueen robe and slippers that his Great Grandmother in South Africa bought for him.

 

 

What is the coolest thing you have ever seen while out on a run?

 



I really like rules and I apologize in advance

I've survived another week.  Well almost survived... still have to make it through today.  My coffee has gone cold, but I really don't feel like walking to 10 feet to heat it up. Brice has a question for everyone though...

What does the animal on my socks say??? I did apologize in advance because now that song is going to be stuck in your head all day long. So at my new job Friday is supposed to be "business casual attire, including jeans." That is what the employee handbook says.  But as of last Friday our CEO decided to restrict the wearing of jeans to only if you are wearing a company T-shirt.  Now tell me, how is it more professional looking for me to wear a t-shirt with jeans rather than a dressy top with jeans??  Oh and here's the kicker... they don't have anymore t-shirts.  It wouldn't annoy me so much if it wasn't in print that we could wear jeans.  I guess I get that from my mom.  She's always told me 'do not put anything in writing unless you are okay with someone else reading it'... I guess I should take that to heart on my posts from here on out :) Vent over.  And since I am such a stickler for rule following, here is a picture of Brice riding with me in the front seat.



 

Don't you worry! We were driving around the corner to Uncle Matt's house for dinner.  We could have walked and been there in 2 minutes but we had too much food to be able to carry it.  Brice really enjoyed is free ride.





I ran the past two days (I took 3 days off after the race.. not intentionally but between rain and Colin being gone one day I wasn't able to run) and Wednesday's run was by far better than yesterday's.  I just was not in the mood to run after work, but I am determined to break 2 hours and I won't get there with a negative attitude!! So I sucked it up and went out and did 8 1min @ 5k pace with 2 minutes in between.  I ended up doing 3.25 miles and it felt pretty good when it was over.  On Wednesday I ran 4.5 miles at a 9:20 average and my heart rate stayed in the high 140s.  I love seeing improvements and getting closer to my goal.  The weather is getting perfect for running and the above picture was my view yesterday.  I love my neighborhood!

How about this half pound apple that is the size of my head.  I spent $18 dollars on 8 apples at the grocery store the other day. That is $2.25 per apple!! Absolutely ridiculous but so worth it because Honeycrisp apples are the best in the whole world. 

 
What is your favorite kind of apple?

How do you motivate yourself to run in the evenings?

My 15k PR

Have you ever been in the car and been starving and the only thing in the car to eat was your baby's snacks?? Well I have, and I am not ashamed to admit that these are delicious.

This past Saturday we ran in the Peachtree City Classic 15k, and I am proud to report that I PRed!! Okay... so it was my first 15k race but I did meet my goal.  I wanted to be run 9 minute miles in the race which I was spot on.  In order to break 2 hours at the Savannah Rock n Roll half marathon I will have to average 9:05s, so this race was a good confident booster.

We had to travel up for the race so we did not get there until about 8pm and after Brice played with his grandparents for a little while it was time for bed. Side story: I had to be at a meeting really early Friday morning so Colin took Brice to daycare.  When I picked him up he was still wearing his PJ top from the night before... but that was it!  Silly Colin took our kid to school without any pants on.  I guess when you're 8 months old you can get away with that though. Mismatched clothes so he didn't have to ride in the car with no pants on. :)

The race did not start until 8:50 and we were a short golf cart ride away from the start... yes that is correct a golf cart ride.  (Peachtree City is the golf cart capital of the world, like golf cart parking spots at the stores kind of place)  With such a late start we were able to sleep in which was heavenly.  What was not heavenly was the fact that it was raining and cold!!! I stepped in a puddle within the first 5 minutes of the race and it was overcast so iTunes Radio was being a pain but I wasn't going to let either of those stop me!!  I ran negative splits except for mile 4 which completely uphill.  I got my second wind around mile 6 but at the same time I started feeling a tightness in my left IT band.  This slowly crept it's way up into my hip but I was still so focused on my end time.  I just took it one mile at a time and continued to pick out people who I wanted to catch up with.  Around mile 7 I told myself to not let anyone else pass me, so I picked up the pace. 

Colin had walked back and caught up with me around the mile 9 mark... which at this point I thought I was going to pass out.  But I was running all out at this point (a 7:30 pace!!!) and then I saw that magical finish line!  After plugging in my Garmin I saw why I felt like I was going to die, my HR was at 104% of the max rate.... not a good idea.

But it is all done and felt amazing, my IT band is still a little sore but nothing a nice run and foam rolling won't fix!! I really enjoyed the 15k distance and think I'm going to look for some more of this distance to do soon.

What is your favorite racing distance??

Two new places

Brice slept in not one, but TWO new places this morning!!!  His preferred napping place is my lap.  Which you can imagine makes getting anything accomplished is difficult.

Luckily he loves his swing so that is typically where I put him when he falls asleep. This morning when I woke up I decided to just lay him in his crib to I could brush my teeth and get my breakfast ready.  I set him down in his crib (on his back!!!) and when I went back in there this is how he was.  He then stayed this way for an hour and a half.  Let's just hope he will love it this much tonight when we put him in his crib for the first time at night.

I've been having some pain in the top of my foot so I took the past two days off from running and that seemed to make it go away.  I'm nervous that it is my Newton's that are causing the pain though.  To be safe I wore my Saucony's for my run today and there was no pain at all.  I'm not sure if it's the shoes or the rest... we'll see!  Today's run leads us to Brice's second new napping place- the BOB!!!

He normally gets fussy around 12-15 minutes into the run, which did happen today.  This time I could tell that he was getting sleepy so I just slowed down and started walking and just a few minutes later he was out!  It was soooo windy today which made running even more difficult but I did it, and I ran 3.1 miles!  That is the longest I have run since about September.  I am so happy to know that both Brice and myself can make it that distance.  I'm hoping the rain holds off tomorrow and I can run in my first official 5k since having Brice!

Anyone else running any race this weekend?

Any tips or tricks you used to get your baby to sleep in their crib?