Oh what fun it is to run....

...in the pouring down rain! Okay, not really. I know I'm probably in the minority here, but really, I HATE running in the rain. I'm a San Diegan, rain doesn't make sense to me, like, at all. I'm also saving for a wedding so I can't afford to "waste" money. So, rain or shine, that money I spent to run means I'll be running. So, here's a lovely water-logged "rain"deer (see what I did there)

And, yes, the antlers sure did light up. Unfortunately due to the rain I think I'm going to need a new set for next year. Those things weren't really meant for water. The Jingle Bell 5k was a total blast, despite the weather, and I hope to run it again next year. I'll even find an ugly Christmas sweater to add to the look. Or maybe just sew some bells on a tree skirt and wear that. One thing, though, I'll be ready for that killer hill part way through. Holy moly, it was tough - if you happen to know the 6th Ave side of Balboa Park, right at the beginning of the park basically - you know what hill I'm talking about. Ooof. Still, though, it was fun and I was very glad my lovely BF (at the time) had a waterproof windbreaker type jacket I could wear.

Sleep. Run. Feast.

Okay, so back to the catching up thing. Race 2 was Thanksgiving morning which I figured was a brilliant way to give myself the excuse to eat an extra slice of turkey later. It was also helpful that the course happened to go right past my house, so it's a route I run fairly often. Because of this, and because I wasn't so overwhelmed with the entire thing this time, I took a few pictures on the course. I always look STELLAR for a run (but I kind of love the excuse to "dress up.")

Either way, I was pretty excited to start the race, and the clouds made it nice (rather than, say, 100 degrees or something.) As I ran along, I saw this lovely view,

It's amazing how peaceful a somewhat major highway (for those that can't tell this is the 163) can look when it's extremely early on a holiday morning. After crossing the Laurel Street bridge, we were headed down 6th Ave, and I spotted a shirt I want to have:

"Please God, let there be someone behind me to read this." Rest assured, lady, I've got you covered. And finally, my favorite site:

Just round the corner and you're done! As I walked back to my house, still wearing the turkey tiara and race bib, several passersby yelled out "congrats! great race!" and various other words of inspiration. I love how cheerful and upbeat everyone in this running/walking world is - cheaper than therapy, for sure.

PR!

I'm going back through all the past races I've done, but I'll take a quick break to say I PR'd at my race on Saturday. It was a time that was probably definitely slow for a lot of people, but fast for me! Yipee!

You always remember the first time....

My first 5k, back in October, was the only one I've done that wasn't associated with a cause that I support (or would like to be supportive of at any rate.) The Awesome 80s 5k was a good one to start with, though, because, well there aren't a lot of other runs that incorporate the Delorian from Back to the Future and feature a fellow participant running as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. I mean, really. I won't say I loved it, I didn't. The back side of Fiesta Island was right in the suns rays and that made for a tough time for me since I forgot the sunglasses. Merp. Also, being a newbie, I wasn't really sure what to do at the end. I ran alone, so I didn't have a friend to tell me "you go over there to pick up your medal" and whatnot, I hate that. I was confused. But now I act like I know what I'm doing. Either way, I got a pretty cool medal and my very first bib number to hang in my cube at work. You see, I also happen to be the Wellness person here, so it's part of my job to do fun stuff like wake up early in the morning and attempt to run three miles. ;) I will say the bib looked a little sad and lonely there hanging all alone. It may just have been the motivation behind this whole "one run a month" thing. P.S. Just in case there's actually anyone out there reading this -- anyone know of a 5k (or even 10k I guess) in May (San Diego area, I'm saving for a wedding so I can't travel)? I'm having trouble finding one, and it's my next "empty" month.

The beginning

Let me start by saying, I'm not a runner. Sure, I played soccer when I was young and that required running, but really, I was too little to understand. So, why write about running? Well, it all started when I realized I was fat and started going to the gym on a regular basis during my lunch break. At first it was awesome. My co-worker and I went together and she drove me since I carpool to work and don't have a car to get me back and forth. And then she stopped going. Like, entirely. I don't think she's been in a year. Anyway, I needed to get to the gym and I wasn't going to start driving myself to work everyday (thus defeating the purpose behind carpooling - namely saving gas $) but I also wasn't going to give up my gym mojo either. So, I used my feet as transportation. Then one day I decided to run an actual race. Once I did that one, I did another, and another and another until I thought "hey, I've done one a month, why don't I try to do that for an entire year?" So, here we are. Part way through the 12 5k quest, and already thinking about things like half marathons (and 10ks first.) So I'm going to write about it, mostly to attempt to keep myself accountable. Partially in the hopes that someone might actually join me at one of these races some day.