Get Up, Get Moving, and Get Out There!!

So, up to now, I have been pretty quiet on the blogger scene, but I feel like it is time for me to get back on here and share what I have been up to these past few months.

Back in March, I turned 35 and I was unhappy with the way I looked.  You know that feeling when a camera is around and you do everything you can to avoid being in the picture?  Yeah, that was me.  I would rather take the pictures than be in them.  So, I decided to get myself back on track and start doing that app I heard people talk about, Couch to 5K.  

After I got a little more comfortable with the way I looked I wanted to start doing some 5K's here and there.

The very first one I did was the Glow Run 2013!  First of all, the group I went with fibbed to me and told me that we were going to be walking, NOT running!  Secondly, it was at night, so when the group I was with started running without giving me any notice at all, nobody could see the pain and agony in my face!  So, I guess night races have their perks after all and it's not just the deliciously cold beer waiting for you at the end of the line.  It does help you get to the finish line a lot faster though, but anyway, I am getting off topic...  Needless to say, after no warning of running and no stretching beforehand, I was sore the next day or so.  Yikes!!  I felt so old!  

I actually started doing the Couch to 5K app a few months after this painful, yet motivational race.  

My best time ever and have not been able to beat yet was with my sister.  We did another Glow Run - June 2014.  She runs all the time and recently did a Triathlon, so I was a little intimidated to run with her.  She got me through it though.  She encouraged me with a little push to get me across that finish line.  Although, I might add that this was also a night race, but little perks at the end (no beer), just a banana and a bottled water.  So, chances of me doing this one again is slim to none.

Onto another race, I think this was the Royal Ball Run for Autism - June 2014 and this time I talked my 11 year old son, Peter to run it with me.  Now, remember I asked him to run it "with" me.  The reason I remind you of that is because he did NOT run it with me.  He left me in the dust, literally!  I couldn't find him, he was that far ahead of me.  He did it 5 minutes faster than I did.  He was at the finish line passing out waters to runners crossing the finish line.  

The next 5K my son and I wanted to do was the Firecracker Run - July 4th, 2014.  I learned my lesson from last time though and decided to have a friend run with me this time, since my son loves having me pay for his runs, but never actually likes to run with me!  He's a really nice kid.  I wasn't worried this time though because I had a running buddy with me this time and she wasn't going to leave me in the dust, right?  Wrong.  Again, my son passed the finish line before me and so did my runny buddy.  Did I give up on 5K's?  No I didn't!!

The last 5K my son and I did "together".  I use the word "together" loosely since we always start out "together' but he always winds up sprinting ahead of me and we are no longer "together".  Anyway, it was the Freedom 5K - August 2014.  This time I learned my lesson though.  No running buddy and no son to run with.  I was now going to solely depend on my new friend Pandora to give me the push and motivation I needed to get me across that finish line!  Thanks to Pitbull and Usher and many more on getting me there!  His time was quicker than mine as usual, but it still felt good to do something with my son.

So, I want to tell everyone reading this, you can do it!  If I can do it, so can you!  Dust off those sneakers, find a good sports bra that fits (cause you want those girls in there tight when you are running in public), and last, but not least, make time for yourself.  

I will start sharing my fitness routines with you and tell you what works for me.  I also feel like I should share with you the people that inspired me to get into shape, but I will still share stories about my kids and family life because that's still #1!  

I want to encourage people to GET UP, GET MOVING, and GET OUT THERE!!

What are you waiting for??