Run in a 10K

I set a goal. In my 30 before 30 list I said I wanted to run in a 10K before I turned 30 years old. Last weekend I was able to cross it off my list!

When I wrote the 30 before 30 list I didn't realize I not only was going to be able to accomplish one of my goals but spend some awesome time with a great friend.

When Kate read my 30 before 30 blog post this summer she jumped on the idea of doing a 10K and motivated me to not waste any time and to just go for it. So off to the Internet we went and 10 minutes and $25 later we were committed.


This run not only strengthened me physically but it also strengthened my friendship with Kate.

This run lead to lots of text message and Sunday phone calls to see how those long runs went.
We cheered each other on.

We commiserated on those hard days.

We complained on the days when it was hard to get out the door.

And we enjoyed all the feelings of accomplishement together.


We finished side by side feeling awesome....even if we were passed by a man who ran while jugging 5 balls at once!

Thanks for being such a good friend Kate!

Smitten List

My Mom and I have been going to Zumba on Saturday mornings pretty consistenly lately, and I am smitten with woking out while laughing and dancing.

Now let's get a few things straight....

~I have no rhythm....however I do remember how to spell the word rhythm from 7th grade English class where Mrs. Faith made us march around the room and spell the word rhythm to the rhythm of our clap.
~I make awkward arm motions when I attempt to dance
~My mom bites her bottom lip when attempting to "body pump"
~There are people in Zumba who take Zumba very seriously, we are not those people
~This class will in no way improve my dance skills, so don't be expecting me to pull out my calipso at the next wedding reception

So if you are in the Twin Cites area and looking to burn a few calories through dance and laughter stop on by Lifetime and check out Zumba.

Torchlight

For our second 5K my mom and I decided to run in the Lifetime Fitness Torchlight run and my friend Kristen decided to join us. This run started by the Basilica in Minneapolis and ended on Nicollett Island. It was a fun route and we had good weather for running. The race had about a kazillion people run in it. When we ran in the last race the runners really spread out after the first mile and you had lots of room to run but in this run we ran in a huge pack of people the whole 3.1 miles dodging and weaving in and out of groups.


See if you can find us in this pack of runners....this is kinda like Where's Waldo.



After the race...a little sweaty but totally happy with our performance. My mom and I knocked off 2 minutes off of our last 5K time.


This was a fun race to participate in because it was in the evening and after you were done running they had a beer tent and live music. We found a comfy spot in the grass and hung out for a while.


I have to give a TON of credit for the best "pit crew" ever to Mitch. Mitch has been the greatest help with doing these races. Before the race he drops us off right at the starting line and then searches out a parking spot, which is not an easy thing to manage. During this race he jumped on a bike and took pictures of us all along the route. And after the race he gives out hugs and high fives to support what we have done. You are the greatest Mitch...THANK YOU!!!

First 5K

This spring I decided to give a program a try called "Couch to 5K." The name of the program "Couch to 5K" pretty much summed up what I needed to change about my activity level and what I wanted to accomplish. I needed to get my butt off the couch and I wanted to run in my very first 5K ever. So I laced up my Nikes and hit the road. I stuck really closely to the training program and on the eighth week we ran in a 5K.


I was very nervous before the race started, I kept thinking "Whose stupid idea was this" and "Why am I doing this" so as the start signal went off for the race to begin I decided to slow my normal running pace down and just plug through these three miles. As we got through the first mile my mom was pulling away from me, and I just stuck to my nice slow pace but my wonderful mother would slow down, wait for me and then keep going.


As we neared the three mile mark I could see the finish line and the GIANT clock tick tick ticking I get a burst of energy and start to sprint. I catch up to my mom and yell "MOM, WE GOTTA GO" and continue to sprint by her. Now I have to say that my mom could make grocery shopping a competitive sport. She LOVES to win. I on the other hand am not competitive, at least not with other people. I like to set goals for myself and I like to conquer them but I don't get a competitive bug with other people. My mom loves to win but she was out of steam to keep up with me and I ended up crossing the finish line 14 seconds before she did. As she finished I walked over to her feeling so proud with what she just accomplished and she looked at me and said "What the HELL was that?" I was totally caught off guard and was like "HUH?" She replied "I waited for you like the whole race and then you blow past me with the chariots of fire going at full speed!" At this point I start laughing because I realize how upset she is because in her mind I BEAT her, when I knew full well she could have finished ahead of me if she didn't wait around for me. It did take a LONG ten minutes before she was able to laugh about her reaction, however 6 weeks after the race I still hear her grumbling about how I left her in the dust at mile three when all she really wanted was to cross the finish line holding my hand.


Whether we are holding hands at the finish line or I am fourteen seconds ahead of her there is no one I would have rather had by my side to cross this item off my bucket list. Thanks for waiting for me Mom, this is me publicly admitting you are a faster runner than I am! ha ha....I love you!!!

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike!

I bought a new bike this summer and have totally loved exploring new trails. Last weekend Mitch, my mom, and I went to Fort Snelling to ride our bikes to Minnehaha Falls. It was perfect weather, we were done before it got too icky humid outside.



My mom has really gotten into bike riding in the last few years as well so it was a fun event for her as well. Whenever she comes down to visit for the weekend she always brings her bike but it seems every time she comes it rains and rains and rains and we never get to get out and bike. It has turned into such a joke that at one point this weekend Mitch said, "in the nicest possible way Janet take your bike, go home and take your weather with you!" he he....


We walked down about 500 stairs to take the trail to the bottom of the waterfall only to find out the trail is under construction and we had come down the stairs to just walk back up. Instead of trudging right back up we followed the trail along the creek for a few more spectacular views.



When Mitch and I go out biking we bike next to each other and chat as we bike, but when we are with my mom it all of a sudden turns into a crazy competitive race. She gets this evil look in her eyes and peddles like mad passing us which in turns makes us start peddling like mad to pass her. We all end up back at the car sweating, laughing, and arguing about who beat who!

Frisbee Golf

Mitch and I played Frisbee golf last weekend, even though we are terrible and had a great time! We went to Bryant Lake Park which can't be more than a mile from our house and played the 18 hole course they have set up there.

Frisbee golf is what I would call a hobby, it is something fun to do on a nice day. Mitch and I are apparently the only people at the Bryant Lake Frisbee Golf Course that think this way though. Everyone out at the course was taking the game so seriously. They carry bags around with 15 or more discs in their bag. They do warm up throws and have entire rituals they go through before they throw the discs. Mitch and I walk up to the tee box, and throw the disc, walk to the disc and throw it again and continue like so until we throw the disc in the basket. Because Mitch and I are lacking the pre-throw rituals we play the game much faster than the rest of the crowd out there and actually ended up playing through three different groups, which meant that these really good Frisbee golf players watched me throw my disc about 17 times before it went in the basket.



When I moved to the twin cities area I planned on getting some job experience and leaving because I truly believed I would not get the amount of outdoor activity time I needed to keep my sanity, I couldn't be more wrong. I didn't realize the amount of outdoor activity space that the city life allowed a person. This park alone has a Frisbee Golf course, a swimming beach, hiking and biking trails, kayak and canoe rentals, and this is on the smaller end of the parks that are in the area and IT IS ONLY A MILE FROM OUR HOUSE!!!! I love living here and all the opportunities for fun and for jobs that it has to offer!

The Arboretum

One of my very best friends and college roommates Kristen and I went for a walk tonight at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. I love this place. This is a nature reserve in my middle of the cities that has great walking trails and tons and tons of flowers to look at.

Mitch and I bought a membership to the Arboretum about a year ago and have found this to be one of our favorite places in the twin cities area at any time of the year. In the fall Mitch and I used the trails as a great walking and biking area to take in the different colors of the trees. In the winter I spent every weekend skiing the trails and Mitch was willing to give my hobby a try and ended up (after quite a few rough diggers) really enjoying skiing as well. In the spring I took all the boys from my class out to the Arboretum and we tapped maple trees to make maple syrup. And in the summer I walk and enjoy the flowers with my mom and friends! Best of all it is only like 10 miles from our house so it is really easy to get to. I recommend this to anyone in the area for an afternoon that wants to get outside and enjoy the weather!

Run Forrest Run!

After the movie The Bucket List came out a few years ago I decided to make my very own bucket list as well. If you haven't watched the movie is is about two men who are dying of cancer who make a list of all the things they want to do before they "kick the bucket." I wrote all the things I want to do in life from little things (bake a cake from scratch) to big things (see all seven natural wonders of the world). Another item on my list was to run in a race. I know that there is no better time then the present and a few weeks ago I began running.

When I first was writing my Bucket List and I watched my very own fingers type the words "Run in a Race" I felt like I was having an out of body experience. I used to be a firm believer that you are only to run if you are being chased by a man with a crazy mask who is carrying a chain saw; but for some reason though I want to be a runner. I am so envious of the people you see running is a race because you know they made up their mind, set a goal, and are accomplishing all of that hard work and I want to feel that feeling.

I am making great progress in my opinion. I have gone from loathing running to looking forward to the feeling I have after my run is done. I really enjoying the peaceful time I am enjoying in the outdoors while I am running. I continue to run a little bit further with each run and plan on signing up for my first race for this fall. I want to make this a life long hobby and create another passion for myself and be able to cross something else off of my "Bucket List!"