November 14, 2013

A new toy!

On this Thursday last year, I wrote a post called "'Till I Collapse", after I reached two big milestones during a training run: I ran a sub-26:00 5K, which was a HUGE goal of mine for a long time, and I ran my first sub-8:00 mile. I was so happy and excited!

Since I'm following last year's runs as a sort-of schedule for the next couple of weeks, today was a big day to beat. I wanted to beat my 5K time from last year as well as run the third mile under 8 minutes. I haven't run a sub-8:00 mile outside in a long time! I was actually pretty nervous, even though it was just a training run.

After I got the kids off to school, I dressed in my running clothes and headed out. My plan was to try and stick as closely to my splits from last year as possible, beating them by just a second or two. Last year's splits were 8:31, 8:34, and 7:54.

Because I was nervous, I started out way too fast, which is always a mistake. I caught myself about a quarter mile in, and forced myself to slow down. The first mile wasn't too bad; tough, but I was just thinking about how much tougher it was going to feel during the third mile! My first mile was done in 8:18, so I slowed down some more. I wanted to save as much energy as I could to try and hit sub-8:00 for the third mile.

Second mile was done in 8:29. Perfect! As soon as I heard my Garmin beep after the second mile, I picked up the pace. At first, it really didn't feel as hard as I expected it to. My pace was about 7:45, and I felt good! But that mile felt like the longest mile of my life. It kept feeling harder and harder to hold that pace. When I hit mile 3, I kept running hard to finish off the 0.11. My neighbor was outside, and must have thought I was ridiculous; I flew by him, then stopped in front of my house, gasping for breath. He said "Good morning!" and I could barely give a wave. I was exhausted. But I had done it!


I spent the rest of the morning updating the "Favorite Things" page on my blog (finally). I've been meaning to add some things on there for a long time, and I just hadn't taken the time to get it done. I have a few other pages that I need to update, so I'll hopefully get that done soon.

The kids had asked me to take their allowance money and go buy them a Rainbow Loom and more rubber bands today for their bracelet-making. They've been making SO many bracelets! They haven't even touched the TV or video games this week--I love that they found something creative to do that doesn't involve electronics. So I went to the craft store this afternoon to pick them each up a loom and some of the bands. I ran into Renee, who happened to be there for the exact same things! Her son wanted a loom, too. I think it's so funny that my kids are so excited about making these bracelets. They spent the whole evening like this:


When I got home from the craft store, Jerry told me that I had "very special" package arrive in the mail. It was MY NEW GARMIN!! I tore into the box to check it out, and read the quick start manual. I played around with the watch a little bit, but I won't really get to try out the features until I run tomorrow. I love the orange/white color combo.


I printed out the owner's manual and I'm going to spend some more time looking at it tonight, and getting it set up for tomorrow's run. Tomorrow's post is going to be VERY nerdy! ;)

Today marks the two-year anniversary since my lower body lift surgery. I cannot believe it's been two years already! I am still VERY happy with the results, and I wouldn't change a thing. My scar is very faded, and I haven't had any complications. When I look in the mirror, I still admire that my stomach is flat (well, for the most part... after Halloween, it's a little puffy! haha).

It's kind of interesting... ever since my surgery, the first place I notice a weight gain of even a couple of pounds is in my stomach. I kind of like that, because there is no such thing as being in denial about a few pounds. I can clearly see a gain when it happens, and that's usually what kicks me back into weight loss mode.

Speaking of which, today was day three of staying on track. I'm really determined to get back to 133 before December 12th!

10 comments:

  1. Yay for the new Garmin! I can't wait to hear how you like it. :) I am so amazed by how fast you run. I would really collapse if I tried that. haha. Sometimes when I am out on a run and I feel good, I'll try to run as fast as I can for 30-60 seconds just to see what I can do, and I think the fastest I've ever done is like an 8:15 pace, and I can only hold it that long. I once ran a mile in 9:02 seconds, so I have a goal to run one in under 9 minutes. Anyway, the watch looks awesome! Have fun with it.

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    1. Just realized all my typos in there... 9:02 I was tired last night, apparently. :)

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  2. Congrats at beating your 5k time! Impressive. Enjoy your new toy tomorrow! Off to check your favorite things page....

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  3. Great job on your run! Can't wait to hear about the watch... I'll nerd out with you. ;)

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  4. Congrats on the awesome run!! I can't wait to hear about your new toy!! :)

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  5. The new Garmin looks awesome!
    Congrats on beating your 5K time. That is awesome!

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  6. Fun fun fun! I am looking forward to reading your review on the new Garmin. I'm still using the same one, 2 years now, but have been drooling over the new models. Maybe a Christmas present for me :) My daughter is into Rainbow Looming big time too ... the rubber bands are always scattered all over the house. Fortunately our kitty Johnny isn't eating them, oddly enough, since he usually loves chewing/eating rubbery things *sigh*

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  7. Wonderful run and that new garmin looks awesome! Can't wait til you write more about it!

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  8. I was just telling my husband yesterday that I want that Garmin so badly!! That exact color too!! I put it on my Amazon wish list. I highly doubt I'll see it under the tree this Christmas though. LOL!!! You definitely have to let us all know how it works and how well you like it!

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  9. I love that your boys like making those bracelets! Like you I made tons of the stringy ones you'd knot and braid into patterns :) Enjoy your new toy!

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