Life as of Lately...

It has been a while since I have blogged, especially about life in general! Cheers to catching up a little bit!

I am still on the job hunt. I graduated last May with a Masters (Educational Specialist) degree and did not find a job right out of school. I have worked retail off and on parttime just for something to do. I have had several interviews for various jobs that weren't exactly what I wanted and was overqualified for. I feel though that something is going to come along that is meant for me.

I interviewed this past Monday and I felt better about that interview than any other so far. They made me feel comfortable and actually acted interested in me and who I was. I am keeping my fingers crossed but trying not to get my hopes up. If it is meant for me, it will happen.

In other news, I will soon be celebrating my one year anniversary! I mean, really?!?! Where did that year go? We survived the "dreaded first year" of marriage and with a little room to spare! :) The husband planned a long weekend in the mountains to celebrate and I am super excited about getting away!

This was the husband and I close to 6 years ago celebrating our first Christmas as a couple...

Wow is all I can say. This photo is quite embarrassing! We have come along way in our journey to both living healthy lifestyles, that's for sure!

This is from Christmas 2011...

Our furry baby is almost 4th months and he is growing so fast! He is already 4.7 lbs! Hopefully he will only gain just a few more lbs before he maxes out. Here is what he has been up to lately!

Playing with my friends

 After my first haircut! You can finally see my eyes!

Pattie and Mommy

I love visiting my Grandma's house and finding things on the floor that get dropped...like my auntie's undies!

Last, but certainly not least, I have an important announcement to make! No, I am not having a human baby but I do have a new baby that is on it's way to me and I couldn't be more thrilled! Introducing...

DA NEW RIDE!!!

I got an amazing deal on this through ebay. It was shipped yesterday and I have tracked it every thirty minutes since I got the tracking number! Stalker much, No?

I  can't wait to learn more about cycling and how to ride! Luckily I have some great friends who ride who are willing to help! Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Hopefully I will be a better blogger but I just have been in a rut! I am sure that when my new baby gets here I will have lots to talk about! In the meantime I am going to go figure out how I am going to fit in a husband, a job, a furry baby, running, yoga, crossfit, and biking! Whew!!

I am off to watch Survivor and cheer on Chelsea who is from my hometown and who I went to high school with!! Get it girl!

*britton*

1st Annual Run For Brighter Days 10k Race Recap

On Saturday, April 21, 2012 I ran the first annual Run for Brighter Days 10k trail race. This was a small race but I love small races in my area! They are all usually well organized and supported by the local runners, and this one was no different.

Can I just go ahead and say up front that I do not like trails. There, I said it. I don't really know why, but I don't. I love the surroundings that trails usually bring but I just don't enjoy running on that type of surface.

The morning started out bright at early at 6:00am after the husband woke me up as he was making noise getting ready to go turkey hunting. I don't know why putting on camouflage has to be so noisy. 

I couldn't go back to sleep so I got up, fixed me a 1/4th a cup of coffee and played around on the computer. After coffee I got my things together that I needed for the run and woke up the furry baby and took him out. We played for a few minutes and then I got dressed and ate my banana and Luna bar for breakfast.

The race didn't start until 9:00 so I had plenty of time. I would rather they start early, but that's just me. Lauren came and picked me up at my house around 8:00 and we said bye to the pup pup and we headed to the race. We got there in plenty of time and walked to the registration area to get our bibs. Neither one of us got the right size shirts because they had already run out. Not that I don't have enough race shirts already, but this is probably my only complaint about this race.

We walked over and chatted with G and B of Carolina Running Company. They do such a fabulous job timing the local races around here! I left them and hit the trail for a little warm up before the race started!

The race started promptly at the said start time. I almost forgot to start my watch. That's me up there scrambling to find satellite before the gun went off.

The begining of the course took you downhill and the back uphill on gravel terrain. That was tricky! 

I went out way too fast, as usual. I have been working on this so hopefully I will continue to learn how to start a bit slower. My first mile was 6:57 so I knew I had to slow down a bit.

Here I am coming back up the hill near the end of the first mile.

After the first mile or so we split off from the 5k runners and I was pretty much on my own. There were only a few guys in front of me and after a few turns they got out of my site. I had no idea where anyone else was or how close anyone was behind me.

I started cramping at Mile 2. I slowed down a little bit, let the cramps do their thing and thank goodness they went away. Mile 2 was the slowest mile at 7:45 and then I picked it back up.

There were a good many turns and the signs were small so I had to look close to see where to go. I don't like having to do that. It takes extra work. I would rather just follow the person in front of me!

Mile 3 all I could think about was how I was going to be able to hold on to my pace. It was hot, I was on a surface I didn't like, and there was nothing but open fields around me with zero shade. Enter positive self talk. It works, people!

The next few miles were tough. I only took in one little bit of water and kept trudging. Only once did I suspect I had made a wrong turn because the sign was not visible and there were 5k walkers coming at me from two different directions. Luckily, I made the right turn!

I don't know my last few splits because I can't find it on my Garmin. I do know they were pretty fast.

I will say that I love to finish a race strong and totally out of breath. Mission Accomplished!

Yes, those ladies behind me are 5k walkers. I finished about 5 mintutes in front of the next girl.

Official race time = 44:58
3rd place Overall out of 38 runners
1st Place Overall Female

A 6 minute PR for me on a trail course, I'll take it!

I won a Dicks gift card and a gift card to the spa for a manicure! WOW! Definitely best award I think I have received from a race! That was very nice and much appreciated!

If I am able, I will definitely do this race again next year! Hopefully I will be up for the challenge!

Palmetto Half Marathon Race Recap

Saturday, April 14 I headed ran the Palmetto Half Marathon in Columbia, SC. I signed up to run this race with my friend M but due to some calf issues she ended up not running and another friend took her spot. 

My alarm went off at 4am. I drank 1/4 cup of coffee and met S by 5:00 and we were off. The drive to the race was right at an hour. We gave ourselves plenty of time to get their and get our things and make a bathroom stop (or two). The race started at 7:00 sharp! 

We got their and there was plenty of parking and everything was very well organized! Columbia always knows how to put on a great racing event. This race is in it's 3rd year and has continued to grow! There were close to 1,000 runners who ran the half marathon.

I wasn't sure what to expect for this race. I hadn't raced a half since last October. I knew I had been racing well lately so I didn't set any real goals for myself but just to go out and have a good run and that is exactly what I did.

The weather was absolutely perfect for this race. We couldn't have asked for any better weather for running!

Here is a breakdown of my half:

Mile 1- 7:36

2-7:31

3-7:25

4-7:21

5-7:27

6-7:16

7-7:16

8-7:48

9-7:31

10-7:28

11-7:42

12-7:44

13-7:26

.1-7:23

Official chip time = 1: 38: 43

New PR by close to 10 minutes!

#67 out of 932 runners

#12 out of 521 females

3rd place in the 25-29 age group

Thank you God for another absolutely beautiful day for a race!

Our First Easter

We had a wonderful first married Easter together. We began our morning with breakfast sandwiches and coffee while we got ready for church along with a little love from the baby! We headed to church and then afterwards we came back to our house with my sister and took a few pictures while waiting on my parents to get out of Sunday school. 

We headed to their house and visited for a while, ate a few sweets, took some more pictures, and then we were off to the husbands' grandmother's  house for lunch.

We got home from lunch and spent some time with the baby before going over to my aunt's for a wonderful easter dinner! Needless to say, I was tired of eating! PS- My aunt and uncle are caterers for a living and have up until recently had their own restaurant that was very well known in our area. What does that mean? That means my family can COOK! Well, everyone except for me that is ( oh yeah, and my sister too). 

We finished dinner and went and picked up the baby and headed back to my parents to rest and watch the Amazing Race together. It was a wonderful day!

A new number..

This morning I attended a beginner's crossfit class to learn the 9 foundational movements. 

I stayed after the class to my first actual wod. I did do one several months ago. It was amrap in 7 minutes of ground to overhead press and I was able to pick my weight. I started pretty low so I could get the hang of it.

Then, amrap in 5 minutes of hand stand pushups. Yeah. Right. I did the modified version and still sucked at it! But hey, that is why I am doing crossfit. I know I do not do enough strength training in my weekly routine so it is time to amp it up!

I enjoyed it. So many of my friends do crossfit and they have been peer pressuring me to join for a long time and I finally gave in!

So, while I was waiting around for the class to start I spotted a scale. 

 

 

I have been meaning to weigh myself when I go to the gym but the scale is in the back of the locker room and I always forget! Just out of curiously, I hopped on it! 

O-M-G! Did I just read that right?! I am down 5 lbs from the last time I weighed and I couldn't be happier!

I tend to put on weight when marathon training so I decided to take advantage of this time and get some of this "marathon weight" off. Who would have thunk it? Marathon = gain weight...Really?! 

I have been calorie counting, cutting out carbs late in the day, amping up my intake of veggies, and splurging when necessary! :) (Easter candy is definitely a weakness of mine, FYI.)

This little baby has been my lifesaver! I have NEVER counted calories until I started using this app on my phone. Wow, I never knew how fast calories added up. My habit of grazing is not a good one!  I have learned a lot by calorie counting and I do think it is extremely important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle! My name on myfitnesspal is BrittLizz1102! Add me!!

That's all I got for today! Happy Hump Day!!,