Run Like Hell Update

Well, yesterday was the big day. I didn't have to wake up terribly early for the race, because the start time wasn't until 9. My friend picked me up around 8 and we were at the cemetery by 8:30, my aunt and uncle were already there and so were my other friends that were running the race. This was my uncle's first race and he was pretty nervous/excited. Unfortunately, the weather did not really cooperate, it was about 57 degrees and rainy. The weather didn't dampen the atmosphere though, everyone was in a great mood and all the costumes made the race so much fun! I wore a tutu and a tiara, there were other costumes way more creative! I think my favorite was the group of 6 dressed like a 6pack of Bud Light, a little girl and her dad were dressed as Lady Mary and Lord Grantham, and I really enjoyed the person in flannel pajamas dressed as a sock monkey.

 I was a little nervous when we got to the start line, because the race started on a hill. It became very obvious that I had underestimated what the hills were going to be like for the race. Once the race started it took us a few minutes to cross the start line just because there were so many people in front of us, and we were in the middle of the pack. My group of friends and I all separated to run at our own pace, and about a .5 mile in I was on my own. I was a complete scatter brain and forgot my armband and headphones at home, so I was running alone and couldn't even listen to music. I did something to my knee earlier in the week, but rested for two days before the race and thought I would be okay. I had some pain while I was running, but I was so focused on getting over the hills that I tried to ignore it. Really though I just focused on finishing because I really needed to go to the bathroom lol.

Overall, the race was a great experience and I had my best time yet! They yelled 36:20 as I crossed the finish line, so I guess that I my official time.  That is a full minute faster than my last race. When I turned my Nike app off though it said I had actually ran 3.5 miles in 36:59 and a 32:02 time for a 5k(3.1 mi). That is a huge improvement for me. I was able to run most of this race and in general felt a lot better during the race than I did during my last race. Running in the cold was new for me and it took me a while to get my breathing to a comfortable place. A few hours after the race I began to have some really intense knee pain and it hasn't really let up. I've been rotating heat and ice, keeping it elevated, and I did an Epsom salt bath, we'll see what happens.

Here are some pictures from the race!

Race Tshirt (I wont be sporting this one at work)

Ashleigh and I waiting to start

My friends and I at the start line, these women inspire me!

When we go to this hill in the race I literally yelled, "What the hell is this?!" Hung my head and walked up.

About to cross the finish line, it felt really great to see my aunt and my friends husbands there cheering me on!

Ashleigh and I after the race, this was her first 5k and she rocked it!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Mrs. Yeo

2 Days Until Run Like Hell

Run Like Hell is less than two days away! I'm not sure I'm ready, but I'm very excited. I have been more consistent with how often I've gone running the past few weeks, and in general I feel pretty good going into this. I have several friends doing the race, so that is only adding to the excitement. I know things will be great with my friends there because we will encourage each other and help push each other when things get hard. I'm also very excited to see all the costumes! I'm not exactly wearing a costume, but I do have a tutu that will make its first appearance. I'm considering getting a tiara and going for a "princess" look. I have had some knee pain this week so I'm not sure if I will get a run in tonight or not, but I really feel like I need to. Tuesday night, thanks to a good friend, I was able to complete 4 miles! That is the farthest I have ever ran, and I felt like I would have to stop after two miles. Thanks to the support and encouragement from my friend I completed all four and didn't slow her down too much. Finishing those four miles was a great feeling.

My runs for the past week

10/10/13

10/11/13

10/14/13

10/15/13

I will update again after the race!

Mrs. Yeo

Thank Goodness for a Day Off

Happy Monday everyone, I only say that because I'm not working! This day off couldn't have come at a better time. We had a busy weekend!

Friday morning, I received a message from someone offering us two free tickets to Auburn's homecoming game on Saturday. I immediately went into action trying to make it happen. After a few hours, the plan was set and we would be heading to the "Loveliest Village on the Plains" to cheer on the Tigers! I was so excited, this was the first time I had been to a game in 3 years and Pete's first Auburn game ever! We woke up super early to get our tailgate food ready and to make the trip down. We were in Auburn by 10 A.M. and spent the morning eating and tailgating. Actually, all we did Saturday was eat! Our seats were club level so there was tons of free food and drinks. I think we ate our weight in food! After the game, we made sure to make our way to Toomer's corner to get a lemonade and to see the corner being rolled. We ended up getting back home around 11 P.M. We had a wonderful day!

Pete and I outside Jordan-Hare Stadium before the game.

At Toomer's corner after the game.

Our view of the field.

Sunday was spent with family. We did our best to sleep in yesterday and then got ready to head to our youngest nephew's second birthday party! He was absolutely adorable opening his gifts, and his cake had blue icing on it so he precious little face and blonde hair were blue for the rest of the day. After the party we helped get all the presents into his room and then had dinner with friends and family. I think we went to bed around 9 last night, we were so exhausted!

In other news, Run Like Hell is 5 days away! I used Saturday and Sunday as rest days so I really need to get a good run in today. Thursday and Friday I did make it out and I had a decent run both nights. Friday had to be cut short because it was just too dark, Thursday I did my fastest mile. I chalk that up to almost stepping on a snake about a 1/4 of a mile in.

In even more exciting news I have registered for the Cinderella Royal Family 5k at Disneyworld. The race is February 21st, and is the weekend of the Princess Half Marathon. I would have loved to register for the half and get my ass into gear training, but the 5k was the only race with space open. I am so excited about this, it combines two things I love, running and Disney!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Mrs. Yeo

Another One Down

Yesterday I did my third 5k. This one was near where my dad and brothers live, the only reason I did this one was because my brother found it for me. He said it was time I did a race close by so that they could come and watch me. Pete ended up being able to come to this one as well, I was very happy to have people there waiting for me to cross the finish line. I was told the the course was flat and fast, I was not fast however. As excited as I was to have family there watching me, it also made me a little nervous. I wanted to do well, so that they would be proud of me. As the race started I turned on my app that I typically use to keep track of everything during workouts/races, but it seems that this app didn't like the iOS upgrade. By the time I had finished the first mile my app had only tracked 1/4 of a mile. I decided to turn it off and just go on my own. The race was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, there were a ton of people there. I ended up finishing in 37:24. Not my best time, but still not too bad. I think I was the 158th finisher. Now its time to keep training and get ready for Run Like Hell!

Weekend Recap: When did we get so old?

Well, we made it through Monday. That is about the most positive thing I can say about today. We found out Friday that my mom will be having hand surgery this coming Friday so I called her to get all the information and the check on her. While I was talking to her my dad called twice, left a voicemail, and a text. Then my husband called, and then my aunt. My dad was calling to invite us to dinner with some extended family members, Pete was calling to tell me he would be home early, and my aunt was calling to check on my mom and get info. So, as soon as Pete walked in the door we left for our family dinner, which was very nice. While at dinner I found out that my oldest nephew had his first soccer game on Saturday, so that immediately changed my Saturday plans. After dinner Pete and I just enjoyed actually being able to spend an evening together.

Saturday morning after Pete went to work I bummed around, before getting off my butt. I figured since it actually felt like fall and I have two 5ks coming up I needed to do something. My run was less than a mile and was actually more of a walk, but at least I got off my ass. Then it was time for the soccer game. It was easily the most adorable thing I have ever seen, and my nephew smiled the entire game! He was so happy to be playing and considering he is 5, he was very good! After the game, I had lunch with my dad, brothers, and sister-in-law. We live almost an hour apart so these things don't happen all the time and I really enjoy them when they do.

 warming up

proud auntie

While I was at the game Pete called to let me know that his boss was having people over to watch the boxing match. Because of my job, we don't get to go out very often, so this was a great opportunity for us. We went over around 9, there was tons of food and great conversation. We left around 2 AM after the fight ended. Sunday when I woke up I felt like I had been hit by a truck! Don't get me wrong, we didn't get trashed or anything like that. Its just that, we NEVER go out anymore. So staying out as late as we did was a total shock to my system. I slept until 10 AM yesterday, which was nice, but it didn't help. I was dragging all day. It got worse when it was time to go to bed, because I had slept so late I couldn't go to bed early. That made for a very rough morning.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and that yall have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Yeo

Run Like HELL

I am beyond excited right now! A few weeks ago, a very good friend texted me about finding a 5k to do together. I was very excited about this idea, because both of the races I've participated in I ran alone. I didn't have anyone waiting at the finish line for me either. The idea of running with her made me so excited, I knew that it would be great because we would feed off of each other and encourage each other till the end. Well, earlier this week she told me she would be doing the Run Like Hell 5k in October, I have had my eye on this race for months now! It is a 5k through the BEAUTIFUL and historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta! Plus it is just one week before my birthday! When she told me she was doing this race I knew that I HAD to register.

The race website has a ton of pictures from last year's race and it looks like so much fun. The cemetery is gorgeous, tons of people in costumes, and beautiful fall weather. I've been looking at the page every day this week, just waiting for pay day. And guess what? That came today! I just registered for the Run Like Hell 5k! I didn't think I could ever be this excited about running. The only way I could possibly be more excited is if I were going to Disney World for one of their races, but maybe that will happen next year.

So now, along with actually getting ready for the race, I also need to start thinking about a costume! I love dressing up for Halloween, so I can't pass the opportunity to dress up for this race! I'm really hoping to be able to DIY a Disney princess costume. I would like to be able to either do Rapunzel or Merida! There are some you can order on Etsy, but those are a little pricey. We'll see what I come up with!

If you're in the Atlanta area you should consider checking out this event!

 Run Like Hell


I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Mrs. Yeo

Adjusting

Well, I made it through the first day of work after a long weekend. Last year those days always seemed like the hardest. My weekend was actually 3 1/2 days, Friday I took the afternoon off to take my mom to a doctor's appointment, run errands for her, and go to a doctor's appointment of my own. I'm sure though, if you asked my co-workers they would have told you I was going on vacation, I was not a popular person because I had that afternoon "off."

During my appointment I found out that my birth control injection is the reason behind some awful things I have been dealing with lately. Things like my hair coming out in handful when I shower, night sweats, and hot flashes. Yeah, I've been a fun person to live with lately. I really don't know what to do though. I have experienced nasty, horrible side effects from every birth control I have been on in recent years. The only reason I stay on it is because I experience other awful things when I'm not on it. I feel like there is no winning in the situation, and I'm not sure I made the right choice by getting my injection again on Friday.

Friday morning Pete left to work out of town again. This is his third trip since June, and I hate to say that its getting "easier," but I am adjusting. I feel like this trip has gone by faster than the others and I am developing a routine for while he is gone. It still sucks to not have him home, but it doesn't feel as terrible as it did the first time he left. But, once again, the day he left one of our dogs got sick. This is the second time this has happened and it makes me wonder whats going on. I really hope this doesn't continue!

I am so happy with my results from yesterday's 5k! I made sure to wear my t-shirt to work today and tell a few co-workers about the race. However, I am very sore! I started my day by taking ibuprofen and I'm pretty sure my day will end the same way. I don't usually get shin splints, but I am definitely experiencing them today. I can't complain too much though because its my own fault. I haven't been training at all. I honestly haven't even been out for a run since the first 5k I did a month ago. This pain should be good motivation for me to get my ass of the couch and keep training. I really want to work on my endurance, its very humbling to have a man in his 70's finish a race way before you do. Never mind the fact that the first 10k finisher crossed the line less than 2 minutes after me.

I hope everyone has a great week!
Mrs. Yeo