thank you!

Thanks to everyone for the comments about my 5k!!! I hope you all have similar victories soon and I can share them with you, too!

I didn’t end up napping but I definitely vegged out on the couch and watched a cheesy movie part-way through. Then I got hungry for lunch and threw together some random stuff. I peeled and sliced a sweet potato and baked it in the oven for about 10 minutes and then used some of the left over rotisserie chicken to make a sandwich. Good eats!

I may lie down for 30 minutes before my drive to Richmond so I don’t fall asleep at the wheel (I didn’t sleep too well last night because of nerves!) and then I’m heading back to my college to visit with friends. Going out to dinner tonight and I hope I get to pick the place! I kinda want Thai food….. (as usual).

Lunch:
1 small sweet potato
1 tsp olive oil
salt, pepper
1/2 cup boneless, skinless chicken meat
1 Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb wedge
1 Arnold sandwich thin
1 fresh apricot

celebratory oats!

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!! I will give you all a (very) detailed recap of my race experience this morning. Feel free to stop reading now, as it is boring.

I arrived and parked in the wrong lot, but made my way to registration to get my bib and my chip. I walked back to the car to ditch my coat, pin my bib on, and fix the chip to my shoe (took a while since I clearly have issues with motor skills at 7:30am). I walked back to the start area and stretched and looked around to get intimidated by all the “professional” looking runners. There were people there wearing shirts from marathons and half marathons, and here I was wearing a college t-shirt and some running tights. Never in my life have I felt so intimidated! Judge me all you want, but I started looking around to find some “competition”. I reassured myself that I wouldn’t finish last when I saw a group of older folks who were very clearly walkers in the race. Then I asked about the course and learned that it included some steep UPHILL climbs. WHAT?! This race was held at a city park called Mt. Trashmore that is a landfill-turned-park. I know that several 5k’s are held here and I’ve been told by many that the course is flat, flat flat. Well it turns out that THIS race wanted to be more challenging and include some uphill parts. Awesome.

So I got my music pumping and started talking myself out of my goal time of 33 minutes. With the hills, I figured it was impossible and I accepted that. Well before I was ready the gun went off and I crossed the start line. I was quickly left in the mud (yes, MUD) by many faster runners but continually looked behind to check for slower people. And they were there! I was proud to not have stopped to walk until mile 2.25 when I could not run up the steepest part of the hill. As soon as I got to the top I took a breath and kept on running. I had a group around me that were together for most of the race but the closer to mile 3 we got, the more fell behind me. I rounded the corner and saw the time clock. It said 32. I started giving it all I could and crossed the finish line as it said 33:00… I didn’t know what my official time would say, but I was SHOCKED. My results were emailed to me and my time was 33:00.82. I MADE MY GOAL!!!!!

I stretched, talked to a few runners who, upon finding out it was my first race ever, were really excited for me and told me that 33 was an awesome first time! I drank some hot chocolate (they had sugar free!) to warm up and headed home to find my official time and make a big old bowl of celebratory oats!

Breakfast:
1/2 cup (uncooked) old fashioned oats
1 tsp raw almond butter
1 tbsp coconut
1 banana

Off to nap, shower, and pack for Richmond tonight! Thanks to everyone for your words of encouragement and support for my 5k!!!

pre-race jitters

I’ve got the jitters!

Mona made a really good, healthy recipe for dinner tonight so we had Asian inspired food, once again! It was sesame chicken with noodles (a WW recipe). I had seconds and had about another half-bowl more than what is in the picture. After we all went back for seconds we decided it would have been good planning to make a salad, but oh well! It was mainly udon (buckwheat) noodles with a spicy sauce and we used rotisserie chicken instead of making our own chicken breasts. Yummy!

I didn’t do much after lunch but hang out. I helped Mona cook and then washed all the dishes. Now we’re sitting and watching “What Not to Wear” and I will probably go to bed. I have to be at the start line to pick up my registration packet for the 5k at 7:15am. WHOO HOO. I’m nervous but feeling confident. Here’s hoping that adrenaline kicks in and helps me finish! My only goal is to not be last.

Dinner:
1 1/2 cups of sesame chicken and noodles
6 olives (the beauty of olives is that you can count the pits to make sure you haven’t over-done it!)