Monday, December 24, 2012

Holiday Happenings & Ramblings

Well, things hit the fan is quite an unexpected way.  Which left me not much time to sit down and actually blog. Of course I have thought about what to blog and I have been on the computer here and there, but not as much as usual.  I've had opportunities to, but it was always at the time that I chose to spend with the hubby & kids making holiday memories.  Or chatting with a friend in Alabama at 1 a.m.  Or just plain sleeping so I don't turn into a cranky zombie.

I know you all understand.  We've all been there at one time or another.  I'm sure you are all amidst your own holiday craziness, whatever that means for you.  I know that even though I went MIA and will continue to take a break after I post this, you'll be back.  I'm pretty sure you don't follow me or my blog because I'm so faithful in posting each and every day.  Or even because I'm just the best blog out there, because we all know I'm not.  I don't mean that as a put down to my blogging.  I know if you are here, you are here because of ME!  I appreciate that and am glad you are here!

Even though I have SO MUCH to tell you all.  I just wanted to hop on and wish you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!  May you all have a very blessed holiday tomorrow and the many other days that you may have already celebrated or will continue to celebrate with family & friends.



I'll be back after the holidays and will be ready to tackle 2013.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Giveaway winner announced

I didn't plan to be absent from blogging the last 2 days.  To say they have been crazy is an understatement.  And I don't really have time now to step away from said craziness to get a real blog post up and going.  Perhaps later.  I had promised a winner first thing asap for my Tough Chik military hat giveaway.

And the winner is.......

Yo Momma Runs

Thank you to everyone who participated!  I wish I had several hats, so many of you are worthy of winning one!!!!  A big thank you to Tough Chik for sponsoring this great giveaway!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Tuesday's Tunes - Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Snow...typically you either love or hate it.  I'm fairly neutral.  Or maybe call it love-hate.  I don't mind it, in fact, I often welcome it.  I'm not sure though that I would say the more the merrier.  Several other factors must be taken into consideration before I decide my mood on the subject. 

Maybe it's from our very mild winter last year, but for the time being, I've been craving snow!  I dreamt the other night that I was out running in a fresh snowfall while the snow was still coming down.   I even remember laying there with a big grin on my face, still half asleep & not wanting to let go of that dream or of the feeling of running in snow.  It makes me feel all excited and warm just thinking about it!

I was talking to my running partner, Angela, this morning and was telling her about my dream.  I think I might have even squealed a little bit when I talked about it.  We're planning to run on Thursday morning and we are keeping our fingers crossed that a fresh blanket of snow will be coming down when we head out.  That would be AWWWWWWSOME!

Although according to the most recent weather forecast, I'm not sure if the snow will stick around for very long.  Look at what's predicted for Friday:





Well, might as well enjoy it while it lasts...*giggle*

This morning's run was a nice quiet 4 miler.  I can tell I'm getting more acclimated to the weather and colder temps.  As I set out it was 32 degrees with a slight wind.  I wasn't cold at all.  I thought it felt rather nice, a tad balmy, if anything.  Here are the tunes I enjoyed on my run:

Always - Atlantic Star
Miss Independent - Kelly Clarkson
Shout to the North - Delirious
Everlasting God - Lincoln Brewster
Every Breath You Take - The Police
That's How You Know - Enchanted Soundtrack
Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus - BBC Brass Quartet
Weekend in New England - Barry Manilow (my favorite Barry song!!)
Family Ties Theme Song - TV Tunes
Beverly Hills 90210 Theme Song - TV Tunes
Love in Any Language - Sandi Patti 
The Motions - Matthew West

Monday, December 17, 2012

Tough Chik GIVEAWAY!

I've blogged and bragged about the awesome Team Tough Chik that I belong to.  It is such a great community of remarkable women that regardless of each others lives, interests, strengths & weaknesses, they come together in support of one another and celebrating what makes each woman tough.

Even if you don't belong to the team (sorry, registration is close for the upcoming 2013 season.....I DID tell you about joining when you had the chance) you can still enjoy many of the great & high quality Tough Chik products.   Yes, I am pretty much drooling over and wanting one of everything they have available.

I'm typically not a huge hat person, but if I had to pick a particular style the military cap would be my number one choice.  So you can imagine my excitement when Tough Chik introduced a military cap of their own.  When I was contacted about having one to sample and giveaway I didn't even look at the picture I just said YES!  I was even more excited when the package arrived and pulled it out to find it in black (the cap) and red (the Tough Chik wording).  Ahhhhhh, my favorite colors!!!!  I've worn the hat a lot the last few days.  It's very comfortable and fashionable to wear with many of my outfits.  With an adjustable back it was super easy to fit my smaller head.  If you are indeed blessed with a larger cranium, don't worry there is plenty of room.  Regardless I'm sure it will look fabulous on any tough chik head!

The wonderful peeps at Tough Chik have provided an addition hat for me to GIVEAWAY!  Yaaaaaay!  In addition, I have added a few extra fun gifts of my own to give to one luck winner.
(Tough Chik military hat, 3 TC tatoos, green apple Chap Stick & a pair of wonderful holiday socks!)



You will see from the rafflecopter below you have MANY opportunities to sign up and have a chance to win this hat.  First and MOST important you must "like" Tough Chik on facebook.  They are *this close* to having 2,000 likes/followers on their facebook page.   Wouldn't it be awesome if YOU were responsible for helping them go over that 2,000 mark.  Either by liking them yourself or helping spread the word about this great company and pointing other people to the Tough Chik facebook page.  No matter what it is a win/win situation!

DUDES!.....Yes, you manly men who read & follow my blog and/or Tough Chik.  Just because this product doesn't (gender) specifically apply to you I'm sure there are MANY tough chiks in your own life.  Mom?  Wife?  Girlfriend?  Daughter?  Sister?  Hot chik down the street you want to score some points with?  Basically Tough Chiks are EVERYWHERE!  So you can't wear this hat yourself, think of someone that you can win it for and/or tell them about it so they can enter too!!

Come on, help spread the Tough Chik love!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway start NOW and ends at midnight on Friday, December 21.  When I wake up on Friday I will draw for a winner and post it first thing in the morning.  I have everything all packaged up & ready to go.  As soon as the winner contacts me, I will get the prize mailed right away.

Tough Chik provided me a hat to sample and a hat to giveaway free of charge.  All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Heavy Heart

I stayed off the computer most of the morning.  I was aiming to be ahead of the game in terms of getting the house cleaned, laundry done and a good start to my weekend.  I was looking forward to blogging today, especially since an unexpected stop at the store yielded SEVERAL new pairs of socks for  $0.88.  Then a package came in the mail for my next GIVEAWAY!  Yes....I was SO EXCITED to sit down and be bubbly excited about my post today.

Sometimes no matter how hard I try to put on my blinders, be in my own little world and shut out all the dark & evil that ruins so many lives it still smacks me hard in the face.  Within seconds of getting on the computer I felt like I had been punched in the gut and tears were streaming down my face.  Scrolling through facebook and twitter don't help matters at all.  The heartache of what's happened in Newton, Connecticut this morning is plastered everywhere.  My whole put on my blinders aspect is not out of lack of compassion, but I can't handle such heart ache.  9-11 ripped me to shreds and I don't personally know a single soul that was even there.  I'm feeling the same hurt right now and I don't think I know a single person that even lives in Connecticut.  Yet I feel so affected by the events of what has happened.

Suddenly any anger or frustration I felt with my kids this morning no longer matters.  How lucky am I that I get to pick them up from school soon and love on them and hug them very tight.  It's certainly a reality check for everyone of us to realize what is/isn't important.


I decided to put on hold what I had planned to tell you about today.  My socks will still be here, my giveaway will start soon enough.  Those precious children and other innocent people involved are worth the wait.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Three Things Thursday: Mothers, Daughters & 12 mile runs

1.  I got a note & package from my mom the other day.  The note was slightly puzzling as she "lectured" me about being careful what I put on the internet & social media.  I need to be more responsible and she's not always going to be there to bail me out of my mouth getting me in trouble.  Ummm.....ok????  I will be the first to admit I'm a pretty open person with my life.  But even I know somethings are not meant to ever be posted for the world to see.  However when I full opened the package, this is what I found:
Ha, ha!  Good joke Mom!  She had me going, but only for a second.  My mom has always been one of my #1 fans in life and is always listening & paying attention to what I (or others) say to know just how to bless them.  Hmmmmm, sounds an awful lot like me!  Yes, in many ways....I AM JUST LIKE MY MOTHER!  In more ways than one, in good ways & in bad.  Thanks Mom for the socks, I love them!!  *Mwah*

2. Well,I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree around here either.  Like mother, like daughter.  Yada....yada....  Yesterday about mid morning (baby) Carmen came to me while I was working on the computer, thrust the camera into my hands and announced "I made a video".  I did noticed that she had disappeared upstairs for awhile and was awfully quiet.  Not too unusual for her.  She's the baby and gets away with murder loves messing with electronics.  She works my phone & ipod better than I can sometimes.  For some reason her announcement had a special hint to it so I watched it right away.  She stood there with the biggest grin and said "just like you momma!"   Awwwww, melt my little heart, it's my daughter's first vlog:



You might need to listen a few times to catch everything she says and disregard her mumble jumble handling of the camera.  Unlike her momma she kept it really short & to the point.  Otherwise, I see potential and a future for her ; )

3. So?  Did you do anything special to "celebrate" 12-12-12?  It almost didn't happen, but I did get in a 12.12 mile run.  Let me tell you, it was NO rainbow & unicorn run where I easily glided along at a fast pace.  I'd say at least 50% of the time it really sucked.  I knew by mile 3 that it wasn't going to be pretty.  I considered calling my daughter to come pick me up.  This was right at the point where I was heading out into the country portion of my run.  I just wasn't "feeling it" and my legs kind of ached.  Not quite hurt, but something funky was going on with my legs & I'm pretty sure I heard them yell "STOP!  Just stop and go home!"  I'm not very good at listening to this voice and I kept going even though there was hills and wind coming at me with good force.  Ugggggh!  There seems to be some switch that once it's on I can't seem to turn off.  When I say I'm going to run, I run.  When I have a course in my mind that I'm going to complete I do it.  Never mind the negative thoughts or how hard it is to keep going on.  I just go.

On the plus side, I did get a nice chunk of my next audio book started.  I've started listening to Les Miserables. I am a HUGE fan of the musical (even though I've never seen it in person) and I'm even more excited about the movie that is coming out.  I get all excited and slightly out of controll when the topic comes up.....I CAN'T WAIT!  (more on that in another post).  I do remember trying to read the book in Jr. High, but it was overwhelming and I didn't get very far.  Anyway, my run sucked, but I got it done!  Yaaaay!


Tell me:
How are you like your mother?  
Do you have a daughter that is just like you?
What did you do (running related or not) on 12-12-12?

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Tuesday's Tunes - Baby It's "Cold" Outside

Lately I've been deferring most of my runs until the afternoon.  Mostly so I can get some city streets ran (in neighborhoods I will only take to in the daylight), but also because the sun is bright & warm and it makes the run just easier to tackle.  Temperature might also have played a role.  Although I'm not one to shy away from temps, more specifically cold ones, as it is that time of year for such conditions.  I tend to live by two mottos:



I realize that everyone is different and we each have our personal limit on what we'll endure in terms of weather, temperature and other conditions of that nature.  I seem to have no limits or very limited ones.  Day, night, hot, cold, rain, snow....you name it and I'm not afraid to venture out in it.  Mind you, I'm not going to do anything really stupid with some conditions (so quit waggin' your finger and save the lecture).  There is a time and place for a treadmill, although for me that is rare and far in between.  So when the too cold weather topic comes up I want to yell SUCK IT UP YOU WEENIE!  Wear proper clothing and get moving so your body warms up....it's not that cold!  Cold is just a state of mind!  But...ok, ok....to each their own. (ya, big baby).

Moving on.....I have not done a Tuesday's Tunes in awhile.  Primarily because I have been running in the afternoon  & I will allow myself to use headphones.  With that I am enjoying the aspect of listening to audio books.  If I have to choose between sitting and reading all afternoon or going out for a run....you know the run will win!  So I've nixed the tunes for the last month or so.  However today for you all, my millions thousands hundreds handful of loyal fans, I got up for a 5 a.m run, while it was 16 (but felt like 12) degrees outside and ran while listening (sans headphones) to music.

Toy Solider - Martika 
Fly On the Wall - Miley Cyrus 
Bye Bye Bye - N'Sync 
Wildfire - Michael Martin Muphey 
The Tide is High - Atomic Kitten 
Rise and Sing - Fee 
Love is a Right Place - Bryan White 
Reign In Us - Starfield 
Can't We Try - Dan Hill & Vonda Shepard 
Lose My Soul - Toby Mac 
Dumb Dog - Annie Soundtrack 
I Get Weak - Belinda Carlisle 

What is your running cold temperature limit?  Someone please tell me I'm not alone.
Do you like to listen to anything while you run?

Monday, December 10, 2012

Monday's Motivation

I'm sort of lacking motivation today.  I did get through most of my usual Monday workout.  Woke up at 5 a.m. & hit the Y when it opened.  Biked for 40 minutes, then ran 1 mile.  (I've been making Sunday a long run day so I can take a rest run day on Monday).  Did lots of stretching (that needs a post of it's own) and other toning exercises (ie plank).  Home for breakfast then get the kids out the door & to school.  Back to Y.  I had committed to taking the Spartacus class, but they needed me to sub hi/lo aerobics.  So I did that instead which in addition to 40 minutes of cardio I worked my abs & arms.  Next I hit the pool.  I was suppose to swim .5 mile, but that is where I lost any/all motivation.  I was feeling very funky and was pretty sure I looked like a fish out of water trying to swim.  So I gave up and only swam 1/2 of the laps I needed to do.  Now, I'd like to crawl in bed for a nice nap.  But guess what....yep, just like every day of my life, I have SO MUCH to do.  Ugh!  But I came across this nice motivation and decided to take it to heart:






Hmmmm, how true.  And usually I'm my own worst critic.  I have a never ending list of what I want to do/get done.  Even right now I'm feeling like I just didn't do enough exercise today.  I should have done more.  I know, I know, I should get my head examined.  I'm also such a people pleaser and a do-er....meaning I love to do things for other people.  I can clean my house all day (which benefits me & my family) and it will feel like it's not enough.  I'm very guilty of looking at what I didn't do and not focusing on what I did do.

The most important person I need to have this little pep talk with is myself.  Especially on days like today where I'm faced with SO MUCH to do and get done.  It's a little after lunch and I already feel like a complete failure today.  It's only Monday and I already feel like my week is doomed because I haven't gotten enough done to start off my week.  However, I'm going to take a step back, finish here & go make a list while sipping a cup of hot cocoa to get a grip on what I would like to get done with the rest of my day/week.  I probably won't get through my whole list, but I'll work at it and do what I can.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Three Things Thursday: recap, chilly challenge & King's Brass

1.  I never did a recap for November.  The end of the month just fell on a busy day and by time the next week rolled around there never seemed like a good time to get it done.  So without further ado here are my stats for the month:

Miles ran: 128.55  31 of those miles were my 50k I raced.  So in terms of running for the sake of running/training I still managed to get almost 100 miles in.  Not bad since I "rested" (aka 1 mile only days) 1 week before that 50k and gave myself a little slack the week after as well.

That brings my year to date running total up to: 997.1 miles.  And not to jump ahead of the game, but with what I have ran so far this month I know I went over my 1,000 mile mark.  And I didn't even realize it at the time either.  I use Nike+ to track my runs, miles & stats and I'm certainly a fanatic about it,but to some degree I don't pay too much attention.  Otherwise I might have given extra thought to that milestone.  I'll just have to wait until the end of the year to give one big whoop and celebrate.

My running streak is now at 187 days (as of the end of November) and of my yearly mileage 725.5 miles have been since my streak.  I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but it's fair to say I'm having the best running year of my life right now.  Let's hope it continues on forever and ever!

2.  I came across a blog of another fellow Tough Chik team mate.  She has developed the chilly challenge with another friend of hers and I decided to join in on the fun.  No one loves a little competition more than I do.  And best of all, she has swag available to go with the fun.  No need to talk me into it, I'm in!  She also turned me onto another website for some gear called Lunatik Althletiks.  Take one look at their products....can you say awesome!   I'll just take one of each RIGHT NOW!  Siiiigh, I wish.  It's really fun and amazing the people I meet and products I find all from the click of a button.  This challenge should be fun.  If you want to join, visit her page and sign up! 

3.  In non running aspects of my life (yes, that is possible....ha ha) I went and saw Tim Zimmerman & The King's Brass.  I have loved their music since I was in high school many years ago.  For the first time I saw them in concert last summer.  Come to find out they come to Galesburg frequently.  I was SO EXCITED when I saw they would be here in December.  Except when I went to add it to my calendar I saw that my daughter had a band concert that same night.  Noooooooooo!  Yes, I did consider going to see the King's Brass and skipping the high school concert.  She'd forgive me, right?  Well, even though I thought about it I did do the mommy thing (as I should 99.99999% of the time) and sat through enjoyed her concert.  As soon as she was done though I shot out of there & raced across town to see the rest of the King's Brass concert.  I still enjoyed 45 minutes of them performing.  They are so amazing, I could listen to them all the live long day!




3 trumpets, 3 trombones & a tuba, plus piano/organ & percussion

If you are not familiar with the group you can check out some of their clips on youtube here and here.  It's pretty fair to say I'm a band geek (said in the most affection way possible) and brass is my favorite group to listen to.  I'm glad to that I got to enjoy at least part of the King's Brass concert and my daughters concert really was enjoyable as well.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Sock It To Me

For many years I have only worn one kind of sock when I work out.  A plain white ankle sock.  B-ooooor-ring!  Actually I never gave much thought to my work out attire, least of all my socks.  In the last year or so I've been changing that up a little.....ok, A LOT!  It all started with my switching to workout skirts, then I started moving away from cotton shirts (although I do still have a few) and finally I started adding in the socks.  I blogged about my fashion movement here.  It's not about looking cute, because that is not what I want.  I have found that it doesn't matter how I want to look anyway I'm a sweaty hot mess anytime I'm working out.

Anyway, as I noted in my fashion post, I have ALWAYS been a lover of socks and especially knee highs.  It goes way back to my teen years.  Coming into adulthood I felt I had to hide this aspect of me.  There is actually a lot that I tried to hide, always afraid to be the real me.  Slowly, but surely, that has changed.  I've always had the socks, I would only wear them under my jeans.  Not ever really for anyone but myself to see.  Now, I don't believe in going to extreme lengths just to "show off" my socks.  But if I have a pair to wear and it matches what I'm wearing then I don't care what anyone thinks I'm going to wear it.

I have no aversion to plain white ankle socks.  There is actually a time and place for them and sometimes that is what looks best with what I'm wearing.  As you can see here I, for the most part, like a lot of color and patterns.
Some are ankle socks, but a majority of them are knee highs.  Some are plain/solid colored, but most are patterned.  And yet, I often feel like I don't have enough socks.  Or at least enough variety, because I can go, oh a month and never wear the same sock twice.  So quantity is not the issue, but quality.  Don't tell my husband though, almost every time we go to the store he finds me veering off into the sock aisle because I'm always on the lookout for more, new, different, holiday, etc. socks.  There is also the issue of wear and tear. Some of my socks I've had for years, some are poorly made and don't last as long.  I make every wear count and wear them until they are pitched into the trash for good.
Time for the trash?  If you look closely they are in the above picture too.  I really loved this pair & am having a hard time saying good bye.



Of course a good & fun alternative to me having to buy so many new/different pairs would be, ah-ahem, to receive a pair (or several) as a present.  Have I mentioned before that I love getting presents? Hmmmmm....

Well, I've found a partial solution to this addiction problem of not enough variety in my sock drawer.  Thanks to a post by Blue Grass Tri Chick I came across a holiday sock swap/exchange being held by Third Time's a Charm Runner.  If you want to participate you can find all the details here.  If you just want to shower me with love via a new pair of extremely cool socks, just ask, I'll tell you my address :)


What do you like to wear for socks?  Either for your workouts or everyday socks?

Friday, November 30, 2012

Flashback Friday: Anniversary Sentiments

My anniversary is on Sunday, December 2.  18 loooooong hard wonderful years.  I was just a babe myself having just graduated high school and turned 18 years old a few months earlier.  I'm not sure what the heck I was thinking, other than I was madly in love with this man, but I jumped on for the ride and have never let go.

We have a busy weekend ahead of us so we are celebrating today.  Several months ago I had some big fun get away planned for us.  Then....well, crap life happens, so I downsized my plans.  Then more crap life happens again and the reality of free/get away time with 6 kids is hard to juggle. Even though today has not happened like I wanted/planned, I'm determined to still make the best of it.

Here we were 18 year ago:



Long story short, we didn't have a real wedding.  We just got married.  I don't even have any pictures of that day.  Well, not of us together.  We didn't know it, but the camera wasn't working too well.  I have a few dark shady images of my dad, my best friend & I.  But none of me, the bride & her groom.  Fast forward 16 years and my husband did give me an actual wedding full of all the things a girl dreams of.  We renewed our vows and had a great wedding which is this picture below:


On most days though this is a reality of our lives:
 
Two crazy parents hanging on for the ride of our life!

A lot of craziness, but full of a ton of love.  We are the farthest thing from a perfect couple.  We get mad and fight all the time.  We disagree & don't see eye to eye on many things.  We drive each other crazy with all our little habits.  But we love each other.  For better or worse.




Thursday, November 29, 2012

Reminder: National Diabetes Month

Tomorrow is the end of National Diabetes Month. On Monday I blogged about my friend Dane, who is raising money to send juvenile diabetic campers to Camp Hertko Hollow. You can read that post in detail HERE.

I promised an extra incentive for anyone who would email, comment, message, contact me in any way about donating to Dane's fundraising efforts.  I scraped a few things together and am happy to offer to one lucky person this prize.  If I hear from several of you I will put all your names into the drawing and one of you will win.  Here is what you get:




A $10 gift card to Target, 2 tubes of Chapstick (Green Apple & Apple Cider) & a Shred It with Weights DVD by Jillian Michaels.  I'd be happy to give to someone who is willing to help out.  I'm just looking for people who will make a pledge, you will not need to send any money now.  Serious inquires only.  Contact me at my email:  6packmomma@gmail.com or comment below or facebook me, however you want.

I'd love to help Dane meet his goal by tomorrow, the end of National Diabetes Month.  Of course if you contact me after that we can still get you connected.  I know Dane is really close to his goal of $2,500.  Would you be willing to help him too?

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Vloggin' Wednesday - Changing It Up

I made my usual rambling video for you this morning.  I know a few of you don't mind my yappin' and going on.  So here is the long version of my post today:



Then I decided to make a shorter much more condensed video of what I had to say.  It's funny how something can be the same, but different.  Anyway, choose which one you want or watch both.



Side note: I always love the funny freeze frame faces that my videos leave. Ha - ha!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Too tired

I was just scrolling through facebook.  Partly out of boredom.  Not that I don't have a gazillion things to do, I just don't want to do them.  I have this weird equal force within me that I can't explain.  Half of me wants to do absolutely nothing.  Just sleep or maybe lay on my bed and watch tv all afternoon.  The other half wants to clean the house from top to bottom in less than an hour and squeeze in a 100 mile run before the kids get home from school.  I can do it, ya?!?!?!

I think my drag is coming from a touch of sickies lurking around my body.  I have this thick, gross feeling in my throat & mouth.  For now I'm calling its bluff.  Oh, you don't scare me germs.  I DO NOT GET SICK!  Yeah, I might have to eat crow in a few days, but we'll see.

In my scroll through fb I just came across this picture:




It doesn't fit me exactly, but close enough.  If I stay home I'm going to crawl into bed and ignore the 4 baskets of laundry that insist on being folded and pretend my kitchen is sparkling clean.  Instead, I will head out the door for a run.  Not sure how long.  I am *this close* to getting all the streets run in Galesburg and each afternoon that I venture out I get that much closer.  It's a fair trade for those mornings that I sleep in.  Normally I LOVE getting my workouts done early in the day.  Running at 5 a.m. is a favorite of mine.  But if I run at 5 a.m. I'm so much more limited on where I'll go, how far I'll go and what I'll accomplish.  So running in the afternoon is winning out way too often.  For the time being, at least.

So out the door I go for a run because I'm too exhausted to possibly do anything else!!

Monday, November 26, 2012

National Diabetes Month

Wow, I didn't realize this until I started this post that this is my 200th POST!  Yay! (Bloggers....we'll use anything as an excuse to celebrate....ha ha)  So, I guess since I'm in a celebrating mood I will have to sweeten my post a little.  1st let me get to what I was planning to tell y'all about anyway.

November is National Diabetes Month.  Yeah, I know, a little late in the month to be proclaiming that.  I never claimed to be a genius.  My inspiration is just a little slow this time around.  Or perhaps I just needed an extra nudge about the topic.

Not that long ago I met Dane Nealson.  We were at the same wedding and "happened" to sit at the same dinner table during the reception.  For all I knew he was just some person I would encounter that night and never see again.  That has not turned out to be the situation and I'm enjoying his friendship even though it's basically via facebook.  That is one of the great things with technology these days.  He has been a very inspiring person who has lost a great amount of weight in the last year, ran his first half marathon recently and also ran for the Iowa House of Representatives.  More recently, basically since the beginning of November (HE was on his A-game) he has been lobbying for and doing his own personal fundraising for Camp Hertko Hollow, a camp for diabetic kids.  This camp provides campers an excellent opportunity for them to learn more about their diabetes and learn that they are not alone in their battle.  Dane himself was a camper for many years and every summer he continues to volunteer his time as a counselor.  Here are a few pictures of Dane in action at Camp Hertko Hollow:




His passion and for this camp and juvenile diabetes has truly been inspiring to me.  I made a pledge to help him out, but wanted to do more.  For starters I wanted to bring to your attention about November being National Diabetes Month.  Do you know a diabetic in your life?  I know several, both adults who deal with Type II and kids (one a friend of my 7 year old son) who deal with Type I.

I also wanted to ask you, my readers, if you would be willing to make a donation to Dane as he is selflessly trying to raise $2,500 to donate to Camp Hertko Hollow.  ANY amount counts!!  If you are interested or want to donate please email me: 6packmomma@gmail.com with your name & address.  I will pass it onto Dane and he will send you all the information you need to contribute to his efforts.  You DO NOT need to send any money now, just email me and we'll get things worked out!

To help sweeten the pot and celebrate my 200th post, I will create a gift pack to be awarded to one contributor who emails me by the end of this week and donates to my friend Dane & Camp Hertko Hollow.  I will get a picture posted of this gift pack up in the next day or two.  I know for sure it will include a $10 gift card to Target.  I will rustle up some prizes to add to that.  In the mean time, will you consider helping out my friend Dane?  Email me if you have any questions.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Give me FIVE!

Since I didn't posted yesterday and it usually is Three Things Thursday, I figured I'd make up for it with FIVE Thing Friday!

1.  Yesterday I ran my first ever Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot.  It was held in Monmouth, the next town over at 8 o'clock in the morning.  Having run A LOT of races I know a small first year race when I see it.  I was ok with that though.  In fact, that is why I wanted to run it.  I could have easily found big races either in the Quad Cities or Peoria.  I didn't want to drive 45 minutes each way to get there.  Or fight big crowds.  I have more than enough shirts to not worry about getting another.  And financially I didn't have to pop $20 - 30 a person to run.  In a large family that makes a big difference.

My son & I got up and headed over to the race.  My husband followed on his Harley.  I paid $30 total ($10 a person) and we each got a reusable bag and waterbottle.  On the race form I noticed they didn't ask for age.  Just gender.  They didn't hand out race numbers.  So I'm not sure how they knew who paid/registered & who didn't.  Other than it's a midwest small town.  Everyone knows everyone.  Although it's not my primary town plenty of people knew me.  Before we started one lady said to me "I know you....well, not your name, but I recognize you & your socks & matching outfits and have seen you run several Galesburg races".  Yep, it's not the first time a person has known/remembered me because of something I wore.
Proceeds benefited this preschool.



I'm a horrible estimator so I have no clue how many people were there.  At least 50, maybe 100.  They started the race and we were off.  For a brief moment my husband, son & I were 2nd, 3rd and 4th.  I soon lost them and powered ahead.  Ahead of me....WAAAAAY ahead of me was a lone boy (older high school, maybe college) and behind me, about a block, was a high school girl (I recognized her from ballet when my daughter danced years ago).  The race was pretty much mine the whole time.  My first mile was 6:42, my second was 13:52.  Typical, I slowed down between mile 1 & 2 and even though I didn't feel like it I slowed even more before I finished.  My finish time was around 21:41.  That is what my Nike app said, but I know I started it a few seconds early and took a few more after crossing the finish line to stop it. So give or take that was my time.

The finish line was really nice.  Since I was the first female I had a police escort, complete with flashing lights, for the last half mile or so.  There was a small crowd waiting at the finish line and they held up white crepe paper for me to break through.  Such a small detail, but an awesome, I feel like a champion moment.  Not my best performance for a 5k, but I ran hard and felt good.  I circled around and ran in with my son a few minutes later and then we circled back & cheered on my husband's finish.  It was a good race for all 3 of us Peterson's.

I hung out for a little bit afterwards.  The race director's husband saw me & told me I had won a pie so I could have first pick of the two sitting there.  I choose apple, much to my son's dismay and we decided to come home.  I want sure if they would do an official announce the winners ceremony.  There was nothing else to but stand around so we headed home.

 Mmmmm....pie!!!!

Later I got a phone call from the director.  She congratulated me and asked me with great disbelief if I really was a mother.  I laughed and told her yes.  I knew where this was heading and didn't even bother to tell her I had 6 kids.  She was blown away that I even had one.  She said when I finished she figured I was a high school girl and when I circled around and ran in with my son, she thought it was real cute that I had brought my little brother to the race.   MY BROTHER?!?!?!?!  Oh dear.  I know it's suppose to be such a compliment, but come on! This is not unusual, it happens often.  I just laugh at the absurdity of it all.  She admitted she didn't write down my time when I finished and asked if I knew.  I told her what my Nike app said.  She was nice and chatty. For a first time, small race I didn't expect much.  I got exactly what I paid for, but was happy with the overall experience.

2.  The rest of my Thanksgiving was rather uneventful.  We came home & lounged around the whole day.  In between baking & cooking a traditional meal (turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries, yada, yada) I snuggled on the sofa, watching movies with my kids and just enjoyed a quiet, low key day.  I ate a ton of food, watched a lot of tv and got my fair share of lounging around done.  Yes, it felt like I had gained 10 lbs in just a few short hours.

3. We did venture out to WalMart later in the afternoon.  Not for any black friday specials or deals.  Just your usual food and other necessities like toilet paper, personal care items, etc.  We typically shop for our everyday stuff on payday, but since that would be today (black friday) we don't care to battle the crowds and got it done early.  The store was all taped up with Caution tape and DO NOT ENTER signs to make way for the crowds that would entered several hours later.  I still went into those areas to get what I needed.  My husband, Mr. Funny man, kept calling out for security to come take note of the intruder in the taped off areas.  Apparently fresh produce was not what most people needed on such a day as they had the area blocked off and I literally could not get to what I needed.  Siiighs.  I was able to reach the bananas, but everything else was going to have to wait.

More power to you if you went shopping for Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday specials, but I can not for the life of me think of anything I truly need on this day.  I have all of my needs met.  Nothing wrong with getting things that you want, either.  From what I saw being posted on fb things were crazy in those stores.  I'm not much of a shopper anyway so I don't enjoy that atmosphere.  Put me in a coral with thousands of people running for the same finish line and I'm game.  But the same situation just to buy earthly stuff we don't really need and meh, I'd rather stay home in my jammies.  Just my perspective on things.

4.  Completely random, but I think I have a new little addiction.  It's Chapstick.
I'm not so much addicted to wearing it all time, although with cold weather setting in I find myself using it more often.  I'm not much of a color on my lips girl, I just like a little shine and some moisture so I've always had a tube or two in my purse.  Lately I have stumbled upon some new flavors.  One tube led to another and before I knew it I had 6 tubes in my purse.  In case you can't see the flavors let me list them:  candy cane, raspberry creme, orange creme burst, apple cider, green apple & cherry.  I know there are more flavors out there.  I've seen a chocolate one, but am not interested in that one. So far I like each of the pictured flavors.  I randomly choose which one to put on at the time.  It's a nice touch to put some on right before a run.  A little scent, a little flavor and some spf and moisturizer to help in the cold, winter temps.  Have you seen any other flavors out there? 


5.  I'm about to head out the door on a long run.  3 miles does not cut it for the amount of food I ingested yesterday (and the day before and likely some today too).  I don't always use running to justify such horrible eating habit.  But it is a nice & convenient excuse.  Still, I don't plan to or really want to eat like I have this holiday weekend.  Run or no run, it really leaves me feeling disgusting and I will get back to regular healthy eating.  Aside from the excessive calorie consumption that I need to burn off I have a day with not much to do.  I have a big window of opportunity to go for a nice long run.  Right now the temps are hovering at 31 degrees.  Not too bad, except I know and hear the wind howling and whipping around and it feels like 13 out there.  Wind is my cryptonite.  I have run in sub zero temps no problem.  Turn on that wind and I'm suddenly so much weaker.  I still go out and fight it.  I won't let it stop my running.  For now I will endure and am in no way tempted to hash it out on a treadmill.  Ugh!  At least the sun is shining bright and I will go knock out a big area on my run this town endeavor.  What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger, right.  That's what I need to tell myself at the moment.  What are your running plans this post holiday season?

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

G.O. H.A.R.D

Globally
Organized

Hug
A
Runner
Day

Thanks to Run the Edge there is now a Hug a Runner Day.  (the short & easier to say version of G.O. H.A.R.D).

I texted my running partner, Angela, last night and asked her if she wanted to run this morning.  We had not run in quite sometime, hadn't even seen each other in a few weeks either.  We were both long over due for some girlfriend and running partner time.  Being a Tuesday that meant we had to run at 5 a.m. to get back in time for me to teach (and her attend) my pilates class.  Well worth the sacrifice, the cold, dark morning air and idiot drivers who despite my BRIGHT orange reflective jacket AND her headlamp wouldn't scoot over and give us room to run on a 4 lane road.  I won't even mumble that under my breath...IDIOT!!!!

I'm sure we could have ran a marathon and still had enough to chat about the whole time.  For the today though 4 miles had to suffice.  We enjoyed and cherrished each moment and every step together.  I couldn't think of a better person to spent my GO HARD time with.

A good hearty hug is just what running partners need after a run together!

 There is plenty of me & plenty of love to go around.  I hope to get some more hugs in today.  If you are not local here is a ((BIG HUG)) just for  you.  If I could I'd spend the day on a plane going from place to place seeing and  hugging all my favorite running friends.  Or if you don't run (that's ok, I still love ya!) then you get a hug from me, that crazy runner friend.

Spread the love & G.O. H.A.R.D today!!!!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Monday's Motivation - Stayin' Alive

When you hear those words....Stayin' Alive....what do you think or hear?  Does it come with a ah-ah-ah-ah stayin' alive, stayin' alive?  Do I have that song stuck in your head now?  It's ok, you can thank me later :)  To answer my own question, this IS what I always hear.  Mostly because music is so constant in my life and I think/hear most things in terms of one song or another.

As I have been working to keep my running streak going this has been on my mind quite a bit.  I started my running streak on Memorial Day.  Actually, no....back up the soul train....I started it at the beginning of 2012.  It lasted for 60 days then I had to stop due to injury.  Fast forward through a few months of little running, poor training and a ton of misery.  I had to then stop running completely for 4 weeks.  Talk about coo coo for cocoa puffs.  I knew it had to be done though and I came back stronger than ever.  Now we are at Memorial Day.  Runner's World had been posting about a summer running streak going from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  I took up the challenge and ran with it (literally).  I had my best running summer EVER and that has flowed over into my best running year EVER.  Yes, even with my injuries and complete break.

For me the streak keeps going.  I never stopped it and have completed 175 days.  I've had a few rough days and a lot of bare minimum days of 1 mile.  I've had to get creative.  One day I was just too tired to get up early and as soon as I was up it was non stop action.  Later that night I was at the Haunted House with my daughter and some friends (yes, we all screamed like little girls, but it was fun!) and it was COOOOLD!  As we stood around in line I jokingly said I should go run to warm up.  Steak or not, it really is a good way to warm yourself up while standing in line for over an hour in 27 degree temperature. Never mind the fact that I wasn't even dressed to run....yes I can now say I've ran in jeans and converse tennis shoes.  Not to mention I was without the proper undergarments, but I had on layers of warm heavy clothing and it was dark.  Nobody even noticed.  My friends thought I was joking and laughed as I took off.  When I came back, I was toasty warm and had completed my run for the day.  Later it was a blessed good thing because after losing my keys and being stuck at an Interstate burger joint waiting for my husband to rescue me the time ticked by and it was well after midnight before I got home.  If I had not ran when I did I would have missed my chance to run for that day and innocently stopped my running streak.

Runner's World is again promoting a running streak, this time through the holidays.  From Thanksgiving to Christmas.  That's 33 days.  Think you can handle that?  I wouldn't bat an eye if you only did 1 mile each of those 33 days.  I don't care if you run or walk it.  Inside or outside.  Whatever floats your boat.  At bare minimum (1 mile each day) you'll burn approximately an extra 330 calories.  No matter how you look at it get out there and get moving!  With a few exceptions, you ARE capable of doing this.  Your body was perfectly & wonderfully made for this.

For me, this is a matter of staying alive and keeping my streak going.  Starting a streak has turned into one of the best things ever for my running and fitness.  That little bit has kept me accountable on so many days where I would just blown it off.  I understand that it's not for everyone.  I don't think any less of you, my readers, some of you my good friends, if you don't embrace this.  How do you know that it won't work for you though, if you don't try.  Sometimes the hardest part is just taking that first step, either literally or mentally.  Either way it's up to YOU to make it happen.



Tell me, what are your fitness goals for the holiday season?  Are you going to try the running streak?  Let me know, I'd be happy to follow you and help give you a kick in the rear keep you accountable (and vice versa).

Thursday, November 15, 2012

TTT: Birthday, Wonka & more WC50k

1.  Today is my son's 7th birthday.  This is kid # 5 in our zoo of animals.  I love him to pieces and am so glad he is part of our family.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW!!!!
 Is he handsome or what?!?!?  He looks just like his father!!



2.  This weekend (Friday & Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.) 2 of my other animals are in a local production of Willy Wonka.  They have put in some long hard work and I'm excited to see them on stage doing what they love.  If you are local (or close enough) come put and see it!


3.  If you are interested in seeing the results from Wildcat 50k you can check them out here.  You can also keep up to date on next years WC50k by keeping tabs on Larry's blog QC Runner or the newly created fb page.  This event is growing each year.  If you think are you are even slightly interested keep tabs of this race (don't worry though, I'll be reminding you), it's one you don't want to miss.  To help sum up the greatness of this event this message was also posted:

More than 160 runners braved a forecast that included a "100% chance of rain and isolated thunderstorms. Despite the damp afternoon, we raised more than $2500 for the park and the Friends of Melpine School. You have contributed over $6000 towards a playground project to be constructed at the park since the first race 3 years ago.


Thanks to all who helped. I would say more, but I am tuckered out. Running a 50k sometimes includes running a 50k. We will be tabulating the results shortly and posting. 50k finishers will be listed in the article for UltraRunning.

The best complement of the day I think came from Lynn Hawbaker, a veteran ultra runner who said Wildcat 50k captured the true spirit of trail running....a bunch of friends, running around in the woods, not too much organization, and a good time. I liked that.

 


Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Wednesday's nuggets of wisdom

This is sort of like Monday's Motivation, which I haven't done in awhile, but a post meant to encourage and/or equip you in your life.  They may appear all running related (I do tend to get them from running sites), but for my non runners (yes, I still love you and am glad you are here) some of these can be applied to life in general (think bigger spectrum, outside of the box).  These pictures & words have made a difference in my day/life at some point, I hope they do something for you too!

 ^^We are all on a journey, each of us in our own special place in life.  Mine is different than yours and vice versa.^^




^^^^It NEVER hurts to try!^^^^


 ^^Explains A LOT about me!!^^


Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Wildcat 50k Race Recap

Wildcat 50k was on Sunday, which also happened to be Veteran's Day.  I am happy and proud to have served my country and I'm honored to know so many others who either have or continue to do so as well.  I will admit that I was pretty distracted by my race that day to really think about & enjoy the holiday.  I made sure though (as you will see) to dress accordingly.

I ran the WC50k last year (click on that link to see a slideshow of pictures I took last year) so I knew exactly what to expect in terms of course and terrain.  It is a very tough, hilly and challenging course.  You run the same loop 5 times, which is good and bad.  Good because you know what to expect, bad because there become certain spots that you begin to dread because they are so tough.  The first loop or two you are bounding up the hills and stairs no problem.  Yeah, you slow down a little, but come on....it's just a hill, get over it (hahahahaha).  By loop 3 your legs see those hills and they are beginning to tremble a little, you give in to walking a little, but it's still a fast walk.  Loop 4 & 5 are honestly pure torture.  You are grunting and groaning just to get up them.  You've ran so many hills at this point that the big ones seem even bigger and steeper than before and what seemed like little before now required you to walk a little.  Still, the course it sprawling and spread out.  The "little" rolling hills are actually a relief and you fly up and down those no problem going along at a easy clip.  For the time being & on the flip side of things if I see any hill anytime soon I'm likely to go bonkers and just break down crying in fear.  I'm looking forward to my flat streets and slight inclines where I live for awhile.

The weather started out very nice and pleasant.  Upper 50's made for a very comfortable start with a skirt (shorts underneath) and sleeveless shirt.  Actually, I also started with a light vest, only because it matched my outfit, but had to ditch it because it was just too warm to have on a second layer.  I knew that the forecast called for rain and dropping temperatures to hit at some point, but it looked for the first few hours that maybe the weather man was just plain wrong.  First it started with just a few sprinkles, nothing serious or even threatning.  Ooooo, I was shaking in my boots Mr. 100% chance of weather.  Eventually it did pick up to a more steady rain and finally it became a complete downpour along with the dropping tempatures.  It's pretty fair to say I was kinda miserable the last 10 miles or so of the race.  There is really only one thing to do in this scenerio:  just keep running!

I know, it makes no sense.  People don't understand why I even want to run 31 miles to begin with.  Throw in the trail, hills, terrain with the mix of ok mr. weatherman you were right and even I'm not 100% sure why I kept going.  Trust me, mentally I go there.  I tell myself that I just can't keep going.  Another step is impossible.  Of course, by then I'm pretty sure my legs are on complete autopilot.  They just propel me forward without even thinking about it.  Several times I kept telling myself that I would just finish to this part then be done.  Part way through loop 4 I told myself that I should just finish the loop and then call it a day.  The rain was making the trail pretty wet, muddy & slippery.  Nobody was going to give me grief if I "only" did 4 laps/24 miles.  Yet when I came to the end of loop 4 I turned around and went back out.  I was aware the my pace had slowed considerably, but that is one of the great things about ultras.  Most often the focus is not on speed, but just getting the course/distance done.  Runners don't judge you for putting out a 12 minute pace, they are in complete awe that you ran for SEVERAL hours and ran for SEVERAL miles.

Only once did I honestly have to call it quits.  There is one hill that is a doozy.  Even in good weather it's hard to get up at any kind of a good pace.  Before I even got to that hill on lap 5 I was aware that I was slipping and sliding in some places.  I came to that hill, tried to get up it and about half way up I slid down.  My hands and knees were covered with mud.  If I couldn't get up that hill I would have to turn around and head to the finish.  I had to find a large stick, something big and strong and about as big me.  It worked!  Even though I still slipping and sliding, with the help of the stick I was able to get to the top of the hill.  I wasn't 100% sure I had made the right decision, but I kept going.  Getting to the turn around point was my next goal and I wasn't even sure I could do that.  The trails were pretty bad.  Part of the problem was my shoes.  While they are good and fit me well, they are road shoes, not trail ones.  I kept slip sliding along the way, some places I had no choice but to shuffle along or walk because if I didn't I was going to end up flat on my back in the mud.  I kept telling myself that if I can just make it to the turn around I would cut back to the finish line on the paved road and not the trail.  Again I came right up to the turn around and headed back onto the trail.  Who runs 28 miles then just calls it quits.  Not me!  Sure it was a gamble that I would not get hurt in this process, I still came across many trouble spots that caused me to hang on for dear life.  But I did it!  I finished!!!!

My finish time was 6:15:15.  I've done analyzed and studied my miles and pace, etc.  I slowed with each lap that I did.  I don't like that and am a little disappointed that I can't seem to keep a consistent pace.  Sure the weather and trail conditions should/would have slowed me a bit, but I should still have done better.  Yes, I am my own worst critic.  I do know though that I don't have trail/terrain like this to train on where I live.  The new overpass right by my house is the biggest exciting hill I have to choose from.  I also didn't even try and train for this race.  I haven't ran anything over 13 miles in 3-4 months.  So, of course, if I don't put in serious training I can't expect serious results.  Despite my lack of training I am very happy with what I did over all.  I don't know exact numbers yet, but I'm pretty sure I finished in the top 20 (because I was awarded a WC50K skullcap) and I think I was 4th woman overall. 

Can you image what I'm capable of if I really buckled down and got serious about diet and training.  Wowza!  But in the mean time, meh.....ha-ha.  Everyone says I'm so disciplined and I'm like, no....I'm really not.  God has given me this wonderful capable body, He gets the true glory!!!!

Within all reason, I will be back again for WC50K next year.  This is a top notch race run by great people and volunteers.  Even better though, it's low key.  Not a lot of frills, doesn't cost a lot of money (there is not set price, they ask for a donation), but I guarantee that if you ever come to this event, you'll want to come back again and again.  Good job Larry and everyone who helped put on this race!

Here I am after the race, all soaking wet.  I'm usually a huge picture freak, but kinda failed at it on this day.  Since my phone battery went dead, I was able to snap a few with my ipod, but the rain also made it hard to have the stuff out and usable.  I know others were out there taking pictures (before the rain hit) maybe I can find more of me & the race that way.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

TTT: Video edition

I had this brilliant idea this morning.  I was going to do my usual Three Things Thursday (TTT), but since I hadn't vlogged in a few weeks I could just do my three things via video.  Something different or actually merging some of my styles together, but also for a few of my points I felt it easier to discuss the topic then try and write a book about it.

I had my videos all done and went to transfer them onto my computer.  You know, easy peasy, 1-2-3.  Except my computer decided today that it was just too full of video/photo files and didn't have room for my files for today.  Ack!  I guess this needed to be done anyway, but I spent the next few hours moving files around, burning some onto storage disc, yada, yada, yada.  Also mixing in taking care of my 4 year old at home with me, stopping to clean/get things done and just when I was about done a child called with a "personal emergency" and I needed to go to the school.  Yaaaaaaaay!  (not really)

I didn't get my videos loading to youtube until after 12 noon and the last ones are still processing.  So I'm going to post my first 2 things then come back and post the 3rd.  I still have things I want to get done today, the kids are coming home from school and I suppose I have to cook supper for them (they are kind of weird like that, wanting to eat a home cooked meal every. single. night....hahahahaha)  Without further delay here are your TTT:

1. I'm NOT injured

2. Twitter
3. Screaming Pumpkin recap.  This is the last video(s) I'm waiting to upload to youtube.  I will give you a very brief written review of what I took over 30 minutes to tell you.

On the plus side:  super awesome swag.  seriously that is about the only good thing of the race.

On the down side:  lack of organization & many things mishandled

*There was a tent with several lines and A LOT of people.  No signage as to what line to get into to.  I spent 10 minutes in one line to find out I was in the wrong place then had to go to the back of an already long (and getting longer) line to wait even more.

*Their computers crashed, they apparent was not expecting this at all because it took them over an hour to come up with a plan B which after a lot of frustration amounted to you writing your name down on a piece of paper.  I was actually most understanding about the fact that the computers crashed.  Crap happens, they didn't mean for it or want for it to happen.  How they handled it was not ok.

*Several people were also cutting the line.  Either secretly on the side and helpers were sliding them a number and their gear while the rest of us waited or one man who blatantaly stepping in front of those of us who had already waited for over an hour.  Yeah, I feel for the worker who was faced with a man demanding his number because he "had" to start "NOW" vs. an angry crowd yelling for this man to get in the back of the line (there was seriously almost a riot about to break out).  But I found it so wrong, unprofessional, whatever you want to call it that she gave into the man and gave him his stuff.  I know they can't help that people were cutting, but it was handled in such a frustrating way.

*In the mean time, despite being told that the race would not start until all was checked in, they started anyway.  For a race that is based on you getting to start when you want, they couldn't even honor that and then carried on as if everything was ok. 

*after waiting for OVER a HOUR,  I finally got a number then moved to get my swag, but I was not on the list.  Their list had not been updated since Oct. 15, 11 days before the race.  I understand having a cut off day, but really it's not complicated to run a current roaster within 24 hours of the event.  Little Oriental lady was rude about my name not being on list, but finally with a rude auttitude gave me what I wanted and had paid for.

ok, those are just the highlights.  I will post my verbal video recap of the race once it finished loading to youtube.  RC Management:  I really am a nice, loving, understand beyond belief runner, but what happened that night was unbelievable and I really hope you get it together.  In theory I LOVE this race, but won't ever come again until I know things are run like they should be.