I'm a VIP!

Hey guys! I hope you all have had a good week! For me, it's been busy, but pretty good in general. Although, I did come home twice this week to a giant, disgusting mess left by my dog. Gross! But no one wants to hear about that. 

So, just when I think I'm settling down and I am only running some 5ks here and there...this happens.

The Madison Mini Marathon had posted a photo contest last week, June 4th, on National Running Day. Anyone who wanted to enter, was to share a post run selfie. The winner, would get a free upgrade on their registration to VIP status. This gets you the whole race experience, plus a special area pre and post race with special perks like food and coffee before the race and after the race, grilled brats and beer! I figured I may as well share a photo just for fun. I hadn't even signed up for the race, and never thought that I would be chosen. 

This is the photo I shared. But really, who wouldn't pick that cute little boy!?

Well, out of the six photos that were shared, they did choose my photo and I decided to go ahead and sign up for the race! I'm super excited about this race as it's been on my radar for a couple of years. I love Madison and I'm pumped to be running a half in Wisconsin! There's also a kids race and I think I'm going to sign Liam up to run it. I know he'd have a blast running with mommy and Bucky Badger!

It's already 2 weeks into my standard 12 week training plan, but I'm ready to start ramping up my mileage again. This is going to be so much fun!

In other news, today is Friday the 13th and there's a full moon. Crazy, right!? I'm not really superstitious, are you?

Have a great weekend!!

Run For The Nun 5k Review

Happy Monday friends! The weekends always go by way too fast. I started my week off with some yoga. Hopefully, it will carry me through the rest of the day. I think it's going to be a tough day for me. 

Saturday morning, I ran the Run for the Nun 5k. I won a free registration for this race back in February. I'm not one to turn down a free race, so of course I jumped at the chance to participate. The race benefits the St. Vincent DePaul society that feeds the hungry; and is part of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Country Fair. Oh, and I almost forgot, if you beat the running "Nun", you get a special prize. Of course, the Nun is way faster than I am, but it's all in fun anyway.

My ultimate goal is to run a 5k in under 30 minutes, but I was no where near ready for that this weekend. Plus, the week leading up to this race was a tough one. As I mentioned in my last post, I started Jillian Michaels newest fitness video, One Week Shred. It has you doing 2 workouts per day; strength in the morning, cardio in the evening. In other words, Jillian kicks your butt twice a day. I also included some short runs on Monday and Wednesday. Needless to say, I was tired and sore all week. My new goal for race day was to finish in under 32 minutes. 

I had never run this course before and didn't quite know what to expect. I knew there were some hills, but that was about it. It was definitely warmer than I would have liked it to be, and once we started I heated up pretty quick. The course itself was a pretty one, but there was very little shade. I started to get really hot, and I did something I've never done before in a 5k...I walked through both water stops. I was not prepared for the heat, and I don't feel bad about stopping for water. Like I said, I had been training hard leading up to this race and I just needed some water. All in all, it was a fun race and I'm happy with the effort I put into it. I may have gone out a little too fast, but I did my best and that's all that matters. My official time was 31:45, even with the walking. And no, I didn't beat the nun. I did hit my secondary goal of under 32 minutes though. Woo hoo!

For the next few months, I'm going to work hard to get faster. I don't know when I'll be racing next, but I'll be signing up for the Bluegrass 10k on the Fourth of July for sure. I can't wait. I love that race!

Hope you all have a great week!