Running with Toys

This weekend was the LRC Toys for Tots run!

Most of you who read this blog know who the LRC is, but if not, check out the website here (and come run with us!)

There was the normal scheduled run at 7 am with dogs. Our fearless leader's dog passed away recently, and this run was in memoriam of her. She was so sweet and will be missed by the club! Runners brought their dogs and although I didn't go to that run, I feel like I did thanks to Facebook uploads. woot. Y'all have cute dogs!

At 9 am was the Toys for Tots run. I wore my token "Meowy Christmas" sweater and one of my many cat hats, mostly because the FB invite said "festive" sooooo duh. Also, I realized that I hadn't shared my "ugly" cat christmas sweater with these fine folks yet. Here was the sweater's debut last year:

After the run, I went to a place called Hansa Coffee Roasters with a few LRC friends, specifically a sweet sweet man named Chris that introduced me to the place for the first time! (He also was a student at the school I teach at. Small world) Thanks Chris! I got a honey latte with ALMOND MILK (Thank you Jesus...you hear that Starbucks?) and it was very good. Might be my new drink, and I think it's a local biz, soooo 😍. They also had a lavender latte on the menu that I want to try. I'm all things lavender since Maui. 

Anywho, the cat sweater was purchased for an ugly Christmas sweater party that my fine fine friends Kyle & Kelsey put on every year. I found it online (typical) and got the cat ear headband from Target's dollar spot around Halloween 2014 (typical squared). Thanks Taylor Swift for making this a thing.

I'm pretty stoked to share this year's ugly sweater with you, but I must wait until it's first appearance at K+K's party! We went all out this year. Not only did I actually MAKE the sweater with supplies from the Hob Lob, but my husband also made his! He doesn't do shit like that, but apparently he was feeling the Christmas spirit this year.

I also fully expect to wear this sweater to every ugly sweater themed anything forever and ever amen, even though I already have ideas for next year {Insert silly face emojii here}

Tommy's sweater is PERFECT for this specific party f.y.i.  Can't wait!



UPDATE:
Now that the annual party has come and gone, here are our sweaters:

 Plus a few other good snaps:

K herself

K himself

Little 'ole ussie. 

Flat Kyle with 3D Kyle- that's a nice face you might say!

The inspiration ....

P.s.- if you don't who Grumpy Cat is, go home. Just leave. We can't be internet friends anymore. NO. 

Oh yea, and this happened....which I couldn't NOT take a picture of for Laura, so I hope I don't get arrested or whatever! 

#6- Run a Half Marathon

This is for #6- Run a Half Marathon


Well, it's almost time to do this one. On Sunday, TOMORROW, I will be running my first (and quite possibly last, but who knows?) half marathon: The Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Chicago.

I heard this was the best one to run because there is so much entertainment on the run that it's helpful. I am glad for this because I will definitely be needing something to distract me for some of the time. You know that point when your mind realizes what you're doing to your body? Yeah, that little stretch of time.

I got my handheld water bottle, my goo packets, and my moral support all ready to go. Pictures will be posted soon....

All I have to say is this, my goal is to finish. I just want to run the WHOLE thing, and I want to finish it.

{Truth}

Well, I did it!! I ran super slow, but I ran the whole time and I finished it in 3 hours. (3 hours of running...yikes!) It was fun at times, and mostly hard, but I did it! woot!

I made my two goals and I couldn't have run it with my Bff Megan. Seriously. She was refilling my water bottle when I needed it, getting ice at EVERY medical station and putting it down my back, and telling me when to take my GUs and water. She did all this while thanking every band/person that came out to cheer and making me believe I could run 13.1 miles, even when it hurt like hell. 

Thank you Megan!! I couldn't have done that with out your mental and physical support :)

{Running}

{Right after 13.1 miles- My Inspiration!}

{My husband and I after the race}

{We are so strong}

7 Miles

"If you want to become the best runner that you can be, start now. Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it" 

-Priscilla Welch

That's what I did today. MY Nike+ Running Calendar said 7 miles today, and through I knew this alllllll week, I still felt like I wouldn't be able to do it. Prior to today, the most I've ever run is 5 miles. I was skeptical that I Would be able to run this today, but I did it!

I even texted a friend of mine and said, "My calendar says 7, but I am aiming for at least 5.5 because I think I can realistically do that much."

Strange, but I never thought I could do it. And you know how much I Ran?

7.02 MILES. I blew my goal of 5.5 right out of the frickin' water. And I feel great!

{During}

Today's run, besides being full of cool bids and beautiful trees, made the half marathon feel more real. It made me feel like I can do it, and I'm not so crazy after all. I know that 7.02 is far from 13.1, but it's a start.

I am no longer going to spend the rest of my training tie wondering if I can do it, because now I know I can :)

{After}

Running (for my life!!) ha.

So I figured that I had to document this some how.....hence....this blogpost!

I have been running on the Des Plaines Rive Trail lately. I didn't know this before we moved in, but it picks up right next to my house! I run over to Rockland Rd (as a warm up), then I stop and stretch. Then I continue my run a short while down Rockland to go over to the trail.

This past weekend, I ran up to the Old School Forest Preserve and it was so cool! I probably would have had a better run (physically) if I didn't stop to take all these awesome pictures of the landscape, but I had a better run (aesthetically) when I stopped to take all these awesome pictures of the landscape. You know?

Anyway, tonight I decided to go the opposite way on the path. I ran through boglike forest (which was super cool), down along the river, and even got to see a train go by! On my run back along the trail, I was running with my head down and something caught the corner of my eye so I looked up really quick.

Good thing I did! There was a deer right in the middle of my path and I would have seriously ran straight into it! I stopped DEAD IN MY TRACKS (and hurt my leg in the process! ouch) like a dear in headlights (hahaha). It looked at me and froze, and I looked at it and froze and I kept thinking "Do deer attack people? I mean anything that feels threatened will attack right? oh shit should I run away? Will it chase me?" and by the time I was done thinking all of these thoughts, the deer walked slowly into the forest and I sat down in the middle of the path to let me heart slow down. I seriously thought I was going to have a heart attack.

Then I realized that it was getting dark and I was in the middle of a foresty-bog probably surrounded by deer and I got freaked out and ran to a neighborhood so that Tommy could come and pick me up!

Needless to say, it was an interesting run!

The Running Continues :)

"You can feel sore tomorrow, or you can feel sorry tomorrow. You choose." 

So a few weeks ago I got all crazy and decided to run a half marathon. What?!

I have been running for over a year now, but I've never considered myself a runner. I ran around the apartment complex, on the treadmill, and sometimes (when I'm stressed out) gone for a run in the neighborhoods around me and find my way back by using the GPS on my phone. (My sister would prob yell at me for this and tell me how unsafe that is...but I enjoy it!)

Running has become something that I actually don't mind doing. I don't love it, but I think I could one day. And that's why I signed up for a half marathon. I wanted to do something this year that I could be really proud of. For me, the first half of 2011 centered around Tommy's accident- it's been 1 month since, 2 months since, etc. Then it switched to the wedding- we've been married for 1 month, 2 months, etc. Now that it's 2012, I spent the first part of the month celebrating life (and crying a little!) because we've hit the 1 year mark. But now I'm ready to continue past the 1 year mark of the accident and stop counting the months. Tommy's accident was something that really made me learn more about myself, my family, my relationship with Tommy, and Tommy himself. It's been therapeutic for me to talk about it, and I will probably still talk about it, but it helps to know that I don't have a timeline going anymore. 

Let the 1/2 marathon training begin!!