Weekend Fun

It was a weekend of quilting,running, and kids. It doesn't get much better than that. Well, maybe if it was all happening on a tropical island. That would definitely be a way to improve it. But, I digress.
So, here we go.
It started with an amazing run on the treadmill. Now, I know that running on the mill is much easier than running outside, but seriously, this is a fast time for me!

That breaks down to a 9:08 mile. My goal is to complete a 5k in under 9 minute miles. I think I can get to it by sometime in June.

Keeping with the running theme, on Sunday I ran my first 15k ever. This is all part of the plan as I train for the Philly Love Run! The run was put on by the HMRRC as part of their winter race series. I love this club, because members don't pay for any of the winter races. Here's a photo of me, as I near the finish line. 

There was some serious headwinds on a few of the roads, the temp never went over 14', and you can see there was some slush on the roads. But, I finished at a pace that was under 10 minute miles! And, I'm really starting to develop some great friendships with other women runners.  

I'm struggling with how to keep my energy up on these longer runs, so I have to figure out how to fuel up around mile 6.  I love GU's on long bike rides, but I learned this weekend that they don't really work well for me on a run. If you've got any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Also on Sunday, I took Mack to her first indoor track session. She was invited to participate in a 5 week skills and drills program at RPI. It's being led by the RPI track coach and some of the team. She really had a great time, and is looking forward to the next 4 weeks. Sorry, no pictures of her because she was too far away from where I was sitting.

The weekend wasn't all running. I also finally took a quilting class on Saturday. I've wanted to learn to quilt for several years now. Unfortunately, every time I sign up for a class, it gets cancelled, due to low enrollment. Finally, I was able to go to a class with my "cousin in law" at a shop that her friend owns. So, we worked all day at the shop, and I came home with this awesome quilt top.

Quilt top on my bed, so that you get a sense of the size.

Above is the finished product, hanging on the design wall in the shop. Unfortunately, I've learned that my machine is not capable of having a walking foot attachment. So, to complete the quilt, I'll need to purchase a new machine at some point. It's okay with me, since I've been wanting to upgrade for a while now, but haven't had a good reason to. 

The icing on the cake, was that Shayna came home and spent all of Sunday with us.

Mack is not feeling well, so she stayed home from school today. Which meant that I had time to do one more project. I finally finished the bag that I promised my niece, Emma. Here it is:

Week-end wrap up

It's been a busy week.
I  got 3 runs in this past week. The mileage total was 17. We had some unsafe road conditions on 2 mornings. Because of all the nasty snowy, cold, icy weather we've had this year, I bit the bullet and joined Planet Fitness on Friday. The plan is to hit the gym 2 mornings a week, on my way to work. So, tomorrow, I'm going for the first time to have a session with the trainer to learn proper technique on some of the machines.
Schedule for this week:
    Monday- the gym (just for learning the machines)
    Tues- 4 miles
     Weds- strength training at the gym
    Thurs- 5 miles
    Friday-rest
    Sat- 4 miles
    Sun- 9.3 miles. HMRRC Winter series 15K race.
   Total miles goal: 22.3

In the rest of my life this week, we've been busy with regular work and school things. Yesterday was a marathon sewing day. The problem is that, Mack and Jack both wanted to sew, so my time on the machine was limited.
Jack made his first ever pillow! Mack taught him all of the skills she recently learned at a Joanne's sewing class. It was wonderful to watch them work on this together. Here's his final project.

Mack spent her time working on the quilted pillow that she began doing at the Joann's class last weekend. Here's the quilted front of the pillow.

I'll post pictures of my 2 projects, when they're complete.

After all the sewing, we sat down and had a family dinner, which evolved into a game of "telephone" remember that game? Where we pass a secret sentence around the room, whispering it into each others ears? Well, it got a little silly. Here's a photo of one of my favorite moments in the game.

Today, Shayna came to spend the day with us. she was finally able to celebrate Christmas with Moma and Pops. She and Jack had lots of snuggle time, since Mack was busy at Odyssey practice.

Overall, it was a busy and productive weekend. Hopefully, I'll get to do some of my own sewing tomorrow, since it's MLK day, and I don't have to work this year!

Peace.

Prepping for the Half

Did I mention that I'm training for my first half marathon?
This is exciting for me, so you'll have to deal with my obsession for the next couple of months.
In the past, I've never managed to run more than 5 miles for my long runs, without injury.
I am now up to 8 miles. That extra 3 doesn't sound like a lot, but my feet and knees tell me otherwise.
This past fall, I ran my first official 10K. Completing the race gave me the confidence to sign up for the Half.

This is after my first official 10k! I ran my second official one this past weekend, and shaved about 5 miles off my time. That's almost 1 minute per mile faster, which makes me pretty happy.

I have some great running buddies for my long runs, and they make the miles fly by. It's my first time that I've tried running with other women. I'm surprised how much I enjoy the company.

I'm completely psyched for The Philly Love Run!

2014...Here We Go!

It's a new year, and some exciting changes and challenges are lined up for 2014.

First, I've largely abandoned blogging, for the world of Facebook. Although I love facebook for may aspects, there isn't much depth to be found there.  So, in an effort to go a little deeper, I'm going to return some of my attention to keeping a blog.

Second, in 2013, I had 3 different jobs.
Yes, you read that right.
3.different.jobs.
I left the first one in April, because I was ready for a change. After 8 years of working with people with Traumatic Brain Injury, I was pretty fried. Unfortunately, my second job didn't turn out to be what I was hoping it to be, or what I was promised it would be.  So, that job ended on a fairly sour note in October.
Since then, I've been working for a Non-profit organization, as the fund raiser and event coordinator for the local chapter. This is my dream job! And, it seems that the organization is truly an excellent place to work. So, 2014 is going to bring some amazing career opportunities for me!

Third, It's time to dig a little deeper, and get a little intense with my exercise goals. So, Kevin and I are signed up for a half marathon at the end of March! This will be my first Half! It's in Philly, so we're making it a weekend away for us! Really, does it get any better than that?

And finally, I've taken the last 2 summers off from Triathlons. I'm feeling the tri bug biting hard, so I anticipate at least one race this summer.

Happy New Year. It's time to Roll!