Bloomsday 2011 RUN!!

Showing off our Finisher T's
My friend "Bubbles"

No Girls Day Extravaganza would be complete without trying on clothes at Ross!!

Check out our Olive Garden choices post race ;-)

This one was mine....mmmm.......

Quick shot at the finish line "I'm feelin' good!!" My finishing time was 1 hr and 23 mn for the 7 1/2 mile run. Not bad for my first time :-)

Vulture at the top of mile 5's "Doomsday Hill"

Pre-race we were corralled into blocks according to color and speed projection. Its the "biggest micro chipped race in America with 50,000 people participating in the event!!

Quick pre-race shot.

First of all, i have to apologize to anybody stumbling across my blog for the first time for its terrible boring format. I have decided to bit the bullet and change things a little. I had been using it as a kind of "accountability" if you will, for doing my sit ups and other exercise endeavors. I have decided that it is so painfully BORING that nobody can bear to read it. With that said, i can laugh at myself and find a new writing style..... From now on, i will just try to summarize the week rather than give a day by day account.

The drum roll please.... Here goes :

- Well my last post was April 22nd. I did sit ups for every day except for one. My average amount is 200, with 10 push ups, 10 backward push ups and 50 knee/elbows. A few of those days i was tired and only did 25, and one day i spaced it out all together.

- Most of my running stopped after the 22nd. I tried just walking a mile most of those days because i had read to take the last week "real easy".

- On the 23rd my friend Elasta Woman and I went through some crazy "Fitness Magazine" tests to find out our athletic prowess score and i just barely made "Super Star Status". Some how that should make me feel extra special ;-)

On May 1st you see my exciting "Bloomsday" pics!! Its the first thing like this i had ever done!! My friend, "The Dolphin Goddess", and i had planned going together since January or so. The last week she cancelled due to a knee injury. Time stopped and I had to trust God real hard wondering what i was going to do!! Then i thought about my co-worker, who i have taken the liberty to name "Bubbles" because she is so bubbly and fun!! She had had her buddy cancel too and so we went down together. Turns out it was a super fun day and i now have a cool new friend!! Nothing like chicks bonding with pasta, shopping and sweat ;-) We even got to go to the Bloomsday worship service that was held on a floating stage. The whole day was just so much fun. Like i said, i had never done anything like this before. Scads of people were cheering, high fiving us and giving us all kinds of support all along the side lines the whole way. Bands played every quarter of a mile. Everything from an elderly accordion player to teen rock bands to rhythm players. It was just an incredible feast of music. Church bodies waved and played worship with "God loves you" signs. Some guy in a lawn chair was giving out "free beer". A mix of cultures came together and every body was there for one reason - to show support for the runners and the event. Bloomsday supports the local Hospice there and it was obvious it was a cause that many felt passionate about.

As for my running, well, like I said, it was all new to me, but "Bubbles" and I were pretty evenly paced. We ran together pretty well. I had a lot of energy and felt good, amazingly, the whole time!! Toward the last mile or so suddenly I got a real energy spurt and just had to run it hard!! Especially the last half mile, I couldn't hold myself back. When I crossed the finish line, I felt like I could run a few more miles. I never imagined in a million years I'd feel so good. All the cheering and music and support was just such a pep boost for everybody there. Anyhow, it was a really extra special day for me and I am thankful it all went so wonderfully well!!