i ran my butt off and then some...

i know, i know... i've been gone, gone, gone!  that big race we've been training for...well, it's finally OVER and i feel like i can get my life back a bit!  the mister and i did it!  15.5 miles and we lived to tell about it!  i have the greatest friends, cheeky green and unusual girl studios came on downtown to cheer us on... and drink beer in the party tent after the race.  cheeky green had her camera in hand and captured some pictures:

3947, that's me!  can you tell what i'm thinking?  if you guessed "where the heck is the potty?", you would be correct.  i tend to give TMI, so let's just say.... 15.5 miles can kinda shake the ___ outta ya!  but let's focus on my cute pink outfit!!

here's the mister and i after the race, let's just say he was smellin' a little RIPE, i'm sure i smelled lovely (cause i'm a girl)!

cheeky green, me, the mister, and unusual girl studios!  did i mention the MEDAL?? you know how i love my medals :)

during the race i kept thinking "i will NEVER, EVER do this again, this is the most horrible thing i've done to myself in years" after the race i started planning for next year!  you know why?  runners are insane, it's the only logical answer!  as a matter of fact, i'm already signed up for a half marathon in the fall, but after a 25k that will be a piece of cake,  it's ONLY 13.1 miles!

Oh wait, before i go i'd like to leave you with just 1 more lovely photo

the blister on my big toe!  

1 of 4 blisters (2 were UNDER my toenails...).  because i knew you needed more proof i was nuts! and for the record, that's wool fuzz, not hair on my toe!

i'm taking this week off of running, although  i am running with my darling saturday for her girls on the run 5k, but that should be an easy breezy run.  if you've never heard of girls on the run and have a 3rd-5th grader, look them up, it's an incredible group for girls!!

i'm tired of wearing this training bra...

you know..., because i've been training for this crazy 25k race (yeah, that's 15.5 miles)... i'm tired of training, i'm tired of running because i have to and i'm tired of waiting for this to start.  i'm ready to get this show on the ROAD!! i'm already dreading those pre-race nerves, the multiple bathroom breaks and the queasy tummy!  whenever i see that commercial for those new slimmer adult diapers, i wonder if i should grab one, i mean 15.5 miles of running and drinking water... can i really sweat it all out?  Lisa Rinna wears one on the red carpet (you've seen the commercial, right?), why shouldn't i wear one on the road?  I'm feeling a kindred spirit with the crazy astronaut woman, the one that put on a "depends" to drive cross country to put someone in a trunk without the hassle of screwing up her travel time with a potty break!  i won't be putting anyone in a trunk, but the hassle of screwing up MY time with a potty break, that i can relate to!

tomorrow morning is my last long run before the race; an easy 9.... i can't wait!

see my race route HERE!

it doesn't look so bad on paper does it?

let's take a peek of last years race....

after the race...AND the beer tent! 

 my foot after the wet, rainy 10k...lovely, i know! 6.1 miles in a nice drizzle plus going ankle deep in more than one puddle.  where's my toe tag?

for the record, it NO LONGER looks this way!!

have a great weekend, i'll be icing my knee and doing some pre-race freaking out!

53 Riverbank Run 2011 Re-cap

Last week blogger was acting up, my reading list was gone, i couldn't post, it was horrible!  But we seem to be back to normal around here... 

"normal"- hahahahahaha!!  Let's pray that never really happens!

Soooooo, Saturday was the big race that I've been training for: The 53 Riverbank Run in Grand Rapids, MI.

I started my day with this, because if it helps you climb a cliff surely it was going to help me run fast, right?

I was awake at 3AM, 4AM, 5AM and....got up at 6AM.  I'm the girl that (when I was about 10) threw up my OJ on the blue shag carpet in my parents "BLUE JEANS" van**if you don't know about "Blue Jeans" you need to read back!** as we headed into Disney... I tend to get a little nervous about stuff.  We met running buddy and followed her downtown, I'm SO thankful for her because she knew where to go, where to park, and where to pee...

In the ally behind this fence- there were great tall grasses and it was a 2 seater (actually about 40 of us could have peed back there).  

We then posed for a pre-race, post-pee picture

I love this gal!! She's a running STUD! 

Did you notice the puddles in the road?  It poured!!!  They started the 5k at 7AM and it was POURING, we started at 8 and by that time it was only misting, but that didn't mean I didn't have to swim across some giant puddles!

My running buddy totally set the pace for us, I can't tell you how thankful I am for her.  I knew if I could stick with her I'd be happy with my time.  Let me give you a play-by-play of my "self-talk" mile by mile

Mile 1 "Oh dear God, why did I do this?"

Mile 2 "OMG I hate this, why in &$*% did I want to do this?

Mile 3 "good grief I'm only 1/2 way done, 6.1 miles, what in the WORLD?!"

Mile 4 "OMG I feel awesome, my lungs feel great, my legs feel awesome, get movin' PSYCHO!" (as I'm running up a HILL, which is a nice touch 4 miles in, don't you think?

Mile 5 "Only 1 mile left, this is AWESOME"

at this point I'm coming back into the downtown and people are yelling and cheering and shouting "you're almost there, the finish line is around the corner"

Mile 6 "WHERE THE HECK IS THAT FINISH LINE??"

Finish Line: "that was AWESOME, I can't wait to do this again!!!!"

The blur in the pink hat, pink skirt and black top.... that's ME!  I finished # 918 out of over 2, 200 runners and was #21 in my age group. My time was 54:24. I wanted to turn around to some of the younger guys I was passing and yell "you're letting a 42 year old woman pass you- HAHA!"

After the race we got in line...

For all my friends that say they'll never run.... doesn't this tempt you just a little bit??

Yes, this is at 9 in the morning, don't judge! My other friend "Weed Lady" who also ran the 10k.

My Big supporter and photo journalist of the day: my Mister.

The Mister was so inspired he's running the 5k next year!  The energy and camaraderie of a race is VERY inspiring... so much so I'm SERIOUSLY thinking of the 25k next year, yep, that's over 15 miles!!

obligatory goof-ball shot

Now this next shot in NOT for the faint of heart, it's gross... I'm warning you....

This is what your foot (actually MY foot) looks like after running 6.1 miles in the rain and then hanging out in wet socks and shoes for over 2 hours...

Somebody get a toe tag!!

Hope you had a great weekend!!  Did you do anything fun?

Good Morning!! I just ran 4 miles with my running pal.  We're both running the 10k this Saturday.  I told the Mister the other day I never in my life have considered doing a marathon, now it's not out of the realm of possibility.  Here's the problem, it's not that I don't think I could do it, it's more the problem of me getting bored 1/2 way through and taking a side route over to Hobby Lobby!  I'm going to start with the 10k and see how bored I am after 6 miles and then we'll see if I even want to consider a 1/2 or not... I just don't want to say "I'm training for a marathon" and then never do it and then again, I don't want to say I am, start training and realize there is NO way I'm doing it and have to be a failure.  So, I guess what I'm saying is: "I'm running at 10k on Saturday and I'll see ya at the beer tent when it's over!!".

Let's be honest, I run for the fashion...

 Don't worry, these went to Goodwill! If you're lucky you'll see your 90 year old neighbor wearing them while gardening this summer! Mmmmm, terry cloth!

 and the fame!!!

On a side note: blogger says I'm "not following" any other blogs.... my entire reading list is GONE! Let's hope they fix it because I follow a lot of you! If you notice your views are down by 1 person, it's ME!

10 Random Things Friday...

1. Do you know of the super SWEET Lulu?  She's been a long time reader of chinamommy and was one of the 1st to ever buy something from my etsy shop!  She's adorable, talented, and sweet as pie and a teensy bit "dark"!  Make sure you stop by her blog: http://coastalsistersnews.blogspot.com/ Oh, did I mention I won her super CUTE giveaway?...

Lulu, thank you SO much!! We love them and Darling loved her "pixie dust" and gobbled that sucker right up!! We are definitely long lost sisters and need to meet up SOON at some fabulous art event- we'll wear matching stripey tights!!

2. I'm watching HSN right now, It's Martha Stewart Craft hour... I could SOOOOOO be that lady that sits around and orders crap off the TV.  Do you do that?  (Hey, there's some lady calling in from the South, is that you Angela?) I resist, the only thing I've ever bought from TV was the NutraSonic cleaner and I must say, I LOVE it!!

They've almost got me talked into buying the Martha Stewart Scoring Board!!  Ok, while typing this up, I'm trolling in another window and found it on amazon for $11 cheaper than HSN!  Yes, it's in my cart...

3. I ran all week with NO KNEE PAIN, I know you're all thrilled!! I'll be running the 10k in the River Bank run with a couple of my running pals!!! I've got to come up with my chinamommy running outfit... I've got a running skirt,  it's PINK!

4. You should see what someone left on this sweet lady's windshield this week...

Seriously?? Who does stuff like this?  Go read her post...

http://www.homebodyholly.com/

5.  I'm planning my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary!!! And by "planning" I mean, waiting till August to have a panic attack about how I should have been planning for the last 4 months!!  Feel free to pepper me with fabulous ideas....

6. I just convinced myself the Martha Stewart Scoring board has solved all my decorating problems for the 50th anniversary EXTRAVAGANZA!!!  I'd show you pictures of how, but I've spent over 30 min. trying to find some online, so look at the crappy picture below - if you squint your eyes, it makes the picture clearer....

7. I'm so excited about how my living room turned out, like "blabbering about my new baby" kind of excited... The fireplace isn't done, the trim isn't all up, new carpet is a must and, there needs to be more carni-junk but for now I'm just going to pretend it's ALL done, 'cause I LOVES IT!!! and you know... it was all about removing those dang faded red slip covers!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

(doesn't it look like those little suitcases by the fireplace are smiling at you?)

 (does someone want to come over and iron my slip covers??....)

8. It's kinda time to start thinking about my baby hat drive...See the tab at the top, you'll hear more near the end of summer (more as in: you're so sick of hearing about it you'll just send me a truckload of hats for these sweeties so I'll shut up!) but wanted to give you the heads up!

 Photo's of some of the kiddo's that got hats last year in the 1st Annual Chinamommy Baby Hat Drive.

9. Cause this is Random Friday

Here is another cool crafty blog that I found recently

http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/

Being a trophy wife is hard, sitting on the computer all day finding other cool blogs!  I could get hemorrhoids ya know! (yes, I had to spell check that one)

10. Wishing all you Mama's 

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

and if you're not a mom, well, somedays it's not all it's cracked up to be, so go out to eat and just celebrate YOU!!

If your Mama is no long with you, I am sorry and I'm thinking of you friends!!

Hope it's sunny where you are!