Birthday Tribute To The Running Dork!

It's special tribute time!!! Today I would like to wish a VERY SPECIAL (in soooo many ways) PERSON a VEEEEERY HAPPY BIRFDAY!!!!! This one's for you, RUNNING DORK!!!!

The only person I LITERALLY make long-distance friendship hearts with. Tear.

Aw, look at us the day we met.

We were so excited to finally meet each other!!!

And clearly, we had a good time.


Who else would hang out a car window with me to cheer on our fellow friend (The Running Lawyer) in a race??

And I'll NEVER forget when she put her meat in my box.

Oh, and these tiny little carts...how cute!

I can't think of anyone else I'd rather look longingly at.

And as a card carrying member of The Quadrouple, it is her honorary DUTY to do the following:

Be pensive.

Do Jazz Hands.

And the Shocker.

And - oh yes - make friendship rainbows.

I *heart* you, dear friend! Hope you have the bestest bday ever!!!!

*PS - I scheduled this to post at 2:26am....since your bday is 2/26 and I'm so clever and all. ;)*

Happy Birthday To The Running Lawyer!!!!

See the chick on the right?

Well that would be my good friend, The Running Lawyer. And today just happens to be her BIRFDAY!!!!!! Please make sure to stop by and wish this lovely lady a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

February is a pretty awesome month, considering the entire Throuple will be celebrating a throuple of birthdays this month - we're pretty awesome like that. We travel in packs, too. So watch out!

Workout Updates

Thanks again to everyone for your continued support through my detox endeavors. Ending the detox was not an easy decision to make. But it came down to toughing it out for a few more days to get the full benefits in exchange for not being able to ingest vegetables again for a veeeery long time, or go ahead and quit early and still be able to consume veggies in my day-to-day diet. I really had to weigh out the pros and cons of each side. And although my judgement may have been a bit irrational at the time, due to the hunger and severe NEED for solid food, I feel that in the end, I made the right decision for me.

So now, moving on from the detox, I'm pleased to announce that I'm back in the swing of things again, workout wise. I have no idea what came over me in December, but I became a huge, lazy piece of shiz! But that is all behind me now. I have plenty of spring races coming on the horizon, including Half Marathon #2 - woot! So as soon as I phased off the detox, I knew I had to make up for it by getting my rear back into shape. So below are my workouts for the past week and a half - note, I've worked out more in the past 3 days than I have in the past 2 months. Fact. LOL...and sad.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010: P90X Ab Ripper X
--This was my first workout in nearly 2 months. Sigh, I know. I suck. The holidays, illnesses, and life all got in the way. Moving past that, I got my butt in gear and did the ab ripper workout. The following morning, I didn't even feel any soreness. As the day went on, I began to feel more and more sore. By Thursday, I couldn't laugh, cough, or even breathe without about doubling over, lol.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010: 2 mile run - treadmill
--This was my first run since November. I struggled, but made it the whole way through without walking. My pace was around 10:00 - 10:30. I was incredibly sore the next 2 days - could barely walk, lol.

Monday, January 18, 2010: 4 mile run
--This was my first run outside since Gobbler Grind in November. I still consider myself a new runner. I just started running consistently last year. And even my "consistent" running hasn't been all that consistent. I'm the epitome of a "fair weather runner." I don't even own all the proper gear for cold weather running. In fact, there are probably only a handful of times that I've ran in temps below 50 degrees. And they were probably all in the mid to upper 40's. So I set a new record on Monday when I pounded out 4 miles in only 36 degrees. I know, 36 isn't even THAT cold. But this is a new accomplishment for me, and I was quite proud of myself.

I met up with my friend Valerie at a new trail Monday morning (I love work holidays!) and set out for a run. Neither of us had ran in awhile (minus my pathetic 2 mile TM run on Wednesday), so neither of us really knew what to expect. The run was def slooooooow (for me, at least...Val blew right past me very early on). But the scenery was beautiful. There was snow on the ground, we were in a wooded area with a trickling stream and several little bridges to run over, and there was a LOT of fog out that morning. It was absolutely breathtaking! And to my surprise, I was able to pound out 4 miles! This is only my second run back from a 2 month hiatus and I was able to run 4 miles! Wow....a year ago, it took me several months to work up to 4 miles! I remember being excited just to run 1.5 - 2 miles.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010: P90X - Shoulders & Arms, and Ab Ripper X
--I'm trying to get back into the P90X program, but with training for some upcoming races, I won't be able to follow the schedule exactly. So I've just incorporated it into my schedule on the days I want to do strength training / weight training.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010: 3.1 mile run, yoga
--I ran 3 miles outside in my hood - LOTS of hills....and I ran 'em all! My pace was slow, yes. Like ridiculously slow. But the run actually felt good, so I'm not going to focus on my pace. I really only took my Garmin to see my distance. It was cold out too. And windy. But again, it felt good. When I got home, I stretched really well and did 45 min of yoga. It was a good workout day.

So, it's official - I am training to run the Oklahoma City Marathon (okay, the half marathon) with The Running Dork and The Running Lawyer. That's the "big" event I'm training for at the moment...but I have several other races on the radar as well. A goal I really wanted to set for this year was to run at least 1 race every month this year. So far, I have the first half of the year covered. :) I'll post more about upcoming events soon.

Giblet Challenge 2009 - A Weekend of Throuple Love!

Okay, so I'm over a week late getting this posted, but better late than never. ;) A couple months ago, Running Dork, Running Lawyer, and I made the Giblet Jog announcement - we were all going to run the 10 Mile Turkey Trot in Wichita on the 21st and the Gobbler Grind Half Marathon in Kansas City on the 22nd. Well, please give some bloggie love to the Running Lawyer - the only one of us that actually accomplished this feat!!! Due to injuries, I down graded to the 2 mile Turkey Trot and the Gobbler Grind 5k, and Running Dork was one of the best Athletic Supporters that a group of runners could ask for!! ;)

Okay, so let me start at the beginning of the weekend. I got off work early on Friday the 20th and headed out for the 3 mile drive to the Dub. I got there around 5pm and met up with Beka at her abode. Kristen showed up a little bit later and we enjoyed an AMAZING dinner with plenty of wine and laughs. And apparently wine is my new pre-race-requisite because I ran my fastest race EVER the following morning. (PS - fastest ever for the running worm is basically faster-than-a-snail-but-still-slower-than-a-turtle.) ;)

Here's a pic of the Throuple on Friday night:

I stayed the night at Kristen's house and we met Beka at the race. The start time was 9:30, which was actually kind of nice since it was pretty chilly out that morning. After a long line for the bathroom, we barely made it to the start in time for the gun.

This race was my first run in almost 3 weeks after being sick and having a lot of craziness in my life. AND, I had only ran 3 times since my last stress fracture, so I was hardly prepared for this race. I was really just there to have fun. I told Beka I anticipated finishing my 2 miles in around 22 - 24 minutes. So you can imagine my surprise when I finished my first mile in 9:30! Now I will say this - being that the race was in Kansas, it was EXTREMELY flat - no hills, barely even an incline here or there. The course was really nice - right along the river, some of it on streets, most of it on a trail, and even part that went through a grassy field - srsly. I was covered in stickers afterwards...which did not feel good when I accidentally sat back on my heels later and got some stickers in the tooshie!

Anyway, if this race had been a 5k, I definitely would have gone out way too fast in the first mile and then ran out of gas at the end. But since it was only 2 miles, I really pushed myself to maintain my speed. Those of that have been following my blog for awhile are aware that I've only been running for less than a year. So when I finished the race in 19 min & some change, I was SHOCKED...and excited! New PR for the Running Worm!!! And after a 2 month running hiatus (other than 3 small runs), I was pretty pumped!

There are no pics of me running this race cuz I told Beka - who was waiting at the finish line - that I wouldn't be done until 22 - 24 min, and I finished several minutes faster than expected, so she didn't have her camera ready for me. ;)

But here is a pic of Beka & me (& Milo!) after the race...and after I changed out of my sweaty running clothes - thank goodness for Beka's ridiculously dark tinted windows so I could change in the car. ;)

We got to see Kristen run by in this trail during her 10 mile race and then we jetted over to the finish line to see her finish. She did AWESOME!!! I only aspire to run that fast one day!

After the race, Kristen and I went back to her place to shower and get cleaned up. We then met up with Beka and Kristen's mom for some yummy brunch before we headed out for the 3 hour drive up to KC. We arrived just in time to pick up our race packets. Then our friend Indi and her husband met up with us and we headed out for a tasty viewing of New Moon, followed by dinner (and drinks of course!) at California Pizza Kitchen, and some amazing gelato at a cute little gelato shop.

Here's a pic of us ladies (from left to right: Indi, Beka, Kristen, Me) at CPK:

That about wrapped up our night. Then we had to get some shut eye before the race the following morning - 8am start time!

Here's a pic of us girls before the race Sunday morning (from left to right: Katy, Valerie -who has a new bloggie of her own that you all should check out at The Coach's Wife-, Me, Kristen, Indi, Beka)

The GG started promptly at 8am and I started of just as fast as I had the day before - big mistake. I wasn't far from the end of the first mile when I felt some crazy pain in my shins and my left knee. I didn't stretch as well as I should have the day before and I was seriously just shuffling along.

Here's a pic of me during the first mile - I was still running faster at this point - notice the blur! ;)

Anyway, the rest of the race was pretty painful. All I really wanted to do was stop and walk, but I knew that if I stopped, I wouldn't be able to run again. I never EVER run 2 days in a row - my body just can't handle it. So racing 2 days in a row had me in a great deal of pain. But I just powered through so I could be done. Didn't stop for water....knew if I did, my legs would refuse to run anymore after that. So I did manage to run the entire race without walking....and somehow, even though I felt like I was at snail-pace, I still managed to PR! I will say this though - this was only my 4th 5k. 2 of those I ran with a yet-to-be-diagnosed stress fracture....and a 6-year-old in tow. The other I ran in August in nearly 90 degree heat with some massive hills. My previous times weren't hard to beat - they were all slow as all get out. So yeah, there ya have it - 2 PRs in one weekend! Not to shabby for the Worm!

After I finished the race, I could barely walk. I grabbed some chocolate milk and hobbled over to a tree where I did some much-needed stretching, which totally helped! Then Beka, Indi, Trevor (Indi's husband) and I went and drove around to try to spot our friends running the half. We were successful - first we spotted Kristen and obnoxiously yelled out the window at her....for a couple blocks. ;)

Here is a stellar pic that Indi took from the front seat featuring me and Beka hanging out the back window yelling at Kristen who is running on the left:

And just a few blocks ahead we spotted Valerie too. Cheering out the window of the car was so much fun....so fun, in fact, that we just started cheering for random names. The best was Lindsay...because some girl perked right up at the sound of her name and started waving wildly back at us and giving us the thumbs up. Ah, good times.

We then headed back to the finish line where we anticipated Runnur Mark finishing in roughly an hour and a half....and he did not disappoint.

Here's a group pic after the race (Mark, Me, Beka, Kristen, Indi):

And what would a race be without some Jazz Hands photos?? Too bad Mark scurried away before this was taken. ;)

After the race, we got cleaned up and headed out for some traditional post-race Chipotle love. Nothing quite screams "celebration of accomplishment" to me quite like a loving bowl of Chipotle - yummmmmmm!!!!

And here's a pic of us ladies after our delicious Chipotle love:

Shortly after this last pic was taken, we all parted ways...sigh. It was definitely one of the best weekends I've had in a LONG time!!! I do believe we plan to make this a tradition....with hopefully some more fun weekends together in between. These ladies are a blast - nothing beats the Throuple. Nothing. Except maybe the Throuple + Chipotle.

Happy Holidays, My Friends!

Hello, friends! I know I've been away for nearly 2 weeks - wow, has it been that long??!! Yeah, my life has been a bit crazy. Our entire family has been sick (back-to-back, with multiple illnesses), we've had a lot of unfortunate circumstances come up among several friends and co-workers, and of course we had the tragedy of losing our dog. I do want to take a moment right now to thank you all for the kind and thoughtful comments you all left on my last post. The unexpected loss of Callie has been very tough on all of us. Our Golden Retriever, Cooper, is especially having a difficult time right now. And our house definitely feels quieter and emptier. But having the love and support of so many wonderful friends has made this difficult situation a little more manageable - so a huge THANK YOU to you all!

I really just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm working to get a post up soon (hopefully today) about last weekend - AKA the Giblet Challenge with The Throuple. But in case I'm unable to get it all finished up before the end of the day, I didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to wish you all a very happy holiday weekend! And while you're enjoying your turkey and pumpkin pie, don't forget to take a moment to reflect on the many blessings in your lives to be thankful for. I feel so truly blessed for so many gifts I have been given in my life...and that includes all the wonderful people who have brightened my life so much.

All of you out there in bloggie land really have touched my heart in so many ways this year and I truly do consider you all my friends. I am so honored to have "met" all of you this year, whether exclusively through the interwebs, or actually in person. Your comments always brighten my day - many of you have given me great advice, words of encouragement, flattering compliments, and smiles all around. Several of you have become my Facebook friends, many have become email buddies, and of course there's The Throuple (consisting of myself, Running Dork, and Running Lawyer) that has come only to exist through the magic of blogginess. Without the blogosphere to bring us all together, I would not be a part of a friendship I have found to be so special (and I mean special in sooooo many ways, lol).

Each and every one of you readers out there have had a hand in making my life just that much more meaningful this past year, so for all of you I am thankful! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with safe travels, surrounded by the ones you love! And thank you all for being my friends! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Back In The Groove

Yesterday was a pretty good workout day, esp considering yesterday was MONDAY! I got in a quick 3 mile run right after work. Well, technically, I ran the first 2.5 and walked the last .5 with Rylie when she got of the bus from school (I got off to a late start). I stretched really well and then I went ahead and did P90X Core Synergistics. Let's just say I'm pretty sore today...but it's a good sore. Ah, I miss this feeling. ;)

Tonight I'm getting a third MRI on my neck since '05. My doctor has been treating me for neck issues since my last car wreck back in February and things just aren't getting better. I've been through a third round of physical therapy, I've taken steriods, and I refuse to get another round of cortisone injections. I had 3 back in '05. I was pain free for about 6 weeks...but the side effects (horrible acne and a 30 pound weight gain) lasted for nearly a year! NEVER. again. I hate getting MRIs. I hate having to hold completely still for 45 min - an hour while they take all the pictures. I usually end up having muscle spasms and it takes way longer than it is supposed to. And I have a feeling this MRI isn't going to be a whole lot different than the others. Sigh....

Well, I hope everyone is having a great week. Oh, and if you want to read a really BAD ASS race report, check out my buddy John's race report from the Beach 2 Battleship 2009 Half Ironman here - nothing short of amazing! Way to go, John!!

Monday, November 9, 2009: 3 mile run, P90X Core Synergistics

Hello for Now! ...More on the way!

Hello, friends! First of all, I've noticed several new followers over the past month - welcome!!! I hope you're not disappointed in what you've seen so far....my so-called "fitness" blog has been lacking in the fitness department lately. And there is a perfectly good explanation for that, which I will post about later. Kind of a long story, but I'll try to give you the condensed version.

Life has been pretty busy lately. Between work, vacation, gymnastics meets, and weddings, I haven't had much time for posting in the bloggie blog...and I apologize. I have lots to catch up on. I'll get there...eventually. ;)

Until then, I want to wish everyone a very happy Friday! I also want to wish a very special Someone a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Please stop by Erin's blog at Dancing Sweet Pea and give her some birthday love!!

Also, with winter quickly approaching - snow/sleet/darker evening hours - many of us may find ourselves running outside less and less and spending more and more time on the treadmill. Running inside is not always my first choice, but often times a necessary evil. Well, my new friend Ana introduced me to a site that many of you may find interesting: Treadmill Reviews. Here you will find reviews on ALL TYPES of treadmills (srsly, there's a buttload of reviews!), as well as some other fun links and info - check it out!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Hopefully next week I'll be back to my old bloggin' self! ;)

Foto Friday - Running Dork & Running Worm - LOOK OUT!!!!

The time has come!!! Yes, it's been a few months...perhaps it was laziness that prevented me from posting these pics sooner...perhaps it was the fear that Fair Weather Runner, whom I refer to as The Running Dork might kick my @$$ for posting them...or perhaps it was my concern that the world just isn't fully ready for the pure awesomeness of a "Couple from the Throuple" together in the same place at one time! Yes, that must be it! So...brace yourselves, bloggies! Because this is just a tiny bit of preparation before ALL 3 members of the Throuple unite in just 3 short weeks for the Giblet Jog Challenge 2009! That's right - the world may implode with awesomeness, cuz we are Just.That.Awesome.!!!

Okay, here's a pic of Miss Fair Weather Runner herself & me, just moments after she invited me to her hotel room - yes, that really happened!!

We were SO EXCITED to finally meet each other - can you tell??? ;)

We *heart* each other.

A few drinks into the night, we started to get a little silly - can you believe it?? (Notice I'm doing "gag me with a spoon" in the back ground, LOL!)

In case you're wondering, we're simulating "running" with our fingers. Yep. Told ya. Awesomeness. No doubt about it.

And here, we're actually pretending to run. You can't see the arms pumping, but I'm sure it was quite a sight. I wonder if I actually make that face when I run??

And in this last photo....I'm not really sure what's going on. And it's apparent that I didn't know at the time either. ;) Ah, good times.

Well, that's about 7 of the 30ish pics taken that night. Sigh...if only I had pics of The Running Lawyer from when we met for breakfast a few weeks back.

Okay, carry on with your Friday. I hope everyone has a spooktacular weekend!! :)

I Was Tagged!

I was tagged by my dear friend Erin at Dancing Sweet Pea!

Instructions are to copy these 35 questions and fill them in with the answers that suit you then pass it on to 6 favorite bloggers (notify them that you've given them an award!)35

Questions:

1)Where is your cell phone? in my purse in my desk drawar

2)Your hair? blonde with loose curls today

3)Your mother? is amazing

4)Your father? a lot of fun

5)Your favorite food? sushi, chipotle burrito bowls

6)Your dream last night? something only I would dream...

7)Your favorite drink? water, crystal light, frozen margs

8)Your dream/goal? IRONMAN!

9)What room are you in? my cubicle at work

10)Your hobby? triathlon-ing, internetting, blogging, drinking, acting a fool

11)Your fear? failure

12)Where do you want to be in 6 years? somewhere WARM

13)Where were you last night? At home

14)Something that you aren't? emotionally stable (lol)

15)Muffins? yummy!

16)Wish list item? new house, another vacation, and that my kiddos don't get the swine flu!

17)Where did you grow up? Emporia, KS

18)Last thing you did? Talked to my desk partner about the flu

19)What are you wearing? Black pants and a charcoal colored sweaterd

20)Your t.v.? needs to be bigger

21)Your pets? are the best pets in the world!

22)Friends? mean the world to me

23)Your life? is crazy!

24)Your mood? stressed

25)Missing someone? since Sept 12, 2005...

26)Vehicle? an old Pathfinder that needs upgraded

27)Something you're not wearing? glasses

28)Your favorite store? Maurices

29)Favorite color? Pink!

30)Last time you laughed? this morning

31)Last time you cried? a week ago

32)Best friend? I have too many...oldest is Melissa (AKA The Militia)

33)One place that I go to over and over? the lake!

34)One person who emails me regularly? The Throuple (Running Lawyer & Running Dork)

35)Favorite place to eat? Chipotle, Kona Grille

Six people I will pass this on to:

The Running Dork
The Running Lawyer
Lindsay @ Chasing The Kenyans
Heather @ RUN FASTER MOMMY!
Jamie @ Sweaty Hugs
Jess @ All Things Creative

Hearts to my Homies!

Check it out - I returned from my amazing trip to Mexico to find a gift from my girl Beka the Running Dork - notice a new masthead, anyone?? Niiiiiiiiiice, eh?? Me gusto mucho!!!!! :)

I Heart Presents!!!

Yes, I heart presents!!! So you can imagine my joy when I arrived home from work yesterday to find a gift awaiting me from my dear friend The Running Lawyer. It's a DARLING scarf from Disneyland and it's PINK (my fave color) and has mouse ears on it!!!! Too CUTE! I totally heart it!

Soooo....I went ahead and took a few photos in it. I mean, it totally matched my outfit and everything! ;) And I didn't take it off until I went to bed last night. And of course, I'm wearing it to work today! THANK YOU, Running Lawyer!!!

I'm still working on uploading pics from my tri, so I'll get those up this weekend and try to get a race report out to you all next week. Oooooh, and The Running Lawyer and The Running Dork and I have something we are plotting (or trotting...) for November. More on that later!

I'M A TRIATHLETE - WOOT!!!!

First of all, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the bloggie love before my big day! I heart all of you and feel so blessed to receive so much support!!!!

Many of you have already seen my Facebook updates throughout the weekend, but for those of you that haven't - I finished my race, ROCKED the swim, and had a total BLAST!!!!! I just got back yesterday and had a sick baby to tend to all day - boo. :( So I haven't had a chance to upload pics yet. I'll get a full race report out soon, complete with pictures - I promise!!

Until then, thanks again to EVERYONE!!! You all are amazing and have made me feel like a total rockstar (especially Running Lawyer and Running Dork for all the kick ass texts throughout the weekend and emails awaiting me when I got back to work today) and also Erin, John, Mel, and Dave for the FB love and to Jamie for hooking me up on some amazing info about DC for the weekend. (If I left anyone out, I'm super sorry - you are ALL great friends and mean the world to me!!!!) I hope to get a race report out in the next week.

Giveaway WINNER, Bloggie Shout Outs, Success, and Thanks!

Okay, bloggies...I've been away for a few days. My kiddos have been sick (they are getting better) and I haven't been feeling the greatest either...which sucks cuz my tri is just 10 days away. I'm on an antibiotic...but I have a feeling that I'm either suffering from allergies or something viral...just because that would be my luck. I'm hoping/praying I'll be better by the time we leave for DC next Friday. We even cancelled our weekend trip to the lake for Labor Day so I can stay home and rest rather than exhaust myself further and probably push myself over the edge of getting sick. It's disappointing, but I'm sure it's the best decision in the end.

So, without further ado, the winner of my GNC Gift Card Giveaway is.....Kristen The Running Lawyer!!! Of course, she was the only entrant. But she earned herself a whopping 20 entries by not only donating $50 herself, but by also forwarding the link to her mother who also generously donated $50 as well! I am truly touched by their generosity and feel the need to tell everyone how amazing and special Kristen The Running Lawyer is to me. Not only is she motivational and inspirational (Have you read her blog?? She has time to be an attorney AND run marathons - now THAT is amazing!!!), but she has also become a good friend of mine over the past several months. We email daily, text each other randomly, and interestingly enough, we even went to the same high school, but never knew each other - what are the odds?! I know we'll meet face to face soon as we're from the same home town and only live 3 hours apart now. In fact, there's talk of doing a race together in November along with Beka the Running Dork. I am honored to be a friend of The Running Lawyer's and would like to give her an EXTRA SHOUT OUT today since she will be running the Disney Half Marathon on Sunday in Anaheim, CA! Please go to her blog STAT and leave her lots of encouraging comments and wish her luck this weekend!!!!!!!

To wrap it, I just want to add that my giveaway was directly related to my fundraising efforts for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I received word today that I finally reached (and exceeded) my goal with a grand total of $4,060 in funds raised! The road to this race has been quite a long journey....but I'm sure it's nothing in comparison to what the families facing these diseases have had to endure. On September 13, 2009, when I cross that finish line, I will know that I have helped these families to progress towards the ultimate finish line - a cure! Additional shout outs go to everyone who has donated funds, everyone who has completed a TNT event, everyone who has offered support and motivation, all the families who have faced these diseases, all those who have lost loved ones, and all the survivors out there - including my bloggie buddy Art at Racing For A Cure. All of you are my inspiration, my motivation, and my reason for TRI-ing!

Shout Outs!!!

I just wanted to wish GOOD LUCK to everyone who is racing this weekend! A special shout out goes to my girls Fair Weather Runner, the Self-Proclaimed Running DORK and Kristen the Running Lawyer who are running the Rock Chalk...RUN 10K tomorrow - GOOD LUCK, LADIES!!!

To everyone else out there racing, good luck and HAVE FUN!!

My Blog is SUPER!

One of my favorite bloggie pals, Dancing Sweet Pea, gave me an award!!! And in my busy absence from the blogsphere lately, I completely missed it until yesterday (sorry again!!)!! I am truly honored to be recognized and cannot even begin to say how much this made my day! Especially after having a downer week last week, and now having a yucky sinus infection that I'm battling in addition, it totally brightened my day to pop over to her blog and read the kind words she had written about me! And not only that, but she throws sweet words of encouragement my way ALL THE TIME! This chica has been a great source of support & encouragement and I always look forward to her comments. She is such a sweet girl and I know that if she lived closer, we would totally hang out! Oh - and you have to go to her blog and check out her cake-making skills! She seriously needs to quit her day job and open up a bakery! WOW!!

So now, the rules are: tape the award on your blog somewhere and pass it along to 5 fellow super bloggers. Then comment on their blog to let them know how lucky they are today! When you present your Super Blogger awards, link back to the Super Blogger who gave it to you :)

This really is tough to narrow it down to just 5 people, cuz all of you out there are pretty freakin awesome - always giving me great advice & encouragement. So, I wish I could give this award to everyone....but since I can't, here are my 5:

1) Fair Weather Runner, the Self-Proclaimed Running DORK - this girl and I have so much in common, right down to our injuries, that it's straight up SCARY! We have almost the same last name and we were even born just 1 day apart, which might actually explain our "pisces-ian" similarities. She constantly keeps me laughing, smiling, intrigued, perplexed, mortified, and mostly just cracking up. There's no doubt we will meet in person one day, since we're only about 3 hours apart and surely we'll run a race together (and I use "together" loosely as she will totally leave me in the dust!).

2) Kristen the Running Lawyer is from the same home town as me....and funnily (is that even a word??) enough, we were following each other's blogs for MONTHS before we came to this discovery! Pretty crazy, considering our home town is pretty stinkin tiny. I mean, hello - we went to the same high school at the same time! Crazy! This lady has accomplished all kinds of goals this year, including her first half marathon, her first full marathon, and most recently a 10K PR! Talk about inspiring!

3) Super Dave is a really awesome guy. We "met" on justfinish.com. We then started following each other's blogs, and are now friends on Face Book. He even earned extra "awesome points" by donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through my fundraising website, which helps the world get one step closer to finding a cure for blood cancers, and helps me get one step closer to my triathlon. (If you, too, would like to earn "awesome points," you can do so by clicking here.) ;)
4) Stacy is my favorite tri buddy! She has definitely been a go-to girl for me. She always has great advice and knows just what to say to get me focused. She is constantly on the go and a true inspiration to me. Her training schedule is very similar to mine, so it's fun to compare notes (and stats). ;) Her blog definitely keeps me motivated!

5) This last one is tough, cuz there are soooo many people worthy of this award. But I'm giving it to someone who truly deserves an award (and some cheer in general) right now: Melanie, another fellow justfinish.comer. I have to give a shout out to a fellow mom, and not just any mom either. This gal has been through a LOT, including seizures, BRAIN SURGERY, and recently some running injuries. She is one hell of a fighter and a true inspiration! Through it all, she just keeps pushing through, and I'm proud of her and honored to be her bloggie friend!

Okay friends, there ya have it - SUPER BLOGGERS UNITE! :)

SHOUT OUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First off, I want to wish GREAT LUCK to EVERYONE that is racing this weekend! May the weather work in your favor and may you have a WONDERFUL time!!!

Secondly, I ask my fellow bloggie friends to join me in sending a huge shout out to Fair Weather Runner and Kristen The Running Lawyer who are running their first marathon this weekend in OKC and to Oz Runner who is running his first half marathon this weekend, also in OKC!!! GOOD LUCK to the 3 of you - YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Good luck goes out to Super Dave and Mauricio who are running the Country Music Marathon this weekend too!

Here's to wishing you safe travels and a SPECTACULAR race day!!!! :)