This Girl is On Fire - Alicia Keys (2013)

I'm an Urban Warrior! #Fitfluential #GirlsGoneSporty

They say that every now and then you have a moment that defines you. It not only shows you your weaknesses but also highlights your strengths. Yesterday I participated in the Urban Warrior Dash. It was the inaugural race held by the same folks that run the mud version of the Warrior Dash. This race may have been mud-free but was no less than challenging. I decided a few months ago to do this race, alone. As it got closer I got nervous, and asked a family member to go with me, but they were unable to. Fate wanted me to see this through on my own. The days leading up to the race had me a nervous wreck. I kept seeing photos on their Facebook Page and kept wondering if I had gotten in over my head.

Friday morning Ben and I dropped off our pup at doggie day care (insert sad face here) and began the drive to San Diego. A few hours later we were in San Diego, checked into our hotel (The Mariott at Gaslamp), and headed over to the packet pickup at Road Runner Sports. Cool store too. I picked up a pair of compression pants that felt fabulous post-race. Afterwards we headed back to our hotel to change and head out to dinner. We chose to eat at Toscana Cafe and Wine Bar. I had the Chicken Pesto Pasta with a margarita while Ben had the veal medallions. It was divine. We knew I needed to head to bed soon but couldn't resist seeing the view from the Altitude Sky Lounge atop our hotel. It did not disappoint. We each had a drink and then it ws time to call it a night.

It was finally race day. I was a bundle of nerves. I have run races by myself before but nothing like this. I kept closing my eyes and just picturing the finish. I repeated over and over "You can do this, piece of cake!" I remembered all the times my friends encouraged me on and I heard them now too.

Soon enough we were off. The first mile or so was solid running before we hit the first set of obstacles. Ben was later down in the course so I don't have any photos of those first two sets. The first group began with a rope suspended over poles that you had to climb under (flat on your belly). It was followed by the tire run and finished with the road block (a series of road baricades and planks you had to go up and over in alternating patterns). Luckily there was water after this but mistake number one on my part was not drinking more of it. I could already feel the heat of the morning hitting me and later it would be more of an issue. I had not run in warm weather in months so I think my body was not sure what to do yet to compensate.

 

The next set of obstacles were a net over planks that you had to duck under. This led to challenge number one for me: The Road Block. A series of walls in varying heights. Luckily a nice woman in front of me offered a hand to lift me up the highest one and I returned the favor for someone else. It was nice to see wveryone helping each other out even if they were a stranger.

 

I must say the obstacles were a nice "break" from running but I needed more water. They had enough water stations I just didn's use them as well as I should have early on. Later I would start to take two cups, but initally I only had one, and I think this led me to get dehydrated.

 

After that I have some photos so here are some highlights from the remainder of the course.

Looking to Ben for advice....

Man I hate heights!

Funniest picture of me at a race ever.

Also not a fan of dark enclosed places.

 

More heights, with a dingy dumspter below. It was nothing! :-)

 

Heading into the Satdium for Quad killer..up and down a flight of stadium stais...twice.

 

More freaking heights, but got it done.

You see me here encouraging another gal on.

 I sucked at this one, but got through it.

 

A well-deserved beer.

 

For the rest of the photos see my Run with K Facebook Page.

 

It was right after the above photo that we took off to head to the hotel. At first I felt fine. Tired but that was to be expected. I had a bit of a headache but figured that was likely from the sun. About five minutes into our walk back I felt nauseated. Ben thought may be I drank that beer too fast. Perhaps. I had some water after that but again just a small cup. I was so proud of what I had done that I completely forgot to do the things I needed to: rehydrate and refuel.

 

We got changed and then went off to lunch but it was a solid hour before we ate. All I had was a protein bar before the race and that beer after. I had a root beer with lunch (normally I skip soda but craved sugarat that point - is this a sign?). We decided to spend the day at Balboa Park and then maybe head to the San Diego Zoo. It was midway through this afternoon that I felt my head start to pound. I had my migraine meds in my purse and took those. I waited for them to kick in before taking any pain meds.

 

Even with the food at lunch and the sports drink I had at the park I still felt queasy and very thirsty. I soldiered through because I wanted to have some fun with Ben before we headed home the next day. After the zoo we headed back to the hotel to change again and then went to dinner at Royal Thai Cuisine. Despite the food being tasty, and me being hungry, I could not eat much. I was sick to my stomach. I so wanted to go to Ghiaradeli's for ice cream (my favorite spot at the Gaslamp Quarter) but that was out of the question. It was roughly 8 o'clock and I was back at the hotel in PJ's. I was asleep about thirty minutes later. I felt bad for Ben because we had planned on a nice night on the town but like a trooper he just took care of me. Made sure I had plenty to drink and then let me nod off. I slept until 7 AM. I woke up a few times in between, so it wasn't a solid sleep cycle, but nonetheless it was quite a bit of time. I still had a raging headache when I did wake up, so I took another migraine pill, and had a cup of coffee that Ben made for me.

 

This morning we had breakfast at Zanzibar Cafe. The tastiest breakfast was had there  - their Zanzibar Granola. Awesome! Then we headed home, and I have been feeling fine ever since.

 

Despite feeling sick since the race I loved this trip and the race itself was a blast. I am so proud that I was able to run this kind of race on my own and did pretty well too. I really CAN do anything I put my mind to. I have learned a valuable lesson too, don't forget to hydrate and refuel properly. One lesson I won't forget any time soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to Get That Pink On! #CureSN2013

This cap needs some names!

Support me in the fight to end breast cancer forever! I will wear a baseball cap similar to what is seen to the left at this year's race and will included all names of those that donate, as well as any honorees you choose. Let me know who you want to honor and I will add them. You can send them to me at kjhannington@yahoo.com. 


Breast cancer knows no boundary, be it age, gender, socio-economic status or geographic location. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. That's one in eight within your company, school and organization!


Help me fill up this cap with the names of donations, survivors, and those that lost the fight against this disease. Together we can find that cure!

Donate to my personal page here - http://southernnevada.info-komen.org/site/TR?px=8088782&fr_id=2851&pg=personal



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My background with Susan G. Komen of Southern Nevada

A few years ago I became involved with Susan G. Komen for the Cure as a volunteer. I had lost a dear friend to breast cancer and have known several others that have gone through treatment. I wanted to join this organization because I wanted to give back to the community in a way that honored them. It was soon after my volunteer orientation that I joined Race for the Cure® Committee as a committee member and then as Co-Chair for Social Media. Since then I have been asked to serve as the Secretary for the Board of Directors and have served in that capacity since April of 2012.

I have been truly inspired by the numerous volunteers, survivors and race participants that I have met these last few years. I am honored and blessed to be a part of this organization and I hope as a board member I can continue to help Susan G. Komen find the cure we so desperately need.

Join us on Saturday, May 4, 2013 for the 18th Annual Komen Southern Nevada Race for the Cure® in fabulous downtown Las Vegas at the Fremont Street Experience. Click here to watch a video of our 2012 Race for the Cure!

The Fur Influence

Yesterday was National Love Your Pet Day and though it seems that every day there is another national this-or-that day I do like the fact that we get to celebrate all pets, and we should. Currently we have a dog, Castle, who has been with us two years this Saturday. We have Angel, our cat fantastic, who has been with us since last year. 

If you are a pet "parent" then you know  what a huge responsibility it is to be part of their lives. You also know how much they can love and how they often inspire those around them to be better people. Example: Every morning both Castle and Angel greet me, each in their own unique way. Castle is a bit of a spaz, but being a puppy you would expect no less. Angel is more of our quiet family member who does her own thing. Yet each night she stop by to see me and to "tuck me in" before bed. This usually means she lays on my stomach and just purrs. Almost as if she is trying to lull me off to sleep. You know what? Sometimes it does just that. The lesson in that is that they always find a way to remind me that they love me in some small way. Something I think we can all learn from especially with how busy our lives can become. 

Castle today!

No matter what type of pet you have, or what their personalities are like, they are a huge part of who you are as a person. They show you love, and teach you how to show that back. They even help you be more active because they need you to be. They need to go outside, go for walks, or just to run around and chase a ball or string. 

Angel 2013

They are in the moment. They don't think much about yesterday and tomorrow is not on their radar at all. It is all about NOW. Unlike people, they don't exist in any other time but the present and have learned that only today is what matters. I can tell you for certain that Castle will be a ball of energy the moment I walk in the door and Angel will be bounding down the stairs to check it all out. I kind of envy them in that. I know that for myself it is great to say that you will leave the past behind, and include all the mistakes and past hurts in that effort. If you are like me though it is hard to not let them creep into your consciousness. 

I had a conversation the other day with a friend and felt badly that I had gone months without calling her. I kept saying I would but with her being on the east and me being on the west I would always forget until it was too late to call. Even with friends here in town I have to make an effort to remember to reach out to them even if it is a text or Facebook post to say hi. I feel badly that I miss out on spending more time. It is something I am promising to make more of an effort with. 

So if you mised out on celebrating National Love Your Pet Day and you have a loyal non-human companion (fish, bird, dog, cat, whatever) take a moment to stop and show them a little love. And while you are at it, send some of that love to your human friends as well. 

Cheers!

Off the Bench #Fitfluential #GirlsGoneSporty

After finishing my latest class for school I took a few days off to just relax. I still played softball Tuesday night with the hubby, but that was pretty much it. I hadn't planned on that for the rest of the week but ended up sick at the end of the week so it forced me to sit on my butt for a few days. I guess I needed it. Today, though, I am realizing that I was feeling that "lack of motivation" that sets in after a break. A definite loss of momentum. As soon as my hubby came home I said a quick hello, gave a kiss on the cheek and ran upstairs to get a home workout in. I am going to get myself out of my comfy bed in the morning and get a run in. It will likely be a short one since I have two softball games after work. I even went and bought cleats over the weekend! And Ben picked up a new bat for us too. Woot!

 

I am trying to figure out what I will be doing over the next few weeks, which includes deciding on and registering for my half marathons in March and April. I am STILL up in the air on the ones for March - Red Rock Canyon (which is closer to home but has CRAZY hills) or Six Tunnels (which is about the same price but farther from home). Can someone out there just pick one for me?

 

I have a few more reviews to get written up this week as well so hopefully I can get those finished up by the weekend. I would like to do a race this weekend if I can swing it. My first pick would be the LV Fat Boy 5K. If you want more info and to register for the event you can check out this link - Las Vegas Fat Boy 5K

 

Well, that is my lovely update. What is new out there? Any new workouts you've tried or races you have done? Feel free to share!

 

 

January in Review

It seems hard to believe that January is at an end. Already one month of 2013 has passed and it is time to take a brief look at how things turned out.

Here are my notes:

• Completed one new activity - met with a new personal trainer and used equipment I have never trained on.
• Still inconsistent with my running, working on it.
• Completed a 5K and a 2 Mile Race (got a PR on the 2 Mi as well as 1st overall at that distance)
• Did not do as well with weight training as I would have liked. Need improvement here.
• After this weekend my thesis course is finished. Huge.
• Enrolled in an Associate's of Science degree in Digital Photography where I work. I won't start that though until my Master's is done. What can I say? I love to learn.
• Commencement for my Master's degree was finalized for May 30th in San Diego
• Registered for the Devil Dash - 9:30 AM start
• Started a second season in softball with hubby's work. As much as I suck at it, I admit, it is kind of fun.
• Began a tracker for races, fees, etc so I can budget better for the races I really want to do and to help my training plan go a bit better.

Looking ahead to February:

• Need to be more consistent with running. Once my paper is done I will start a chart in my office to help plan. I am a checklist kind of person so I think this will be helpful.
• Need to set up another session with the trainer.
• Pick out an activity for next month.
• Register for my first half marathon of 2013.
• More quality time with friends. Been a bit of a hermit thanks to my class. Need to put in some fun time.
• Submit the grant proposal for my next book.
• Write and draw more.

 

 

Holy Race Fees Batman!

If you are a runner who lives for races you have probably had the same conundrum I have had today. Namely.....

"How the hell do I pay for all these race fees?"

I love to race. I love the anticipation of them, the touch of nerves I get the morning of, and the thrill of the finish. I may not be the fastest runner or the most consistent in my training (still trying to work that out) but I just can't go long without a good race. This past summer was the longest I have gone in awhile and I hated it. Frankly, it made me cranky.

The trouble is that races are getting pretty pricey. I do a lot of the low-key races here in Las Vegas through the track club, which are more than affordable. However, there are still some larger races (namely obstacle courses and half marathons) that I am looking forward to, with many averaging around $60 or more a piece.

If you throw in a destination race (of which I only have one to date that is paid for) it can be downright frightening to think of one's budget. I had wanted to try for the Coast to Coast medal through runDisney but I am thinking, after scanning what fees I will pay alone in local races over the coming months, that this plan is likely going to have to wait.

I know I am not alone in this predicament. Many of you out there are likely in the same boat. My husband understands my love of these events and is doing  his best to encourage me, but also with a touch of being the voice of reason. He's right though (shhh, don't tell him I said that or I will never hear the end of it). It is hard to argue against the statement "$80 to run 13 miles? You can do that for free any day." Um, yeah, he DOES have a point.

Yet, there is something intangible about race day that defies this logic.

So, as a result, I am re-thinking my plans and trying my best to be a bit more strategic. Instead of running ones I have done before maybe I will do ones I have never run instead. There is also the consideration of bling...and yes it is important especially if I am throwing down some serious cash to run a race. I think it is only fair I get to add something to my collection, right?

I am not complaining about the fees themselves as I cannot speak on what it takes to coordinate, set-up and run a race like these. I am saying that over the next few days I will be thinking of ways to make it happen without breaking the bank, or sending my husband over the edge, or both!