Lot's to blog about.....

As usual I have fallen behind on the blog updates but believe me lot's has been going on. The Memphis St. Jude Marathon is right around the Corner. Actually it is one week from today!!! YIKES!!!
Training has been going really well I won't go into every single run but the colder weather has done wonders for my running. Brenda, Jane and I have been meeting at Michele's house for the majority of our week night runs. Michele and Kelly join us when they can. Arland was also joining us until the Doctor told him to take 10 days off but he will be back next week :)

We have really picked up the pace on all of our runs and have been averaging between 9:30 - 9:40 for almost all of our runs.
I do have a funny story about one of those runs..... It was on a Wednesday night and Lisa F (Tri-Lisa) was coming to run with us at Krooked Kreek. I love Lisa she is a very funny very generous overall nice person and oh yeah she's wicked fast!!
One by one my running partners were dropping like flies. Jane teaches a Latin Dance class on Wednesday nights so I knew she wouldn't be there but I was counting on Kelly and Michele. Kelly called first and said she couldn't come and then when I got to Michele's house James wasn't home yet... as in was still in a meeting in Little Rock. I was SCARED... I was going to have to run by myself with Lisa and Brenda!! Brenda is also very fast but I know she doesn't mind slowing her pace sometimes but I hadn't run with Lisa for more than a few minutes and wasn't sure what to expect.
We started off with a fast pace, not blazing mind you but fast enough, in the first mile we were stopped by a lady and man who had lot's of questions about running.. how often do we run, where etc. I love talking to new people but it was cold and I could feel my self stiffening up and the fear was still in my heart. I swear we talked to them for a least a minute if not longer but it ended up being easer to start back up than I thought it would. Once we started running again I let Brenda and Lisa do all the talking and we had a great run!! We ran in Blooming Ridge and it is pretty hilly/incliny over there so I was even happier with the outcome. 5 Miles with a 9:28 avg. pace and that includes the time we spent talking to those people in the neighborhood and having to wait for traffic crossing HWY 89.
I knew that Michele knew how scared I was about running with Lisa cause i flat out told her... but I didn't realize that Brenda had also seen the fear in my eyes!!

HOT SPRINGS 10K
I had been wanting to run this race for the past two years but something else always came up but this year I was determined to run it even though it was just two weeks before the Marathon. Everyone I know has run it including Cheryl who had told horror stories about "The Mountain" so I was prepared.. sort of.
Bailey and I met at Team 1 Saturday morning and then drove over to Burger King to meet Brenda, Joan, Vicki and Lisa.
It has been ages since I've really been able to spend any quality time with Bailey so I really enjoyed having her with me... even if she did sleep part of the way ;)
The temp reading in my car had been steadily showing 25 degree's until we turned onto HWY 70 and I watched it rapidly decrease to 19 degree's!!! Oh good grief I like running in cooler weather but 19 degrees is a little extreme.
I think it probably warmed up to about 24-25 by the time the race started. In usual Cruiser fashion we were very early but that gave us plenty of time to get our packets use the restroom multiple times and visit with friends and get and give lot's of hugs!
I wasn't "racing" this race I had decided ahead of time that although I wasn't technically racing I still wanted to have a decent time and not lolly gag so I set a goal of finishing in 1:00:00. I started the race off a little slow well I thought it was slow but when I ran by the first mile marker they called out 9:31 (my garmin showed 9:24). For most of the race I could see Cheryl, Bailey, Kim and Tammy. I ran right behind Kim and Tammy for the first couple of miles, until the mountain and then they left me behind.
The mountain was no joke.. It was steep and it was long but the worst part was the slant in the road I kept weaving back and forth trying to find a flat spot to run on.. there were none but I finally settled on running on the yellow line on the side of the road. I don't really know what you would call what I was doing going up that mountain whatever it was I'm sure it didn't look pretty but I was bound and determined not to walk ... and I didn't. After the first big climb we had a bit of flat and then a little bit of a downhill but I knew we had another climb ahead of us and didn't let myself enjoy the downhill as much as I should have. Once we crested the second mountain we had a nice long downhill, but after what happened in the SF Marathon I was afraid to just let loose and fly down so I was a bit of a sissy and didn't take full advantage but with Memphis just two weeks away I didn't want to take any chances with an injury. The rest of the race was a few rolling inclines but mostly either a gradual downhill or flat.
I love going to races with all my friends... it is so nice to have people cheering for you as you come into the final portion of the race. I could hear my name over and over and it was such a rush. Being slower has it's advantages :) I was also happy because I met my goal and finished in 1:00:02 and considering that I was a actually farther back in the pack at the start I actually finished a little bit faster but that is my official time so that's, that.
After the race we headed over to the awards ceremony and the Cruisers took home lot's of awards. Lisa was 3rd female over all and almost everyone else won either in Master's, Grand Master's or age groups. The Awards ceremony was outside and it was freezing but we all huddled/cuddled up and were able to keep reasonably warm. I think this was the first time that Gabby and James experienced the Cruiser Cuddle but they fit right in :)
Finally it was time for the best part of going to races... breakfast. We went to a pancake house and I had Blueberry Buckwheat pancakes that were delicious!!
Gabby and James also came to breakfast but unfortunately they didn't get there until late so we didn't really get to hang out with them. Gabby don't know if I have told you lately but I am so happy that you have become part of our Cruiser craziness.. you and James both!


12-miler
The next day after the race was our last "long" run of the Memphis Marathon training plan. It was around 45 degrees when we started at 7:00 which was 20 degrees warmer than the day before so we were very comfortable. Jackie met Jane, Michele and I at SSE we didn't have a specific route planned but just headed off in our normal direction and let Michele lead us through Cabot. I did have to make one or two pit stops but never had a cross my legs and stop kind of emergency. We did have to yell at a few dogs which is always fun... NOT. It was overall a very nice run, we pretty much all ran together the whole time so that was fun. My goal for the run was to try to avg. 10:30 for the 12 miles and we hit it was a 10:29 avg. pace. After the run we went to Starbucks and had their new Oatmeal and a pumpkin spice latte. As we were getting ready to leave Brenda and I both mentioned that we needed to go to Wal-Mart so we went together and it was great to have company while doing my grocery shopping.

THANKSGIVING
Thursday morning was the annual Cruiser Turkey run and we had 26 runners and 1 biker. It was so great to see so many people.. lot's of new faces and some old faces I haven't seen in awhile. It was cold -35 degrees when we started but it was supposed to warm up pretty quick and after the first mile I was very comfortable the rest of the run. It probably helped that we ran a very hilly route and we were keeping a pretty good pace.
Lisa F. started the run with a turkey call and then we were off with Jane and I leading the way down HWY 89 which was kind of comical because we had lot's of fast runners yesterday but they all stayed behind us until we turned onto Bradley and they they cut loose... oh well it was fun being in the lead while it lasted.
Jane, Vicki and I ended up running together for the whole 7 miles well most of it. Just before we got to 3.5 miles Vicki said she was going to take at walk break at 3.5 Jane walked with her but I kept going I did slow down and they did eventually catch up but it gave me a chance to catch my breath in my own way.
7 miles 9:38 avg pace... what a great way to start Thanksgiving day!! Somewhere around mile 6.5 I said to Jane BRING ON THE PUMPKIN PIE!!
This was the first Thansgiving I have spent with my Dad since I was 13 maybe 14 years old.. no I definately think it was 13... kind of sad but I don't dwell on the past and I'm very happy that we are together now.
Liva and Vanda really did a wonderful job the table's were very nicely decorated and the food was excellent.
Afterwards Kylie and I went out for a walk/bike ride and she had quite the crash but once I convinced her that was the coolest crash I had ever seen and repeatedly told her how strong and awesome she was the recovery was quick. I did have to hold an ice pack on her arm for the next 30 minutes. Tracy and little Alex my nephew Ricky's 2 year old stepson came out and joined us and we did a little running and walking and had some fun.

In the past we used to go around the table at Thanksgiving and say one thing that we were thankful for ... I wonder why we don't do that anymore?? Hmmm something to remember for next year.
This year I am thankful for Family and Friends my Dad and Stepmom moved to Arkansas, my son Brett and I have grown closer after a year of some tension. My circle of friends has grown this year and I couldn't be more blessed in that area. I am thankful that I am healthy and can run and bike and enjoy life.
Most important of all I am always thankful for Arland... my wonderful husband who I love so much and who loves me even when I am a little crazy!!!

Speaking of family it's time for us to go to Magness to say bye to the family members who are travelling home to Florida and Texas.