Pumpkin King 5K

Fall has finally arrived here in Southwest Louisiana! I've been talking about it long enough and yesterday, it finally decided to make it's appearance. Cool weather stuck around the entire day!

Not being one to miss an opportunity like that, I got Brayden suited up and we set out on a quick 5K run. It had been a while since I ran a 5K at a pretty quick (for me) timed pace and I wanted to see how much of a difference the combination of cooler weather and all my hard work at Orangetheory would make.

Also, the guys over at Level Up Virtual Runs offered a spot for me in their Pumpkin King 5K, so I decided to earn my medal with yesterday's run!

We had a great time running our usual route, rolling over bumps in the road and giggling at silly antics. Although pushing a 32+ pound toddler in a stroller can be tiring at times, we really do have fun together! 

After our run, I handed the medal for him to look at. He quickly put it around his neck, smiled for the camera, and said "teee-eeese" (his version of "cheese").

By the end of our run, I was definitely winded and proud of our time! We ran an 8:45 for the first mile, an 8:23 for the second mile, and an 8:20 for the third mile - all a vast improvement from my running times this summer. Regardless of the reason (weather, Orangetheory, or both), I'll take it!

This medal really is a pretty one and perfect for both fall and any Nightmare Before Christmas fans! I love the detail that's included with the medal's lanyard as well. This medal reminds me so much of the Hallowishes fireworks held during this time of year at Walt Disney World.

Interested in registering? There's still time and these medals ship fast! Head over to Level Up Virtual Runs to get signed up and be sure to use code PUMPKINKING at checkout for 10% off your order! 

Happy Halloween and Happy Running! :)

Disclaimer: I received entry into the Pumpkin King 5K free of charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Friday Five

Happy Friday! It's so great to see another weekend, especially since most of last weekend was spent in bed for me, but more on that later.

We've had some fun things happening around here this week, so I thought I would share them in a Friday Five format!

#1-The Weather

Have you seen those memes going around about fall in the south? They say things like "oh yay it's fall - let's get out the pumpkin spice and scarves and boots...just kidding we live in the south, it's basically like summer but with lots of orange." Yeah, that's 100% life for real. Well, it began yesterday, but we've officially had our first cool snap of the season! When I walked outside yesterday morning, I was shocked to feel the cool breeze - the temps were in the 60's and it was glorious. Of course it warmed up to the mid 80's by the time the sun came out, but we won't discuss that.

Also, we might have made our first pot of gumbo last night! It was delicious!! Gumbo and cool weather are synonymous down here in southwest Louisiana!

#2-Superhero Commercial

On Monday afternoon, I met up with a group from our church to shoot a commercial for our church news segment. At the end of the month on the Sunday before Halloween, we always throw a big "Superhero Sunday" shindig where kids dress up as their favorite superhero (which could be anyone that you "look up" to) and it's always a fun time.

To promote this event, we made a commercial for our Sunday church news. They had me dress as Wonder Woman and I had to run all over the place which was lots of fun of course.

I can't wait to see how it turned out!

#3-Workouts

Sadly, I spent the entire weekend in bed due to a stomach virus and fever. I seriously felt the same way I did back in January when I was diagnosed with the flu...and the fatigue lingered for days. Yuck. Needless to say, I did not have a long run on Saturday and didn't really return to Orangetheory until Tuesday. Running around on Monday for the commercial was as much as I could stand, so I decided to wait until Tuesday to resume my workouts. Both Tuesday and Thursday workouts this week were great! I also plan on running a long run tomorrow morning in the (hopefully) cooler weather!

#4-Police

This week, the local PD visited Brayden's Mother's Day Out program where they had the chance to see an officer in uniform, check out their motorcycle with the lights on, and crawl through the backseat of their unit. I had my brother (who is also in law enforcement) send a picture of himself in uniform to me so I could show it to Brayden and make that "personal" connection to what these guys do. Brayden was a little hesitant with the officer presentation at first but once the MDO director told Brayden that this officer wears a uniform just like his Uncle Brian, he was ok!

He was so very proud of his little badge and hat! I love opportunities like this where they get to see professionals and hear what they do.

#5-Pumpkin Patch

It's that time of year again! Pumpkin patches are popping up everywhere and we've already visited one! Brayden had so much fun calling out the different colors of the pumpkins he saw and running throughout the patch! We even came home with a little pumpkin as a memory! :) Sadly, the memory card inside of my DSLR camera decided to corrupt and won't allow me to even see any of the pictures I took there (which just means we will have to go back for more). Thankfully, I have the pictures I took on my phone!

I'd say it's been a pretty great week so far! :) Have a great weekend!!

It's FRIDAY!

Link up with Running on Happy & Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five 2.0 linkup!

Ten Take 2

Ice, stretch, roll, squat, lunge, repeat...

That's what my week last week looked like. I was worried that I over did it with my left hamstring during the previous week's 6 miler because it bothered me all week.

When I woke up on Saturday morning, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. My running group was meeting up again for the first time in weeks and the temperatures out side were perfect. I technically wasn't even supposed to be here this weekend and wasn't planning a long run because I wanted to give my hamstring some rest while on our cruise. So....what to do?

Well, after going back and forth in my head, I decided that I would KT Tape my hamstring properly (for the first time) and go out to meet my running group. If I only made a few miles before stopping (because I'm trying not to overdo it), then so be it. There were no preconceived notions about distance or time in my head - I just wanted to get out and enjoy the fresh, cool air and our first cool front of the season!

The sunrise was just beginning as I reached town.

Also, we couldn't have asked for better weather! When I first started running, I was really cold and wondered if I should have worn a long sleeved top. It didn't take long for me to warm up, though.

This route was also one of my favorites - it led us down River Road where we truly had a chance to experience the gorgeous sunrise!

During Harvey, this area was impassible for a while due to high water and the signs still remain...

At this point, I was about 2 miles into my run and my hamstring felt AMAZING! I seriously couldn't believe it as I didn't think I'd even make it this far while running.

So, I kept on. The entire route around the river is almost 8 miles out and back which was perfect for me that morning!

At this point, both IT Bands were starting to bother me which is incredibly random. I think my socks were too thick and my shoe laces were tied too tight. It's incredibly random, but it happens sometimes. I decided that since I know how to deal with IT Band pain, I would continue to push on to finish at 10 miles. I said I wouldn't run a 2 digit run again until it was cooler outside and somewhere along the river, I decided that today was that day!

The last two miles turned into a run walk due to my IT bands which didn't make me very happy but that's ok!

In the end, I was still happy with the mileage for the day and incredibly amazed that my hamstring held up just fine. So, from here on out I'm going to ice, roll, stretch, and KT Tape my hamstring along with my physical therapy work and see what happens!

 Did you run this weekend? How was your run? Have the temps cooled down in your area?

Fall Training Plan

Fall. 

That word sounds so sweet to my ears! Although I'm not a huge pumpkin spice fan (don't hate me), I do love everything else about fall - the smells, sounds, decor, and above all, cool running weather.

Although we probably won't get decent weather here in the south until November, the temps still tend to cool off a bit from the crazy 100+ heat index of summer.


So, how will my training plan change for fall?

#1 - Higher mileage. 

As Dopey's Challenge grows closer and closer, the weekly mileage inches higher and higher. After a rough 10 miler in August, I've shied away from any double digit mileage since...at least until the weather turns cooler! Thankfully, cooler temps are hopefully around the next corner or two and I will be able to get out of this 6-8 mile rut!

#2 - Warmer Clothing.

Ah yes, the drawer of long sleeved shirts, tights, and compression socks that gets used for a few short months of the year will get to be used once again! I love sporting my WDW Marathon Weekend shirts, especially! :)

#3 - Later morning run times.

Sadly, the sun rises later once daylight savings time hits, which means a later start time for me. I'm a super huge chicken and hate running in the dark alone, especially downtown. Nope. Not happening.

How do your running plans change for fall?

Tuesdays on the Run hosted by Erika, Marcia, & Patty!

Feelin' Like Fall

The weather this weekend was incredible and I loved every minute! When you can feel Fall in the air...yesss....that's absolutely the best! I sure hope it sticks around for a while (wishful thinking)!

Although the humidity was a little high on Saturday morning, the temperatures were in the mid 70's! 

Heather and I met up with the running group on Saturday morning. We did a run/walk combo for 6 miles around town and had a great time!

After the run, I took a nap then went to a family birthday party. It was nice to visit and catch up with the family!

We had McAlisters for dinner, then visited Cowboy Stadium for the first home game of the season! Everyone in my group was McNeese Alumni, so we had fun cheering on our boys! They won, too!! 

Kona Ice was on scene and I couldn't pass up my opportunity! Yum! 

The band!

After the game, the team knelt down for a prayer! I loved seeing this!! 

 

Linzi on my right, sister in law on my left! :)

Oh yes, and we also had a belated birthday/freedom/happy wedding party for a few friends on Friday night. The candle holder above was one of my gifts and I love it! Fall is just the best time of year!! 

Today, I have to have a hole fixed in a tooth. Whomp whomp. On Labor Day, I noticed that a chunk of filling fell out of my back molar and I don't remember when, where, or how. Strange, isn't it? I'm just glad it wasn't hurting or causing me excruciating pain, but I definitely don't want it to get infected. The worst part of it all is the lasting effects of the numbing medication. 

Ah well, it's yet another beautiful day in the south, so I'm going to enjoy it as much as possible! Have a fabulous Monday!  

How was your weekend? Any long runs/races?