Panther Prowl

Got up bright and early on my first unofficial day of summer (doesn't officially start until Thursday morning, but three days without kids counts as the beginning!) to run in the Lenoir City Panther Prowl.  This is just a 5k and is put on by the LCHS Cross Country Team.

Me and my coffee at 7.30 a.m.  Great pre-race tradition!  I ate my powerbar on the way to the race and finished off the coffee in the car!  The race was supposed to start at 8.30 a.m., but that turned into 9 a.m.  I got there around 8.20 a.m. and was a little annoyed that I had to wait for so long! I hate waiting for races to start! I like to get there, check in and take off! But, oh well! They also had a kid's mile race, so we couldn't start until that was over!  It was really cute! There was one little girl who is only 4 years old and she ran the whole thing!  


All in all it was a good little 5k.  It was a double loop with a slight hill after mile one and right before the end of mile one, so that happens again after mile two and right before the end of the race. Nothing major, but a hill nonetheless!!!!  I ended up finishing second in my age division.  It wasn't my best time.  For a 5k my best is 27 minutes, but what can you do? The overall male winner ran it in 17 something! What? That'll be the day!  Off to a 7th grade pool party! Because that's how I roll on Saturdays!!!!!

The Disney Princess Half Marathon

So, here goes the race recap!  Sorry it's been so long since the last time I posted.  This race is only two half marathons late!  And only two months late! Not so bad.  Carter and I headed to Disney on a Thursday, see previous post, traveled Friday too, hit the parks all day on Saturday and ran on Sunday!  This is me before the race!

Tired!  We had to be at our start corral at 5.30 a.m.! This is probably around 4.45 a.m.!  Notice all the layers on in Florida! So cold at the start of the race.   I had on my calf running tights, running tights, shorts, a tank top, a long sleeve running shirt and my running jacket. I also had on my brand new toboggan with a PONYTAIL HOLE!!!!! Yipee! We found it at the expo the day before!  No, I did not run in my Uggs! It is race tradition to wear them before I run!  They make my foot feel great!  Notice the lack of enthusiasm...this was the look from the inside...I was so tired!  But really, this is how I felt!

 

So excited to be running in Disney World! The race started at Epcot and ran down to the Magic Kingdom, thru the Princess Castle, around Magic Kingdom and to the back of Magic Kingdom and then back to Epcot!  I had a blast! Minus the early wake up call and the waiting to run, I loved it!  So, I had to be in my corral at 5.30 a.m.  I didn't start running until 6.30 or 7 a.m.! I ended up being in the last corral, since I had never run a half before and didn't have a clue as to how long it would take me to run!  Well, minus Strawberry, but I had signed up for the race well before Strawberry.  After I got started, I had a lot of dodging to do! So many women that were walking or jogging, a.k.a. they woke up this morning and thought it sounded like a fun and cool thing to do so their plan was to just kinda shuffle their feet a long and call it running, but were going to die before they got to the end because, hello, it's 13.1 miles to the finish line!  For the first six miles I ran all around people, through people. off the beaten path to finally get into my actual run pace and settle in for the my second half marathon!  Along the way, their were tons of characters! They made the run so much fun!  Running into the Magic Kingdom was, well, magical! There were so many people yelling and cheering as you rounded into the Magic Kingdom, totally got tears in my eyes! Then, when I ran through the Princess Castle, I got all tearful again!  The trumpets were announcing my arrival!  I started feeling it in my hip around mile 10...pain! This is the moment I realized that I would not be running the full marathon in Nashville! My body is just not ready yet...one day though, one day!  I grabbed BioFreeze at every medical station and rubbed it on my hip! That did the trick!  Mile 11-12 was not easy!  I had to run up the off ramp of the interstate on to a bridge...it was during the hardest part of that hill that Disney had set up their little green army men to yell and encourage us to "Soliders, do not give up! This is your mission, get it done!"  I laughed out loud!!!!  I finished in 2 hours and set my very own PR!!!!!  The only bad part is I couldn't find Carter when I got done! Soooo many people! We had arranged a meeting place and I was there...he just wasn't! I freaked out!  I borrowed another woman's cell phone to use, but Carter didn't answer.  Maybe thirty minutes later, I finally saw Carter and burst into tears! I was so tired and freaked out by being with so many people and seeing him was just what I needed!  He just didn't see me with all of the thousands of people! We have since learned that I do take my phone with me and I call at mile ten so that he knows when to expect me!!!!  This is me after the race!

So happy!  Cannot wait for next year!  I am actually going to run in Disney again in October!  Carter and I went back to the hotel for a little nap and for me to take a shower!  Then, loaded up and hit the road! We actually drove all the way home that day! My body was hurting!!!! I usually ice and heat for the rest of the day, but that's not doable in a car! We made it back to Knoxville late evening and had already planned to take the next day off of work! We needed that day of recovery!  Disney has probably been my funniest race!  Next year, I'll take pictures a long the way!  I would suggest this race to anyone!!!!!!

Disney World

Carter and I went to Disney World the first weekend in March.  My good friend and fellow runner, Becky, had found out about the Disney Princess Half Marathon and we had signed up to run it!  So, on Thursday March 4, Carter and I loaded up the car and headed out for sunny Florida!  We traveled to Macon, GA on Thursday and stayed the night, and drove the rest of the way on Friday.  We went to the Wide World of Sports to pick up my running bib, t-shirt, goody bag, etc.  There were so many people at the expo!  Including the one and only, Joey Fatone!  Insync baby!  No, he did not need security...just walking around with his little baby and wife!  To think he was someone super popular one day and now.....I think there around 13,500 runners!  I had never seen so many people in one area before!  After picking up my running stuff, we headed to eat dinner. We went to Downtown Disney, wanting to eat at The Rainforest Cafe, but seeing as we did not want to wait an hour in a half, instead decided to eat at The Earl of Sandwich...some of the best sandwiches ever!  You go through the line and order, and then you sit. There were so many people at the restaurant that I didn't think we were going to be able to find a seat!  It was too cold to eat outside, so we stood around and like a hawk, dove on a table, as soon as, someone got up!  We let two another couple sit with us to and enjoyed some conversation with some strangers!  We got up early on Friday and hit the parks as soon as they opened!  We went to the Magic Kingdom, then Animal Kingdom, and finished up at Hollywood Studios! We didn't go to Epcot...not a lot to do there!  I wanted to make sure to hit the other parks and all the rides there and if we had time...Epcot...but no big deal!  I was so happy to be at Disney World! I swear I could just live there and be happy for the rest of my life!  My favorite ride, that I had never ridden before, was the Aerosmith ride at Hollywood Studios.  Oh my! You go something like 70 m.p.h. in something like 3 seconds! Crazy!  It was so much fun though!  We got lucky and someone gave us a fast pass for the first time through, then the second time we rode it, we had to wait an hour.  Totally worth it though!  Enjoy some pictures of us before the rides! I'll post about the actual marathon next!


                                           Dancing in the street! These crazy African dancing group grabbed me out of the crowd and made me dance! It was actually a lot of fun!  The foreigner next to me really got in to it!

Driving into the Magic Kingdom!

Before Pirates of the Caribbean and It's A Bug's Life!  Loved It's A Bug's Life!  The very end when the bugs leave, you can feel them crawl across your feet!

Me in front of the castle! My true home!

Hungry Girl...that's me!

First, I will eventually blog all about my many half marathons and my super trip to Disney with my best friend and boyfriend!!!! But...as you can see, this post is about me..being a hungry girl!!!!  I have ALWAYS been a great eater...ask Little Momma Money...I don't think my fam ever worried about little Noelle and her eating habits!  But, I'm not about to tell you all about how hungry I am and what I'm eating each day! Nope...don't think you all need that much info!  But, what I will tell you all about is this great cookbook I just bought!  I don't actually have this copy of the cookbook!












I have the one entitled Hungry Girl Strategies and Survival Guide!  It is awesome!  I just got done cooking the Crazy Good Turkey Taco Meatloaf....so great! It tastes a little Mexican, which is a new taste for meatloaf, but it worked really well. Paring it with some Tostitos...was perfect!  The recipe was super easy to follow!  Ging even enjoyed the corn in it!!!!  Stay tuned..I will continue to keep you updated on my cooking adventures!!!!!  Carter gave it a smiley face!!!!  That's for Little Momma Money!  She would make her little kindergartners put a smiley face or frowny face on the recipes they liked and didn't like in their kindergarten recipe book!!!!  Love you mom!!!!

Pictures from My First Half Marathon

Becky, Mandy and I before the race. It was so cold that morning. I had on at least 7 layers up top!  Very chilly!!!

Becky, Mandy and I after the race! Finally!  We were finished! Please notice the hair!  I lost my hair thing within all of that hair!  There has to be a better way to have a pony tail and a toboggan!!!  I believe it's called one with a ponytail hole!  I tried to take my toboggan off at one point during the race, but realized that it looked like I had knotted all of my hair up and called it pretty! In Mandy's words it was a "hot mess"!!!!

Crossing the finish line!!!!  I began to wonder at some point during the run if it was ever going to happen!  That had to be the longest 13.1 miles ever!  It was beautiful since it was in the country, but those lovely country views included those lovely rolling hills! Eek!!! Disney's Princess Half Marathon is next!!! First week in March!

Strawberry Plains 1/2 Marathon

I ran in my first half marathon yesterday morning! Wow! I've been training for the Country Music Marathon which isn't until April and decided that it was time to try out the half marathon! I've done as much as 12 miles on the treadmill. I did that last weekend, so I felt that I could handle the half marathon which is 13.1 miles. I have to admit it was a little harder than I imagined. This half marathon was in Strawberry Plains, so imagine lots of country side, lots of rolling hills. It was absolutely beautiful and the sun was shining, but those rolling hills tried their hardest to kick my bootie!

According to my watch, it was little bit longer than 13.1, but who knows? My little watch has never lied to be before, so why would it start now, but whatever the actual milage was, I made the half marathon! The whole time I was running, all I could think was that I wasn't supposed to walk again. I had a doctor tell me that if I did walk again, I would be lucky if I could do so with a slight limp and most likely a cane or a crutch or even that dreaded walker, but here I am running and not just running from the house to the car because it's raining, but running long distances and running every day. I have yet to fully or even come close to understanding why the wreck happened and why I survived, but maybe, just maybe all my running will have something to do with it? I don't know. I had someone tell me no, tell me running wasn't something I could do and I heard that person, I listened, but I decided I would do what I thought I could do. The day I woke up from the wreck I told myself that this wreck would not define who I was. This wreck would not keep me from doing the things I wanted to do! My goal four 1/2 years ago was to run in a marathon and I did it! I did that yesterday and so now my next goal is to run in a full marathon! I make no disillusions that I will have to walk some of it...miles of it and that's okay! I want to get across that 26.2 mile finish line and smile and say I did it! I did what the doctors didn't believe in. I know it's not that they don't believe in me, it's just they look at the x-rays and in their medical mind don't believe in it. I will keep you all updated on this amazing journey I am on!

The other thing I thought about while running is how nice and supportive and encouraging all these runners are! There are so many different people out there running. But during those races we are all the same and we share the pain and the hardship of the races we are in and we encourage. The moment you think you can't go on, it never fails, someone gives you an encouraging word. Becky ran the race too and had stopped and decided to walk some and as soon as she did, someone was there to tell her that she could keep going and she did, she picked herself up and kept running. And while I was running on the longest hill I could imagine there were people on their way back down the hill that kept encouraging me, kept telling me to keep going and those words of encouragement made all the difference in the world!

I have to admit that I am not the quickest runner out there. My time is NEVER something to brag about! I have a hard time with it, but now that I can't train to be any faster, my foot simply will not allow it! So I have to try my best to push my competitiveness away! I grew up an athlete and a competitive athlete. An athlete that had to win at everything. So I see these people run by me and finish well before me and I want to be hard on myself, want to push myself more, but then I go back to the thought of....I wasn't supposed to walk. I have to remind myself of that numerous times on my runs. I think I need to make a running t-shirt that has the x-ray of my foot in all it's mangled mess and say this is why I run. They said no!

Disney Princess Half-Marathon is next! March 7th! Carter and I are going to go down early and spend the day at all the parks on the 6th (it's his birthday present, his birthday is the 3rd) and then I'll run on that Sunday! Very excited to run with Mickey and Goofy and all the Princesses!!!!!

Scary Stalker Running!

Yesterday I ran my ten miles!!!! So excited and it really wasn't that bad! I have only done that one time before in my life and I thought I was a little crazy for doing it and never attempted it again!!! Now I'll be running ten miles, and then some every weekend! For those of you that don't know, I'm training for the Country Music Marathon!!!! It's in April and I am beyond stoked about it! This marathon will mean a ton to me and I'll get into that in a little bit (like in another post) because as you can see the title of this post is "Scary Stalker Running!"

I started my run last night around 5 p.m. It's still daylight at this time. I love running in the dark and Sean bought me a headlamp (yes, just like some spelunkers might wear) so that others can see me and I can see them! Or actually blind them because this is the brightest light ever! I knew that I wouldn't finish my run before it got dark..come on ten miles it's going to take some time! So, I've done about 5, have put on my headlamp and am starting my whole trek around for the second time...to equal ten miles. I begin running away from the house towards the other end of the street and a white truck, (beat up, kinda small, does not live in this neighborhood!) passes me going the other direction. I always take note of the cars and people around me when I run. I have seen one too many Datelines not to. The truck drives past me, stops the truck (fully stops, engine off, lights off) gets out of his truck and walks around to the back. I think ,well, that's really strange I wonder what in the world that man is doing. I run a little faster and pay attention to the houses that have their lights on. I take my headphones out of my ears so that I can listen to see what this truck is going to do. This truck in loud! The truck drives down the street away from me. I think okay, calm down, all is good, he's left. Then I hear the truck coming back up the street towards me! Panic!!!! I keep listening and sure enough the truck is making it's way back up the street to where I am. He pulls over right next to me and starts talking to me!!!! Freak out at this point! I book it to the neighbors and ring the doorbell and get inside their house. Thank you Burnettes!!!! The truck drives off when I run off. I have no idea what the man was saying to me, my brain kind of clouded over, but you do not stop in the middle of the street and start talking to someone when it is pitch black out at night! Plus there's ice on the roads, what are you doing driving around?

Carter picked me up at the neighbors and we drove around a little bit to see if we could see the truck....we didn't. Carter called his buddy that's a police officer to talk to him about what happened and he said that there was a white truck that had been following school buses around in this area!!! Full on panic now!!! Decide to finish my running on the dreaded treadmill!!!!

So all that to say that last night was scary! That man could of had a gun and was threatening me with it, but I didn't hear a word he said! I hope he was harmless and just didn't know where to go or something like that, but my gut feeling is that he was bad news! I will no longer run in the dark! Even thought that's my favorite time to, I am not scared too death!!!!