Family 5k

Finally! Finallllllly. Hello. Hi.

Do you know what happens to me almost every day? I wake up and think, I'm going to blog today. I miss it. (Well, okay that's not actually the very first thing I think when I wake up, but you know what I mean.) But then I get the kids ready for the day and I get myself semi ready for the day (read: I have pants on that aren't sweatpants, you're welcome, coworkers), and then I work, and  I pick the kids up, and we do dinner and clean up dinner (read: we put the dishes in the sink) and get teeth brushed and pjs on and books read and meltdowns dealt with.

Then we take turns trying to get them to stay in their beds and in their rooms and be quiet, and then we take turns sitting in their room until they fall asleep, and then while waiting for them to fall asleep *I* fall asleep in the rocking chair. Jordan shakes me awake an hour later, and I wipe the drool off my cheek, take my contacts out, and get in bed and think, Maybe I'll blog tomorrow. 

Repeat.

I'm not apologizing. I'm just saying that all my hobbies are dead to me right now, and yes, it's because I have kids. I love them so much, so it's fine. But also I miss not falling asleep at 8:30 every night. Just saying.

Anyway, enough about that. What I really wanted to tell you about was the 5k Color Run we did this past weekend! As you all know, running is a hobby that I love doing, and I really hope I can get my kids to love it too! I didn't start running until I joined my college soccer team sophomore year (LOL; I was so bad), and it's not a huge life regret or anything, but I do wish that I had started running earlier in life, because I feel like I might have really enjoyed cross-country. I also just love the idea of my kids seeing me active and of us being an active family.

This was our second ever family "race" and first 5k. We walked a 1-mile fun run downtown OKC a couple of years ago, which was rainy but fun. I carried J in the Ergo, and Jordan carried R most of the way except for the beginning and the end, and R still talks about doing the race together. This time we went crazy and I signed us up for a full 3.1 miles, and I'm really proud of us for finishing, because both Jordan and I had real doubts. 

Saturday morning started off completely terrible. I wasn't feeling well, Jordan wasn't feeling well, and both kids woke up at 6am, which is at least an hour earlier than we expected them to wake up considering they'd gotten to bed late the night before. Let's just say they were extremely grouchy. Extremely. Which means super fun. I considered just not going at all, but we loaded up and drove to the park.

I cannot stress this enough: I legitimately did not think we were going to finish. I told Jordan I would be okay if we took a shortcut through the neighborhood to get done faster. The kids ate the snack I brought within ten minutes of starting, I still wasn't feeling great (I was really sore from doing a huge closet reorganization the night before; nothing actually serious), and Jordan's knee was hurting (hashtag we are old). But we kept on! Bumgarners are not quitters. Just kidding kind of. Okay not really kidding. Both of us hate quitting ;)

By the end, we actually ran a little! I ran through all the colors, and Jordan pushed the stroller through the finish line. Our official time was a blazing 52 minutes, and I'm actually really proud of us. Not only for finishing the race but for going at all even though the morning didn't start off smoothly. We still had a great time!

Jordan pushed the kids in the stroller around the last color station because they didn't want to go through it. I ran through it, and two kids pelted me with colored water guns. Excited for our next family race! Maybe it will have a smoother start than this one ;)

Electric Run in Del Mar, California

After our whirlwind day in San Diego, we headed to Del Mar for the Electric Run 5k. First we changed clothes in a Marshall's fitting room, but you already know about that awkwardness. By this point we were all pretty tired. Remember, I had woken up at 4 a.m. CA time and flown in from Oklahoma, and we estimated that we had already walked at least 5-6 miles that day.

Alison had picked up a free sample of 5-hour energy at the December Nights festival, and she chugged it on our way to the race. She got super hyper almost instantly and started talking really fast and bouncing around. It was pretty funny.

Alison and Hilda don't run, but I was able to convince them that I would be able to hold back and not sprint away as soon as the starting gun went off. They shouldn't have worried. With all the stops we made to take pictures along the route and all the people who were running (10,000!) it ended up taking us about 50 minutes to walk 3.1 miles. I never thought I'd have so much fun finishing a race so slowly. 

I started off strong, but by the end of the race, I could have laid right down on the ground and fallen asleep. Luckily, they were giving out Rockstar energy drinks at the finish line, and just half of one perked me right up. We stayed for most of the after party, which basically involved lots of lights and loud music. Hilda took a short video on her phone, which you can see below if you want to check out some of that action.

As far as a race "review," I will say that I was impressed by the amount of lights and fun spots along the course (example: the giant glowing gummie bears). The race was well organized, and the after party was fun. There were a lot of parents with their kids, and overall I thought it was a family friendly event. (Minus some of the 20-something crowd at the after party, but that's to be expected I guess.)

That said, I always end up feeling the same about novelty 5ks races like this one or the Color Run, etc. They are something fun to experience once, especially when you have a good group to do it with, but for me they are a one-and-done kind of thing. It's just too much money for not enough running.

Have you ever done an Electric Run? 

What are your thoughts on novelty 5k races?

11/12

*Project 12: A photo on the first day of every month in 2014*

January | February | March | April | May

June | July | August | September | October

Read

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn [book review here]
Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings
* * *
Currently Reading: My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff
After that: In the Woods by Tana French

Traveled

1) My family came up from Texas on November 8, and we took a trip to Eischen's in Okarche for fried chicken. This restaurant has been on my Oklahoma bucket list since I moved here! See more pictures here.

2) I went to Tulsa November 1-2 to visit a friend.

3) We drove to Texas for Thanksgiving!

Dates

November 7: We got Chinese takeout and watched a movie

November 16: Double date after church

Notable Events

It snowed! And...everyone in Oklahoma freaked out. School was closed and everything. Being from Illinois, I like to make fun of the Oklahoma drivers who don't know what they're doing in the snow, but it was for real slippery and dangerous. I think the main problem was that the weather people predicted "a few flakes" and yet it was like a blizzard on Sunday. No one was prepared.

Our turkey trot this year went great! We had a big turnout and raised a lot of money for Youth for Christ. The weather was perfect. I can't believe next year will be our fifth year of putting on this race.

After the runners leave, things get crazy. When will we be old enough to not jump on each other? Apparently never.

Just before everyone headed their separate ways, I propped my camera on the car for a good old-fashioned self-timer picture. And that, my friends, is how we ended November.

THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN DECEMBER...

Two big things are happening this month: 1) Christmas, obviously. 2) I'm flying to San Diego THIS WEEKEND to visit a friend who recently moved there. Our other friend is flying from Ohio, and I'm so excited for a fun girls' weekend! We're doing the Electric Run 5k on Saturday so I'll hopefully have some good pictures from that to share.

4/12

*Project 12: A photo on the first day of every month in 2014*

January | February | March

Read

Jordan = 1 book

Don't Know Much About the Civil War by Kenneth C. Davis

Amanda = 2 books

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Traveled

Nowhere. Womp womp.

You guys, we have got to get out more.

Donations welcome.

Dates

April 12: Went to the zoo and then out for pizza!

April 7: Date night in (Jordan's idea!)

We got Chinese and played this new game we got called Quiddler.

It's like Scrabble but takes way less time.

Jordan likes to annoy me by using weird video game words I've never heard of.

April  8: Google chat date with my besties.

I always feel like I'm in a commercial when we're all on the chat together.
And no, they do not know I was taking creepster pictures during the chat.

3 Things That Happened in April Last Year

-I ran a marathon (I can't believe it's been a year!)

-I figured out how to cook delicious fresh green beans

-I ate a lot of Dunkin' Donuts

Notable Events

I PRd my 10K! Click for race recap.

It started raining at the end. I didn't really sweat quite that much.

Ran a 5k with my mom (go here for the recap!)

Meanwhile, the race was delayed 2 hours, and Jordan took a nap in a parking garage.

The End.
* * *
See you in a month for our first-day-of-May picture!

It Will Change Everything: A Race Recap of Sorts

Four years ago, I watched as my friend picked up her race packet for the Oklahoma City Memorial half marathon. "That's so cool," I said. "I could never do anything like that." 

I'd never run longer than three miles at a time, and thirteen sounded so incredibly, insanely far. Half marathons were for real runners. People who were brave and adventurous and had really nice calf muscles. They weren't for people like me.

Six months later, I ran my first half marathon, and it changed my life. I know that sounds dramatic, but it's true.

Since then, I've gotten most of my family to start running. In 2012 I ran the OKC Memorial half with my dad, and I did a mud run with my brother Daniel. Last year, my dad and I both ran the full marathon, and I finished the 2013 Texas Cowtown half marathon side by side with my brother Austin, whose pacing and encouragement helped me finally hit my goal of a sub 2-hour half.

This past weekend, my mom and I ran the OKC Memorial 5k together. After four years of watching the rest of us, I thought my mom deserved a chance to join in the racing fun. So I signed both of us up and gave her the registration as a Christmas present.

[Side note: The race start was delayed 2 hours due to thunderstorms. 

We were forced to hang out in a parking garage. Comfy.]

- - -

She started out using the plan I highlighted in part 1 of my "How to Start Running" series: 10 minutes of walking + 1 minute of running. Over time, she decreased the walking minutes as she increased running minutes. 

On Sunday, we crossed the finish line in just under 42 minutes with only two short walking breaks, which means she went from 1 minute of running to over 40 minutes of running in five months.

She was so nervous at the start, that her hands shook as she pinned her bib to the front of her shirt. "My goal is to finish," she told me. I laughed. "That's a good one."

- - -

"Look! There's the finish line!" I said as we turned the corner, our 3.1-mile journey almost complete.
"Where? I can't see it!" she said, craning her neck around the tall guy in the gray shirt who was right in front of us. We switched sides so she could run on the outside and get a good view of the green FINISH sign.

[photo credit to my friend Jenna!]

"We're not stopping until we cross the finish line," I said.
"But I think I'm going to die!" she cried.
"I know it feels like you are," I said calmly, "but you're not. Hang on. We're almost there."

With the finish line just steps away, she gave it a final push and crossed in 41:57.
"I think I'm going to start crying," she said.
"That's okay," I replied, patting her back. "That's okay. You did awesome. I've definitely cried after races before."
She leaned into me then, and her shoulders shook with sobs. "I can't believe I did that."

On Sunday I basically sat in front of my computer hitting "refresh" on my Facebook page as my friends continued to post pictures from the race. I'm just so freaking proud of them all. 

Jessica ran her first marathon; Marisa and Stephanie ran their first halfs; Scott, Natalie, and Sabrina finished half marathons; Ashley and Beka ran in marathon relays; and on Saturday one of my college friends (and maid of honor) Justine ran the 6.9-mile leg of a marathon relay in Illinois, beating her time goal by 15 seconds/mile. Months and months ago she originally started running on the treadmill for 20 seconds at a time, and she just ran nearly 7 miles. There are no words. Shoutout also to Abbey, who ran her first marathon last weekend.

Listen: If running isn't your thing, that's okay. It's not for everyone, and I get that. I don't like volleyball. It's all good.

But if you never start because you don't think you can do it, then you're only cheating yourself. When it comes to running, you can absolutely do it. 

At the end of the day, it's not about the medal or the t-shirt. It's about getting out there. Being healthy. Achieving goals for yourself that you never thought possible. 

And if you take the chance, I promise it will change everything. It certainly did for me.

Congrats on your race, Mom. I'm so proud of you.
And to Sarah, my dear little sister, you're the only one left. I'm coming for you.

The One Where I Threw Tomatoes + More Awesome/Awkward

Remember when I posted about the Tomato Dodge? Well, I did it, and it was awesome. Weird, yes. And awesome.

I got two free entries for blogging about it (yay for blogging!), so I invited my friend Natalie to join in the fun. The Tomato Dodge is a 5k where, instead of color or obstacles, you run through stations where people throw tomatoes at you!

I have no idea why this immediately sounded like a lot of fun to me, but it did. 

At the end of the race, you have a food fight with tomatoes! There's basically a huge area set up with piles of tomatoes, and you run around throwing them at everyone. Again, no idea why this sounded fun, but if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, I suppose this won't surprise you.

The only bad thing I'll say about the race is that at the fight part at the end, some of the tomatoes were, shall we say, not fully squished, so they hurt when they hit you! I'll be honest. Natalie and I feared for our lives a little bit. 

So to anyone interested in this race, my advice would be to fully squash the tomatoes before throwing them at other persons. And also don't aim for the head. Other than that, it was a new, fun type of race that I enjoyed. I did run the race for free, but I would have been satisfied to pay the $25. That's actually a good price for a 5k these days.

Would you ever do a race like this or am I completely insane?
Don't answer that last part.
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Speaking of weird 5ks, shoutout to my IRL (in real life) friend Kalyn who ran a 5k this weekend called The Donut Run. She ate SIX Krispy Kreme donuts and ran a 5k. Six.

She might (will) kill me for stealing this picture from her FB page and posting it on this blog, but LOOK AT THE FINISHER'S MEDAL. It's a donut.

I want.

Kalyn is awesome and awkward (like me, which is why we're friends). She's currently blogging the hilarious story about this boy she flirted with at the mall while buying shoes. She wins the awkward award I promised in my last post. (Side note: Kalyn is training for her first half marathon, which makes me want to squeal with glee. Literally.)

Speaking of awkwardness, one more story, and I promise I'm finished after this. I totally forgot to mention one in my awkward/awesome post of the MOST awkward things that happened to me last week, which is that I made a phone call to someone on the editorial board of the journal I work for, and I was stupid enough to not consider a little thing called a time zone.

Me: Hello! This is Amanda calling from such and such.

Her: Hi. Um... You know it's 7:00 in the morning.

Me: What?

Her: I live in California. Pacific time zone. I was just about to head to the gym.

Me (thinking): Curse, you pacific time zone!!!!!

So yeah. I'm putting up a calendar in my office tomorrow and circling all the time zones. I'm totally ready for Monday.

Awkward & Awesome: I Love You, Whoever You Are

Awesome #1

Every so often I get a text from a wrong number. Once I got a picture text. It was a girl taking a picture of herself in the mirror wearing black leggings and a pink tank top. It was a while ago, but I'm pretty sure the caption said something funny. I laughed and showed Jordan.

But yesterday I got a wrong number text that I think was the best yet.

TEXT #1 
7:44 PM
Just texting to say hey and that I love you.

TEXT #2
7:52 PM
Sorry wrong number. But I do love you whoever you are.

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Awesome #2

So far we have almost 350 people registered for the turkey trot my family puts on in our neighborhood on Thanksgiving morning. This is the 3rd annual 5k and 1-mile fun run. If you live in a Dallas/Ft. Worth area (specifically Flower Mound/Lewisville), you should come out!

If you do, make sure to find me and say hi! All the proceeds support inner-city youth in North Texas. You can read more about how it all started, here.

To register, go here.

Like us on Facebook!

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Awesome #3, 4, 5

3: Last week, there was a taco truck outside my office building! AND, they were giving out free tacos! So, I got a taco from a taco truck in the city and ate lunch on the steps of the library. It. Was. Awesome.

4: Speaking of my office building, I have officially been working full time for two weeks! Thanks to everyone who's emailed me to ask how it's going. So far I still love it! Everyone is suuuper nice, and I actually don't mind going to work every day. Imagine that. A job that isn't sucking the life out of me. Brilliant I tell you.

5: Speaking of the library, I decided to beat the commuting blues by finding a good audio book to listen to on my drives to and from work. I chose The Help for my first book, and now I almost don't want my drives to end! Almost.

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Awkward #1

So yesterday I woke up at my 5:15 a.m. alarm to head to the gym for a run. I'm kind of a zombie until I actually start running, and apparently I was too tired to realize that one doesn't need to wear sunglasses outside at 5 in the morning. 

I walked outside and was all, "Is it darker than normal out here?"

Take off your sunglasses, Kanye.

That's better.

At least I had pants on.

Not that that's happened to me before.*

*It's happened.

_____________________

Awkward #2

Trying to unlock your apartment door with your car clicker. 
And then your neighbor sees you.
_____________________

Awkward #3

Sitting at a stop sign for a full 2 minutes waiting for the light to turn green.

If a car hadn't pulled up, who knows how long I would have sat there.

I blame the audiobook.

-->And just for kicks, here's another awesome for all my runner friends.<--

Anything awesome or awkward happen in your world recently?

Tell me about it, and I'll give my favorite a shout out in an upcoming blog post!

How to Start Running | Part 3: Setting a Schedule

Part 1 | Adjusting Your Mind-Set and Setting Expectations

Part 2 | Getting Your Gear

Part 3 | Setting a Training Schedule

Part 4 | Avoiding Injury

Part 5 | Fueling & Nutrition

Part 6 | The iPod Edition
Part 7 | Running FAQs

* * * 

Can I just tell you guys how much I love this series? 

And not because I wrote it. It's because of the comments you guys are leaving! Seriously. If you aren't taking the time to read the comments on these posts, you're missing out on some great extra tips and advice. I also hope you are enjoying the featured running bloggers section and get inspiration from these awesome ladies!

Okay, so you've decided you want to start running, and you've gotten your gear. Now you need to put together a training schedule. 

Like I mentioned in Part 1, when I first started training I didn't follow an official schedule such as, for example, the couch to 5k program. But even if you make up your own schedule, it's still important to have a schedule of some sort. Otherwise, there's no real motivation to get out there and run. I've had friends try to start running and quit, and I think a huge part of that is because they didn't take the time to plan out a schedule and set a finish goal.

Everyone is different, but the biggest motivator for me is actually signing up for a race. I wanted to run a half marathon, and I was sort of running for a few months, but then I actually signed up, and I was like, dang it. I paid for this thing. It's happening.

Likewise, if your goal is to run a 5k or a 10k or a marathon or whatever it is, I suggest finding a race to sign up for. It will feel crazy, because you still aren't sure you can do it. But isn't that the point? Doing something you never thought you could do? 

Consider this: you will NEVER do it if you don't sign up for it. 
What are you waiting for?

October 2010. The morning of my first half marathon. I was so nervous!

There are a lot of training schedules out there, and when you first start looking it can get overwhelming. My biggest problem is comparing my training to other people. There is always going to be someone faster. We've all heard that line. But something I never expected was the fact that there will always be someone running more. 

I trained for my marathon running three times a week. I should probably add only three times a week. Most training plans call for four, five, even six days a week. Who has time for that? Not me. And even if I had time, I don't want to run that much. (If you're interested, you can find all my marathon training recaps here and my full marathon training schedule here.) Not that running 5 or 6 times as week is bad, but it wasn't right for me and my running goals.

This is what I had to tell myself when I started my 17 weeks of marathon training: 
Don't focus on what anyone else is doing. 
Run the amount that works for you. 
Stick to the plan. 

I'll talk about this more in the next post in this series, but trying to run more than your body can handle will lead to the one thing every runner dreads: injuries. Just because someone else runs 5x a week doesn't mean you have to or that you even should.

That being said, here are a few good resources for training plans. I like to take a few different plans and combine them into a plan tailored just for me based on my daily schedule and my personal goals.

Training Schedule Resources

• Couch to 5k Program
• Hal Higdon training programs for 5k, 8k, 10k, 15k, half, and full marathon -- I love these because he has different levels for novice, intermediate, or advanced depending on your ability
• Jeff Galloway training schedules for 5k, 10k, half, and full marathon -- Jeff Galloway is a main proponent of the run/walk method. He claims you can actually run an overall faster time when you incorporate walking breaks into your run. You can read more about it here.
• Run Less Run Faster -- I mentioned this in Part 1, but I am loving this book! It has plans for a 5k, 10, half, and full marathon. Definitely worth checking out.
• I have a lot of great pins on my Fitness Board on Pinterest with training tips and advice.

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Here's my bottom line: Don't think that just because you're training for a race means you have to run every day. If you want to, that's awesome! More power to you. For me, I run 3x a week, and I feel like it's a great amount for my body and my schedule. It keeps running fun instead of feeling like a chore. 

Find a plan that fits YOU and stick to it. Then, once you figure out how long you want to train, sign up for a race! Seriously, what are you waiting for? Try plugging your distance and location into the Runner's World race finder and see what you come up with! 

Come back next Wednesday for Part 4: 3 Ways to Avoid Injury.

Don't leave before you check out today's featured running bloggers!

< Emily's Blog | Beauty and the Greek >

< Courtney's Blog | Eat Pray Run, DC >

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Are you currently training for a race?
Do you set a schedule for your running?

*I am not a personal trainer or physician. This post is not intended to offer medical advice. Contact your doctor before beginning a fitness routine or if you experience pain while exercising.