Truffle Shuffle 5mile race- Feb 2012. Love my chocolate finishers medal!

After my first 10K at St. Louis Mills with my mom & sister.

Getting ready to run the Firehouse 5K in High Ridge with my friend Robyn. March 2012

Hot Chocolate Run- Chicago with my sister. This was my longest race to date, a 15K!

My first race- Race for your life. Team Oma brought home lots of medals! UnfortunatelyOma (Heidi) lost her battle to cancer in October 2011.

Training for my first 1/2 marathon!

Hey everyone! I know it's been awhile since I posted anything. I have not stopped running. In fact, I have set my sights on a new goal. . .Running a 1/2 marathon! Yep, I've decided to do it. I am currently in week 5 of a 15 week program to get ready. I started a week early so this is actually my 6th week. I just repeated week 1. :) Anyway, I will be running in the Grinnell Games 1/2 marathon in June with my mom and sister. My sister has already ran one 1/2 marathon and will run her second in April. My mom is a newbie like me. So far I have ran several 5K races, a 5 mile, a 10K, and a 15K. I am pretty happy with my progress. I may not be the fastest runner, but I am persistant. :) My average pace is between 11-12 minutes per mile. On a good day I'm closer to 11, on a slow day I'm closer to 12. This week I am recovering from a minor surgery so will stick to walking. I hope to be back on track next week. I will keep you posted on my progress. I never thought I would like running, but I do. It's kind of nice to put on the headphones and get lost in my own world for awhile. It is really kind of peaceful. A good way to unwind after a long day at work. :) Well, guess that is all for now. More to come. . .

Well, over the weekend I went on a 15 mile bike ride with my sister and nephew. It was a lot of fun! The weather was perfect! I even made sure to get some bike shorts so my behind would not be so sore after the ride! :) They worked! I'm trying to stay on track this week. So far I mowed the lawn on Monday- that counts as a stretch and strengthen day. :) Today I still need to get in a 3 mile run. It's getting kind of dark so I'm thinking I'll be heading to the gym as soon as I post this. A little too dark to run outside. Well, better go run before it gets too late. I'll post again later in the week and update my progress.