Soldier Field- 1 year later

I think that for this post the pictures say it ALL!!! The top two are last year..bottom two this year!

Pause for Patriotism 5k

My goal recently has been to get my 5k time down to 25 minutes. This seems like an almost impossible task. I am getting there,  just not as quickly as I would like. My last race I ran in 26:33- I can not complain!!! This was a great race! Nichole came to cheer me on and I ran it with Jessica. Jessica is a few seconds faster than I am, so she pushes me to catch her. This was a great run at the Perry Farm. I was 4 seconds shy of a PR- but I'll take it. I am still running 3 days a week with Beth- this is helping me improve in more ways than I ever thought possible! I am so proud of myself- that is really hard for me to say but I am finally at point where I can say that. I have worked my butt off and I feel like I am starting to have something to show for it. Clothes are fitting in ways I didn't know where possible, I am starting to feel better about myself, and I am fast enough to place in local races. For this race I placed third in my age division...and yes Jessica was second :-) I will catch her one day :-) It is amazing the people I have met in my journey to me. I have joined the local running club and met people that I challenge me and want me to become better at running.....I feel another blog post coming on with that!!

One struggle that I currently have is that the person I see in the mirror is still not what everyone else sees. I still see every flaw that I think I have. It is so difficult for me to take complements from people sometimes because I don't always see and believe what they are saying. I want to feel good enough in my own body, feel like I look pretty, not concentrate in my muffin top, and be confident in the woman I am trying to become. One day I will be there.....just not yet. I know that it is a journey and one that I struggle on everyday. I do want to say thank you to the many people who constantly remind me how far I have come, lift me, and say the nicest things when I seem to be feeling the worst!!!


Here are a few pictures from my last race....

Running when Pigs Fly

What a hectic two weeks it has been. First I ran the Illinois Half Marathon and crushed my time from last year. Then my crazy friend Nichole convinced me to run a 1/2 marathon the next weekend in Cincinnati Ohio. It was a challenge that I was up for. Those who have known me for a long time know that I always said that I would never run and always said I hated it. The title alone of this half "Flying Pig" was very fitting for how I use to feel about running. The night before race Nichole drove me on the race course and I was instantly nervous. It was 3 miles of huge hills....NOT Chicago hills people, I am talking real hills about 500ft in elevation change hills :-) The morning of I was like always nervous. As the race started I decided that I was just going to run.....what I have trained to do. In my head I kept telling myself that my time didn't matter too bad my heart was saying you can PR again. I decided at mile one that I was going to go all out go home :-) I was astonished with how well I really did. I was able to PR a second weekend in a row!! 2:08:19- Yes ma'am soon I will be able to run a half in under 2 hours.

I want to take a minute to say thanks to Nichole- thanks friend, for introducing me to this sport that has changed my life in more ways than you will ever know and helping me find me :-)