My Birthday Blog Post

Today is my birthday, and to celebrate, I ran the Fuelbelts Hydration Hustle Virtual 5K put on by Moms Run This Town. I ran it in 32:55, which is better than I have been doing. The heat is still killing me though. I'm ok with the slower pace...for now.

Here I am before my run, before the sun was even up, getting "geared up" on the porch. When I stepped outside, it was overcast, and my first thought was, "I could use a run in the rain." Alas...no such luck!

And here's my proof, which I think I need for the Hotter than Hades Virtual Half Marathon. I used this morning's run to kick off those 13.1 miles. I plan on running 4 on Wednesday and another 6 on Saturday to finish it up. Now, I didn't think to take the picture until a little after the 5K, but at least it shows I completed the distance.

And here I am after the slow, hot run...yes, I know I need to zoom in, but this is as good as it gets when you're propping the camera up on the trashcan and using the timer:

I got to wear a couple new pieces of gear, thanks to some early birthday gifts. The Road Runner Sports visor, a gift from my sister, was really comfy, even if the sun never did actually come out to make it necessary. And I love that it's not white and shows up better. The CEP compression sleeves, a gift from my parents, were interesting. With the heat, they felt a little warm, but I like the way that my legs feel after my run...as in no pain. I wore my One More Mile skirt this morning, mainly because it was clean, and I was definitely glad I remembered the Body Glide...it definitely didn't stay in place (but I'm guessing that's also due to the heat).

I got a few other running related gifts as well. I can't wait to try out these Wildskins Armwarmers (also from my parents):

And I meant to stick these in the fridge to have ready for this morning's run, but I forgot:

And since I'm tired of spending my runs tugging on a zipper or using a safety pin each morning, I just bought a C9 high-impact sports bra (but I haven't been able to give it a test run yet).

The coolest thing about my run was that I got to spend it thinking about...
1. My birthday, and how thankful I am for my parents and the life they've given me
2. My birthday, and how two years ago I struggled through my "3 miles at 30" after starting to run just two months prior
3. My life now and how completely blessed I am by my husband, kids, family and friends

And I also thought about the year ahead. I'm working on some ideas I have about improving myself and my life (not that there's anything wrong with it, by any means). I've been reading The Happiness Project, and it's got me to thinking. I haven't gotten the plan quite figured out, but one thing we're working on is clearing out some clutter. I am amazed at how much the physical clutter affects my mental state. My husband and I worked on our room this weekend, and I went through my bookshelves...and our bedroom is just so peaceful and pleasant now. I'm planning on one small project a day to work my way through the house, hopefully before school starts. Today's project is my piles of magazines...which needs to be done now. :)

My running wish list

I'm making a list, checking it twice...

So, here's my running wish list. These are in no particular order and do not convey any brand loyalty or preference...they just happened to be the easiest pictures to find.



1. Running gloves. This weekend's marathon relay showed me how much I need warm gloves for running!



2. A running hat. Just because.



3. A running jacket. Once again, it's cold.



4. A pullover. Wow, a recurring theme. Yes. It's cold. I like the thumbholes on this one!



5. Running sleeves. And I want a crazy print (but maybe not this one).



6. A running...hmmm, what would this be called? But isn't it cool?!



7. Running tights. Especially some with the extra support and compression. I tried on my mom's Stabilix tights, but I'm too short for where the support panels fall.



8. Running capris/skirt combo. The best of both worlds. I've yet to find a skirt with long enough shorts underneath, so why not combine my beloved capris with the too-chic and fun skirt?



9. So while we're at it...a running skirt that does have a long liner.



10. A running vest. With pockets. And warmth.



11. A Spibelt. It would just make races easier.



12. Women's Running magazine. Because I like to read. And I like to run.

An even dozen things I'd love to have to make my running just a little easier. Will I get these things now? No. But I can dream :)

Thinking about gifts

I've recently found some recipes for soup, dip, drink or seasoning mixes and I'm thinking about using them as gift ideas. I've found these in a couple of places. One is Julie Garro on Facebook. The other is the Tasty Kitchen website, a spinoff of The Pioneer Woman's.

I like them for myself as well. I like knowing what the ingredients are and having control over what goes into the mix. I also like the idea of having these things already premixed to use.

I think others would like them as well. I was thinking of doing little gift baskets/bags of the dip mixes for small gifts (coworkers, etc.) and doing some larger ones, maybe in jars, for couples I know.

Now it's a matter of deciding which recipes to use and what ingredients I'll need. I'm thinking Sam's is my best choice here so that I get larger quantities of the ingredients.

Let's see. I have recipes for the following things:
Dill Dip
Onion Dip
Ranch Dip
Hot chocolate
Homemade popcorn
BBQ seasoning
Taco seasoning
Seasoned Salt
Cream of Anything Mix

I was thinking the dip mixes or the hot chocolate and popcorn idea for small gifts and the ohter mixes for a gift basket for a bigger gift. Hmmm...lots of planning to do, but the work itself should be easy...measure, mix and package.