tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91409957803516630522024-03-05T15:57:13.319-05:00Heather's SpinHeatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.comBlogger221125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-5245371421729628462019-06-14T05:00:00.000-04:002019-06-14T05:00:01.147-04:00Scan, Bag, and Go! (Friday Five Edition)I had a few days off a couple months ago, and ended up doing my grocery shopping at a different store then I usually do and came away with a whole new shopping experience. I normally shop at Kroger and one morning I was on the other side of town and I went to a different Kroger. I know, you are asking yourself, how can I get a different shopping experience from the same store. At this different Kroger I was introduced to Scan, Bag, and Go.<br />
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This is something new rolling out to Kroger Groceries, at least it's new in my area. They only have two stores in the city with this, and my normal Kroger is not one. When I walked into the store I noticed some weird device added to all of the carts. I thought it was some sort of cup holder that got squished and didn't think twice about it till I went through the main door.<br />
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I saw this huge display with nifty electronic type things. I was intrigued but it took me awhile to understand what it was. The concept is that as you pick out your groceries, you scan them and put them directly into your bag. There is no standing in line to check out. And since I love techy things, I thought I would give it a try. It didn't hurt that they were offering $5 off your bill by doing it.<br />
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That weird thing on the cart that I thought was a crushed cup holder? It's to hold the scanner. Though I did find it fell out of that holder a couple times.<br />
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I walked around the store picking up items, scanning them, and putting
them directly in my bag. I felt a bit flustered by the process. I think part of it was from not being in my normal store and I was breaking up my normal routine. I ended up walking all over the store not sure where things were and trying to make sure I didn't forget anything.<br />
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Beyond the confusion of a different store layout, I kept putting things in my bag and forgetting that I had to scan it. I untimely did remember to scan everything that was in my bag, but I can totally see someone accidentally or on purpose putting something in their bag and not scanning it.<br />
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I also had a hard time figuring out the scanner. I kept trying to use it like a camera on a cellphone, but the scanner is actually at the tip and you had to point it like a phaser from Star Trek.<br />
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I also found it tricky to get things in the bag without putting light things on the bottom just to squish them with heavier items on top. I had to reorganize my bags a couple times to make sure that didn't happen.<br />
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I did eventually get the hang of it. In fact it started to be fun. Then I got to the produce section. How do I scan something that needs to be weighed? Well after wandering around the produce section awhile I finally figured it out. You have to scan the label on the fruit/vegetable and then take it to the scale. You then scan the barcode on the scale and the scanner tells you to put the fruit/vegetable on the scale and <span class="Latn headword">voilà</span>, you are done and can put them in your bag. In fact you can go around and pick up all your fruits and vegetables and go to the scale only once.<br />
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Another tricky part was that I scanned something and put it in my bag and found something at a cheaper price and I wasn't sure how to "return" it. I found that there was a button on the scanner to remove item. You pressed that and scanned the item and it was taken off your tally. <br />
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After I wandered around probably longer than I needed to, I was ready to check out and pay. Now how do I do that? I slowly headed down the checkout lanes and a very nice lady standing in the self-checkout area asked if I was ready to pay for my Scan, Bag, and Go order. Yes, please! All I had to do was scan the barcode below the monitor and everything was done and it was ready for me to pay. Nice!<br />
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I did find it useful that it kept a rolling total of what I owed. I wish I had something like that when I was in college and was on a tight budget. The one thing I didn't like was that it didn't show discounted price. If I had a digital coupon or if it was part of the "Buy 5 Mix and Match Items, Save $5", it would show the full price. When you check out, you do see the discounts at that point, but it would have been nice for it to tell me how many of these mix and
match items I had to help me decide if I had to buy one more to get my
discount. <br />
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I seemed to be on that side of town quite a bit for a couple of weeks and ended up going into that Kroger again. When I waked in, someone was standing by the display asking if people wanted to try. Yes, please. I again would get $5 off my purchase as well as she gave me a reusable bag. Nice! While walking around I didn't really see anyone else using the Scan, Bag, and Go system. I do understand the concern over it, but people were the same way with the self-checkout and now those lines seem to be longer than ones with real people.<br />
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I did find the second time doing it much easier and really wished they had this in my Kroger near my house. I did learn that the whole process is went more smoothly when you organize your bags in your cart so that you can put different items in different bags. That way I was able to keep my cold items in one, heavy items in another, and the lighter items together.<br />
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<b>Have you tried the Scan, Bag, and Go system at Kroger? If so, what did you think? If not, would you try it?</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with Fridays with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and other healthy lifestyle bloggers.</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-25811486458957339892019-04-26T06:20:00.001-04:002019-04-26T07:20:34.443-04:00Hello, Everyone! (Friday Five Edition)I have been sporadic with my posting lately. This mostly has been due to the fact my anxiety levels are through the roof. I haven't had this much anxiety since I was in college. My job is very interactive so I'm having a hard time just getting through the day at work and am so exhausted when I get home that I don't want to interact with anyone. I've been dealing with several panic attacks a week. I know this will pass, because it usually does, and if it doesn't soon, I'll be going to the doctors. But for more fun stuff.<br />
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I did go see Avengers' End Game. All I have to say is that it's the best Marvel movie out to date. Even if you just kinda like the Marvel movies, you need to go see it. But if you are a Marvel fan, this is a must see.</div>
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In my kitchen, I have a wall between two windows that has always been left blank. I've seen other houses in my neighborhood that have the same floor plan as me, and one had this huge clock there that really fit that space. For years, I have always looked for just the right piece. Well I found it.</div>
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The medal flower is something that I bought and then I added the butterflies. The butterflies are attached to bendable medal that I attached to the flowers. The ones away from the flowers, I removed the medal rod and taped them to the wall. </div>
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And I did get my wonderful computer back and it has a such a beautiful new screen. I asked why there was no charge and he said that this computer had had display issues before. After he said that, I did recall my friend saying he had to get it replaced once before he gave it to me. I tell you, that is great service from Apple. Almost anywhere else, they would charge no matter what since it was out of warranty.<br />
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And that pollen has been so harsh here in the past few weeks. I long for rain to clear it out. But the weather has been so nice that I still cannot help but open up the windows. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with Fridays with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and other healthy lifestyle bloggers.</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-38479050964141994982019-04-12T07:02:00.003-04:002019-04-12T07:02:27.617-04:00My Computer Problem (Friday Five Edition)I had a few days off last week and was going to write out the few posts that have been going around in my head, but then I had computer issues.<br />
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I had started writing a post last week and all the sudden the screen on my laptop started to flicker and I couldn't type or move my mouse. The flickering lasted about 30 seconds and then I saw all of my typing and noticed that the mouse had moved. That was weird. Soon after it happened again, doing the same thing. It was happening so often that I just had to turn it off.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the best picture, but you can see the lines at the top of the screen</td></tr>
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Later I came back to it to try to do some troubleshooting. No matter what I tried it just seemed to get worse. I had the flickering on the screen while it was booting.<br />
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It even got so bad that almost the whole screen turned grey.<br />
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On Monday I took it to Apple's Genius Bar and they kept it to run some diagnostics. They thought it might be the video card and because it was way out of warranty, I would have to pay to get that replaced. Knowing the price of new MacBook Pros, paying to replace a video card is a lot cheaper. When I got home, I realized that while I had done my taxes, I had not filed them and I had less than a week to do that.<br />
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On Tuesday they left a message to say that they had found the issue and I needed to call them back. I planned on seeing if I could get my laptop back from them before they sent it out for service. I called several times that evening and after being routed through the automated system it just rang and rang till I got a busy signal. I just assumed that it was super busy at the store and they couldn't answer the phone. But I was getting anxious as I needed my laptop back.<br />
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I finally got a hold of them on Wednesday. They said it wasn't the video card, but the display itself. They had ordered a new one and the repair would happen at the store. They also said that there would not be any charge - Woot! I didn't ask, but I assume that there might have been some sort of recall on it and that's why there was no charge.<br />
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I explained my predicament to him and he said that they had unplugged the display but they were unable to plug it back in. I could come pick it up as long as I had an external monitor or HDMI cord and TV to hook it to. I have a second monitor set up in my office, so that was no problem for me. I stopped by the store after work and picked it up.<br />
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Yesterday I had my mom come over to look over my taxes. She teaches taxes at a university here and I always have her double check mine, especially with big changes this year. She said everything looked great and I was able to file them last night.<br />
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I will drop the laptop back off at the store today and hopefully the display will arrive soon. Then I can sit down and type out the posts that I have in my head. Thankfully I had a little time today to quickly type this up at work today.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with Fridays with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and other healthy lifestyle bloggers.</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-62825552056201487482019-03-19T05:00:00.000-04:002019-03-19T05:00:02.011-04:00My Latest Training Schedule (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)My first race of the year is coming up in a few weeks. I started training back in January. Because my knee is still in a fragile state, I have been very careful with how much I run and how fast.<br />
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The race I'm getting ready for is the Ukrop's 10k, which is on April 13th. Because I have had many relapses with my knee, I wanted to make sure that I did this training right. I really didn't want to have to work up to a 10k at this point, but I have done this <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2011/04/ukrops-10k-conqured.html">race</a> for <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2017/04/ukrops-10k-2017-recap.html">many</a> <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/06/ukrops-10k-2018.html">years</a>. In fact this will be my 10th year running it (not in a row). And it's the third race to complete the circle.<br />
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What is good about taking it slow on my training is that this race is the most friendly walker's race I have ever participated in. They have several waves that are dedicated to just walkers. My friend last year led her blind friend to <a href="http://www.nbc12.com/story/37937558/blind-woman-to-run-in-monument-avenue-10k/" target="_blank">finish the 10k</a>. I know if I have issues and just need to walk it, I will be in good company.<br />
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I pushed it too much during a 5k last fall, and at the beginning of the year I was ready to start running on a regular basis, mostly 2 1/2 mile runs a couple times a week. I kept it slow with a 30s run / 1m walk. At the end of January I knew I was in a good place, so I started to look to create a training schedule. Looking that I had 3 months and knew it would take me awhile to feel comfortable with upping my mileage, I had a decision to make. I couldn't both up my mileage and make my walk breaks shorter. Because Ukrop's is so walker friendly, my decision was easy. Up my mileage slowly and keep my run/walk time where it is. This will be one of my slower 10ks, but I will be happy if I can just finish with no pain.<br />
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So far it hasn't been bad. Over the first few weeks, I got my runs to 3 miles, 3 times a week. I started a new cross training class (post to come), which gave me a couple set backs with soar muscles, and being just so tired the next day. My long run last week was 4 miles, with no pain, so that was huge. This week I'll attempt 5 and next week 6. Then a drop back week and then the race. It's really weird to be excited about a long run of 4 miles. <br />
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My next race will probably be the King's Dominion <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/run-and-ride-kings-dominion-5k.html">Run and Ride 5k</a>. I did it last year and loved it. With the 2 months between the races, I want to keep to low mileage, and work my way to 30s run / 30s walk. Even if I just get to 30s run / 45s walk, I'll be happy. I like my 2 1/2 to 3 mile loops in my neighborhood. With the weather getting nicer and the days longer, an early morning run before work is a good way to start the day. And sometimes I'll even see a beautiful sunrise.<br />
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Then after that, there are no plans. Along with a run or two, I'd like to get some biking in throughout the summer. I do kind of miss having a race a month, like I did last year, but this is defiantly what my knee needs right now.<br />
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<b>What's your race calendar like this spring? How are you training for it?</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I’m linking up with with </b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Join <b><a href="http://www.kookyrunner.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Kookyrunner</a></b> and <b><a href="https://zenaida.net/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Zenaida</a></b> for the Tuesday Topics Link-up.</b></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-76150528819339321682019-03-08T08:24:00.000-05:002019-03-08T08:24:29.178-05:00Happy International Woman's Day (Friday Five Edition)So my life has been so extremely boring lately. But I wanted to wish all the wonderful, powerful woman out there a Happy International Woman's Day!<br />
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International Woman's Day celebrates the differences and similarity in all of the woman around the world. It honors the achievements of woman, weather it's social or cultural or political. Bringing woman together to share their strength in different aspects of life.<br />
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I learned that International Woman's Day has been happening for over a century. The first gathering was in 1911 in different countries in Europe. This is around the time of the Suffragists movements around the world. Learn more about IWD <a href="https://www.internationalwomensday.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I have achieved a lot in my life and a lot of that has to do with the strong role model my mother showed me while growing up. She had a high paying accounting job when I was younger and quit it to be able to go back to school to get her PhD so that she could teach accounting at a University. That was a huge gamble with two young children, but she has her dream job that she loves and does not want to retire any time soon since she loves it so much. <br />
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<b>Do you have a strong role model in your life that showed you that you could do anything?</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with Fridays with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and other healthy lifestyle bloggers.</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-78671236489830906422019-02-22T08:08:00.000-05:002019-02-22T08:08:16.540-05:00Finding Joy in Everyday Moments (Friday Five Edition)This year hasn't been the best. My <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2019/01/rip-dad.html">dad pasted away</a>, we had a lot of layoffs at work (not me, but some great coworkers), and a friend of mine found out that after more than 5 years his cancer is back. Even with all of this, I am trying to focus on the good things that can happen this year. And then I look through my videos on my phone and remember I have moments like this to smile at. <br />
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Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with Fridays with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and other healthy lifestyle bloggers.</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-49961823663492308422019-01-25T05:00:00.000-05:002019-01-25T05:00:00.991-05:00My First Mattress Buying Experience (Friday Five Edition)I have a confession. I've had the same bed that I slept in when I was in high school. I know you are thinking, oh that's just a few years ago, but no, it was quite a bit more then a few years ago. The reason I had not needed a new one since then is that it was a waterbed.<br />
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I was born in the 1970's when waterbeds were popular. My parents had one. And my parents bought me my first one when I had grown out of my crib. Basically I have been sleeping in one my whole life.<br />
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Waterbeds do start to sag like normal mattresses because of evaporation. But unlike normal mattresses, which you need to replace, I just need to add water every so often. Over the last year I had noticed that while there was no actual holes, water was being lost quicker than the normal evaporation. I knew it was time to do something about it.<br />
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I did look into another waterbed bladder to just replace mine, but there are just a few online retailers and each site looked a little like the other and just felt a little bit scammy. I then decided to go the traditional route. And man are there a lot of choices out there and with no true experience on a mattress I had no idea where to start.<br />
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A couple years ago, a friend told me about a time where she went to a mattress store and she lay on this bed and it measures how firm of a mattress best works for her. I did some digging and found a local store that had that. I went there and he said that I was right in the middle of firmness. I lay on a few mattresses, but honestly, after the third one I couldn't tell what I liked and what I didn't.<br />
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I then did some research online as well as with Consumer Reports. It turns out that there is this huge market for mattresses in a box. Basically you buy a bed without trying it and get 90+ days to evaluate it. And if it's not to your liking, they will take it back for free. I was very uneasy about not being able to try a bed out, but I didn't rule these companies out.<br />
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The more research I did, the more I came to realize, that I probably will go the mattress in a box route. This is so not like me, as I had to test drive my top two choices of the car I bought a couple years ago 3 times before I decided it. After all my Googling and reading about mattresses, my choice was down to the <a href="https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/">Avocado Green Mattress</a> and the <a href="https://purple.com/">Purple Mattress</a>. The Avocado Green Mattress was the highest rated mattress in Consumer reports for my sleep position and it is the most Eco friendly mattress out there. The Purple Mattress was also highly rated in Consumer Reports, but it also had the best ad ever. OK, the ad really wasn't a deciding factor, but you should watch anyway. What I did add to the pro list of the Purple Mattress was the fact that I saw a few different reviews on different sites stating that those that went from a waterbed to a mattress had the best success with the Purple Mattress. And the nice thing about both of these mattresses, was that they just needed a flat service. Not box springs or anything. This would save me money as I could use my current frame.<br />
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My final decision was the Purple Mattress. I ordered my mattress and set up delivery. On the day it was supposed to arrive, I went to empty my bed and realized that was going to be the hard part. The best way to do it is to hook up a hose and put the hose out the window and use gravity to get the water out. Well my screens are nailed shut because they would pop off very easily. That means that when I had my windows open and a cat decided to lay in the windowsill, they fell out the window. True story.<br />
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I put the hose in my bathtub but there was virtually no gravity and the water was drizzling out. So I called and rescheduled my delivery. I then headed to Lowe's and bought the cheapest wet vac that they had.<br />
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The next deliver date I was given was for in the morning of the day after Christmas. After getting home from my parents kinda late on Christmas, I decided I was going to get up early and empty the bed. I knew it would take a couple of hours to do it with the wet vac, but OMG that was the hardest couple of hours I spent.<br />
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I connected the wet vac, turned it on and let it fill up, then rolled it to the tub and dumped it out. I did that probably 50 times. My back hurt from all the bending over. Brianna didn't seem to mind the noise of the wet vac and was happy to stay on the bed.<br />
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I barely finished up emptying the bed when the delivery guys came. I then understood why they only offered white glove delivery (for free) - the mattress weighed a ton. It came rolled up and the guys had a time trying to unwrap it from the plastic.<br />
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The moment that they had it lose, the mattress looked like it was inflating and soon it was a normal mattress size. They put it on my bed frame and I had a new bed.<br />
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The first night I slept on it, it was FREEZING. I knew it had some cooling ways too it, but OMG it was miserable. By the second night it was fine, it was just that cold because it was sitting in a very cold warehouse somewhere.<br />
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The first week, I did feel pain in different parts of my body. I almost cried cause I knew I couldn't sleep on something like that and the thought of trying again was not something I wanted to research. I then read on their site that it could take a couple of weeks for your body to adjust to it. So I gave it some more time.<br />
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Now I love the mattress. The firmness works perfect for me and the purple grid is a good cushion. And no, you really do not feel the actual grid, it just meshes with your pressure points.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with Fridays with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and other healthy lifestyle bloggers.</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-46575682401106897542019-01-22T06:39:00.003-05:002019-01-22T14:57:46.010-05:00What Does 2019 Hold For Running (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)I don't make New Year resolutions. Mostly because I do not want to make a promise to myself if I'm not sure I'll follow through. I will make resolutions throughout the year when I know I have the motivation to do my best.<br />
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For example, I didn't make my resolution to do a race a month for 2018 till I was half way through the year. It was a spontaneous one when I realized that I had done 6 months of that without even trying. It allowed me to keep up with my running and rehabbing my knee because I wouldn't do any more than 5ks. What I learned from this is that there are a lot of local races out there that are a ton of fun. Most of the races I did last year were new to me races.<br />
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This year, I only have the Ukrop's 10k on my list. I have done this race 9 times in the past - but not sequentially. I'll also get the third medal in this streak to go with these two.<br />
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I have nothing else planned. I'm not even planning on doing any runDisney races. I've done at least one a year for the last five years and while I will miss the good times, I need to rest. I have found that the weekends were just exhausting.<br />
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I'd like to try a few new races out this year. But my real goal is to make sure my knee holds up as the year comes up. This means more cross training on my calendar. And making sure I do my stretches and exercises 5-7 days a week.<br />
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I think I'd also like to do the <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/run-and-ride-kings-dominion-5k.html">Ride and Run</a> race again at Kings Dominion. That is a mini-runDisney race that was a lot of fun. Who knows what the year will bring, but I hope it will be fun and my knee holds up.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I’m linking up with with </b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Join <strong><a href="http://www.kookyrunner.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Kookyrunner</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://zenaida.net/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Zenaida</a></strong> for the Tuesday Topics Link-up.</b></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-50178008387236073872019-01-18T05:00:00.000-05:002019-01-18T05:00:01.887-05:00R.I.P DadWork has slowed down, but I still haven't posted this year. This is because two weeks ago my dad passed away. Now, I know everyone will want to share their condolences, but this was a good thing and we are celebrating his life.<br />
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About 10 years ago my dad started showing signs of Alzheimer's Disease. He did fine till about two years ago when he started wandering. Then a year ago, he started not wanting to be out of the sight of my mom, afraid that if he didn't see her, he would be lost. At this point with the disease, most of what made my dad my dad was gone. He no longer spoke as he did not remember words. Growing up, my dad never even thought about raising a hand to anyone, but when he was scared or didn't get what he wanted he threatened violence. Then a few months ago he stopped getting out of bed. He would wake up and my mom or their nurse would give him some food and drink and he would go back to sleep. This is why it was a good thing.<br />
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Knowing my dad is gone is sad, but he had been slipping away slowly. I have had the time to grieve over the last couple of years and now it's time to celebrate his life. He is no longer in pain. My mom no longer has to worry about him and take care of him 24/7.<br />
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I was able to spend time with him over the holidays. He was awake when I called to say Happy New Years. It was nice that he made it into 2019. My mom thinks he was holding on for the New Year so that she would get the tax benefit (he worked for the IRS and was a true tax man). Yesterday we said good-bye to him for the final time. It was sad that I will no longer see him. My mom and I shared some pictures and remembered the good times.<br />
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My dad helping me hang my stocking.<br />
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My dad and me at Niagara Falls. <br />
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Mom and Dad at Animal Kingdom.<br />
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Dad at winery Virginia Winery.</div>
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Mom, Dad, my uncle and aunt, and me in Denver for Christmas two years ago.</div>
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Don't be sad for me. Be happy that I was able to have many years with such a great dad. The last few years were hard as he slipped away and Alzheimer's took over. But now he is in a better place.<br />
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-40487433844792488012018-12-28T05:00:00.000-05:002018-12-28T05:00:03.766-05:002018 Races in Pictures (Friday Five Edition)In January all I had planed race-wise was two runDisney events and Ukrop's 10k. By June, I had done at least one of each of the first 6 months. I then decided to continue and do at least one per month for the rest of the year. I sort of accomplished that. All except December. I signed up for one, but it was cancelled due to the foot of snow we got that weekend. I still may be able to do one in December, on the 31st. It's one right before midnight and the plan is to do it unless it's raining. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDPk93W8q6y5ZkyoVVHKPsGb89B8XQ6rgNcWwXPslUfzKx40EiVkIOYX9iMFftnQ2TVlgN98ARquCda-4M6-EEqQGpTfyOM6qjlRgQauRVvjyp8EAEUR88Wh7FcA6DKYd4NPynVk8l4U/s1600/2018Races.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDPk93W8q6y5ZkyoVVHKPsGb89B8XQ6rgNcWwXPslUfzKx40EiVkIOYX9iMFftnQ2TVlgN98ARquCda-4M6-EEqQGpTfyOM6qjlRgQauRVvjyp8EAEUR88Wh7FcA6DKYd4NPynVk8l4U/s320/2018Races.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I found that because of this, I did a lot of new to me races. Except for Ukrop's and the runDisney races that I had already signed up for at the beginning of the year, I have not done any of these races. All of them I would do again. I don't know the plan for next year, and probably won't do the one a month race (though I still may), I want to continue trying new races out. There are plenty out there that I haven't done yet.<br />
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<h3>
January</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/01/frostbite-15k-race-recap.html">Frostbite 15k</a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfO77IuGPGvMyWjMgyKv0CyubAmLSQJH0rvapDKjYkXCYta1voBIDyJGW_WVJQzwc9hyphenhyphenxh-rC9SCtCbDyale330Ww9uxkofCy0iEp1JnIUTzXcq-0F4c9Ptdh6ZFcJZSe__c6ZGZsCTKw/s1600/January.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfO77IuGPGvMyWjMgyKv0CyubAmLSQJH0rvapDKjYkXCYta1voBIDyJGW_WVJQzwc9hyphenhyphenxh-rC9SCtCbDyale330Ww9uxkofCy0iEp1JnIUTzXcq-0F4c9Ptdh6ZFcJZSe__c6ZGZsCTKw/s320/January.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
February</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/05/princess-5k-2018.html">Princess 5k</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/06/princess-10k-2018.html">Princess 10k</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/06/princess-half-marathon-2018.html">Princess Half</a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVD3XCgxPRm0l8JWRXZL-1ANtlNyVCbQnRLkzekU2_yK50umw87p4R7-uHfabAjsZ_gKNIJkWJ3OrBSxVJzT_IMML_zZkih8GeXxH-eW3XowYkODjP-hnS1cqErGvVxuP3z1wcYrj80g/s1600/February.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVD3XCgxPRm0l8JWRXZL-1ANtlNyVCbQnRLkzekU2_yK50umw87p4R7-uHfabAjsZ_gKNIJkWJ3OrBSxVJzT_IMML_zZkih8GeXxH-eW3XowYkODjP-hnS1cqErGvVxuP3z1wcYrj80g/s320/February.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h3>
March</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/06/lucky-charm-10k-2018.html">Lucky Charm 10k</a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBK5HshPvfRoNgh8sey_wNgTC_XqNeOsoXNisqiipNTohrzMedz4wxb1oXgZpTitgyNO1LQ-XYLb3blnVUqTpNKsDJChB4srPKt5KqwR65alAkyJQxoa_Jtfytbkau_CmqXFBhRkx7p4/s1600/March.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBK5HshPvfRoNgh8sey_wNgTC_XqNeOsoXNisqiipNTohrzMedz4wxb1oXgZpTitgyNO1LQ-XYLb3blnVUqTpNKsDJChB4srPKt5KqwR65alAkyJQxoa_Jtfytbkau_CmqXFBhRkx7p4/s320/March.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
April</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/06/ukrops-10k-2018.html">Ukrop's 10k</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/06/star-wars-dark-side-5k-2018.html">Star Wars 5k</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/star-wars-dark-side-10k-2018.html">Star Wars 10k</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/star-wars-dark-side-half-2018.html">Star Wars Half</a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLar20Pdysu4DwcIGtUv2I_2iRgfeUgJGlp4GJFxPG9r2_RbmGw9frXKd2FChU_OERvVna0QM0E2LLFAvGY1NFFXdNQLDfzL7gf51FFYoEqTeFUUEygQ2GWqVEtgZj-mvvwRg8lcwQ5dE/s1600/April.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLar20Pdysu4DwcIGtUv2I_2iRgfeUgJGlp4GJFxPG9r2_RbmGw9frXKd2FChU_OERvVna0QM0E2LLFAvGY1NFFXdNQLDfzL7gf51FFYoEqTeFUUEygQ2GWqVEtgZj-mvvwRg8lcwQ5dE/s320/April.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
May</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/uncorked-5k-2018.html">Uncorked 5k</a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcKZHH0PBHInWsIWcQL5e03LXXldFZtLt1R3ZTcmjTDqXxKWKYJJf12JfDVnVL8-BLwyAWE-FgKa8ZPspbD1yLS4vPMi_GPyPWVAlxNzR9EzoAWR1oDv5YyjYSKivhmoeJvIv7fepRv8/s1600/May.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcKZHH0PBHInWsIWcQL5e03LXXldFZtLt1R3ZTcmjTDqXxKWKYJJf12JfDVnVL8-BLwyAWE-FgKa8ZPspbD1yLS4vPMi_GPyPWVAlxNzR9EzoAWR1oDv5YyjYSKivhmoeJvIv7fepRv8/s320/May.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
June</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/run-and-ride-kings-dominion-5k.html"> Run & Ride 5k</a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ovkWUGyM6tENrvL1RGNv5KvAbUficxELAnZcW7rL3nAvFwmXntdL1eP4DeJa1mvnFr26j3HBgnrR4TUayG7yr27iHiC_uKMg004TDQpB4j9_RmrB2YjbCpfrwJc9DiQf042XzlHjDIk/s1600/June.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ovkWUGyM6tENrvL1RGNv5KvAbUficxELAnZcW7rL3nAvFwmXntdL1eP4DeJa1mvnFr26j3HBgnrR4TUayG7yr27iHiC_uKMg004TDQpB4j9_RmrB2YjbCpfrwJc9DiQf042XzlHjDIk/s320/June.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
July</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/pony-pasture-5k-2018.html">Pony Pasture 5k</a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MPrGs2tHnHBHep8P3Bn3DAQ0uboH-LdUutKomllZgiJaz4y9VD8yiHMXgcB565VifgQ1GaJchaHFizmqmGp683BUgPhsQyMuGUUzjVf2p9KbBvBAXo9SXya3Ks-6p2VAh0oPf6O_9yU/s1600/July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1000" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MPrGs2tHnHBHep8P3Bn3DAQ0uboH-LdUutKomllZgiJaz4y9VD8yiHMXgcB565VifgQ1GaJchaHFizmqmGp683BUgPhsQyMuGUUzjVf2p9KbBvBAXo9SXya3Ks-6p2VAh0oPf6O_9yU/s320/July.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
August</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/09/pink-power-5k.html">Pink Power 5k</a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnD-GnKvBwjuPNGOqL-FFD7zMeBnYgtJTKjed_0BJq3QMmbq6kFs-4GxWAPfNVhmTiFPjdGAulZ6GQC_35csksA6KyKZiwdeeAaGNKrO4b3YLhUSMPBZg73t3giTsxCZMZapU_aPrfJrU/s1600/August.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnD-GnKvBwjuPNGOqL-FFD7zMeBnYgtJTKjed_0BJq3QMmbq6kFs-4GxWAPfNVhmTiFPjdGAulZ6GQC_35csksA6KyKZiwdeeAaGNKrO4b3YLhUSMPBZg73t3giTsxCZMZapU_aPrfJrU/s320/August.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
September</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/09/lets-finish-this.html">Speak Up 5k</a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkFFKWq3GuWtq7Hwc9sn_lDwa_ij0opaDLIYguQO8onrr00ipP3mHVINsF8azEHOVCE0ytZpcQhCutWZbb1p-3GBKAF7rQcz3ltqgmA7aUZ0DrB0tdm7zhvlqUBn9Pszqi2-44BEK4SA/s1600/September.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkFFKWq3GuWtq7Hwc9sn_lDwa_ij0opaDLIYguQO8onrr00ipP3mHVINsF8azEHOVCE0ytZpcQhCutWZbb1p-3GBKAF7rQcz3ltqgmA7aUZ0DrB0tdm7zhvlqUBn9Pszqi2-44BEK4SA/s320/September.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
October</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/10/ashland-harvest-5k.html">Ashland Harvest 5k</a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAw0PcsSgyAW3hgxdhIkZSBcOZTAkpLQrSBZIx-HLVzXnBazG5bRQZ6iMTEwD6qUNZTP6gj2CekbOZeylXOw4wRJfOgD-aZc9r22OHLbbUnmGOfjYQ1ZPXn0x9NCVJvpA0_IvZCqrFoc/s1600/October.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1000" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAw0PcsSgyAW3hgxdhIkZSBcOZTAkpLQrSBZIx-HLVzXnBazG5bRQZ6iMTEwD6qUNZTP6gj2CekbOZeylXOw4wRJfOgD-aZc9r22OHLbbUnmGOfjYQ1ZPXn0x9NCVJvpA0_IvZCqrFoc/s320/October.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
November</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/11/donut-run-5k.html">Donut Run 5k</a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmWD7_Za1R2-Esxhd0sR4KC1Avuohxuz7uRgd0iNfSrS4y1Hx4IXFrZb2B7FjMaaLC0xtHYfMcVWxcBZS0FTvJfe_Ev3AdHPSIrja4-ZCoD8zfAZIzcZitFCNmQMfRcdwQxjIadoEHGA/s1600/November.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmWD7_Za1R2-Esxhd0sR4KC1Avuohxuz7uRgd0iNfSrS4y1Hx4IXFrZb2B7FjMaaLC0xtHYfMcVWxcBZS0FTvJfe_Ev3AdHPSIrja4-ZCoD8zfAZIzcZitFCNmQMfRcdwQxjIadoEHGA/s320/November.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
December </h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Run-a-Latke</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6YjrGHtreOY-5NS_OH5PKZi6Ipj1EYaBTxghA_PRbXVruKhrNjaIQ4oXd3GFdgnXm6DPRxIZffo37FP-aK2nmALGXNCmPz9Pgp_Mqas0PA09hR-90QeRvBPBi87h5LGOgsGNMF4ZCkM/s1600/December.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6YjrGHtreOY-5NS_OH5PKZi6Ipj1EYaBTxghA_PRbXVruKhrNjaIQ4oXd3GFdgnXm6DPRxIZffo37FP-aK2nmALGXNCmPz9Pgp_Mqas0PA09hR-90QeRvBPBi87h5LGOgsGNMF4ZCkM/s320/December.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with Fridays with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and other healthy lifestyle bloggers.</b></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-20661828589304547322018-12-21T07:09:00.000-05:002018-12-21T07:09:00.075-05:00New Slidding Glass Door (Friday Five Edition)I've been working about 60 hours a week for the past month, so I have had little time to do anything fun, including posting anything. I'm hoping to get my PTO next week, so I can relax and catch up on all the fun stuff I've been missing out in. I did have something fun happen last week, though. I finally got my new sliding glass door!<br />
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Back in April, I <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/04/random-friday-five.html">mentioned</a> that I was planning on getting a sliding glass door to replace my fake French doors that leads to my back deck. Not only did I not like the doors, they were not put in very well and there was mold starting to form in my crawl space from the door leaking down. So one way or the other, the door needed to be replaced.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_9285_4b70_8ec9_2708" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vR7E2wyWC0c/XBzXHG-VHnI/AAAAAAAAFLM/NgBBcAiL6_o1FF44uxvi9xN-kz_StwFSgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
In May, I did some research and got some quotes and finally ordered one in June. They said that it would be 6-8 weeks for the door to come in and then installation would be set up. Well 8 weeks had passed and I had not heard from the company. I called them and they said that because I ordered the doors with screens inside the glass, it usually took 2-4 weeks later.<br />
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In September they finally called and said that my door was in and scheduled an appointment to install the door 3 weeks later. I was so excited to see the door. The weather was turning perfect to be able to open up the door and my windows and feel the wonderful fall weather through the house. They came and started to get ready and about 20 minutes later they had told me that they were done. Huh? Well apparently the door was ordered a half an inch too small. At least they measured before took my old door out and I had a huge hole in my house.<br />
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On Monday they finally came to install the right size door. They were also able to fix the mold that had started in my crawl space and fix it so water would not leak down there. I'm sad that I won't be able to take advantage of the screen door for another few months, but it's in!<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_8b_9b52_8e68_f521" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSAaIZX7md65tR-ODMpEFTaB5V_88u2h06I9jTQaQsqhEluaFuvwn0LtratDfUMcU-avUpJSTfsSD9QjA57CI2qUbneBy7lUmtDPGK72m73Fz5H41cZNnFDHndw1FBNCwHos_dTYnOPo/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
They do need to come back and fix the screen inside the door that does not sit right. But they work and I'm happy to have them. I will need to paint the new molding that they put in, but that will have to wait till I know they are done with everything and I actually have some time to do something besides work and sleep.<br />
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A couple weeks ago was Hanukkah, so if you celebrate, I hope you had a good one. Next week is Christmas, and if you celebrate, I hope you have a merry one.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and <a href="http://www.runningonhappy.com/" target="_blank">Running on Happy</a> for Friday Five 2.0</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-56929973979122782922018-11-20T05:00:00.000-05:002018-11-20T05:00:07.605-05:00Donut Run 5k (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)This past Saturday, as part of my at least one race a month, I participated in the Donut Run 5k. There was a short window to pick up packets on Friday night, but since I worked till 8 PM, I missed the window. Thankfully we could pick up our bibs before the race. <br />
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<img alt="" id="id_c5e6_52ab_63d1_578b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CCtTdtcgavY/W_NdldG70cI/AAAAAAAAFJw/yczZYgJlRXkWLp_kBT2xEracUWlS6t3XACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
There was a kids race at 8 AM and then the 5k started at 9. I got there right before the kids race started and picked up my bib and shirt. I was able to see the kids run. I swear, they are all so cute!<br />
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I walked around some and checked out some of the booths. They had Belle from Beauty and the Beast and the local baseball mascot, Nutzy, as well as the VCU mascot. I have to admit I did stalk the VCU mascot some, as that is my alumni and I wanted a picture with him. I actually was wearing my VCU jacket and he got all excited.<br />
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I headed back to my car to put the shirt away and get myself ready for the race. I headed back and realized the bathrooms were inside, so of course I had to try and go. Once I made it through the bathroom line I stretched a little and headed out to the start.<br />
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There were tons of people lined up. There were no waves, so I just stepped in where there was room. The MC mentioned that there were 1000 people signed up. Wow, that was a lot of people. Though as I looked at the results and only 600 finished the race.<br />
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The race started out of the track area and on to the streets. I realized that some of these same streets are the ones that I have run over and over with my 10 mile route. Since I hadn't trained for a half or longer in a long while, I haven't been on those roads in awhile. It was nice to be on the same roads, but not be the same route.<br />
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I had only run twice since my last race, the <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/10/ashland-harvest-5k.html">Ashland Harvest 5k</a>, where my knee really started hurting. By that race, I had worked my way up to a 30/30 run/walk. Since I seemed to have a set back, I went back to 30s run and 1m walk. My knee wasn't bad, but it was bothering me for the last couple of miles. The course was rolling hills, and my knee really did not like the uphills.<br />
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The best part of this race was that there were munchkins at both of the water stops. Yum!!<br />
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During the last mile we came close to the finish line. I even passed my car on the street. While I wasn't tired and my knee was holding up, I didn't like getting so close to the finish line without finishing. It was just a mental thing I guess.<br />
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I did finally get to the finish line and was happy to be done. I went over to one of the younger girls and asked if she could put the medal around my neck.<br />
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I grabbed some water and a donut and headed out. I had some errands to run and an appointment to get my hair cut. Then I went home and took a 2 hour nap. After working 60 hours this week, that was the treat of the weekend.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_2c30_13c0_4eb4_3c12" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OBFiEaN1OHE/W_NdlHCVWWI/AAAAAAAAFJs/NIg_3EMy85YQ0t8ZFJU8MB92LiWkTrdgQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I’m linking up with with <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/">MCM Mama Runs</a>, <a href="http://www.marciashealthyslice.com/" target="_blank">Marcia’s Healthy Slice</a>, and <a href="http://noguiltlife.com/" target="_blank">My No Guilt Life</a> for the <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/tuesday-link-up/" target="_blank">Tuesdays on the Run linkup</a>.</b></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-71994118556740773092018-11-16T05:00:00.000-05:002018-11-16T05:00:05.480-05:00Diwali Celebrations (Friday Five Edition)In my area at work, most of the people I work with are from India. Because of this, there was a huge Diwali celebration this week. I've learned a lot about the holiday and was welcomed into the celebration.<br />
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Diwali is a five day celebration, also refereed to as the festival of lights. This is because Diwali coincides with the darkest night in the Hindu calendar. During this celebration temples, homes, and offices are brightly lit with candles, lanterns, and other festive lights. It lasts for five days, which includes cleaning, decorating, eating, fireworks, and visiting loved ones. It's like 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all rolled up in one.<br />
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While Diwali was last week, we celebrated in the office on Monday. Most people came dressed up in their best Saris and Kurtas. I even bought myself a Kurta to join in on the fun. Sadly, I never got a picture of me in it. Next time I'll make sure I get one.<br />
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Last week everyone decorated their area. There was even a contest for the best decorated area - and we won!<br />
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There was also dancing, games, and music. Unfortunately, I was too busy with work to join in on the games, so I don't know what was played.<br />
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And then there was the food. I think everyone that is from India brought in some sort of homemade dish. I admit, I did go back one or two times to try more. Everything was so good.<br />
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Everyone that has been here for a few years kept saying that this year's celebration was the best by far. I cannot wait till next year's celebration.<br />
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<b>Have you ever celebrated Diwali? What is your favorite holiday celebration?</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up for Fridays with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a></b></span></span></b></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-22103666907304939552018-11-09T06:55:00.001-05:002018-11-09T06:55:51.280-05:00Short Update (Friday Five Edition)So I have been MIA the last couple of weeks. I got added to another team at work and man have I been busy. They have been trying to get a release out for the past few months and are now up against a very tight deadline. It's been crazy, but so far a good crazy. Here are a few things that have been going on beyond work.<br />
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After my <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/10/ashland-harvest-5k.html">Ashland Harvest 5k</a>, I have been giving my knee a rest. I shouldn't have pushed it the way I did, but I think I'm glad I did. But it defiantly relapsed a little with my knee rehab. I am OK with taking it easy right now. :)<br />
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I have my November 5k next weekend. I'm excited about that one. It's doughnut themed and who doesn't like a doughnut? :)<br />
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I took a training class for work this week. It wasn't too bad, just have to get through the exam to get my certificate. I am so bad at taking exams....bleck.<br />
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In the past few weeks I saw a couple of plays. One was a local small theater play called "<a href="https://www.quilltheatre.org/gutenberg-the-musical/" target="_blank">Gutenberg! The Musical!"</a>. It was put on by two men who was trying to sell their play so they "acted" it out for a bunch of to-be producers. The way they distinguished the different characters was that they had a table full of baseball caps with character names on it. It was just a very creative play.<br />
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Then we saw Les Misérables. I have seen it a couple times before and I still loved it like the first time when I saw it. Though I wasn't sure if I remembered the stage having a round movable part. I may have dreamed that, who knows.<br />
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I do have a funny story and cute picture to share. I was doing laundry the other weekend and I placed a load on the couch to fold and before I knew it, Aiden decided to crawl underneath it. Not on top, under. Totally under. So weird.<br />
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Well that's all for now. I hope things calm down a little after next week's release. Hope all is well with everyone else.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and <a href="http://www.runningonhappy.com/" target="_blank">Running on Happy</a> for Friday Five 2.0</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-49807026699116878402018-10-23T05:00:00.000-04:002018-10-23T05:00:12.074-04:00Ashland Harvest 5k (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)Many years ago, when I was training for my first half marathon, I heard about the <a href="https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Ashland/AshlandHarvestRun" target="_blank">Ashland Harvest 10k</a>. I had always wanted to do it as we do not have many 10ks around here and I have always liked that distance. I was happy to hear that they also had a 5k option. To my surprise, they have always had the 5k option and I never realized it.<br />
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I signed up for this race a few weeks ago before one of the price bumps. This would be the race I did for October. I had been looking forward to it, as Ashland is such a nice little quaint town. Most of my bike rides are from my house up through Ashland and back.<br />
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They had packet pickup for a couple hours the evening before as well as an hour before the race started. I decided that I would get up early and get my bib before the race. That would give me time to get parked and situated and not worry about anything last minute.<br />
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That morning it had been raining, but radar showed that by the time the race started, it would be sprinkles if not gone. I got my bib and shirt and two tickets for door prizes. <br />
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The door prizes ranged from $25 off oil, to a gift certificate for Creative Memories, to jewelry. The drawing was at 8:30, so everyone would just need to check back after they were done with their race. I put my tickets in and headed back to my car.<br />
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On the way back I saw that they were setting up a pin for two horses. I made a bee line over there to say hi to the two beauties. It turned out that they were from <a href="https://www.wingsofhoperanch.com/" target="_blank">Wings of Hope Ranch</a> which rescues and rehabilitates horses. There are free programs for children who are in need, no matter what type of need. It's mutual help between the horses and children.<br />
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I went back to my car to shed the jacket and sweats and get ready. As I headed back to the main area I heard someone call my name. It was a lady that I see from time to time at the gym. She actually volunteers with Wings of Hope Ranch and was only running to support them.<br />
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It was time for the race to start so we headed to the start. The 10k start was at 8 and 5k at 8:10. The 10k had a separate start line and they did their thing. I stretched some and just kinda tried to enjoy the moment. It was in the mid-50's and the rain had stopped. It would be a nice morning to run. There were some announcements and then the National Anthem and then we were off.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_8525_7c0_8cc8_4ff5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IDvHUVOPLxk/W85rlPEmYgI/AAAAAAAAFFA/KPWHUkbCLHAWULh2iYnfHBjkMOmuM2bhgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
The race started on a unpaved path that went from the road we were on to the road next to the railroad. I hate running on unpaved paths cause I'm such a clitz. But I made it to the other road without issue. <br />
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<img alt="" id="id_32a7_cb9b_ee30_c292" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lWKIXTBZNPE/W85rl-hRWAI/AAAAAAAAFFE/2W71tUggfvg1iXAHh5S819DDzWBG8Zj1ACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
My knee had been bothering me a lot more then usual the last few weeks, so I tried to keep an eye on it. So far so good as I continued my 30sec/30sec run/walk. We ran parallel to the rail road for about a mile. I was bummed that no train came while we were running next to it. The 10k course was a bit different so there were runners coming towards us for a little bit of that part.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_717_576_fbd4_3d12" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UvIujA8xyh4/W85rrGiYd2I/AAAAAAAAFFQ/BA2jzP5C94cP1QNp0ojQIOA2CRx9y3QJQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
About mile in, we turned off the road next to the train tracks. We were now running through a neighborhood. Even though I bike a lot through Ashland, I have never been to this part of the town. It was nice to see a different part while running. A lot of the houses had their Halloween decoration out, and I enjoyed seeing all sorts of scary items on the lawn.<br />
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We had our first an only water stop. I actually didn't grab water as I really wasn't too thirsty and I knew I would get a bottle at the end, so I kept on trucking. Around mile 2 you could see we were near the finish line. I knew we had a turn off soon, to get the extra mile in, but I don't like when races get you so close to the finish line when you are not close to being done.<br />
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After the turn away from the finish line, we ran through another cute neighborhood. At this point the 5k and 10k were on the same course and would finish together. There were a handful of runners around me at any point of the race. I knew the ones that zoomed past me were the 10k runners and the rest I was playing leap frog with.<br />
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At this point my knee started to bother me. I tried to slow it down and made sure that I took all of my walk breaks. But after I did my second mile well under 13 minutes, I knew why my knee was hurting. But at the same time, I knew that if I kept it up, I would do my fastest 5k in a long time. I really tried to talk myself into slowing down, but as usual, I got caught up in the fun of the race.<br />
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We came around and the finish line was behind me. There were two ladies in front of me that I knew I could pass. I knew that going full out at the end would not help my knee, but it felt great to just run as fast as I could. As I came close to the end, I saw my friend from the gym call my name. My knee hurt, but after stretching at home, it felt better.<br />
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I got my bottle of water and headed to see if I won any of the door prizes. I did not win anything, but that was OK. I love door prizes and it's just fun to see what could be won. I realized at that point that we didn't get a medal. I think their logo would make a super cute medal, but if that meant more money for the charities, I was OK with that. I noticed that if I left at that time, I could make it to Costco as they opened, so I headed to my car.<br />
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I would defiantly do this race again, either the 5k or 10k. Even though the courses were a bit different, it was very well organized. Even when there were only a couple people around me, I never felt like I would get lost, or end up on the 10k course. There were different colored arrows plus a ton of volunteers everywhere. Plus there was a door prize with tons of options to put your tickets in.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_d951_60f_4698_c0f7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fcpAyQ3DfOo/W85roUKBcXI/AAAAAAAAFFM/3Z9tRehu2QcfkhnaU3LBEPjUukybocWdgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
I just looked at my official time, and shockingly, I was 3rd out of 4 in my age group. I didn't see anywhere that said that they did age group awards, so it was OK that I didn't stay. And I looked and one of the ladies I passed at the very end was in my age group, so the knee pain was totally worth it. :) <br />
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I haven't chosen my races for November or December yet. But I have a couple in mind, so stay tuned. <br />
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<b>What has been your favorite attraction at a race while you waited for it to start? Do you like door prizes as much as I do? Do you get swept up in a race and push it more than you should?</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I’m linking up with with <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/">MCM Mama Runs</a>, <a href="http://www.marciashealthyslice.com/" target="_blank">Marcia’s Healthy Slice</a>, and <a href="http://noguiltlife.com/" target="_blank">My No Guilt Life</a> for the <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/tuesday-link-up/" target="_blank">Tuesdays on the Run linkup</a>.</b></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-19972296563968454302018-10-19T07:20:00.002-04:002018-10-19T07:27:54.694-04:00Random Five (Friday Five Edition)It's been quite awhile since I have posted. It's been a very busy couple of weeks for me which included training all week last week, which meant catching up on everything this week. So I thought I would post some random things that have been happening.<br />
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1 - Since about May I have had a sore throat on and off. Never with a fever and never anything that was a big deal. When I had my yearly physical last month, I mentioned it to her. She wanted me to go see an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) doctor. Again, since I didn't think it was a huge deal it took me awhile to get around to make an appointment. The funny thing about the practice she referred me to was I called and expected that it would be 3-4 weeks at a minimum to get an appointment, and they had one for the next day. That never happens. I saw one of the ENTs on Monday and he put an optical fiber endoscopy down my nose to look at the back of my throat. It turns out that I have Adenoiditis. It just means that my adenoids are infected and he gave me these HUGE antibiotic pills to take. If it doesn't clear up, I'm to go back in a couple of weeks.<br />
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2 - Just these past few days, it is now starting to feel like fall. I've never really like fall as this time of year is when I get most of my anxiety due to darker and colder days. Even though it's the same 24 hours, because it's darker early, I feel like I have less time to get things done, which causes most of my anxiety. Once I get used to it, the anxiety tends to alleviate for the most part. But I am very thankful to have the few extra weeks this year.<br />
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3 - I only play the Mega Millions and Powerball when the jackpot gets really high like it is now. I know I will never win, but I enjoy thinking of what I would do if I did. Paying off my house and car and paying off any debts that my parents have and then traveling. I've only won a dollar a couple of times, but I played the Mega Millions last Wednesday and I matched 3 numbers and won $10! I know that's not a huge deal, but it was exciting for me. And I'll be reinvesting that money into my dreams for tonight's drawing. :)<br />
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4 - I'm a bit embarrassed on how long I have owned my couch, but I've
had it forever. It is a loveseat that rocks and reclines. I've had it
forever because it's very comfortable and it fits perfectly in my
awkwardly long and narrow living room. I always sit on the right hand
side because it's closest to the end table and the past month I have
noticed that the cushioning (or lack of) on that side is probably
causing me issues with my glutes (and therefore my knee). So I have
moved the couch around so that the end table is on the left side. I
have to say it is awkward. I am right handed and it's weird to have
everything on the left side. But I either have to get used to it or go
shopping for a new couch, which fills me with anxiety. For big
purchases that will be daily use, I have to know everything about every
option and I have to analyze it all to make sure I am making the right
choice. I swear as the item for purchase gets bigger, the time I
analyze it goes up 100 times. It's ridiculous. So for now we will see
how this works.<br />
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5 - I never hum. I never whistle
(while I work). I never sing. But I noticed over the last few months
that I have started humming. It's so weird, I don't know why I all of
the sudden started. And the weirder part, it's always the same song.
Not only that, it's always the same Christmas song. I might understand
it some if I started it now, but it's been happening all summer long.
In June out of nowhere I'll realize that I'm humming a Christmas song.<br />
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And a bonus - I had to share this as it's probably one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. It was on a sunrise ride I did last weekend.<br />
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I'm hoping to get a few posts prepped, so when I do have a busy couple weeks, I'll still have something to post when I don't have time to sit down and write something out. Till next time. :)<br />
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<b>How have you been? Anything random happen to you this week?</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and <a href="http://www.runningonhappy.com/" target="_blank">Running on Happy</a> for Friday Five 2.0</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-45592980159767577542018-09-28T05:00:00.000-04:002018-09-28T05:00:04.182-04:00Tools for my Journal (Friday Five Edition)<div class="MsoNormal">
There are several tools I use in my journal to personalize
it and make it fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<img alt="" id="id_9457_18d5_4a0d_5993" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g2UMNvU2O28/W61-YiBEHwI/AAAAAAAAFCk/iME5KGRmGmYY5l8zsG0_-0JTdnyfWuvqQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
As I stated in my post about my journal, I used a discbound
notebook. This allows me to add pages
when needed, sort of like a three-ring binder.
But within this, there are several different types of paper you can use,
ruled, grid, and dot are the ones most used.
I like to use the dot paper. It
gives me options I need to create my trackers as well as write with a rough
strait line to follow.</div>
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<img alt="" id="id_5083_f312_4bc0_fd6d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dULDyLwlkqk/W61-W4lmqCI/AAAAAAAAFCU/7hq3PThVJDITwLSSueuwWHSEY1Dg9nzugCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I like to use colored pens when I create my pages and write
my thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I have found, not all
pens work well for journaling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love
the gel pens that I use when I color, but they do not dry quickly and smudge
easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I have found online is to
create a pen test page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I keep it at the
back of my journal and test out new pens to make sure they do not smudge or
bleed through the page.</div>
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<img alt="" id="id_726d_eee5_d8e2_40dd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TJfD6SKUTl0/W61-XG2m8nI/AAAAAAAAFCY/W5U4utJDzKYAisFe4nRF6oS7ip5wQxc2gCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have a lot of stencils from when I did a lot of
scrapbooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have found them useful
for when I create my mood tracker as well as when I want to make titles formal.</div>
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<img alt="" id="id_8aa6_53b6_4457_8239" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5gTmo1i5iIs/W61-XtFyOsI/AAAAAAAAFCc/nDfNkrjZ67UeNnR08PPJynchBusFiKBgwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had never heard of washi tape before I started
journaling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I use it to mark the
beginnings of months at the top with the theme of the month and my race recaps
on the side with the theme of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I find it makes finding those pages a lot easier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really enjoy looking for washi tape that
matches the themes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<img alt="" id="id_4bfe_e435_5be7_c466" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dJj9hqyYkmI/W61-YUNcdsI/AAAAAAAAFCg/fYAR5B8SuIwWM11-GszVHkvPH7hLL0ZCwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have no artistic ability, so I rely on stickers to decorate my pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also like to use punch-outs. Like the
stencils, I have a lot of cut outs from my scrapbooking time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually use them that match the month –
snowflakes or winter things for January, heart or Valentine’s for February,
shamrocks or St. Patrick’s for March, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> For the punch-outs, I use double tape that rolls on easily.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<img alt="" id="id_bccf_59d3_528a_4e08" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D9zUxX2YjKQ/W61-aBwRu_I/AAAAAAAAFCs/HOOtWAMbOTI1NeSAgrKK0cu8GogCTLxXgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While creating things in my journal, mistakes happen more
then I like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The OCD in me likes to have everything perfect, but I know that won't happen. For the most part, I use stickers and punch-outs to But when I do make mistakes that I need to fix, I use Wite-Out tape. It's easy to use and covers very well.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_c9e_b2d8_ca3b_7e9a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qfF3AjFmvXY/W61-ZmHl2HI/AAAAAAAAFCo/dnuQEeLipIYE1NBlFlJUxpKrQeJR_4X6wCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 192px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
I had found that my checklists rarely get done throughout the week. So instead of copying them from week to week, I find these inserts much easier to keep track of my tasks. With the discbound notebook it's easy to move it from week to week without re-writing everything.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_5c36_353d_28e6_d80b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DWHRwEHWk_w/W61-aSLlqxI/AAAAAAAAFCw/xHllWJVOajYTag3fn-4e4xdGOWNF1Le7wCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin: 4px auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
To easily find the current week I use tab pages. I have even found some that I can color when I find the urge.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_fa8d_28e6_e938_e772" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-prvOMVkgn_E/W61-agc6--I/AAAAAAAAFC0/vVX-5EBv0YwOTo5GGotmoHrwrTGcDBbkgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
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<br />
<b>Do you use anything to personalize your journal and make it fun?</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and <a href="http://www.runningonhappy.com/" target="_blank">Running on Happy</a> for Friday Five 2.0</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-62646108774572693932018-09-25T05:00:00.000-04:002018-12-27T21:29:50.482-05:00My Journal and Running (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)Last week I went into some <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-journal.html">basics of the journal</a> I have been keeping. A big part of it revolves around my running. Here are a few items that are specific to that.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_deb7_c4b2_b872_d8a5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DNHE7tKb0fk/W6l5Axt0HnI/AAAAAAAAFBY/8NRLxaRR9jEZymKh70twyhXBB3YibGDVACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
I have my 2018 Race Calendar. I list all of the races that I have done or plan to do throughout the year. If there is a race I'm thinking about, I list it with it's date in pencil. For next year (2019), I want to add an extra row at the bottom for the 2020 race dates that I'm interested in. That way I'm not always looking up a specific race/date online.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP9G4ESd-mWcATE8MFyLd5pToE97efDH77ypI6A_a1Pq2rd9NOJCLbMbp4C42qgA0dL0SwnfI8KQrfpUkLnRarwdVL6sH-xuF7MRwSg1AmdaQ_AzXxX06RIVigFZeq1SEJKucDkV0DCdE/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" id="id_7cad_c790_9e62_96b5" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP9G4ESd-mWcATE8MFyLd5pToE97efDH77ypI6A_a1Pq2rd9NOJCLbMbp4C42qgA0dL0SwnfI8KQrfpUkLnRarwdVL6sH-xuF7MRwSg1AmdaQ_AzXxX06RIVigFZeq1SEJKucDkV0DCdE/s320/%255BUNSET%255D" style="height: auto; width: 240px;" width="240" /></a></div>
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My plan in the next couple weeks is to create a list of races that I want to do again, or interest me and the month that they are usually run in. That way I can do a quick glance of races and the time of year. And the great thing with the discbound journal is that I can slip that right in after my 2018 Race Calendar as well as put it into my 2019 journal.<br />
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Right now I am just running 2-3 times a week with nothing specific to train for. Before, when I am training for a race, I would use different things to track my schedule. Mostly, I would print out calendar months and put the mileage on them. I do like having it in my journal better because I always know where it is and it's not all crumpled up cause I put it in my work bag or something like that. I had put what I planned to do in pencil (since that seems to change every so often depending on my schedule or injury) and then came back and put the mileage in pen. I don't think I really want to change much to it, except, maybe making it neater. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJSbZT_BQbZakqrCxm9wxknYpYGeDwsknqo3k9rgbZly31amOTogBeiU7GXMj60Av-2a4Kj1QqvX7a_7EArW0PYnkzPVjqVB6n4IGMywgR7zmeqj_fo2KNXqkq-fXKs4xIBK_Wc3X22w/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1600" height="250" id="id_9cd7_8245_6e32_f1a0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJSbZT_BQbZakqrCxm9wxknYpYGeDwsknqo3k9rgbZly31amOTogBeiU7GXMj60Av-2a4Kj1QqvX7a_7EArW0PYnkzPVjqVB6n4IGMywgR7zmeqj_fo2KNXqkq-fXKs4xIBK_Wc3X22w/s320/%255BUNSET%255D" style="height: auto; width: 320px;" width="320" /></a></div>
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On a weekly basis I track two things that have to do with my running. The first is my mileage. When I was in training, I would put how many miles I planned for the week, but now it's just a plan to run that day. I also list my Functional Training class that I take at the gym. The R/S to the right is if I rolled and stretched. I like to keep track of that because when I am sore, I can look back and see if I did my stretching and if not, that's probably why. And it's a good reminder to do it every day.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_108b_ee2c_d56c_d622" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6LWxDAO-B7o/W6l5DB7jP_I/AAAAAAAAFBg/jKZdW4yGAuQwYExx6b1rblLKNe9VM1c3ACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
The other thing I track on a weekly basis is my water intake. While I'm usually really good about drinking water, there are days that I just don't get enough in. Tracking it helps me remember to keep drinking as well as looking back from a bad run to see if I had enough.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_f296_9a84_32b3_b185" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JZPh7dwb8as/W6l5CbBoDLI/AAAAAAAAFBc/QcVZUMDQ35E5Se8dS8en2BcZIJQERuHTgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 192px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
On a weekly basis, I don't really comment on my runs. I use a separate log for that. I've used this log for the last few years and like the format that tracks my stats.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_2eac_94c8_3029_3a3e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GDLQSG1kjXA/W6l5AYV5N_I/AAAAAAAAFBU/OEQnByK1roMug472bm43PramQgqy8rM6gCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
I have thought of just doing the list of stats somewhere in my daily journal to see if I can see fluctuations between heart rate, spm, average pace, etc. I created a page, but never got very far with it as I'm not sure if I like the format I set up. <br />
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<img alt="" id="id_7265_10af_6d64_7df3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hnfjG2fLmJc/W6l5KSORfHI/AAAAAAAAFBo/9k_ZUCgmnN82pVj00Nh9wIMnEaqR0PyQwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
The last thing that I do keep in this journal is my race recap. A race recap is too long to keep in my running journal. They are also too long to include on my weekly pages, so I have separate pages for them. I like to hand write my recaps before I post them here on the blog. Mainly because I can put all the boring facts and feelings in there that would bore most of my audience. I want to keep my race recaps for the blog to be the fun and interesting things. The fun part of my handwritten recaps is that I try to find fun washi tape that matches the theme of the race to mark the pages so that they can be found easily. For the Run and Ride, I found amusement park washi tape.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_6dc1_82f4_6850_4be4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-984PNql4pwM/W6l5GkxTBQI/AAAAAAAAFBk/9tDoDXTiZhICrGiPyzs3aOYSVxkrsj2MQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
For my runDisney Star Wars, I found a ton of cool Star Wars washi tape. I also like to use themed or running stickers as well as cutouts from handouts that might be passed out during the expo/packet pickup.<br />
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<b>If you keep a hand written journal, what do you keep track of for your running?</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I’m linking up with with <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/">MCM Mama Runs</a>, <a href="http://www.marciashealthyslice.com/" target="_blank">Marcia’s Healthy Slice</a>, and <a href="http://noguiltlife.com/" target="_blank">My No Guilt Life</a> for the <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/tuesday-link-up/" target="_blank">Tuesdays on the Run linkup</a>.</b></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-19109286458612546852018-09-21T07:36:00.001-04:002018-09-21T07:36:23.450-04:00My Journal (Friday Five Edition)Over the years I've started many journals. Most never lasted more than a week. Mostly because in some aspects I'm a perfectionist. I would forget to add something to my journal and it wouldn't be perfect and I would just give up. Back in January I had started yet another one and to my great surprise, I'm continuing to use it. For those interested in journaling I thought that I'd do a few posts on it. This one will just be about the basics of how I chose the journal and process.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_651b_6f54_806a_43e2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kS3fh-ISdiU/W6TXSp2_o5I/AAAAAAAAE_g/ZoBRB0va70Ia-AapHQLqZHbDszIjmDGFgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
Back in January somehow I stumbled upon a post talking about <a href="https://bulletjournal.com/" target="_blank">Bullet Journals</a>. I had never heard of it and it intrigued me. As I'm typing this out, I'm having a hard time trying to boil down what it is. This is probably because it's an outline of what you can use to help you journal, plan, keep track of tasks, and even doodle. Watch the 5 minute <a href="https://bulletjournal.com/pages/learn" target="_blank">tutorial </a>for more detail.<br />
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I love notebooks and have tons at home, but wanting something new for this lead me to a trip to one of the big office stores. I LOVE office supplies, so I try not to go often as I always come out with something fun that I don't need. While there I found something else that I had never heard of - a discbound notebook. These allowed you to be able to add and remove pages as needed. Lightning must have flashed as the combination of Bullet Journaling and discbound notebooks were the answers to what I knew lacked in me keeping up a journal.<br />
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I bought what I needed and headed home to start on my new journal that evening. With ideas from the official Bullet Journal site and googling blogs, I had a basic setup. I created the year calendar.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_d07b_fb6f_d2c8_e606" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xNRGT2lInX8/W6TXTdr5jUI/AAAAAAAAE_w/gSf9UeGNEAEQ4DazaEZnCVleuhNYpt6bwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
Then I created the Future Log. When I first created it, I only did the first 6 months. I created the last 6 months when we got closer to June. This lists the items that I know. Once I know something I'll add it to that list. Sometimes it's not in date order and that bothers my OCD a little, but not enough to redo the page. And also, the items I'm not sure about, but don't want to forget I put in pencil.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_3c88_49d3_91d5_e55e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lHAQnjvuU-0/W6TXSSeqJOI/AAAAAAAAE_c/fvmleUKh0O08CSg0NbWtwXEXgho2DPN1QCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
As I searched blogs for ideas, I liked the idea of tracking moods. I have a page at the beginning of each month that is dedicated to Over the long run, I ended up with a page that tracks my mood, sleep, and how tired I am throughout the day. Each month has it's own themed design to color in.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_da20_6ac5_f18_9b16" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZG5can5A6oo/W6TXS_8cMwI/AAAAAAAAE_k/MznjMAsErow6_AQb0-Fg2ONMIXxPXyyUACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
Then I have a monthly calendar at the beginning of the month. Like the Future Log I add in the items I know and fill in others as I get them. I like to decorate this page with stickers or punch-outs.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_d653_dd1f_cf4_1fb0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JwhvSdezcew/W6TXTY4PwSI/AAAAAAAAE_s/ZxvF3czNOug3_8xvLmZuUMmkplsT6YIFQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
And then there is the weekly calendar. Each week includes what exercise I plan for the week, tracking the medicine I need to take daily as well as my water intake. Then a place to journal events that will happen, tasks I need to do that day, what happened each day.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_75bb_4d77_633e_b17b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dzxmp5mmUk4/W6TXTSovVyI/AAAAAAAAE_o/4lXqnEtWtdQKMT9GMEViXqqwtpr73fR1QCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
I also create pages for my running. I have a race calendar.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_8651_5a96_c983_18ba" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iZyNMykHPQQ/W6TXUsdcIBI/AAAAAAAAE_4/vTnwHyBEN24rCBtdsNxUzgCSBb5-msg1QCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
When I was in training, I kept a training schedule, which includes planned miles and the miles I actually ran.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_fe13_e9a4_e441_e6ac" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXa59jZP6nRyWohfYnOh4NO95bAkUPtfzYXM-ybsllNRKkxXYWd-wLt0xchuIfMrCfHM-O-rwA9E2jOl-A2eQQzRXyhzlINWTtvHLN5eHuWO0Fn3TCHY7acqnI0Wdu7AtiqR7naZH0Hqg/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
And I create pages for my race recaps. I usually am able to get my thoughts down right after the race in the journal which helps when it takes me a few weeks to get the recap here.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_5824_cb28_2362_4c9a" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWv35lBRVXJ6L2x-PGUDN1_8nUvovXUj8wF6NMwzQrcaFG9lmLE2xZXJsyOXQGWnPzF3VilCmz7QkAj9N3QM6mFlLZi9COQc_r1OX41sQsRXmSkhQTuq8YgjJMommSrS6S5wEW_KKjqmQ/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
It has evolved over the last 9 months, but I have come to a fairly consistent layout. I look forward to creating each month and tweaking things as needed. To me it feels like a cross of a journal, planner, and a place I can be artistic (in my own way since I can't draw). I want to do a few more posts and go into detail in some of these items, like really how I use for my running, how items evolved, and the tools I use.<br />
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<b>Do you keep a journal? </b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and <a href="http://www.runningonhappy.com/" target="_blank">Running on Happy</a> for Friday Five 2.0</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Go23mf87tEuTyk-SpTZd12eiYXvwwVBm1JO_GXkY4skn-qXJ8mqW_lylZNDCigoier2YKMWNB05cIUVvTSX_TKEvaiW86WkFkkq89zGk9Tmod9rznMVju2gVXnb04t9ebMJaDvz-42Q/s1600/FridayFive2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" id="id_667b_f59b_4163_3835" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Go23mf87tEuTyk-SpTZd12eiYXvwwVBm1JO_GXkY4skn-qXJ8mqW_lylZNDCigoier2YKMWNB05cIUVvTSX_TKEvaiW86WkFkkq89zGk9Tmod9rznMVju2gVXnb04t9ebMJaDvz-42Q/s200/FridayFive2.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 200px;" width="200" /></a></div>
Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-24019115810971615982018-09-14T05:00:00.000-04:002018-09-14T05:00:01.379-04:00Summer Photography Workshop (Friday Five Edition)This past summer I took a 6 week photography workshop. The workshop was for those who used a DSLR camera and knew how to use the manual settings on them. The plan was to have minimal classroom time and go out to different parts of the James River most weeks to take photographs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMP9eDMAxfNMTbIxBTvGgZdItGd5ts6nanbF5bZ1wQum4Cm6p1dg5qJZAb1L4WiY1jSHVW0Ufea8aC1bJuetnCjn71m1AN83vPcUDJjYwc8RTPxCcnuDIZKGwNgSKVWHJ8luM66WqIaBw/s1600/IMG_3816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" id="id_2f12_c7d7_d1d6_8bff" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMP9eDMAxfNMTbIxBTvGgZdItGd5ts6nanbF5bZ1wQum4Cm6p1dg5qJZAb1L4WiY1jSHVW0Ufea8aC1bJuetnCjn71m1AN83vPcUDJjYwc8RTPxCcnuDIZKGwNgSKVWHJ8luM66WqIaBw/s320/IMG_3816.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 320px;" width="320" /></a></div>
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I took a couple of photography classes in high school and have a fancy (even though it is 10 years old) DSLR camera. I haven't used it much in the past several years, especially after getting an iPhone, so this was a way to get me out there to use the camera.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_9f99_b52f_de9_d435" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dS_GrsQ1UFo/W5sRGuwjFYI/AAAAAAAAE-8/Ep-e-a_cpDY-CZj3SKnLXlQPqN9p25TcQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
The first week was in the classroom going over basics of photography: ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc. Also what to expect for the rest of the workshop. <br />
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The second week we went to Pony Pasture (where I ran the Pony Pasture 5k). My favorite pictures from that evening were from me playing with the settings. This is the same spot, the first was done with a faster shutter speed (water frozen in time)
and the second is with a slower shutter speed (the blurred water making
it look like cotton candy).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_d0c6_529a_257f_cbb6" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiqen7VOTvzVpL3eBGw3xZN_LTOQoIZSUnigE-U-ezMCggUzlbFPbDJv7EDXWJt1zYkF2d37xmfi3dNwN8NdK6ijVYceUgS5WX9Eo52L93-gE7KAIVC2ZPzUhXOhaNHZX9LnKQCAeTFQ/s1600/hspindle_PonyPasture_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" id="id_e8ee_42e5_5b9f_a55d" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiqen7VOTvzVpL3eBGw3xZN_LTOQoIZSUnigE-U-ezMCggUzlbFPbDJv7EDXWJt1zYkF2d37xmfi3dNwN8NdK6ijVYceUgS5WX9Eo52L93-gE7KAIVC2ZPzUhXOhaNHZX9LnKQCAeTFQ/s320/hspindle_PonyPasture_5.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 320px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO1600 - f/5.6 - 1/400</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPiMAxjGxQioe8KM5afhitMrrHKGyfDp5Coca7g9LPogJIqCuVw4Z2Y5tR_G0RbyQKAArdUyzZFo6hRF9TYbS4miIJHb_oW9k-JscqGJc1felwlGud8OiSnBAjj4M9XR8zCgEtc3Hv10/s1600/hspindle_PonyPasture_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" id="id_4102_c6ce_f1f7_5482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPiMAxjGxQioe8KM5afhitMrrHKGyfDp5Coca7g9LPogJIqCuVw4Z2Y5tR_G0RbyQKAArdUyzZFo6hRF9TYbS4miIJHb_oW9k-JscqGJc1felwlGud8OiSnBAjj4M9XR8zCgEtc3Hv10/s320/hspindle_PonyPasture_6.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 320px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISO800 - f/22 - 1/13</td></tr>
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The third week we went down to Bell Island and the T-Pott Bridge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IIGSO229HB6uhMEDVofC9F_H4dfXGcecmWzHUDMkP8UTDNB_ntH1NvmLR81jIk5F8VLFE1Tsx8K6AyQiAYXxucsEbI9LeGDpk-5UnOnFmO-bxOZ4qMskt4wASSPBcgSMNJRk81BE-do/s1600/IMG_3646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" id="id_ad29_e9d9_6817_2d1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IIGSO229HB6uhMEDVofC9F_H4dfXGcecmWzHUDMkP8UTDNB_ntH1NvmLR81jIk5F8VLFE1Tsx8K6AyQiAYXxucsEbI9LeGDpk-5UnOnFmO-bxOZ4qMskt4wASSPBcgSMNJRk81BE-do/s320/IMG_3646.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 320px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richmond</td></tr>
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This is one of my favorite from the night. I love the lines and the focus into the unfocused.<br />
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The park area have these odd circles. I love how the light just comes through the trees.<br />
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The fourth week it was a very hot night with a good chance of storms so we had a classroom evening and looked at and discussed the groups pictures.<br />
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The fifth week we went down to Rockets Landing. It was an overcast evening, which made some photos tricky, but it was fun to help each other try and help each other try different settings. <br />
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Another picture with the lines I love with the in focus to out of focus.<br />
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I do love focusing on just the one thing in the picture.<br />
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One of the city with some great reflections in the river.<br />
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As it got darker, we played with lights streaking. This is done by having a slower shutter speed, like the river that looks like fog.<br />
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The last week we went down to the Flood Wall to do some light painting. We wandered around and took pictures while we waited for the sun to go down.<br />
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This was done with a macro extension on the end of my lens. I zoomed in to where it gave me the circle framing.<br />
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Once it got dark enough, we went down to the water's edge and did some light painting. Light painting is where you have a slow shutter speed (up to 30 seconds) and have someone move a light to look like it is painted. You do not see the person moving the light because they are either still or move in enough away from the light that the camera does not pick them up. The light painting was my favorite week.<br />
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This was done with a light stick (like a light saber). He twirled it in a circle while walking from one side of the photo to the other.<br />
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This was done with a light at the end of the string. He spun it in a circle in front of him and then turned in a circle.<br />
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This was done with cage holding something on fire on the end of the string. He is spinning the string in the air and you can see the sparks flying in the circle.<br />
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This was a very fun workshop and I wished we had more weeks to go out to take photos. While we had a shared Dropbox to post our photos each week, I'd also like to have a few more class sessions to discuss them with the class. I got some very valuable feedback from them. The leader of the class has different workshops through the year and I really want to take more.<br />
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<b>Have you ever taken a photography class or workshop? Have you ever done any light painting?</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and <a href="http://www.runningonhappy.com/" target="_blank">Running on Happy</a> for Friday Five 2.0</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-49116920980505239202018-09-11T05:00:00.000-04:002018-09-11T05:00:02.658-04:00Let's Finish This! (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)As I continue my goal of doing at least one race a month this year, my pick for the September race was easy, the Speak Up 5k.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_13fd_9b22_db4e_358f" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1y2FPFeevbz1Kd3EbzbFPaj-msqbe_ddApSHnAx_AL5jhjRJnj-z8Z1LpV6aNO4I1Pto603jKfsB8jfVNJE0QpsjIuXYWzsz_dRoGtM20cut-L94jgzB8-jrqAbAKL2ZJaKqP89ja75U/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
In 2014 I ran the Shamrock 8k and volunteered at the half. I would learn that a 16 year old girl, Cameron Gallagher, passed away just after she crossed the finish line of the half. She suffered from depression and anxiety and wanted to raise awareness of teenage depression by creating the Speak Up 5k. Her parents, who did not know she was working on it, found the plans, sponsorship requests, and speeches for the race and made it into reality in September 2014. I've wanted to do this race since, but each year I had a conflict. This year I didn't.<br />
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The race was in Byrd Park, the same park where I did the <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/01/frostbite-15k-race-recap.html">Frostbite 15k</a>. I arrived there about an hour early so that I could find parking and do packet pickup. I found parking just across the street from the park and went to pick up my bib and shirt. The packet pickup was by bib number, not last name. Thankfully they had a bib lookup board. The shirt was so soft, I can't wait to wear it.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_6ad4_cc51_5278_3c8" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FDiVaCXEw7g/W5cNit7r0eI/AAAAAAAAE7Q/h3YQEdbI2_E1H8d-OwsGzeWBBE5TEcmkwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
There was an after party and the booths were mostly set up. I decided to walk around and see what was there. I was amazed that this 16 year old girl had this dream and her family and friends made it come true. It was sad that she was not here to see it come true.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_8fbf_741b_8d7a_5c0c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CioxCTzLM7g/W5cNjcWD1UI/AAAAAAAAE7U/TfgTyqfDcIwhPah3rQxRXz8DSrWRXLXiACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
It then hit me that there is that much support and help out there for those with mental illness today. I started to tear up thinking that if there was this much support and openness out there when I was a teenager, I probably wouldn't have been in so much pain. While I am fairly comfortable talking about my depression and anxiety now, it was much different when I was a teenager. I teared up, partly because I was happy for those that have the resources but also sad that I didn't have the same thing. To say the least this was a very meaningful race, even before it started.<br />
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They were also handing out this card. Take time to read it both ways, it’s very cool. </div>
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I headed back to my car to put my shirt up and grab my race things. I also wanted to get some cash to donate to the <a href="http://www.ckgfoundation.org/" target="_blank">CKG Foundation</a>. I hung out at my car a bit and before I knew it, it was time to head to the start line.<br />
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They had pace signs lined up and I headed to the back of the start line. Cameron's dad said a few words before the start, including letting us know that it was not a race, but an experience. He said that before Cameron started the Shamrock Half, she turned to her friend and said "Let's finish this!". And we were off.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_890f_6f7b_caa7_d272" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YhGYQULlrjw/W5cNlG-jOaI/AAAAAAAAE7Y/ZvJLdz6i7ag4jyqEJGV6CEFo9_mhPwTLQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
The morning was overcast and very humid out. There were so many walkers where I started and had to run off the path to get around. I love walkers, but I think they should have had one more pace sign for walkers so that the runners could start ahead of them.<br />
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There were several cheer stations. Some had high fives, others had water soakers and silly string. and others had bubbles.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_360f_d610_7744_6c5b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4N5aD0PdqMY/W5cNnHFUqzI/AAAAAAAAE7c/olEYYi4XxwcquIl_LVPES-EgR0prFclswCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
There was even a bag pipe group.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_e4ba_6d79_42d3_a10d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LmWUrNvVbDo/W5cN_ZdB4ZI/AAAAAAAAE78/10RGs4mdKfE92H25C4OivpxddOP2hZePQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
This park had a 3 lakes and we were able to go around all three. There was also one water stop that we crossed twice.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_19ed_4b27_6d9f_7611" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4DkrpzZxbUg/W5cNtMyLGHI/AAAAAAAAE7k/hXsdAOmexD06890q55Va4j7QxkOOAekAQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
I couldn't wait to finish, only because it was so hot and humid. Everyone was drenched with sweat. A couple of the people taking photos were from my photography workshop that I took over the summer. It was fun to see them.<br />
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There were also a lot of inspirational signs. <br />
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<img alt="" id="id_52c1_9200_f702_ab54" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-stwiCp872DI/W5cNug_jUHI/AAAAAAAAE7o/zhDEosYYO54fqkvPVAthcWxwJV9efYntQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
Thankfully there was a lot of entertainment on the course to help distract me from how humid it was. I was grateful to see the finish line. I crossed the finish line and was surprised to see that they were handing out medals. They also had cups of water and tons of food.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_906b_7102_6ea3_5710" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0YDbKVQnGFE/W5cNsgY4mAI/AAAAAAAAE7g/Of_YDMuG7f0cye1VX05Z_gaQh8XiitvGQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
I walked around one more time through the booths in the after party. They even had a bounce house set up for the little ones. I was glad I did this race and know I will be back again.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_60a5_cf71_214c_ac3f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E0FAU_bXfWQ/W5cNw4gNjdI/AAAAAAAAE7s/PvV_KJ7nmSIJD-HMSTCOLnE9-6gzTJUmwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, anxiety, or any thing else, Speak Up. There are <a href="http://www.ckgfoundation.org/resources-1/" target="_blank">resources</a> out there to help. Remember you are not alone, <a href="http://www.ckgfoundation.org/resources-1/" target="_blank">help</a> is available.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I’m linking up with with <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/">MCM Mama Runs</a>, <a href="http://www.marciashealthyslice.com/" target="_blank">Marcia’s Healthy Slice</a>, and <a href="http://noguiltlife.com/" target="_blank">My No Guilt Life</a> for the <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/tuesday-link-up/" target="_blank">Tuesdays on the Run linkup</a>.</b></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-8965460713941754732018-09-04T06:38:00.000-04:002018-10-22T16:26:14.512-04:00Pink Power 5k (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)Uggg, it's been forever since I've had time to do a post. Work has just been crazy for the last couple of weeks and I've just been too tired when I get home to think. But I do have this week off and I am taking full advantage to catch up on everything, including posting.<br />
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A few weeks ago, on August 11, I ran my August race. Like most places, it's hard to find races in the summer, August especially. This year was the 10th year of the Pink Power Triathlon. It is a sprint triathlon that is only open to women and it was my first triathlon 5 years ago. And no, I didn't sign up for it this year. This year was the first year that they added a 5k on Saturday open to both men and women. And I signed up for the 5k.<br />
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When I got the email the day before discussing the details of the day, they had said that they were still taking walk up registration and they were still advertising the fact that the first 100 signed up would get a medal. I knew that this would be a small race, which is never good for me. I didn't even have past years to look back to see if I would be able to finish the race before they started to clean up.<br />
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I got there early as I planned on picking up my bib before the race and I wanted enough time to bring everything back to my car and still have time to stretch and stuff. I got down there and it was sprinkling. I got my bib and shirt (which was so soft). I asked how many signed up and they said 54. My stomach sank. I decided to wait in my car since it officially started raining. When it was time to head back to the start line, it had stopped raining. Not that I would have minded it to continue, as it was hot out. But for the race it stayed dry, but overcast.<br />
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The parking lot was set up for the tri the next day and I looked around to the crowd as we waited and saw a few men (7 in all) and a bunch of ladies. I was terrified that I would be left in the dust. The national anthem played and before I knew it, it was time to start. The course was the same as the one they use for the tri, so I sort of knew what to expect. A big down hill to start, tunnel under the road and around the lake, back through the tunnel and through a neighborhood, and then back up the hill we came down at the start.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_5fdd_dbfa_287a_11cb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Gfb8491HUO8/W45gGRxzZtI/AAAAAAAAE5s/_x3cSYM22Fkg70mliccfWLlO8YsPKDzAQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
Most of the runners took off. There were a handful of people back with me and I started to feel better. I stuck with my 30s run/45s walk, even down the big hill. I knew I could make up time if I just ran down the hill, but I have been very protective of my knee. No way was I going to mess up my knee again this time by over doing it when I didn't have to.<br />
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At the bottom of the hill, we rounded to the tunnel that took us to the park with the lake. The tunnel was very slick and dark so I took my time through it. The lake was beautiful.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_466c_53be_a6fd_8f6f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PtomFhTyQyA/W45gGS-Q9tI/AAAAAAAAE5o/bMlgyjiwttY026_jwmzfsSK2G8J8pHXBgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin: 4px auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
I even saw ducks!<br />
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Back through the tunnel and on this gravel path. I made sure I was careful as uneven ground is very hard for me. I didn't remember this path from when I did the tri, but it was very interesting. It happened to be the "Richmond Coal Basin". There were a couple restoration type buildings that were on display. This was the Grove Shaft Ventilation Building which was built in 1924.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_ca7e_4dbc_bf3e_2093" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQoj8I92CiF0ygvt2287QStL9qWZAhtwHNJAegJoggH2JjTXL3VufxFvtM0k9V1YO9JwKH5LmmY7zJ5HXc-KmP92J_1R-7HSzaKiUdu03r5cPff2UMTKZXFpUdkj1qKnbDkvj8QLDUymI/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
We ran up a short little hill and into the neighborhood. I realized that this is the same neighborhood that hosts the Tacky Light Run, which made sense since the start is in the park with the lake. Earlier I noticed that there was a man running without a bib near these ladies and he kept taking pictures of them. He had run ahead of them and past me. He mentioned that this was his wife's first race in several years and he was there to support her. That was nice to hear.<br />
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After the neighborhood, we were back to the main road and that hill. Having to end a run on a hill like that is just cruel.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This does not do the hill justice - it was steeper then this looks.</td></tr>
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I kept up my walk/run even on the hill. I made it up and through the grass to the finish line and I was done. There were not many people left cheering people on and I knew that there were only a handful behind me, so I decided to stay and cheer on the last few. It turned out that there were only ten ladies behind me, and it was so much fun to cheer them on.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_c8a9_baf6_bba4_ffbb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4cmgkCK_mgY/W45gH4GqLXI/AAAAAAAAE50/MtRqYv0FmUAlhCKzNOVyKi8cFe2S4dC4wCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
Overall it was a fun race. I know I shouldn't be nervous about finishing last, but it's more then that. I'm afraid that these smaller races would be packing up before I can even finish. And really the lady that came in last had the loudest cheering section. And after all of that, I looked at the stats when I got home and in my age group I placed third out of five. Unfortunately they were not doing age placements. Always my luck. :)<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_afb6_aebc_18ae_3604" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IStK_1G6HOs/W45gHyUsmoI/AAAAAAAAE54/sB-OATBeIeY7pTFcuSeWch_xURqJ5UfwgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
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<b>Do you like to do races the first year? Do you like very small races like this?</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I’m linking up with with <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/">MCM Mama Runs</a>, <a href="http://www.marciashealthyslice.com/" target="_blank">Marcia’s Healthy Slice</a>, and <a href="http://noguiltlife.com/" target="_blank">My No Guilt Life</a> for the <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/tuesday-link-up/" target="_blank">Tuesdays on the Run linkup</a>.</b></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-74962033519234961262018-08-17T05:00:00.000-04:002018-08-17T05:00:08.153-04:00Star Wars Dark Side 10k 2018 vlog (Friday Five Edition)I had finally caught up on all of my race recaps! I know, finally.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_5eb9_41fc_373c_34b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hzwp4TBNaD4/W04oA5-Q6bI/AAAAAAAAEzw/Re4KexVJIVs0c98_AG-B58K41GLris7cACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
In case you missed the recaps from the Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon Weekend in April:<br />
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<li><a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/06/star-wars-dark-side-expo-2018.html">Expo</a> & <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/star-wars-dark-side-arrival-expo-2018-vlog.html">vlog</a></li>
<li><a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/06/star-wars-dark-side-5k-2018.html">5k</a> & <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/star-wars-dark-side-5k-2018-vlog.html">vlog</a></li>
<li><a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/magic-kingdom-2018.html">Magic Kingdom</a> & <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/star-wars-dark-side-magic-kingdom-2018-vlog.html">vlog</a></li>
<li><a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/star-wars-dark-side-10k-2018.html">10k</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2018/07/star-wars-dark-side-half-2018.html">Half</a> </li>
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Here is my vlog from the 10k on Saturday. Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and <a href="http://www.runningonhappy.com/" target="_blank">Running on Happy</a> for Friday Five 2.0</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-51907047374917926762018-08-10T05:00:00.000-04:002018-08-10T05:00:06.046-04:00Hamilton (Friday Five Edition)Last month my mom and I drove up to DC
to see Hamilton. My mom got to my house around 9 and we headed up in the pouring rain to the Kennedy Center for the Saturday matinee. I
had never been to the Kennedy Center and was excited to see the place.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_cc1_bbc_cf90_3e34" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWaKe45IuUyAtCosT9t8mLGtQ4OpYsyD8vk-BeovfO1LDSCXUtMr34-0_8JGqBk8FlB6Jj-Gb1nBPKKqFIsmvv12k_Pmmh0v2LSUcANDlQsS4XT0ZPeR3vrMnVnFmoOnDfel5IK2lBrSQ/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
We
parked in the underground parking lot and headed up to their Cafe for
lunch. The Cafe was packed and I wasn't sure everyone was there
to see Hamilton, or if there were other shows going on. After we ate,
we had a little bit of time before the show started and looked around
the gift shop. I ended up getting a beautiful necklace and bracelet
for a great price.<br />
<br />
The Kennedy Center is huge and have several theaters.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_2d28_55e7_4fca_9b82" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZGN4tcAeeYE/W2zm-PHjDII/AAAAAAAAE4g/FEmimSlTF4UoEpo5E7c0g_IPzMbF3_d_ACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
I didn't know much about the play
Hamilton, except it was a Broadway hit, it was about Alexander Hamilton,
and that a lot of the music incorporated rap and hip hop. I knew even
less about Alexander Hamilton. I'm a little embarrassed to say, I
thought he was a president.<br />
<br />
We headed down to our seats and my mom said that they were in the center about half way back. The usher walked us down and it was about half way back, but it turned out that our seats were all the way to one side. My mom said that she called a third party ticket agent and they knew the row, but did not know the seat numbers, just a general section. Looks like they were wrong. In the end it turned out fine. It was easy to get out and we beat the crowds to the bathroom during intermission and the garage after the show.<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_af55_3849_ef50_95ff" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nRYgF4VkB3s/W2znEnJtNBI/AAAAAAAAE4o/rY8KRsJ58NUpP9aNOP13JOSXssRfsH9OQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /><br />
The Opera House theater was so beautiful! As I was taking a picture of my playbill with the stage, an usher came to me and said that there was no photography allowed. I looked around and tons of people were taking selfies, so I thought he meant of the stage. I get that. The balconies were so pretty that I had to take a picture of that and he came back and said that there was no photograph at all. I told him I thought it was just of the stage, and he said no. It turns out that they were protective of the design of the theater and did not want pictures of it out there. He walked off and again I see tons of people taking pictures. I did eventually see something about photography restricted in the playbill, but nothing on the walls as we walked in or any announcement. <br />
<br />
The play was AMAZING.
Probably one of the best plays I've ever seen. I found myself tapping
my foot or bobbing my head along with most of the music. The actors
were amazing. One of the things I didn't know was that they purposely
cast non-white actors as the Founding Fathers. It made it more of a
history of America, not just a history of old white dudes. It seemed that they also made the point that Hamilton was an immigrant. With what is going on in the country today, we have to remember that except for the Native Indians, this country was built by immigrants. <br />
<br />
While
Hamilton will be in Richmond for the Broadway Under the Stars 2018-2019
season, it was so good that I don't know if I want to wait that long to
see it again. It was such a fun day that I could totally do another trip up there to see it again.<br />
<br />
<b>Have you seen Hamilton? Have you been to the Kennedy Center? What is your favorite play?</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm linking up with <a href="http://www.fairytalesandfitness.com/" target="_blank">Fairytales and Fitness</a> and <a href="http://www.runningonhappy.com/" target="_blank">Running on Happy</a> for Friday Five 2.0</b></span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9140995780351663052.post-28691522135908965442018-08-07T05:00:00.000-04:002018-12-27T21:31:48.580-05:00Big Hairy Audacious Goal (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)Currently I don't have any Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG) for running. Or really anything grand like that. Well except for retirement, but I don't think that was the intended for this topic. I have done most everything running wise that is on my bucket list. Except I'd maybe like to do a 70.3 or commonly known as a half Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). I don't see that happening any time soon. So I thought I would recap some of my BHAGs from the past.<br />
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<u><span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">My First 10k</span></u><br />
<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">When I first started running, thoughts of running anything more then a 5k was something I never thought I would do. While I had walked the Ukrop's 10k a few years in the past, running it was nothing I thought I wanted to do. In 2011 I joined the training team and each week I surprised myself and ran the whole long run. And three months later I ran <a href="http://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2011/04/ukrops-10k-conqured.html">my first 10k</a>. It's funny reading back at that post as I said that I didn't think I would want to do something that long again. I love the 10k distance now. In fact I do the Ukrop's 10k almost every year now.</span><br />
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<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc"><br /></span><u><span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">My First Half</span></u><br />
<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">I actually had a different blog when I wrote up my recap of <a href="https://pailfullofdreams.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/h3-complete-a-half-marathon/" target="_blank">my first half marathon</a> in 2012, the Richmond Half Marathon. I honestly don't remember what made me want to run a half marathon, but I joined the training team and stuck to the plan. The funny thing about that is I didn't think I would want to do that distance more then once a year. Since 2014 I don't think I've done less then 2 half marathons a year.</span><br />
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<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc"><br /></span><u><span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">My First Tri</span></u><br />
<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">The next year, in 2013, I did my first triathlon. It was the Pink Power Sprint, which was an all women pool tri, which is very first timer friendly. This is another one that I don't remember why I made it my big goal. I just knew that I had been swimming and biking since I was little and now that I had been running for a couple years putting all three together might actually be fun.</span><span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc"><span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc"> While I could run, bike, and swim with no problem, putting all three together was something I just knew nothing about.</span> I joined a local tri training group which helped conqueror my fear of doing something so daunting. I was glad to have the training group as they showed us things that we would need to know, I also still have great friends that I met through it.</span><br />
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<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc"><br /></span><u><span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">My First Marathon</span></u><br />
<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">In 2014 I had run a couple runDisney half marathons and started eyeing a new challenge. I was one of those that said I would never run a marathon. Never say never! I had signed up to run the <a href="https://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2016/08/race-day-mishaps.html">2015 WDW Marathon</a> as my first. Despite having food poisoning and going to the ER the day before, it actually was a great race. I followed my training closely and that really paid off. Should probably remember that next time. lol </span><br />
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<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc"><br /></span><u><span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">First (and only) Dopey</span></u><br />
<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">In 2014 runDisney announced a new challenge, run the 5k, 10k, half, and full in one weekend. They called this the Dopey Challenge, because you have to be, well, Dopey to do it. I had always been intrigued with Dopey and after I ran my first marathon I knew it was something I wanted to do. And in 2016 I did. Luckily I am a stubborn person. Training for this race was long and it was hard. It was the hardest weekend I had ever experienced running. By Sunday I was done. I had pain in my calf before I started the marathon and just did everything I could to finish. This is one that I don't think I want to do again. I'm glad I did it cause now I know I can do anything as long as I put in the training and commitment. </span><br />
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<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">And then of course I went to Disneyland the next weekend to participate in the Inaugural Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend. Yes, I did 7 races in 11 days covering 71 miles. I didn't plan it that way. They had announced the Star Wars Weekend after I signed up for Dopey and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to be part of the inaugural race and well it's Star Wars. The funny thing is the Star Wars Half was the most fun race of all of them. </span><br />
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<u><span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">Back to Back Marathons</span></u><br />
<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">After I finished Dopey, I knew the next marathon I wanted to run was the Marine Corps Marathon. Since the Richmond Marathon is just two weeks after MCM I decided to join the <a href="http://heathersspin.blogspot.com/search/label/MCM%20training">Richmond Marathon training team</a>. This would be the first time since my first Half Marathon that I would be training with a group. I was very excited to not have to worry about fuel since they would have SAGs. And I would have the chance to run with others. I knew that I would probably change my race distance at the Expo and just run the half or 8k.</span><br />
<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc"><br /></span><span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">The <a href="http://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2016/11/mcm-recap-part-1-finally.html">MCM </a>was HOT and the last 8 miles were miserable as we were out of the fun part of DC and there was no shade. While I am very proud of that race and did PR, I knew with the great training I had had, I could have done better if it weren't for the heat. I left changing the race distance for Richmond at the Expo. By then I felt great. So I decided to run the <a href="http://heathersspin.blogspot.com/2016/11/richmond-marathon-recap-finally.html">Richmond Marathon</a> 2 weeks later. I am now a <a href="http://www.marathonmaniacs.com/" target="_blank">Marathon Maniac</a>. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BwrXguFEH47rRqY-fKFGNiCy3W5sQbuuG8ECdmpUvugAVaKngfSttOsSjaA9e6Xq0TnmRdVqz0jk1o8MRJAbk5313dx8yMV_hCBPVnnGi-rSqIK7sg40d8VoQln6UdJB1xj06eJ_TeA/s1600/IMG_8105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BwrXguFEH47rRqY-fKFGNiCy3W5sQbuuG8ECdmpUvugAVaKngfSttOsSjaA9e6Xq0TnmRdVqz0jk1o8MRJAbk5313dx8yMV_hCBPVnnGi-rSqIK7sg40d8VoQln6UdJB1xj06eJ_TeA/s320/IMG_8105.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MCM Accomplished</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzMJGlpOynBGPPFnCYTvOuS4ui57MV8zxWSK56dfBfkYAul0qQ09DZQHmL9aLhCJC__i6ldi66iFow1s2WcjY1VOANDRdDDmEhM_hMKLbtYEtSO4XwW8di8IMKpixOE4kLA9c7kO8Z_U/s1600/IMG_8174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzMJGlpOynBGPPFnCYTvOuS4ui57MV8zxWSK56dfBfkYAul0qQ09DZQHmL9aLhCJC__i6ldi66iFow1s2WcjY1VOANDRdDDmEhM_hMKLbtYEtSO4XwW8di8IMKpixOE4kLA9c7kO8Z_U/s320/IMG_8174.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richmond Accomplished</td></tr>
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<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc">We will see if I have any other crazy goals at some point. You guys will be the first to know!</span><br />
<span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc"><br /></span><span class="ILfuVd yZ8quc"><b>What have been some of your BHAG? Do you have any coming up?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I’m linking up with with <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/">MCM Mama Runs</a>, <a href="http://www.marciashealthyslice.com/" target="_blank">Marcia’s Healthy Slice</a>, and <a href="http://noguiltlife.com/" target="_blank">My No Guilt Life</a> for the <a href="http://mcmmamaruns.com/tuesday-link-up/" target="_blank">Tuesdays on the Run linkup</a>.</b></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18349356729210974305noreply@blogger.com2