Wellness Assessment

This morning I went to the Army Wellness Center to get some health assessments done. Being not is the best of shape I was hoping to get someone that would go easy on me. The receptionist looked like the perfect type. Friendly about my age just in a lot better shape. She said that the trainer would be right out. Who comes around the corner but the man from the Green Mile! This was going to be fun. Well it turned out that he was a teddy bear and the perfect fit to keep me motivated on this journey. He took my vitals, a body fat analysis, and some tests for calculating my metabolism. While at my doctors office when I through out my back I saw a flyer and figured it would be something worth doing. The whole thing only took 30 minutes. While hooking me up to the machine for the BMI analysis I joked that I would probably break the machine and he assured my that I wouldn't. Quick, painless and free, what could be better. While I was there I had to get hooked up to a breathing monitor. I looked like I was a fighter jet pilot with a huge mask strapped to my face with a big tube sticking out. The best part was I was required to lay down. It's not very often that this mom of 3 is required to lay down and relax for 15 minutes. It was wonderful! I would come back everyday if I could be required to rest for 15 minutes while I was there. I'm really anxious to find out my results to see what they can tell me. Tomorrow I head in for the fitness test portion of the assessment. That should be interesting...

Boston

While just scrolling through the "book" as my husband and I call it, I saw a post about a bomb at the marathon. I quickly rushed to the tv to put on the news. Something I have stopped watching since my husbands first deployment. There it was Boston, my city had been bombed. Streets that I had walked on that my friends and family had been on were under attack. I sat there watching the news while post after post on the "book" was about Boston. All I could post was "Praying for Boston." There is always a horrible feeling that you get whenever there is a tragic event any where, but that feeling is a 100% worse when it is your home. Racing through my mind was who was racing this year. Who normally headed over after the Sox game? Who had mentioned they were going in town to watch. It was sicking sitting here in Kansas and not being with my city. Hour after hour passed and the posts were coming like wild fire with a frenzy of people checking in and praying for Boston. After just romping the day before and seeing how many people had come out to support a little romp of 715 runners how many would come for a race of 27,000. The thought of how many could be killed or injured was overwhelming. As the day turned to night all I could do was pray for those who were affected.

Romp Day

5:45am, April 14th 2013 was here. It was time to get my romping shoes on. Raced around the house getting everything I needed and I was off. I headed to my friends house to meet up to drive down to the romp. When we got there, there was more pink, tutus and tiaras then any girl could wish for. The music was playing and you could feel the energy and excitement in the cold damp air. The weather wasn't going to hold back 800 rompers from getting their romp on! As the starting time got closer we did a little stretching and got our romp faces on. I knew that I was planning to walk so I stayed toward the back of the pack and my friends headed for the front. Before the race started they played the national anthem. Being a military wife you can't help but get chocked up whenever you see such a large crowd stand still with their hand over their hearts saluting the flag. You can't help but remember the deployments, the moves, the friends that you have made while our family does our best to help support the ability to stand their freely and embrace that moment. While standing waiting for the romp to start I decided to try to find an app to track my romp. Quickly I searched through my phone to find an app to download to keep track of my romp experience. I found one and got it set up just as the gun sounded. It was slow baby steps at first but then slowly but surely things started to open up. As soon as I made my way under the big balloon archway I decided I had to at least run till the initial turn. The adrenaline of having hundreds of people racing around you can't help but get your heart racing and keeping your feet moving. Turn after turn I was still going, still running! Just as we came around a turn there was a huge hill in front of us. As I found a light post that I decided would be my running finish line my app chirped in my ear one mile. I had done it. I had run an entire mile with out stopping or collapsing! I knew that hill was my sign that it was time to give myself a break and walk up the hill. I power walked up the hill and when I hit the top I could see the turn around point at the bottom. I knew I could make the short distance so back to a run I went. There was a great feeling as I rounded the cone marking the half way point in the race. It was back up the hill so I power walked as fast I could. When I hit the top I knew I had to run. I had to take the momentum of the hill to push myself. Just as it leveled back out I ran in to a customer of mine and chatted as we ran for a little bit. As to not slow her down I wished her well and would see her at the finish line. It was amazing for those few minutes I forgot that my legs were burning and that my heart was pounding I was still running. Keeping that momentum I just kept going and going and going. Since it had been so cold when I left I was wearing my husbands running jacket and I was absolutely melting. With 3/4 of a mile left I had to stop and take it off before I was a puddle. I wrapped around my waist adjusted my tiara and off I went running. One foot in front of the other I just kept going. With so many supports on the sides clapping and cheering for everyone you couldn't help feed of the excitement. I was exhausted, sweating, hurting and just I was about ready to start walking a man yelled out last turn to the finish line. Who knows who he was talking to or how many times he has said it but it was exactly what I need at the right moment to keep those feet running. He failed to mention that it was straight up a hill to the finish but all I could see was the big balloon arch waiting for me to cross under it. As I dragged my body up the hill you couldn't help but get motivated by the sea of pink, tutus and tiaras that were on the other side. One foot in front of the other I made it up the hill and crossed the finish line. Slightly dazed, sweating like a pig and cramping legs I had done it. I had finished the romp. Somewhere in the blur of the next few minutes I had a medal around my next and a cup of water in my hand. I promise you no glass of water has ever tasted so good before. Before I headed to the car I took a minute to soak it all in. No matter what happened for the rest of the day I had got up way earlier than I think anyone should and romped. I romped for 35:51 at an 11:34 minute pace for 210th place out of 715.

Rewind to the beginning.

Two weeks ago I ran in the second race of my life. It was a 5k that I had signed up for on a whim. It was advertised at a great little unique shop down town and at my hair dressers. A friend mentioned she was going to train for it so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to work towards my goal of getting in shape and losing a few pounds. The 5k was called a "Romp" not a run or a race, a romp. How hard can a romp really be? Well, I signed up about 4 months before the romp. I had all great intentions of training for the race. Well, running outside in January doesn't work and my treadmill in my basement and I aren't the best of friends. I figured I could wait a little closer to the time to get myself romp ready. Well about 6 weeks before the race I downloaded an app to help me get on track. It was an 8 week app that I figured I could squeeze into 6 weeks. Needless to say I was out of shape and man was I hurting. I continued on for about 10 days when one morning while playing with the kids I through out my back. The possibility of being able to do the romp was looking very meek. Being able to get up off the floor was looking impossible never mind doing a romp in 4 1/2 weeks. I spent the next few days with ice, heat, hot showers and eventually I was able to walk without looking like I was 105. Doctors orders, no exercise for 2 weeks and to see my chiropractor. Having never been to a chiropractor I can tell you I was skeptical. Now I'm a true believer. He was able to work magic and my back was pain free for the first time since I had my third son a year earlier. Now that I was mobile and had the doctors approval and I was ready to resume romp training. Only problem, I was down to oh about 4 days to manage to train through my 8 week app. The odds were not in my favor. Having signed up for the romp I knew I couldn't pass it up. Honestly how do you say no to a romp? I went and picked up my packet, got my bib, shirt and tiara. I was ready to romp. They always say dress for success. I now had the gear just needed to find a body that could romp a 5k in the next 48 hours. I came to the conclusion that I was going to walk the romp. Walking a romp is much more productive then not romping at all. The night before the romp there were some nasty storms. They were forecasting miserable weather. Cold and raining just what every person wants to wake up before the crack of dawn to romp in. Some where around 3 am my husband suggested I just stay home, but I was determined. I was going to romp. I was going to romp rain or shine.

The saying goes, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." ~Lao-tzu  Well, in this case the the journey of 26.2 miles begins with one step. I'm starting... I'm starting now. Okay, well I started 2 weeks ago but better late than never right? I will start off by saying that I am not a runner. I am not a blogger. I'm a wife, a mom, a small business owner and a women with a bucket list. This year I turned 30. I'm not going to lie it wasn't easy. In my mind I'm still holding strong at 29. I have always had a "bucket list" of sorts but I decided it was time to start chipping off the list and making those dreams a reality. Here I go, here is my journey to run a marathon.