weekly wrap of June 20-26th

Theres not much I can say about this week other than I only got in 3 days of exercise. I was feeling off so I listened to my body and rested.
Monday-rest
Tuesday-rest
Wednesday- rest
Thursday- chest/triceps + 35 minutes elliptical
Friday- legs/plyos + 3.5 miles
Saturday-rest
Sunday-8 miles

The workouts were done at home and even though my legs were sore from Fridays leg day, I managed to get in 8 miles with my friend Amy. She had done 12 miles the day before and was planning on taking things slow. since I haven't ran longer than 6 miles in about 3 months, I knew I needed to keep things slow. It was strictly a distance day and not a time to worry about pace. which was fine by me. The temps were slightly cooler so the heat was tolerable. it helped that we ran a scenic route.

I will be traveling back home this week and next, and I signed up for 2 out of state races for this weekend and on the 4th. I signed up for a 5k this Saturday and its being held in a small town. The only thing I know about the race is that there are hills, and fast runners will show up. The race on the 4th is a 4 mile race and all I know about it is that there will be hills and more hills. My plan going in is to race the 5k and use the 4 miler as a tempo. (but who am I kidding, if I'm put in position to race for an overall spot, i'll race,lol!)

The one thing I love about out of state races is that it gives a nice change of scenery and a chance to mingle with the locals.

Do you race when you go out of town/state? What do you like about running out of state races?

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Check it out and read the other posts here.

June 13-19 and a 5k recap

Happy first day of summer!!!!!
Last week the heat was in full effect and it was just my luck that the hottest day with the highest heat index fell on a Thursday race night. Summer races in the south aren't about fast times but surviving a hard effort. With that said here is last weeks run down:
Monday- chest/triceps/core 4 miles TM
Tuesday- back/biceps, sprints (12x1 minute sprints ranging from 9.0-11.0mph) 5 miles total
Wednesday- 3 miles easy pub run
Thursday-birthday 5k, 5 miles total
Friday- 6 miles
Saturday- legs/core, 5 miles TM
Sunday- active rest (2 miles easy with dog)

Tuesday's sprints felt really good. While it doesn't take the place of doing intervals on the track, it did provide a good way to get some decent turnover in my legs. Wednesday I headed out for a pub run with fleet feet and got in an easy paced 3 miles. There were a few triathletes doing zone 2 training so I was able to stay with them for some good miles with good conversation. I ended up winning a dry fit shirt during the raffle after the run. While the weather was HOT and humid Wednesday, there was still a good turnout of runners!
Thursday was my birthday and I was out for redemption at the 5k. Last time I ran this race, I got lost on the course and didnt even place. All I wanted for this race was to 1) not get lost
And 2) to make top 3 overall if I could. Since the weather was hot and humid, I knew the time on the clock would be slow. When I left my house it was 93 and the heat index was 106. I'm not sure that was what it was during the race but wow. It sure felt like it!!!! Put it this way, I haven't ran shirtless in over 15 years, and I ran shirtless (long sports bra) during the race.  Due to the heat I only ran a one mile warm up. I saw my friend Amy who was volunteering and she was able to hold on to my shirt for me until I was done with the race. That way I didn't have to go back to my car to leave the shirt there. I make my way to the line and spy a couple ladies I needed to stay close too.
Gun goes off and i let a gal take the lead. I needed someone to follow! I forgot my iPod shuffle in the car and ran without music. Which is fine. I needed to be able to be hyper aware of my surroundings so I wouldn't get off course. Mile 1-6:50
The heat was in my lungs, my mouth was dry. The lead gal is still just a couple strides ahead of me. She grabs water at the first water stop. I catch up to her and stay on her heels. She surged ahead by a few strides. I just try to hang on. At the second water stop I actually grab water. I have never grabbed water during a 5k before. But I dumped it over my head. The heat was horrible! I felt myself slowing down. After that water stop the lead gal makes another surge. She is still in my sight. There was still hope I could catch her. I skip the 3rd water stop and made a very young water girl cry because I didn't take her cup. If I had the energy and breath to give her a hug and say" I'm sorry but I'll get water when I finish, I really need to catch up to the gal in front of me!" I so would have done that!!!
By the 2.5 mile mark I knew I had the 2nd overall spot. I knew I couldn't catch the lead gal. I was just fine with that, all I wanted was to not get lost!!! The last half mile of the race was spent concentrating on being on the right path. I questioned my turns the entire way until I saw the finish chute. Finally I was going to finish  the course without getting lost. I was going to finish! Redemption!! I cross the line at 21:29, and so thankful the run was OVER!! It was much too hot to be racing. Amy gives me a finishers medal and my shirt and I gather a few people to do a 1 mile cool down. Misery loves company, right?Awards ceremony took place at a local pub. It was nice to socialize and I was able to catch up with Larry the legend. He's the type of person I could talk to all day about running.
🙂 I ended up snagging a pretty awesome gift bag from fleet feet-A nice added birthday bonus.🤗🤗
When I got home I had my favorite cake waiting for me.
While my race was far from perfect ( hello positive splits! Hello heat index of 100+), I was pleased with my placing and glad the heat, although caused slower times, did not cause any thing serious on The race course. I've got 2 more races on this course this summer, so 2 more chances to try to make top 3 overall. I know I can't control who shows up, I can't control the weather but as long as I can use these races as workouts to better myself for the fall racing season, then I'm all in! summer races are a good way to get in a good workout with friends.
Here's to the official start of training!!!

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Check it out and read the other posts here.

#charlestonstrong

Remembering the Emanual 9 today.
One year ago tragedy struck the Emanuel church here in Charleston. A gunman opened fire within the church walls killing 9 innocent lives.
Thoughts and prayers are with thier families.
#charlestonstrong
#unitedwestand

Orlando challenge, weekly wrap and a 5k recap

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Check it out and read the other posts here.

I have no words for what transpired in Orlando yesterday. I can't wrap my head around the hate that exists in this world and on American soil. In honor of the 102 victims ( 49 dead +52 injured) I am proposing a challenge. For the runners/ endurance athletes/ weekend warriors:
Run/ swim/ bike/ hike or walk 102 miles for the month of June. Or even if it's just getting in 102 minutes of activity for this week. (That's only 20 minutes a day!) in addition to the miles ( or in place of) aim for completing 102 random acts of kindness for the month of June. It doesn't have to be anything over the top, it can be something as small as opening a door for lady with 3 small kiddos at her feet, or helping an elderly person load thier groceries in thier car for them. It can even be something like the Starbucks pay it forward- pay for the persons order behind you in the drive through line- and be sure you ask the drive through teller to let that person know to pay it forward for Orlando. With all the hate and violence in today's world, we need to show that good still exists!!! I may be just an old fashioned gal with no social media accounts aside from a little blog, I may have a very small voice in this world BUT all it takes is one voice to start a ripple effect and one match to make an explosion. If you like the idea of this challenge please share this posts!!!! Let's see how far our kindness can reach!!!
Now it's time to do some quick recaps:
If you missed last weeks mega race recaps you can find them here:
http://melissacunninghamifpapro.blogspot.com/2016/06/5k-recaps.html?m=1

June 6-12
Monday-5 miles TM
Tuesday- chest/ triceps/core + 5 miles including 12 x 1 minute sprints with 1 minute jog in between
Wednesday- back/biceps + 45 minutes elliptical
Thursday core work + 4.5 miles including a 5k
Friday- leg day! +1 mile TM and 40 minutes elliptical
Saturday-5 miles with fleet feet running group + core work
Sunday- active rest
Last week felt good getting back in the gym even though I didn't get in there as much as I wanted to. My kids enjoy the kid zone there so it works in my favor to be there more this week
😀
The heat Is here in full swing so no plans on PRs. It's survival time here so the TM has been my friend. While it was hot for Thursday's 5k, the humidity was down a bit so it was a smudge more tolerable than the previous races. On Saturday I decided to meet up with fleet feets Saturday run group for the first time. It was nice getting in some easy miles on my sore legs and even better to meet new people
🙂
5k recap:
My husband had a late meeting pop up on his schedule so I had all my children with me at the race. My oldest daughter would be running and my oldest son would be waiting at the finish with my younger son and daughter. I loved having them there! I like to think that they are my good luck charms. We get to the race with just enough time to get our packets. The little kids were able to get light up bracelets, plastic clapping hands and the children's RTL dry fit tshirts. I didn't have time to warm up so I did a few sprints at the start line. A brief pep talk to my daughter and then it was go time. My goals going in:
Faster than last race, top 3 OA or first in AG, and most importantly, finish strong without dying.
Horn sounds off and here we go. My friend Becky takes the lead and I make a point to keep her in sight and hold on to her pace as long as I can. We run similar paces so I knew I could keep up at least for the first 2 miles. The last mile in this course is the most challenging as the curves and bends in the path are close together and makes it hard to keep momentum and speed built up from the first 2 miles. If I could just keep a strong pace for mile 3 I would be happy.
Mile 1: 6:48
I feel OK. My mouth is dry though. Becky is still slightly ahead of me and I make it a point to stay close.
Mile 2: 6:48
I was happy to see even splits! If I could keep a steady pace I could see 20xx and a course PR. If I picked up my pace I could move up for the lead spot. Then the 3rd mile starts. I feel the heat, all the bends and turns and Becky doesnt seem to be slowing down. It was time to get in the mental game. I knew I just had to keep my feet moving and close the gap. I take advantage of the straight aways and gradually catch up. At the 2.5 mile mark I make my move to the lead spot. I knew It wouldn't be easy to get overall female but I was going to try! I surge ahead and barely keep the lead to the line. Becky was less than a second behind me! We finish and see 20:48 and 20:49 on the clock. We both got PRs for this particular course. This is why it's awesome to race with friends!!!!! We both have similar running goals and I'm looking forward to the fall races to see if we can reach and exceed them
🙂
After we are done I grab amy and we go back through the course and finish the race with my daughter and her friend. The heat had gotten the best of both of them so they were slowing down that last mile. They still finished strong! Alex's friend pushed herself a little too much at the line. Thankfully her mother is a nurse and kept a level head. A few of us saw what was going on and worked together to get her ice, cold towels, water, Popsicles and got her laying down with her feet elevated. She was fine after a few minutes but it's always scary to see a young runner get overheated! Summertime temps are no joke here in SC!
After I knew Alex's friend was OK me and my clan headed to get dinner and hang out for awards. It was so nice to have my kids there with me and I'm glad it turned out to be a good run despite the heat.  There is just one more race left in the series and I'm hoping to finish it strong!!!
Happy Monday!
If your reading this and decide to share the Orkando challenge please let me know on the comments below.
Thanks!!!!!

5k recaps

I'll try to make this brief. Let me preface this by saying the heat and humidity officially arrived about 2 weeks ago. All of my races from then until September will not be about PRs but about getting acclimated to the heat and trying get in some turnover In order to train for fall races. Steady but hard effort races now equals steady and fast races in the fall
😃
Ok. There are actually 4 races to recap. The first one was at the end of May. I didn't want to recap it because it was a horrible race. But in hind sight it was my mindset that made the race that much worse. I it was the first race in a series of four races held on a Thursday. That Thursday the universe was against me. Nothing was going right and by the time race night got there I was more than ready to run as running is my #1 stress outlet. I get lost finding my way to the race and get stuck in traffic. I arrive at the race with about 7 minutes to spare before the gun goes off. This race series usually brings out a fast crowd but due to graduation ceremonies it was a small field. I make a quick glance around and spy the gal I needed to chase. This race was either going to go really well or really bad. Given how craptastic my day had already been I was really hoping a good run would make me feel better. Gun goes off. I let the gal lead. My plan was to stay with her as long as I could and if I could pass her I would. Mile 1:6:50. My legs felt good. It was a comfortably uncomfortable pace. She starts to slow down and I pass her right before mile 2. 6:53 for that mile. I knew she was right behind me but felt pretty confident I could keep the lead. I was just starting to feel the stress of the day fade away. About 2.5 miles in I knew I had to surge around the turns in order to get more space between me and the gal behind me. I feel the heat and humidity but just think of the finish line coming up soon. My watch buzzes at me at mile 3. 7:30. ( yes lots of turns on trails!)This was an out and back trail run but where was the finish? I should be close. But things don't look familiar to me. I run some more thinking it was a long course. I see runners ahead of me. I pass them and then see the finish arch way across the field. I had made a wrong turn!!! I got lost on the course. I finally make my way back on the right track and finish the race at 25xx and clocking in 3.58 miles. A 5.77k!!! I said a few choice words that if my grandma would have heard coming from my mouth she would have slapped me made me eat soap.  I went from overall female to not even placing in my AG. ( I would have finished in about 21:10ish). *sigh*. I was disappointed in myself, pissed off that I got lost and frustrated that I didn't get the good run I needed to let the bad day fade away. The good thing about this race is that I have running friends that know when I need a hug, and offer to buy me fruity girly drinks!!! The highlight of the night though was watching the overall female accept her prize. Since I dropped back and the lead gals placing didn't count because she works for the company putting on the race,a 9 year old girl won overall!!! She is quite the speedster finishing in just over 22 minutes. I know winning that race must have been such a confidence booster and a moment she won't soon forget!!!! I'm glad I played a small role in her victory! I'd rather see moments like that than to dwell on such a horrible run I had. At the end of the day, a bad 5k race is just that. Nothing more or less. The good news is that there are 3 other races I can redeem myself at!
😃😃
Ok now for the 3 races I ran last week.
5k #1 was pretty uneventful. My goal was top 3 overall. I didnt want to get passed at mile 2 like last time I ran this race.  A fast gal showed up so I was just going to try to keep her in sight and and hold on to 2nd place. I'd race if I had to.
Mile 1 I stay with fast gal. It was a surprisingly slow first mile. 7:00.
Fast gal then takes off like her britches are on fire and just gets faster each mile.
I see mile 2 in 6:48. Maybe I could see 20xx if I picked up the pace. I pass a couple guys and feel like I'm going faster. But I'm not. I see 7:09 for mile 3 and cross the line at 21:05. I end up getting 2nd overall female. What I love about the RTL series is the dinner and drinks afterwards. A great way to socialize! Add in the fact that awards go 5 deep in age groups, means that many people stand a chance to place and get an award.
Race #2
This was my first year running this race but I've ran the course once before. It is a very flat and fast course. This race always brings out a fast and competitive crowd so when I toed the line I knew I didn't stand a chance at top 3 OA. My goal shifted to top 3 in AG. The biggest mistake I made at this race was drinking coffee before I ran. I usually don't drink coffee before running but I did t sleep well the night before so I thought I could use the boost. Ugh. I was having a rare moment of stomach problems. After warming up with amy we get to the start. Gun goes off and I take off. Knowing I wouldn't make top 3 and knowing I had a 2nd race later that night didn't motivate me to run very hard or fast. Add in the heat and humidity and Oy. It was going to be a long race. But thankfully my friend Becky was there and ran together the rest of the race. I'm so glad she was there to motivate me and push me to get my head sort of back in the game.
Mile 1-6:40
Mile 2-6:40
There is no shade on this course and I was feeling the sun beat down and drain me.
Mile 3- 6:54 last .12 was at 6:12 pace. We finish in 20:57/20:58 and place 1rst and second in our AG.
I was so glad Becky was there! There was a nice enclosed shelter with air mist fans blowing to help cool us off. It was HOT!! I hang around for awards and then leave to rest up for race #3.
Race # 3:
A rock pink race! The race was an evening race (8:30pm) and was lit with pink led lights. ( that sounded cool in the email but provided no real light on the course). I almost didn't show up for this race. I was tired. It was still muggy outside. But it was for a good cause. I had to run it for my grandma!
Becky is here at this race as well so I was glad I woukd have someone to run with! When I arrive I
see a very large crowd. I don't really spy ant super fast gals that I know. Maybe I could make top 3 OA? I warm up for a mile and my legs felt like led. There was no way I would be running a sub 21. My plan going in was to just finish. Gun goes off and I see a hs gal up front. I try to catch up to her but she surged every time I got close. Eventually she fizzles out and Becky and I take the lead. Mile 1 6:43. Oh goodness that felt really fast. My legs hurt. I felt the humidity fill my unacclimated lungs. I just wanted to try and keep up with Becky. Mile 2 6:59. This was a very pretty mile as we ran around the navel base and had an ocean breeze and view. There were 2 spots where we did t really know which way to go. Thankfully we guessed right. We see the lead male ahead of us. Could we really be that close to the front?  I get a second wind as we totally chic the lead runner about 2.5 miles in. Mile 3-6:59. Once I see the finish chute I turn my jets on and sprint into the finish as the first finisher. Becky Is right on my heels and places 2nd OA. I cross the line at 21:39 ( 21:41 chip time). My slowest 5k of the year but a very meaningful win. My grandmother has battled cancer 3 times in the past 4 years and my grandfather has just started his fight.
Although my legs were heavy and lungs didnt like the humidity, my grandparents were in my thoughts a majority of the run.
Becky and I then cooled down together by going back to find her friends son who was also running. When we found him we ran with him back through the finish. I love watching the younger runners complete the course.
This was a very low key event. Most of the proceeds benifit cancer patients and research. All runners got a shirt and a medal. Pretzels and fruit snacks at the finish. Small trophies for awards. What the race lacked in bling and swag, was made up for with the  awesome 80s music playing throughout the course and a genuinely enthusiastic and encouraging MC who cheered every. Single. Runner. In on the speaker at the finish line. There was even an 89s themed costume contest!
I'll probably do this race again next year. Hopefully it won't have to be rescheduled on account of a tropical storm and hopefully I won't have already ran another race the morning of.
Ok end of recap! If your still reading bless your hearts! Have a good weekend. Another race recap coming up( yes I did 4 races in 7 days)....
🤗

Birthday boy!

I cant believe my little baby is 4 today! My how the time has flown by!!!!i wish I could
post pictures of the most adorable boy in the world (yes I am bias)
So what is my wild man into these days? 
Garbage trucks. 
Cement trucks. 
Fire trucks. 
Semi trucks. 
Airplanes. 
Trains.....
And making mischief. lots of mischief!!!!!
he is loud, rambunctious and loves to find the humor in anything and everything.
he is curious, sly, and an instigator of aggravating his older brother and sisters.
he can be such a handful one minute and then the next second he can be so sweet and loving and kind!! He is too smart for his own good. Which will either be a good thing or a not so good thing. He is going to be either the next best president or wind up in a jail in Mexico somewhere. 
he uses his cuteness to his advantage and yI must admit, he has me wrapped around his little finger!!!!
I think that knowing he is my last baby, I have a lot more patience and acceptance of his hgoofy/crazy/beautiful personality and quirks. I understand that time is fleeting and baby/toddler/childhood wont last forever! I treasure the little things, the little moments that much more. 

even when he shoves everything in the toilet, puts action figures in the potty so they can "swim",pours baking powder all over the kitchen,tries to make his own sandwiches with everything he can reach from the pantry,feed the dog all of his food behind my back,(yes even vegetables)...and the list could go on and on but that would take forever,lol!
bottom line is that even though this boy is a handful to say the least, he is awesome and I wouldn't want it any other way----
Happy Birthday baby boy!!!

May 30- June 5th

Due to my computer being down I'll be blogging from my phone. Please excuse any grammatical errors!
So it's been a couple weeks. I am behind! Will start with last week:
Monday- 5 miles easy
Tuesday- rest ( beach day!!)
Wednesday- 3.5 miles NRD!!!
Thursday- 5k #1-6.5 miles
Friday-35 minutes elliptical
Saturday- 5k #2 and #3--11.8 miles
Sunday- rest

Last week my sister and her family came down for a visit. Hence the lack of workouts in the gym.
Tuesday was an awesome beach day! Except for the part about both my daughters ended up getting significant sunburn despite sunscreen application every hour. My oldest actually got 2nd degree burns on her shoulders!! Poor baby!!she is much better now but wasnt able to run with me on Thursdays race night.
I'll do a full recap of all 3 races later this week, as well as one I did the week before. I ended up 2nd overall female at race #1, 5th overall female at race #2 ( which was a very competitive and fast field of runners!) I placed first in my AG.

12 hours after this hot and humid race, I was running 5k # 3. My legs were shot from that mornings slog fest  and I really didn't feel like running. I thought briefly about skipping out but I didn't. It was a rock pink 5k that benefits cancer patients and helps fund research for the cure. This is a topic very near and dear to me so the least I could do was show up and jog the course if I had to. I ended up winning the race, as in first person to cross the line. The first male came in third place. Yes he totally got chicked by me and my friend Becky who finished only 3 seconds behind me. We passed him about 2.5 miles in
🙂
Granted, this was a larger race than the morning race I ran, and all I can say is that it was a very non competitive field. All the fast people had either run that morning or were competing in a triathlon.
One thing I can say though is that most of my thoughts were on my grandmother as I was running. Sure my legs felt like led and the humidity filled my unacclimated lungs but it was really nothing to complain about. My grandmother has 3 bouts of reoccurring cancer over the past 4 years. Everytine she has come back stronger and more willing to fight. She is one tough lady, full of grit, gumption and a touch of sass that makes her a true southern belle.
So yes, I'm glad I ended up doing 3 races last week. I was physically spent by Saturday night so yesterday was spent resting and throwing a spur of the moment birthday celebration for my youngest baby. He turns 4 tomorrow but we celebrated yesterday. I wish I could post pictures of the impromptu cake!
Once my computer is up and running, there will be lots of pictures!
Happy Monday,
Race recaps coming up late this week
😃
I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Check it out and read the other posts here.