First Fitness Friday post!

I am so excited to write a post for any link up, ever!  Yay me! I'm moving up on the blog experience!  Well, here goes.  I live in east central Florida and am off from work for spring break.  If you have been following the weather in our neck of the woods, we have had record breaking lows for three mornings in a row.  In Melbourne, we even had record low highs in the afternoon last Wednesday!  Needless to say, if I were visiting from up north, I would call this weather heaven!  However, if you are from around here, this was downright freezing!  I visited friends in Orlando in the early part of the week and it was crazy to have to wear a jacket to hang out at Universal City Walk on Tuesday evening. 

The weather would have been perfect for running but I only got to run 8 miles this week so far.  However, I walked for miles while I was in Orlando.  These are shopping miles, mind you, but they were good miles, nonetheless.  I will run a 5K tomorrow to end the week and celebrate Easter.

Lastly, I still have marathon in my bucket list but I felt like the runner in the picture several days this week. Replace the cupcakes with oatmeal instead!

Race #4 in 2013 - JLSB Re-Run 5K

I ran my 4th race for 2013 at the 4th Annual Re-Run 5K sponsored by the Junior League of South Brevard last Saturday.  This is the first time that I've run this race and truly enjoyed it.  There were runners dressed in 80s garb including colorful tights and poofy hair!  It brought me back to my high school days!  I couldn't find anything of  the 80s in my house so I wore the tank top.  Pitiful, I know, but at least I had the colors of the 80s????  Oh well; but there you go...#4 of 13 is in the books!

With my co-teacher, Natalie Marshall.  Yes, that's the New Kids on the Block photo on her shirt.  

I couldn't help but take a picture of the grab bag because I have never had one with sunscreen lotion, pens, mini flashlight and a toothbrush in it!!!

Don't be fooled by my race number but there were still at least 300 people who ran.

Placed 5th in my age group but my slowest of the three 5Ks I've run this year.  I had no excuse except that I don't like to run bridges!

Race #3 for 2013 - Berry Patch 5K

For the second year in a row, I ran the Berry Patch 5K.  This year the race fell on my birthday which is also St. Patrick's day!  At race start, the temperature was a cool 52 degrees.  My younger daughter, Megan, Rita Chavez and her boys, Chase and Carson, and Gloria joined me this year.  Since this event coincides with the Annual Strawberry Festival sponsored by the Habitat for Humanity, runners were treated to a plate of strawberry pancakes and sausage after the race with coffee from Dunkin Donuts.

Just like any other 5K that I've run, I go in never thinking that I am running a race.  I'm there just to run. I love the feeling of exhilaration after the run that it doesn't matter what time I finish.  Oh, don't get me wrong.  For a split second I would think that I should run faster to beat my previous 5k finish times but somehow that never works!  I did finish under my time last year by a mere seconds but it is enough for me.  I finished at 37:34, a decent 12:06 pace.

Megan, Chase and Carson earned medals in their respective age groups!  Rita and Gloria also finished with good time finishes!  I appreciate their running with me to celebrate my birthday.  Till next year, ladies, I hope.

Looking forward to Race #4; the ReRun 5K on Saturday!

My daughter, Megan, and me before the race.  

And we're off!  (Photo courtesy of Reuben Chavez)

Between miles 1 and 2 (Photo courtesy of Reuben Chave

At the finish! (Photo courtesy of Reuben Chavez)

Chase, Carson, and Megan with their medals (Photo courtesy of Reuben Chavez) 

Rita and Gloria came to celebrate my birthday run with me (Photo courtesy of Gloria Abad Suan)

Photo courtesy of John Redrup (Habitat 5K)

13 races in 2013

Still riding on the high of having just run in my first half marathon, I have set a new goal for 2013: run 13 races in 2013!  Yes, that's about a race a month.  I had already planned on running 10 races to begin with so adding another 3 more was just a matter of choosing which one.  Here are the races I have run and have scheduled to run this year.  

Race #1. Melbourne Music Marathon, 5K, February 2, 2013 - Time: 00:35:57

Race #2.  Disney's Princess Half Marathon, February 24, 2013 - Time: 3:23:55

Scheduled races:

3.      Berry Patch 5K, March 17 - Completed 00:37.34

4.      Re-Run 5K, March 23

5.      Melbourne Art Festival 5K, April 27

6.      Run for the Gecko 5K, May 11

7.      Firecracker 5K, July 4

8.      Run for Pizza Football Kickoff 5K, August 10

9.  Turtle Krawl 5K, September 14

10.  Disney's Tower of Terror 10-miler, October 5

11.  Ghostly Gecko 5K, October 19

12.  Space Coast Half Marathon, December 1
13.  TBD

This is my list, for now.  Of course, I reserve the right to add or replace a race or two more if I find another one that I might find fun to run!