The Color Run 5k: Houston 2012

Sorry my dearest followers! I have taken a blogging break due to the busy holiday season and a mild case of the "ehhhs" BUT I have once again returned and have much to catch you up on: my 5k, weight and paleo, Thanksgiving and Christmas, 2013 goals and dreams, and fertility (sounds like I will be writing multiple posts until I catch you up with me)!

Our very first race was Sunday, November 11th, 2012! Cody and I both ran our first 5k race! We opted for our first race to be a fun run, so we weren't chipped or timed, but I timed myself on my Nike App. Prior to our race, we trained every other day for about 6 weeks. Prior to that, we had to practice the art of actually running, so we started back in April with the C25k app. We started and stopped and started again. By fall, we were getting nervous so we started hardcore training after our BIG MOVE to BOREMONT (Beaumont, for all of you non-natives). We started noticing that our running wasn't getting any better, so we really focused on what we were putting into our bodies about 2 weeks (yep, only 2 weeks--- we are procrastinators) before the BIG RACE!  With only 2 weeks before the race, we focused on the Paleo diet (see previous blog post here) and we were feeling great!

Saturday: We got up, ran our errands around town, packed, ate lunch at home, paleo style of course, and hit the road! When we got to H town, we checked into the hotel and hit Starbucks for a coffee treat! We then went to Sports Authority to pick up our race packet!! (EXCITEMENT!) After drooling at all the awesome running and workout gear, we both bought a color run shirt and hit the road for DINNER!

We were cheating on Paleo that night, carb-ing up, so we decided to go somewhere new. We went to the Macaroni Grill and it was pretty yummo! After that, we headed back to our hotel to change for a fun night out! We went to Pete's Dueling Piano Bar (Highly recommend if in downtown Houston) and it was a blast!

That evening, we settled in, talked about our childhood, and got our race clothes out!

I was so so so nervous! My race gear laid out on the couch made everything so real:

My Color Run Shirt I bought at Sports Authority-- can't wait until spring so I can run in it:

As we were talking about our childhood, Cody remembers this Mickey Mouse Kitchen! He was describing it to me and I found this one on the internet! He was cracking up! Only boy to probably have a Mickey kitchen!

Sunday (RACE DAY) I woke up at 7:30 and pretty much felt sick at my stomach, and I knew it was the race and totally not the alcohol I had the night before! We had our Larabar and 1/2 of a banana for breakfast and headed out, but we met....RAIN :(

We walked in the rain 1.5 miles to the race at Minute Maid Park, I melted a little, but I survived. Once we got to the race location, there were so many people and I was worried! How would I run with all these people in the way, I thought! We went in waves every 10 minutes, I think Cody and I were in the 6th or 7th wave of people and I was excited to have my Nike App ready to start timing me! (The Friday before, I ran my 3.1 miles in 40:32, so my goal for the race day was anything under 40 minutes! I went through the first K and got shot with powdered color and was on my way to the second K...when I looked up and noticed I was going to have to cross an overpass! YIKES! I had been running on flat land all of these weeks and never anticipated a BRIDGE!! Needless to say the track was a loop, so I had to cross the overpass twice! IT really slowed my down but...I FINISHED. I didn't meet my goal of under 40 but I did accomplish something: I RAN a 5K! (42 min)

Cody and I don't run next to eachother but I knew he was waiting for me at the finish line! I actually lost him, but after about 20 minutes, I found him (we were both covered in color and it was hard to find people)! WE took pictures and threw our color in the air, and headed back to the hotel. Oh! And a high school friend was racing too! Miss Natalie :)

After spending a while getting that color off our bodies, we headed for Mexican food at Papasito's Cantina! Then picked up the doggies from the babysitter and snoozed away the rainy day ZZZzzZzzzZZzz.

-Annie B