RUN MAMA RUN!

December 10, 2012 I started a journey I really didn't think I'd ever succeed in.

Laura and I decided we'd train for a 5K. 

Use the Couch To 5K training program...and get in shape.

Now, 1.5 years later I'd like to call myself a "runner".

And some days I wonder if I've turned into a gym rat.

So we started this thing back in December 2012. We'd run/walk/run, with the jogging stroller, some pandora playing on our iPhones and just get it going around my mom's neighborhood or hers. Occasionally we'd hit the trails at the park, but we had a nice system going with flat road and it worked.

Until we all got the flu. Greyson had pneumonia. And I think Jacob had bronchitis.

Oh, and Laura's ear drum burst so she couldn't hear for a good 3 weeks.

GOOD TIMES!

But we stuck to our plan. We joined the gym in the middle of February 2013 and things drastically changed. We could run, longer, without getting sick, or cold. Or pushing a jogging stroller. BRILLIANT!

We pushed onward and soon were running 20 minutes straight LIKE A BOSS.

Then one day, Laura dragged me to a Sh'bam class.

It's part of the Les Mills program...a mix of latin and hip-hop dance. 

We settled into a groove of running our plan 3x a week along with Couch To 5K. Stayed on a few weeks longer than others, but still stayed on target for our RACE!

We ran the Color Me RAD 5K 

April 20, 2013

We averaged a less than 14 minute mile and ran the ENTIRE thing.

It was amazing, and our families were all waiting at the finish line to greet our newly tie-dyed selves and CELEBRATE.

I had the bright idea we'd run a MUD run next.

My aunt, cousins, and sister had participated in the Dominion Riverrrock FILTHY 5K in 2012 and it looked like SO MUCH FUN.

Laura, being the pea that she is...went along with my plan.

On May 17, 2013 we set out to Brown's Island. In the heat. And "ran" the 5K.

There was beer at the end. And we ran quite a bit, but the trails were treacherous with the joggers who brought along dogs, and the whole running into the James River thing was a little umm...MESSY. But we finished, climbing through the mud to again meet our favorite spectators at the FINISH LINE. 

The summer brought about heat that was too much for considering any races, and so we just went to the gym and alternated classes, an occasional run, and we found some new things to do.

Laura "dragged" me to BODY PUMP and I was quickly hooked. 

And couldn't walk. But that's only a small side effect. 

We tried out Body Flow (my personal favorite...Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi)

Body Step (aka the DEVIL)

And this winter we added CROSS TRAINING & CYCLE (The devil's twin sisters)

It's been quite a road but we've settled into our groove and I'd like to say...we've

 COME A LONG WAY.

Back in December we couldn't run a minute without feeling like we were dying.

In November I ran the 8K without my partner in crime (she had to work)

BUT I FINISHED! The WHOLE THING! ALL 5 MILES!

And it felt amazing.

So it was time to cross my major bucket list item off. 

RUN THE MONUMENT 10K.

And yesterday? WE DID IT!

We ran, all 6.2 miles. Without training (oops!)

LIKE A BOSS!

I'm so grateful for the friendship God has provided me with this girl. She is my pea, my sister, my rock, my best friend, my security blanket, my wake-up-call. I'm able to lean on her for support in any situation, no matter how trivial or how BIG it is, she's there. 100%. We pulled each other through on days where working out just didn't sound good. Where we'd rather eat a cupcake than run a mile, or when we knew we needed to get off our butts and hit up Sh'bam class. She's inspired me to keep going, to push through the pain, and to persevere. We dragged each other across that finish line, hand-in-hand, step-by-step yesterday and it's just another race we've completed. This journey to get healthy has been a long one, and it'll probably never end. But OPERATION HOT MAMA is our thing. And we're rocking it. Every work out. Every time we throw on our polar watches and get out there. I'm so glad to have someone there to push me along and to hold me accountable, so that I can be a better person. A healthier person. And a happier person. 

I never thought I'd ever say..."I need to go for a run"