Heart Walk 2011

Today I walked with my mom in the Rutherford Heart walk in my town. This is year number 3 for me to do this walk that benefits heart disease. It was a great day for a walk. It was sunny and comfortable outside. We had a great time! My mom always has a good time wherever she goes. I hope to be as fun-loving as she is when I get to be her age.

We were also interviewed by a local news station, but I'm kind of hoping it doesn't get aired. I was nervous. But at the same time, it was pretty cool! We talked about why we participate in this walk and who we are walking for. We walk for my grandmother since she had heart disease.

It was a busy weekend with walking/running activities. My next event is on Thanksgiving day and its a 4 mile run. I did it last year at 1:10. I'm glad to have some time to train and hopefully improve my running pace. My official time for the Komen 5k was 46:55, which is about 3 minutes faster than the previous one. Woot! As long as I'm improving, I am happy.

I hope you enjoy our pictures!

I'm walking in memory of my grandmother, Lola.

warming up

Go Mama Go!

My mom, Joanne

We both got several FREE shirts at the event!

Komen Race for the cure!

It's race day! I got up early and got ready for the race. Yes, that includes spraying my hair PINK!

We had to get on the road by 7:00 a.m. to get there in time to pick up my chip and the pre-race festivities. I was so proud that my husband went with me to take pictures and to be my personal cheerleader! Thanks babe!

It was a chilly morning at under 40 degrees and heavy fog. By race time it had warmed up some and it wasn't too bad. Of course, I'm dressed in layers so I actually got hot during the race.

There were over 20,000 people at the event - WOW! Most of them were walkers but I decided to run this time. I've walked this race 2 years in a row and felt ready to run. I was hoping to improve my 5k pace with this one. As long as I'm improving, I'm happy.

I finished mile one under 12 minutes - which is a huge improvement for me. I am usually around the 15 min mark.

Mile one!

I haven't gotten my official time yet, but I think it was close to 45 minutes. This is a new PR! The last race I did, I was around 49 minutes. I know to all the experienced runners out there, this must seem very slow. But for me this is good. I'm improving with each race I do and that is what keeps me going! I hope you enjoy my pictures from the race. This is one of my favorite events every year.

The people I run for!

I love this sign - not the REMAX one!

Ready to run!

It's great seeing the parade of pink march through the crowd during the pre-race festivities but my heart goes out to those who have lost members of their family due to breast cancer. I hope and pray a cure is found one day. Until then, I'll keep on supporting this charity and walking/running in honor/memory of those battling this disease and those who have lost their battle. Fight like a girl!

Where have I been?

I'm still here but have been working out of town for the last few weeks. Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but my life has been pretty boring consisting only of work activities. An accountant's life isn't interesting blog material!

I have enjoyed working in Knoxville, but I missed my family very much. And I have been praying that my 21 year old daughter does not have her baby while I am away. Good news! No baby yet. I'm getting anxious to meet my grand-daughter!

This weekend my plans are as follows:

1. Quality time with husband and daughters! 
2. Get my house back in order - housecleaning, laundry and such
3. Workout! I'm in desperate need of a workout since my time has been very limited lately.
4. Make a desperate effort to NOT do any accountant work over the weekend.

I am going back to Knoxville next Friday, so I plan on getting prepared for that. I am a little bummed out that my next business trip coincides with the Komen for the Cure race on Oct 29.

I am very sad to say that I will not be able to participate this year. Luckily, one of my runner friends has volunteered to run in my place. She has promised to take pictures of the event for me. I love my friends! It won't be the same since I can't be there in person, but at least I may get a few pictures to enjoy. I will also miss the American Heart Association Heart walk on Oct 30. My mom is walking and I asked my sister to join her so she won't have to walk alone.

I'm thankful for my job, but sometimes it gets in the way of my life. Hopefully traveling with work will not last more than a few months so I can get back to the things I enjoy. The challenge: sticking to healthy eating and exercise while living in a hotel!

Walking to Cure Diabetes - October 8, 2011

My mom and I had a wonderful morning at the Walk to Cure Diabetes. We got there early to enjoy the pre-walk events. There was live music, healthy snacks to have, massages and lots of volunteers with free samples to share.  It was a 1 mile walk, but I did a second lap for a total of 2 miles. I wanted to walk slow with my mom on mile 1 since she is older and not in as good shape for longer distances. So, I didn't worry about my pace for today's event. It was more about being there to support my mom and enjoy the day. It was a fun day and I am glad I participated in it.

Here are some pictures of our day:



Mom - finishing up the walk



Enjoying talking to the volunteers

Post walk massage! Ahhh!

Welcome to the walk from Kermit Brown from MTSU

My mom - She is a superhero!

It was a great day for a walk. I was very glad to do this walk with my mom. She did a great job!