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4th of July Recap

July 5, 2012

Posted by Carrie under 5K, family, food, friends, Running

18 Comments

I hope all you had a wonderful 4th of July. Actually, I guess everyone had a July 4th, even if it wasn’t a national holiday My 4th of July Recap hits up all my favorite things: some fitness, some family and some yummy food!

I started out my day with our local 5K. And the shirt with the biggest image ever!

This was my second time running this race. Last year, I ran with Dancing Girl. It was a hot day and therefore a challenging time. Yesterday was a different story. It was almost cold.

The race goes along the beach (my favorite running route) and is an out and back. This year, I ran with my new 12 year old running buddy (Dancing Girl’s friend). My goal for the race – based on my 10K time from last weekend – average a 10:10 pace or better.

After the usual pre-race activities, we were lined up and ready to go. I love the local races, it’s so fun to see crowds of people that we know. I especially love all the parents out with their kids.

We started the race smartly and didn’t do too much weaving. I looked down at my watch after a short distance and it said 9:50! We stuck with that.

After the first mile, I encouraged my running buddy to go ahead. But, she chose to stick with me. Mile 1 in 9:59!

As we were hitting the turn around, my buddy saw a few kids ahead of us that she knew. I encouraged her again to go ahead. And she did. She ended up finishing in 29 minutes and change. She did amazing!

After the turnaround, the road sloped up for a while. I was doing my best to maintain my pace, but it was hard. Mile 2 in 9:45 (since most of it was down that hill)

Back along the flat stretch, I was getting tired. I kept telling myself it was almost over and trying to talk myself in to mentally starting over. Just think of this as a short sprint that you are just starting. I decided to take a short walk break. I think it was about 40 seconds. That was really helpful. I picked back up. Only to give myself a 30 second walk break a little while later. Mile 3 in 10:08.

Finish: 31:04! That’s 2:03 faster than my last 5K! But, I only ran 3.13 miles… how does that happen?

I tried not to kick myself for walking and thinking I could have broken the 31 min mark if I hadn’t. But, I probably wouldn’t have been able to maintain the pace if I hadn’t walked, so there’s that.

Anyway, I was super proud of myself. A 2 minute improvement in 11 months is something I’m very happy with! Yay!

Not as consistent as my 10K, but I think I’m understanding how the 5K is a totally different creature.

We hung around the race for a while as my running buddy crazily decided she also wanted to run the kids’ dash. I had brought some Nuun along to drink and did a lot of walking around while we waited.

When the race results were posted – my name wasn’t there. I tracked down the problem (my time was recorded, I was just nameless), and they reprinted the results (I wasn’t the only one). It turns out I was 46/163. The winner in my age group finished in 20:41. Wow!

It wasn’t until I sat down in the car that I realized how exhausted my legs were. My quads were wiped out. It felt good to know that I had pushed myself pretty hard.

When I got home, it was time to get ready for the rest of the day’s activities. I had some cooking to do. We were spending the afternoon with the friends that we celebrate the 4th with every year.

I made Spanish Rice (first time – used this recipe – big hit).

At our friends’ house, the kids enjoyed a lot of pool time.

Their dog enjoyed running around while the kids were in the pool. She did go in for a while, too.

MMT was grill master and cooked up some awesome Carne Asada and we roasted corn in the husks. First time I’d had that in a homemade setting and it was amazing!

Dinner was excellent!

Our 4th of July celebrations always include roasting marshmallows and having S’mores.

Ever had a S’mores with a Reese’s PB cup? No? It may have been the best S’mores I’ve EVER had. You must try it!

Even my super picky eater decided it was time to learn to enjoy S’mores.

This year, we decided not to venture out to the local fireworks displays. (in our area, it’s illegal to have fireworks at home – although that doesn’t stop a lot of people – there are enough surrounding cities that sell them). So, we stood high in our friends’ back yard to watch the fireworks around the LA basin. You can’t really tell from the pictures, but it was actually pretty fun to see the fireworks all over the place. This went on for hours.

Happy 4th of July everyone! I hope you had a great one. Did you see fireworks? Run a race? What was your favorite part of your day?

Tags: 5K, family, food, running

18 Responses to 4th of July Recap

LauraJuly 5, 2012 at 7:52 am

Looks like you guys had a blast! Good job on your race, especially in this heat!:-)

Reply
- CarrieJuly 5, 2012 at 8:02 am
  
  Thank you! I lucked out with the weather. Yay!
  
  Reply
abbiJuly 5, 2012 at 8:02 am

Congrats on your race! That is a large image on the shirt…haha…someone posted that one on Twitter the other day that I saw!
abbi recently posted..Firecracker 5K

Reply
- CarrieJuly 5, 2012 at 8:07 am
  
  Thanks! That was probably me that posted the picture on Twitter. I’ve been laughing at the shirt for days and had to share it.
  
  Reply
Jill @ Fitness, Health and HappinessJuly 5, 2012 at 11:26 am

Congrats on the PR!

I celebrated with a 5K in the morning (and a PR despite the heat!) and then the family went to a friend’s house to grill. We had a great and very relaxing time.
Jill @ Fitness, Health and Happiness recently posted..What I Ate Wednesday || New On the Menu and Workouts

Reply
- CarrieJuly 5, 2012 at 5:27 pm
  
  Thank you! Grilling with friends on the 4th is perfect.
  
  Reply
PatrickJuly 5, 2012 at 1:42 pm

Congrats on being super-proud of your race, always good to hear when others are working hard and finishing with pride.

Smores. all I saw was smores after that, i want smores!!
Patrick recently posted..Random Pic Blogging

Reply
- CarrieJuly 5, 2012 at 5:29 pm
  
  I was even happier before the race when my son asked me what my goal time was – and then I got to come home and tell him I smashed my goal Yay! Yea, the s’mores were good. Sorry to bring them up again.
  
  Reply
Pavement RunnerJuly 5, 2012 at 1:56 pm

Great job… 5k’s are definitely a different beast, so I’ve learned. It feels like the longest 3 miles ever.

Great photos and LOVE the angry birds shirt.
Pavement Runner recently posted..Playlist Thursday: Red, White & Blue

Reply
- CarrieJuly 5, 2012 at 5:29 pm
  
  Thanks! My husband gets compliments all the time on that shirt.
  
  Reply
ElleJuly 5, 2012 at 3:53 pm

Well that does look like the perfect 4th! Especially the Reese’s PB Cup Smores! Awesome.
Elle recently posted..My Wonderful Wednesday

Reply
- CarrieJuly 5, 2012 at 5:30 pm
  
  I was just at the grocery store and saw the PB cups displayed with the graham crackers and s’mores supplies. So, I guess more people have discovered the awesomeness.
  
  Reply
CharissaJuly 5, 2012 at 8:48 pm

The angry bird shirt is SO awesome – totally noticed that! Sounds like a fun day!
Charissa recently posted..Fourth of July Desserts

Reply
- CarrieJuly 5, 2012 at 9:02 pm
  
  It was a Valentine’s gift from me I guess I did good.
  
  Reply
Diane, fit to the finishJuly 6, 2012 at 4:02 am

Just had to comment that I love your life philosophy and commitment to your family and fitness! So many moms struggle with this.

I am working back up to a 5K after just walking for a while because of a knee problem – you are inspiring!
Diane, fit to the finish recently posted..Bidding Goodbye To The Bonds That Hold You Back

Reply
- CarrieJuly 6, 2012 at 5:47 am
  
  Thank you Diane. It’s still a struggle to keep everything in balance. Your comment means so much to me.
  
  Reply
Caroline EakleJuly 6, 2012 at 8:35 am

congrats on your new PR!
Caroline Eakle recently posted..Quebec city post 7 / Welcome home!

Reply
Travel SpotJuly 7, 2012 at 7:02 am

That looks like a fun day! I think running a race is a great way to start a fun and food filled day! We met up with some friends and showed them around town and then had apps and brats at our house! It was good times, but we didn’t watch any fireworks this year!
Travel Spot recently posted..Protein Boost

Reply

Family Fitness Food

4th of July Recap

I hope all you had a wonderful 4th of July. Actually, I guess everyone had a July 4th, even if it wasn’t a national holiday My 4th of July Recap hits up all my favorite things: some fitness, some family and some yummy food!

I started out my day with our local 5K. And the shirt with the biggest image ever!

This was my second time running this race. Last year, I ran with Dancing Girl. It was a hot day and therefore a challenging time. Yesterday was a different story. It was almost cold.

The race goes along the beach (my favorite running route) and is an out and back. This year, I ran with my new 12 year old running buddy (Dancing Girl’s friend). My goal for the race – based on my 10K time from last weekend – average a 10:10 pace or better.

After the usual pre-race activities, we were lined up and ready to go. I love the local races, it’s so fun to see crowds of people that we know. I especially love all the parents out with their kids.

We started the race smartly and didn’t do too much weaving. I looked down at my watch after a short distance and it said 9:50! We stuck with that.

After the first mile, I encouraged my running buddy to go ahead. But, she chose to stick with me. Mile 1 in 9:59!

As we were hitting the turn around, my buddy saw a few kids ahead of us that she knew. I encouraged her again to go ahead. And she did. She ended up finishing in 29 minutes and change. She did amazing!

After the turnaround, the road sloped up for a while. I was doing my best to maintain my pace, but it was hard. Mile 2 in 9:45 (since most of it was down that hill)

Finish: 31:04! That’s 2:03 faster than my last 5K! But, I only ran 3.13 miles… how does that happen?

I tried not to kick myself for walking and thinking I could have broken the 31 min mark if I hadn’t. But, I probably wouldn’t have been able to maintain the pace if I hadn’t walked, so there’s that.

Anyway, I was super proud of myself. A 2 minute improvement in 11 months is something I’m very happy with! Yay!

Not as consistent as my 10K, but I think I’m understanding how the 5K is a totally different creature.

We hung around the race for a while as my running buddy crazily decided she also wanted to run the kids’ dash. I had brought some Nuun along to drink and did a lot of walking around while we waited.

When the race results were posted – my name wasn’t there. I tracked down the problem (my time was recorded, I was just nameless), and they reprinted the results (I wasn’t the only one). It turns out I was 46/163. The winner in my age group finished in 20:41. Wow!

It wasn’t until I sat down in the car that I realized how exhausted my legs were. My quads were wiped out. It felt good to know that I had pushed myself pretty hard.

When I got home, it was time to get ready for the rest of the day’s activities. I had some cooking to do. We were spending the afternoon with the friends that we celebrate the 4th with every year.

I made Spanish Rice (first time – used this recipe – big hit).

At our friends’ house, the kids enjoyed a lot of pool time.

Their dog enjoyed running around while the kids were in the pool. She did go in for a while, too.

MMT was grill master and cooked up some awesome Carne Asada and we roasted corn in the husks. First time I’d had that in a homemade setting and it was amazing!

Dinner was excellent!

Our 4th of July celebrations always include roasting marshmallows and having S’mores.

Ever had a S’mores with a Reese’s PB cup? No? It may have been the best S’mores I’ve EVER had. You must try it!

Even my super picky eater decided it was time to learn to enjoy S’mores.

Happy 4th of July everyone! I hope you had a great one. Did you see fireworks? Run a race? What was your favorite part of your day?

18 Responses to 4th of July Recap

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