Lets Get This 2012 Ball Rolling!

So here we are, almost a week and half into 2012. So what is going on? Well just a few things actually...

First, in major news, I have posted the proceeds from our TNT Lousy Medal Virtual 5k, it was just over $2500 and both Heather and I have exceeded our fundraising goals! We have less than 3 weeks before we head to the West Coast and run in the Inaugural Tinker Bell Half Marathon!!! I am so excited to see Heather, meet our TNT team and run for a great cause. It's been a challenging road but we stuck with it, and it feels wonderful to have accomplished what we set out to do.

Next, I have joined Team Tough Chik which celebrates the strength of women in athletics, while maintaining our identities as women (or at least that is what I get from it, so I'm running with that!).  Designed by women for women, this awesome line of technical gear is not just stylish, but embraces the adventurous, fun loving and sometimes rugged wear and tear a woman can bring on. So Team Tough Chik is a seriously supportive, charitable and bad a$$ group of ladies, not afraid to work through blood, sweat, and tears, and do it all with style. I have some new gear coming, so keep an eye out for my reviews!

Also in blogger heaven, I have been selected as a FitFluential Ambassador! I am not sure if it's my candor, my realism, or my love of everything (well almost everything, I will never love a burpee!) fitness... Maybe it's my dream to be a triathlete? Or my on going desire to improve in running... who knows - it could be my new found love for knee socks!?! Whatever the reason, I am thrilled to be a part of a far reaching collection of fitness enthusiasts!

On the local tip, the Myrtle Beach Race Series continues, with The Digitel Myrtle Beach as my gracious sponsor. The next event on the old calendar is "Pressed for Time" which incorporates a bench press component to a 5k the following day. Now, I will admit, I should have been benching weeks (maybe months) ago in preparation but I thought I had 70% of my weight in the bag! Sadly, I found out last week, I need to press 105lbs, please refrain from doing any math to figure out my weight please...

Currently, I can do 85lbs, see my problem? By Friday I will have had to accomplish one of two things, drop 25-30lbs, or be able to bench 20 more pounds than I can currently. Each rep is 30 seconds, so I would likely need oooohhhh 10-15 reps!!! Hey, I am willing to give it a shot, see if I can press at least 1... might be my max rep but in a run, every second counts right? So if you haven't already, I urge you to register! The race series is fun & all the cool kids (like me) are doing it!

Coming up on the 21st is the 29th Annual North Myrtle Beach Winter Run, which is apparently the longest running event on the Grand Strand - very exciting! I've been doing this event since 2008 and it was my FIRST ever 5k race so I do it every year. This year I am switching it up and instead of doing the 5k, I am going to do the 15k! It will be my last long run before the 1/2 in Disney and what better way to log it than at the race that started it all...

So the rest of January will be filled with work, interning (boo! It really is cutting into my family time...), racing, and a little travel... but more on that later. First events first... Pressed for Time is on my radar, tonight, more weights!!!

Typically January is that month that most resembles a Monday but for me it feeling kinda Fridayish!

Grey Goose Goodbye & New Beginnings...

This week I am I guess I am in all reality "unemployed" but really just "on vacation" for a week before I start a new chapter in my professional life. It is always bittersweet, moving from one job to another. I know this new position will be beneficial not only financially for my family, but will really allow me to tap into my creativity, fine tune my problem solving skills, and allow me to develop new skills as an IT nerd. The best part, I can telecommute, so my work wardrobe will now be consisting of lounge pants and workout gear (really excited about the idea of two-a-days!) …and I know Stephen is psyched about me finally learning all about this whole crock pot cooking thing… we've had it almost 3 years, I guess it's about time right?

So on Friday morning I had come in to my tiny closet of an office, one last time. Almost 5 years ago, I elected to move in to this space, despite the fact there was no air or heat, it had a window. Of course, this window didn't open, but it was still natural light, and that was more important than heat or a/c… I squeezed a rather large desk and bookcase into this minuscule (used to be a storage room) space and spent the next few years working away… One highlight from Friday, seeing a black bag with gold stripes, just sitting there on my desk, inside…well one of my favs, a little Grey Goose…lol Thanks to Becky & Michelle, my morning was made. I told them if every Friday started like this, I may have stayed... They said they considered a going away lunch, but we are busy people. In my opinion, this was perfect. Thank you ladies…you know me so well :)

So this week I am taking some time to get organized, as boxes pour in, computer stuff, supplies, etc. According to Stephen, I have a 'shitload' of shoes (the running kind of course) so I am going to get to cleaning out my side of the closet, weed out things I really won't wear (this is hard for me) and make room for the new (that is how this works right?).

One a completely unrelated subject, I am a wee bit sore from my little run on Sunday… Nevertheless, I am toying with the idea of running the Battleship Half in Wilmington NC on Nov 6th, but as of right now, I don't know that I will do it. I did however register for the Disney Princess Half (Feb 26, 2012), NC Half Marathon (March 25, 2012) and the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon (October 21, 2012)…am I crazy? Certifiable I am sure. 

In other news, ok well it's kind of related to being Running Crazy, TheDigitel Myrtle Beach (like them on facebook!)has asked me to be their sponsored runner for The Myrtle Beach Race Series (like them on facebook too!) and I am stoked! I was totally going to do this series, but now I get to be all official and share my experiences with everyone - I am super stoked now…lol The thing that I love about this series, not only are these races all a little different, they all support charity & I am a sucker for a race for charity! So stay tuned, I have A LOT of races coming up! Guess I should update my race page…