Half Marathon Madness!!!

Hey kids!  Happy Thursday!!!!  I hope this finds everyone well and that everyone is enjoying the warm weather that seems to have struck our lovely nation!  I don't ever remember it being 80+ in the middle of March, but I am NOT complaining!  I am SO happy warm weather has finally graced me with it's presence!  

So you may be able to tell from the title of this post that I accomplished a HUGE goal on Sunday!!!!  I ran (and finished) my first half marathon!!!!  The Publix Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon is one of the premiere running events in Georgia and I can VERY proudly say that I crossed that finish line!  My official finish time was 2:02:19 which is even more of an accomplishment for me considering I did not train outside; I'd been training indoors on the treadmill.  I was very nervous about the hills I'd be running Sunday morning as I only did a few outdoor runs over the course of my training plan.  My "training" plan consisted of runs ranging from 4 miles up to 12 miles.  After deciding to run a half marathon, I knew I needed a training plan to follow.  Because I also knew the Publix Half was less than 12 weeks away, I had to slightly tweak my plan and actually entered on Week 7 of the program.  After printing my training program and comparing it to the runs I'd logged from my official start date (Dec 27, 11), I realized my runs pretty closely correlated to those of the training program which made me feel better about training for the half marathon.  The weekend before the Big Race calls for a 12 mile run and because I wasn't planning to run the Publix Half Marathon this past weekend, I never logged the 12 mile run, only got up to 10, which also made me a little nervous.  After thinking about it though, when you've run 10 miles, what's another 5K, right?!  So I didn't do the long run as the training program suggested, but nonetheless, I completed 13.1 miles, something I never EVER thought I'd be able to do!!

Hubs met me at the finish line with  a big wave and a HUGE smile on his face!

When I decided at the beginning of 2012 to run a half marathon, I initially chose the Publix Georgia Half Marathon as my goal.  I didn't think I was going to be able to run it though because the registration fees had become very expensive ($100+) so until the end of last week, I'd pretty much written off my chances of running this event.  Until my great friend Shannon came through to the rescue!  She forwarded me an email from a coworker who was selling her bib for the early registration fee ($55, MUCH more doable for us!) and next thing I knew, I committed to buying her bib!  Thank you thank you thank you Shannon for thinking of me in that moment!  (On the same day, I also managed to register for an entry into the Atlanta Color Run which has been sold out for months- that's next weekend- stay tuned for fun pictures and commentary!)  After I committed to buying the bib and as the next few days progressed, I got more and more anxious, more excited, just READY for Sunday to get here!!  

To prepare myself for the Big Race, I skipped my strength training class on Thursday and Saturday (did do the abs portion on Saturday though), but did an easy 4 mile run.  Friday, I did my usual 5 mile run and on Saturday, did another easy 4 mile run.  After my run and class, I went straight to the Race Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center and for lack of better words, it was one of the coolest things I've ever attended!  There were vendors everywhere, ranging from running companies to representatives for other races (local and far away) to food and nutrition companies, the list goes on!  I did end up buying a few things- a few running shirts that were on a closeout sale from One More Mile Running (including the shirt I wore for the race) and of course my 13.1 sticker for my car (it's tie dye awesomeness) as well as a few magnets!  I also bought some Gu- a nicely packaged gel with a consistency I cannot even begin to describe but contains the perfect burst of energy needed to finish a long run!  I tried it on Saturday to determine if my stomach would accept it's oozing thickness of terrible flavor.  My stomach reacted like normal- no complications!  I then relaxed by the pool with a good book for the rest of the afternoon, ate a nice, healthy dinner with some good carbs, and Tom and I watched movies the rest of the night.  I was so incredibly anxious for the race that I needed distractions throughout the day and sleeping was difficult.  I did finally manage to contain my excitement though and fell asleep but was wide awake after the first alarm went off!  No snooze button needed whatsoever!

Race morning couldn't have come soon enough for me!  After soliciting a few friends in the running community over the previous days, I made a mental note of everything I needed to do.  I ate a protein bar first thing in the morning to give me some energy, drank some G2 for electrolytes and hydration.  I made sure my bag was packed with everything I needed both pre- and post-race.  I made sure I was 100% ready for this race.  On the way to Centennial Olympic Park, Tom and I enjoyed a nice morning car ride together where he offered many words of encouragement to calm me down.  I was just ready to be at the starting line!  After Tom dropped me off, I made that last minute potty break, warmed up a little by running around Centennial Park to the gear check tent, then made my way to my start corral!

View from the Starting Line- 18000+ participants

When the starting gun sounded, I turned on my music (which somehow managed to change playlists and turn off the shuffle- put it back on the correct playlist but didn't care about fixing the shuffle at that point) and when I crossed the start line, it was on!  I paced myself nicely and enjoyed the scenery, volunteers, and spectators along the sidelines.  I ran through parts of the city I'd never been able to enjoy because we passed too quickly in the car.  I ran through 13.1 miles of neighborhoods within the city and some of the architecture I've never been able to appreciate was truly breathtaking.  The course started at Centennial Olympic Park, went through Five Points, Midtown, Little Five Points, Virginia Highlands, on to Midtown and Georgia Tech, finishing back at Centennial Olympic Park!  The crowds were encouraging, especially within the last mile!  I tried to sprint to the finish line and I may have very well been sprinting but I at that point, my legs were the consistency of Jello, so I'm not sure how much of a "sprint" I got in, but I pushed as hard as I possibly could to get across that finish line!  

After finishing, I continued down the finish lane where I found the most wonderful "sprinkler" spraying cold water on anyone that wanted it!  I stood under it for a good 30 seconds before moving on to where I found Tom, beaming with pride and waving like a little kid to get my attention!  He watched me cross the finish line but I was too focused on not trying to trip over the plastic casing that covers all of the cords and timing equipment that I didn't even notice him cheering me on!  After getting all of my things together and meeting up with a few friends that also ran the half marathon, we made our way back to the car to spend the rest of the day in relaxation!

Showing off my finisher's medal post-race!

I love shiny things!

The rest of the day proved to be very relaxing.  Tom and I got home, I took a LONG bath full of Epsom salts!  After that much-needed soak and cleanse, Tom took me to brunch to my FAVE brunch spot- Marlow's Tavern where I felt I could have eaten the entire menu 3 times (I was quite hungry after burning 1600+ calories).  Later that day, I relaxed by the pool with a friend and because my legs were still sore, I got in the icy cold water up to my thighs, which actually helped a LOT!  The rest of my day was 100% dedicated to getting in some R&R- I didn't feel like doing much of anything, just wanted to have a low-key afternoon.

Words cannot begin to describe the sense of pride I still feel about accomplishing such a huge goal.  Until recently, if you asked me if I'd ever run a half marathon, I would've laughed in your face, said something along the lines of "Do you see this body?  No way in HELL it could ever run 13.1 miles!", but look at me now!  I am an almost daily runner, somewhat of a gym rat, and because health and fitness have become such a big part of my life, I look back and laugh at my old sedentary attitude.  I'm still amazed that I was able to finish a half marathon and now that my legs have recovered, I can't WAIT to run another one and hopefully set a new PR!  Hopefully the next course won't have so many hills!  I plan to keep my current "training" schedule and run 4-5 times a week, 5+ miles at a time (4 miles on some days) so that I'm still in half-marathon condition when the next one rolls around!  I also plan to run more organized races this year.  I'm running a 5K Fitness Challenge in Roswell this Saturday (I got a free entry thanks to my Active.com Advantage membership- yesssssssssss!), doing the Atlanta Color Run (5K) next weekend, and plan to run the Historic Roswell Kiwanis Spring K Classic (10K) in support of a good friend's organization mid-April and hopefully will be able to make it to San Francisco for the Bay to Breakers 12K late-May for which my mom signed me up!  I've registered for the lottery for the Peachtree Road Race and should find out soon if our group is selected for that huge event!  I had a goal awhile back to do one race per month but when it got cold, that goal fell off the map- I'm not partial to outdoor cold-weather runs.  I'm hoping to reinstate that for at least the warm months!  I do love races as they are energetic and fun and they support the local community and charities!  Hopefully I can accomplish this goal and be able to check it off my Goal List when winter rolls around!  More to follow on that!

So far in 2012, I've accomplished 2 of my goals and the first quarter isn't even over!  I started my blog (thanks for reading) and I finished a half marathon!  I'm going to start looking into triathlons and hopefully can find a good training program for a good triathlon in late summer/early fall.  If anyone has suggestions, I welcome them!  Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!  Be back soon!

xoxo

Britt!

A Small Family Reunion and a Wedding!

So as you can tell by my obvious lack of posts, things have been a bit busier than usual in the Piper household! Between Max destroying things (like Tom's favorite football- oopsies!) and my running endeavors and work and play and life in general, I haven't had a chance to keep y'all updated on what's been going on!  For that, I apologize!  I am going to try to be much better about this and update y'all more often!

So let's start with the weekend my parents flew in town for a wedding!  Mom and Dad flew in that Thursday afternoon.  A good friend got married that Saturday and it was an absolutely beautiful wedding and reception.  He was in our wedding, was in my brother's wedding, lived across the street from us as kids; we grew up together!  I never thought I'd see the day this kid got marrieid (I told him that, too) but I could not be happier for him!  He snagged a GREAT wife and she is one of the absolute sweetest women I know!  I wish them both the best of luck as they start their new life together! 

Hubs and me at the wedding

The Best Parents a Girl Could Ask For!!!

Tom, me, Mama, Daddy, Colleen, and Brian- The Whole Family!!!

So back to Mom and Dad!  I did not realize until that week how much I'd missed them!  I talk to my mom just about every day on the phone and if for whatever reason our schedules conflict too much to talk, we at least text (she's gotten SO much better at texting- she's making her daughter proud!).  I talk to Daddy a few times every week as well, not as much as I talk to Mom, but at the very least, once a week!  My parents are very special people to me and take slots 2 and 3 on my list of "Brittany's Most Important People" (Tom is obviously my #1 and my brosef #4) and in all fairness, I can't really rank them that way as I love my family with my whole heart and would do anything for any of them!  But for the sake of expressing my love for my parents, we'll use my favorites list.  So all that being said, I got SUPER anxious the week they were flying in- I was very giddy and very anxious to see them as it was Thanksgiving that I'd last them!  Three + months is 3+ months too long to go without seeing my parents!  So not only did the entire family get to celebrate the marriage of someone who's been in our lives for 20 years, but we also got to spend some quality time together.

The weekend started with a girls afternoon with mani/pedis then led into a fabulous dinner at my brother and sister-in-law's house!  Brian did a fantastic job on the grill, as always, and Colleen and I worked on the sides together (Colleen also has a fabulously delicious recipe for a salmon rub and Beans, if you're reading this, I'd like that recipe, thank you love!).  It was a great start and dinner to welcome the parents back to Atlanta for the weekend!  Friday evening, a group of our friends came over to go to dinner and see my parents while they were in town.  Let me tell you, Jim 'N Nick's BBQ never gets old!  It is something that I could eat  everyday but then I'd be the size of a barn!  Let's not get back to that point in my life!  After dinner, we enjoyed Harrison Ford's presidential movie Air Force One, then called it a night (I'd forgotten how terrible the graphics were in older movies).  Saturday, mom and I were supposed to participate in the Chattahoochee Road Runners 10K, but due to nasty rain and thunder, we opted for the more comfortable option- we got our happy butts right back in bed and slept for 3 more hours!  We did breakfast with Brian and Colleen at a quaint little establishment (West Egg- DELISH!) then ran some errands and got ready for the wedding!  

As I previously said, the wedding was beautiful!  The bride was beautiful, the groom was nervous but handsome, and everyone had a great time!  Tom actually danced and this is something that rarely ever happens [in public]!  It was great to see everyone dancing and having fun.  I wish all of our married friends and future married friends wonderful and happy lives!  Weddings always put me in a spirit of love and happiness.  They are also a means of reflection for me- a time to look back on the years of our relationship and marriage and appreciate the blessings God has put in our lives, the love we have for one another, and the lifetime of happiness that lies ahead.  I wish Matt and Karen all the joys of the world that marriage and companionship have to offer!!!

The newlywed Gills and The Pipers!

So after Tom and I dropped Mom and Daddy off at the airport, it REALLY hit me how much I've missed them! I didn't want them to leave!  It was SUCH a great weekend and I look forward to being closer to my parents hopefully soon!  There aren't any updates on that by the way.  I interviewed for a position (over the phone) with the county, but unfortunately wasn't selected.  I really wanted that job and prayed hard for it, but it just means that God has a better plan for me and I have to continue to trust Him as he knows best!  I'll update you as I know things though!  This was a brief update.  Stay tuned for my next BIG update!!!  Can't wait to share!!!

All my love,

Britt!

Thanks for 

A Favorite Healthy Recipe!

So I'm a big foodie and LOVE to eat!  In my fitness and weight loss journey, I have tried finding healthy recipes or revamping some of our favorite foods to make them much healthier!  One of my absolute favorite meals that Tom introduced me to are stuffed bell peppers.  Before meeting Tom, I'd never had them and boy was I missing out!!!  This recipe is VERY easy to make and it's very yummy!!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Photo quality is a bit grainy and for that, I apologize :)

Ingredients

4 green bell peppers- medium in size

1 box Zatarain's Dirty Brown Rice

1 pound ground turkey

2 cans Old El Paso enchilada sauce- buy the smaller cans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut the tops off of the bell peppers (you can chop them and use them for the stuffing- that's what we do).  Core the peppers so that no seeds or core remains.  Mix together dirty brown rice, ground turkey, and chopped bell pepper tops (minus stem).  Add mixture evenly between the 4 peppers. Place peppers in a broiling pan.  Pour enchilada sauce over the tops of the peppers (the majority of the sauce will pool at the bottom to cook out the flavors; can also be spooned back onto peppers when served for extra flavor).  Cook for 45 mins to an hour or until turkey meat is fully cooked).  Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information per serving (1 pepper)

430 calories

18 grams fat

25 grams protein

46 carbs

**This may seem high but keep in mind that one pepper is entirely satisfying.  Sometimes, I cannot even finish an entire pepper depending on the size of the pepper.  Also, if you are not a big fan of enchilada sauce, you can use minimal sauce and that will cut your calorie count as well.  With this recipe, you have veggies, protein, and grains in one little package!

ENJOY!!!

All My Love,

Britt!