Hello blogville !! I am back, lets hope my next post isn't 15+ months later.
It's been a while since I last posted... I guess "life got in the way" so I am going to post a recap of the last 15+months. Warning this will be a LONG update post.
Since my last post, I was able to somewhat stick with my running schedule. In April, I ran my 10K portion of our marathon relay team at the Northface Endurance Challenge. It wasn't easy & that was mostly my fault for not doing all my required training runs. It was a fun race & I am glad I was able to just finish my part.
 |
| ladies from our running group |
|
|
|
 |
| our post race beer | | | | | | | | | | | |
|
|
After that race, I took a break from running and went with my love of biking. I added a new carbon bike to my current bike collection & signed up for the Air Force Cycling Classic ride in June.
 |
| my new ride |
I did a decent amount of cycling leading up the day of the ride & I was ready to complete at least 4 loops (each loop is about 9.3 miles) to qualify for a silver finishers medal. The ride started in Crystal City and it took you down the interstate toward Rosslyn, VA where you turned around, passed Arlington Cemetery as you headed toward the Air Force Memorial. Well on the day of the ride, it was ridiculously HOT and very humid. I ended up finishing 3 loops which qualified me for the bronze medal. I just didn't have it in me to do another loop in the 93 degree heat. Despite the awful conditions, it was such a fun event. I would have done it again this year but we had other plans on that weekend.
 |
| at the start waiting for the start gun |
|
 |
| passing the Pentagon heading toward Rosslyn |
 |
| Rosslyn, VA up ahead |
I kept on biking regularly throughout the summer along with an occasional run. August was the month I kissed the pavement going about 15 mph and messed up the shifters on my new bike. I was on a group ride with other cyclists. As we were picking up speed & coming around a sharp corner to climb up a very short hill, I was met with wet leaves on the ground. My front wheels met with the leaves as I was turning and the rest is history. All I know is that my friend Stephanie who was behind me said my crash was "epic". Luckily I didn't break anything except my cracked helmet & some major road rash on my left leg. I was more mad that my "new" bike got scuffed up.
 |
| To avoid people staring at my black eye, I had to walk around wearing sunglasses for about 2-3 weeks. |
|
|
|
|
|
August was not my month because a couple weeks later my car's transmission started to fail. It was not worth replacing since the engine had over 250K miles & knowing my luck the engine would fail after installing a new transmission. I ended up buying a new small SUV. This meant paying to have a trailer hitch installed and buying a hitch bike rack. I hate having a car payment but it sure is nice to have a new car. I really like the hitch rack for my bike too.
My biking ended around October because by the time I'd get home from work it was too dark & I am not a fan of riding at night. I started to run again but I think I over did it & ended up with shin splints and calf strains.
Thanksgiving was around the corner and so was my carefree diet which eventually led to me regaining most of the weight I had worked so hard to lose. To top things off I got laid off right before Christmas. It really sucked to be let go after 7 years with them, but I guess business is business. When the company is losing money like crazy you have to make cuts & I just happen to be one of the handful of people on the chopping block. My feelings were not too badly hurt, I got a nice lump severance check equal to 5 month of pay in addition to my 12 days of vacation pay that I had previously banked.
I took my new time off as an opportunity to go take a road trip with my daughter & spend a couple weeks in Florida visiting my brother. We had a great time. We made a stop at Daytona Beach on the way home & just enjoyed our road trip.
I made a New Years Resolution to get back to running regularly but that hasn't turned out well. The first couple runs were great then our of nowhere I was struck with dreaded Plantar Fasciitis. I took a break from running the last couple weeks of February and I tried to do a short easy interval run but it roared its ugly head. I went to see the foot doctor in March and was given a compression sleeve, a night boot and a cortisone shot to my heel. I felt great a week after getting the shot. I went on a 2 mile run and it felt so good and I had no problems. I took a rest day & went on another 2 mile run and the damn PF came back !!!!
For the week of spring break we decided to rent a cabin in Tennessee. The cabin was practically on top of the mountain with gorgeous views. We had a lot on our "to do" list & we managed to get a lot done in those 7 days. We went to a few museums, rode an Aerial Tram over the mountains, did some hiking, horseback riding, ATV riding and the usual touristy things like shopping etc..
 |
| our cabin |
 |
| beautiful hike at Laruel Falls |
 |
| picture from the Ariel Tram |
 |
| ATV time |
After our vacation, I put more of an effort into my job search and was offered a job from my friend who happens to be the VP of the company. I took up her offer and started working in April.
In May we decided to take the kids and spend the weekend in NYC. I had a free night stay from my rewards "points" with Hotels.com so I booked 1 night at the Westin in Times Square. We decided to drive there and just pay to park overnight. Not sure if I will drive into the city again. I think I drove hubby crazy when we were driving in Manhattan. Those drivers are NUTS & they are so rude. I swear I thought we were going to get into an accident.
Well the hotel is right smack in the center of everything and surprisingly our room was really quiet which was a total bonus. The last time I went to NYC I stayed at the Doubletree and you could hear so much "city" noise (honking, emergency vehicles etc..), not a recipe for a good nights sleep.
 |
| we saw Dr. Ruth in Times Square |
 |
| on top of the Rockefeller Center |
|
|
Our plans were to stop at Liberty Park in Jersey City and catch the ferry to go see Ellis Island on our way home but when we got to the park we missed the last ferry by 10 minutes so we just walked around the park. It was a beautiful day to be outside plus you can also get great views of the NYC skyline.
Well that about sums it up. So until next time....:D
