Rod and Jess’ Blog

I’m sad to see 2009 go and glad in some ways that it’s 2010. It’s a new year and things can start fresh; but at the same time 2009 was probably the best year of my life. I figure instead of resolutions I’m going to have 10 goals that I want to accomplish at some point in the year.

1. Take the GRE and apply to grad school. I’m thinking I want to get my Masters of Education in Student Affairs at Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI). I’m going to look at taking the GRE this spring and applying shortly afterwards.

2. Run a sub-2:35 half-marathon! I ran my half in 2:38:55 back in November so I’m hoping I can shave off three minutes and fifty-five seconds from my time. I’ve got a half-marathon in May so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to do it then.

3. Run a 10k. I have one of these scheduled for March 6th. It’s part of the training series runs for the Mini-Marathon. I’d like to do it in 1:10 to match my split during my half-marathon from November.

4. Run a 15k. I have one of these scheduled for April 10th. I think this will be interesting because it’s SO close to a half-marathon but I have to think of it as just another training length!

5. I’d like to lose one pants size. Currently I’m a size 12 and I’d love to be a solid size 10 again. I’d love to go lower but that’s a reasonable goal for me at this point!

6. Go on two vacations this year. I love to travel and seeing new places with the hubs. He’s great to explore new cities with and it strengthens our relationship to have more special shared experiences.

7. Go to the beach this year. Even if it’s just another trip to the Indiana Dunes I want to take a relaxing day at the beach. It was SO much fun doing that trip and it would be great to make it an annual event.

8. Start my 403-(b) at work! This is an easy one, up to a certain percent they will match and I’m not currently taking advantage of this. We do get also a retirement fund that is equal to a certain amount of my annual salary but it would be nice to also have something that I’ve funded myself.

9. Start tracking my calories better. I’m really good during the day but once I get home at night I tend not to pay attention to portion sizes. It’s not that I’m dieting or restricting myself but I know I am eating more than I really need. I need to be more mindful of my eating and work on making sure I’m actually hungry before standing in front of the pantry/fridge and snacking.

10. Drink more water! I’m really bad about making sure I drink my 64 ounces a day. My skin is better when I get enough water and I feel better overall. Plus I have a flatter belly without all that diet coke!

Some of these goals might not seem like they are that exciting or that impressive but I’m really wanting to push myself not only in big ways but in little ways too. It all adds up to a better Jessica in 2010!

Join me in not making New Year’s resolutions; what are your goals for 2010?

On Friday instead of participating in traditional Black Friday madness Rod and I continued our tradition of decorating the house and attending the Indianapolis Circle of Lights at Monument Circle.

I was excited to hang my two new ornaments from a couple of ornament exchanges I had participated in this month. The first was one from Sunny California!

The other was a couple of foodie related ornaments!

We hung the lights on the outside of the house and decorated with our new Christmas tree that we picked up last year after the season was over. It is SO much bigger than our old tree so it took a lot longer to put up than normal.

The dogs have their stockings and ours are hung. After we got the house decorated we had a frozen pizza for dinner while making hot chocolate to take down to the Circle! We even made peppermint whipped cream to top our decadent dark hot chocolates. Yum!

Each year we bring the dogs as it’s a great opportunity to expose them to crowds and celebrate the season with them. Here I am with Mario waiting for the “tree” to be lighted. We only go for the end of the concert and lighting but it’s always really special to be there when they do the countdown and flip the switch!

I love that Rod and I have our own tradition to kick off the holiday season! It’s only our fourth year of decorating and going to watch the tree lighting but it’s always so much fun. If we ever have kids it will be great to share this with them!

The morning of Thanksgiving Rod and I got up bright and early to participate in the Wheeler Mission’s Drumstick Dash. I signed up for the timed 4.5 mile run and Rod did the 2.3 mile run. He did his without a chip to donate a little extra to Wheeler Mission (a local homeless shelter). It was an amazing experience to run through a bunch of neighborhoods on Thanksgiving morning to raise awareness for homelessness and their food pantry. It felt good to know that our race was going to provide meals and overnight stays to homeless men, women and children!

My results from the race:

Place    Age
Overall  Grp  Name                     City & State     Sex Age  Pace     FINISH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3172     257  JESSICA XXXXXXXXXXXXXX  INDIANAPOLIS IN    F 26  11:24    51:20.2

I was really pleased with my results as I haven’t done a lot of running since my half-marathon at the beginning of the month plus I did a strength workout the day before at the gym. I also was really glad that I had picked up long running pants while in Colorado back in September as it was 38 and misting during the race! Brrrr!

After the race we headed to Cincinnati for dinner with the fam (since Rods’ parents are in Florida for vacation) and I was really proud of myself for keeping myself out of trouble! You can see my plate below and I tried to not over do it with anything. I had one small piece of turkey; one small piece of ham; a baked sweet potato topped with butter; sugar-free cranberries; a little green bean casserole; one spoonful of stuffing; a 100% whole wheat roll (from Trader Joes) and corn topped with butter. I tried to make the bulk of my meal the sweet potato and I was mindful of how much of an appetite I had worked up in the morning.

Doesn’t my plate look AMAZING? Yum! Also not pictured was a slice of sugar-free pumpkin pie topped with a dollop of cool whip. I didn’t feel too stuffed and it was just enough of each Thanksgiving treat to feel satisfied. We also didn’t take home leftovers so I won’t feel guilty about having all that rich food in our fridge!

How was your Thanksgiving holiday? I hope it was spectacular!

When I left off I was coming up Central Avenue through the Old Northside and beaming with pride for the historic neighborhoods that I live in and how many people had come out for the race. As I turned on 16th Street I saw more and more people from Herron-Morton Place that I recognized and they started yelling my name and cheering for me. It was SUCH a confidence boost to have a cheering section that I wasn’t expecting. When I ran past Herron High School they had their band out front playing and there were a ton of people as you turned from 16th Street to Pennsylvania Street.

Coming down Pennsylvania I saw Rod standing and cheering with our dog sitter (who also lives in our neighborhood) and it was really great to see people I knew out cheering. I was just grinning like a crazy lady through my neighborhood because I was so excited to see everyone and just have the great crowd support.

I kept waving and cheering if I saw people out and that really kept my spirits up, it also kept me motivated and enjoying the party atmosphere of the race. I felt lucky to live in one of the neighborhoods along the race route and also lucky that so many neighbors had come out to support the runners.

I even started to overtake the racewalker guy who I had been behind for a couple of miles because I was so excited to power through my regular running route! I usually run the opposite way through the neighborhoods though so it was a little tough realizing how much downhill I normally run. After passing the 10K mark I had my Clif Shot Gel in Mocha (and proceeded to get it all over my hands - yeah brown gel on hands looks gross) and felt revived. It also was tough crossing over Fall Creek and running along Fall Creek Parkway with no shade and lots of wind. It was really hot and when the half-marathon split off from the full marathon I was glad that we were going to be running in a neighborhood with lots of trees again!

Running through Meridan Park was both really cool and really tough. It was miles 7 through 10 and it was a lot of uphill, rough roads and very few water stops. It was really awesome though because there were a ton of neighbors out with music, dancing, yard signs, chalk decorations in the street and even kids handing out water to the runners. It was also really motivating for everyone to be out giving high fives and encouragement. I was really impressed with their neighborhood’s presence and getting to see another historic neighborhood proud of their urban living!

There was also supposed to be Shot Gels in this area and I never saw them, I didn’t see all the water stops I was supposed to see in this area either but since I brought my hydration belt along I didn’t worry about it at all! I’m glad I wore the hydration belt because it kept my anxiety in check and I didn’t have to worry about catching water when I wanted bloks or gels. When we exited Meridan Park we had our steepest incline of the race up until that point.

I was just glad that Rod was there cheering me on and I could see one of my favorite spots in Indianapolis, the Children’s Museum. I just wish we could have run past the side with the Dinosaurs breaking out of the dome!

I first tried to walk up the hill and when I saw Rod I pushed myself to move a little faster. It was SO rough after doing 9 miles to get up that hill. In my mind I also knew that I was getting close to the point where I had stopped in my training (11 miles). Coming down Meridian Street was really rough because there was a lot of uphill and just straight aways with 20 to 30 mile per hour winds blowing against us. It would have been nice to not be running into the wind but I didn’t have a lot of choice on that.

When I was on that stretch of Meridian Street I was also passed by the three winners of the full Marathon and I was just cheering like CRAZY when they went by - I was SO excited to see them and that they were finishing strong. The winner didn’t even look like he was breathing hard at all! When we crossed under I-65 and you could see the Monument looming ahead it was so rough knowing that you had another mile and a half to just keep powering through. My feet really started hurting at this point and I was just trying not to get blown over!

At this point Rod was cheering for me and I was just trying to keep my head down and my mind on my music. I know for my next half-marathon I need to have some of the songs from the beginning of my playlist at this point to keep my energy up. I really could have used a little Party in the USA or Round Round to keep me running! Instead I started losing steam to Fleetwood Mac’s “Edge of Seventeen”. That won’t be on my playlist again!

When I finally made it to the mile 12 sign I teared up a little inside, realizing that it was the first time I went 12 miles in my life. I had walked a little but I had made it to 12 miles. I kept pushing through and when I got to the circle there was no water at the water stop, just powerade. I decided to keep running until I was past Rod and my mom over by the state house and then maybe I’d stop for a little water before I got to mile 13.

At this point I’m not going to lie, my feet were killing me. I had blisters on both feet and I was regretting my decision to not wear my new shoes (I had worn them on a few runs before the race). I also knew I was SO close to the end but I couldn’t push through, I had to walk and get a little water to keep me going. I walked around the corner to New York Street and then as soon as I got through to West Street I realized there was a huge hill at the end before you turned the corner to the finish line. I walked a little of the way and was like SCREW IT, I’m pushing through this! The crowd noticed me pick up and all these people kept cheering for me to finish strong and were telling me “YOU CAN DO IT, FINISH STRONG!” That was all I needed to haul ass and pass a bunch of people around me.

You’ll notice in this pic that you can see a bunch of half-marathoners behind me, I pushed through and passed all of them all the way back until the lady in the purple top! I was on FIRE! I knew I wanted to taste the victory of finishing and I just wanted to be able to stop! I started tearing up and told myself I couldn’t stop.

When I got closer to the end I threw up my arms because to me, no matter if my gun time was 2:43, I had finished 13.1 miles and in my mind I was a champion. I started tearing up when I went through the finish chute and was just dazed and confused. I couldn’t believe it, my journey was over and I finished! My goal time was 2:40 going into the event and I blew that away with my official chip time of 2:38:55.1!

I was really glad that I packed a mini cooler with ONE coconut waters and a EAS Myoplex Vanilla Cream shake. I grabbed a banana, bottle of water and a powerade zero in the finish chute but I wasn’t really finding any cookies or bagels I wanted (or could eat). It was good to have the Coconut water because it instantly hydrated me after my long run and I just felt really good. Since I had it in training it was perfect for my after race drink!
I loved getting my “bling bling” for the first time and I’m SO proud of it! I’m not going to lie, I wore it while watching football on Sunday and also Saturday night when we were watching TV. The ribbon is really cool and I just am so proud of my first half-marathon. I know I need to work on some things when I do my Mini-Marathon training starting in January but for the next week I’m just reveling in my finish! I’ve got a massage on the schedule for today and I’m off work so it’s my last day of relaxing before it’s back to the grind.

Thanks for all of the support and well wishes, it really meant a lot to me these past few days!

My first half-marathon is under my belt and I feel AWESOME about my accomplishment! I still can’t believe how far I’ve come since joining a gym at the end of January. I wasn’t able to run more than 90 seconds as of February 1 and now I’m running 13.1 mile races! It shows how easy it is to start running and how easy it is to run injury free when you combine strength, cardio and lots of stretching.

Since I had taken a half-day on Friday I was able to get all my race gear together and ready to go before we even went to dinner. My mom came into town for my race so before we headed to dinner Rod and Mom picked out their strategy to cheer me on for the race. She was at four different locations and Rod was at nine different locations. Both were at the start and finish line which were very motivating!

For my big carb loading dinner on Friday night we went to Buca di Beppo and feasted on their Penne San Remo (substituting whole wheat pasta for their regular pasta) and their proscuitto stuffed chicken. We also split an appetizer of fried calamari and the antipasto salad. It was SO good and the perfect carb loading for the night before a big race! There’s also a TON of leftovers in our fridge so we have lunch for this week, yum!

In the morning I woke up bright and early at 5:30 after a night of tossing and turning. I was SO nervous and excited that I spent most of the night looking at the clock and dreaming about the upcoming race. I’m really glad that I went to bed at 9:15 on Thursday so I had a night of rest to base my race off of (I can’t thank my trainer enough for that bit of wisdom)!

For breakfast I had a slice of Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin bread topped with Almond Butter. We stopped at Starbucks (where I had my first red cup of the season) so I could grab a soy latte. I actually ran into a guy that I graduated with from Butler in the parking garage and we were off to the starting line. I went through my stretches and ran into someone I worked with at the TV station who is a decorated racewalker! He put my nerves to ease, I stretched again and used the port o’lets before saying goodbye to Rod and my mom.

To keep myself at the proper pace (and since they didn’t have official corrals) I got in line right behind the 5:00 Marathon Pace Group and figured that was a perfect place for me to run the first half of the race. I saw Boomer (the Pacers mascot) and was off! It really kept me calm to be standing with a pace group that was all about just running it and having fun. There were a lot of first timers in that group and that also eased my nerves. I didn’t see Rod or my mom since there was such a crowd, but they at least got a picture of the sign so I knew where I started!

The first major landmark we ran past was the Lucas Oil Stadium where the Indianapolis Colts play. There were a lot of people cheering as we came around that corner and that was where I first saw Rod! I was SO glad to see him I started cheering, clapping and waving my arms around.

I still had my gloves at this point and was really glad that I had a gun time of 14:00 for my first mile. On my watch I did a 10 minute mile so I was really excited. I might have been a little too excited because I really picked up the pace and at the next mile marker the timer read 21:00 - eek! I started slowing down so that I wasn’t overexerting myself too early in the race. Heading up Meridian street to the Monument was really special. I started getting choked up a little when we were coming through there as the monument was where Rod and I got engaged back in 2007!

It was really cool to be part of such a large group of people touring the city and seeing all the sights that Indianapolis has to offer. When we ran through the circle and past the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s theater they had music playing and it was really fun to run on the bricks.

Rod got a great picture of me running through the circle and I look SO happy. I think I was still in awe that I was doing this and that there were so many people out running on a chilly morning. Around Mile Three my stomach really started hurting. I had been drinking water at each station (and walking through the stations so I could drink properly) so I figured to break out some of my Clif Shot Bloks.

It took me a while to get into the package and by the time I finally got them open I was right by Rod on Massachusetts Ave! I love the picture he got of the runners with Chase tower in the background. What a perfect fall view of Downtown Indianapolis!

I’ve got my shot bloks in hand and I’m just smiling away in this shot. I was really happy as I was still on part of the loop I run on my own. It just made me really appreciate all the spectators and just how much energy and excitement the runners had! I know I was in a slower group but everyone was really supportive and encouraging of everyone around them.

Towards the end of Mass Ave one of the local high schools had their drumline out keeping people motivated. They were really good and fun to watch as we were running by, although there wasn’t a water stop there where there was supposed to be one (I was a little obsessed with the course map before the race). Running by the Indianapolis Public Schools bus depot was really cool as the Marathon was raising money for IPS and they had all the buses out honking and cheering for the runners.

When we came around 10th street there was a family who had set up their own water stop and was all dressed in crazy costumes. The kids were handing out cups of water and the adults were cheering like crazy. Anytime I saw people out cheering I made sure to yell and cheer to thank them for coming out. It may have used some precious energy but I had so much fun, it was almost like a party to me. Running up along Central to the Old Northside was really rewarding because I usually run that stretch at the beginning of a run so I felt like I had just gotten started and it was almost mile number five!

I think this recap is getting long enough, I’m going to continue it on in my next post! If you’d just like to know how I did, you can visit my results here.

I’ve got a recap coming soon, but the official results were published last night so I thought I’d at least post those so you know how I did!

Place    Age                                                      Split-1    Avg
Overall  Grp  Name                     City & State     Sex Age     10.0K   Pace     FINISH
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   2326  242  JESSICA XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  INDIANAPOLIS IN    F 26  1:10:49.8  12:07  2:38:55.1

Not bad for my first time, plus I beat my goal time of 2:40! I’m SO proud of myself and I’m not going to lie, I wore my medal last night while we watched TV!

Have a great Sunday and I promise to post the first part of my recap soon!

We have returned! There’s going to be quite a few posts about our trip to Fort Wayne to visit Ross, Liz and Jack; our trip to the Indiana Dunes; Colorado pictures and anything else we’ve forgotten about this fall!

This morning I made cinnamon apple oats for Rod and I using one and a half golden delicious apples, copious amounts of cinnamon and just a regular serving of oats. I topped mine with a little sugar-free maple syrup and he used poplar syrup.

I think Mario really wanted some of our oats!

Caroline just wanted to get to the park! 

Before heading to the park with the dogs we also started a batch of chili to warm up the cool evening. We use bloody mary mix for the soup base and then we’re going to pair the chili with a nice hearty, multigrain roll. YUM!

When we got back from the park Rod and I started assembling our new bookcase and entry table from IKEA. We decided to go yesterday and finally pick up our first anniversary present to each other - new furniture for the bedroom and a few things for the first floor!

I’m loving the MALM dressing table as our new entry table complete with the clay pot that we won at a silent auction supporting the East 10th Street Children’s Center!

I also love how the EXPEDIT bookcase separates our living room from our dining room much better now - it also gives us SO much storage!  Plus we can display some of the unique beer we picked up in Colorado (until we drink it that is)!

Here’s our new bed and nightstands - it’s low enough so that Caroline can jump on the bed plus there’s all kinds of storage in the nightstands!

I hope everyone has been doing well and apologies again for being SO far behind on our blogging!  How has everyone been?