Support me in my 13.1NYC RUN!!!

"Goals come and go; finish lines are constant accomplishments." -by Kristin Miller

I penned that beautiful running gem a few a weeks ago. My current accomplishment that I am chasing is completing the 13.1NYC. As many you old school readers know, I ran with Team World Vision for the ING NYC Marathon. I am continuing to partner with this INSTRUMENTAL charity for my upcoming race on 3/24/12.

Oh wait, you want to see how it all happened?! Watch this video about my marathon journey. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OreD4_pyQqY&feature=share Warning: There may be goosebumps. I may cry a bit every time I watch it...

Well, Mrs. Miller, what does that mean to me? I'm so glad you asked! It means you can be part of an amazing opportunity to give back. As a Team World Vision runner, I am fundraising to provide deep water well pumps to villages in Africa who have NO. CLEAN. DRINKING. WATER. Not only does World Vision install the pumps (Which cost over $17,000 I believe), they train the people in the village to fix them to ensure continued use of the pumps for years to come.

Mrs. Miller, seriously, I have no money right now. I know. Times are tough; we're saving, working more, race registrations etc. Consider giving up one fro yo run, or one Starbucks latte; just $5 would make a huge difference! Imagine a life where you drank mud. Imagine someone who was generous to give up one pleasure to provide a need for someone else.

Okay Mrs. Miller, let's say I MIGHT be interested in helping, what do I have to do? Wow, you're really into this now, I can tell. Click this link: http://support.worldvision.org/site/TR/TeamWorldVision/General?px=1150952&pg=personal&fr_id=1551 Give whatever you want. Let's make this happen readers!!!

As I said in January, I'm trying to make this the year of giving. What can I do through the run? What can you do through the run? Together we can fight against poverty. Let's #makeitcount.

Okay Mrs. Miller, is there anything cool you could seal the deal with? Sure. Bart Yasso runs for and supports Team World Vision. That's legit.

21 Days until the 13.1NYC Half Marathon!!!

I am an average runner

I am an average runner. My splits aren't fabulous or notable. My speed work doesn't go beyond biweekly/monthly Yasso 800's. My PR's aren't often broken.

Cancun Picture 1: Note: the polka dot bikini is making its itsy bitsy teeny weeny appearance.
I am an average runner. If I have stomach issues, I may or may not run. If I'm on vacation, I may or may not run. If I'm exhausted, I may or may not run.

Cancun Picture 2: I miss sun lounging.
I am an average runner. I don't seek weekly races. I don't seek monthly races. I don't seek races I can place in. I don't seek superior swag bags.

Cancun picture 3: One of my favorite dresses.
I am a hard worker.

I am a lover of running.

I am human.

I am tired.

I am susceptible.

I am strong.

I am committed.

I am determined.

I am a finisher.

I have been having a rough running week. Tomorrow at 5am, that rough running week will end.

Ever had "just one of those weeks"? TELL ME ABOUT IT.

23 Days until the 13.1NYC Half Marathon!!!

Glad Game Monday VI

Well, it's that time at the beginning of the week again! Post weekend. Back to work. And this week: post VACATION. So, let the Glad Games begin!

I'm glad I read the Hunger Games. It was a really easy read and kept me going during (RARE) downtime. The plane ride back was so much better with it! Did you read it?

I'm glad I had the idea for the boys to take the picture:
I'm glad the girls did it too. This has to be my favorite picture of all time!
I'm glad I got to take a vacation. It's truly a blessing to have done so, and I am so glad everything worked out swimmingly. I was so tempted to be sad going to work this morning, but I remembered to be grateful for the experience instead of mourning its end. Maybe I'm still mourning a little...

I'm glad for good friends. Not only the ones who went to Cancun, who are fabulous, but the others in my life as well. They make life fantastic!!!
I'm glad for blog giveaways! I was so excited to win the Mad Hectic Oatmeal Giveaway from MegO! Little did I know I would get 10 BAGS! This company rocks! Thanks Mad Hectic! Want to try your luck at a giveaway? Check out this Chobani giveaway over at the Secret Life of Kelsey. Need some sleeve compression assistance? Then head over to Long May You Run who is giving away a sweet pair. (Although I really hope you don't win; telling you about it gets me an entry...oh the rock and hard places of life...)
I am glad to be part of Team World Vision again! I am running the 13.1 NYC in March. I'm so excited to be part of this incredible charity organization again. They are extremely effective with training tools (Plans, emails with tips etc), support (Directors call and email periodically to encourage), and after party (They know how to support AND celebrate!). Coming soon! Get ready to hear about an opportunity to change the world...one deep well water pump at a time.

What are YOU glad about today?! Is it nail polish? Is it freedom? Is it watchamacallit candy bars?! (Yes I ate one in the airport and it was GOOD!) TELL ME ABOUT IT!

26 days until the 13.1NYC half marathon!

iBienvenidos!

Aaaaand, I'm back. Yes, it's true all my adoring fans. After a long five day hiatus from blog world, twitter world, Facebook world, and Gmail world, my long awaited return has commenced. The trip was amazing. Low 80's every day, sun, wind to cool you down, infinity pools, paddle boarding, boat trips, personal servers at the pool, room service, restaurants...worth it. The first few mornings were filled with this:

The glorious sun rise was followed with a morning workout for the first two days. The gym was so nice. Did a bit of running, yoga, even some barre moves! However, the last three days I began to falter. The sun was getting to me more and more, and we were staying up later and later. Although, I DO count dancing on Friday night for over two hours as some FABULOUS cardio work!!!

We ate lots of yummy food. Did I ever think I would be sick of Mexican? No. Am I? Maybe. Give it two days. Jury is still out. Some favorite nibbles included Greek salad poolside, nutella waffles for breakfast, and vegetable risotto for dinner. Mr. Miller is so cute by the way. Love this picture.

I got to hang out with some pretty fabulous friends. We like to swing on the beach. It's fun. Especially with our friends in the background. Favorite drinks included mimosas, mai tai's, and of course, Coronas.

Polka dot bikini wasn't pictured! However, this h&m number got a lot of wear. I wore the polka dot one to an island we visited (Isla de Mujeres), but we didn't really swim...I'll see if it made it's way into some shots! And by shots I mean pictures...
One countdown complete, one countdown to be completed. It has been 5 days since the start of our vacation. WAH. I'm so thankful to have had such a nice time. I'm so thankful that Mr. Miller and I were able to have fun in the sun in the middle of winter. I'm also thankful that we got to share it with some great friends. So, bye bye Cancun and Winter Polka Dot Bikini countdown...

Hello, 13.1NYC countdown! This lone star is going to take up the next four weeks.
There will be lots of excitingly wonderful posts on the blog this week including...

- More Cancun Photos (I know you want it)

- Glad Game Monday

- Two a day Tuesday

- EXCITING 13.1 News

- The return of morning workouts

Get your pumped up kicks ready kids.

27 days until the 13.1NYC half marathon! (Apparently my previous countdown was WAY off!)

Glad Game Monday V

Note: This is probably going to be a Glad Game Monday that may be a bit obnoxious because I'M GOING TO MEXICO TOMORROW!

So, of course, I'm glad I'm going to Mexico tomorrow!

I'm glad that's we're going to Mexico with fantastically fun friends! The following pictures are from the end of the summer on a boat basin in NYC. Oddly, it looks like a scene from our vacation that has yet to commence...

The Gentlemen: Anders, Gray, Slafter, Miller

The ladies: Miller, Slafter, Gray, Anders

I'm glad that I will get to spend time in the sun with Mr. Miller! He loves the beach, snorkeling and investigating the area, so it's always fun to be on a beach vacation with him. (Photo from VA Beach 2011)
Sad note: Lambeau Puppy won't get to run the shores of Mexico. He will be on a country holiday in Connecticut with my parents.

I'm glad we will take some nice pictures. We've kind of failed at the picture taking thing when we went to the Bahamas and Puerto Rico because we were alone. It's going to be a paparazzi BONANZA Cancun style! (Photo from Rhode Island 2011)
I'm glad that my toes will be in the water and my rear in the sand! (Photo from Puerto Rico 2008)
I'm glad that I worked my hardest to stay fit in the winter hibernation months. I got a new bikini yesterday and I'm pretty thrilled with it. Thanks h&m for coming through in the clutch...and a fair priced clutch at that! (I had picked out a bathing suit in VS and it was on sale for $60...more than I wanted to spend but it was PER-FECT...and it suddenly went back to full price at $96...uh no.) (Photo from Puerto Rico 2008)
I'm glad to do something touristy! Mr. Miller has been doing all sorts of research and it looks pretty great. We'll do a few fun adventures while we're down there!

I'm glad that I'll be getting to know the gym. Since I have a half marathon coming up in, oh, 29 days, I will need to maintaining my running! I'm excited to make the most of my time there, get a morning workout in and become BFF's with the beach. Some might think this is not relaxing; on the contrary, it will help me relax even more.

Last, and certainly not least: I'm glad to relax. Things are going to get might busy after this break, so I'm excited to take in every moment possible.

What are YOU glad about today? Do you exercise on vacation? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Running and Cross training my way because it's...

1 days until Cancun and Winter Polka Dot Bikini!!!...and an h&m one!

29 Days until the 13.1 NYC half marathon!!!

BREAK Country Style!

I am officially on MID-WINTER BREAK! It is SO needed. Many believe that teachers get too many breaks. Trust me, dealing with 30+ kids everyday is a difficult task; plus getting them to learn complicated things can be as challenging as finding a needle in a haystack. Literally. So, THANK YOU GOD, one week off. First stop: Connecticut. Lambeau is going country while we go Mexican!!!

I ran 8 miles after driving to CT. I wore my running clothes or the car ride in order to ensure that there would be NO DELAY to get my run on. Thankfully, it worked. I was going to do 7. Then I was feeling good so I opted for 8, because 8 miles has a nice ring to it. I love running in a country setting! I averaged 9:50/miles. This is very impressive for short legged me. I kept thinking my pace was slowing, and every time I looked I was between 9:06-10:18 (Got to love Garmin times...). This run made me smile. It made me think that a sub 5 hour marathon could happen in the future. It's also my longest run since the marathon!

A lot of people bounce back from marathons like pro's. I, on the other hand, took rest very seriously. I had, and still have, a cracking hip which I am in the process of getting looked at. I also had a southern birthday party/marathon celebration, got sick with a nasty infection plus missed my favorite race, had a death in the family, and the holidays...oh the holidays...so yea, my running life came to a halt for almost a month. I am loving this feeling of consistency, building up mileage, and I can't wait to bust out double digits again; especially my favorite distance: 10 miles.

Seen while running: Horsies. Love this. So picturesque. Everything was like an Ansel Adams photo, overcast and windy. I even experienced a FREAK snow flurry blast for 60 seconds....it was 45 degrees out?!?! Love this winter. I could still use a snow day after break...
I was trying to get a picture of my cool shirt, which turned into a game of "Where's Lambeau?" Can you find him?!

Annie dog wasn't so hidden. However, I got a better picture of my shirt; well, most of it. It's says "Train like a girl". I love this shirt. It fits PERFECTLY, thanks Champion/Target!
We went to my nephews basketball game. These are two of the four McAuliffe kiddos. We cheered on S. McAuliffe, but alas, they lost :-(
I love Connecticut! I love running in Connecticut, I love seeing my Connecticut family, and I love cooking in my mommy's spacious Connecticut kitchen. Granite counter tops are NOT overrated!!!

More to come from CT.

What do you train like? TELL ME ABOUT IT! Train like a finisher.

Check out my friend's Etsy site: Bouncing Blossoms is AWESOME! She's giving away an apron! Also, Bouncing Blossoms is a company that is a World Vision Child sponsor!!! Charity PLUS creativity! Bouncing Blossoms also does customs orders, it is amazing what my friend comes up with!!! CHECK IT. She's a genius.

Running and Cross training my way because it's...

3 days until Cancun and Winter Polka Dot Bikini!!!

31Days until the 13.1 NYC half marathon!!!...5 weeks!

Through rain, cold, win, and wet socks...

I will run.

This week has not been my best. Polka Dot bikini workout regimen has NOT gone as planned. After Sunday's likeitloveitgottahaveit 7 mile run, I was feeling pretty good. Then Sunday night/Monday I started to feel achy, heady, and all around exhausted yucky. This continued until I got a full 9 hours of sleep last night.

Today. Today I felt more aware, less dazed and confused, and guilty for not working out. Yup. I love to do it, so not doing it makes me sad and long for it. Also, I half attribute my sluggishness to my lack of sweating it out...but then I don't sweat it out because I'm scared of tripping/fainting etc. What a conundrum. Today was not that day. Today, I had a great day at work. A day filled with students saying,

"Mrs. Miller, thank you for helping me learn. Thank you for teaching me." Kindergarten Special Education student who rarely puts sentences together like that.

"Mrs. Miller, you're really the best teacher." 1st Grade student who lives with her grandma; her parents live in China.

So yea, I had some humbling yet inspiring moments today. I came home with a temptation to nap. I assessed myself and realized I was able bodied, not lacking too badly in the energy department, so I decided to give it a go. I ran my favorite route in the park, because all hard runs should be done on your FAVORITE route. It was like an Ansel Adams gallery:

I used to be obsessed with Ansel Adams in college. This obsession MAY or may not be making a comeback. It was the worst, dreariest day ever. Rain off and on, cold, humid, wind, ugh. To top it all off, my socks got wet. My biggest pet peeve EVER. Thank God I've only run one race in the rain, and it was a misty rain at that.

Despite it all, I ran. I ran slow. I enjoyed it. I also made sure I didn't get lazy and trip, because half way through I was TIRED. I didn't have music. I enjoyed the quiet. There were 5 people in the park. I counted. Also notable: 3 CUTE doggies. Love those creatures.

Lots of great things on the horizon. In case you didn't catch the countdown at the bottom of previous posts, SPOILER ALERT: Mr. Miller and I are going to Cancun with three other FABULOUS couples in FIVE DAYS. We're also going to Connecticut this weekend before our Mexican Fiesta to drop off Lambeau puppy for a country holiday. I can't wait to see my family; it's been a month and a month too long. I usually go about 1-2 months in between seeing them, but the comfort of home will be an invited change to what has felt like a HECTIC January-February. Tomorrow at 2:30, Mid Winter break will commence! YEA! Also, I received some good news at work. I will be working an after school program that they added to help students who are not meeting grade standards. This will mean an extra hour and a half of work Tuesday-Thursday. With teaching my Yoga Club and Saturday School, this is a lot on my plate. My time management will be seriously challenged, and hopefully enhanced! (AKA 5am mornings will be B-A-C-K!)

Check out this awesome oatmeal giveaway...you know I love those crazy oats!

Do you bounce back from rough weeks? Do you have any good stuff on the horizon?! TELL ME ABOUT IT!!!

Running and Cross training my way because it's...

5 days until Cancun and Winter Polka Dot Bikini!!!

33 Days until the 13.1 NYC half marathon!!!...5 weeks!