Too warm for frostbite

This morning's 5K was the Frostbite 5K, but it was not aptly named today.

For the second year in a row, it was a balmy day for this race. I seem to remember running in a T-shirt last year as well. It was 62 degrees this morning, and has warmed up to the low 70s today in Atlanta. Not typical January weather at all.

The Frostbite 5K is also called Run with the Dogs, and the race allows dogs on the course, so there are lots of four-legged runners at this one, which means I not only have to run, but WATCH where I'm running. Some of my fellow runners are less than tidy.
I ran into my friend Julie at this race, who was with her boyfriend Chris and their pup Brewer.

Chris, Julie and Brewer

Me and Julie after the race


I ran into my friend Jennifer, too, but forgot to get our photo. Next race!
The Frostbite 5K was profitable for me. I found a dime and four pennies on the course, so the pig has been fed.
The race T-shirts this year are really cool. The shirt is the portrait of a dog by a local artist, and there was a contest to have your dog's portrait be the "poster" for next year's shirt.
I happened to see another cool shirt at the race that said "No one ever drowned in sweat." I need to find that shirt!
Certainly, no one was going to die from frostbite today, either. Just as well, I worked up quite a sweat instead.

Resolving to run, and write

Oh boy.
I guess it is a good thing the new year has arrived and I have resolved to do more running, and writing.
I can't believe the entire month of December went by without a single blog about the races I've run.
Dec. 1 I ran the One Love, One Heart 5K in Decatur. It's right over in Medlock Park, a very hilly neighborhood.
On Dec. 8 I ran the Jingle Jog 5K. It had been a couple of years since I had run that race.

Ready to run in my Santa hat!

 Turns out my co-worker Patsy ran it as well, but neither one of us thought to ask the other if she was running it. I would have liked to have caught up with her at the start/finish at least.
It was a drizzly day for that race, but not too cold, so it wasn't all that bad.
I ran a really fun race Dec. 21 called the End of the World 5K.

End of the World 5K

End of the World 5K

The race was a play on the hoopla over the Mayan calendar ending on Dec. 21, 2012 and was it the end of the world. People dressed up in some pretty creative costumes for the race.

Some Mayan fun

The race was at night in Marietta, and it was COLD. It was pretty much and out and back course from Jim Miller Park and it ran by the county landfill and other government buildings (like the jail). As such, there were very few street lights, so as I'm running along I look up and can see the constellation of Orion. That was pretty darn cool, to see the stars during a 5K race.
The End of the World 5K was my final race of 2012.
In keeping with tradition, I counted up all of my found money from 2012, and the grand total this year was $3.45.
I started the new year off by running the Resolution Run 5K in Kennesaw.
I ran this race last year, but what a difference! Last year I ran the race in short sleeves and this year was rain, rain and more rain. I was soaked through by the end of this race. And cold!

I am soaked and I haven't even started the race yet!

But I found a quarter and a penny during the race, so the pig got fed on the first day of the new year.
Which brings me to my resolutions, to run more and write more.
Although I run a 5K nearly every weekend, my running during the week had really fallen off last year. I used to run at least three times a week. Slacking off has meant some very unwanted weight has crept up on me. I bet I've gained 15 pounds in the past year and a half. I know my pants and skirts are snug, if not downright tight.
So, I am resolved to step up my running. It is exercise, for me, that gets, and keeps, the weight off.
And I'm resolved to do more writing.
Last year my resolution was to write my book. I'm up to chapter 5, but it has been very slow going.
I think part of it is I write for a living, and when I get home from a long day of writing and editing, the last thing I really want to do is write and edit.
But I am getting a lot of encouragement from my friends, including my co-worker Rachael. I sent her the first few chapters. She's a working mom and wife, so she readily admits she can only read a couple pages at a time. But she tells me she likes what she is reading and will want more chapters when she finishes what I gave her. That encourages me to write!
So let's hear it for resolutions. The new year is a great time to reflect and recommit to whatever we feel will improve ourselves.
Here's to a great new year.

Coming in second

I ran the inaugural Quest to End Homelessness 5K yesterday, and because it was such a small field (which is common for a new race) I came in second in my age group! And I was not a speed queen by any means yesterday.
The race was almost entirely in the park, which is very hilly. That explains why I wasn't so speedy. I had to walk some of those hills.
The race benefits Quest 35 Housing, which helps find housing for the homeless. In this case, the race benefited homeless veterans.
It was a cool, crisp morning. It was a little tough to get out of a nice warm bed yesterday to head over, but I am very glad I did.
I didn't take any photos, and I should have. CEO Leonard L. Adams Jr. was there and he seems to have a fun personality. He was really getting the crowd excited about the race.
I got some nice swag in my race bag, too. I got a jump rope (which I think will actually work. The one I got from another event was plastic and isn't weighted enough to make it a good jump rope. This one is more rope-like, so it may work), I got crayons, and a couple other items.
I was so pleased with coming in second that I treated myself to a new pair of running capris. Other women treat themselves to jewelry or other items. I treat myself to running gear!
I also signed up for the Jingle Jog 5K on Dec. 8. I've run that before. It's fun, but HUGE. It's actually hard to run that race because it is so crowded. But my friend Kellie said she was going to run it with me. I hope she does!
And now a little catch up on "what I've been eating lately."
I've been trying out some new restaurants in Atlanta. Earlier this fall I tried Yebo restaurant + bar, a South African restaurant from the same owners as 10 Degrees South, also a South African restaurant. Yebo, which is in Buckhead, is more of a tapas place, however.

Popcorn with peri-peri salt

Yebo interior

Soaked martini with pear juice, lemon and St. Germain

shrimp & grits

It was a great evening, and I was out on the outside patio, which was lovely.
Last month I went to Article 14 in Midtown and had the lobster roll.

lobster roll

The meal, which I shared with my friend Erin, was yummy. My only complaint was that the roll was very buttered, so my hands got greasy every time I tried to pick up the sandwich. I ended up having to use fork and knife to eat it.
I've tried a few other restaurants this fall, but I'd forgotten to take photos of the food until it was too late (which means I'd already taken a few bites.) Whoops!
I won't have a chance to eat at any restaurants, or run any restaurants in the next couple of weeks, since it is almost Thanksgiving here in the United States.
I'll have to do my running closer to home. At least when I run by myself, I'm assured of coming in first. ha!

World Run Day

Got up this morning to participate in World Run Day.
I've been pretty spotty in my running, unless it is a 5K race, so it was good to get out and get some more miles in this morning. It was also a beautiful morning. About 10 degrees warmer than yesterday morning.
And what a surprise find on my neighborhood running route, this little gem!

Little free library

 It is a little free library. The owner has placed a couple dozen books in there, for neighbors to take and enjoy and return (or return with some other book). There was a book in there I am interested in reading, but since I was on a run, I didn't really want to carry it. I'll have to go back with a little backpack. And I've got some books to put in there.
I saw several of these libraries at the silent auction at the recent Decatur Book Festival, but I don't know if this was one of them. There were about a dozen up for auction.
Now I want one!
I think these are a great idea and I hope to enjoy this little library often.
What a satisfying day. I enjoyed a good run, and I found a good read.

Git 'er Dunn

Today's Dunn Run 5K certainly felt like a November morning race. It was 36 degrees at the start.
You wouldn't really know it now. It's gotten up to nearly 70 today. Allowed me to get a little fall yard work done, but I did discover that my daffodils have enjoyed the mild fall and are starting to poke up. Darn it. I hope that doesn't mean I won't have any lovely spring flowers!
The Dunn Run 5K was held in Sandy Springs, Ga. At the start of the race, the race director told runners this was a fairly flat race. I'm not one to call the man a bald-faced liar, but his idea of a "fairly flat race" and my idea of one are completely different.
I ran this race last year, and the course is slightly different to get rid of a really tough hill. So maybe, compared to last year, it WAS fairly flat.
Not a bad race. I found a dime. I haven't found much cash on any race lately, so that was a nice find. My little piggy has been pretty darn thin all summer. Nice that I could feed it today.
So, I ran a 5K and fed the pig today. I got 'er Dunn.

A wrinkle in time

Once again this year, I ran a 5K race I swore I would not run again, but this time, I really enjoyed it.
This morning, at 1:50 a.m., I ran the Anything is Possible 5K. In the states, the race begins 10 minutes before most of the country returns to Standard Time. We "fall back" an hour. So at 2 a.m., it becomes 1 a.m. And all of the runners finish the race before they even started it.
I ran this last year by myself (my friend Nicole was sick and couldn't run) and in very cold temps.
What made this race so much more enjoyable this year were 1) I ran it with my friend Kellie, 2) the swag was a pair of pajama bottoms and 3) it was about the balmiest November night I can remember. It was in the upper 60s when we ran. I wore a T-shirt and capri running pants and about half way through I was wishing I had worn my running skirt!
Now, that temp won't last. We are already supposed to head back down to the low 60s and upper 50s for highs this week.

Kellie and me before the race

 Kellie and I adorned ourselves with glow bracelets and necklaces. Some runners really got decked out with blinking lights and glow sticks. Others were running in their pajamas. One woman ran with curlers in her hair. That was funny. I should have gotten her picture for this blog. I hope those curlers stayed in while she was running!
Kellie is a much faster runner than I am, but what is turning out to be quite nice for me, is she waits at the finish line and snaps a picture of me crossing.

Finishing up

What was funny about the race was the time on the finish line showed your actual race time, but also your "negative" time, with the clocks moved back. The one part that was kind of off-putting in the race was the area where they had set up strobe lights and called it the "Time Warp." Mostly it was hard to see with those strobe lights.

At the end of the race there was food, music and fun. Kellie and I stayed a little while, but then headed home. I put on my new PJ bottoms and hit the bed. Getting up at midnight to go run a race has left me feeling a little bleary-eyed all day.
There was a little pitfall this week in my family's life. My brother's oldest son, Chase, fell and broke his collar bone on Halloween. However, ever the trouper (and a 6-year-old who wasn't going to miss trick or treating), he got out to get his candy. I'm not sure he was able to wear his Batman costume. My brother said he was the "one-armed Ninja." All's well that ends well, I suppose

Chase sporting his sling and Gavin sporting his monkey blanket

If I could go back in time, I think I'd try to prevent the broken collar bone.
But since I can't, I'll just have to settle for a fun "wrinkle in time" 5K.

A tree grows in Atlanta

Another lovely fall day in Atlanta.
No race today, but I certainly got my exercise in. Three hours of yard work this morning and now all I want to do is soak in a warm tub and take a nap. Neither of those things will happen just yet.
One of the chores outside today was to get the Nuttall oak seedling I got at the Komen Race for the Cure in Houston. The seedlings were being handed out to survivors. I had my choice of an oak or pine seedling. Give me a hardwood tree any day!
Then came the puzzler -- could I even bring it back to Atlanta and plant it? Turns out, you can't fly with gels or liquids, but you can fly with a tree seedling. Thanks to Robert and Susan for quickly looking that up on the TSA web site!
I spent more than a few minutes trying to decide where to plant my seedling. I think I walked around the house at least three times, checking on sunlight, where it would grow compared to other trees in the yard, and how close it might come to the house.
I started digging the first spot, but the soil was so compacted and yucky, I abandoned it. Georgia is known for its red clay soil, and it's a wonder anything but the vile vine kudzu will grow in it.
A little further down, I saw some weeds and vines I wanted to clear out near the fence line. I started pulling and realized the soil there was better. So a second hole was dug.
My little Nuttall oak seedling has a new home.

My new Nuttall oak

And so, a tree grows in Atlanta.