Cold start to the new year

The first 5K of 2018 sure did have a cold start!
The Resolution Run was now a 5K and had a new course at Piedmont Park. The race was nearly all inside the park, which was nice.
What wasn't so nice was the 20 degrees and 8 degree wind chill. Goodness!
I had two layers to everything, but wished I'd had a second pair of gloves. The ones I wore were a loose knit and my hands were cold even with the gloves.
The Atlanta Track Club did have portable heat lamps in the area near the start, and I made several new friends as we all huddled close to the heat!
The Track Club did a group photo before the start, which was fun.

Atlanta Track Club members before the start. I'm in there!

Resolving to run

How many layers do I have on?

I was glad I remembered a little cowl to pull over my nose and cheeks, but it was so cold that breathing into it, the water vapor on the cowl FROZE!
I was never more happy to have finished a race and gotten into the car. I'm always glad to run this race, however. It is a good start to 2018. I just hope next year isn't quite as cold!

New Year, New Me

Ah, a new year. Such endless possibilities.
First, let's talk about the end of 2013. I spent the holidays with my family in South Carolina, where my father turned 75. How the hell did that happen? Because in my mind, he's my age and I'm a whole lot younger than my chronological age.
Second, it's time for my annual count of my "found money" out of the found money piggy bank.

The found money pig

This year, I collected $4.20. I think that will get me a grande coffee at Starbucks!
Third, I finished 2013 with my neighbors Christine and Christopher, as I have for the past seven years. It's a tradition I have come to cherish. We make a lovely dinner and watch a movie and ring in the new year with some bubbly.
I made butternut squash soup and tiramisu. Christine made pork roast with roasted potatoes and asparagus. it was all so yummy.
I didn't make it to midnight. I went home early, but ended up on Facebook chatting with my running buddy Jessica and ended up signing up for the Publix Georgia Half Marathon in March! I know I'm ready, but I'm planning on running a half marathon in Kansas in April, so this pushes training up my a month. Oh well! It can be done.
On New Year's Day, I was at the start line for the Resolution Run 5K with my friend Angela.

Me and Angela before the race

 We didn't do too badly for this chilly race. Really, it wasn't so bad. It was in the mid 40s at the start. Sure beats last year when it was raining and really cold. I ended up running this race 10 second slower than last year, but I felt good through the whole race, even though I hadn't run in two weeks.

Selfie during the race.

who is that kid with the foam rollers? Me and Angela

I'm pleased with 2013 as a whole. I ran two half marathons, when I thought distance racing was behind me. I had great fun running with my friends Erin, Angela and Jessica, among others.
Geez, I turned 50 and nothing exploded or imploded! :)
In all, I feel like 2014 will be another wonderful running year. After all, it really is a whole new year, and a whole new me.

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.

A new year

Here it is the start of 2012 and I've already logged my first 5K!
I ran the Resolution Run 5K in Kennesaw, Ga. this morning. There were a lot of people in attendance. Nice to see a good crowd for a 5K.
My friend Nicole and I ran this one together.

Me and Nicole before the race

And here we are after the race, still looking fresh as daisies!

All smiles post race.

For a January race, this one sure was warm. It was 61 degrees at the finish. I wished I had warn shorts instead of my capri running pants.
I spent New Year's Eve with my neighbor Christine and her family, having a wonderful dinner, then watching a movie. As the year came to a close, we "broke open" my piggy and counted all of my found money in 2011.

My "found money" piggy bank

Drum roll, please!
I found $4.42 in 2011. Well, let's just say that's what I picked up. During many a race I saw coins on the ground but for the safety of myself and others, could not have picked them up. I leave those for some other eagle-eyed runner or walker. :)
I will certainly enjoy a cup of coffee or whatever with that $4.42.
And how did I do on my first 5K of the year? Wouldn't you know it, I spotted a nickel, but it was embedded in the asphalt. But I will continue to keep a sharp eye for more.
After all, my piggy is now empty and hungry for more cash in the new year.