Look Baby, I’m a Rockstar…*

I read something once that someone’s pet peeve wasn’t just people who don’t update their blogs very often, but people who don’t update their blogs very often and then proceed to make a million excuses about it.

So I’m not going to make excuses. But I will say my life has been hectic, nonstop, and wonderful lately.  Roadtrips, concerts, long weekends, family, friends, weddings… everything a summer should be.

And a photo shoot?

No, I didn’t have a career change.  But I did play model for a day with my good friend Kristin.

Kristin is one of those rare friends you find that you immediately click with, and it’s like you’ve known each other your whole lives.  She’s also become quite the magician with her camera.  Check out her website (and post about yours truly!) at Kristin Hardwick Photography.  She’s posted the best pictures from our cornfield photo shoot there (the first one there is the current favorite), but I wanted to share some additional ones I love.

If you haven’t had photographs taken of yourself since the classic high-school-senior-against-a-tree photo (you all had that one too, right?) I *highly* suggest indulging.  Hire a professional, find a friend with a nice camera and good eye, or you could always borrow Kristin.  I would not consider myself vain nor do I tend to care what others think of me. I rarely wear makeup and just had my haircut for the first time in a year and a half… my split ends were as old as my niece. That has to deserve some kind of award.

To see yourself through someone else’s eyes is, well… eye opening.  She made me feel like a gorgeous rockstar, even tolerating my uneducated strumming on my guitar (yes that’s mine. no I don’t really know how to play it. someday I will.)  Anyway… morale of the story, go schedule a photo shoot and give your ego a little boost.  Vanity may be a sin, but self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings** (Samuel Johnson)

All photos are copyrighted to Kristin Hardwick Photography 2011

*Quote from Brantley Gilbert’s song ‘My Kind of Crazy’. If you like country music and don’t know this guy, you have no idea what you’re missing.

**quote from Samuel Johnson, that I found here from random googling.

Don’t Ask Me How I Know: Poor Race Prep

When planning to run a race, do not also plan to donate blood the day before.

The typical donation is about a pint of blood.  We have about 10 pints of blood in our body.  Therefore, in donating blood you are losing 10% of your blood supply.  It takes approximately 24-48 hours to replenish the volume, and four to eight weeks to replace the red blood cells.

If your race is 30 hours after your donation, it’s probably not going to go well.

A pre-race meal, approximately 3 hours before the run, should not consist of fried dough and a root beer float.  The fruit salad will not make up for it.

You may spend the entire race hoping and praying you do not throw up.  Because really, it’s a 5k and that would be embarrassing in itself, but this happen to be the biggest 5k in the state with over 6,000 runners and walkers that the news not only covers, but many of their employees run as well.

And lastly, if you’re planning to run a race, actually training for it, even in a minor way, will help.

I fully support blood donation – its one of the easiest ways anyone can help save lives.  Being uncomfortable for ten minutes to a half hour (yea, sometimes my blood doesn’t flow quite so fast) and maybe enduring a bruise for a week is nothing compared to what someone in need a blood transfusion is likely going through.  But I will never do it within a week of a race again. Ever. Ugh.

I fully support fried dough and root beer floats at appropriate times.  Post race would be a good choice.

Pretty sure fruit salad is okay in almost all situations.

Blood donation facts taken from : the internet, per Google. kthanks.

5k Fail.

Sun, Dust, and… Airplanes?

Last Thursday night I braved the heat and set out to run my 3rd 10k.  I headed into the ‘big city’ and over by the airport where the race was being held.

I’m pretty sure parking was like a mile away. And it was an airport parking lot, so there was pavement EVERYwhere.  Meaning it was even hotter. (Ok, that may not be fact, but I theorize it’s true.)

I’m not sure why races think giving you your tshirt before the race is the best idea.  I guess most people have people that come with them, but cut the rest of us some slack. What am I supposed to do with it!?  Even if it was a tech shirt, I can’t wear it during the race… that’s like wearing the band tshirt for the concert you’re doing to see. Totally lame.

So, I got my bib and shirt and had time to kill, so I make the trek back to my truck to drop off the tshirt.  I guess it was a pretty good warm up?

The starting area was small. And they started asking us to line up 10 minutes before the race started. And told the 5K runners to just line up behind the 10K runners, their race would start 5 minutes after the 10k. Oooookay.

I lined up in the middle of the pack.  There were some obviously *confident* people around me, some of which were obnoxiously yelling back and forth.  I kept checking my watch, just hoping it would finally start so I could turn my music up, find someone to pace, and ignore all the hooplah.

The first 2.5 miles where around the airport, which happens to be under construction. And offers no shade.  I was so tempted to turn around at the 5k mark, but I have too much pride and continued on.  Luckily there were plenty of water stops at least.  When I finally reached some shade, it smelled.  No idea. Not pleasant.

The last mile was fairly awful and tried to wish it away as much as I could, which involved some walking.  I guess it happens to everyone right?

Anyway, I didn’t really except anyone to show up.  I walked/ran the last mile and made no attempt to hide my disdain for the fact it wasn’t over yet.

See told you, disdain.

Needless to say, since there are photos, obviously my wonderful parents came to watch!!

I wanted to break 60 minutes, my previous 10k PR is 1:02:54, and that was last October.  I came so, so close.

Yes, that’s a measly 38 seconds I missed it by.  Although, you might notice I ‘lapped’ my Garmin at 6.2 (split 7), and THAT was under an hour. So, I’m blaming the race for being more than 6.2 miles. HA.

Well, another race under my belt and I can’t complain.  68th out of 96, and 6th out of 11 in my age group.  I was admittedly ill prepared for this race, having not put in the miles, and certainly not the miles necessary in the heat we’ve been having.  Next up? 5k next week... bring it!