Gone Coastal OBX

  So it is no secret that pink is my favorite color, throw in a bit of black and well you would have one happy girl on your hands, however, I am sure that most people thought I was over the unnatural hair color hair coloring. Not so much. Pink is a really cool hair color too and apparently according to quite a few people I can really pull it off and it makes my eyes look even bluer if that is possible.  (PS there are some people, ok one person, who doesn't agree at all and if he had his way it would still be blond, poor guy had no idea what he was in for when he met me) I do have another reason other than to be shocking to have my hair pink. Two weeks ago tomorrow I ran in the All Out Pink 8 mile race in Manteo. It was the longest I had run since the half marathon in April and part of me was a bit scared I couldn't make it quite that far anymore, I did, and on top of that I ended up with a longer distance run PR. I made a decision when I signed up for this race th...

last /last/ Noun: The last person or thing; the one occurring, mentioned, or acting after all others. Yup that is what the dictionary says, that is not what I say. There were times today while running with my new Outer Banks Bootcamp Team, The Flame, I was, by this definition, last but that is not how it felt. What it felt like was I was out there doing it and I may be behind the rest of the group, however,  I was still way ahead of those that have made the choice to not try. I am by no means what anyone would call a fast runner, I don't pick up my feet far enough, I don't lean forward enough, I don't breath quite right... YET! I am a work in progress, I will and can get there I just wasn't there today and I am ok with that, because I am working towards those goals. I have heard over the past few weeks a number of people stating they were very angry at themselves for being "last" and most of them weren't even truly last, they just felt that way be...

A hummingbird. Well lots of hummingbirds, almost 20 of them to be exact, and they aren't really all that small and they are a bit stinky but they are the sweetest darn hummingbirds you ever will meet. The hummingbirds I speak of don't have wings that you can see, but I have seen them soar to heights they never thought imaginable. Oddly they do have wings in this photo I have had the immense pleasure of assisting Coach Matt Costa and Bootcamp Bob with the Outer Banks Bootcamp Night Camp, Team Hummingbird for the last five weeks. In that time I have watched this group of amazing people grow stronger both physically and mentally. Just tonight as we were headed up the last hill of Jockey's Ridge, after putting in 3 good hard miles up and down and all around,  I ran beside one camper who was making her way up the hill and I could hear her repeating over and over "I can do this, I am doing this, I can do this, I am doing this". I know this probably doesn...

Good Morning my beautiful friends and family! As you can see from the title I have yet another run coming up, this one is for in support of breast cancer. This is a run near and dear to my heart as I have watched and supported one of my best friends deal with this not once but twice, stood by in silent horror as another girlfriend battled it shortly after (yes I was a wimp and couldn't deal with it)  and countless others that battle it each day. I am not one to ask for hand outs or contributions for things but this time, well sorry but I am. I am currently signed up to run the 5k but if I can raise $200 dollars between now and August 29th I will ask to be changed over the to the 8 mile run. 100% of event proceeds stay local to the OBX to provide mammograms to women and men without access to health care.  Even if all you can give is $5 all of it adds up quickly and can mean a life saving test to someone who is in need.  If you are in text, call, email, smoke si...

It's been awhile since I have really had much to report or say for that matter so I just didn't. Deanna and I are both still Bootcamping. She is doing really great, I am very proud of the effort she has put in. Me, well I am doubling up and now doing Bootcamp Monday thru Thursday and I wish I could say I am doing great but that would be like ... well lying. I am doing what I can and trying to leave it all out there, but the 5 inches between my ears keep telling me I am not doing enough and not keeping up and not getting any better. Yea it is a brain thing I get that but it is still frustrating. The cramps in my calves are back with the vengeance and I don't know if it is due to pushing to hard or not pushing hard enough in the past. It's just one of those days.

Bootcampers Storm the Hill. On Friday Deanna and I graduated our first bootcamp that we did together. I am incredibly proud that she did this and stuck to it and is down a total of 16 lbs. I am not down anything because well summer hit and I decided to party too much, more on that later. Deanna and me Thursday night late I received a text message from my good friend Amy telling me that we were going to run to the monument in record time the next morning. My first reaction was "Hahahahaha NOT!" then I figured oh what the heck.. why not. So I went to sleep in fear of the next morning after setting TWO alarm clocks and reminding Deanna to set hers as well. Turned out to be a really good thing I asked her, because neither of mine went off! After jumping up 20 minutes late and rushing around like a mad woman I got to the meeting spot on time and sent Deanna off in search of the Middle School, imagine my horror as I watched her pull out of the parking lot going the wron...

Thanks Jay!  Today we tackled Jockey's Ridge ... again. Again I wasn't my best out there in that sand pit. The first time I ran it was the week after my foot tried to rot off, this time I am dead in the middle of a week long "feel like total crap and exhaustion" session! Monday I felt the same way out there on the beach running and swimming for bootcamp then followed up by my worst 5K to date. Again like I said I have felt like crap. The thought right now is low potassium so I am trying to work on that and making sure I am doing what need to be done to keep me healthy and headed in the right direction. It is incredibly hard feeling like each time you work out you are going backwards. I KNOW I am not and I know that even though I am not feeling my best that getting out there and working out gets me one step farther than I would be if I had remained sitting on my butt. I know that when I get to feeling like me again I will be a bit faster and stronger than I was...