Inaugural Arches Resolution 5K recap

After I'd already decided to do the 3 Kings 3 Miler on January 4th, I found out about this new race being put on by Temple Parks & Rec.  Even though the description had me a little nervous, I signed up and figured I'd just go with it and not worry about speed.  The description:  The course will take you through the rolling neighborhoods surrounding the park.

So Gus and I woke up early and headed to Lions Park to pick up our packet.  I had a friend who was also planning to participate, but she had a death in her family so I picked up her packet too.  Because this was the first Resolution 5K, they had fewer people than for the Turkey Trot or the Jingle Bun Run, which is actually kind of nice.  Starting to see familiar faces though.  And I know people recognize us, because they come over to pet Gus or to see what tie he is wearing.  (side note:  my order for new bowties for Gus got cancelled by the seller --- sad face.)

After we got everything situated, we walked around the park to warm up (and then to stay warm) until the start of the race.  I still didn't know where we were going at that point and was praying we would not have to go up the HuGe hill that is part of the walking path around the park that I dread but always feel a sense of accomplishment when I reach the top.  As it turned out, we came down the hill after we toured the neighborhood.  Hills were definitely the theme for these first 2 5Ks of the year ---- guess I'm training for the DC Days 5K in July???

Official time: 44:33.6 (14:22 min/mile)
Garmin time:  44:39.35 (14:25 min/mile) 
Garmin Moving time: 42:55  (13:50 min/mile)

Either way - yay for a sub-45 minute finish!  Especially considering the hills!

After the race, I came home, medicated Gus (my poor old dog and his arthritis), showered and packed a few things to head to Houston to visit my best college friend and her fam.  I got to hang out with my initial-sake --- haha - her first initials are the same as mine.  She's nearly a year old - hard to believe it's been that long since I sat in the hospital with her mom, waiting for her to arrive!



The B.A.s

It was a quick, spur-of-the-moment trip --- part of my Have More Fun resolution.  I know I'll be headed back for B's birthday party in a month or so, but wanted to see them before then!  I was there fewer than 24 hours but we had fun!

I left before lunch to head back.  I found a great Legends of Country radio station in Houston that I could listen to until I got to College Station. 

I need to do better with my food, so I did some basic meal planning for the week.  That made my shopping list and trip a little easier to plan.  I did some prep work by roasting some sweet potatoes and white potatoes tonight.  Tomorrow night, I'll put together the stuffed bell pepper filling that I'm going to eat for supper this week. I won't actually make stuffed peppers, but the filling is yummy (the bell pepper makes its way into the filling)!  For breakfast, I have stuff for smoothies or apples.  Lunch will be an omelet, chili or leftovers. For snacks, I have cheese sticks, applesauce, sweet potatoes and a few other options that can be weighed and measured.  It's my first foray into meal planning but I hope that putting it on paper and figuring out ways to be more creative, I'll do better at tracking my food and save money!