Black Girls RUN!/ Drive to End Hunger 10K

I completed the BGR- Drive to End Hunger 10K on 9/16/12. 

This was my 2nd official 10K and the FIRST 10K for my sister!!  She and I ran this together and my (our..lol) time was 1:16:33.  I say OUR time because we stayed together the whole race and I gave her that boost when she wanted to walk and catch her breath.  Since she asked me to help her finish in 1:15, that was my goal.  We were a minute late, but still very happy with the finish time. :)

 

 Congrats to her for finishing her first 10K.  She's already talking about training for a Half Marathon!

                                I had so much fun!  I absolutely LOVE running with my sister:)
                                 

Labor Day Race - ATL 20K

I participated in the Runningnerds ATL 20K (12.4 miles) Individual race on 9/1/12. I completed this race with a time of 2:15:32 and a pace of 10:54/M. Honestly, I thank my son for that time because that morning he had a Taekwondo ceremony and I was RUSHING to make it there on time. Every time I started to walk, I forced myself to continue running because I HAD to finish quickly for my little boy:)  I'm normally much slower!! (ssshhhhh). 

Atlanta's Finest 5K race

Another 5K on the books! Participated in the ATC Atlanta's Finest 5K on Saturday, August 4, 2012. I PR'd this race and my time was 31:32. This was my second time running this race. Last year my time was 35:48. I'm definitely improving:) 

Sporting my new race T-Shirt!

2nd Half Marathon..YAY!

I ran my SECOND Half Marathon on Saturday, August 18, 2012!!! This was a night time race called the AREA 13.1.  The proceeds benefit the Matthew E. Russell Foundation and Life Connection Ministries; who provide help to the people of South Africa through education, feeding programs, educational libraries and much more.

So now that I've chilled most of the morning.  Let me share the good, the bad and the ugly of my 2nd Half Marathon...
The good...I beat my time for my last half by about 30 seconds!! Hey, that's a big deal to me! I felt full of energy from mile 1-4...music was on point, had a nice pace, overall just feeling good. One of my running buddies, RS, was still in my sight! What?!?!? YAY! This woman runs with a steady pace and never stops to walk.  If I can see her, I'm doing good.  I was in my groove, ready to tackle the next 8.... The bad...by mile 5-7...started getting tired and the countdown to mile 13 began. Was starting to get super tired and could no longer keep up with the 2.30 pacers or RS! They left me in their dust. LOL. The UGLYS...by mile 8 I was EXHAUSTED! HUNGRY! And just wanted mile 13 to HURRY UP and get here already. It started raining on us at mile 10 and I'm paranoid my precious iPhone would get wet. While trying to keep it dry, several areas were DARK. Now I'm paranoid I'm gonna fall again like I did last year!! So now I'm walking quite a bit. Don't know if my other running buddies LL or RW are behind me or in front. At mile 11, I'm cramping big time. By the time I see mile 12, it took FOREVER for mile 13 to get there! But most importantly, I FINISHED!!!!! YAY!!! 

After the race, as I said, I was HUNGRY...finished the night with some Mexican and a Mango Margarita! I slept like a baby, LOL!!

My baby and I ran a race together on Saturday, July 14, 2012. We did the Decatur DeKalb YMCA 4 miler sponsored by the Atlanta Track Club. It was our first official race together where we actually ran in intervals. We walked whenever she got tired and I didn't push it. My most important concern was to make the race as enjoyable for her as I could because I know she doesn't like to run that much. Since she had such a good time, I'm really hoping she'll be encouraged to participate in more:) She did awesome and we finished those 4 miles like a piece of cake! YAY ZEE!!!

5th Annual HBCU 5k Race

This morning, I supported our HBCU's and participated in the 5th Annual HBCU 5k.  I ran this same race last year and this event has raised over $124,000 for scholarships benefiting deserving metro-Atlanta students.  No, I'm not an Alumni of an HBCU school, however, my sister and cousin are graduates from Spelman and Morehouse. :-)

On my way to the race...before I changed into my blue Run Girl Run shirt:)

Sisterlocks were acting right this morning and helped me get ready in 20 min;-)

We had much fun!

We love taking pics!

Myself with two of my fav running buddies, Raquel and Lisa (post race pic, lol)

We are RUNNERS!

We all had a great time..BGR was there representing.  I attempted a sub 30, that didn't happen as it was WAAAAAAY too hot.  The highs this weekend are in the triple digits, and the race didn't start until 8:35am.  Who's silly idea was that?? Smh.  At that time, the temp was already in the mid 80's.  It was super hot and I had no business thinking I'd PR, lol.  Shortly after the race started, I realized that I was just going to have fun and not bother attempting to beat time, run fast and hard, etc.  I took my time and enjoyed the run.  End results...about 36 min.  Another 5k on the books.  Next up...the 2012 Decatur-Dekalb YMCA 4-miler:)

Another 5K....One Love Stache Dash

Here's a 5k race I did on Cinco de Mayo and it was super fun! The One Love Stache Dash 5K.  This race was hosted by Tin Lizzy Cantina (Buckhead Location) and 100% of the proceeds benefit One Love Generation, a tax-exempt, non-profit organization that empowers youth to inspire positive local change through art, service and awareness. The registration was $25, and in turn, you receive $25 worth of vouchers for food and drinks at Tin Lizzy to use after the race.  Um...WIN WIN!! :)

I PR'd this race, completed in 33 min.  Now, I have been running for about a year now...I think it's time I work on my speed.  I have been so concerned with my endurance and pacing myself through breathing, etc, however, I'd like to finish a 5K in at least 30 min or less by now...  So we'll see..because I'd like to work on speed, but a Full Marathon is on the horizon eventually, so my endurance and distance is also very important.  I gotta keep that in mind..

Yes, I did run with the sombrero AND mustache!! LOL! Oh..and sunglasses! Too cool;)

Saw my cuz Ray, he raced too! Don't know if he kept the mustache on or not...

My running buddy Lisa and I....she saw the camera..I didn't. I was too hot and trying not to pass out!

This race didn't start till 9am!! SMH. I was irritated with that because it was so hot and humid, but feeling nice afterwards with my margarita so I got over my irritation fast!:)

 

My 1st Half Marathon----CHECK!!

In other news...as far as my running goes...I completed my first Half Marathon (13.1 miles) on Sunday, March 18, 2012! This race was the 2012 Publix Georgia Half Marathon. I had a BLAST with a time of 2:41.  I almost died at mile 11! But I made it to the finish line..with my own two legs:-)

Races Update

Of course I need to talk about my running!! :) So I ran the Firefly 2011 5K Race on 10/1/11 and I had a blast! It was at Piedmont Park, it was a 8pm race, night time and cold! I beat my time though, 35 min and I finished. The reflective gear was on, glow in the dark accessories were in full effect, it was much fun!

Following that race was the Run Around the Rock which took place on 11/5 and that was 10 miles. It was a run around Stone Mountain park, two times. Surprisingly I did not pass out and I finished this one in two HOURS. When I completed the 5 miles, I was like, "Okay, Nat, you're half way...". When I got to 7 miles, I'm like "3 more Nat and you're done.." When I got to 9 miles...you couldn't tell me nothin! LOL. I was like "YOU GOT THIS!!" I was sooo proud of myself and guess what, I need to start planning for my first half marathon in 2012! Yep, that 13.1 miles does not intimidate me at all, not anymore.

Lastly, let me wrap this up....my kids are driving me crazy in the background right now, lol.

I ran my second 10K on 12/17 and that was the Peachtree Corners Christmas 10K. The highlight of this race was that I set a PR by beating my time back in Sept by 10 minutes! I could not believe it, I was shocked. It was so cold out and I felt pretty tired. Little did I know, I was actually faster than I was months ago because I completed 6.2 miles in 1:09 minutes. Yay me!!! :)

The negative part of this race, the roads were NOT blocked off for cars and the cops were fussin' at us to get off the road and get on the sidewalk! What kind of mess is that? How rude? How about block this off and respect us runners?!?! Sheeesh, I digress. Anywho...

Major highlight of 2011???? Finding BLACK GIRLS RUN, ATL!!! I love absolutely love this group, they are THE BEST! Lata....

My First 10K!!!

On another note.....:-)

My running has been going extremely well. I ran the Atlanta's Finest 5K (Atlanta Police Foundation) on 8/6/11, beat my time from the HBCU race and even got my sister and cousin to join this one. This was their first race ever and they said they had a great time. I'm sure my sister really meant it because she now is even participating in races on her own:) She just did the Be the One 5K race on 9/24/11 that was held at Atlantic Station. Donations for this event help patients with leukemia and lymphoma. My sister is doing is great, she was able to shave off some time from her previous race last month!

Black Girls Run and I:)

My sister, Simone, and I. I love that girl.....

As for me, I suffered from my first FALL on 9/3/11!! My fall happened while I was participating in a group run with the fabolous Black Girls Run group, called myself getting in about 4 miles at the least to get ready for my upcoming race, and as soon as I took off with my run, my knees, my hands and then my CHIN met the concrete in that very order. Uneven pavement...smh. Now I know to keep my eyes on the pavement, pay attention, pick up my feet properly and try not to do that nonsense ever again. LOL. Needless to say, no running happened that day or the next...lol.

I ran my FIRST 10K Race on Labor Day!!!! YAY!!! I did the Atlanta Classic 10K (6.2 miles)Road Race in Cobb County, Mableton GA. My time was 77 min and I am happy with that, considering the fact that it was RAINING on race day, the course included THREE very steep hills to climb AND I FELL and bust my a** two days prior to the event. The race was difficult, but I finished and that is all that matters!! :)