The Color Run 2013

Back in December 2012, I had mentioned here that some friends and I had signed up for "The Happiest 5k On The Planet" aka The Color Run!  I had every intention to train for this event and actually try to run the whole thing, which would've been a first...but one slight...ok major  detail changed that.  Fast forward to May 19, 2013 and the day had come!  The only thing that had changed between December and May was the fact that I got pregnant and was having bad sciatic pain already.  I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to actually run the 5k with my girls, but very luckily, two of my other good friends and had signed up and were planning on walking!  So YAY!  Built in walking buddies!

Fawn, Takia, Christina and I all woke up at the butt crack of dawn, hopped into one car and headed down to Washington D.C. for the day as we were PUMPED to get to do our first Color Run...and do it together!  I was a little apprehensive at how well my back would hold up, because at 10 weeks pregnant, I had done a 5k (with my mom and daughter to help benefit Breast Cancer Research) two weekends before and I was in pain for about a week from it.

Here's a quick shot from that day!

Anyway...at 12 weeks pregnant and just peeking into my 2nd trimester after a very rough 1st trimester, I was ready to take on the challenge and have a BLAST while doing it!

L to R: Me, Christina, Takia, Fawn - Before the race

We arrived about an hour before race time, got to pick up our packets with our Color Run Tshirt, a packet of color powder to throw at someone at your convenience, 2 removable tattoos, your Color Run race number, a sweat band...how thoughtful!  We were ready!  :)

Our plan was to meet my two walking buddies around the start line.  We headed to the there only to find out that you couldn't get any where near it because  you had to wait in line through thousands of people to even see it!  It was insane!  We probably waited in line for about 40-50 minutes.  Met a very nice unicorn who offered to get his picture with us while we waited. :)

We also decided to snap a good bit of "before" shots since we were still nice and clean.

We finally arrived at the start line, I met up with my two walking buddies, Kat and Emily, and Fawn, Takia and Christina took off running and we agreed we would meet up at the finish line!

Here's a picture of Kat and I, before we got to any color

Kat, Emily and I after getting hit with a little orange

We tried to snap some pictures as we went along the course, but no one really wanted to take out our cell phones, because our hands were covered in colored powder and we didn't want to take the chance if it ruining our phones.

Each kilometer you run through you get sprayed with a different color (5 colors total).  By the end of the race, we looked like this:

It was SO MUCH FUN!  The only thing that was not fun to say the least was that my sciatica back pain was beyond throbbing and beyond painful.  I just wanted nothing but Tylenol, a bunch of water, something to eat, and to lay down.  It hurt so bad to get through that race and cross that finish line.  But I needed to.  I came that far, it was planned 5 months in advance, and I had nothing but support from my friends who were there with me!  Just as we came around the last turn and the finish line was in sight, I kicked up my pace and actually managed to jog across the finish line!  Despite my immense pain, I kept a smile on my face.  Fawn snapped a great picture of me as I finished!

Even though my head is half cut off, I still love this picture!

We all had a very busy, fun and personally rewarding day!  So glad I got to share it with some of the girls I love!  I can't wait to do it again and maybe next time with my family of four!  :)

My 2013 Resolutions

Resolution  [rez-uh-loo-shuh n]  noun
Definition:  determination, strong will


Many people don't participate in making New Years resolutions for themselves.  A lot of people don't want to "waste their time" making a list of something they feel that they probably won't commit to.  That's understandable.

I used to be one of those people.  I would make a list of things I wanted to do within the new year and would stick with it for maybe 2 months tops and then start slacking.  It's a shame really.  I've disappointed myself too many times doing it this way.  But this year...I feel more headstrong and feel that with a little help and support from my family and friends, I WILL accomplish my goals and will have a bigger smile on my face come December 31, 2013 than I have in previous years on that date.

So without further ado, here is my list of goals for 2013.

Write it down.  I have depended so much on electronics for things within the last 2 years of not being in the working field.  This is not a bad thing, but for me, I noticed it was.  When I worked I used to have sticky notes all over the place in my office, of "to do lists" or goals, or reminders.  Same with being at home.  I would write lists of chores, or meals, or "to-dos".  Since I've gotten away from having an organized office space, I've used my lap top and phone more for things like that and I have realized that if I don't have the list in front of me, it doesn't get done.  If I have to search for it in my phone or app or laptop then it will get overlooked more than looked at and will get pushed to the back burner.  This year I will be physically writing down my work outs, my Scentsy meetings, my chores, my grocery lists, etc.  And to do this, I have purchased my first Erin Condren Life Planner!  I have seen so many people use these and speak so highly of them, so I thought I'd give it a try!  I'm already in love!  Plus it was a nice gift to myself for beginning my own business :)

Isn't it pretty? :)

Believe in myself.  There's a particular reason that I've learned and it is why I haven't done well at following through with things.  That is fear of failure.  If/When I quit, I don't give myself the opportunity to fail.  I don't have to make myself deal with the disappointment.  I think the path that I am on is a good one and it's making me realize more and more how to believe in myself and when I actually do, I'm usually rewarded.  I am also learning how to deal with disappointment because nothing is perfect and nothing will ever go 100% as planned.

Stick to fitness.  Using my first resolution mentioned above, physically write down a weekly workout plan and stick to it.  I can't drink coffee without a lot of cream and a lot of sugar, so my goal is to stick to hot herbal teas with honey.  Drink more water.  Eat less junk.  Sometimes I think that maybe I don't want it bad enough to keep starting and stopping, but I really do.  Motivation is key and it needs to happen every day, not just every now and then.  I'm working on that!  I am running a 5K race in 131 days after all.  I have to be ready for it!  Plus I seemed to have gained my baby weight back.  :(  Damn you holiday treats!

Get it together.  Organization is key.  Over the years, I have somehow become more and more disorganized and I have realized that it has caused me much unnecessary stress.  Hopefully in the Spring or Summer of this year we will be in a different house and can better organize our things since we won't be relying on a usually flooded, spider dungeon basement to store our things.  Also when we are able to, we will be getting rid of A LOT of things that we don't need or use and this will help!

Stick to blogging.  I love that I have picked up blogging a LOT in the last 12 months and I want to continue to do that.  My goal is to publish 2-3 posts a week every week.  Along with writing more often, I hope to finally come up with a new redesign and finally feel comfortable in my blogging skin.  Not that I don't feel comfortable now, I just feel different from what I started out with.  I'll just be "Cassie" instead of a mommy blog "Mama Cassie".  Not that I mind being a "mommy blog", but I'm more than just a mother.  :)

Be in photographs.  I have thousands upon thousands of pictures that I take and there aren't really many of them that I am in.  I also would like to have more pictures of Justin, Annaliese and I as a family of three.  We don't have many, other than "specific occasions  that we have a picture of us three in.  It's been almost 15 months.  This should stop.

Read a book (or 12).  I am giving myself a challenge of reading a book a month for the year.  And no, a 10 page Dr. Seuss book doesn't count here.  I do love to read books and blogs too, of course, but lately I have only been reading blogs and have put my books on the back burner.  I think I can.  I think I can.

More of me.  Concentrating on my new business, going to the gym, doing crafts, reading books, baking (healthy) goodies...these are all things that I love doing that I haven't given myself time for lately.  It's very challenging to find a balance of family, marriage, and personal time, but I know it can be done and it can be done in a healthy way.  Balance is also key.

More "us" time.  By the time the toddler is in bed and asleep, most nights the husband and I are too tired to even look at each other, let alone cuddle and watch a movie.  I miss spending time along with my husband, ya know?  He's still my world and my best friend and I want to spend more nights alone with him.  I think we need to arrange at least one night a month where we find a sitter and go have dinner out together.  We need time to ourselves on a more consistent schedule.

All in all these are things that I want to put my everything into trying for this year.  All I have to do is believe I can and I will.  Here's to believing!

CHEERS 2013!

Do you have any New Year resolutions?  If so, what are they and how do you plan to stick with them?

Color Run, Here I Come!

You all have probably heard of a Color Run, right?

It's a national tour of a mapped out 5k in many large cities where people of all ages can participate in running, walking, skipping, crawling to the finish line while getting blasted with a rainbow of powdered color the whole way through!

Check out this video!  It pretty much explains everything that happens!  :)



Well my best friend, Takia and I had tried to sign up for The Color Run last year and participate in the Washington D.C. tour.  Unfortunately two weeks after the starting sign up date, they were sold out!  I didn't realize how popular it was at the time.  We were very disappointed but prayed that there would be another opportunity ahead.  I signed up to be on their VIP email list to be one of the first people to hear about another Color Run event in the area.  I received an email stating that there will be another race in D.C. in 2013 and sign ups will start on Dec 1, 2012.  I mentioned this to some of my friends and quickly got a few "We're in!" responses!

Well...

We're in!  I have signed up and I am officially going to do my first ever Color Run on May 19, 2013!  I can't wait to have another 5k notch on my belt!  This time, my friends and I are going to try to create a time to beat for all of us!  Motivation is key for any work out and it helps to have friends and family on a journey with you to do so!  I am so excited for this new adventure in our Nation's Capital!
I am ready to get back on schedule with running and working out and be ready to run this awesomely messy color race next year!

I'm blessed to have my awesome friends, my always supportive family and my super supportive and awesome blogging buddies!  Thanks for being there to cheer me on!