Passing judgement while being passed

If there's one thing I've learned while running it's to never ever judge another runner! This goes for all workouts really. You have no idea where they are in their personal journey. It could be their first day, or 10th year. They could have logged 5 miles or 5000 and there's no way to tell by just passing by, or being passed in my case. I find that I am frequently judging myself while I work out and often wonder what others must think of me. It's stupid but I wonder if others get inspired or if they are just thinking "my god is that chick going to make it".


I was thinking as I ran yesterday about why I run. I run to be healthy for my kids and to provide an example of the things they can accomplish if they work towards a goal. I run for me, both my physical appearance and my sanity improve after each mile. I run to disprove the things "I could never do"... I once told myself I could never be a runner, that I could never run 3 miles, never run a Half Marathon, etc. So I set new goals for myself, I push my comfort zone, and I work on improving.

So when I'm being passed by the 80 year old woman who looks like she is barely moving, or the 6 year old girl running with her dad, I like to turn around and look at those behind me. I know that every person in front of me and behind me all has their own story and their own reasons that they "run". Who am I to judge?

Here are some photos of my personal journey:
First ever 5k (which turned into a 10k by accident but that's another story) October 2011

 My first Half Marathon - February 2012

 Return to running - First 5k 6 weeks after having my daughter - March 2013

My 5th Half Marathon - April 2014  And my most recent 5k 4/26/14

My many hats - Mom, Runner, Cupcake baker, etc. etc. and so forth

So somewhere I've started a blog in the past, but I couldn't find it, so I'm starting over. I'm Nicole a 30 something mother of two. My day job is specialty medical billing, but I fill my time with so much more than just work. As I mentioned I have two kids... I think they are pretty awesome. Austin is 6 going on 26 and Addison turned 1 in January. If they didn't keep me busy enough in addition to my full time job I also own and operate my own home based bakery specializing in cupcakes. I opened that this year and so far it's turning into something positive and I love it. I am also a runner. I completed my 5th Half Marathon this past weekend.

So Cupcake Runner .... that could also be considered drug runner by some since I've been accused of hiding addictive substances in my frosting. I can be seen making parking lot cupcake drops and the old leave the money under the brick and take the goods from the front porch happens weekly. I'm also part of an amazing running group, Mom's Run This Town. We call ourselves team cupcake, and I have been known (or expected to) bring cupcakes to our group runs and events. So to me cupcakes and running go hand in hand.

What to expect from this blog..... well I don't know yet, we can figure that out together.

www.jonesin4cupcakes.com    www.facebook.com/jonesin4acupcake

Mustang 50th Anniversary Half Marathon - LAS VEGAS

Viva Las Vegas! I knew as soon as I heard about this run that I had to find a way to make it happen. #1 it's a race centered around the 50th Anniversary of the Mustang... #2 it was held in Las Vegas at the speedway. I had no idea how I was going to make it work but thanks to my cupcake business blossoming I had some extra cash and made it happen. So my 5th Half Marathon was going to be this one and I was going to rock it!

  

Now I've been to Vegas at least 20 times, it's always fun but it's not new to me anymore. But I talked Rachel into doing to race with me and it was her first time in Las Vegas. It's always fun to see someone's reaction the first time they are there. We did way too much walking around the day before the race, but there was a lot to see. 

The weather was dry and about 60 degrees at the start of the race, but it got hot quick once out running on the asphalt in the desert. I think it was 70 degrees when we finished but at points it felt way hotter. We went into the race thinking that after the hills of Fairview we would certainly be faster on the flat route. Unfortunately that was NOT the case. It's been so cool and humid in Texas that my body was not ready for the dryer warm climate. I would say I easily consumed 1 1/2 gallons of water/powerade during the race. I mean it was the Mojave Desert after all. 

 

 

  But there were Mustangs to look at along the route as well thankfully.

I must say though without Rachel I don't know how I would have finished this race. This was the first time ever that just sitting down on the ground and letting someone come pick me up crossed my mind more than once. I am not a quitter but on this day I seriously considered it. It was my slowest half marathon to date. My 5th race was my slowest. But as with each challenge I learn something about myself. I learned on this race that even though I didn't train well enough, and was not ready for the heat, that good running music and a good running partner can make hell in the dessert .... more fun.

We were totally faking it for this picture. And I was about to cry in the next one.

I didn't rock it...BUT WE DID IT!   I DID IT!   And for at least a little while I'm backing off the long distances. I do plan on picking them back up after the summer but for now I'm done.

Oh and I must add that Sparkle Skirts are the ultimate running apparel. We saw several sparkle sisters along the course which was another good distraction and easy conversation starter.

Fairview Half Marathon - 4/5/14 Fairview Tx

Time for Half Marathon # 3 in 90 days... which qualifies me for the Half Fanatics running group. Mark that off the goal list. The Fairview Half was a local race that again my crazy awesome running friends were signed up for.

It was aforementioned to be a hilly course and boy they didn't lie. BUT with the help of my friend Rachel I finished in a new record time. Still way slower than most people but faster than I have been before. I have always been told to run your own race, don't rely on anyone else to run it for you. But it sure is better to have someone run it with you. Cassie and Jessica joined us and we stayed together as a group all the way up until about the last mile. There were two distinct points in the race when either Rachel or I were encouraging the other that we could do this. "Pull up your big girl panties and lets go!" was at least one phrase used. The hills were rough on our bodies.

I was really impressed by the amount of race support at this event, there were people all along the route cheering. It's so much nicer running a race with distractions. This race had beautiful houses, horses, lamas, cows, good water stations, gummy bears, and local folks cheering along the way. I certainly recommend this race to others.