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.

Love Run - Half Marathon - Huntsville Tx

Girls Trip.... those were the words that sold me on this race. Oh and by the way it's a trail run. So what if I've never run a trail in my life. I could do this!

Once again my crazy awesome runner friends convinced me that "it will be fun" and I signed up for the Love Run Half Marathon in Huntsville Tx. I was promised it was an "easy trail" and since I have nothing to compare it to I can't dispute them. I got exactly 1 training run on a trail in before this race. Due to the cold and icy conditions there weren't any suitable trails to train on, and the one run I did I heard nothing but complaints from the experienced runners. So clearly the prancercizing we were doing wasn't to be expected and considered normal.

The day before the race my husband dropped me off in Allen where the other moms live and we carpooled down to Huntsville. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive without traffic. Or at least I think that's how long the drive took, we were cutting up the whole way so the time went quick. We stopped for yummy goodies at the Collin Street Bakery (my first time there) and had dinner at a good place I think called the Farmhouse.

Race morning it was a bit brisk out but certainly warmer then it had been every other weekend up to that point. I was actually able to wear short sleeves. Catherine was my running buddy that day and we were right on pace feeling good the majority of the race. The path was narrow for a lot of the route but we were able to run side by side for most of the way. Several hills that were not mentioned in the "it will be fun" disclaimer but we conquered them.  Catherine did step wrong on a rock or something about mile 11 and had a foot injury for a while but finished like a champ. We never got off track, amazingly we didn't fall either. I will certainly do this race again in the future as long as my runner friends are making a girls trip of it.

Polar Dash 14 miler race review & recap

So my goal for 2014 was setting out to do 1 organized race per month for the entire year.... this goal was escalated quickly to wanting to become a member of the Half Fanatics running group. To be a Half Fanatic you have to run 3 Half Marathons (or longer) in a 90 day time frame or 2 Half Marathons in a 16 day period.

My first Half Marathon of the year was the Polar Dash 14 miler. Yes I know what you're thinking, way to be an over achiever right out the gate. Believe me by mile 13 I was more than ready to be done, but I had to cross the finish line which was an additional mile away.

I signed up for this race because the fantastic crazy mom's in my group said it would be fun. These are famous last words and I should know to go the other way when they are spoken but I get sucked in every time. Actually I signed up because the half in December I had been training for was cancelled due to ice and I knew if I didn't sign up right then for another race I would never train to run a race again.

So Jan 25th I arrived at the race, it was a chilly day but not as cold as it had been. Plus the race organizers gave out super cute penguin hats and fleece jackets, so it made the cold more bearable.

I was doing pretty well for the first 6 miles, until I noticed the blisters starting on my left foot just under my big toe. I stopped to fix my sock and told the ladies I had been keeping up with to go on without me and I'd catch up. Well.... I never caught up but I did finish WAY behind them. The course was 3 loops, loops means you run the same course or portion of the course over and over. On the last loop I felt very alone. By mile 11 or maybe it was 12 I got to where I didn't see anyone. Seriously I didn't see another runner at all. By mile 13 the guys driving the golf cart tried to pick me up and drive me to the finish. If I had anything to throw at them I would have. I wasn't quitting with 1 mile left to go. I was being told I was the last runner on the course. ... turned out there were 4 people about 30 minutes behind me but I was the last supported runner meaning when I passed by the last water stop they packed up and shipped out. 

When I crossed the finish line a few of my awesome runner friends were there waiting for me. They seriously rock. After feeling so alone for those last few miles I immediately was happy again. Happy to be finished but happier to be finishing among friends.