Birthdays and Back to Life

Thank you all for your kind words and wishes of wellness on my last post.  They worked because I'm finally feeling like a human being again!  Man, last week was rough.  I still don't know what I had because I didn't have any traditional cold symptoms.  My best guess is that I had a mild case of bubonic plague.

Anywayyyyyyyyy, I'm feeling almost fully recovered now and have regained about 95% of my speaking voice.  Which is kind of shame because I just missed my one and only opportunity to be a 1-900 operator with that raspy, hoarse voice.  Oh well.  Moving on.........

This weekend I went back to PA because I had two very important birthday parties to attend. 

First, on Saturday, I attended the 12th birthday celebration of my best friend's step daughter.  I have known this sweet funny girl since she was about 2 I think?!  I can't believe she's a 'tween' already!  It's kind of a strange feeling to see kids grow up before your eyes.  I remember running around the house playing hide and seek with her when she was a toddler and now she is into make up, Snapchat and has a "boyfriend"?!  How did this happen?

 

 

 

In addition to that silly girl's birthday, my nephew had a celebration of his own on Sunday when he turned 4!  I'll tell you, it's not until you, or people you know, have kids that you realize how fast time goes.  I have no idea where the past 4 years went.

 

His party was at a ski resort back home and was pretty much beyond any 4 year old's wildest dreams. 

 

 

 



You see that there bounce house?  Well, you're looking at the ONLY adult in attendance who tried that puppy out! HAHAHA  I had not only one, but two, nephews who would not go in there without Aunt Jilly.  So in I went.  An Aunt's gotta do what an Aunt's gotta do.  Like a good nanny, I tried to maintain order inside that thing, but have you ever seen the inside of a bounce house filled with more than a dozen kids hopped up on sugar and on a birthday party high?! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

I also partook in the photo booth, again with children in tow:

 

 

 

I ended up having to drive down a mountain and back to Baltimore in the rain and dark late Sunday night but it was worth it to make this boy SMILE! 

 

 

 

My nieces and nephews are young and still idolize me a bit, but I know the day will come when they probably won't want to be seen with me, so I'm taking it all in while I can :)





In other news, after taking FIVE days off from working out/running last week while I was dying, I finally felt strong enough to head out for a run on Saturday.  It was my first really chilly outdoor run of the year so I layered up, but honestly I was so happy to be running after almost a week off I didn't even feel the 30 degree temps!  I ran a 5k in my Hokas and yes, I'm still loving them.  They honestly felt great right out of the box for me and there was no break-in period.  They're also the lightest shoes I've ever worn, which is a really nice, fast feeling.  I'll write up a formal review when I put more miles on them.

While I was home, I also got to witness the unveiling of my mom's always highly anticipated annual Christmas card!  My mom LOVES her family.  She just does.  Her children, and now grandchildren, are her life, and her pride and joy.  Because of this, the woman still designs and sends out photo Christmas cards every year.  Behold this year's winning compilation:

I can't tell you how great it feels to be back in the land of the living once more.  I've resumed planking and now have to make up about 4 or more minutes of missed planks?! Let's see if I can hold a plank that long.

Thanks again for your get well wishes :)


If have kids, or know kids, does it seem like they just grow up in the blink of an eye?!

How was your running weather this weekend?

Do you send out Christmas cards?

Running for a Cause and Celebrating Life

As I mentioned in my last post, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and this past weekend I had the opportunity to run in the Women's 5K Classic, a race that benefits breast and female cancer research and education in the Lehigh Valley, PA.  I ran this race with my sister and met a few of her friends there as well.  [A little history:  This was my sister's very first race last year!  She signed up for a 5K training program last summer and this was the goal race.  As you know, she later went on to run 2 half marathons!]

Jillyruns/IG

 

 

The morning of the race was pretty chilly in PA, but I knew I'd warm up right away so I opted to wear shorts and a tshirt.  Being the usual clueless human being that I am, I didn't even think to bring a PINK tshirt home for this race.  Nearly everyone running this race was wearing pink.  The starting line was literally a sea of pinkness.  And then there's Jilly wearing her drab gray Runner's World Half race shirt from last year.  Oh well.  I think it made it easier for my brother-in-law and nephew to pick me out at the finish line! 

 

 

 

This race did not go as well as I'd hoped.  Truth be told, I haven't been training for speed at all this year, and I've been taking it kind of easy since my half marathon last month, however, I finished at least 30-45 seconds slower than I normally run a 5K.  The course was very hilly (my sister said they changed it and it was hillier than last year's) so that was part of it.  [I've also been on a new migraine medicine the past couple of months which has honestly been wreaking havoc on my body!  It's made my workouts and running seem harder and actually made my headaches worse so needless to say, I will be discontinuing it! Anyone else here deal with migraines on the reg?]

 

I started off fast, probably too fast.  My first mile split was 8:14 which is speedy for me.  I then proceeded to POSITIVE split the crap out of this race! Hahahaha.  2nd mile came in at 8:29 and mile 3 was 8:33.  In other words, how NOT to run a 5K.  There were 5 hills in this 3 mile course.  Trying to run fast while also running up and down constant hills is not fun.  By the last hill, I was so nauseous I was pretty certain I was going to puke.  Well, thankfully that didn't happen, but I was not feeling good.  I got some proofs from the race and it's pretty obvious I'm not feeling like a ball of sunshine and rainbows here:

 

 

 

I crossed the finish line and thought, as I do after every 5k, 'Thank God that's over'!

 

Official time:  26:13.  (146/1984 runners; 12/67 in 35-39 age group) And that my friends, is my slowest 5K ever! Yippee! 

 

However, the point of this race was not the running at all.  I ran this race for a cause far greater than a PR.  There were many breast cancer survivors in attendance who walked, ran or spectated, and there were markers along the course dedicated to women who lost their battles against the disease.  That sobered me up real fast.  I am running for people who can't, and for people who may never be able to run again.  There will always be another 5K.  I will have the chance to run, or improve my times over and over again (God willing) but this race was about raising money and awareness for a disease that has taken the lives of far too many women and I'm glad I could participate in that cause.

 

 

In addition to running that race, I had a lot going on back home this weekend.  I took part in celebrating two family members' birthdays.  One was turning 2, the other 89. 

 

After the 5K on Saturday, I headed to my cousin's house to attend the birthday party of one of my godsons.  Watching a 2 year devour birthday cake is up there on the list of most entertaining things ever.  The kid doesn't know many words, but he definitely knows the word "CAKE".  He was literally shouting it out over and over between bites, which then devolved into hysterical joyous giggle fits.  It was outrageously cute. 

 

 

It should really be socially acceptable for people of all ages, and not just toddlers, to dive head first into our birthday cake and eat it with wild abandon.

 

 

On Sunday, my parents invited everyone over to their house to celebrate my grandfather's 89th birthday.  To tell you the truth, I can never keep track of my grandparent's ages, but I had no idea he was that old!  He is still so spry and youthful.  He exercises, golfs and still volunteers at the local library. 

 





 

 

 

He celebrated with cake and like any good Italian, a shot of Sambuca.  BARF!  My Pop Pop has added a shot of Sambuca to his coffee for as long as I can remember.  At every holiday or family gathering, he offers his cherished drink to everyone at the table, and we all refuse.  Nonetheless, everyone in my family always has a bottle of it in their house, specifically for Pop Pop!  The smell alone of that licorice flavored spirit makes me want to vomit.  After cake, my cousins, aunts and grandparents sat around and engaged in some light dinner convo on the topic of Ebola.  Good times.

 



 

Running the breast cancer 5K and celebrating the birthdays of those I loved this weekend made me a little more grateful for my health and my family, and made me say a little prayer for those who are not so lucky.

 

 

If you haven't checked out my last post yet, you can check out Skechers limited release breast cancer awareness products here.



 

Anyone running in any races to benefit breast cancer initiatives this month?

Tell me about your last 5K race!