Saturday, March 27, 2010

Crazy Week

I have been absent from the blogging world lately... it has been a crazy last ten days! Last Thursday, Mr. Hoosier and I left for Chicaog to go see my brother graduate from Navy Basic Training; he is officially a Sailor, and it was an amazing experience, and oh so great to see him! We spend the weekend there with my family, which was so fun. We returned home to get inducted into our church. Monday was my birthday... 26... YIKES!!!! This one hit me hard! Yes, I celebrated all week. Now it is Saturday, I am going on an 8 mile run, and then catching a plane to Florida. I can't wait! I will be spending Spring Break in Tampa with my good friend, Liz.

Have a great week.

Until next time,
H =)

Monday, March 15, 2010

Book #5- Check

Hooray!!! I completed book #5 last night, however, I am paying for it today. Yes, I stayed up past 1am to finish book #5; it was an excellent read. I read Jodi Picoult's Harvesting the Heart. Jodi is one of my favorite authors and she often times writes about very controversial topics that "hover the line". However, this book was perfect- now probably second behind My Sister's Keeper.

Now, I am on to book #6 of my 20 for the year 2010. I am thinking I will definitely surpass 20 for the year, especially with my relaxing Spring Break in Florida just two weeks away. So, I now have 3 books sitting on my kitchen table, and can't decide which to open up first. All of my three books are reccommendations from blogging friends or facebook friends, so thanks, friends!

Well, I am off, to read one of the three books. Mondays are my rest day from workouts... ahhh!!!

Until next time,
H =)

Friday, March 12, 2010

I Did It

That's right, friends, I registered for the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. I can't believe it! This will be my first ever marathon and I am excited. The marathon is October 10th (a day after Mr. Hoosier's birthday). I thought October would be a perfect time to run a marathon: the weather (let's hope) will be mild, I won't have to deal with snow for my training, for the majority of my training I won't be in school, and I will already have a solid base from the half marathon. So, with all of this being said, I have no idea what to expect while preparing for this race. I don't even have a time goal set for myself. I know it's my first and I should just be concerned with finishing, however, I am much more motivated when I have a time in my head to shoot for. I can run a half marathon in under two hours (about 1:55), so for all your vetran marathoners out there, what would be a good time goal to shoot for?

I will be running it with my good friend and running buddy R. I am so excited she decided to do it and that we are going to be able to train together. I am not confident I would have been able to make it on those long runs without someone else.

I will be happy to take any tips and advice while training for this race. I can't believe I am doing it, but am so excited.

In addition, R and I will both be running this marathon as a Girls on the Run SoleMate, which was actually the determining factor in me choosing to actually do this. As a SoleMate, we will be running to raise money (at least $262) for Girls on the Run of Hamilton County. When I found out that the Chicago Marathon was the official partner of Girls on the Run SoleMates I decided that I must do it, so here we go! As I am training, my motivation will be that this is not just for me, but also for the girls of my community. I am doing this to provide them with the opportunity to "live a life full of self respect and healthy living".

So, please follow and support me on this journey to not just 26.2, but also $262 for Girls on the Run of Hamilton County! If you would like to donate to my efforts, follow this link- any donation is greatly appreciated and will be applied to efforts to continue to offer Girls on the Run to the girls of Hamilton County.

http://www.active.com/donate/SoleMates2011/HNichol44

Until next time,
H =)

Saturday, March 6, 2010

A Sunny Snapshot Saturday

That's right, it is FINALLY sunny in Indiana, and the snow is almost gone! I think Spring is really trying to come to stay. What better way to enjoy the sun this morning than with a 6 mile run on the Monon.

But before that, here is my snapshot Saturday....

Boy, oh boy do I ever miss these two! Just two more weeks and we wille watching my brother graduate from Bootcamp and spending the weekend with him in Chicago. I am so excited! I have the best siblings!!! (This picture was taken last year at my sister's birthday)


I know I look disgusting in this photo, but it's okay, I love the memory AND I love her! This picture was taken as my sister and I were driving to Georgia for spring break- safe, I know!!! Last year, we took a "sisters trip" to Georgia to visit my Aunt and cousins. We made it in the car together for 12 hours! It was a wonderful bonding experience. We planned on doing the same this year, but our dreams were shot when we found out we had different spring breaks (sad face).

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! After my run, maybe Mr. Hoosier and I will take Bailey for a walk and put some chicken on the grill... sounds like my kind of day!

Until next time,
H =)