Tammy Salo

Traveling over ground and imagination

Tammy Salo - Traveling over ground and imagination

One Little Word, Again!

It’s a new year and that means I need a new word. Last year I chose “Revivify” as my watchword.

to restore to life; give new life to; revive; reanimate. This rut I’m in needs to be filled in and a new path taken.

I didn’t have a huge overhaul this past year, but I do believe I lived up to my word. I’ve done several races in the past couple of years, but I was getting bored with it and about ready to stop all together when a friend suggested we try an obstacle race. This is wayyyy outside of my comfort zone, so I said yes! What better way to get out of my rut than to try new things to challenge myself!

In fact, I did several races that were a little different for me. First was the 5K Foam Fest, then the Color Me Rad 5K, and last I signed up for a Zombie run (that’s actually this June). Unfortunately, exercise was about the only thing in my life that I changed. I started doing my own weight workouts and I joined a running group. I completed the Muddy Trails 5K even though I said I wasn’t going to do it again. Then, I completed two new races: Run Thru the Woods 5 Miler at Thanksgiving and the Texas 1/2 Marathon on New Year’s Day! I was going to do the 10 for Texas with Mike, but it was right after my throat surgery and I had to give my admission to someone else.

On the health front, I joined MyFitnessPal and met some wonderful people. One of which was the impetus for me trying the different races than I was used to! Hi Amy! I also joined Move More, Eat Well and learned a bit about health and digital scrapbooking. Again, I met some lovely people in this group!

I do feel that I’ve grown spiritually in the past year as well. I’m also more open to trying new things/adventures than I would have been any other time! This year I did my best to try and view things from other people’s perspectives and give back where I could.

All in all, 2012 was a pretty good year (despite having lost two beloved uncles and a scare with my Grandma). Now, however, I’m back to needing a word for 2013 and I’m having a hard time figuring out what it should be. I have some big changes coming up this year that could throw me off my game. With that in mind, I believe I want 2013 to be my year of balance. 2010 was my year of “Transformation“, 2011 I was “Shine“ing, and in 2012 I wanted revivification. See a pattern here?!

I need to balance being healthy with enjoying life. It’s not all or nothing. If I eat poorly at one meal, one day, one week, or even one month I’m not going to give up but I’m going to slowly steer this ship back in the right direction and keep on chugging on. Time at work needs to be balanced more fully with quality time with Mike and my family. Yes, “Balance” will do nicely!

Stack of Stones

Texas 1/2 Marathon, Kingwood 2013

This year I decided to do the 1/2 marathon again on New Year’s Day. What a great way to start the new year! Unfortunately, this year it was a bit rainy. However, it did make for almost optimal running with the cooler temps and no glaring sun!

Last year was the year of the pig. This year was the year of the rat. Nice, right?! They did have a cute inflatable rat in a trap though. It looks all shimmery but that’s just because it was raining.

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My running coach, Liz, was there to cheer us on this year! I also met Sandra and Ruth (Sandra in middle) who will be part of our 4 man Marathon relay in March! That was a pleasant surprise.

Kingwood-Tammy-Sandra-and-Ruth

We all gathered around the starting line trying to stay warm as we waiting for the sun to rise. The park is closed from dusk to dawn, so we had to wait for the dawn to move in!

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At 8 AM, it was officially start time for the Marathon. I had originally signed Mike and I up for the 1/2 Marathon, but Mike decided he was going to run the full. Yep…not training…just jump in with both feet! Doesn’t he look excited?!

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They counted down the seconds then the Marathon group took off. We 1/2 Marathoners were left to wait 15 minutes to give the first group a chance to spread out some.

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This year I had completed all of my training and came through without any injuries, so I was feeling pretty good! When 8:15 AM hit, I was off like lightening! So fast, I’m nothing but a blur!

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Ok, so I wasn’t that fast but I was going faster than I should have been that early in the race. My adrenaline always gets the best of me. I tried to slow it down a bit but I was already starting to get some shin splints. Thankfully they were gone by mile 3. Normally they have signs posted on the trees with everyone’s name, but since it was raining they didn’t have them this time. However, it was still a nice run.

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The loop goes along the greenbelt trails behind and among houses then wraps around Lake Houston. This is one of my favorite parts because you can always see ducks and other birds hanging around.

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There’s a man-made lake that we also run around after the turn around and on our way back to the start. That’s a nice little loop as well. For the 1/2 marathon we get to go around it twice! This is where Liz was waiting to cheer us on. More cowbell please! This photo was after the first loop. I was a bit more fresh that time than the second.

Kingwood-Tammy-at-the-pond

 

I passed Mike several times, as I did many other runners. Since the Marathon people go around the loop 4 times you’ll see them going and coming! I was passed by the two lead Marathoners before I finished my first loop. They were hauling. I believe first place finished in 3:10:00.

When I made the first turnaround, I decided I was going to run until I just HAD to walk. It was too hard to do intervals with all the stopping and starting. Once I stopped running it was very hard to get going again. So, I ended up running (albeit slowly) the last 10 miles of the race! I was hurting toward the end. Mike passed me the last time and made the comment that he was hurting at that point too. Unfortunately, he was just heading out for his last loop while I was about a mile and a half from the finish!

I crossed the finish line with an official time of 3:14:43 which put me at a sub 15 pace (14:52) and was a PR (205 out of 259)!! I was about 9 minutes faster than the year before. I was hurt last year though, so it makes me wonder a bit if I hadn’t been hurt what I could have done. *shrug*

The race photos were kinda funny this year. I looked way too happy (first loop…again!):

Tammy Texas Marathon2

 

Tammy Texas Marathon

 

And Mike looked just flat out bored!

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Liz, Sandra, and Ruth were at the finish line. It was nice to have people cheering me on at the finish line! I grabbed a slice of pizza, a couple of chocolate chip cookies (Hey, I earned it!), and some water while Liz and I waited for Mike to finish. He had a goal of finishing in 4 hours or less. His official time was 4:02:43 (9:16/M; 51 out of 248). That is outstanding for someone who didn’t run any further than 10 miles leading up to this! You could tell he was hurting though as he crossed over.

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I was, and am, very proud of him. We grabbed our medals and headed home. He was so cold afterward he was shaking and just couldn’t get warm. We had the heat up full blast in the car and when we got home I bundled him up in flannel pants, a blanket, and my space heater! This is one reason why we train people!! You have to get your body used to the distances. Mike swore he’d never do another marathon but a few days later he was already calculating how to beat this year’s time!

Even though I said I wasn’t going to, that this 1/2 was going to be my last long run, I signed Mike and I up for the FULL Marathon next year! Afterall, what better year to do my marathon than the Year of the Elephant!

 

 

31 Days of Random Acts of Kindness

In November I decided that I wanted to bring back the holiday spirit to Christmas time and help others out in the process. My main goal was to bring a smile to someone else’s day in some small fashion. I put forward a challenge to my friends and family, but mainly I challenged myself to do one random act of kindness (RAOK) a day for the month of December. Some people participated and some cheered me on. I have to say, this gave me a whole different perspective on how I go about my days. After a month, I’m finding myself looking for opportunities to do something for someone. Before, I would just hurry about my day so I could go home and veg out. I rarely put thought into how a complete stranger’s day may be going. Now, I look forward to possibly brightening their day just a tad! I repeated some of the RAOKs because I’m not that creative!
 
This is the challenge I put forth:
 
My Friends and Family, I have been doing a lot of thought lately about the holidays and the fact that everything is so commercialized that we often lose sight of what’s important in the rush to get “that toy”. I have a challenge I’ll be starting on December 1. I would love for any, or all!, of you to join me. I am going to do at least 1 random act of kindness each day in December. #1) It’s in giving that you truly receive gifts and blessings. #2) By putting other’s first, even if for a moment, we stop long enough to understand that we’re all in this together and need a helping hand from time to time. If you participate, I’d love for you to post on my profile what your RAOK was so I can live vicariously! If you choose not to participate, that’s ok too. As I said, this is a challenge I’m putting forth for myself but would love to see others join me! Love to you all.
 
RAOK #1: Letting the person behind me go before me when checking out.
 
RAOK #2: Handed the waiter a card with some money in it to give to a person/family he felt deserved it.
 
RAOK #3: dropped a dollar on the floor of Office Depot with a note. I was told I shouldn’t spy on my
RAOK, but I had to see what happened! Several people passed it up but one of the workers at the store found it!
 
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RAOK #4: Eating all of the peppermint bark in the office kitchen so the others didn’t eat mindless calories!
ok ok… My actual RAOK! Gave stamps to the Postal worker to give to the next person in line.
 
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RAOK #5: Tipping 50% at lunch today.
 
RAOK #6: Taped a dollar to the coke machine at work.
 
RAOK #7: Gave Mr. Newspaper a gift certificate for dinner. He’s the guy always selling newspapers at 242 and 45.
 
RAOK #8: Left a dollar in the bathroom stall on a small shelf. In hind sight that probably wasn’t the best idea.
 
RAOK #9: Donated a $5 B&N gift card to Methodist Children’s Hospital.
 
RAOK #10: Took a stray shopping cart into the store.
 
RAOK #11: Let a couple of people ahead of me in the car. Anyone that knows my driving knows I usually speed up and let them go behind! :D
 
RAOK #12: Gave a friend some foreign currency and a fifty cent piece for his son who insisted they had to have one in the couch cushions!
 
RAOK #13 and #14: I’m running out of ideas, so I’m repeating some. Moved the cart from the parking lot to the store and allowed people to go in front of me in line.
 
RAOK #15: I made a plate of food and took it up to a fellow employee.
 
RAOK #16: I said good morning and smiled (as best as i could!) at everybody I passed during my 11 mile run!
 
RAOK #17: Keeping a smile and positive attitude when the girl at Walgreens told me they lost my prescription. They finally found it 20 minutes later.
 
RAOK #18: Picked up trash littered on the ground.
RAOK #19: Instead of remoting onto two co-workers’ computers I walked to their buildings and provided face to face service. One woman I had to go to her office, the other two were to provide a more personal experience! :D
 
RAOK #20: put a dollar on a random car. The owner of the first car showed up as I was about to put the dollar on there. That’s ok, this person looks like they need the smile more!
 
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RAOK #21: Tipped the waiter, Cidney, 55%.
 
RAOK #22: After taking my Mother-in-law to a couple of doctors appointments today I offered to take her anywhere else she wanted go instead of hurrying home like I wanted to.
 
RAOK #23: Left a tip for the hotel housekeeper even though we were only staying one night.
 
RAOK #24: Left some money…page 301!
 
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RAOK #25: Left a dollar in the cup holder at the movie theater (the Hobbit).
 
RAOK #26: Maybe not so random but I helped Mom with all the dishes, cleaning, and even gave her my seat!
 
RAOK #27: Paid for the car behind me at Starbucks.
 
RAOK #28: Donated money to the local heritage museum.
 
RAOK #29: Left money in the “take a penny” jar (more than a penny!).
 
RAOK #30 and #31: took a stray cart back to the store, picked up litter, and donated money to Big Brothers and Sisters.
 

Color Me Rad 5K, Austin, Texas

Who knew that mixing food coloring with corn starch could make for a fun race? I originally was supposed to do the Color Run in Houston back in November, but I had to cancel. Thankfully, my friend Amy had already signed up for the Color Me Rad (horrible name, in my opinion!) 5K in Austin, so I decided to hang with her and Jeremy! We had to wear white to the race, otherwise how would you know how colorful you could get?!

I look a bit like a hospital patient with the headband…oh well! There were quite a few people there trying to get shirts and other race swag. Some people would do anything to stand out!

We were supposed to run in the 10:30 heat, but decided to go ahead and line up with the 10:00 crowd. We had gone out to watch some local bands the night before and the last thing we wanted to do was stand around any longer than necessary!

When it’s time to take off, they spray down the front people with color right away then send us out to the course. There were some interesting outfits! It very much felt like an 80′s party (notice the colorful sunglasses and use of “Rad”!).

Throughout the course there were color stations where they would throw different colored powder on you or spray you down with liquid of some sort! The powder was extremely difficult to breathe in.

If that picture doesn’t explain why it’s difficult to breathe, this one should!

The further you got in the race the more colorful everyone was. I ran toward the middle of the group so I wasn’t as covered as most. Which is a good thing because it was hard enough to wash off the color I did have embedded in my ears, nose, and just about every nook and cranny!

After the race they had “color bombs” they set off now and then, which basically consisted of everyone throwing color in the air. You got one free color packet at the finish line but could buy more if you wanted to. I’d be curious to know how much they made on the color packets alone. I’ll make you a bucket full for $20!

Amy and Jeremy got blasted a lot more than I did! We completed the race in 50:47…not too shabby!

Until next year!

Run Thru the Woods, 5 Miles

Mike and I got to the Run Thru the Woods starting line early. They were setting up the awards stand (sorry to the guy whose bum I caught in this photo) and getting ready for the festivities!

They had all sorts of food, including cookies, brownies, bananas, mixed fruit, coffee and hot chocolate. I got a cup of mixed fruit and enjoyed a little extra breakfast.

They had this huge monster truck called the Whambulance. It was strictly for publicity…of course! It’s so big you can’t hardly see the guy standing by the back tire looking underneath it. It’s a bit dark because it was just breaking dawn (no, not with vampires). I met up with Liz and some of the other people in my running group and we did a warm up before the race. I think we did a little over a mile.

Once I finished with the warm up I found Mike again and we lined up for the start. There were a lot of people there! I was a little surprised because it was Thanksgiving morning, but I was also happy to see the turnout!

They have a Pine Cone Award if you run three specific races in three days (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). To promote that, they had this little guy walking around!

The horn blasted and we were off. It’s really hard to see in this picture but about a half mile in to the race we had to go over an overpass. It was really quite cool to see all of the people running up and over the overpass. If you click on the picture you may be able to see the enlarged version.

I looked at my watch as I was approaching the overpass and it said my pace was 12:30. That was wayyy too fast for me, so I slowed it down. Why? So I would be able to run the race without fading out and so I wouldn’t get shin splints! However, it was very hard to slow down too much. I had people going around my right side where there was only an inch or two of running room. Really? Go around the other side people!

I was passed by an older woman toward the beginning that chose as my target. I always pick one woman to try and beat so I keep pushing myself to go. As I got up and over the over pass and 80 year old woman passed me. I felt very small at that point in time! Onward and upward!! About mile 1.5 I passed the red shirt lady (she put up quite a fight because she didn’t want me passing) and was ahead of her for a good 1 1/2-2 miles. She went past me as we entered a neighborhood. That was ok though because I was still going to beat her in the end. She was using up her energy, I was conserving until the end. I also picked out a guy in a red t-shirt that was in front of me too. Apparently, I was the bull being attracted to red!

I wanted to reach the 4 mile mark before I saw Mike again. He always comes back to finish races with me, but I want to be as close to done as I can be before he shows up! One of these days I’ll finish before he comes back…maybe! He ran with me back up the overpass, which stinks at the end of a race, and almost to the finish line. As I was going over the overpass I passed the woman in red again because she had gassed out. So, I set my sights on the man and kept plugging away. Mike took my phone and ran ahead so he could get a picture of me crossing the finish line when we had about  1/4 mile left to go. That’s when I decided to really push it.

I turned on the boosters and gave it all I had. I passed the guy and his wife and was feeling pretty good until I rounded the corner and realized I may have turned it on a little too quick! However, I dug deep and made it across the finish line well ahead of the couple. Mike was no where to be found. When I did find him, he told me he wasn’t able to get a picture of me because he couldn’t figure out how to take the photo and apparently I came to the finish line too quickly because he wasn’t ready! All in all, that’s a win in my book! My official time was 1:10:41 which is a 14:08 pace!! Yeah buddy! I was 2126th out of 2150 participants. Mike finished in 35:57 with a pace of 7:11. I know, right? Men….

Pure determination! These are proof photos from the raceshots people…