Half Marathon Update

This post has NOTHING to do with my sewing, but I thought I would give you all an update on my half-marathon training.  Warning: there aren't any pictures and it is a bit long.
As stated in my last post the weather in Oklahoma can be a bit crazy to say the least.  We started the month of February with a record setting Blizzard followed and record low temperatures.  Jenks set a record low at -14 degrees (not including the windchill) on Thursday February 10th while other nearby cities were at -20+ degrees...that is COLD!!!  Needless to say with so much snow on the ground and below zero temperatures there was not much running going on for me.  Here is where it gets even crazier...one week later the temperature was 80 degrees!!  That my friends is a 94 degree difference! 

Just before the blizzard and snow hit I had set a personal record for a long run...7 miles!  After the snow began melting, my running partner, Amber, and I hit the trails again to try to catch back up after almost 2 weeks without running.  The trails along the river had been plowed for the most part and things were beginning to melt.  8 miles later we returned to our cars with cold/wet socks and shoes and had removed a few layers of clothing...later that night I realized I actually got a little sunburn while I was out (nothing major...just a little pink).  Note to self: Sunshine = Sunburn!  The following week the temperatures stayed warm so we were able to get back into our regular running routine.  **We normally run 2 nights each week, 3 mile minimum and longer runs on Saturday with the RunnersWorld Tulsa training group**

All of this to say on Saturday, February 19th, I put on my running shorts & t-shirt to set another personal distance record...9 miles (which included 2 very steep hills).  This training run was set to go through my hometown of Jenks, OK...for those of you who are familiar with Jenks and where my house is, I must tell you that one of the hills went straight up to my house (hill??? it is more like a MOUNTAIN when you are on foot).  We were about halfway up the hill and slowing down, so we had decided to walk the rest when another lady in our training group behind us explained she was watching our feet move in step and we were pulling her up the hill so we couldn't quit!  We picked it back up and made it all the way to the top and then back down through the neighborhood onto the next hill.  We finished our route through the town of Jenks and down Mainstreet along all the antique shops back to the starting point at the Riverwalk.  We finished the training run in just under 2 hours which has us right on track for completing the half-marathon with a good finishing time.  

Upcoming Training Runs...
This weekend...5 miles
March 5th...10 miles
March 12th...St. Patrick's Day 5k to support Special Olympics in Tulsa, OK
March 17-21st...Dad and I will be joining his company in the Bahamas (can't honestly say I will be running 11 miles like the training group will be back home in Tulsa, OK, but I will try to get a few miles completed)
March 26th...at least 5 miles, but probably try to make-up for lost time on the 11 mile
April 2nd...12 miles
April 9th...6 miles
April 16th...13 miles
April 23rd...5 miles
Sunday, MAY 1st...OKC Memorial Half-Marathon!!!!

Oklahoma Blizzard 2011

Have you ever heard the saying "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute it will change."? This statement was so true for us last week.  On Saturday, January 29th, I was wearing shorts and a tank top for my afternoon run considering it was 75 degrees and by Monday evening, January 31st a BLIZZARD WARNING was issued for most of Oklahoma with temperatures struggling to stay in the double digits.  This storm included sleet, snow, and thundersnow.  If you have never experienced "thundersnow" it was...interesting.  It was a record breaking storm for Oklahoma...the most snowfall in one day, one storm, one month, EVER!  The official totals were recorded at 14"!  If you are reading this and you live in the Northern United States I know that is not much snow, but for Oklahoma it is a record!  Since this was a blizzard visibility was very limited and the windchill was extremely dangerous.  We had snow drifts that were waist deep in places.  The snow was deep enough that you could not tell where the street or curb was located.  This was enough to pretty much shut down the city.  The Oklahoma Govenor announced a "State of Emergency" for all Oklahoma counties because of this storm and the funding it would require to clean-up.  We were very fortunate to not have power outages that could have occurred with a storm like this.  Emergency vehicles were stuck all over town as well as 18-wheelers and other vehicles.  Once the snow stopped on Tuesday afternoon I began "digging out".  It took 2 full days to shovel the driveway enough to get out of the garage.  Once the driveway was clear we did venture out for a short trip to Reasor's to get evaporated milk for snow ice cream and some cappuccino (mostly just to get out of the house).  It was a good thing we didn't need more from the store because the shelves were EMPTY...no bread, no eggs, no milk and that is still the case when you go to the store 1 week after the initial storm hit.  On Thursday I drove dad to work since the snow was so deep along our neighborhood street and my Highlander sits higher than his Camry.  A plow did manage to get down the street once to get some of the snow packed down for easier travel.  We have not had trash service since the storm came through and finally got a little mail delivered on Saturday for the first time!  The city crews are working very hard to improve road conditions and everyday services such as bus routes, mail delivery, trash pick-up, etc.

Here are a few pictures from the house and around town.  Enjoy!  

 View from the front door.  The arm of the wooden bench is about 3 feet (that's a lot of snow)

View of the street...you can't see the curb the snow is so deep. 

One of the many snow drifts in the driveway. 

Snowpacked streets

Even the Casino closed. 

Area schools have now been closed since last Tuesday and remain closed due to neighborhood roads still being very slick.  Several businesses were closed most of last week and some had altered business hours.  As if 14"+ was not enough we had another snow storm come through on Friday that left behind another 3-4" and guess what...another storm is headed this way tomorrow with predictions of 6-10".  People/companies that own bobcats and large plows are in high demand around the city right now.  My office was closed last week and if the storm comes through like they are predicting we will likely be closed more this week. 

With all the time off I decided to use it to my advantage to get some sewing projects completed.

Day #1...I put together a new bag to carry my workout clothes/shoes to and from Curves.  I must say it turned out pretty nice.  I even included a couple inside pockets for my cell phone and jewlery.  I was able to use fabric I had left over from another project which means this bag was FREE!

Day #2...I made bags for my nephews.  I had found some material at Joann's a few weeks ago that I wanted to use to make something for the boys for their birthdays coming up, but wasn't sure what to make.  Before the storm hit I was talking on the phone with my sister brainstorming ideas and it came up that they each needed a bag that was not too big, but big enough for an overnight visit to see Gigi & Grandpa Randy or just to carry things around.  I added a magnetic snap to each bag, but didn't make pockets...instead I made a smaller drawstring bag that would be great for a toothbrush, comb, etc. 

Drew's Animal Bag

Josh's Puppy Bag

(sorry it is rather blurry)

Day #3...I made new curtains for my sewing room/office!  I had purchased the material a few weeks ago and was just waiting to find the time to get them made.  I guess it took a blizzard for me to get it done, but they are finished and hung!  My sewing room/office was my bedroom growing up so it hadn't changed much over the years.  The room is painted yellow with dark blue trim to go with my love of sunflowers.  Instead of repainting the entire room (ceiling and ceiling fan included) I found a fabric that would go with the existing colors yet give the room a little change.  The curtains are simple, but I like how they look and it also adds some new colors to the room.  There is still some rearranging and more decorating to happen to this room, which will happen later (maybe during the next snow storm?).  For now, here are the before/after pictures of the window. 

Before

After

Day #4...I began working on some knitting projects, but haven't finished those just yet. 

Day #5 and Day #6...no sewing projects and the driveway was finally clear.  I did get out on Saturday evening to go to dinner and a movie with some friends.  It was nice to spend time with others and start to get back to a normal life again. 

Today, I am back at work, although not much is happening around here...it is hard to pour concrete when there is snow on the ground.  Until this all clears I will just enjoy the quiet days at the office, because Spring is just around the corner and business will be crazy!

I am also sharing this post with a few link parties...CraftoManiac Monday, Look What I Made, Get Your Craft On, and Sew Cute Tuesday