Gambler Half Marathon 2015

The poor Gambler must have some curse on it as every single year the weather is horrible. This year was no exception. My view as I gave myself a pep talk to get out and go running was this:

 

 

Not exactly ideal for a 13+ mile run. Especially a run I was highly highly unprepared for. As in my longest run was 6 miles, and a majority of my runs were of the 2-4 mile variety. But I really wanted to participate to support this great event in my community and figured it can't be that bad....

 

 

As you can see from my face it probably was that bad and then some lol. I actually wasn't all that sore or in pain running other than I unfortunatly got a cramp in my calf around mile 4 that stuck around the remainder of the run. Mostly I was just misereable wet and cold. The rain would not let up and it was cold and windy. Bad combo for a girl that hates rain and cold. The highlight of the race was seeing my mom and little brother twice. They graciously volunteered at a water stop (that we passed twice) and cheered me on. They were just as misereable in the rain I am sure.

 

 

I was crazy happy to finish and get out of the rain. Somehow my Garmin VivoSmart had me at  17.38 miles so I for sure have a horrible stride and/or dodge a LOT of puddles along the way. Regardless a full day of steps before noon!

 

 

I figured all that running the the awful weather earned me some after run treats. Chocolate milk for the nutrional value, a donut, and a shock top. Totally deserved and normal combinations right?

For real look at how soaking wet my feet were! Yuck

I also threw in a nice warm cozy bath with some awesome Arbonne products to help warm me up and work out at least some of the soreness that I knew was for sure headed my way later that day.

Overall my time was nothing to get excited about or brag about but hey I finished another half marathon in very less than stellar weather.

 

Official race time was 2.27.52 which was an 11.18 mile pace. For sure slow as a turle for most true runners but not as horrible as I expcted considered my lack of training. One of these days I need to really train for a race again and try for a respectable time :)



Celebrate CB Parade 2014

 

 

Luckily the bug is fixed and was back in parade ready status just in time for this year's event. 

 

Unfortuantly due to a decision by the Celebrate CB Parade Board  there was somewhat of a black cloud over our parade this year. A Veterans float was excluded and it caused many other groups to bow out to support the Veterans. I still participated as I felt as a member of the City Council I didn't want to let down all of the students, businesses, and nonprofits that spend hours or more creating floats, practicing their routines, and preparing for this parade.

We were blessed with a gorgeous weather day and my driver (thank you brother Erik) did amazing. Thankful for that and hopeful a solution will be worked out to ensure the Veterans are not excluded next year. All three of the Head kids particpated in the parade this year and our mom - quite possibly the greatest cheerleader ever - came out to watch us.

It’s Baseball Week in Omaha!!!

Welcome to Omaha College World Series Fans! Games kick off today and I am ready for the fun to start. I love CWS week with all the activity and excitement surrounding the games. I am hopeful the rain will stop each day just in time for tailgating and games. Last night Council Bluffs kicked off the youth SlumpBuster tournament which takes place in conjunction with the CWS. A great start to the festivities but sadly the All Star game ended up rained out.

Turn CB Pink Kickoff

Hey all you CB or Omaha readers!! Come support a great cause , get a really cool t-shirt, and enjoy food and drink with fun people! See you Friday the 30th at Barleys!

If you can't attend but would likea shirt they are only $10 and I am happy to take orders and deliver/ship!

Historic Flood of 2011

More pictures to come soon.

The Flood of 2011

Ventured to Lewis and Clark Monument a few days ago to take in the flooding around Council Bluffs. Was breathtaking, sad, and a little frightening to see what the Mighty Mo is capable of. Praying for the levees protecting Council Bluffs to hold firm and keep us dry all summer! Pictures from the outing coming soon.

*Photos by Joshua Ortman

City Lights

This photo was taken from Fairmont Park looking out over downtown Council Bluffs and Omaha. Pretty cool huh! I think I need to take a photography class so I can learn how to take cool photos!

*Photo by Joshua Ortman

Celebrate CB Parade

With all the flooding concerns I missed posting photos of the Celebrate CB Parade.



It turned out to be a perfect parade day with sunny skies and no rain drops.






There were over 80 entries for the parade and many many spectators lined up along the route.

One of my favorite moments was when we passed by a little girl and she exclaims “look the Princess car”. In reference to our car of females (right now four of the five city council members for Council Bluffs are women!!).

Huge thanks to the committee that organizes the parade, all the volunteers, participants, and spectators (and my mom the photog and greatest supporter on earth). They are what made this day so fun and enjoyable. Always nice to celebrate your hometown!


Capped off with a concert in the park that included one of my favorite musicians.

The Gambler Race Report

I don’t think I can rave enough about how great The Gambler was. Packet pick up was very smooth and the free pasta dinner was excellent. Race day was very organized. Great instructions with where to park, plenty of restrooms, etc…The individuals that ran the race this year did amazing. My favorite was the many water stops; I don’t think I ever went more than about a mile and a half without water. It was great having water available so often on the course. Even better was that I ended up knowing someone at almost every single water stop! It was so fun to run into a friendly face and have a few words of encouragement before tacking more miles. The police officers also did a superb job and offered up a friendly smile throughout the race. And of course my amazing family that shows up to support us crazy runners.

Just a great great race day and the weather was perfect as well (although quite windy at times)! Thanks to everyone that volunteered to help with the race and to all of the spectators that cheered us on. My race time was very similar to the Lincoln Marathon a few weeks ago – a tad bit slower (probably due to all my chatting with the volunteers along the way) I ended up with 2:09:58 so right under 2:10 which was my goal (wishful thinking would have been 2:05 – someday!).

Our next half marathon won’t be till fall. Right now I need to work on speed for an upcoming 5k and recover from the last two half’s. After the race we rewarded ourselves with Harrah’s buffet as seemed legit – and found out my lovely sister-in-law placed second in her age division! Great job Christine!!!

Thanks Miley!

I know this is very un-cool to admit but I already spilled the beans about attending her concert so really how much worse can it get? Miley Cyrus’s song The Climb has always been inspiring to me. Particularly these words:

“There’s always gonna be another mountain – I’m always gonna wanna make it move – Always gonna be an uphill battle – Sometimes I’m gonna have to loose – Ain’t about how fast I get there – Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side – It’s the climb”

When I was given the great honor of being the commencement speaker for Iowa Western Community College’s December graduation (I am an alumni!) I spent days trying to form a speech when suddenly I remembered the Miley song and it all came together. Set your goals high – believe you can and will do or be anything – never give up even if life throws you curveballs – take time to enjoy the climb and the moments – live a life of significance not just success. To say I was nervous is an understatement! I couldn’t even muster a full smile at first. But I tried to sound calm and collected as I shared my words of wisdom with the graduates.

I admit at times I felt like I was not the right person for the gig – that I wasn’t important enough. That same day Creighton had a General as their speaker and UNO an astronaut. My accomplishments do not even come close. But hopefully I was able to inspire a few in the crowd. I had a great time and still can’t believe I was invited to be the commencement speaker. After the speech was done and the only task left was to shake hands I was very relieved!

(President of Iowa Western Dr. Dan Kinney). Thank you IWCC, graduates, family, and friends for allowing me to enjoy and share in your commencement.

*All photos by Don Kohler

Possibilities

More details to come….

Fathers Day Dinner at Jack Binions

Jack Binions at the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs far exceed all expectations. It was perfect, we even had our own private dinning room. The service was amazing, the decor opulent, the food exceptional, the company superb. We had a great Father’s Day dinner. Of course my poor dad is the only one who was unhappy with his meal, isn’t that how it always works! To compensate the staff removed the cost of his meal and gave us a free bottle of wine. Score. Of course our start treatment probably stemmed from the fact that my wonderful little (middle) brother Erik is the manager!

Thanks Erik! Everyone that lives in this area should give it a try, you will not be disappointed. It really was not that expensive and a true dinning experience.