CIM Report part I: Before the race

17 weeks is a long time to train for one day. That day was December 6th 2009. I spent much of the last few weeks ignoring the fact that it was so close but relished in the day. It was a day of firsts for many of my friends; First time running a marathon or first time trying for a BQ. It had some personal significance as a day in itself as well as Race day. It had been 6 years since my Gma had passed away, it was just a short week since my High School track coach had passed away, it was a day my husband changed his schedule around so he and the boys could be there, it was a day when our friend Nolan chose to support me despite the fact that his marriage was falling apart in spite of all his efforts. This race was so much bigger than me now. I had a lot to achieve in 4 hours and 10 minutes.
Saturday Morning:
Went with Liz, Ross and Vicki Saturday morning first Stopping at REI and taking a little time being a bit goofy. We tried on hats and looked for gag gifts for other friends. Then we headed for the expo. There we got our bibs and chips and I picked up a friends things who couldn't be there til the Start line Sunday morning. We wandered around picking things up along the way. I hear the expo isn't that good but having little to compare it to it seemed like enough to collect some goodies and get out. Its not like we wanted to be there forever. I knew Aron was going to be there so I texted her then a few minutes later checked my text and said her name out loud as she was walking past me. Very cool to meet her since reading her blog and knowing that she grew up in the same part of the Bay Area I did. I felt like I was right there during her training via blog posts, of course she is a lot faster than I am. Truthfully I may have scared her a bit with my over exuberance and excitement. LOL. A few minutes later I met up with Coach Paul his wife Kristina and Amy another blogger (who is also friends with Aron) then we headed out. I always see these blogging friends seeing their blogging counterparts at races, it was kinda neat to meet them in person.
We dropped Ross off at the Hotel and the girls and I went shopping. We hit Fleet Feet Sac, the little boutique next door, a couple other cute shops then the mall down town. They felt sorry for me since I hadn't been in a Macy's in 17 or so years. They thought they would undo all that deprivation. I was a little overwhelmed. An actual store that broke things down by brand not just departments. It was pretty amazing. DON'T laugh at me, please. I generally find what I need at J.C.Penny, Target or Old Navy or before the close of Mervyn's. I much prefer to shop for others and hardly ever do that in the clothing section unless its for the boys.
We wandered around then headed back for dinner after the girls got some steals at GAP.
We had a supper yummy dinner at LUCCA a few blocks away. Dinner with 20 or so of our closest running friends. I felt so blessed. I had yummy polenta pizza and meatballs on the side. We joked and teased and laughed. I have the most amazing friends.
Back at the hotel and getting our stuff ready Liz realizes that her shorts that she was going to wear tomorrow were missing. She called around to other runners hoping they had shorts she could wear but nothing. So she and Vicki headed out to look for shorts that were not Nike Tempos. Apparently those are the only shorts that stores open at 8:30pm carry. She ended up wearing her capris that she had with her but wasn't planning on running with. As cold as it was that may have been a blessing in disguise.
Just as we were settling down the music started from the holiday party downstairs. We got the loud music and the thumping from the bass. I think we got the best of it, many of our friends got the laughing and singing from the people. I fell asleep about 10:15 and only awoke twice to pee before the alarm was supposed to go off. Not too bad for night before the race sleep.

Quick CIM 09 update

Chip time: 04:07:47. Cold Cold Cold. But I hit my initial goal. Not too shabby. I might have even done better if I didn't have to go pee, then used all my energy to find a port-o-potty that I didn't have to wait in line for. At mile 20 one magically appeared just when I thought I'd need to find some trees or a bush or something! Unfortunately I lost my momentum and struggled to reach the finish line. But I finished and under 4hours 10 minutes!

Denial isn't just a river in Egypt: CIM

T minus 2 days: So close I can taste it. 2 more sleeps and a start line. I've been in intentional denial all week so I don't have any little breakdowns. Just easier to do everything I'm supposed to do but pretend this Marathon is really weeks and weeks away. Otherwise the anxiety creeps in and we all know that isn't good. Anxiety isn't a driving factor for me but more of a detriment so I handle it with a good strong dose of denial and I'm OK with that.
Why am I doing this again? This was a testTo train harder to push beyond my limits. I moved out in front of some of my running buddies, the buddies that have motivated and kept me connected. I felt safe with them but although I'm running with TTD (and I love her!) I do feel a wee bit more scared that I won't achieve this goal without them by my side. I have forged more than just a running friendship with them. They are the friends a girl dreams of on and off the running trails.

Then tragedy struck. My high school track coach, Tim Bruder, passed away on Saturday night. He was in Fresno for the California Interscholastic Federation state cross country championships supporting one of his XC students and came home not feeling well. Not sure what the final diagnosis was but he had been battling diabetes and we all know about those contributing factors. He was only 54 years old.
Its been a really long time since I've ran on that track my freshman year of High School during the Spring of 1993. I had to dust off the cobwebs in my memory but last night laying in bed mentally packing for this weekend a bunch of memories flooded back. Things he said, things he made me do that I never thought I could, things I took with me from that spring day to today. Most specifically he asked if my diagnosis of Melanoma was going to stop me from running. He was the first person I had to tell out loud. I didn't know how to tell him without disappointing him and at the same time being worried he wouldn't let me run. "There's this thing called sun screen you know, but this is about the rest of YOUR life." he walked out of the room and left me peddling on the stationary bike thinking, never giving me the answer I really wanted to hear, or maybe he did. I ran the rest of the season and I ran HARD. I didn't know that would be my only season of Track and Field with him. I moved that summer to a school that could not compare to Alhambra or its coaches. So for the man who gave me my love of running, I'm dedicating this to you Coach Bruder. When it gets hard, when I get tired, I'll think of Nazi hill, I'll think of the trail runs to the bay, I'll think of ice cream runs to Thrifly on Fridays, I'll think of that Berkley track when I PR'ed in the mile. Sunday I'll think of you.

Turkey Breast Recipe

FFP killed a turkey the other day when he took Hollywood out for his first Turkey hunt. Hollywood was a little gun shy about pulling the trigger on the .20 gauge so his Papa went ahead and pulled it for him. They came home and cleaned the turkey and breasted it out. A couple days later I thought I had better cook that. I pulled out the dutch oven and cooked this mean and out amazing.
What you need:
Turkey Breast 3-5lbs
Olive oil (2Tbs)
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 large Potatoes (I used russet)
1/2 yellow onion diced
6 cloves of garlic whole
1/2 of a small bag of organic baby carrots
1 granny smith apple cut into large pieces skin on
Italian seasoning to taste

I warmed up the dutch oven on the stove (turned to medium/high) then put the olive oil in. When the oil was warm I put the onions and garlic in the bottom until the onions were translucent and the garlic was soft. I crushed the garlic with my wooden spoon. I salt and peppered then added the turkey Breasts into the pan and let them cook for a couple minutes while I got the veggies together and the apples. I cut the potatoes into pretty large chunks and the apple into smaller chunks. I turned the Turkey and let it brown on that side for 2-3 minutes too. When that was done I added 2-3 cups of chicken broth then added the potatoes, carrots and apples. I let it simmer on medium with the lid on for 1hour 10 minutes. The house smelled amazing and everything was cooked to perfection when I was done (Thermometer on the turkey read 165 on the dot). It was a little Thanksgiving early for us.
The Turkey was tender and flavorful. No gamey wild turkey taste that I was afraid of. The potatoes were a little mushy but that's how I like them. Carrots where good and the kiddos actually ate them. The apples had completely disintegrated into the sauce. It gave the whole dish a sweet and savory taste I don't think would have been nearly as yummy without. So a little one pot wonder that the whole family enjoyed. I hope you do too.

Week 15

Today was our last long run of the 17 week training session before the marathon in 15 days. It was a great day and we did much better staying on pace than I did on Tuesday.

Tuesday: I drop the boys at my parents in the next town half an hour away. As I'm heading down the hill back to where we're running rain drops start hitting the windshield. By the time I got to the park it was POURING. The workout was supposed to be 1 easy, 6 at race pace (for me 9:15 miles) then one easy. I don't think I ever got any faster than 9:42. I felt like I was running faster, I was soaked to the bone. I was tired and done. When that last lap showed I did 9:58 even thought I should have been thoroughly warmed up at called it a night. I only got in at total of 6.5 miles in. I went home shed my soaking wet clothes in the laundry room then still walked dripping to my room to dry off and change so I could go back and get the boys. This was not my best speed work. But I figure we are so close to taper that its not the end of the world. By the time I got back into the truck 15 minutes after leaving the park, running home and changing the rain had stopped. Go figure. The test would be how I did on my long run Saturday.

Today: Saturday
We ran easy (9:45 or so) out to Durham park and Race pace (9:15) back. That was the theory anyway. You know that is my favorite run. Through the orchards to the park, its so darn beautiful and lots to talk about with TTD today about life and parenthood and family dynamics. We did our full 8miles then turned around and put our race pace faces on. We caught up to Susan, Patty, Ross and Liz about 5 miles back then took Vicki with us to the end. That last mile split was a 7:50pace. Wow. No wonder I was feeling wiped. We came in strong with an overall pace back of 9:03/mile. Crazy. Crazy enough to feel confident when the race comes up.

I See the Light

I know I had a few weeks there where I wondered what in the heck I was doing this for. I'm over it. I had a few wonderful runs and some confidence back in the bank. That helps, a lot. Yesterday we ran the same 20 mile route we did two weeks ago. This time TTD and I added 2 more miles after dropping Kosmo at the car. 22 miles is the farthest I've been since the CIM last year.
We were suppose to run easy until mile 7 then Mpace to 10, easy to mile 17 then Mpace to 20 then finish up 2 if we felt we needed to get over the mental hurdle. Alan would say its good for the head. And it was. The miles flew by. We took turns talking and time to tune out. We actually did 3.5 miles at race pace since we started after we dropped our stuff after the first loop then finished strong at mile 11. There were some rolling hills on this course and I'm glad we're practicing with them since CIM is full of them. On the way back from our last little jaunt up into upper park I felt a bit of back to the barn syndrome and the need to test my speed. I was 17 miles in and ready to push it a little to finish strong. The first mile or so Kosmo was on my heels and although I left my watch at home I knew we were in the mid 8 range which is 45 seconds or so faster than Rpace for me. I dropped back a little after having hitting my max and followed Kosmo and waited for TTD to come in. Kosmo high 5'ed me and said happily we had gotten into the low 8's for that last bit. OMG! Really... that's like me mile pace. No kidding. I have 1 speed for a mile or a marathon. well not that bad but there isn't much of a difference anyway. TTD caught up and we finished the last 2.56 miles at an EASY low 10's pace for us. We stretched real good and some of us (not me) got in the creek. Since I had the house to myself this find Saturday I chose to stop by the store, get a panini and a bag of ice and torture myself all by my lonesome. I said goodbye to my running peeps and headed that way. What a great run.
Insights on Saturday:

• I felt strong
• I didn't have to chase away the negative thoughts
• I recovered well because I ate right away, I did an ice bath and I rolled and stretched that night
• I enjoyed talking to my friends and the chance to pull inward to listen to my own thoughts
• I didn't miss my watch as much as I thought I would. If I run like I feel I think I do better than if I'm constantly worried if I'm going fast or slow enough
• I loved my music but need some variety. It did keep me pumped up.
• I think I may be faster than I thought. We'll see about 11:00 on December 6th.

Today I feel so good its kind of scary. I do think I'm still having a hard time hitting my calorie needs but I'm good on hydration and I've been holding this ear infection at bay. I'm ready for my last long 3 hour run next weekend and 20 days to the CIM! Its just two weeks away for my BIL Brian who is running the satalite marathon for the Seattle Marathon from Iraq. I'm so excited for him!

Down Hill Slope

We did our second 18 mile run on Saturday. It started out at Alan and Susan's house and finished there too with bagels and coffee because they rock. Last weekends 20 got stretched out a little so we ended up doing nearly 21 but many of those miles were close to race pace. I felt good all the way through. This week was supposed to be broken up into 3 segments. 4easy 2 race pace x 3 =18total. Well I started out with Susan, Liz, Patty and Ross and when it was race pace time I tried to catch up to Kosmo and Tracey. It took me 4 miles to get there though. So instead of 6 at race pace I did 8. Those last two miles were actually faster then race pace going under 9 minutes and close to 8:30's. I felt strong. I feel strong now. Tomorrow night is more hills in CalPark. Those hills and I have a love/hate relationship going.
I see the end now. I can feel it. I have one more 20 mile run and a 3 hour run for my long run then 10 the week before the Marathon. Its so close I can almost taste it! For those of you running CIM we will be eating at Lucca that night at 5:30. Hope to see you there!

First 18 miler this Marathon Session

Dr. John left bruises on me last week from working out my IT band issues. They were still there when I went in this morning. I think I need more iron. Anyhow, he worked over my leg again today so I need to remember to ice it so I can run 8 tomorrow.

This has been an awesome week though. I know I've been feeling "Blue" but my running has been really good. Sunday, Vicki rode her bike along with Ross, Katie, Matt and I on our 18 mile run from 1mile to the end of the fire road 9 miles away and back. Lots of elevation change and technical running on the trail since its so rocky but I really did feel good the whole way. Vicki parked the bike at Horseshoe Lake then ran the hardest 8 miles in the middle with us. Matt turned around at mile 6.5 and headed back to his car so he got a total of about 8 in. Katie always talks about how much slower she is (trying to avoid injury) but she's faster that what she thinks. Ross totally underestimates himself too. I guess I do too. I'm so worried about being sabotaged that I sabotage myself.

So it was a really good 18 miles. Had good friends, beautiful things to look at in upper park and some good tunes on the ipod. I was tired but happy at the end. I even came in at a pace of 9:06 the last 1.7 miles of the run. I'd say that was a success.

Monday I ran with Liz for my 8 miles after Cindi had her shots so I couldn't take her with me. We started by warming up around the loops at Wildwood park then heading up towards upper park again. We came back along the back side of the creek, up through 5 mile, across the bridge again then along the trail back to the park when we ran into a snake on the path. It wasn't a rattler (I'm sure... well I'm pretty sure) but I didn't want to take any chances and Liz and I backtracked. We were still a little short so we had to do more laps at Wildwood but I didn't mind. Those 8 miles were much better than running alone.

Last night we ran hills in California Park and Canyon Oaks. Some of those hills go on forever! Its crazy! But I did it. I didn't stop to walk once, even if I was having SF flashbacks. I did positive affirmations and talked to my buddies along the way. I haven't run with Ed in so long it was nice to keep up this time. LOL.

I only ran two with Jenni today since I'm running 8 tomorrow and thought I'd just get my legs loosened up for John to work on. I wish I had him on retainer to help me all the time. LOL.

The Blues

Grrrr.... I'm going through a funk. Little things happen and it ruins my day. Not like me at all. I'm the queen of shake it off and find something positive. Not lately. Heart hurts, tears come too easily, patience is thin, fuse is short. Sad is a word at the front of my thoughts... always. I'm not sure why. I love the fall, I love being a part of the kids schools. I love that for the first time in my life I have a huge support system from not only family but MANY amazing friends.
I'm sad for one friend who is going through some pretty life changing stuff and I wish I could take that painful part away from her. I've been in her shoes. Maybe I haven't dealt with my sadness in that regard. Maybe that's why I'm so opt to take her place if I could. I can't though. Its her burden to bear and I'm here as support or an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on.
I'm missing those family members who aren't with us any more. I saw a picture of poppies today and it made me miss my Gpa and Gma. Then I start to miss my Aunt DiDi when I heard the boys talking about black powder rifles, Uncle James when someone sang a song and played the guitar on TV and Uncle Larry when a man took his kids on a long dirt bike ride into the dessert. Lately everything reminds me of someone to miss. One thing leads to another and tears spring to my eyes. I really really don't like that.
I wish running helped. It usually does. Not lately though. If anything the pressure has stressed me out that much more. I'm looking for that break after the CIM. Half marys only. Enjoy running again. Enjoy my friends. Spend time with my family. Cuddle with my kids. Find my holiday spirit. I wish I could find my smile now. Its buried somewhere... hopefully not too deep. Come out, Come out, where ever you are.

Nike Recap

You know when you run a good race and you can't wait to get home and post a report to all your running buddies while its fresh in your mind. You want to list all the things you did right so you can remember to do those things again. We form little pre-run rituals, chants in our heads to repeat on hard parts of the course, only wear certain socks or a certain outfit to guarantee success. All those things have been thrown out the window for me this year.
I got a bad strep infection on my skin in March throwing me out running the Shamrockin' in Sacramento. Heavy and long term antibiotics stripped my strength and my speed and its been a long time coming to get it back. Whiskeytown Relay last month was hard and I didn't realize I had some sort of virus when I ran it. I was in bed for the next 3 days.
Nike was something I was so looking forward to. The hills were going to be my weak point but if I slowed down on them and kept a good steady pace the rest I would be OK. That didn't happen. The start line was warm. 30,000 or so people (mostly women) crammed into Union Sq early Sunday morning was a telling tale from the beginning. Although it only took us just over 4 minutes to cross the start line it was pretty crowded. I got hot fast and my long sleeve shirt came off before mile two. I was running in my tights, compression socks, sports bra with my other shirt around my waist. That shirt was SOAKED and my pants were so sweaty that my waist belt kept moving around. We hit the first big hill by Chrissy Field up to the Presidio and the wind started blowing. It was really cold and the fog was hanging around. All of the sudden I was freezing. At mile 6.4 I put my long sleeve shirt back on on the way up the first long hill. It was still damp and made me colder. I started to shake and just wanted to be done.
At mile 6.7 my stomach started knotting and I got sick on the side of the road. Not a pretty site I tell you. I had a really hard time getting my legs moving again. Everything was cramping up. On the way down the hill (that same hill we walk up the first day of the Avon Walk before the rest stop at the Presidio for those of you who have walked it before) I thought I could get my legs motivated but found that my regular low 8's were no where to be found. I had a hard time maintaining 9:30's. We came out back into the city and it warmed up some but another hill was in front of us and more cold wind. I had to stop and walk a few times here and was nauseous every time I drank any water. My tummy had had enough and revolted against me again but this time just puking water was easier than the first time. I was cold again and at the next aid station I found someone with a space blanket. I sat down for a few minutes and waited for my lips not to be so blue.
I struggled here. I can't lie and tell you that I just got up and ran for the finish. I really balanced my idea on whether I should quit right there or not. I cried a little and it felt like a hundred years when looking back it was under 4 minutes of contemplation. I really didn't want to leave my friends behind. I really didn't want to get a DNF. I already have a DNS on my record from March. I really really really wanted that Tiffany Necklace from the hot Firefighters in tuxedo's at the finish line but that was still 5 miles away. For two miles I walk/jogged with the space blanket around my body. I stopped and took pictures, I motivated another lady to keep going by walking/jogging with her until she could go off on her own. I enjoyed the rest of the run... or tried to. Those last three miles were the longest ever. I don't even hardly remember them. I just thought about being done. I was crying when I crossed the line... by then it was out of disappointment and just thankful I was done. I caught up with the girls and cried a little more then. We had to round up our clothes which ended up not being so easy but we got back to the hotel, showered, packed and ate lunch at this cute little bistro/cafe downstairs. I got my necklace and I finished the race but it wasn't pretty.
I love my friends. They say that I more than EARNED that Tiffany Necklace after the race I had. I don't believe that so much since they ROCKED it but I do believe that I am super lucky to have friends who try so hard to make this race easier to swallow. CIM better rock.

Personal Worst is not a DNF

Amazing thing is that my legs held up. It was the rest of my body that revolted. Time for the half was somewhere around 2 hours 17 minutes. Although I've looked at the results several times I have not been able to commit to memory the exact time out of disappointment. BUT I'm getting over it a little at a time. Other things came up this weekend that made the trip so worth it. Spending quality time with my friends more than made up for that race. I'll post a real Nike Women's recap later.

Talk with the Doc

OK, I was all freaked out but I'm better now. Dr. John said that of course my shins were sore. He was pretty invasive on Tuesday getting that all loosened up and even though I iced it takes a couple days to recover. He worked on them, my piriformis muscle and my my hip today so make sure I was a go on Saturday. My run today was much better. 4 miles without pain. We leave Saturday morning, EARLY to go to Nike Women's expo and I'm really excited to meet Sarah Bown Shae if I can manage to make it to the expo when she's there. We are in SF so we are also going to see the King Tut exhibit at the De Young museum in GG Park. Sunday is race day! Wahoo!

FREAKING OUT!

I'm scared I have shin splints. Especially after Dr. John worked on my on Tuesday. I'll see him tomorrow and see what he says. Ugh. Nike Womens half is on Sunday. Wish me luck!

Sweet 16

Getting faster and hitting my miles have been hard. We ran 16 last Saturday out to the river, around the loop along the river then back. It was beautiful and I made a new friend. Before I knew it 12 miles were done but the blisters were killing me. Apparently my Mizuno Inspires (less than 100 miles on them) were a bit too narrow for my feet. As soon as my feet swelled the tiniest bit blisters popped up. Darn. So I went down to Fleet Feet and tried on every different shoe I could think of. My feet have a tendency to roll out instead of in so I needed some motion stability. My inspires aren't actually meant for my type of foot but with the SuperFeet inserts they have worked great for me for the last year and a half so I really didn't want to change. I had tried a pair of Nike's last Winter before the marathon and had instant ITband issues. Not good either. When they brought out boxes and boxes of my size shoe they could think of I was hesitant to try Nike again but out of all of them the Zoom Structures felt so good on my feet. After my run today NO BLISTERS well no new ones and the ones that have been there for weeks are getting better. I also picked up a new fuel belt by Nathan and a pair or CWX compression socks that I love. (plug: Fleet Feet has a rewards program, if you spend $250, based on points per $ spent, you get $25 store credit for that specific store). I've spent a lot of money in that store. In the last 6 weeks I have spent over $250 on shoes and another $100 on various other things. Bad, bad, bad... I know. But I love them. I love supporting Alan and Susan and the local business. I can't help it!
Did I say getting faster is hard. It is but I can see it. I feel good doing 9min/miles. I'm not sure how far I can go but I can do several miles of it at least. To break a 4 hour marathon I need to hit those 9 minute miles. I noticed that on several of the blogs I read and my FB friends from both running and everyday life, a common name popped up. I emailed this amazing gal and asked if all these names converged how could we not know each other? I started reading her blog and was so inspired. Today I came across her posts "How I Got Faster Part I'' and ''How I Got Faster Part II'' . The guy she talks about "Jack or Alberto'' is my running coach now with the FF program. I should probably utilize him more hu? Also need to figure out this Daniels' Running Formula and stick to it. That's my plan anyway.
So my run today to Durham and back, 16 miles, was amazing. I hope we run back out there on November 7th which is our next 16 mile run. I came back picking up the pace and hitting my goal M pace or better for 5 miles straight, although I was supposed to do 8 miles but I really didn't want to run back into town by myself so I waited for my friends then came in at 30-45 seconds a mile slower with them. I felt tired but good and my feet felt great with the compression socks and new shoes. So today I finished my sweet 16 and I'm a happy girl.

What if I want a 4 hour marathon?

I've posted a few things on here about wanting to run a 4 hour marathon. During the program we have had two 10k time trials. I'm not any good at them! Both of them came in at close to 58 minutes... not even close to what I'm capable of. My half marathon pace is faster than that! Ugh. I just could not find my high gear during those runs. I was afraid that getting any faster was a pipe dream. I'd need to run a 9:09 for 26.2 miles to come in under 4 and I couldn't run that for 6.2.

Last nights speed work was well work. We left from a different spot and used the available light as a guide for running time not miles. Coach Paul and Alan wanted us marathon group to run hills. We would do a mile warm up then the rest of the time at marathon speed. Am I supposed to run at the speed I want to run for CIM or the speed according to my really crappy 10k time? The run took us up into upper park (the trip up was lots of uphill on uneven surfaces) 37 minutes including our easy first mile then turn around how ever far you are and make it a negative split back (mostly down hill except for one long up hill before the lake) for 33 minutes. I got back to the parking lot at the perfect time 1 hour 10 minutes. I looked at my times, deducted the first mile and the remaining 6.5 miles was at 9:11 pace. Really darn close to the pace I was hoping for. If I did run EXACTLY 9:11 pace at the marathon that would put me at 4 hours and 36 seconds or so.

Part of my running regimen has been to incorporate a stronger core by spending an astronomical amount of money for a 6 month membership to KOR fitness. Lots of kettlebells and stretching there to make me more efficient, stronger and faster (I hope). I'm going to miss it come November when my membership is up. I'm not sure I want to give that up. My hands are all tore up today. I probably won't be able to lift my arms up to wash my hair after those clean and presses or the 6 minutes of snatches that K.C. told me not to worry about counting since I was using the 26lb bell. I can feel myself getting stronger after every single class. That will be hard to give up.

So do you train for the time you want... or by how fast you actually are now? The run felt comfortably hard once I got a good breathing pattern down, not sure if it will last 4 hours though. I guess that's why I have coaches and 11 more weeks of training to figure that out.

Its Greek to me

I made meself a Mediterranean pasta dish tonight with spinach pasta from Trader Joe's with artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, feta cheese and sun dried tomatoes. Since the hearts were in oil I just put those in the pasta first with some pepper and tossed them so the pasta was coated then added the rest. Super yummy dinner. I had a spinach salad with fresh peaches and yummy poppy seed dressing around 6:30 before I made the pasta. Apparently the kiddo's didn't like it though so more for me tomorrow. I like that it can be eaten hot or cold, perfect for lunch or post long run meal.

I ran 5 miles with Cindi this morning. Same old trail just a little bit farther.I'm happy with my speed though. I wasn't pushing it and came out at 49:08 so it was about 9:50/mile without even trying and wrestling with the dog and a water break. I'm thinking of taking her to start higher up the creek next week and going back behind the creek and past the golf course. I'm not sure how she'll be on the trails tied to the leash but its worth a try.

I have 13 miles on tap for tomorrow (hence the pasta I don't normally eat) and with no Liz to run with I'm going to have to find a different running partner this weekend. So glad the sitter texted and said she could watch the kids. I was NOT looking forward to moving the schedule around and running 6 on the treadmill this morning before the kiddos got up then 7 more on the trail.

Glad the hubby will be home this week. Fire's in the LA area seem to be more contained, at least enough to let some of the boys go. We were thinking he was going to go down to be relief for them but they should be home and no plans to send them back out. Of course the $ would have been nice.

Super sonic then platonic

Speed work: Last night was a speed session. We jogged over to CHS and did almost two miles of warm up. Coach Paul had us do 40 minutes of 3/4 mile @LT and 1/4 mile recovery for the whole time. Vicki isn't running with us and Liz is fighting a bit o' plantar fasciitis so she did an easy jog tonight. I thought I felt so good I would push it and ran with Bill. Bill's goal is a bit more lofty than mine. He wants to finish in UNDER 4 hours and I'm looking somewhere between 4 hours and 4hours 10min. I didn't care out on the track though. My hope is that my speed workouts will work themselves into normalcy and my body will catch up. Almost all our 3/4 splits were at 8min-8:10min/mile pace. Far faster than my regular speed workout speed. Then we had a cool down run back to the shop. I've had 2 weeks in a row of good Tuesday night workouts. I'm working hard to get all my time and miles in too.
Recovery run: Today I ran with Good Neighbor and the pooch. We did 4 miles and brought it in at 45 minutes of easy pace to stay with her. I will never complain of running with someone slower than me. I need that recovery time on my feet so I don't over train which I have a tendency to do when I'm by myself. She is running 4 days a week now and will be in fine shape for the 5k in November! It did feel good to run easy today and work out the soreness from last night. Running with my friends is truly the best part of running for me (and my legs are looking pretty hot too!).

For the Love of New Shoes

OMG! I love me a pair of new sneakers. Speedy Kristina (her hubby is Coach Paul, winner of the Women's Nike Marathon 2008 because is wife thought it would be funny and signed him up) bought a pair of these super cute Saucony Kilkenny XC racing flats and I could not stand it so I went and bought some last night while I was at speed group. The main premise for this purchase is my Kettlebell instructor has an issue with the padding in my regular running shoes and enlightens me, with much urgency, to running flat and more gracefully during my sprints. Mostly though, they will look so stinkin' cute with Jeans! Goodness, its amazing how a pair of super cute shoes can make your week! Actually I am looking forward to a new pair of super cute running shoes too. Mine are worn to the max.

Bucket List: Caitlin over at Healthy Tipping Point posted her fitness Bucket list and I thought I would follow. I do not have a cute cork board in which to post mine (on my to-do list) but I will list them here for you all. Please post yours and link back so I can see them!!!

1: Break a 4 hour marathon

2: Strong core, actually see some muscle in my mid section then hold onto it!!!

3: Learn to swim properly (with my face in the water and everything).

4: Run Mad Patty's crazy Monkey Hill without stopping (if you're looking for hills in Chico I know where to find them)

5: Run a 5K with my son.

6: Learn to ride a bike without falling off and being able to shift properly (ugh... never mastered that).

7: Master Bikram Yoga after Kettlebell/X-fit class is over in November.

8: Do a sprint tri (meaning learning how to swim with my face in the water and ride a bike without crashing!)

9: Getting over my fear of water and mastering Kayaking.

10: Goofy Challenge 1/2 marathon one day, full marathon the next day in Disneyworld!.

11: Run a marathon for charity.

12: Backpack the entire John Muir Trail.

A Dove of a Tuesday

*September 1st folks. Dove season has opened for business which means I am officially a hunters widow for the next 4 months. I am taking a hunter safety course with Wyatt Sept 12th. Not sure if that means I'll ever hunt or not though*

I haven't been to KB in three weeks. I planned on going today but my wrist hurts like crazy. Maybe I'll go try anyway. Not sure.
I have the "dreadmill" from my mom in the garage. Not sure when I'm going to use it. Maybe Thursday. Its really for those mornings I just can't seem to make it out to the trail on my own. I love that its cooling down so I WANT to run outside and it will be great for those windy days I refuse to go run in (it makes my ears hurt).

Speed work tonight. Last week was great. I pushed it those last two miles of the speed portion and it felt good although I had no gas left at the end.

Food wise... yea, lacking. I have been horrible. Today I'm going to have sweet potato with my turkey and avocado sammy. Yummy hu? Not sure whats for dinner. The boys will be out hunting dove this evening. Darn hunting season.

Cheers

Champagne in one hand Mojito in the other. Yes that would make me a two fisted drinker.

I have rocked the no soda thing. I haven't really wanted one and I've been OK with making iced tea. But the whole giving up alcohol? Yea, not so good at cutting that out. Apparently all my wonderfully social friends are also social drinkers which makes it easy to have a glass of wine or one or two cocktails for a BBQ or say a super yummy port with my chocolate Espresso torte at Book club. Nights like tonight when the kids are prefectly atrocious, a beer or a wine cooler works well to "defrag" this cluttered and scattered mind. So no soda but cocktails.... I may have to give up one thing at a time. CHEERS!

Muzzle me.

I took Cindi with me on my 4 mile run today. I bought her a thing called a "Halti" since she has been pulling so much she hurts my arm. it slides over her muzzle and over her neck then clips underneath to the D ring on her real collar. She doesn't really like it but we (i mean she wears it and I follow her around making sure she doesn't chew it off) have been wearing it around the house for a few days and I decided to take it for a spin.

Good Neighbor and took off and she was out like a bullet. She bucked like a bronco and she was TICKED OFF! But she wanted to run so she got the idea and didn't pull anymore. She doesn't like that being pulled to the side. The hope is that she gets used to staying by my side and we can go back to the collar and leash later. It worked for those 4 miles though! Wahoo! I got my running buddy back.

The old Switch-a-roo

Instead of doing intervals tonight I chose to stay home with my kiddos. The FFP came home after a 96hour shift and left again for 2 days in the mountains with his papa to go archery hunting. Tonight is speed work. We are supposed to do a 1 mile warm up, 400m at 10k pace x10 with 400m easy recovery jog between. It is 101 degrees out there. It's not going to cool down enough by 7pm. I decided to run this morning AND I didn't want to have to pay a sitter.

FFP called his brother to ask the new papa if we could come see the bebe. David is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. He may be more beautiful than mine. I DID NOT want to let him go today. My hour of baby fix totally interfered in my running plans but I'm OK with that. I'll be hiking up to Feather Falls with the girls tomorrow and doing my speed workout Thursday, a recovery run on Friday, long(er) 10 mile run on Saturday. I bought food to keep me fueled. I'm on track... for this week at least I hope.

Ohhh so David was born on Saturday... and my cousin (actually FFP's cousin but I knew her before I knew him) had a little girl today. She was afraid this day would never come. She had Leukemia when we were 18 and now married and ready to have babies her eggs didn't work. Through at long and heartbreaking few years their prayers have been granted and Danika Lee Wilson was welcomed into this world. With fear of complications for mommy and baby all through the pregnancy it is a true miracle for them both to be healthy today.

What Drives you to run?

Almost two years ago I started on this wonderful journey that changed my life. I decided that I wanted to run. I ran in High School, ran with some of the cross country kids once in awhile, changed schools and gave it up (along with some other reasons). Time went by and I found new hobbies, Journalism and Drama in High School, horse back riding, Jobs daughters, a boyfriend or two (or more). I longed for the feeling I had crossing that finish line, the sound of the gun, but I had no idea how to get there.

Fast Forward. That darn doctor says I have osteoponia (the step before osteoporosis). I'm 29 years old! Gotta get some exercise in there. I decided that I need to go back to running. In January of 2008 I started training for my first half marathon. Although I fought through a terrible bout with Bronchitis I still managed to cross that finish line in 2 hours and 11 minutes. Not bad for only running for 2 full months hu?

But this bug got me. I wanted more. I took the Spring off from races and recouped from being sick and then trained for the 10K during the summer, then a half marathon again in October. I trained hard and it showed taking nearly 14 minutes off my time and coming in at under 2 hours. I had a not so good 20 mile race in November but had my running friends by my side then a terrific finish to the year when I completed my first marathon in 4:26:16.

Along the way I had lots of good and not so good runs. I had ITB issues and child care issues. I had scheduling issues and tummy issues... but I got my runs in. I learned about dips in the creek that were as good as ice baths. I learned about stretching and core muscles and foam rollers. I learned about eating and food... lots and lots of food. I learned to love and hate Dr. John's hands. He would fix me but it hurt like the dickens to have him get me there.

Without those miles listed on my calender I felt like I was floundering. I felt like I was at a standstill. I felt lost and lazy. I have found my way back. I'm looking out for that perfect run. The high that comes with it. The miles it took between the last one and this one. The exact formula of food, of distance, of fuel, of temperature and climate outside and friends by my side. I seek it out with every run. Sometimes I find it sometimes I don't. So when people laugh because I ran 20 miles on Saturday, or say they don't dare drive that far in their car, I smile because I have a secret. It has nothing to do with crossing the finish line first... at least not for me. Its about the achiement and progress of the journey getting there. Its about finding that perfect run and riding it all the way home.

Speedy mcSpeedy

Up at 5:30 with news that we have a new little Nephew, born at 4:47 this morning, 8lbs 11oz and 20.5 inches long! Great job Rachel and B! So happy for you guys!

I dropped the kiddos off at school and went for a run in the park with Liz. We were a bit speedy today and turned our "feels-good-go-a-bit-faster" run into a speedy workout. We pushed it all the way and come in at 4 miles in 36:28. That averages out to be 9:06/mile (ugh... my marathon goal Pace!). It did feel good the whole time but I think I would need to GU every 5 miles if I went that fast. That is A LOT of GU! Long(er) run tomorrow! Supposed to be 7-8 miles but I might try to get there early and sneak a couple extra in there before hand since I'm short one mile from yesterday and 7-8 just doesn't feel like a long run anymore.

Food! Banana this morning and Chai after my run. Yes I know! I need to find something else. I AM going to get the new parents some cookies. Oatmeal (good for milk supply) for Rachel and PB for B.

Still no Garmin band or charger... I'm getting impatient!

The waiting game

Only 3 miles with Laura this morning. I could have gone out for another mile but I was worried that FFP wouldn't get the kids up for school. Good thing too because FFP didn't get the kids up for school LOL. Had a banana on the way home from my run.

Was going to go to Kettlebells but the FFP's big brother and SIL are having a baby today and I can't stand to be out of the know loop so I hung out and had coffee (I had an Earl Grey Latte and a perfect oatmeal with a few teaspoons of half and half, brown sugar, nuts and dried fruit) and cleaned the house some. We're off to drop off cans (and I'm keeping the camera ready). No news right now but if there isn't progress they will break her water at noon. No matter what we're getting a bebe today. Good thing since the hubby will be gone for the next week with work and deer season coming.

Tomorrow: 5 miles, KB and baby pictures if its ok with the new mama and papa.

10K TT

Not so good. Not enough warm up then just too stinkin' hot. Ed gave me water at mile 2.7 because he rocks but then another half mile I was struggling again. I made it to the finish like 5 minutes slower than I had hoped. Even with the heat handicap of a few minutes it was just too slow. Stressed and irritated for a while. Dealt with it. Over it.

Tomorrow 4 miles EARLY. KettleBells at 8:30am.

I Love you Tomorrow, you're only a day away!

So I guess I'm going to stop drinking alcohol today. I did only have 2 beverages yesterday when we had a little post 10K (that I didn't participate in) soiree at "chief Howler monkey's" residence to celebrate the end of the 10K training session and his lovely wife's bachelor's degree. What a great host, a bunch of food to enjoy and a bunch of running friends and family to celebrate with us. No pictures yet (as I cringe) but I'm sure there will be some to post soon.

No running today but I did stop by a friends house who will be running Nike Women's half with me in October. Our goals are very different right now, she wants to PR and I'm in it for fun. But so nice to have someone to chat up at school about running. Most of the gals get mad when I post all about how far and how fast I went. Apparently it's rude to remind people that exercise is good. Reminder to self, not so much runner updating on facebook.

I'm so excited about getting back into the groove of things. School starts in two days, Marathon training starts tomorrow! I'm going to train like I'm out there to run a 4 hour marathon and see what happens. That's my pipe dream goal, 4:10:00 is my realistic goal.

Lots and lots and lots of talk about Greece next year. But that's all I'm saying for now. I do have reservation all ready made for an adult vacation to Las Vegas. FFP and I haven't been away for more than 1 night together without the kids since they were born. He is usually gone hunting or at work or I'm off at a race or on a girls trip. This year is going to be different. I want to actually make memories TOGETHER. of course the camera broke so we either get a new one or do without. Memories in our minds might be more realistic this year.

So running tomorrow. Marathon race report in about 18 weeks. The countdown begins.

Reach for the Stars

I'm in motion... moving towards the new season, the new dreams, the new reality of running a marathon again. My goal last year... to finish. My goal this year, concentrate on enjoying the ride.

I have made such wonderful friends in our little running community. Those folks down at FF are like my other family. I swear there are some I love as much as my family (sorry family). They help keep me accountable, in control, looking for new dreams, stretching my sights, pushing my limits. This little family is making me stronger, in my muscles, in my heart, in my head.

I am going to log my miles as power miles, no matter how slow, fast, long or short. Time to make Tina Stronger... build her confidence, fuel her drive to make a difference, even if it's just a difference in her time. It's OK to have bad runs but not OK to dwell on them. This marathon program is about the journey to the end, not so much the end result... at least until I get to the end then that will be what matters LOL.

I am not drinking soda. I know it's bad for me. I know it makes my restless leg syndrome act up, which leads to insomia, which leads to tired and cranky Tina who does not want to run. I can practically hear the calcium being sucked from my bones. No more soda. Not too much Alcohol... you know maybe some on Vicki and Liz's birthday and maybe one after the half marathon in October. But this summer was all about me enjoying a few cocktails with friends and boy oh boy did I.

I don't think I'm going to run a half, at least not to the limit. I think I'm going to enjoy the Nike Women's and if another half comes along I really want to run... and there is still room, I might jump in. No pressure. I want this whole experience to be about loving to run, loving to live, loving to be strong and have power here (pointing to my arms, then my legs, then my core, then my head). Its about quality time with my friends and setting a positive example for my kids and husband. This journey will take me to new places with familiar sights along the way.

What does it matter, that finish time, if getting there was a labor of pain instead of a labor of dedication and love? What finish line is it that you passed, succeeded, earned if you did not enjoy that journey to its fullest?

Into High Gear

Today I had a marvelous run. So good that I was on cloud nine all morning. Only 7 miles and the last of our 10k training "long runs" but it was like floating... with effort. It felt so good to push it today. I know I'm not racing next week so I didn't mind pushing the envelope this weekend. Marathon program starts the 11th though so I had better get into this mindset. Love running for running. It's my therapy, its my mommy time, its my friend time, its my sanity when everything gets too complicated or too frustrating. So today I swept the field of hum drums and started looking to the future.

Bring it on.

Treading water

I'm been so inconsistent in my running. FFP's schedule has been difficult and the kids are out of school and I want to spend time with them, not $ on a sitter this summer. So school starts in two weeks and I'm ready to get down and dirty to train for this marathon but until then, I'll keep running, keep doing Kettle bells when I can and Jump back in with two feet after my little hiatus from structure. It feels good to breath a little before that storm called marathon training hits full force!

Dead Lift

I haven't been working out as much as I should. I've been doing my long runs (although Vicki and I both cut last weekend short to 7.5m instead of 10) and speed work but my feet have been killing me since the walk in SF. (I promise to do a report on the walk but it will have to wait till the hubby is gone).

Today I went to Kettlebells. We did Dead lifts. I've never in my life done a dead lift before today. I was freakin' scared. The nerves were tumbling around my stomach watching these amazing girls put up numbers like... 260lbs! I might have been able to do more than I did but I was shaky thinking about doing it at all. So I only made it up to 155lb. When I tried to do 160 I just couldn't get a good tight stance. So since this is my first I can only go up right. Today I got a PR!

The Best Layed Plans

Okie dokie. Although I write (err... type) things down they don't always happen! I walk 40 miles this weekend in SF for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer BUT I need to still get my runs and KB workouts in.

The plan for tomorrow is to take the kids to camp, do Kettlebell class, go see Uncle Steve, hit Target and FF Pick the kids up from Camp, finish filling out coupons for my checks, go to speed work, home sleep!

Lets see if I can get that all done!

AWBC SF 2009 prewalk update

This video still makes me cry every time I see it! Perfect tribute to why we walk.

It has been an amazing year raising funds for the AWBC again. My MIL and her friend Jewels raised $900 by having a yard sale for this cause and my amazing Aunt and her friends raised an amazing $3700 to split between her friend Carolyn and myself. She raise enough $ in one afternoon bunco game to send both of us to SF this year! With a daunting $1800 minimum looming above us I was so blessed to have wonderful friends and family support us. I raised $3700My goal was to match last years totals at $3600 so $100 is going to Meagan Betts who is walking all 9 walks this year. Meagan is just 18 years old and to walk all 9 is required to raise $16,400. If you want to still donate please go to her page! As much as I 'd like to see my list of donors grow, it all goes to the same place, its the same mission, its the same cause.





I started walking in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer 5 years ago. I walked with my x-SIL that year in honor of my mother-in-law Karen who had been undergoing treatment for breast cancer diagnosed September 18th 2004. We trained, we raised the minimum $1800 and out motto out there on the hills of SF was you can walk slow (and get picked up) or you can walk fast and make it in time, its all going to hurt so you might as well walk fast. More easily said than done, let me tell you but we did it.





I walked in 4 more AWBC's over the next few years here are some highlights (and perhaps a reason or two you might want to walk next year too):

• Crossing over the Golden Gate Bridge (x2 on the years when I did 26.2 miles day 1)


• Walking along the beach in Long Beach on a perfect morning.


• Sleeping in little blue tents in Chrissy Field next to the ocean.


• Road trip with my mom and Aunt Sandy to LA for my 2nd AWBC last year.


• Taking showers in semi trucks (seriously)


• Signing the Stacks in the morning darkness for the city you are walking in.


• San Jose Bike police escorting us (day 2 they wore pink polos for us) for the SF walks.


• Amazing support from "Pretty Woman Guy", "PJ girl" blaring I will survive, "Hookers for Hooters" driving by in their mini van and convertibles cheering us on, and lots lots more.


• Urban Dog walkers rest stop in the Precidio where you could get your pic taken with a guy dressed like a pink poodle.


• Walking with my Mom in 2006. My BFF in 2006 a 2007. Walking with good friend/good neighbor Jenni AWBC 2008. Meeting Tobi and Debra day two of AWBC LA Beaches in 2008.


• Avon Breast Care center walk by on day 2 that will bring tears to your eyes.


• Walking with Barbara Joe who has raised over $1million dollars for AWBC and Susan G. Komen.


• Meeting up with my Aunt, sister, mom and Niece in Sausalito day 1 with a Starbucks waiting for us.


• The gals (and guys) walking by in survivor shirts, some still going through Chemo, Radiation or just having had surgery.


• The signs that read along the route, "Blisters don't need Chemo", "You are amazing", "Has anyone seen the bathrooms?"


• Speaking of bathrooms... spending 2 days only using big blue port-o-potties with amazing trivia and quotes inside and outside the doors. I always take pictures.


• Amazing crew who feed us, keep us safe, fix our feet, keep us hydrated along the route and in the wellness village.


• walking with my favorite people whether they came with me or I just met them. AWBC walkers are AMAZING. I can't wait to see Gerry, Nan, Martha, Meagan and so many others this year. AWBC has made a FAMILY.
• Closing ceremonies that no one should ever miss. Bring Kleenex.


• Raising awareness to find a cure, to help those who need it, to do something bigger than me every year.

I feel so blessed to be apart of this amazing charity. I am not walking just to find a cure for cancer. I'm walking for those who can't walk on their own, or need a hand to hold while they are walking. I'm walking because my MIL is a survivor so many more are not. I walk for the people who cannot afford early diagnostic tools like MRI's or Mammograms, for those who would like wigs to cover their bald heads or scarves instead because it's so darned hot in the summer, for those who can't cook so Helping Hand can bring dinner to their families, for those not diagnosed yet and for a cure to be found for ALL cancers.

In the last year cancer has taken my husbands wonderful grandfather Derril, My uncle Larry and my friend Judy's sister is now taking Hospice after an amazing 3 year battle. I have met so many survivors and so many people who have lost someone they love to cancer. I have endured sadness for loosing my Uncle James almost 3 years ago to Leukemia and no memory of losing my Grandpa Frank before I turned 2 but a sadness for never having had the chance to know him.

So I'm off for another adventure with Jenni this year. 39.3 miles in two days. Not enough walking under our feet but lots of miles in our hearts. Wish us luck.

Green with Envy

I am soo sooo soooooo jealous of Frayed Laces because she got to do to a Brooks Running Camp. She learned so much that she passed onto the blog world that I should just be a good Christian runner and say "Thank You FL, for all your information and help" but truthfully I'm still too hurt that I didn't get invited. I just can't bring myself to preform a full out temper tantrum anymore. Proof that I need to eat better I guess.

One of the seminars while she was there was about Endurance Running and Nutrition/Hydration needs. Good stuff to read. So I'm forwarding on her info so you all can read it too. I was enlightened and I wonder if I can stick to it. Eating gluten free is getting harder and harder rather than easier since I get tired of the same foods. I need a nutrition overhaul. Better yet? A fashion overhaul. Can someone call Stacey and Clinton? This might take a while.

Week in Review

Not as good as I would have hoped.

• Monday -ran 3 miles (easy)
• Tuesday- FF speedwork= half mile warm up, stretches, plyo and core 1 mile lactic threashold (9min/mile pace) 1 min rest, 1/2 mile aerobic threashold (8:45m/mile pace) w/1 min rest x4, 1 mile lactic threashold (9 min pace) stretch, half mile cool down
• Wednesday= (KB) Kettlebells = kicked my ass... figuratively and actually
• Thursday=rest/swam with the kiddos and held my niece
• Friday=KB heavy and aerobic another ass kicking day and I had Lisa who doesn't yell like KC.
• Saturday- tomorrow is scheduled FF long run with hills 7 miles are on tap for us speed groupies.
• Sunday-another easy long run scheduled, flat I hope

I really need to keep my miles up. I need to do hills on Thursdays but this heat is already killing me. Sitter will be gone next week and not sure how I will get all my workouts in before it gets hot. May need to steal moms treadmill.

Food: Well it sucks. I have been SO BAD about not getting all my calories in and worse about balancing protien and carbs. Lots of fruits and veggies but not enough calories makes me bonk. I hate keeping a food journal maybe I should be more like Caitlin and Kai and take pix of my food. Of course my food isn't as pretty as theirs. LOL

Limits

I've thought a lot about what my limits and my boundaries have been since I started running. I have gone far beyond what I thought I could ever do and thus blowing those ideas of limits out of the water. In the life of a parent I am very good at shutting those down and forgetting what I am capable of. Mostly I want to protect them, even by being "too safe and cautious" which isn't really helping them at all is it? I became a paranoid mommy. Not where I wanted to be in my parent style at all.

I never thought I would run a 10K much less a half or full marathon, but I did. I had to push those "limits" in myself to train for longer distances, for faster times, for conserving energy now so I could push it later. I had to learn to eat differently so I had energy to do things I never thought myself capable of. I had to retrain my mind with positive thoughts, not my usual process at all.

As a parent I am constantly worried about the boys getting hurt, physically, emotionally, spiritually. I built walls around us to keep us safe, those walls are mostly figurative but sometimes very physical when you see what my kids are allowed (or not allowed) to do compared to some of the other kids in our neighborhood. I don't let them play in the street. I don't allow them to go to someones house where I don't know the parents. I hover when they are online so they don't accidentally log into the wrong site. They have timers set for how long they can watch TV, play video games or have computer time. I force them to play outside with Blondy under constant supervision, and at age almost 9 I let Hollywood play outside with less supervision than before with the understanding that he knows his boundaries, knows he must check in every half hour and does not enter any ones backyard, house or car without coming and talking to me first. If I say no there will be no temper tantrums or talking back. Of course these are only a few of the obvious ways I protect my children but the list could go on all day I don't think you want me to bore you anymore with that. All in all, I built my walls pretty high.

It was so hard to climb those walls, jump over them and run, but thats exactly what I did. I always came back though. I needed to get a little Tina time in, not as a parent or a spouse for a little while. I learned that not only did I build walls around family to protect them but I built walls around myself and became of the world going on around me. So when I started to run I had little confidence in myself, but slowly and steadily I learned that there is a difference in LIMITS and BOUNDARIES. Limits are meant to be challenged and boundaries are what we have to keep us safe. My kids are getting the benefits too. A happy mom who is tearing down walls, setting boundaries broader and limits more as goals to overcome. Those walls around our family are not so high but still working on coming down s-l-o-w-l-y as my kids grow. Those walls around myself will be torn down and rebuilt over and over I think but at least they grow with my goals and are torn down with great friends, great runs, great coaches, great workouts, PR's and everyday wonderful achievements. Becoming a runner as taught me more about being a person, a wife, a friend, but mostly a parent than I could have ever imagined.

Hot Stuff

My plan was to run 40 minutes today... so about 4 miles. I walked out the door at 11am, 83 degrees F, very little wind and humid, with a positive attitude and a new podcast in my ear (other one empty so I could listen to traffic or a dog who might want to chase me), and a smile on my face. I ran down a street I haven't ran down before that takes all the way across a cross street then up towards the foothills to the levy. I made a stop at a little park where I got a drink of water at about mile 1.3 miles then out to the levy and down to Wildwood park where there is another drinking fountain. I know that to the turn around at upper park road would put me at exactly 5 miles. I played a little trick on myself, saying I'd go 4o minutes but knowing I was 5 minutes more to a drinking fountain would give me another mile under my belt. Sneaky I know.

I was hot and sweaty and loving it at the turn around. Although my body was tired and I hadn't really eaten properly my mind was so joyful that it kept me energized. I stopped for a drink and to say hello to a fellow runner at the park then headed back home. By the time I got home I was DRENCHED in sweat, like pouring down me and leaving a puddle, but I felt so good! All over tingly, runners high that I had been missing since my little hiatus from a running program.

I wonder if Kettlebells has anything to do with it? I have been so stiff and sore since starting that a good run has been the only thing that has made me feel better, so good in fact that I really look forward to doing KOR again tomorrow, a hike or 3 mile run and then 10 mile long run on Saturday!

When was the last time you had that runners high? Do you get it often or is it rare but magical?

KOR day 2

OMG this is an expensive class. I payed $600 up front for 6 months of kettlebell training/core strength training. KC is planning on working out a workout for me to fit into my marathon training. Isn't' that cool? BUT I am so sore. My hair follicles literally hurt. BUT KC took my body fat and weight measurement today and I don't need to loose any more fat... I'm at about 12.8% and he thinks I need to gain a little weight which will come from muscle in the next few months. Today I weighed in at 111lbs.

Yesterday we did a warm up where we held the KB near our left hip, upside down and swung them up and around our heads and back down to our right hip. Then did it again from there. 20 of those. They are called Halos. Then we would swing them around our waists 10x each way then around our ankles 10x each way. Then figure 8's through our legs rotating from one side lunge to the other keeping the KB close enough to your ankles but not hitting them. 1o sets of squats holding the KB. Then we did windmills, where you hold the KB over your head, legs spread hip width apart and with the other arm you lean down following your opposite leg to the floor... you guessed it 10x each. We did all of that 3 times. Me with an 18lb sissy KB. I did 1 pull up by my self.

We went across the street so we could do sprints but really he wanted to tell me that I ran like a distance runner not a sprinter. Other than the track meet the other day I haven't full out sprinted in a long time. AND I know I don't know how. I did 7 of the 8 sprints. We came back in did some more pull ups and 5 minutes of one handed swings. OUCH. I was so tired by then that I couldn't even hold the KB. I kept dropping it. Did some stretching and called it a day there. But I wasn't actually done with the exercise fun yet.

I went and got a coffee with the hubby, picked up Cindi then headed out for a hundred degree run. We made it about 4.5 miles with two water breaks. One of which I stripped my shoes and socks off and got in the creek with her. It was the hardest 4.5 miles I think I have ever ran.

I woke up this morning wondering how I was going to get out of bed. Took the kids to school and went back to KOR. Today we did Turkish get ups (read me... you need to be coordinated to do these. I looked like an ass), pull ups, 2 weight squats (that's little old me carrying 36lbs and doing 15 squats. Of course I couldn't do that so he let me sit out 4 and 5 and just practice proper squatting technique (read... uncoordinated AGAIN). nice hu... I stopped thinking aboutthen but I know I did a bunch of other stuff and I wondered the whole time when the hour was going to be over. I think I'm going to go back tomorrow, but after my 3 mile run and stretch session.

Track meet

Thats me in pink, I'm kicking ass. I came from behind and totally sweeped this 400m run. I can't wait to do another Track Meet.

1 mile Time trail 6 weeks ago 8:02

1 mile Time trail today 7:38

400m today 1:30

Track Meet Tonight

Fleet Feet Chico is holding a Track meet tonight. So excited! I'm going to try to take pictures. Let you know how it goes.

Biggest Loser Season Finale

I was really hoping one of the girls would win, so I wasn't disappointed but truthfully Tara is who was at the top of my list but I am so, so, so proud of Helen. What an amazing woman! Jerry did great too. Can you believe him?


I don't know if how they lose the weight is always healthy. I don't know if you are learning life long skills by working out for 4 months straight at a gym with a personal trainer then go home and have to figure out how to balance everyday life with losing weight and eating right, BUT what they did was amazing and they are definitely more healthy than when they showed up on the ranch.


You know what ticked me off? TARA LOOKS SO MUCH BETTER THAN ME! I am so hitting the kettle bells and miles.

All in All

No running today. Too much charity fundraising bunco stuff to do and actually finding someone to watch my kids too! Luckily I have wonderful friends that I don't even have to pay to take them out to dinner. Of course they might not be my friends anymore after taking my kids to dinner.


Tomorrow is the Healthy Kids 1 mile run in the park then baseball. I think Hollywood is going to go for a plane ride with his Uncle B tomorrow while Jackson and I finish up last minute bunco stuff.


Sunday is Mothers day and since My mamma, Aunts and Gma will be in Carson City and I'll be here I will be attending brunch at our favorite morning breakfast establishment The "IC", with my in-laws then going on a hike with my boys afterwards (when they are no longer hungry). So no run but a great hike will be good exercise.


Photo Friday. Blondy's class did a "Mommy Makeover" today. They gave us a massage, oatmeal facial, rubbed our hands with lotion, put cucumbers on our eyes.

during the "mommy makeover"

After the Mommy 1st Grade Mommy Make Over

Me

Two runs and a modified kettlebell class in 24 hours. I'm feeling like me again. Darn cold that showed up today won't keep me down. Going back out there tomorrow.

On Track

Okie dokie. My speed and endurance suck. I had to stop several times during the hill workout last night to catch my breath but I was out there. I only did 3 out of the 4 repeats... but I was out there. I was dead last... but I was out there. I've done two trail runs 3-4 miles each this week too. I'm planning on hitting the track tonight with FF. Can't find my watch BUT I'LL BE OUT THERE! 10K program will be starting in 3 weeks and I need to be in shape! Already thinking of marathon training so I'm starting to do Kettlebell class with KOR. So if I'm not home... look for me out running because

I'LL BE OUT THERE!

Out of Sight

I haven't been keeping up with my blog responsibilities. The hubby has been home a lot and I've been so busy with the kids class stuff that not only is there little room to blog, there is little room to run either. I'm looking forward to getting back on that horse. Ran 7 today, 3 with Cindi and 4 with Shelly and Turbo. Turbo is not the yellow lab he appears to be, he's more like a moose with a tutu. It's amazing how that dog can get air and spin around like a top!

Sad news that I'm afraid will further disrupt my running regimen when I really really really need it to curb the stress is that my Uncle Larry was sent home on Hospice yesterday. The cancer has grown too much and his liver is bleeding. The hospice nurses for my Uncle James, for Chris's Gpa Derril and for BFF's Gpa were all amazing. I had the pleasure of teaching the renewal CPR for our local Hospice nursing group and got to know some of them pretty well. I am so thankful there are wonderful people out there who help the patients and families with the hardest and sometimes most painful times of their lives.

Running has been sporadic at best. two or three days of consistency then 4 or 5 off the wagon. It's not working for me. I desperately need a training program to get me back on track. I guess I'm waiting another month but in the mean time I hope to re-start kettlebells through KOR. 6 months would put me at the middle of November which will be two weeks or so before CIM. Hopefully my body will respond positively and with my core built up and the training program with Dave I take some time off of my Marathon!

Eating... that's the hard part. I've been trying to do one whole foods meal a day. Mostly salad, with a variety of fruits and veggies. It only works about 4 days a week but heading in the right direction. I'm also trying to eat more for breakfast and lunch and less for dinner and that seems to be working for me.

This weekend is our first BIG fundraiser. Bunco for Boobs here in Chico. Good Neighbor and I will be in full force but that includes lots of chocolate. I'll have to keep myself busy. MIL is also putting together a yard sale for me at her friend Jewels house. That is always a big stash towards my walk. What great friends and family I have!

Me and Cindi Lu

We had a great short run (Laura and I) the dogs ran a bunch. Started at the cross took the trail to the lake then around and back. The doggies played in the water and ran and ran and ran. At one point Cindi was coming at me full speed when Laura's dog tagged her and she spun completely around. Sort of scared me for a minute. Not even dazed she kept right on playing. Cindi is such a good companion and she is learning so many things every day. She sleeps at my feet. She patrols the house. She loves the boys. She loves the hubby more than me, but thats ok. I'm so thankful I found her and rescued her. I couldn't imagine our lives without her.

Do you have a running (or stay at home and warm your feet) companion? What makes that "companion" special?

Where is your favorite place to run?

Tomorrow I'm meeting Laura at at the "cross" in upper park so we can run with the dogs tomorrow. I love running in upper park even with all the hills and trails that don't really like my klutzy nature. I will try to take the camera in the morning so show you how beautiful it is. My hope is that it will make me stronger AND we need to get ready for those SF hills. So where do you love to run. Where do you go to feel free?

Do the Hokey Pokey and you Turn Yourself Around

Hollywood my 8 year old was messing around in the car swinging his arms around nearly missing his brother. His Brother asked him to stop several times with no response. I asked him to stop several times with no response. His brother finally got tired of it and hit his hand when it swung past his face. Hollywood got mad and I could see that he was going to his his brother. I quickly said "Two wrongs don't make a Right". He did respond quickly by putting his hand down looking at me out the corner of his eye and saying, "but three Rights do make a Left". What a brat. Let me tell you, he is just like he daddy.

Now whenever one of us is off track I say "3 rights make a left" and that's the cue to look in a new direction. I think I need a new direction, or at least a new goal to refuel the passion for running, for staying healthy, for being an athlete again. Today the wind is whipping. The thing I hate MORE than anything is the wind. In 15 minutes at noon, I'm going to do 30Day Shred. I haven't run since last Wednesday and I'm going crazy. Emotionally I'm spent... but tears still fall when I think of this friendship that is falling apart or my uncle who is so sick, or my Grandma, Aunt, cousins, mom who are all waiting for answers that may never come for my Uncle Larry. Its heartbreaking and I need a new outlet. So its time for me to turn around and look in a new direction. Maybe some runs with time not distance, maybe some time just for me to cruise, maybe more speed work, maybe a lot of things to refuel.

Have you come to a crossroads or a road that is leading you down the wrong path lately? What did you do to "turn yourself around"?

Tina {heart}'s these

I read SHAPE last night cover cover at 1am when I couldn't sleep. I love this months profile on Jenny McCarthy. She's funny, down to Earth and an advocate for Autism. I love all the little workout moves too. Lots of things you can do at home if you don't have access to a gym. My kinda workout for sure. I don't pick it up every month but I definately pick it up when I'm feeling like I need motivation.

Runner's World Magazine. OHHHH I read this cover to cover at least 5 times the first few days I have it. Then I go back and check out all the ads. I dog ear the articals I will read over and over and over. Sometimes I cut out training plans or ideas for interval or hill workouts I'd love to try.

My {heart} my Mizuno wave's. They love my feet as much as I love them. I rarely get blisters and with such small feet, size 6.5,I have a tendency to roll my feet out. With these my feet don't do that! With the Nike Pegasus unfortunately they do and I paid the price with IT band issues. ugh.

I {heart} Fleet Feet Chico. This store is more than just a specialty running store. Its a place I can go and feel at home. (crazy I know) I get the Cheer's thing going. I walk in the door and everybody knows me. Scary hu? Everytime you spend $250 you get a $25 store credit! I get those credits quite often. Going through shoes every 3 or so months and the 4 training programs I've been through so far in the last year and 4 months sure add up. Ohhh and my very nice Garmin watch too. I could go on and on. Alan and Susan are awesome. I love the rest of the staff too. Because of them I have found a wonderful run family.

Speaking of I'm off for a Wednesday night run with FF! Running is Cheaper than Therapy.

Trail Less Traveled and my walk for a cure

First a shout out to Ed who ran the Paris Marathon Sunday morning. He took in his first sub 4hour marathon despite the crowds and cobblestones. I'm sure when he gets home you can read all about it here. We're so proud (and so jealous) but can't wait to run with him again soon.

Trail Less Traveled. This trail run took us up and around the hills overlooking (kind of) Lake Oroville. My plan was to have no goal, to just go out and have fun, take my time and cross the finish line. Some of us ran the Quarter marathon and some of us ran the 5K. I took off too fast into the race and when I hit "the hill" I was dragging. This hill just kept going and going and going. Vicki said it was about .6 miles or so of up, up, up. You look around the next corner for a reprieve. There wasn't one. At 3/4 of the way up I had to walk. I was walking faster than I was running. It was so awful and all I wanted to do was throw up. Thank goodness I didn't. When the top came I was so relieved!

The rest of the race was a lot of up and downs but just enough to push me but not so much as to make me cry, which wouldn't have taken much I'm sure. I caught up with Susan and we talked for a while. There was these guys who popped out of the bushes. I hadn't seen them before so I think they were taking a potty break, LOL. We kept them motivated for a mile or so making them run if we got too close to them. It's funny what a girl behind you can do for motivation hu? By the time we got to about 5.5miles I passed the boys and kept pushing it home. I came in at 1hour 6 minutes and 46 seconds. That's 10:12 a mile. Not great but not bad for the first trail run out of shape.

I'm looking forward to upping my mileage again trying to hit 25-30 miles a week through the spring. Summer will include a 10K program and a 5K in June, the Avon Walk for Beast Cancer (more info on that below) with my friends and then the Nike Women's Half Marathon in October while training for the CIM again.

This summer I will participate in my 6th Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in SF. 26.2 miles on Saturday and 13.1 miles on Sunday to raise awareness for the fight against Breast Cancer. Each year I have a new reason to walk. This year my Uncle Larry has been re diagnosed with cancer and this time it won't be an easy fight. Actually it is eventually going to be terminal. Chemo and surgery will help him hold on for awhile but eventually the cancer will take over. My biggest hope is that finding a cure for Breast Cancer, that my Mother in law is a survivor from, will be a key to finding a cure for cancers like Pancreatic cancer that took my Grandpa, Leukemia that took my Uncle James, and stomach cancer that is effecting my Uncle Larry.

This charity is more than a walk to me. It's a family affair. My Aunt Sandy (Uncle James' wife, Uncle Larry's sister), my mom, my Grandma all do so much for me to walk. They are throwing this huge Bunco party for me and last year raised an amazing $2100 toward my two walks. So if any of you are in the bay area and would like to come hang out and play bunco on June 13th give me a call. I'd love to see you. My family is so amazing. My Mother in law and her friend Jewels have had wonderfully successful yard sales that have raised as much as $1200 for me in one day. My friend Jenni and I are having fundraisers to ensure that we both walk including a local bunco game here in Chico. You see that this is more than a walk, its a mission for me. I am thankful for every day that I spend with my family and friends, thankful for my health and thankful to have the power to help.

mom, me, Aunt Sandy in Long Beach for my 5th AWBC

On the Road Again

I had a great run with Laura last night. It was 3 easy and gratifying miles. We took the trail along One Mile and just turned around at the 1.5 mile mark. We didn't use watches or worry about speed. We both did a little venting and got some perspective from eachother. We thought, hmmm maybe more than just a run. Maybe next week we'll go out for a glass of wine or a cocktail. Sounds good to me!

I'm not really training for anything specific. I have a few shorter races coming up and I'd like to do well on them. My plan is to keep the miles up by doing a long(ish) run of 8-10 miles every week but we'll see if that happens!

Tonight the boys are going to my parents so I can run the "Trail Less Traveled" 1/4 marathon. Can't wait!

So heres to good runs with great friends, to new and exciting races (first time trail run for me) and some re-setting of goals and dreams.

Fast(er)

I did speed work last night with the fleet feet crew and I felt like I did a year and 3 months ago (slow). I guess I couldn't have been going too slow because for the most part I was keeping up with Vicki, at least til the end and she had an excuse too. She gave blood before the workout. We did a warm up to the park, some stretching and the directions. The temps were warm in the 70's with high humidity for this time of year. Took some getting used to. Today we would be doing 2 minutes easy running, 4 minutes hard x3 out then do the same back. So that was 36 mintues total. We definately did negative splits even though Vicki's last 4fast was a lot faster than mine. I had to hold back for fear of making a fool out of myself by puking on the side of the road in front of the mens softball team.

Don't you hate it when you just "have" to go faster than the two snotty girls in front of you but they are such BITCHES that they intentionally stay right in front of you! UGH! Mine was pure compeditiveness and they were just being snotty, catty, bratty Bitches, looking over their shoulders making sure I wasn't on their tails. They stopped at the fence where we started our workout but we still had two minutes to go, and then saw me keep running so they had to "sprint" ahead of me to be in front. What the hell? I am so going to kick their asses next week when I'm back to being me. We jogged back to the store and stretched and drank some water. I saw them leave and had this urge to flip them the bird... but I'm nice (on the outside) and refreigned for the sake of Susan and Alan who's store we were occupying and probably didn't want a brawl in the middle of it. I'm such a big talker. That would have been the ULTIMATE April Fools Joke.

Ain't no April Fool

I wanted to finish March strong. Well at least running. Yesterday I did level 1 of Jillian Michaels 30day shred then ran with the Couch to 5K group last night. They walked to the park, Ran 3min, walked 1.5min, ran 5min, walked 2.5 min then did it again. It was 12 minutes out and 12 minutes back. totoal of 16 minutes of running which is more than most of the runners had done before. I got to see Peg (my mom's friend from work) and Kari who I ran on the levy with a few weeks ago. I'm so proud of them!

Today I'm sore in my shoulders and arms. I should have stared with 2pound weights instead of 3. I know I'm a total wimp. But I have also lost a lot of strength since I've been on these antibiotics. I am having trouble opening jars and lifting things that were always easy for me before. I can't wait to be off of them.

I am running a speedworkout with Susan and the FF group tonight. I figure I won't be out in the sun so I won't break out in a rash. Although I did get eaten alive my mesquitos last night. I will spray bug spray on myself before I go out tonight. I'm excited and nervous. I may even run a couple of miles before hand to get my miles in before the 6.55 mile trail run this weekend. Its been a month since I've run that far! Of course Tracey and I did come in 2nd for the womens relay teams so that could boost my moral.

Ed leaves today for PARIS! We are all so excited for him. I can't wait to hear all about it. GOOD LUCK ED and Terri! Have a fun and safe trip. They will be running the 5K the morning before the marathon too. Of course they have all the other sight seeing plans on the table too.