Tales of the Mighty Mite Runner

Safety #1 Running buddies

2011-07-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

These girls are my rock... love running with them!

I did my first presentation for our Fleet Feet 10K training program this morning on runner safety. Its been a long time since I've presented material in front of people (other than the workout that Ed let me lead last Wednesday which went really well other than the group ~~cussing me out in their heads~~ being so excited over making them do one mile repeats). Due some extenuating circumstances in our area it was just a good time to remind everyone of some safety issues anyhow. Here's a little run down of how I keep safe on runs. Today I'm going to talk about running buddies.

I schedule a run with friends, especially in a new area to me. Running with my friends is one of my favorite ways to connect and socialize with my besties. I found this amazing group of friends through running and we keep that going by exercising together... and of course they are kind of a captive audience once we're out on the trail a few miles... I do love to sing and tell jokes 10 miles into a 20 mile run... I'm sure they love that!

crazy things you do when with your running buddies

Run with new people. The best way to make new friends is to go for a hot sweaty feet pounding run with them. Every ones guard is down and the honesty seems to shine through. I can attest to the fact that I've sometimes over-shared with new running buddies but I've also listened to many stories that we wouldn't normally share in any other circumstances from child birth to bathroom habits, while out on the trail. I build emotional walls, that's just how I deal with life... but they crumble easily on the trail or road. That seems to be when I'm to the most ME.

out on a run with my best running buddy

I run with my dog. She loves to run with me. She deters strangers and other dogs from approaching me and its just great to spend time with her. I rescued her from the pound and she is just so happy to be out and about with me that I can't help but love that time. I also hope that keeps other big scary animals away while on trail runs. My dog even has a best friend...Laila that she loves to run with. That is how amazing running is. :)

me and Koz on our 50K relay

Running buddies stop you from running into the street when you shouldn't. They remind you of which side of the road to run on (facing traffic), have extra eyes and ears to watch out for dangerous situations, keep you from getting lost alone, pull you through a hard run, carry extra GU or chomps in case you run out, deter strangers (or big animals) from approaching. They are your sounding board, youre theirs. Running may be cheaper than therapy, but its also a lot more fun. I do love my running buddies!.

Do you have a running buddy... or two or three or more? Do you run with your dog?

Heights, Water and Catwalks, Oh My

2011-07-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

Lots of fun stuff going on here! Coaching is going well. I'm not getting as many miles in as I would like and my hip was a lot more tender after hill repeats with the 10k group Wednesday night than I would have liked. I did a couple short runs this week but other than that I've been off the wagon. My brain AND my body needed the long run release. When Linda in Paradise offered up a chance to run the flumes above DeSabla reservoir this morning I jumped at the chance.

My grandparents, aunt and cousin lived just down the fire road from the PG&E lake when I was little. We spent countless hours walking along the trails, riding sleds down the embankment in the snow by the lake and riding my cousins horses along the paths. Although it has been many years since I've spent time up there in ways it will always be a part of me and some of my best memories.

I met Linda at 6:30 in order to get 10 miles in. She ran this same trail for 10 miles yesterday with a bunch of people from Paradise that make the track down the hill in the Spring and Fall for the marathon programs. They all took the Summer off and taking to the trails up in the foothills. Today we headed off along the trail and chatted about lots of fun stuff. We run along the flume with the water running the opposite direction. There are several places where you have to walk along "cat walks" sometimes just two boards side by side and sometimes grates with a hand rail... sometimes without a hand rail...

If you know me in real life you know I'm a chicken sh*t. I don't like water... I don't like heights and I'm not particularly fond of bridges. OK I LIKE bridges a lot but I do NOT like to walk across them. Heights+water= no thank you. I just sucked it up and walked. The views were probably amazing but I wasn't going to look around and see. It was just one foot in front of the other. I'm sure that Linda was annoyed but she didn't show it. We got to one point where the catwalk didn't have a handrail. It was half of a metal tube cut in half and help up next to the cliff side of a mountain with water ~~GUSHING~~ flowing against the direction we were running. it was hard to keep moving forward without feeling dizzy so i took my time.

We turned around and headed back and crossed back across the same catwalks. It was a lot easier to get across then. Water flowing the same direction and better to focus on getting home that way! Linda even offered to take a picture on the long catwalk to prove i got across all by myself! The run was beautiful and I forgot that I love the sound of the water moving. There were still a lot of wild flowers in bloom and the temperatures were in the high 60's the entire time. I am definitely putting this run on my list.

Put Me In Coach

2011-06-20T02:54:00.000-07:00

Lots of big changes have been happening these last few months. I've been so overwhelmed that I've had little time to sit down and pull them together as a post so I'll lightly touch on a few of the things that we've been going through.

First things first. We put our house on the market in hopes of finding something a little bigger and with a pool. Keeping it clean and ready to show has taken up almost every morning in case someone calls and wants to see it so it leaves little time for running. Little to no running is only adding stress to a already stressful situation. I'm hoping an offer comes in soon so I can look forward again.

Hollywood Pitching

Hollywood (10 y.o. son) had the baseball season that refused to end. Between the constant rain outs and the fact that they were undefeated in their playoffs I had to juggle practice, games and the rest of our crazy life right now. They made it all the way to the district level where they made a it through a tough game but didn't end up on top. Its OK... so many kids never make it as far as they did and he improved by leaps and bounds this season.

Blondy reading his new book

Blondy (9 y.o. son), since the weather changed from cold to HOT he's been battling migraines just like me. Its harder to monitor how much water he's taking in and I'm sure he would do well. we had to leave a few of Hollywood's games because he would go from fine to migraine in a matter of minutes.

Celebrating 12 years married

FireFighterProvider (FFP) has been changing his schedule around like crazy to make it to Hollywood's games. He's also starting a new business with his best friend so there will be more to come on that but lets just say that has been a whirlwind of papers and meetings and licences and federal, state, local business dealings that aren't always on the "same page".

Coach Tina Necklace for GOTR

Me, Mightymite Runner (MMR), went off to LV for my Birthday and took that RRCA class to be certified as a running coach. I also had a great stint with Girls on the Run. I've been working my way though the workshops to be able to work with Susan and the other amazing coaches at Fleet Feet Chico. I've been looking forward to this for so long! GOTR was probably the highlight of my Spring. I met and worked with wonderful young women who changed my life with their spirit and growth. Having boys is so different than working with girls. I loved every minute of working with them. We "graduated them" with a 5k called the Diva Dash. I cried as I watched each of our girls cross that finish line. it was amazing. I don't have time to do it again this Fall but I'm looking forward to another Spring program!

I did get my certification and started working with FF to get ready for the Summer Sizzler 10k program. I had been waiting so impatiently but as it approached I was just a bundle of anxious nerves! I shouldn't have been. Ed, Susan and Vince made things very easy for Cari and I (coach trainees) and we took to the route on our bikes to touch base with everyone and make sure everyone was safe and following directions. Other than the heat (it was 93F that day) things went very smoothly.

Perfect Post Run Yoga Stretching

Saturday went well too. I drove to Cari and Vince's house and we rode bikes to the park where we were starting. It is so nice of them to share their extra bike with me since mine was stolen from my garage two weeks ago. These are our longer run days. Ed and I take the "advanced" or "speed group" out a little farther than the "endurance group" with Vince and Cari but generally along the same path so it is easy to keep everyone in the general area. There were over 100 of us out there running! What a great group. Some of the trails get a little tight so its good to go over etiquette for such a large group. We get to remind our runners to go single file along the path where other's are running, riding, walking their dogs and such. We may not be able to control what other groups are doing we need to be more responsible and courteous since we represent Fleet Feet in name and actions.

We finished our run and this great gym, Elevate Chico strength, was there to do post run stretching/yoga next to Sycamore pool. It was the perfect end of the run. I'm looking forward to the next 7 weeks.

National Running Day 2011

2011-06-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

What a year so far! This time last year I was just getting back into running after an injury and having trouble tackling 4 miles. Today I went out after two weeks off and it felt like it had been forever since I had run. I can't believe I've run through two marathon programs and a 10k program since then. Crazy stuff. I haven't had any time to post and obviously no time to run in the last few weeks with this crazy busy live I've been leading lately. Liz said today she has never seen me so stressed. I would have to agree with that. Running is definately my anti depressant.

So I broke my streak and ran a nice easy 4 with liz today. I smiled afterward and haven't had the need to scream or bite anyone's head off since I got home. I see more sanity runs in my near future.

High on the Miles

2011-03-31T21:54:00.000-07:00

Liz at mile 17 (committed)

The method to my madness is easy. Its been stressful around here so I run... or I don't but there is no in between. I run hard or I run long. I did learn so much at my RRCA class and but the big make it work for me info is to slow down on my longer runs and I''ll feel better. Guess what? It worked! I started out working hard on that first Tuesday night speed workout but then kept it light for the rest of the week. I eased off even more on my pace and I did amazing on our 20 mile run this weekend, even with the crazy wind, rain and sleet (and hills) we ran through I felt great the entire way. I had nice easy quiet 6 and 7 mile runs all week. That 20 miler on Saturday finished off a 47 mile week.

Bday shot of tequila

We celebrated my birthday by going with friends to dinner at Tres Hombres, hit Panama's for a drink (but no potty breaks!) then for some "Drunk Bowling". I was pretty blitzed by then and made everyone shake their butts if they were up at the same time as me. I yelled WAHOO a lot and drank a bunch of NorCal Margaritas which made me VERY HAPPY! We didn't get in until 1am or so and I slept like a ROCK! I didn't go for a run Sunday but I didn't have a hangover either! Wahoo for me.

at mile (crazy) 17 of 20

Monday I did knock out a good 7 miles up to the airport but it was warm. Weird what 2 days can make, from snowing to the 60's and sunshine. Tuesday night was my "webinar" with the rest of the RRCA group and so I ran with Robin, Traci, Marta and Anna at the CSUC track that morning. We ran bleachers and sprints. Not my usual kinda run and it showed. I was at least one set back from them by the end and my strides (sprints) were poor but I tried! I was super sore and tired and still had to run to mom's office to call AAA since I locked my keys in my car and then run back. It was only 4.87 miles in the bank but 3 of those were pretty hard work! I was super sore the next day but went for a nice long hilly hike with friends to Table Mt. and even more sore today (Thursday) but ran a good 7miles including the mother hill with Tracy, Cheri and Liz today. Hopefully I'll run 5 tomorrow and figure out how to get my 18 in on Saturday.

RRCA Coaching Certification

2011-03-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

The cute hat I bought myself for my Bday

Something I've been pondering and throwing around in my head for a while is to take a coaching certification class. I have a lot of friends who are very interested in running and ask me advise. I give them little ideas on how to get started and what worked for me but I struggled with the fact that I'm a runner not a coach and truthfully as much as I love running... I love teaching more. I miss teaching CPR, I miss being the one who can lead others into a healthy lifestyle. I wanted to be a part of the larger picture.

I approached Susan at our local Fleet Feet and told her I was interested in helping out in the longer distance programs and did she think she could use someone in the Fall. She said yes! Their programs are growing by leaps and bounds for all the programs and its hard to keep enough coaches who can follow their philosophy rotating through the programs with some time off too. It would be nice to give those who are in there a break and its always good to have more "feet" out there to monitor the runners.

I've only been running for the last 3+ years and would they accept me as their coach? Would I do well enough in this class to not just pass but to get the info I need to teach them? Would this give me the confidence I'm looking for?

I headed for LV from Disneyland on my sisters 29th Birthday. While they were driving back to NorCal I was on planes and in Taxi cabs. I took cheater books with me to study before I got to class. I got to the hotel and walked over to REI so I'd know where I was going to be taking the class the next day. I also bought myself a pair of cute capris and a hat. I'd been looking for one in DL and never found one that I really loved.

Where our class was held in NWLV

I ate dinner at a pub across from the hotel/casino and met a sweet young couple out on a date sitting at the bar that chatted me up. They said it was nice to have a conversation with another adult at dinner. I was glad they got a chance to get out. I remember what that was like!

Class on Saturday was my birthday. Lots of sciencey stuff. Learned A LOT. I learned why slow running is good, why building your endurance helps in any longer race, why we build the programs the way we do.

We all met back at the same pub I ate at the night before and had a yummy dinner of stir fry and they bought me a "birthday shot" that I had to take without my hands. Didn't work out to well. Total party foul but it was fun.

wicked blurry shot of my birthday "shot"

Sunday I met up with some of my RRCA peeps and we went for a run. Of course I got lost with my running buddy so we just headed up to Starbucks instead. :) Got in a good 3 miles though! Went back to the hotel and took showers and headed back to REI community room. Warren jumped in and gave us a lot more info to digest and we had to put a lot of that information into action. Building a running plan and program around a really "pushy" pretend runner looking for a half marathon time a bit beyond her abilities at that time. Most of us judged a little too conservative. It was hard to think outside the box but we got the picture pretty quick! I left with a good view of how things work and lots of notes! Thank you Susan for the heads up and the good advise.

I took the test today and got a 92%. less than what I expected but that's OK. I need to be better about following my gut!

Disneyland trip

2011-03-31T19:31:00.000-07:00

WOW! Its been too long! I'm going to do a few recap posts here and catch you all up on the fun times I've had since I've last posted.

Nani w/ her pop princess do and Belle

The week before we went to Disneyland I was so good about my miles! I hit them all knowing the next week would be hard with my sister and her kids in town before we left for SoCal. I did have a crazy headache that Saturday and bailed 2 miles in but I felt confidant that it wouldn't interfere too much with my training. Up to that point I had been really good this training period with hitting close to what is written for me. I also ate well. I've been more aware of my gluten splurges and that they really don't make me feel well so it isn't worth it to jump ship. I did a time or two but for the most part I was diligent. I missed posting here because we didn't have Internet. That just about drove me bonkers.

We drove to Disneyland caravan style with my sis, her kids and my parents in the other car on that Monday. It was my nephew Jeremy's 3rd birthday. He's so stinkin' cute! It was also my 18th anniversary of my Melanoma diagnosis. Let me tell you that it may have been wet and cold in NorCal but SoCal was beautiful and sunscreen was a must. We had dinner at Rainforest Cafe and headed to our hotel for a good night sleep.

5 kids and my sista on Casey Jr. train

me and my boys

Tuesday-Thursday was a whirl wind of Disneyland madness including my hubby taking my niece (6) on her first roller coaster ride on the Matterhorn, my nephews (JJ age 3) and (TyTy age 4) each on their first roller coaster rides on the Gadgets GoCoaster in ToonTown. Not sure the little guys recovered but Nani sure loved it! I took her and her mom over to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for a princess makeover and she chose the "POP PRINCESS" hair do for her princess day. She looked wild! Kinda reminded me of the 80's music I listened to growing up. She only needed a microphone to sing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" into and it would have been perfect! We did so much walking and carried Tyler (4) a lot. I estimated that we probably walked close to 10 miles a day. Between carrying my nephews and hustling from 7am til 11pm every day I don't think I lost any fitness while I was there! Probably one of the best parts was that my sista, my nephew and I wore our "It's My Birthday" badges with our names on them and EVERYONE said happy birthday to us for the last two days (that's when we found out we could wear them even if it was our bday WEEK) of our park visit. It was pretty amazing!

St. Patty's day in the park with the whole Family

Holding Tink w/ Nani and my Sista

My little family in CalAdv.

All the kids at the CARS

Got to see Pooh Bear! I love taking little guys to DL!

I hopped on a plane to Vegas Friday while they drove home to cold wet Chico. I cried in the car on the way to the airport. I missed my sista and the kids already and I had just walked out the door.

Into the Wind

2011-02-24T21:22:00.000-08:00

North end of the levy where we shouldn't have been

There is a crazy storm headed our way. Some people in other parts of the country think its beaches and sunshine all over California. Well here in Chico we don't have a real beach but we have lots of creeks with wonderful watering holes to jump in. We have lakes all around us to go explore too. But this week we are expecting snow all the way to the valley floor! SNOW! You know because all the people who already shouldn't be out there driving will be F-L-I-P-P-I-N-G out! I'm excited though. I love running in the rain and I'm sure I'd love running in the snow although I do not like running in the wind. The whole run today felt like it was running right into the wind. So I haven't even looked at my splits but I'm sure they aren't good.

I swear she found every mud puddle

I took the kids to school and came back and ate breakfast. Gotta love Cheerios with strawberries and blue berries. I know they aren't in season yet but I couldn't resist them on my Trader Joe's trip. They did not disappoint. I love me some blueberries. They are most definitely my favorite fruit. Strawberries are yummy but just can't compare. I can't wait for summer fruits and veggies.

I didn't get out the door until 9:30 but the wind had already picked up and the clouds were threatening rain. I grabbed the leash and Cindi went crazy. She was so ready to go. I knew that she was going to either drag me or that I was going to spend the first few miles correcting her. Off we went and we hit our first hurdle when we crossed the first major street with two puppies that Cindi assumed were there to play with us. I had to drag her away from them but they all did look pretty cute playing together. Off we went to the walking path behind a local subdivision that leads to the levy. Its just over a mile to get there and Cindi was so happy to be off leash for a bit. There are houses to our right but all open fields to the left so she felt very free and I had to keep calling her back so she wouldn't run off. When we hit the levy we decided to add some mileage by turning left instead of right and seeing where it lead. I probably should have told someone I was going there since I doubt enough people go out there that if something bad happened it would be days before anyone found me! So no more going back there by myself but we will be heading back there with friends for sure. It was pretty though.

Just past the ball fields along the levy

We turned back into the wind and ran to Wildwood park along the levy but the wind was so bad and my hip was hurting a little I had to stop and stretch a few times along with the "snot rockets" and coughing along the way. The wind took my hat 3 times along that mile stretch alone. We turned the corner and checked the water fountains that are apparently still off due to this freeze and decided to take a leashed loop around the path that is just over half a mile long then over the road to the other side of the levy. Cindi was pretty tired by then and our run was starting to warm up. We ran along Centenial then turned around at the 5 mile mark and headed back with a water stop for us both at 5 mile, me at the fountain and her in the creek then ran back along the levy and home. Those last 3 were almost effortless. Finally found my happy place and even the parts where Cindi was on leash she was behaved. At the point to turn off the path behind the houses we did run into a German shepherd who was loose. We ended up leashing up and heading into the neighborhood to avoid a confrontation. This ended up adding more than a half mile to my projected route but we didn't even care! Well I didn't care and I didn't hear Cindi complaining so when we slowed down in front of the house and noticed the hubby wasn't home yet I almost headed back out for a few more miles. Instead I did dishes and laundry and stretched.

Chico Creek by 5Mile

We do have a few miles to make up for since i didn't run yesterday. I'm thinking of heading to Paradise and running in the snow because I'm so jealous of you mid-westerners who have been battling it for months. ;) We got in with 8.81 miles in but I'm not telling you how long it took us with all that head wind.

Do you take your dogs on your runs? How far do you run with them? Cindi has run anywhere from 3 and up to 12miles with me.

It Snot Pretty

2011-02-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

I did now want to get up this morning for our scheduled 14 mile run but today was a little special and we ran from C&M Automotive. My friend Kosmo and his wife own the repair shop and also sponser a local race series here in Chico. You could not ask for more supportive and sweet people.

Kosmo had a route laid out for us based on a cycling route with some little extra loops to make up some mileage. We started out from C&M and I kept up with the 10m/m pace group but it wasn't pretty. The first 5 miles were at an incline with some rolling hills at the top. We went up by the airport then along Ryan by the ball fields where Hollywood plays Little League. I kept Susan, Liz and Becca in my sights and TDD right behind me. There were a lot of "snot rockets" and "super spitting" going on from all the morning gunk from this cold. It was GROSS! We did have a few fun little things happen along the run though. About mile 4 a cow and and its calf came out over a hill headed in the same direction as us at a run. It was like they were running with us. It was very funny when my friend made an attempt to run faster than them up the hill. We also saw a bunch of great creeks and slews rushing with water. I wish I would have stopped to take pictures.

At mile 5 we turned off of Cohassett Highway and onto the Keefer road. The houses along this road are pretty amazing. I would love for someone to buy me one of these $500k-$1million dollar homes then come clean it for me. :) We took a few of those loops off the side streets including running past Aaron Rogers parents house. I didn't take a picture because I was respecting their privacy but it was green. Not GB Packers green either but that's OK. It was pretty cool. That kept me going past the half way mark and I was just hoping to make it to the 10 mile mark. I was all about climbing in coach Paul's truck and giving up but he went to rescue another runner by the time I got to the aid station meaning I was going to have to finish the last 4 miles. Now I'm glad I did but I probably would not have regretted it if I hadn't finished.

Levy shot of the rushing water. This is usually dry

Liz on the levy

I felt like CRAP! I took GU shots (the new peach tea ones are THE BOMB) at mile 5 and 10 and hoped they would kick in quickly. The last 4 were plagued with moving streams right over the road on Hicks and that makes for some wet socks which even with Body Glide makes for hot spots or even blisters. We turned off onto the levy at mile 12.5 and headed towards home. The wind was a bitch all day. My head felt like it was going to explode from the pressure in my sinus and every time I stopped for something I started coughing. I just wanted to get back to Kosmo's shop and drink coffee and eat treats. So although I felt like I was flying I saw on my Garmin I was struggling to keep it at 10 minute pace against a 10-15 mph head wind. That uneven surface isn't too pleasant on wet squishy shoes and socks either so I was ready to be home and out of the wind. I'm just thankful it didn't rain on us! I did like TDD's version of my cold. Its like a little green gremlin in there trying to get out... and the snot and gunk is like that character from the commercial we all love don't we? LOL

I'm looking forward to a good easy hill run with my friend Cheri tomorrow.

Feelings on Boston and Lance's Retirement

2011-02-18T18:27:00.000-08:00

I'm not a fast runner, marathon or otherwise. I'm more of a mid to back of the pack runner. I like to run with my friends and my biggest goal is to someday finish under 4 hours. There's not age I need to be when I do it. I don't need someone to tell me that I'll have to run faster to achieve that. I'm not sure how I'd be feeling if Boston was a goal of mine. I would probably disheartened, discouraged and upset or maybe I would feel just like I do now. I do know that I have heard from some runners who are not happy about these changes. They will have less of a chance to register if they are close to their BQ cut off time. They will lose that 59 second grace time on the minute cut off. They will have to work so much harder to drop their times low enough to qualify in the future. I don't disagree with the BAA practices and changes I just feel for those people who have worked so hard to get close and may loose their chance. I do think that with more people running, and running faster for that matter, it is making the chances of meeting the current/old times more attainable with a good strong consistent effort. That is a lot of runners who qualify, a lot more than the number of qualifying spots available for the Boston Marathon. As a runner with a young family I don't see it in my future. I don't have the time or ambition to put into it and my heart is more about getting others into running than running marathons fast myself. I have a hope that coaching will bring some of that competitive energy back to the future but its not a burning desire yet. So If you want to qualify for Boston you have a lot of work cut out for you. Go out there and do your work... and I'll watch your times as you cross that Boston line.

Lance is Re-retiring from cycling to spend more time with his family. His name is on one of the most successful charitable organizations to bring funds and education to one of the deadliest diseases in the world. He obviously adores his family and his fame on the bike has given him a name to use for a good thing. I personally don't think that he is a selfless, humble, innocent man. I think that he wouldn't be the kind of man I would want to marry or have a family with (although I do adore his ex-wife Kristen Armstrong's blog). I do think that his body was made to do amazing things and he did them... with or without doping. I really could care less if he did or didn't use drugs. I think his children are old enough to read the information that is out there the truth, the theory, the lies, the not so subtle comments that some people might be making about their father. Lance and I are very different but we have a few things in common, we ran a marathon (although he was A LOT faster) and we are both cancer survivors. So I'm not going to bash him. I'm going to forgive without knowing all his faults. I'm going to keep wearing my yellow bracelet and running or volunteering for the LiveStrong run in our little community in October. I'm going to tell my kids that being the best they can be without using pills or shots or drugs is the only way to truly win and you are not only cheating yourself but your friends, your coaches, your peers, your competitors, by "doping" in any way. I'll tell my children the truth, that dignity and honesty are more important than winning. I only hope that Lance knows that too.

When it Rains...

2011-02-17T16:42:00.000-08:00

post 8 mile hilly, wet, windy run

... it pours. I've feeling so cruddy that I finally broke down and got a script for this yucky gunk that has taken over my body. My PA gave me the script as a last ditch effort if it all goes south and that's exactly what it did. So much for the "allergy/Reactive Airway Disease/possible virus theory he had going. After taking the first day of the z-pac on Tuesday night I started feeling like ME again! I hadn't run since Sundays Grand Mother F***ing hill workout on Sunday with Liz where I actually had to stop and walk because I was coughing so hard. I took Monday and Tuesday off because I was a wreck and a half.

Any who... I used my usual Monday rest day to do some core work then I skipped Tuesday nights speed workout to get better. Our beautiful California weather took a vacation somewhere else and the rain and wind made a reappearance. I hate the wind more than ANYTHING else. I would rather run in the pouring rain than in the wind. Yuck. I did make it to Book club on Tuesday night at the crepe place here in town and the food was yummy and the book was "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. I tried really hard not to read it but once I started reading it I couldn't stop. It was a great discussion for a blustery wet night speed run that was scheduled for the exact same time.

I did get a 4 mile run in on Wednesday night with Liz. Apparently I was feeling pretty good because Liz was sore from the 3x 10 minutes at interval pace she had to run on Tuesday night in the rain and wind that I had to be reminded to rope it in for her. She did kick my butt today though.

stretching post wet, hilly, windy run

I woke up this morning to pouring rain and crazy winds and got dressed this morning and left the house at 6:40 to meet with her, Susan Z, and TTDas we met at 5 mile for an 8 mile hill run up in Canyon Oaks. I had some relative "ups and downs" during the hill run and not always during the hills either. I did master the "snot rocket" and I'm not so good at spitting out the gunk in the back of my throat. Yuck again. This may be a little TMI but that's what runners talk about when we run anyway right? Well that and food. We ran the "GRANDmother F***ing Hill" today again and I only had to walk long enough to clear out the snot in my nose and get going again. It was a little better than Sunday. We did get back to 5 mile and get our stretching in under the little overhang. I took some pics of the fast moving creek then us stretching. I need to make up some miles tomorrow then a 14 mile run on Saturday and probably a Sunday hill run again. I'm looking forward to Monday's off day again.

Things I Love...

2011-02-14T17:12:00.000-08:00

my hubby
my boys
my puppies
my parents, sista, nieces and nephews
my amazing friends
running with my friends
hugs and kisses
reading (my Nook rocks)
movie theater popcorn
BBQed ribs
corn on the cob with lots of butter and salt (see movie theater popcorn. I'm sensing a theme here!)
Dirty Dancing (gotta love Patrick Swayze... RIP)
swing dancing
Jiminy Cricket, Tinker Bell and Disneyland
the sound of the guitar or saxophone
Christmas (and Christmas music)
Giving people the perfect present
that runners high I get on that perfect run
late night talks with my bestie
watching my oldest play baseball
watching my youngest read Harry Potter
watching them both swim like fish despite my fear of the water
eating the food my husband hunts (especially wild pork!)
cuddling with my husband on the couch
camping at the lake
laying in the hammock with my hubby
riding my cruiser around town
book club
runs with Cindi (makes me feel safe too!)
Puppy play dates w/ my red headed friends and their fur babies

restart #gagillion

2011-02-12T21:37:00.000-08:00

is gagillion a #?

I've started a ton of posts but they all seem so HEAVY and needed a lot more processing in my brain before I could share them. So they sit in my Edit folder and don't see the light of day. I'm OK with that but I do regret not sharing anything with you guys for a while.

What I have been up to:

first time skiing in the last 18 years or so

1) The hubby took us skiing last month as the boys big present for Christmas. They got all day lessons at Homewood and they did amazing! I on the other had got a "crash course" on the mountain. I was actually doing well until I got tired in the afternoon and fell a bunch. I came home not a happy camper but I'm glad the kids and hubby had a good time.

2) I spent weeks with soreness on my left side (normally its my right side that gives me issues). All my push off muscles were not happy at all. I had been running hills 2-3 days a week in preparation for Big Sur 21 in May. Dr. John fixed me up though. He has magic hands. ART really works.

3) I started coaching Girls on the Run with one of my running friends "Daring Donna" and another friend "Lively Lisa"! We had a coach meeting for all the coaches in Butte County a couple Saturdays ago, then last week had our first two meetings. I cannot tell you how much I love being a part of this organization! The girls are amazing. One girl's mom approached Donna worried about her daughters self confidence but that first day she came up with her own nick name, "Make It Happen M"! Isn't that great? I'm getting lots of great ideas from Caitilin over at Healthy Tipping Point. Thanks Caitlin!

4) I signed up for the RRCA coaching certification seminar in Las Vegas the weekend of my birthday. I also started some coaching meetings with Susan so I can help coach the half or full programs this Fall for Fleet Feet. I had my second meeting with her and Laurie yesterday. I can't even start to explain how excited I am for this opportunity. As much as I love running I also love to get others on the path to a healthy relationship with themselves through running. I've trained with our local group in 10 different programs from 10k to 3 full marathon programs in the last 3 years. I would definitely say that running has been the biggest positive change I have make in my life. I love that I can share that with others.

5) Habitat for Humanity Home Run was today. Its a local 5k that my friend Vicki organizes to raise funds to build local homes for families who choose to invest in their futures by helping to build their own homes. I would say that today was a success! I hope Vicki though so too!

Deer at the golf course on our 10 mile run Thursday

6) sickies... We have had unseasonably warm weather for the last month. Everything is blooming early. I noticed an increase in my allergies but I have never had a problem running through them. I've noticed for the last few weeks that I've had a tickle and coughing after my runs, especially after runs up by the airport where there are large expanses of grass growing. Monday it seemed especially bad and by Wednesday night I was wheezy and my nose was draining like crazy. I thought I was dying by Thursday and went to the doctor. He said he didn't think it was bronchitis but "Reactive Airway Disease" which essentially seasonal allergies on asthma crack. He gave me a Rx for an inhaler, nasal spread and cough medicine as well as a regular daily allergy meds. so far I think the cough medicine is the bomb and the inhaler is a life saver. The strange thing is that I feel great when I run. its when I stop or try to sleep that I fall apart.

7) Lots of miles including getting my long 10 mile run in on Thursday morning starting at 6:30 with Liz in the park. It was nice to finish before 8:30 and get on with my day. We went to a friends that night with a bunch of other running friends too. What a great community we have here! I've done no kettlebells. Still working on my thyroid med levels that seem to affect how I throw my weights around.

So I'm going to be better about posting because there are some important things I want to talk about and share with you guys. But for now this little tidbit will have to do.

The Mother Hill, ART new adventures for Mighty Mite

2011-01-19T14:01:00.000-08:00

Last night was another hill workout thanks to coach Ramon. I've been consistently running this hill 3 days a week for the last few weeks and I'm loving the results I'm getting from it. My easy pace is creeping down and my hard workouts are pushing limits I haven't seen since the fall 09 marathon training cycle. I'm reading Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon: How to be Your Best Coach by Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald. I'm only 1/4 of the way through and already learning a lot about how my body works and what works for me and training. Hills are my friend and I'm loving the change in workout BUT I'm a little excited to get back on the interval bandwagon to see those results although I know we're still in base training. My progression run on Saturday was pretty amazing. I was easily talking at sub 10 pace down to 9:30's and hustled in that last mile for a strong finish at sub 9m/m pace.

Running back down the "Mother Hill" on Sunday morning

Tuesday night was the same hill as Sunday morning and last week but on the way back we had a little side road to add another mile in of some less intense hills. Liz and I started at the back and moved up through the group when we got to THE hill and I just kept powering up it. Each time I do it seems a little more of a victory. Those hills on the Big Sur 21miler aren't going to get me because I'm going to be prepared.

Big News... I'm taking the RRCA coach training certification seminar in LV in March for my birthday. My bestie and maybe some other friends will be coming along for the ride too. I have some plans in mind I'm not ready to talk to you about but I'll let you know as soon as I'm ready to unveil them! I'm also going to be helping coach Girls on the Run for a local school with my friend Donna this Spring. I'm very interested in helping girls find an exercise that they love so they can make it a life long habit to stay healthy. I love the overall concepts we're teaching them to and a positive perception of themselves as well as to combat negative self talk and social pressures. This is an amazing program and I can't wait to be a part of it!

on the water table at Dr. John's

Today I went and saw my chiropractor Dr. John because I pulled something in my shoulder and upper back when I helped my grandma when she fell a couple weeks ago. I've been guarding it but the tingly feeling in my fingers, the weakness and loss of range of motion. It sounded like a Rice Krispy commercial in there today as well as a lot of Active Release Technique going on while he worked on putting me back together. He also hit those regular trouble spots along my hip and IT band. You know its a good visit to John when its a snap-crackle-pop session, you curl your toes in pain or you cry. We sometimes call it "Fragoso's Torture Chamber" or "Dr. John's House of Pain" for good reason. But ART works and we all love going to see him. He is not lacking in the patient department for sure. I got 10 minutes on the Hydrotherapy bed while I was there. Hot water shooting into your muscles while you stay nice and dry and play solitaire or Facebook on your phone is pure bliss. Mostly I like that better than my painful visit to John but today I'm pretty sure he won.

Whirlwind of a week

2011-01-16T23:34:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty proud of myself for not only hitting my miles but getting and lots of those miles in the form of hills. I'm loving getting stronger and pushing those limits, of feeling the burn in my legs, in my core, in my ass... All these miles have also given me a lot of time to think. Our family dynamic is changing and things are coming to light that have been brewing for a long time. Things that I have very little control over but I wish I could change none the less. The one thing I can do is be the best me, mom, wife, friend that I can be. Being that means including running and working out. Being a healthy happy human being is now part of my make up, it is included in the definition of me. Mighty Mite is tired of bending herself to make others happy. So she's going to love on her boys, go to dinner with the girls, watch movies and cuddle with the firefighter provider (FFP) and take my dogs for walks with their furry friends. Are you tired of referring to myself in the third person yet? yea me too.

When I was in my Freshman Year of High School I ran track with an amazing coach. I also did something to my knee in the middle of a 1 mile race and end up twisting it pretty good. The sports trainer iced me up and did an evaluation. We talked for a good half hour about my training, about the melanoma and then about food. That sparked my interest in nutrition for athletes. I took several sports and nutrition classes over the years and one thing or another always got in the way of me going after what I really wanted to do. No more of that. I'm making a plan and putting it into action.

First things first.

Monday:
I took Monday off and did some stretching and core work.

Tuesday:
Scheduled evening group run and we met at the prompt care parking lot and ran the "mother hill" and took the corner running the ridge across the top before dropping back down. its mostly rolling hills but its a lot more up going out and more down on the way back. it was wet and cold but always fun to run with those peeps. Our program has great coaches. 5.2miles

Wednesday:
I met Liz and Vicki at the park for a late afternoon run along the trail with the wein. It was a great time catching up with my first two running pals. It was definitely an easy run after running hills on Tuesday night. 3 miles

Thursday:
Got up early and met Liz, Kim, Tracy and Susan at Left Coast and headed out on a POURING down rain run. it was hard but fun. I was soaked to the core and came home and cuddled on the couch with 2 big fluffy blankets and proceeded to waste the rest of the day. 5.2miles

Friday:
Rest Day. Hubby went hunting so we could have more duck in the freezer! We had friends over and made a nice dinner of duck Parmesan, salad and wild rice. It was pretty darn good.

Saturday:
Up an at 'em. I headed out to Fleet Feet for a nutrition presentation by Susan before our 9 mile run out West of town. It was a progression run and we had a few warm up miles before heading into our speedier miles. Each mile was supposed to get faster but I had one mile that I had to slow down and do a little overall status check so I pretty much maintained but I did stay strong and got down to sub 9 minute mile that last mile. I felt great! We ran errands then headed to Paradise to drop the kids with my parents. We headed off to Hamilton City for the annual crab feed to support the Volunteer Fire Dept where FFP used to be a Battalion Chief. Lots of old memories came flooding back and we had a great time visiting with the Penman's and making some new friends too. 9miles

Sunday:
Another "Mother Hill" run with Cheri, Kim, Liz and Chane this morning. That hill is killer! But its fun and it works me out. I can't wait to start adding in some hill repeats. My parents brought the boys home and we hung out all day while friends came and went. 5.2

total 27.6 miles

I'm looking forward to taking the boys skiing this week. I guess that means I should run tomorrow.

Speed + Fun = Fartleks

2011-01-04T22:29:00.000-08:00

Fartleks are a sweedish term for running which means speed play during running. So tonight being our first speed workout for the "marathon or 21 mile race" program Coach Paul and Ramon had us doing speed play for our workout. We started out with a 15 minute warm up then did some active stretching and plyo's in the parking lot. We got started doing a countdown.. 2minutes hard, 1 minute easy, 1 minute hard, 30 seconds easy, 30 seconds hard then repeat it all until you get two miles of speed play in. Most of Liz and my faster running was at sub 8minute pace. most of the easy stuff was in the 10minute/mile range. Then we did an easy 10 minutes of cool down and stretching. I'm looking forward to the miles in this program.

Tomorrow I'm off to do Kettlebells a photo shoot and hopefully run hills tomorrow night with some gals from running group then an easy 5 in the park Thursday with the girls and Kettlebells on Friday. I really need to work on eating well in the morning. I keep falling off the Gluten Free (GF) bandwagon and that is something I need to work on better because my tummy is not a happy camper when I fudge ~~brownies~~ literally and figuratively on my diet (I did pick up some GF blueberry waffles to try and of course some other yummy treats like Nutella to give my blander foods some pep! I need to drink more water. I know that. So I'm off to do great things and I'm starting by finishing up watching Biggest Loser then heading to the shower and to bed. Night all.

New Year 2011... Unanswered Prayers

2011-01-03T00:31:00.000-08:00

Ha! a post that has absolutely nothing to do with running and very little to do with food. Yep that's my disclaimer for the next three paragraphs. Happy New Year everyone!

You know that song Unanswered Prayers by Garth Brooks? Ya that was a little flash of my life yesterday. The hubby was getting off work, we met for brunch at Mom's and stuffed ourselves silly with food, came home and hung out not doing much of anything but cuddling under the covers trying to stay warm while the hubby caught up with some sleep, we took Hollywood to a sleep over, got pizza (I got Greek salad) for dinner, we watched a movie "Spies like Us" with Blondy then headed to "bed" for some more snuggle time early. All these little blessings going on while...

... the first boy I kissed asked me out by making me listen to the Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" on his Sony Walkman. He was the first boy I said "I love you" to and meant it, made up silly little nicknames for everything with, built a dream house in every view and layout possible on paper, wrote countless poems and letters to, and we planned our entire future together almost exactly 20 years ago. Ya that boy said "I do" to his beautiful bride yesterday while I was living out my amazing life with my husband and great kids.

So our lives went in such different directions, led us down different roads when we broke up for reasons that now seem so trivial and silly and awkwardly mature. That's what was bound to happen when were only 14 and 15 years old. But that year together and that day we said goodbye (even if we lived next door to each other for another year) took us to today (er yesterday) when we are thanking God for having the past behind us and our futures ahead. I hope you finally found your happily ever after G. You deserve it.

Bye Bye 2010 6+ miles

2011-01-01T00:04:00.000-08:00

Cindi running down the levee w/ frozen puddles

I paid the sitter $20 to come out on this freezing cold morning and sit on the couch to keep peace this morning so I could go for a run. I checked the temps at 8:45am and wasn't all surprised at the 29F reading. Brrrr.... I took Cindi with me and off we went for a 6-7 mile run. I checked my Garmin at the half mile mark and apparently accidentally turned it off before it even got started. Oh well. The first few miles were a lot of fast, slow, stop with the pooch and I was getting frustrated until we got to the levee and I could let her loose. She didn't get fresh water since all the fountains along our route were turned off in case of frozen pipes and all the puddles were very frozen over. Probably a good idea considering how cold it was still after 9am. I leashed her back up at the two mile mark and we headed up towards upper park. She stopped to visit with the cows and to visit some other puppies along the trail and we finally made it up to the end of the parking lot at the cross so I could undo some of my many layers and get her some water.

I'm loving the leash that has the clip so I can just hook her onto my hydration belt and run hands free. It also means I can hook her to a pole and she can't get away while I'm taking off my jacket and adjusting my ipod. It makes the first few miles a little harder because she wants to pull so much but once she gets her wiggles out she's a good sport and runs right next to me. I can't wait to take her on more runs this winter.

The trip back was pretty uneventful. She was such a good puppy and stayed right with me along the road moving off when I gently pulled her leash when a car was coming. She ran off leash again on the levee and had a little mini puppy play date with some other off leash fur-ends then we headed home. I loved the cold run although I did miss my gloves and that wind was icy cold.

Pretty darn finish to 2010

Jack Frost 10K race (and a week in) review

2010-12-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow will be two weeks after the marathon and I got in three short runs before today. All of them hard. Apparently i didn't go far enough because by the 5 mile mark today I felt great. I also got two strength training sessions (and a couple blisters on my hands to match the blisters on my feet!) at KOR that rocked my world. Not sure if it was in a good way or not. I still have trouble sitting down to go pee and then getting up again. LOL

This week in review~
I managed to get all those workouts in despite working in the classrooms this week, endless loads of laundry to wash and fold, doing dishes that refuse to do themselves, going out to eat because I'm too lazy too cook and Christmas shopping but I still don't know where I found the time. I did manage to address and mail out Christmas cards and I'll post a pic of that on here too. Yes the picture was taken in March of this year, yes the children look like it was 5 years ago instead of 8 months ago. They grew a ton while I was out training for a marathon and didn't take any good pictures during that time. I did manage to help out during the Blondy's pizza party on Thursday and Nurse Tammy brought her daughter (who is gluten free [GF] ) a pizza from the local pizza joint and it was super yummy... most important, I could eat it and not pay the ultimate price. Win win for me! I also made a not GF baked french toast casserole for Hollywood's class. I didn't eat it because Nurse Tammy's other daughter is in this class and she is GF too so she made a yummy egg casserole with potatoes and cheese. I feel spoiled. Can I request that these girls are always in my boys classes???? I did hear that the casserole was pretty darn tasty though.

Jack Frost 10k today~
I had an easy run today right around 10 minute miles I think. I ran with my friend Patty who right after CIM with me last year was diagnosed with RA. Its affecting her hip joints a lot and running far doesn't feel the best but she trained for this race and by golly she was going to do it. We both forgot our music so we chit chatted and caught up. I also ran with Teri who was supposed to run with us at CIM but she was hurt. I felt so blessed to get to catch up with them both! The miles and the mud from the trail portion flew by, we had to modify the course a little because the creek was up and the trails were slick and before we knew it we were at the 5 mile mark. I finally felt like I had gotten warmed up and I sped up a little to run Patty in strong for her target race. Although we came in at just over 1 hour I know I could have pushed it harder but wouldn't have had nearly as much fun. I love our little running community and I was so glad I got a little time with my old training buddies.

Jack Frost Rocked... and we got jingle bells and a cute t shirt too! Fleet Feet Chico did it again.

CIM 2010 review

2010-12-15T17:31:00.000-08:00

I've started several posts and they all end up so long winded. Here is the short(er) and not so sweet version.

I had signed up for the relay when I was still injured and had a "back up plan" in place in case i didn't get better soon enough to run the full. My friend TD and Bernie were running it with me. Both of them made their relay legs into 2 legs so they could get about a half in. TD the first half, Bernie the second. I also ran with Liz who was trying to get a PR since she seems to always come in right around the same time. 4:25-4:30 mark haunts her...

We went to the the expo and got our stuff then headed to Lucca for dinner. They didn't have on the menu what I've eaten the last two years and instead of asking I went with the spaghetti and meatballs. Since gluten is not my friend I should have known this was a disaster in the making. My tummy was in shambles the rest of the night. BIG FAIL #1. I drank Nuun the day before to make sure my electrolytes were balanced even thought my tummy is not the biggest fan. BIG FAIL #2. I went to bed early! That's a good thing... but sleep eluded me. Good thing I slept well all week. At least something was going right.

Sunday morning:
We got up at 4:30am and ate... I had a bagel... BIG FAIL #3. Bagels have gluten hu? yea... I know this but they are easy and I was afraid the Hyatt's breakfast would just be more bagel type foods anyway. So I ate it. Good for fuel, bad for the tummy.

We met Liz at the Sheridan and boarded the buses in a breeze. The ride was uneventful while I ate breakfast and drank some more water. We expected the weather to be wet and planned accordingly. Liz stripped out of one layer of her clothes and should have left our jackets in the sweat check too. The weather was not warm yet but the streets were wet and the air was balmy even at 6:15am. We met the group at the #1 pump at Chevron station after our first bathroom stop and got a group picture. When I get it I'll post it. We did a little warm up and headed out.

I had little to no expectations for this race. The longest I had run was 16 miles and hadn't felt my best through a lot of the program. My speed workouts were modified for various reasons but mostly to keep from throwing myself back onto the injured list where I lived in boredom the whole first half of the year.

The race started and off we went. Less than a mile in it was too hot to tote the jacket... first unzipped and by mile marker two it was around my waist. I felt OK and Liz and TD kept up a decent pace. We hung in close to the 9:30 pace once we cleared the cluster of of slower paced runners and kept up good time. Liz was feeling it early though and she had some inner hip/groin pain. She thought if she ran faster or slower it would help... then she ran faster so it would be done with sooner. Sometimes it was hard to keep up. BUT for me miles 1-15 were hard but fun. I thought this was going to be a breeze and I took my GU chomps at mile 4 at mile 8 and mile 12... but by the time we got to 15 my GI track was done with it...We did say goodbye to TD and our Jackets at mile 13.8 or so and we were on our own. It never rained and in fact it got really warm, not good for long tights but that's what I had so that's what I used.

Miles 15-19 were close to tragic and 3 potty stops to boot.I lost Liz in there somewhere and I don't even remember. It was not pretty and I'm not fond of reliving those miles at all. Miles 20-23 weren't as bad but they weren't good either... actually I can't tell you much except that I don't remember much other than I saw coach Paul and he told me where the next port-o-potty was, I saw his wife, little girl and Tiffany from our group and I saw my husband who had little to no sympathy other than "you better get going"... I looked as bad as I felt and he didn't want me to stick around long enough to go jump in the truck and give up. Those miles were just putting one foot in front of another. At mile 22 they were giving out GU packets. I do remember asking for a vanilla and eating it but I didn't remember eating it or I would have realized it was orange not vanilla, but I did find the wrapper in my little pocket thingy later.

At the mile 23 marker I felt a little more like me. I wasn't shuffling anymore and my feet weren't killing me they were finally numb. It did hurt more to walk than run so running was an easy choice.I passed several of my running friends and touched base with Julie and Donna for a mile or so in there. I gave Kimmy a little pep talk and waved and cheered on Beth and Ellen from those last few good miles. I went from shuffling at an 11+ minute pace to a 9:30 minute pace that felt like I was flying. I came in at 4:39:14 and although I didn't have high expectations I was pretty disappointed at first. Then I realized that no matter what the time, a marathon is more than 26.2 and running the perfect race.Its more about giving more than your all and getting it done. I definitely did that... and I got lots of new blisters for the effort.

I do have to say my hubby (FFP) and Liz's and my kids met us at various places along the route and gave us great inspiration and met us at the finish line with beautiful flowers. That made all the pain, all the potty breaks and the crampy tummy, made the endless miles and the one foot in front of each other to just the next street mentality, the super negative self talk, the blisters and sore feet and tight hip all worth it. Because if they see that I can overcome these things and still cross the finish line. That I can start and finish something so hard even with all the adversity... that I will set an example of the thing that they can try and not give up on too. I'm a lucky mommy, a lucky wife and a dedicated runner. That warm December day it all showed.

I've got the fever

2010-12-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

Three years ago I started on this journey... first by half marathon then on to run the full. I logged so many miles and bought so many shoes and gels and socks and running clothes that my wardrobe looked more like I lived at my local running store. Since then I've run several half marathons, a 20 mile race, 10k's, quarter marathons, a few 5k's and one more marathon until Sunday when I run my 3rd. My plans include harder races for the Winter and Spring and the RTO for early Summer.

I can't count how much running is like being pregnant. The starvation, the cravings, the eating everything in site, the exhaustion, the vivid dreams, going pee every half hour because I drank so much water and the falling asleep at parties or going home early and not drinking during training. Of course I don't blow up like a balloon and if I do my core work, cross training and go to KOR I get a rock hard body instead of gaining 50lbs like I did with my first pregnancy. But sometimes the running is not even enough to starve off that baby fever.

I run because it makes me feel good.... but I also run because I want a baby and we are SO done having babies. I need an extreme outlet to get me through... training for a marathon does that for me, or at least it helps.

My name is Tina Mickelson, I have baby fever... so I run .

Thankful and Blessed

2010-11-27T23:27:00.000-08:00

Tuesday the Firefighter Provider (FFP) and Hollywood set out to shop the old fashioned way for the perfect Turkey for our at home bird since we were going to my in-laws for Tday and didn't think there would be sufficient left overs for the essentials like Turkey Sandwiches and Turkey Soup.

I took Blondy to see the Harry Potter movie and checked me phone as we were leaving thinking the boys wouldn't even be close to coming home at 3pm. I was wrong! There was a picture of Hollywood with two wild turkeys! FFP breasted out one and gave it to a friend and the other he tediously plucked so I could cook it the old fashioned way. We then soaked it in brine all night and cooked it Wednesday afternoon with wild pig sausage stuffing, yams and roasted veggies. YUMMO!

Thursday I made the clan get up early and head out to the Run For Food our local "turkey trot" 5k to benefit the shelter here in town. There were close to 4000 people at our little local race. I was pretty amazing. Hollywood and I ran ahead (because we had been training) but waited to run with FFP and Blondy the last 1/4 mile so. This is the second year the boys and I have run this and I hope its a tradition we hold onto. We got home and watched a movie before Hollywood and I headed back out for another 3 mile run (him by bike) with Cindi too.

Thanksgiving evening we spent the evening with my in-laws and enjoyed my nephew. He's growing so fast and had a great time making laps around the living room and kitchen the way my kids did when they were so little. I can't believe that went so fast. We had a good time with my nephew, Brother and sister in law, hubby's parents and Grandma Margie.

I had a lot to be thankful for this year but mostly for my amazing family. My boys are pretty amazing.

Pain in the Foot

2010-11-19T21:51:00.000-08:00

Had to go buy a new pair of kicks, this time in Wide since my feet are swelling during long runs and getting all smooshed together. This causing the nerve that runs down the top of my foot to become inflamed and cranky... to the point that I had to cut way back on my miles but tomorrow is my last "long run" of 3 hours. We'll see how that goes. The plan is to just suck it up. :) I will cut it short if it feels like someone is repeatedly stabbing my in the foot with a dull knife like it did a few weekends ago.

CIM is not very far away... 2 weeks. I do have an "out" but I really don't want to give up on it.

The plan for 2011... I always overbook myself. I learned a lot this year though. Next year I want less speed and more miles for enjoyment. The plan is to train for the Sunsweet 50k in April and Reno-Tahoe Odyssey Relay in June.

I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.

Not so New to This Running Thing

2010-11-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

Sprinting for the finish line of my first 20 mile race 2008

I've been running full time (except for my injury hiatus where i dreamed day and night about it) for very close to three years. As runners who have run as far as a marathon we have a different perspective on distance and time on our feet. Many people call it dedication (well many people who I run with) but those who don't run for fun sometimes ~~many times~~ call us crazy. Its hard to remember when 3 miles was impossible or before we knew terms like fartlek or tempo. I can see how new runners could be intimidated and a little put off by the lingo and jargon of those of us living the hard core running lifestyles.

As I woke up this morning I had a list in my head of the races I'd like to run in the Winter and Spring next year. All of them lead up to my first 50k trail race in a nearby town. 50k is 31 miles. I'm struggling at the moment with 15miles due to a very sore foot. I have potential to crash and burn on this marathon I'm supposed to do in two short weeks and I pray my new wider shoes come in ASAP! Even some of my marathon training friends don't see the appeal of an "Ultra" (anything longer than 26.2 miles)is a bit daunting. I look forward to a new challenge even if a marathon still seems a bit overwhelming.

Over at http://www.runlikeamotherbook.com/ Dimity and Sarah share their wealth of knowledge about running with a family in their book "Run Like a Mother: How to get moving~ and not lose your Family, Job or Sanity". In a recent post the girls ask what works or not on their site, in their book before second publishing comes out, or on their FB page. As I read through the suggestions I noticed a lot of readers/runners who are just starting out are frustrated with the "go big or go home" mentality many of us who have been running longer have. Personally i do not like the run/walk method and feel like I'm half~assing it when I use it... but guess what? I've used it and it worked... I don't like it for me personally but I've also run two marathons and several 10-22 mile runs without stopping so for me its a little like defeat. BUT there was a time when I couldn't run a half a mile. That time was a little more than three year ago. I was there, frustrated, alone and not understanding how anyone could make it to 26.2 when i struggled just past the .2.

Here is the advise I left for some of the girls who voiced their concerns over how they perceived some of the comments in the book referring to how slow a 12minute pace or how short a 3 mile run is. Those miles matter, that speed is amazing because you are trying and we all had to start somewhere.

I’m sorry that you girls feel that way. Much of that is perspective. Many of us have been running for a long time for long distances and its hard to remember (or maybe its easy to forget) how it was when we first started out. BUT We were all there once. We all had to start somewhere and many of us started out after we became parents and had to learn to juggle and balance the family with our running. We were discouraged and felt very alone. No matter what the distance or the pace please know that those of us who talk “big” are very proud of you guys starting out because putting one foot in front of another is an amazing accomplishment in itself. One of the best ways to get faster or run a little farther is to either find a running group or just a friend who is a little faster or runs a little farther than you already do. They will be happy to slow down a bit or use their easy run with you as a warm up. In no time you’ll be doing the same thing for your friends that YOU have encouraged to start running too. This book will not only give you perspective but will also give you to the tools to encourage and inspire others.

I hope that if you haven't read the book and you are new to running you will still pick it up and feel the same vibe I did... that YOU AEE NOT ALONE. If you don't have a running group or spouse or friend to run with you can go to their blog... and to many other mommies blogs just by "following these mothers" on the right hand side of the site. Be kind to yourself and know that you have to start somewhere and that it all matters, no matter the pace or the distance. Those of us with the "go big" mentality just need to be reminded that we all had to start somewhere.... and that was by putting one foot in front of the other.

Baked Apples and a Foot on Ice

2010-10-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

Sat on my ass all day with my foot up and an ice pack rotated with an ace bandage for compression. It hurts like the dickens on the top of my foot just below the ankle. The feeling has point tenderness then spreads down my foot. Since we just spend a butt load of money on the same foot for the whole pelvic tilt/hip/leg/foot issue the whole first part of the year I'm a little perturbed that a whole new thing just popped up. :( So if I don't feel better tomorrow another appointment with the podiatrist is in order. Grrrr.... Saturday is supposed to be our first 20 miler.

BUT I made the most yummy baked apples and that makes up for it a little, well at least for today.

2 Granny Smith Apples cored about 3/4 of the way
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup TJ pecan cluster cereal
1/4 cup walnut pieces
a small pad of butter on top of each
cinnamon to taste

I put both apples in a glass loaf pan with 1/8 cup water. mixed up the brown sugar, cereal and walnut pieces and fill the apples to the top. place a little tab of butter and put into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes covered with foil.Take the foil off and cook 5 more minutes until the apples are soft. When you take your apple out sprinkle with cinnamon if you want. I did have a little stuffing left so I added that on top after I put it in my bowl. Yumm-o. I added a side of TJ's pumpkin ice cream and have to say it was the best pumpkin ice cream I've had so far. I do love me some pumpkin ice cream so I'm sort of an unofficial expert if I do say so myself.

baked stuffed apples w/ TJ's pumpkin ice cream!

This was the perfect easy fall dessert! I just tossed it into the oven when I was finished baking the chicken for dinner and set the timer. By the time it came out of the oven and cooled it was perfect timing for a warm treat!

Just Put it Out There

2010-10-24T23:26:00.000-07:00

Maybe if I put it out there I'll be more likely to make it happen. After my long run on Saturday I'm a little worried about getting back out there tomorrow. I need to go to KOR and also run 4 miles tomorrow. My foot hasn't bothered me much today and I'm going to ice it again tonight and give it a real try tomorrow. Maybe adjusting the laces some.

I had a great weekend with my sister and the kids. I can't believe its been 8 months since I've seen them. I got so much love from my niece and nephews. Especially the nephews. Princess Nani plays well with my boys but the two little ones really clung to me this weekend and I loved every moment of it. I loved listening to JJ laugh that deep belly laugh of his. I love that TyTy loves for me to blow on his belly and tickle him. He just asked me over and over. I got such an abundance of hugs and kisses and love from my nephews. It made me miss my boys being so little when I was their whole world. I have to hold onto my boys and that feeling just a little longer when they give out the extra love that came so easy when they were little when I didn't have to beg for a kiss or cuddle time.

Nani is getting so big. I'm always amazed by her sensitivity and creativity. She hasn't been jaded or built walls around herself in spite of the challenges of changing schools, moving from friends, having her parents split up and all the other changes this year has brought. I know she's scared but when I took her out of the room and talked to her she told me out right that she was scared, that she missed her home and she really missed her daddy. The way she clung to me and cried made me remember the way it used to be when I was little before I was too scared to hold back. She reminds me so much of me and I miss her so much.

I'm going to hold onto those hugs and those kisses and the tears I wiped away this weekend in my heart and the forefront of my thoughts this week when I feel like I can't make it to KOR, when those miles seem like too many or the weather isn't perfect for a good run. I'll hold onto the sound of their laughter when I run in the rain next Saturday for my 20 mile run. Because I got a little time with my favorite people this weekend I'm going to put that out there, into everything I do, into my effort on the pavement, on the trail, working in the classroom. Their weekend with us brought me a little extra umph to get me through my single mama time this week and all of next week when my firefighter provider (FFP) is out of town on hunting and fire business.

I'm thinking that maybe if I clean out the freezer the FFP might actually see and kill some elk this week. Day 2 has come and gone and no animals yet.

Do you "meat eaters" eat game or do you buy from local grocers or farms?

18 Wheeler... keep on Driving

2010-10-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

right over me. At least that is how I feel after my long run this morning. My whole body rebelled and decided that today was not a good day to run that far. BUT I got my butt out into the rain and hung on for dear life and ran. Hip and calves hurt at first but by mile 4 they were pretty much warmed up. The rain finally stopped around mile 8 and stayed away until the last mile or so.

I'm worried though... the top of my right foot hurts.. a lot. I don't want it to be anything big and I'm thinking that I'll wake up tomorrow and it will be a bad dream. 6 weeks to CIM and its not a good time for an injury. I'll ice again tonight, I'll ice tomorrow and back to running and KOR on Monday.

So I'm giving that 18 miler (and wheeler) that kicked my ass today, permission to keep on driving because I have too many important things riding on this program and a lot of prep/run time invested. Lets keep our fingers crossed for good news!

Thankful Thursday

2010-10-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for the fall weather. The cooler weather has finally found us after an extended Indian Summer her in Northern California. Tomorrow's high is 60 and its gonna be wet this weekend!

I'm thankful for my boys even though they were total boogers today (actually still are being boogers since they refuse to go to bed). I'm thankful they are happy and healthy boogers.

I'm thankful that my hubby is getting away with his dad, brother and buddies. He needed it, he works so hard for us and he comes back refreshed and happy (and hopefully brings a whole truckload of Elk meat too).

I'm thankful for my family. My sister, niece and nephews are in town and I'm so glad I'll get to spend some quality time with them this weekend. I missed them so much!!!

I'm thankful for my friends. Some of them are going through some really hard life changing things and some of them are all consumed with new and wonderful adventures but they still check in and support me as I try and support them. I'm so blessed to have them in my life.

I'm thankful that I have a strong body even if I keep getting sick. In general I can still do all the things I need to do but I know that there are moms out there fighting debilitating diseases like breast cancer and depression but still get up and do what they need to get done to be a mom and a wife every day.

No more "Next time" for me.

2010-10-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Monday night at softball I hit the ball... twice.

I've started playing last Spring on the co-ed team for NSEngineering and every time I was at bat I struck out. Not for the lack of trying... I just couldn't seem to connect. There were many games that I just felt like I shouldn't be there and I was just dragging them down. I got through every game last season and half the games this season without the ball making contact. Every time I walked off the field Todd (manager) would say, "next time".

Monday night he was in Hawaii with his GF celebrating his birthday. (Tuesday night he proposed and she said YES!) so he wasn't there to see me hit the ball. BUT that's OK because now I have a little sense of "I can do it" because I already did it... twice!

Its kind of like running in the way that you think it looks so easy. Just get out there and run right? But running takes practice, to build miles, to build speed, to hydrate and fuel properly. Sometimes you just have to keep doing something until it clicks. You may go awhile before you have a good run again, or hit the ball again and I'm good with that. I do think that the rest of the team got much more of a kick out of it than me. One of the guys said to FFP that "even if nothing else goes right this game, Tina hitting the ball made it all worth it." :)

Then someone stole me phone. :(

Three Things Thursday

2010-10-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

1. My hubby left today with his brother, dad and buddies for a 10 day camping/hunting trip out of state for Elk. I hope he brings something back because my freezer is empty and I haven't bought meat in so long I wouldn't even know where to start! We generally eat elk and venison for red meat and wild pig for our pork. I have been buying chicken from the local farm but its coming into duck season (and turkey season I think) so we'll have some foul in our futures soon.

2. I was dreading 10 days alone with the boys until my sister called and said that she was going to drive down from Washington this weekend with my niece and nephews! That totally made up for it! I miss them all so much (and I have very cool gifts for the kids that I collect but always forget to mail).

3. That race on Sunday was harder on my body than I thought. I ended up with a cold on top of it. I had a really easy run yesterday and have missed KOR all week. I'm feeling like such a flake.

NWM 2010 Half marathon report

2010-10-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

Dimity (tallest) and Sarah (next tallest) in back and me in the middle of it all

I went into the training program with little expectations. I just wanted to cross the finish line in December, actually I just wanted to do an entire leg of the CIM relay in December and do it with a smile on my face.

The highlight of my weekend was actually to meet Dimity and Sarah who wrote RUN LIKE A MOTHER: and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity for their presentation on Saturday morning then again in the afternoon for a little pre-race RLAM chit chat. Their voices resonate so loudly through the pages in the book and are just as witty and down to Earth as the essays in their book.

Race morning: Got up with Tracy and Teri and headed to the start line about 5 blocks away. It was warmer than I thought and by the time we got to Union Square the buzz and the energy was through the roof! We used the little-blue-rooms then headed to the line up. It went all the way around the block and we didn't even get close to where we were last year. We started so far back that it took 7 minutes before we could even move forward at a slow walk, almost 15 to reach the start line a few more before our feet moved in a motion that almost resembled a shuffle more than a walk. That was a really slow start but my whole view this year was to have fun.

me running w/ GG Bridge in the back ground

We kept an easy pace those first few miles to warm up then just took the hills easy and the downhill and flats at a harder pace. We sang and took some pictures along the route, we have high 5's and checked out everyone else's running gear. I took some GU chomps at mile 4 and mile 8. Mile 6 was the start of the first long hill and I just put my head down and put one foot in front of the other and cruised up the endless hill. I smiled to myself and repeated the mantra of the race: I run to be... and I filled in the blanks. I don't think i had one negative self talk moment for the whole race. After each hill was a huge smile and a little "wahoo!" I started picking up the pace after the last long hill at about mile 8 and slowly push the pace. I did wonder where the heck the turn was into the park for the last two miles but all along I kept wondering what was so awful last year? The smile stayed plastered on my face even when the sprinkles came at mile 9 and continued to get a little more wet as we went along. It was still "sprinkles" until the end and it started to rain for real!

Me and Tracy at the end before it rained too hard!

Tracy and I played leapfrog along the whole race and we talked little but cheered each other and pushed each other along as we went. I pulled ahead that last half mile and pushed the envelope even farther... I crossed the line with a huge smile on my face and my arms in the air!!! Tracy was just behind me and so was Bernie. We got pictures with the firefighters decked out in Tuxedos handing out Tiffany & Co. necklaces instead of finishers medals. We stayed to the left so Teri could find us and walked through the finisher chutes and were corralled to the end. I felt like my throat and tummy were full of ice cubes and the rain got more and more heavy. I went off one direction to find Dimity and Sarah but found hot chocolate and hot soup instead, found the girls and headed for the long hike back to the car. Even if it wasn't my fastest it was the most fun I've had running since the CIM last year. I'm looking for a fun race in December too!

I Run to Be:

2010-10-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

I run to be:

a mom who sets a good example for her boys and their friends by living a healthy lifestyle and getting them out and encouraging them to find exercise they love.
a wife and partner who is healthy and fit enough to still go do fun things with her hubby and get the things that need to be done as a stay at home mom done while he's gone.
the kind of friend who has learned to listen with intention whether on a long run or a phone conversation and be a true supporter in the things they love
a mentor to new runners who are looking for direction and support

2010 NWM half finishers necklace

most of all to be the best possible me I am am capable and intended to be.

I totally Rocked this Weekend

2010-10-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

I suffered from a terrible ear infection all week (and refused to see the dr.). I lived on ibuprofen for a few days I think. But I felt better on Saturday and met the marathon training group at 1mile for our 16 mile run. The great thing about meeting here is that the city turned the creek into a pool perfect for post run "ice baths".

Since the 10mile and Half Marry programs are over we got Ramon back to help coach! We took off and I got to chit chat with the girls at the back of the group ~~since I'm to slow to keep up with the faster runners~~. We headed up the park, took the levy around, then headed up Upper Park road all the way to B trail. 8 miles! It was pretty slow going since it was a decent climb all the way to our turn around on a rocky unsurfaced fire road. We did take an extra long rest at the top, ate some GU chomps and i really needed to stretch my hip flexors (ouchy!!!) and headed back down the trail. We chatted away and the miles seemed fly by. When we got to the aid station with 5 to go with picked up the effort to marathon pace then the last mile was supposed to be 10k effort to simulate the "race to the finish kick" we should all have at the end of the Marathon in 8 weeks. We finished strong. I still felt good enough to bring home a 9:08 the last mile! I'm starting to feel my legs, brain and lungs falling back into sync. Not as fast as I have gone in the past but definitely seeing improvements. You can see my Garmin Connect info
Got back to 1mile and stretched good before literally jumping into the creek for the "ice bath". This is so much easier than going home, filling up the bath tub with cold water, getting in then adding ice. 15 minute soak then got out and dried off as Ramon was talking to Tara about ultra running. Now this has been sitting in the back of my mind for a long time. I even gave a little hint a few months ago on FB about wanting to try my hand at an Ultra some day. We talked ourselves into doing the Sunsweet 50k next Spring. HOLY CRAPPOLA I'm even more crazy than I thought.!

bib for 1/4 marry and cute long sleeve tech shirt!

Good Neighbor and I had our Bunco for Boobies night last night so I was on my feet getting stuff done all day then headed to packet pick up to sign up last minute for the HOT Half in the quarter marathon. Got my bib, my shirt and I was off to convince a bunch of ladies to spend a bunch of $ for a good cause... and it worked! We raised $915 last night!!!

I got up this morning and handed the kids to the sitter and headed to Hooker Oak park for the Hot Half and quarter marathon. I met up with a friend TD and we headed out on a warm up run. She was treating this run like her last long run before Nike Womens next week and needed to get 9 in total. Since we were both doing the 1/4 we headed out a mile and a quarter and back to get the difference and did some planning for next weekends race in the city. We shared some GU chomps drank some water and lined up.

I'm not much of a trail runner but I was excited to try something new and work into more trail runs since I got my cool nifty trail shoes too! I also wore the cutest outfit possible to distract other runners and hopefully disorient them long enough to let me pass and then they can't catch up. That was the plan anyway.

TD and I post race

Me and Shannon post race

The race started and immediately hit some tough terrain. It was fun though. I can't believe I actually enjoyed crashing through brush, up embankments, around boulders, through creek beds, along rocky or very narrow paths and sometimes down steep lose graveled trails. Many of these trails are ones we run on every week... and some were definitely harder and less run paths. But it was fun and I didn't fall and hurt myself or anyone else even once. We had water/electrolyte stations at mile 2 and 4.5. I walked through those but none of the hills or especially technical areas. I'm pretty darn happy with myself. I ran most of the first 5 miles with Shannon who was in our training group last year and we did some catching up when the path was a little wider and we didn't have to concentrate too much. When we hit the fire road I took off and caught up to TD who had been ahead of us all along and we just tried to keep her in our sights. We worked hard to keep the pace up that last mile and a half (.83 is more like it). I crossed the line in about 1h10min. That brought my grand total today to 9.23 miles with our warm up. Here's my GC for the race sans warm-up.

I met up with Shannon, TD and Jed from our training group was there too. It was a pretty awesome day. Chico Running Club did a pretty good job of organizing and getting us out there today. Instead of a medal we got pint glasses! Aren't these cute!

I did need a nap today but over all I felt great for the whole race. Came home and did some laundry (fun fun fun I know!) and re-organized bunco stuff for future games. I finally settled down tonight and tried out the new glass... with my favorite beer of course!

I do need to give a special shout out to SBS who ran Portland Marathon today and brought home a BQ coming in at under the 4 hour mark. I hear it was a soggy race!! And also to Anthony Villasana and Holly Nevarez who both ran a very hot Chicago Marathon today. You guys rocked it in spite of the weather. I'm not sure I could have said the same. All of our local runners doing the Healdsburg Half (my hats off to you!) but especially to Ed Hudson who ran an amazing 50mile race yesterday. You are truly an inspiration.You are all my heroes!!! I think 10-10-10 will go down in history as a day of extremes.

I'll raise my pint glass to those extreme runners!!! Cheers!

New local Long Run and Livestrong Yellow Day 5K 2010

2010-10-04T23:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday our coach took us to Riverbend Park in Oroville to start our run there. We had an amazing run along the Feather River to the damn, past the fish hatchery and through lots of trails. From the park to the aid station just below the damn was 7 miles of paved trail, dirt trail and rocky trail, so it was 14 mile round trip technical, hilly but fun course. I had the FFP come along as an aid station since our coach Paul was going to have to carry all the water for us via bike. We did a little 10 minute warm up, some active stretching and headed out.

I was running with 3 other girls on the way out there. Karen, Ellen and Kim. We had to run through a creepy tunnel and got turned around twice but made it there safe and sound. Got some electrolyte replacement drink from the hubby and headed back. It was so beautiful! I'm glad we didn't see the snakes that the fast runners saw. Sometimes its a blessing to be in the back. Karen and I stuck together and sped up a little in front of the big group of gals. We haven't really ran together alone before so it was nice to talk to someone new. We did end up being stopped by a train. It turned out to be a good place to stretch. Although we both felt tight running back, we stretched again well and headed back to Chico in one piece. Thank you Hubby for manning the station. I guess he saw 5 jake turkeys, 150 or so Canadian Honkers and some deer out there. Its a great place to run and I hope he lets us do it again. I love Chico but it was nice to run something new for a change.

We headed to Paradise to pick up the kiddos then home to veg. Well I vegged and ate and did dishes and laundry and ran to Fleet Feet to get the hubby some socks and us all Livestrong yellow bracelets for the race we were volunteering for later. Not a lot of rest and probably not enough to eat.

turn at the 1 mile race in Bidwell Park

I've been dreaming about helping out since last year when Sean Murphy started a local Livestrong group in our community. Being a survivor of 17 years isn't something that I need everyone to know. I don't keep it a secret but participating in this is all about me, for me in my heart and in my head. I made the boys and the hubby (FFP) help because all of us have been touched by cancer. FFP lost his Grandfather and Great Grandfather these last few years to cancer. His mother is a Breast Cancer survivor. I have lost my Grandfather, my uncle James, my uncle Larry and there are many other friends and family including my mom and my uncle Jerry who are survivors or angels on our list of those cancer has reached. The boys learned very young what cancer was and that it doesn't discriminate. It could hit anyone at anytime.That fear lives in my heart always. I hope I didn't pass that to them.

my boys at the 5k turn around point near the Manzanita Bridge

The boys and I drew signs in yellow chalk on the ground along the course at the 1 mile and the 5k turns on the footbridges. We cheered people on at the first bridge then headed to the other end of the park for the second round of cheering. Although it was almost a mile and a half those kids were troopers. We drew more signs with the limited amount of chalk left and yelled and cheered and sent them over the bridge and back down the park telling them how thankful we were they were there to run/walk for such a wonderful cause, how this survivor thanks them, how they are making a difference literally one step at a time.

We cleaned up and headed back. I was looking forward to finishing up with the last people and celebrating with the group. Unfortunately one runner at the finish line reported to one of our volunteers that a little boy said he had lost his mom at the last foot bridge where I was and they asked me to go back and check. I was already almost 3/4 of a mile back and in frustration I sent the kids together back to the start/finish line I headed back the way I came from. I would not be able to live with myself if I hadn't checked but I was tired and cranky and pretty sure that I did a good check of the area on both sides of the creek before I left.

Although I had no reason to be upset with that volunteer I was a little. She didn't ask or have the hubby (who has little knowledge of the layout of the park) ask how far away I was, she just assumed I was "closer than she was". I had already run 15 miles that morning and being a part of the finish and the festivities meant a lot to me. I didn't need anyone else to know that before we set out on our assignments but in my heart that was what I was looking forward to most. I cried for the 2 miles back to the bridge then back to the finish line where I got a hug and a cookie for being the nice one who did what needed to be done. I was mad at myself for feeling so selfish and sad for me for having missed out.

The "lost" boy had obviously been running with his mom but had probably run up ahead and turned around and not seen her. She probably made it around the corner and caught up with him and they had likely finished the race together since no one reported a missing child. There was no lost little boy when two of the runners re-ran and checked the course. No one called me to tell me that the course had been cleared. It would have taken a volunteer from the finish line 5 minutes to drive to the bridge that it took me 15 minutes to walk back to bridge and looking everywhere in case I missed something before turning around and walking all the way back 30 minutes to Sycamore Glenn. I was really mad at the lady who ran another 20 minutes to the finish line before reporting a boy who was "lost" to a volunteer when I was standing 20 yards away from where she had seen him with a telephone in my hand when she crossed the bridge. She didn't send the boy to me or even try to help him. She left him to finish this "important" race in spite of someone being in trouble. That really hurt my heart. We headed home. Off and on for the rest of the night was a battle against crying and feeling angry.

I know that the people who were in charge of the race did a great job and I'm looking forward to working with them again. I actually can't wait. This was an event I was excited about working on all year. I'm sad it didn't turn out for me the way I had hoped but I also understand that things happen... I just wish it didn't feel like they always have to happen to me. That was more than just a celebration of my survivorship and a way to raise awareness for a wonderful charity that brings funds to the research for a cure. For me it was more than the anniversary of the day Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer that lead us to this point with an amazing charity and local chapter. That day was the also the celebration of life of Vicki Gelletti, one of my Aunt Sandy's best friends. She was an amazing women and she fought so hard against cancer for so long. I'm thankful she's at peace and free from pain but this world will miss the angel that walked among us.

I love and miss you Grandpa Derril, Grandpa Dave, Uncle James and Uncle Larry and Vicki too. There are so many more angels up there who have been taken by cancer and so many survivors who endured and overcame cancer still with us on Earth but no matter where you are, you are all in my heart.

What a weekend!

2010-09-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

This was a great weekend! The FFP (Firefighter Provider AKA Hubby) came home Friday after being gone to a class in the Bay Area all week. We left the kiddos with the sitter and headed off for his softball game. His team won 16-10 and I got to chat with the girls. Nice hu? We then wen't straight for Tres Hombres which is probably the most popular restaurant in town and for good reason. Last year a fire in the Mr. Pickles next door (same building) spread into Tres and destroyed the whole kitchen area. It's been remodeled and I'd have to say better than ever. They just opened Thursday although the Simmons and I got a "taste" last Sunday during Taste of Chico. We met there Friday night for two of my besties birthdays, had some dinner, had ~~one big ass pineapple and 2 smaller regular on the rocks~~ margaritas and headed out a little early since the kids were with a new sitter. The fish tacos were yumm-o but not so good the night before a long run. Everyone else headed out for some more bar hopping. We might as well take advantage of the bar scene in college town right? I posted pics of 3 of my favorite girls since I wasn't there to watch them (or take part) but it is awfully cute.

Laura, Vicki (bday girl) and Liz (Bday girl)

My intention of getting up Saturday morning and running 10 with Liz was good. But the combination of the irritating headache that started BEFORE the 'ritas kept me in bed with ~~a hangover~~ my hubby since I hadn't seen him all week so I choose cuddle time over miles. We got stuff done during the day and then took the kids to my parental units for the night so hubby could go to work and I could go to Whiskeytown Relays with Liz and the Simmons on Sunday (this also being Vicki's big 29th Bday!!!).

I didn't run as many miles as were on the schedule but I got my butt kicked at KOR twice and I'm sore in places that I didn't even know I had muscles this week. Proof of an awesome workout from K.C., Robin and Lisa. Thanks guys for tutoring and pulling me through those workouts... those bear crawls were murder.

Ok so next post I swear will be Chocolate #9 review, Nathan speedbelt and Whiskeytown Relays race recap.

Do you guys splurge and drink the night before a long run if its a special occasion or just get an out and say you'll be DD?

3 Things Thursday 9/16

2010-09-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

Ancient Buster (13 1/2 yrs old)

1. I had to pay for the dog licensing fees for the city today. They are astronomical for dogs who hardly leave the yard. AND the vet only mailed us one of the dogs rabies vaccination notifications so I had to drive over to the vets office to get the other dogs paperwork before I went to the city. Seriously? They should pay me for gas. He's so cute he's worth it though I guess.

2. I stopped by Starbucks and grabbed a new drink but I can't even remember what it was called. It wasn't that good. My regular this time of year is a Grande Pumpkin Spice and the rest of the year is a Grande Earl Grey Latte w/ 2 honeys. I'm going back to my favorites. I saw one of my besties there though and her daughter Alivia. She is so stinkin' cute!

3. I bought new kicks today. I love my trail shoes! Last year my regular running shoes took a beating on the trails so I invested (with the hubby's OT check) in a pair. I also needed a new pair of regular running shoes AND a couple pairs of socks and a bag of GU chomps watermelon flavor! Dropped a butt load of $ and if I can run enough trails I'll be able to make my second pair of Asics last all the way through marathon #3.

Be Afraid

2010-09-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Be very afraid... then do it anyway. I've always been a cautious person, sometimes to a fault. Especially being a parent. I hate to see my children hurt. I hate to imagine the circumstances that may have been within my control but happened because I didn't say no, or didn't put the right tools in place for them to take care of themselves. I got that from my Grandma Reba. She worried over everything.

I'm a little naive too. I want to always see the best in others while at the same time fearing that their best is no where near good enough. I'm a mom, wife, daughter, sister and friend full of contradictions and perhaps that makes me a hypocrite.

Running has brought me farther than I ever thought possible but in so many ways. My feet have carried me over 2000 miles in the last 2 years 9 months. Those miles have brought me a perspective few others have (i.e. 20 mile long run seems long to me. 2 miles seems long to my husband). I took on a cross training regimen to keep my core strong and to build strength to counteract osteoporosis that plagues the women in my family. It also makes me feel stronger and more in control but who the heck thought I would be swinging around an 18lb weight with a handle? Not me, and no, its really not safe for me to be doing this. I'm the biggest klutz you have ever met but I do it anyway.

Running for 26.2 miles makes me smile. Makes climbing the rope less scary and I climbed farther than I ever have before. It made me believe that I could go back to school and start from scratch to take on crazy hard classes because it took me 17 weeks to train for a marathon i can pass one basic algebra class for sure then chem, stats, anatomy, physiology and two microbiology classes before I even transfer. I'm scared to do all these things but I ran a marathon so don't tell me I can't. I got in a kayak and paddled across a lake, I can do more than I ever believed. I just need to do it. I may be afraid but now that isn't a reason to stop is it? So be afraid and let your fears guide you to new and marvelous adventures you always believed were too far to reach.

Totally Freaking Out

2010-09-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

Blogger totally freaked out on me and all the posts I had been working on that it wouldn't let me post just disappeared! bummer. So heres a slight recap.

Two Saturdays ago I missed my 12 mile long run due to the stomach flu. I was supposed to run on Friday and go camping for labor day weekend. Needless to say I just scrapped it and started from scratch on Wednesday when I felt like jolting my system wasn't going to cause any adverse effects. I did 2 so slow on the dreadmill that I felt like a brisk walk would have been faster. BUT I felt so good on Thursday that I rocked the 7 mile run w/ 3 at Marathon (actually faster) pace. I ran 3 on Friday and 14 on Saturday.

Saturdays 14 miles long run needs its very own post since I'm going to review Chocolate #9 that I won from Momma of 3 on the Run and my new hydration belt that I paid for myself but love love love.

After I rocked my run on Saturday I took Sunday off, ran a short run Monday, ran hill repeats on Tuesday (totally rocked those too!) did KOR yesterday and I think my arms should have fallen off and ran around like a mad parson today getting things done but not getting an actual run in. Tomorrow is KOR and an easy run and Saturday is 10m "speed trial" that I'm running easy and Sunday is Whiskeytown Relay.Whew!

FOOD! has been a nightmare. I should be shopping now, there is nothing in this house. its so sad!!! I'm so hungry for food that isn't instant that I don't even care that half my sentences start with lower case letters and that usually dries me crazy! OK, now I have to go back and fix them. Thank goodness there is enough $ on the kiddos hot lunch tickets to get lunch at school tomorrow and the in-laws took the kiddos to dinner and yogurt tonight. Tomorrow I must shop!

But it's so SAFE Here

2010-08-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

I'm a total chicken. When it comes to new things I'm afraid that I'll fail so why start. What if I try something I've never done and I totally bomb and all my worst fears come true? I do a lot of negative self talk and Ive been working on overcoming these conversations with my self that only stop me from doing what I really want to do. Running has given me confidence to at least try things I never would have done before. I mean what normal person, who runs2-3 miles on the treadmill and does a few weights and the occasional cardio class would wake up one morning and want to run a marathon? Not only that but go out and DO IT? I mean the training has always been the funnest part for me, you know other than the whole getting injured part. I have worked for the last 3 years to build not only miles to the marathon but also the confidence needed to get me there. That confidence has led me to try other new things like Kayaking and getting in the lake where I can't touch without a life vest. I'm thinking of going back to school and pushing my photography stuff a little more this fall. I'm looking forward to trying new things like how to really swim instead of half assing it. I'm thinking of going longer distances and not so much on speed work. I'd like to run more trails and maybe run from the "green gate" on HWY 32 down to one mile. If I went up and back it would be about 18 miles. I'm ready to tackle these things slowely but I'm ready.

I used to use fear as an excuse to keep from getting hurt. Now I use it as a tool to stretch my limits a little past their comfort zone. At kettlebells I climbed the rope, not all the way to the top but farther than I've ever climbed before. I'm not afraid to try things that I refused to try before. I'm ready to hurdle these obstacles and have fun doing it too.
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Running this week
Monday I ran 3 easy and Day 1 of KOR (he went easy on me though)
Tuesday Ran w/ group from the park to upper Park trails to the "Z trail" which is not fun. Its up up up along the hillside to upper trail. we did repeats. one of our runners fell and sprained his ankle. Not fun. at all. I got to direct the ambulance to where the coach and our down runner was. I did total about 6 miles though.
Wednesday: KOR and 3 miles
Thursday: 3 miles (was going to do more but Blondy ended up with a migraine at school)
Friday: I got the migraine... how did that happen?
Saturday: 10 miles total on the books w/ warm up and cool down.

Double UP

2010-08-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today I started back at KOR Fitness, the Kettlebell class I took last year where I made so much improvement in my marathon times. This year I'm a little more worried about other things like my bone density not increasing despite all the things I had been doing to move it in the right direction. SO off I went this morning, dropping the enormous amount of $ to swing a kettlebell around and try and not hit anyone, including me.

In the end I ended up doing the warm up of 20 halos, 3 wall squats (remind me to do more of these), 3 single bell squats (ouch), climbed up the rope more than half way (wahoo!!!), 5 sets of sprints, swings w/ the baby~bell, snatches, pistol squats... yea right that was funny, and 10 TGU's. I think I'm going to hurt tomorrow.

I stretched and headed to Costco to pick up pictures of the 50 yr. class reunion I took the other night. I headed straight to the park where I was supposed to run 4 today but figured the workout had to count for at least one of those miles. I actually had to walk some since I didn't fuel properly... oops. I did do 20 walking lunges at the 1 mile, 2 mile and 3 mile spots so a total of 60 on top of my earlier workout. But I forgot my watch and looked at the time I got out of the car and got back in to figure my time. With the walking breaks and the lunges it took me 37 minutes from turning the key off to back on again. Not as shabby as I thought it was going to be. I stretched really good this time and headed home. Hubby took me to his favorite place EVER for lunch then I headed out to deliver pictures this afternoon.

I do notice that I'm not eating enough breakfast. I did pick up that protein powder that I said I was going to use every day but I'm having problems remembering to use it. Do I just add water? Maybe almond milk? Ugh! I'm so lost!

Do you guys do double workout days?

CEP Compression Sock Giveaway

2010-08-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

OMG these are so stinkin' cute I could DIE! I have been looking for a cute pair of compression socks to wear on long runs and after that didn't make me look like an old lady. I think I'm golden. And how cute would I look in these during a race. Just saying. So if you want to see if you can win a super cute pair head on over to Momma of 3 on the Run and start the process!

totally my color! I know. I so deserve these

and even cuter on Momma of 3!

A Wee bit of Deja Vu

2010-08-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

I finally feel like there is a purpose to my running again. I try to tell myself I am not competitive, that I am not out to train for the whole kitten caboodle. I try to tell myself that slowing down and running for purpose instead over over-dedication is what will get me to that start line in December where I may or may not finish the whole race since I'm signing up for the relay so I can dodge out after my mark.

I had fantastic runs this week.
Tues: Speed work 5.5 miles. Easy warm up then a 50 minute out and back in the park
Wed: no run since it was the boys first day of school and we had so much to do.
Thursday: 6.34 miles at a pretty good clip if you include the unexpected speed section to get away from the rattler in my path.
Friday: I ran 3 easy miles without my watch with Vicki and the wein onto make up for missing Monday and Wednesday.
Saturday: I ran 8.6 today w/ strides and warm up and our run to nearly Bear Hole in Upper Park and back this morning.

The schedule has me at 24 miles this week. I'm only about a half of a mile short. Probably with all the chasing down the boys and running around town I do I'm sure I made that 1/2 mile. So I'm rounding up from 23.44 to 24 miles for the week. Next week I start KOR to work on my core~ and some muscles and some flexibility.

I had a little deja vu running 8 since I haven't run that far since the beginning of December at the Marathon. This is like re-charting territory after a case of amnesia. I kinda remember what it felt like but it almost feels like it was someone else's life. I'm scared to see how I feel after 10... or 20. Don't be surprised to see me cry.

Buzz Buzz Zap Zap 6 mile Re-Cap

2010-08-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

I had a 5 mile run scheduled for today but decided since I didn't run on Monday since I was busy unloading stuff from camping and didn't run Wednesday because it was the first day of school for the boys I had better add a mile on today. After looking over the training schedule I would also exchange my rest day on Friday for a 3 mile run only putting me behind by less than 2 miles this week. I can't believe how OK I am with that. I'm usually such a stick to the #'s person.

I didn't feel good this morning so I piddled around the house, drank some Chai, did some laundry and housekeeping until I couldn't stand it anymore, changed and ran right out the door. I thought about what my route was going to be and thought I'd run to 5 mile (about 2.5 miles away from my house if I took the levy, then took the road up another half mile before turning around. Miles 1.5-2.5 would be full blown sun along the levy then the same stretch on the way back but there are at least three water fountain stops in parks along the route and various friends in that subdivision by the levy so I thought I would be fine. I got out of my neighborhood and tagged along side another runner for a few blocks before we waved our goodbyes and headed into different directions. I took the levy. I know my friends dog had been bitten by a "buzz-worm" (rattlesnake) along this levy last month so I was very cautious and slowed my running down and removed my earphones so I could listen better. Sure enough at the 2 mile mark up ahead I heard the distinctive rattle so I turned around and high tailed it out of there!

I went back to the neighborhood the other runner was running through then down to the main street and back towards the park to get water. I did a small loop there that was about a 1/4 mile then headed back. I knew I'd be over a little and as I dropped into my neighborhood my watch beeped the 6 mile mark at me. I did keep going to the house giving me a little added .34 miles to my total.

I was amazed at how good I felt. Although it was high 80's when I left and low 90's when I returned I felt good all along. I couldn't believe that most of my miles were faster than 10:30 except the mile where I stopped at the rest room and the mile I stopped at the water fountain. Those were closer to 11 minute miles.

I am just glad I didn't make it any closer to that BUZZ WORM! I did not want to get Zapped! No one else was out there and no one really knew where I was going although I did carry my phone with me today.

When I got home I had 16oz of the strawberry/watermelon recovery GU then took a shower. I did eat something but can't remember what it was. Isn't that awful??? I do remember eating some of Hollywood's buffalo jerky from Trader Joes... super yum. Apparently whatever it was that I ate before picking up the boys from school wasn't that memorable but I did have spaghetti squash, feta cheese with grilled onions, zucchini and bell peppers along with half of a Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat beer for dinner. That was yummy.

2 questions today. Do you ever forget what you ate during the day? AND Do you modify your route to avoid things like traffic at 5pm or around schools at drop off or pick up, or no trails due to snake activity? Where do you live and how do you adjust your favorite running routes when things are out of your control?

Start Your Engines!

2010-08-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

I'm off! Today was the first day officially of Marathon Training Program #3 for me! My whole intent is to mentor the team, hang out on long runs and Tuesday night Speed workouts but not throw myself back into PT w/ overuse injuries.

I ran so stinkin' slow but I got to know a lot of new people and I'm looking forward to being a mentor for this group. Essentially I'm not a coach but someone to bounce questions off of or just to talk to about the program about running and the things that generally go with it like food, recovery, stretching, food, injury prevention, how the programs work, miles and food. I think we talk a lot about food.

Tonight's run:
Asics #1shoes w/ 100 miles on them
Bidwell classic t/shirt run like a mother hat/Nike shorts and features low socks
80degrees and muggy but a slight breeze
0.63 mile warm up 11 :05 average speed
Plyos @ the horseshoe pits
50 minute out and back easy run out and back along the road in lower park 4.6 miles
Then stretches and .63 miles back to the shop for cool down.
Total: 5.86 miles but not sure of the overall pace since I turned off my G before heading back to the shop since it was low on battery.

I did have a strawberry/Watermelon GU recovery drink after the run and a PB frozen yogurt w/ choc granola on it and it totally hit the spot today! I'm off to bed since I have to be up early for the kids to go to school! Yeah! Back to school!!!!

Putting the PLAN into Action

2010-07-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what our marathon coach has lined up for us as far as workouts but sometimes I need to adjust to make time for family time and efficient cross training too. I'm signing up for KOR (Kettlebell class) in a few weeks and for the cost that is usually out of my budget range I had better use it wisely in combination with my running routine. Kettlebell class is all about the functional and flexibility strength of your body starting in your core and the muscles are the great icing on the cake! I definitely say results last time I did my 6 month term there and I'm looking forward to doing it again. Balancing KOR and running isn't easy w/ two little boys and a husband who will be gone from September to November this year.I have to start planning now.

The fist thing is that I always know there is my speed work on Tuesday evenings and long runs on Saturday mornings. Since I'll be doing KOR too I need to adjust my miles so I don't run myself back into the ground like I did in January. Most important to me is getting my glutes back into shape so other muscles aren't compensating for them. My favorite all over body move is the TGU. You go from laying down to standing up then back down again all w/ the bell over your head. Not easy and I was using the baby bell (18lb) before moving up to the 23lb when I felt stronger. I'm excited to get back out there though. So here is the tentative plan.

Kettlebell move: (TGU) Turkish Get-Up

Saturday: long run
Sunday: rest
Monday: KOR + easy run
Tuesday: speed work
Wednesday: KOR + easy run
Thursday: Longer run
Friday: KOR

I have a few weeks of workouts with the 10k program then onto the big M program. I do have a few ideas for some other blogs in the works too. We'll be talking about skin protection with sun screen in one post and Vitamin D deficiency, calcium absorption (or lack of) and bone mass in another! I can't wait to share them with you and get your input!

Fun new stuff!

2010-07-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

Got so little sleep! The dogs were not happy with the party in the neighborhood so they were in and out patrolling the yard like the guard dogs I wish they were all freakin' night! I'm so glad to have them for protection but sheesh! I figured out that I probably got roughly 4 hours when it was all said and done. I'm so glad its Saturday night and there won't be anything on TV so I can SLEEP!

Run: Well its Saturday. You know what that means! Long run w/ FF group. Today we had on schedule 6miles. Of course we met at the store where Ed did the schpeel on safety, especially given the circumstances this week. We then did an easy jog over to the park where we did plyos and got our route. I tagged along w/ Sarah V. today and I hope I didn't slow her down. I had fun just going at a comfy pace and talking about lots of fun things. The park was already hot and humid this morning and many of us had our minds on Carrie, the woman killed out in Durham. Before we knew it we were to the rocks w/ the "dam bridge" right in front of us. I picked it up that last little bit catching up w/ the guy who drank too much beer and still kicked our butts this week. Logging in at 6.55 miles @ 11minutes a mile. We stretched good and walked the half mile back to the store. While stretching I had one of these Honey Stingers. I had the Gold flavor today that I assume is original. I really enjoy the flavor (I love straight honey anyway) and the chocolate flavor too. The consistency is a little less runny than GU but w/ more consistency than the Powerbar gels. I do like certain flavors in GU and PB and have used them all and probably will again. Honey Stinger is just my flavor of the moment! I also had some of the chews and I really like them too. The flavors were less "made in a lab" and more natural than some other chews I've had. I think this company struck gold!

I'm trying something new. Since I've started losing weight again I'm cutting back on bread products, even the ones that don't seem to bother me and drinking a protein shake every day. My muscle mass isn't coming back the way it should and I think that is the underlying problem. So its a few weeks before I start back at KOR and I'm doing a slight over haul on my nutritional practices. I'll do a little review in a few weeks to let you know how its going. I got the Orange 50/50 flavor and I really like it!

Since I got so little sleep I decided to stop by the DB and get the boys sitter and myself a little "Kicker" in my new 20oz insulated Kleen Kanteen! Matt, the manager set me up w/ some stickers to decorate my Kanteen with some official Dutch Love! Thanks Matt! I don't drink caffeine much but today was a must! This Kleen Kanteen literally kept my ice like ice for 6 hours after drinking my coffee out of it. It is pretty darn amazing!

I've done little since getting home. I'm planning on some laundry and dishes before turning in tonight and maybe even feeding the monkeys.

A Safe Place to Run?

2010-07-23T23:46:00.000-07:00

Tragedy touched our small community...

Yesterday we got a disturbing call. One of the local firefighters called after a local runner was hit by a car and killed near our friends house, we held our breaths and waited to see if it was her or not. My heart immediately sank. My stomach turned in those moments until we found out it was wasn't her. But truth be told she could have very well been a member of one of our training groups through Fleet Feet. She probably was a customer of theirs. She was a mother, a grandmother and a teacher to 5th graders in a local community. She wasn't wearing any ID at the time of the accident which is why they thought it might be my friend. I might not have known her personally but we have this amazing running community in common. She might as well have been running beside me or past me on the trails to Durham and back.

This is a reminder to my running and cycling friends to please take your ID with you. Had things been different and she just been injured they wouldn't have her name, or what allergies she had or what meds she might be allergic too. Had she been just knocked unconscious they might need to know if she was diabetic or had a heart condition. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it, the impact took her life instantaneously.

From what the paper described and the bits and pieces from various other sources it sounds like she was wearing earphones listening to music and running with traffic. All things that are not necessarily safe. We encourage our runners to run against traffic, off the road if possible and with only one earphone in if using music at all. That keeps us all accountable for ourselves and helps us keep an eye on each other.

I recently purchased a "Road ID" w/ my name, hubby's name and phone number and my moms too. It's pink (shocker, I know you are all surprised) and wraps around my ankle so it doesn't get tangled up in all my other running paraphernalia like my watch and my iPod. I love it, I wear it, it works. For an amazingly small amount of cash you and those at home waiting for you to come home from your run, can have some peace of mind.

I just hope that this serves as a reminder to please be aware of your surroundings and to wear sufficient ID on us when running as a group or alone. This is the second incident of a runner in trouble in our community this summer. Thankfully the first one turned out to be OK. He is actually on his way to a full recovery thanks to a few fellow runners who knew just what to do.

How do you carry a form of ID when running or cycling? Do you just carry your Drivers License or use some other form such as a Road ID?

Run the Baby Fever away!

2010-07-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday: 1000m warm up + plyometrics. 8x 400's at 10k pace w/ 200easy jog between

I have had so much fun running this week. The speed work out on Tuesday was rough on me and I probably shouldn't be pushing myself that hard but I hate "slow-as-molasses" me almost as much as "6-miles-is-my-longest-run" me. But when we got to the 7th 400 segment my right hip tightened up and I knew I had better slow it down and stretch it out. I really only missed one so I'm good with that. I have to say that I love how the speed work challenges my mind. I'm not the kinda girl who likes to count her laps or what interval she's on but I love to say the # I'm on and the pace I was at after every speed segment. I then give myself a little pep talk or mantra at the very end of my rest segment to pump me up for the next speed part. I'm such a nerd. I sometimes say them out loud... you know, when I hope that no one is listening to me. LOL

Wednesday: 2.3 miles on the dreadmill so slow it was almost sickening

Guess what? Now that I'm running what is comfortable and not kicking myself for the super s-l-o-w speeds I'm enjoying my running. I ran while watching TV shows that should never be on television. It was great! I'm all caught up on Bethenny Getting Married? and all I want is to be pregnant and have a baby girl now. Very crazy and I think that's why I signed up for the Marathon Program again. Marathon or drive the FFP crazy because I want another baby that we can't have. Yea, I'd choose the marathon too. I love and adore my boys and it is WAY too late to start over now.

Thursday 1.2 miles walk w/ Laura then 1.8 mile jog w/ her. Dropped her off and Ran 2.36m on my own.

Laura met me w/ Laila (Cindi's BFF) at one mile and we walked for a mile or so to warm up since her knee has been bothering her and I really wanted to warm up my hip first. We got to talk about girly stuff! I have known Laura since high school and she is one of those constant things that holds me down to earth when things get crazy. We got just past the one mile marker and decided to pick it up. We jogged along chatting and visiting and gossiping as usual and the 3 miles went by entirely too fast. We stretched and I looked for someone else to jog my last 2 miles with but no one was available. So I cranked up my "Eclipse" sound track and got to it! The park was so pretty and there were tons of people out. I just smiled and waved and said good morning to every one along the way. I really truly enjoyed my run. I didn't even look at Big G until I ran past the boulders that mark our trail runs. I felt so amazing. I looked at my crazy slow speed and smiled. I just missed running so much that a run like that couldn't make the smile disappear.

Do you run to make up for something you feel is missing in your life? I am totally trying to out run my biological clock. The only thing that seems to work is Marathon Training.

Check in

2010-07-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

Checking in on me, on my friends, my mom, aunt and best running buddies. I've been doing a lot of it these last few weeks. A friend told the hubby that she was jealous of my social life. It only took me 32 years to get one so I'm going to live it up.

I have been indulging in too much fun this Summer! Oh my goodness! Last weekend my friend Good Neighbor and I were scheduled to crew at the AWBC SF. This is my 7th walk participation and her 3rd. You could call us veterans! My friend V had told me at softball a few weeks before that Paul McCartney was going to be at AT&T Park the weekend that we were going. I not only jumped at it, adding her too but asked Mom and Aunt Sandy to join us. They saw the Beatles in '65! Then we added going to see Wicked to already exhausting weekend too! It was definitely a whirl wind weekend, literally no sleep and no running but I made up for it with all the heavy lifting (cross training right?) of boxes of food and moving tables and such. We ate the most amazing food including rabbit! That was an amazing weekend!

I jumped right back on the horse though and headed to speed training on Tuesday. Thankfully it was only in the 90's and not in the triple digits like originally forcasted. We jogged over to the HS track and did another 1/2 mile warm up (about 1.1miles total). We always do plyometrics with group training. I moan and grown but I see how it works and I do them. Staying healthy and injury free means a lot more to me now. We did intervals of 3 min hard 2 easy x5 for a good 25 minute workout. I made it through 1 and 2 too fast and bailed 2 minutes into the 3rd set. Grrr... I looked at my times during the 2 easy and realized that although they looked slow on the screen my body was not ready for that type of speed so I adjusted for the last two sets. Cooled down back to the shop for a total of 4.25 miles

I did 2 easy on the dreadmill Wednesday
I did 3.6 miles walking briskly Thursday with a 1/2 mile jog warm up (my hips felt especially tight so I walked and stretched well instead of running)
I did 3 easy on Friday on the dreadmill again

Saturday is group run day again and we were scheduled for 5.5miles. I took off and did warm up and plyos with the group. When I headed out on our trail run my watch wouldn't start. I let everyone go by then headed out after them with a working watch. My plan was to go out easy and say hello or hang out and talk with each runner or group until I hit my comfortable pace (found Sarah V), chill there for a while then push the last mile back. It was so nice to say hello or talk to everyone. I got to meet some new people and reconnected with others. It was the farthest I had been since I started running again. I felt good the entire way. Looking back at my ridiculously slow (for me) paces I can understand why but I had such an amazing time. This is what running in a group is supposed to be like, this is why it makes me happy.

Do you pull energy from friends and fellow runners when you feel uninspired? Or do you prefer to find it out alone on the trail or the road?

Sometimes its more about the journey

2010-06-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

than the destination.

I've been on the lookout for that run that makes it all make sense again. Just a touch of that effortless runners high to keep me motivated and moving forward. Last Tuesday's run was a lot like last Saturdays... hard. It felt like running through quicksand for most of the 3 miles. But I actually felt good at the end and that gave me a glimmer of hope.

Saturday:
Up early with some (yucky) instant oatmeal because we're running out of breakfast food in this house. I headed out the door and off to our meeting place with plenty of time to spare. We had a little pacing workshop and it was a little cooler standing by the creek/pool than it usually is this time of summer. Perfect for running, not perfect for standing around shivering. Soon enough we were off to do a 1/2 mile then a bunch of plyometrics warm ups to get us tuned in for our 3 1/2 mile run today. I haven't run along this stretch of trails in a long time and I had forgotten how beautiful it is. We started at the rocks and I turned on my trusty 405G but didn't focus on it too much during the run. I didn't want to psych myself out or feel disappointed so I didn't really look at my watch unless someone else asked what our pace was then not closely until we finished our run. It didn't seem that long ago that I was easily sustaining 9 minute- 9:30 easy pace and here I was struggling at an11 minute pace. The first mile and a half were kinda brutal, but the last two seem to tune in like an old friend, not all of it easy but it did feel natural. I picked it up and pushed beyond what was in my new comfort level. Our last half mile was a 9:52 pace.It was like a light bulb went off and my different dueling body parts all worked together. A little hint of bliss on my run. That's what I was looking for.

A Matter of Life

2010-06-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

I had a Green Monster this morning for breakfast. I did not like the addition of cantaloupe to it. May have to eat that on the side from now on. AND I need to eat more than just a GM. I was hungry before we even started! The fabulous sitter got to the house and off I went!

I showed up at the store and my friend Speedy Liz said I look like the girl showing up for the first day at a new school! LOL I did have a bit of a terrified look on my face. We did a little run down on the basics of the program and split into groups, but not before I "borrowed" a cran-apple GU Chomp to get rid of the growl my stomach was making. I went into the "endurance" group which is people OK running 3 comfortably (then there's me). We are the ones building up our miles and not so much working on speed. The "speed" group starts out at 5 miles and has a speed component to each run. I wish I was there but I like my little novice group.

We did a little warm up half mile to the fence in the park where we did our plyos and talked about our scheduled run when one of the Speed group runners came over (they were about 100yds out in a different location) saying they had a medical emergency and looking for medical personnel. Susan took off to take care of things and make the 911 call. It was very shortly after that the ambulance (the same company FFP and I used to work for and the owner of the company is actually in my running group) showed up. Apparently a member of the speed group had a heart attack and lost consciousness. One thing led to another and CPR was preformed. (I didn't know all this until later this afternoon). I said a little prayer as I passed the ambulance that who ever was hurt would be OK. I'm sure his wife and so many others including myself where thankful that he was not out running alone. He is now at the hospital in stable condition waiting on a quadruple bypass. Our coaches and runners were prepared by having CPR training. It literally saved his life.

We went on (and the speed group did too thanks to wonderful leadership) to finish our workout. We did 1.5 miles out then back. They were timing us at the 1 mile mark so we could see what our pace was. Lu and I came in at 9:57pace. The next two miles were not that good. Mile 2= 10:18pace. Mile 3=10:31pace. I was DYING at the end. With a total of 3.5 miles under my belt it was mostly like my brain and my body were at odds the entire time and then it was my legs vs. lungs at the end when it was hard to breath even at that 10:30 pace. I'm hoping that the closet treadmill running I've been doing will keep me moving forward.

Have you ever stumbled on an emergency (or been in one yourself) when out for a run? What do you do? I think I should take my HUGE phone from now on and get to buying a Road ID ASAP.

Back in the Saddle

2010-06-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to blog from my phone via email but they are lost out there in the email abyss I guess. LOL Here is my post from earlier:

First things first. Today the FFP and I celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary! It hasn't always been easy but our love and faith for each other have never wavered. He is and always has been my "Knight in Shining Armour" (and my FireFighterProvide).

Now... Today I start my path back to the running me! Summer Sizzler 10k program begins this morning! Nervous and excited feelings may be my downfall at the moment. I put my gear together last night like I was packing for a trip not a 3 mile run in the park. LOL. We're meeting at my most favorite store ever, Fleet Feet Chico, but a little nervous how they are going to fit 130 runners in the store! I'll let you know how it goes.

Super Secret Squirral Code Word to enter

2010-05-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

I've been a closet run/walker for the last month. I didn't want to tell anyone because I feel like such a hypocrite. It totally bugs me when I'm running a race and the same person, ~~usually a long legged blond with a super cute pony tail,~~ breezes past me with a huge smile on her face only for me to pass her a few minutes later during her "walk" portion only to do it over and over and over and over again until she beats my pants off in the end. It. Totally. Irks. Me.

So I haven't told anyone. Although I didn't do it during a race, I do bitch about others doing "it" to me and I don't play that game. Maybe I should start. LOL. Not bitching but run/walking during races because maybe I'd finish stronger, maybe I'd not feel like I was totally burned out the last 1/4 mile of every race, maybe I would... but shh I have a secret.

I RAN yesterday.

I ran like I haven't run in months. 4 months in fact. I ran 2.2 miles straight and although it was harder than it should have been, although it was mentally a huge hurdle to cross, it felt SO GOOD. I almost cried when I was done. My legs could have gone on ~~for another 0.1 miles~~ forever my lungs and my mind were spent. I was shaking and hurt all over but I had a giddy/silly look on my face because I didn't stop once. My Garmin says 10m3s pace, and that was h.a.r.d.

I started out thinking I was going to do a 4/1 jog/walk but when I hit 4 minutes I actually felt good in a painful mind numbing i just want to keep going to see if I can do this kind of way, and thought it was a good day to keep going. There were so many flowers blooming in the park, so many fun people and animals to look at, so much more than I usually see on this trail because I used to run it so much I almost hated to look around me. 4 months and 2 seasons off gave me a new appreciation and love for our little park.

By the time I got to the mile marker I didn't want to turn around. There was so much more I wanted to see! But as I inched past it I slowed down and looked around and reminded myself that it had been a long time since I ran this far. It had been a long time since I pushed myself beyond my boundaries and it was sad to think that 2 miles was a lot but it is after such a long rehab period. So I trotted my butt around and headed back. I payed attention to my labored breathing and thought I should slow down but my legs were so happy. I did get a twinge of some knee pain but that dissipated as fast as it appeared. My lungs and thighs burned but it made me smile. My legs in general felt like they could go on forever. By the time I reached the rocks I was done. I was shaking and gasping and wanted to cry in pain/ happiness. I felt like me out there today. The me after a hard workout. The me that is looking for a race to run even if its just against myself. I wanted to find a finish line to this injury and a start line to my running again. I hope that was me breaking the tape on the that finish line of the last 4 months. I'm just happy to feel like me.

Stick a Fork in Me

2010-05-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

I'm done. I sooo need a good soul searching, mind numbing, music blasting, feet turning run. I need to sweat, and almost cry and take too deep of breaths and go go go until I'm spent. Then take a long hot shower and let the salt run off me because that hasn't happened in OMG WAY TOO LONG! I need a freaking break from reality and fall into that amazing blissful runners high I haven't felt since the first weekend in December when I ran faster than I should have because I felt so damn good. Of course then I bonked. Here I am 6 months later walking around like a pile of mush.

I'm going for a run tonight, ~~if only in my head~~. Because the stupid car is broke down again. in the last week its cost us $1600 or more to fix the computer and the AC. Freak an A! With so many things I want... and a few things I need and I feel guilty buying a new pair of shoes! Shoes would make me feel better right? Since I feel like Crap all the time. I thought maybe I was anemic or dying or had some rare disease to explain how crappy I feel. So I went to the doc and she sent me to the blood suckers and they took an enormous amount of my bodily fluids to tell me whats wrong.

I got my labs back today and after a full panel everything under the sun... I'm perfectly fine other than needing my thyroid meds increased. I have low resting heart rate (something ridiculous like 56 after riding my bike hard to make it to my appt on time then sitting down for an entire 3 minutes before the nurse took my vitals) and low BP, perfect lipid and cholesterol. Damn I should feel a hell of a lot better than I do. So I think I need to run.

I know its stupid to look in the mirror and judge myself. Really... I'm one of those girls that people laugh at when I say I feel fat. Naturally I'm not. I'm small boned, have naturally low body fat, I'm a stupid freak of nature but guess what...? I feel fat. I have mushy parts, especially all this eating like crap then looking at the lovely muffin top bulging over my waist band. Yes I do, it is REALLY HARD TO MISS. Its almost freaking swim suit season. Back to eating veggies and working out. No more slacking. no. more. slacking. nomoreslackingdamnit.

Swimming Around the Edge of Conciousness

2010-05-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long. I haven't written about anything although I have ideas buzzing around my head all night. The computer being in the bedroom next to the bed isn't conducive to me writing while FFP sleeps so I stare at the ceiling and dream of working, working out, working in some time for friends, for an adventure with the boys, for a get away with the hubby. I just day dream at night because its not like you dream much when you're wide awake and watching the clock tick the middle of night away.

When I do dream, I dream of running, or biking or ~~gasp~~ swimming. But swimming spends more time in the thoughts of consciousness when I'm alone to think without interruption. I actually would love to learn to swim, well I think that at 3am anyway, not so much during regular daylight hours when the pool or open water seem like the farthest things from my time ideally spent. I would much rather go for a run in the hot, muggy, canopy of Lower Park then take a dip in the shallow end of Sycamore pool than to EVER learn how to swim. Yet 3am rolls around and I think, I need to take lessons before working with a Masters swim program. Of course I do... I can't freakin' swim! Why do we seem so idealistic, laying in bed under our covers, in a dark room, while everyone else is sleeping but your mind refuses to turn off. Its all or nothing for me. Either I'm making grand plans or I'm having a panic attack over things I have no control over... like dreaming of being in the middle of a deep lake and not knowing how to swim.

Movin' on UP

2010-03-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

Today in PT I actually did a bridge on the ball then pulled the ball in. Then I did it 12 times! Wahoo! I think thats progress.

Damn, I feel like an old geezer. LOL

I {heart} Give Aways!

2010-03-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of Girl Get Strong. I even won my favorite tech hat "Run U Mother" from them a few months ago so I can look like a sporty mom even if I'm an injured runner for the time being. They have great articles about staying healthy and getting strong and they have wonderful give aways (like me hat!). Right now if you become a member (easy peasy lemon squeezy) and comment about your favorite workout gear you have a chance to win a totally cute outfit! Extra entrys for posting on your blog, FB page, and twitter!

For your information my MOST FAV (and I have a lot... the peeps down at Fleet Feet Chico can attest to that) is this Brooks set of shorts and tank with built in bra*. I love the color and the feel (the shirt doesn't ride up or get bunchy like some other tanks I've worn). Wearing this outfit is usually a gaurantee this run won't totally suck even if all the elements are against me.

*darn picture won't load!

Today is Today but Tomorrow is a New Day

2010-03-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

I kinda remember (since its been a while) when each day of training for a marathon closely resembled the day and the week before (perhaps even the month before if I do back to back training programs); just a new set of numbers on the calander and if I was lucky more good runs than bad.

Now its the opposite. I'm treading water waiting for this injury to be remidied but the doc, the PT and the chiropractor are all waiting for me to heal enough so that I can get out there and not undo the last two months of ~~semi-progress~~ work. I've been doing wall sits on the sly (shhh don't tell my PT), using the bands for resistance, hopefully get my glutes to fire the way they're supposed to. I'm doing leg lifts and the embaressing clam shell to get my hips back to normal and lots and lots of stretching! I really really really just want to run, so much that its heartbreaking. BUT if I can't run (I can't believe I'm going to say this) I wish I was back at KOR doing my kettlebell routine with KC yelling ... er... telling me I'm doing everything wrong. At least I felt strong. Even when I was weak I could feel those ~~nearly non-existant~~ muscles working. That made me feel good! Thats what I need. Something that makes me feel strong, 'cause let me tell you, PT ain't it.

When I'm all healed up and get the go ahead, or when I'm too tired of not running to care, I'm looking forward to getting back to running on the dirt, volcanic rock, muddy, hilly, root infested, wild flower lined paths, so I can do some trail races. I'd really like to do some in Mtz or the East Bay (my old stomping grounds), just not to race. I'm looking forward to not worrying about time and running more for enjoyment for whats around me and how I feel, more then how fast I go. I really need a break from the competition, although there are few I compete with other than myself. That sub 4 hour marathon is going to have to wait. I'm looking forward to asking my friends down at Fleet Feet Chico about doing some coaching this summer.... and eek! Looking into a job this week. Not sure if its for me, has to do with sales but I'm going to check into it. It would be nice to have a paycheck again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You know what I'm really missing? While I'm on the couch eating Bryer's Rocky Road ice cream, because its the best, and watching Biggest Loser (because really, who doesn't?), I'm having flashbacks to that first half marathon program where it rained and more often than not, poured, EVERY Tuesday night speed workout. We ran in the dark around the out side of the track, because it was closed, through the parking lot with 3 or 4 cars left in it, around the pitch black lot with pot holes you can't see, to the scary bike path that the collage students hated using to get back to their apartments after dark, and back around by the track. The loop was about 3/4 of a mile long. I looked like a total geek wearing my head lamp flash light but people wanted to run with me because I could actually see what was in front of me. A lot of growing took place on those cold, dark, wet, nights outside the track. And oh how I miss those Tuesday nights. I miss the soaking rain, I miss my running pals. I miss Alan, Ed, David or way back when I first started Angela, encouraging me to go a little faster this lap, to push that mole hill before the last turn that felt like a mountain, but mostly to feel my way through the darkness by looking inside myself.

Not running feels like someone elses life. I never ever expected to feel like that. To find something... anything that defined and completed me, other than parenthood, the way that running has. I may not be running... but I'm still a runner.

Moving Forward

2010-02-25T13:49:00.000-08:00

My PT, E, said today that there is improvement. Maybe not so much in my strength but in my hips lining up and my muscles firing when they should. I keep icing and stretching and change how I stretch once running comes back into the picture. The sitter flaked on me last night so no spin class but I was pretty sore still from Tuesday so it was probably a good thing for my body although my brain is all "Go Run, Go Run, Go Run" all the time. Little short breaks are nice for the brain, and the body, if you have something to fill it up besides FB and house cleaning. But man this has been going on way too long.

I'm hoping that by the 8th PT session I'll have some more answers. Right now its no running only walking, I'm glad that things are moving forward though. I miss my solitary runs, I miss my running friends, I miss the use of energy that helps me think straight and lift my mood. I almost just pulled out the Mizuno's and took em for a run today but I'll be a good girl.

Easy Goes It, Girl

2010-02-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

Working on that personal investment thing. PT is going better. I slowed down and that’s hardfor me to say much less do. I took more of a break between sets of exercises so I could finish without fatigue and that helped, but darn I feel so weak and slow. I know it’s a progression but I'm more of a fast paced girl if you know what I mean. Losing that physical strength and stamina has been my biggest downfall mentally. I totally dream about running faster, jumping puddles after a good rain, sloshing through the wet trails on a good long run and wake up knowing its not even a posibility right now. Are you kidding? I'm really dreaming about running? LOL. My brain can't even slow me down.

I'm going to my friends spin class tonight. She knows that I can't be my usual fun, get her done, push to my limits kinda girl tonight but it will be good practice in patience for me. Liz and Vicki will be there too. Need a little perk up and get some of this pent up energy out.

The Foodie in me:

The thing about working on nutrition in our lives has been hard er... not existent really. I have no desire to cook an elaborate meal, not desire to clean up after making that meal. I've been bad. I don't eat the things the kids eat. I lean more towards the paleo diet since wheat seems to upset the body and many of the grains aren't that appetizing to me. I don't eat much dairy, which for someone with osteopenia that’s not really a good thing but I've been much better about taking my calcium chews and my vitamin D. I'd like to talk to someone ~~who knows what they're talking about~~, about how much I should be taking considering my severe calcium deficiency but that would require me going to the doctor. In some ways I'm good about taking care of my health and in others I'm sorely lacking. How long has it been since I've had an eye exam or gotten new glasses? Long enough that I don't really even remember. ouch. So things on my to do list like making drs. apts just keep finding their way to the bottom of the list. Better than before when I used to just pretend I didn't need to do them at all. That’s progress right?

Since I'm not paying for "Therapy":

This rain isn't helping with the whole... I'm not depressed just lacking energy, motivation, desire for social interaction and so on. Ok maybe a little depression. Its been on and off pretty significantly for the last 6 months or so but I really really really don't want to take anything since I already take my thyroid pill and so many other supplements. I'm working on positive affirmations, concentrating on healing my leg, getting stronger, loving on my boys, supporting my sister and this new life she's creating, thanking my parents more for taking my kids whenever I need a sitter, enjoying little vacations and time away from the house instead of locking myself up and not going out unless I have to.

I'm hoping the little ski trip that will be sure to rattle my nerves worrying about the boys will be off set by our little trip to Yosemite if I can get someone to take the dogs for a couple days ~~(oh daddy? could you please watch the doggies for us while we're gone?)~~, and still make some reservations. I know we just "got away" in December but fresh air instead of stuffy casinos sounds more up my ally AND I'm in dire need of some beautiful places to take pictures of my boys and family.

Easy Goes it, Girl

If I can't run I'll walk

if I can't walk I'll crawl

but I refuse to stand still and wait.

So off I go

towards tomorrow and the day after

slowly, cautiously and with purpose

Looking for a new trail head to follow

The strength to move mountains of doubt in my head

to a new adventure; a story to tell

a new Goal to reach beyond

a new star to touch if I reach high enough, long enough, far enough

as the pieces of puzzle fall into place for me to complete. ~me

Successful People Invest Heavily In Themselves

2010-02-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

I saw a quote over at Christine's blog and I felt this is undoubtably how I want to live my life.

"Successful people invest heavily in themselves."

I'm actually looking forward to PT tomorrow. Part of that is because I feel like a total slug and part because I hope she tells me I can to to Katies spinning class with Liz and Vicki on Wednesday night. Wahoo. Then more PT on Thursday.

I've been working hard on not compensating on my left foot to make up for the weakness and soreness on my right. Soooo I totally realized how weak and sore my right side actually is. Doh! Stupid me for not realizing this ~~months~~ before the whole foot thing happened. Well I'm going to PT to get that fixed right?

I'm working on some ideas for when I get back into running. I really would like to start out slow and easy again. I think I'll do some trail runs since it will let me practice being lighter on my feet and not be thinking about speed since I'll be thinking of not falling on my face. Hows that?

I'll also be doing Kettlebell class again as soon as I get the go ahead. (and the tax $) so that I can increase my core strength and help keep my bone mass up. I miss my KOR girls... and K.C. too I guess. He makes me cry though.

After reading about the moms over at http://www.runlikeamotherbook.com/ I've been re-inspired to start from the ground up. I'll be looking forward to building a strong and solid base and getting back to the funamentals of running.

I can't wait for the book to come out! Just 4 days after my birthday. I asked Dimity and Sarah to change it but that dates pretty set in stone darn it. Look for it at Barnes and Noble and Amazon on March 23rd or preorder it so It will get to your door step ASAP. Thats what I did!

Physical "Therapy"

2010-02-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

This is not what I call the kind of therapy that keeps me sane but it will make me better so I can funtion like a human instead of a grumpy mama bear all the time.

I've been a bit of a downer and I feel sorry for my family. My PT (we'll call him K) totally kicked my butt yesterday. They made me sit on the bike for 6 minutes to warm up then he did some stretching with me to see check out my strength and flexibility since E had done my eval last week. He sent me to the torture chamber to do some leg press thingies then some where he hooked the contraption to my ankle from above my head and I had to let it pull my leg up until I felt the stretch but before it hurt then push back down again 12 reps x2. It felt fine on my good leg and very difficult and frustrating on the bad side.

1. Then he moved me over to this crazy contraption that is for balance and it vibrates at different levels to make things harder or easier. I had to do lunges on them, stand on one leg for 30 seconds at a time per leg x2 and do squats. DAMN THOSE SQUATS HURT! Once I finished up all my exercises K hooked my foot up to this thing that looked like a battery then left it on my foot for 20 minutes. I swear with the vibrating machine and the battery thing my hair might as well stand on end. LOL

Not sure what the deal is but still no running.

Therapy. I know I'm doing physical therapy but my old physical therapy so I didn't have to spend $ at the head shrink (sorry to anyone who might be one) and it was fun to run. My anxiety was so much better when I run. My sleep was more consistent and my dreams not nearly as nightmarish or freaky as they are when I don't run. My therapy was the social outlet of my friends too. I really miss running with them. So as soon as I get the go ahead I'll start out slow, increase slowly and do it right. Until then, I might be venting to you all for a while. LOL

Looking Up

2010-02-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry to be all doom and gloom. My body and Running are rebelling against eachother but I've been able to do some thinking about how devoted to running I've been and how I really need to add cross training into that regimen. This is a good time to find some other activities that I enjoy doing so I can incorporate them into the schedule once I start training for a race again. I intend to pick my poor PT's mind this week. I don't know how to swim (very well). Maybe time to change that? I enjoy riding on my old lady cruiser and putting in time on the granny seat back and forth to school and running errands would afford me a little extra calorie burn. And of course back to Kettlebells when the tax refund comes in.

I did get some modified stretches from the PT to do this weekend to loosen up this tight right side. I've been doing them but not sure if there has been any improvement since then. I'll keep doing them because it has to be better than doing nothing at all. I'm excited and not so excited to have them work me out on Tuesday. I'm a little worried about the sore muscle fall out but excited to be on the road to recovery. Does that make sense? I guess its a bitter-sweet feeling... I'll think of it like dark Chocolate, really good in moderation, too much and and you'll pay the piper. LOL

Last week the PT did the evaluation on me and an hour and a half later I was so sore from all the bending and twisting. I wish I had a hot tub but a long hot shower had to do. 2x a week for the next 4 weeks then I'll go back to the foot doc to see how I'm doing and get my orthotics in. I have figured out that driving hurts that right foot area that is inflamed so I've adjusted my seat and foot position (when I remember) to keep it from aggravating. Hopefully the PT will give me some direction tomorrow on things to do to stay in shape during this way lay. I'm looking forward to going back to KOR Fitness to get back into "fighting shape" before hard core (he he he, pun totally intended) running training time comes around.

If you are out of the training loop or out injured what kinds of cross training do you do?

Here's the stinkin' deal

2010-02-13T20:57:00.001-08:00

I know being hurt does not make me a failure. In truth I would rather be a flake or fail than to admit out loud to the world I am just incapable. I found EVERY excuse in the book to talk myself out of being hurt. I finally had to bite the bullet and see the doctor because a spot on the bottom of my right foot hurt and wouldn't stop hurting and hurt worse when I ran on pavement. GRRRRrrrrrr. One 1/2 mary program down the tubes. I made it an entire week I think?

So off to the foot doc I go and she tells me I have this silly tendinitis thing called "Sesmoiditis" in my foot. Thankfully its not fractured! But WTH??? and was it my Frost or Fog run or something else? Apparently I also have a pretty severely tilted Pelvis because I'm not freaky enough all ready having tendonitis in my foot for a bone no one has even heard, of now my pelvis is "tilted" and F*ing everything else up too. My Right side is higher than my left and all my muscles and tendons are out of whack. So out of whack that my ass muscles aren't even firing when I run or walk! Lucky me hu?

So My feet are messed up royally from the "out of whackness" of my hip all the way down my leg to the toesies and the doc fits me for $500 orthotics to help fix that and writes me an Rx for 4-6 weeks of PT to retrain my muscles to be doing the right instead of the wrong thing. I see flashes of dark places and pain in my near future. very Twilight Zone Doo Doo doo doo Doo Doo doo doo...

On top of all this there has been some family issues I won't get into here and a sick Gma who has been having delusions from her meds due to her broken hip. She has Osteoperosis... and not counting the fact that she is amazingly sharp and motivated for 85 years old she also has several other medical problems to deal with and is struggling with the idea of walking or living on her own after this. This is very unlike her. My fears are two fold, some for her and some for the mind time machine traveling 50 years into my future playing an endless loop in my head. Before I was even 30 I had early signs of my future including a diagnosis of "osteopenia" the warning signs of Osteoperosis. See what I have to look forward to? LOL More about the PT apt later because that was a Hella fun afternoon, let me tell you. UGH!

What have your running injuries been and how did you overcome them? really really really tell me!

Redirection

2010-01-25T09:43:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I need to take the same advise I give to my kids. If something isn't working... change direction. In terms of running, I'm lacking that motivation I talked about yesterday. I don't want to give up running... I love it, how it makes me feel, how I get to enjoy my friends, how my body has changed and gotten stronger over the last two years. We all need to exercise, some of us take it a little more seriously, I enjoy that I fall somewhere in the middle... well in my mind anyway. The husband things I'm a little fanatical about it.

My main motivation for being a runner was that my bone density scan showed that at the age of 29 (at the time) I was already into osteopenia. I had a strong family history of women on my moms side with severe osteoporosis. This is something I desperately wanted to get a handle on. I chose running because it was something I enjoyed in High School but it kinda interfered with my other health issue, I was a survivor of Malignant Melanoma. I had avoided the sun for a decade and a half. After a visit with my dermatologist where he said, "You should wear sunscreen... and run", I jumped on the bandwagon. I started running 2-3 miles a couple times a week then in December 2007 I signed up for the half marathon program through Fleet Feet. It was hard and I loved it.

I love the programs, I've done 8 of them from 10K to Marathon with Alan, Susan, Angela, Paul and Dave as my coaches. The programs are getting so big though (a testament to how wonderful our local running coaches are!) and I feel a little lost in the group. I'm thinking its time to strike out on my own a bit. I bought Jack Daniels Running Formula... I just have to figure out how to formulate it to work for me. I'm going keep signing up for the programs and just modify the workouts a little and not feel the stress if I can't make it to a Tuesday night run. I've been running on the "dreadmill" a lot and that seems to work for speed work that I can't make at the park.

Mostly I just miss how I felt about running when I trained for the Marathon. So dedicated and motivated. I don't know where it all went. I hope it comes back soon though. In the mean time I'll do some strength training, keep running for fun, and look for a race that truly motivates and puts me back into that frame of mind I miss so much.

What do you do when you find yourself unmotivated to run or do whatever workout works for you?

Motivationally Deprived

2010-01-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

I have not have the drive to get out there and run. I thought maybe it was the weather, Nor Cal has been the target of storm after storm for since last Sunday, so I ran on the "dreadmill" all week. I thought maybe it was not running with my friends but I had little drive out there yesterday even though I ran with TTD but apparently she was short on motivation too. I don't have any races that I'm really excited about and I think I'm going to keep running and doing local races (maybe a half in May) but take some of the pressure off. I've been running consistently for two years and I think I need a break from the hard training before I start training for a fall marathon. So TTD and I decided to keep running with the half program to keep the social aspect and mileage up then just run the Bidwell Classic as a relay. Last year we did and came in 2nd place for the FF group.

Goals for the Non Training months:
strength training. I really really really need to find the $ to go back to KOR but I don't think it will come to be until March unless I can get on the ball and sell my car. I love my car. I just hate having 3 of them and mine is the easiest to cut.
Writing: Id like to work on this blog and my kids blogs a little more. I'd like to work on writing here about the changes I'm trying to make in our family eating habits and about enjoying running just to run again.
Eating: I know many of my blog friends out there are Vegans or Vegetarians but we're omnivores around here. Most of our meat consumption actually comes from wild game though. Very rarely (mostly if we go out for a nice dinner or something or an occasional rotisserie chicken from Costco) will we eat food not from what the FFP brings home from the hunt. That being said, we are getting low on Wild Pig and Elk. Guess its time to think about going to Colorado this Fall again. Duck and Goose season is almost over and that's been nice this year with a couple easy recipes in the dutch oven and Turkey season starts up again soon.

I am going to purchase the cookbook "The Conscious Cook" and try to make one Vegan main dish a week. I think it will help bring more veggies in different ways into the household. I could write a book about the things Blondy WONT eat... like the yummy Chicken and dumplings I made tonight. I also think I'm going to join the Natural Foods Co-op and use our wonderful local Farmers Markets more often.

So I hope these things get me Jazzed about running again. Right now I think that the only thing that keeps me going is my friends out there running. For so long it was about training and I missed them as I grew more confidant in my speed for the marathon and moved ahead. Now all I want is to run and chat with them.

Down by the Bay (to come)

2010-01-16T20:44:00.000-08:00

In my head I have a great blog floating around but not the time to actually write it all down. My Grandma fell earlier in the week and broke her hip so I went down Wednesday Night and got up Thursday to run by the bay before going to see her. The Mtz marina was covered in fog and a million memories flooded my senses. This where I spent most of my years growing up, riding my bike, fishing with my dad, flying kites, going out on the boat. I took lots of pictures and I'll post them with my running recap soon. I got 40 minutes and almost 4 miles in.

Frost or Fog 1/4 marathon Recap

2010-01-16T18:59:00.001-08:00

Under the Sun Events puts on this awesome run called Frost or Fog (although most people end up saying it Fost or Frog he he he he) in January every year. You have the choice to either do the 5k or the 1/4 marathon course. Yesterday during packet pick up I gave in and signed up. I'm sad I waited so long since the shirts are so dang cute and all they had left were adult Larges. Ugh.

This morning I went to the pace talk at Fleet Feet and the marathon and half marathon groups took off from there. Those of us running took off for 5 Mile and to warm up. The race isn't until 9am in hopes that if it is SO stinking cold and frosty it might be tolerable to run by then OR So stinkin' foggy you will be able to see the runner in front of you and not cause a colossal crash. Luckily today it was BEAUTIFUL! Got to 5 mile and left my bag at the Fleet Feet tent with Kristina (her hubby Paul was our coach for both marathon programs) and took off to warm up with Lori. I stopped back by the tent and called the hubby and his specific directions were to "Kick Liz's Ass". I told him that I would try my hardest to keep up with her but dang is she fast and those ALL those shorter races! Lori and I took down the levy and back bringing my first warm up to 1.5 miles, then ran into Liz and Kosmo (more about the amazing things Kosmo is doing for local runners in a later post when I also talk about how great Vicki and Ross are ). I went back out for another mile warm up with them because (the Lord knows he made me so I don't warm up until mile 15 or so) I need it. Liz and I did strides in the parking lot because we like to look like those hard core serious runners wearing $300 watches and $100 tights and LOOK fast and think they just might win. We might fool somebody and I'm totally OK with that.

Then Liz and I dropped off sweats at the sweat check and we lined up at the start at the levy, stretched and tightened out laces. Standing next to me was Debi who coached me from the first time I did Women With Weights a million years ago after the kids were born and I felt (FAT) out of shape. I said hi to other runners who I don't normally see then got lined up and we started the 1/4 marathon group on time. We took off up the levy and Liz creeped in front of me. Then Kosmo passed me. Then I gave up. No ,not really, but I just watched them get closer then farther away, closer then farther away. UGH. I went out way too fast. 8:20 my first mile, 8:40 my second mile then all (down hill) uphill, literally, from there and I never looked at my watch again. I splashed through mud and felt it all mucky in my socks. I slipped and slided through the trails... and that ended up being my favorite part other than the finish. We headed through the slippery mucky trails on the other side of the levy then across to the asphalt path and up to the fire road by horseshoe lake. I kept thinking "we have to be at 2 miles" but we weren't. When we finally got there I was wondering if I would ever make it the whole race since most of the first half, including the next mile and a half, was a sometimes not so gradual up hill and I was having flashbacks from Nike Half in October. Not a good place to be in my head. I just watched my feet and kept going, not caring how fast I was or wasn't.

After the "green gate" there is a pretty good downhill to pick up momentum and chase down Kosmo and Liz if they didn't speed up too, then that "gradual up hill" to the turnaround marker at about 3.5miles. I said Hi and Good JOB to many of my speedy friends as they passed me going the other way including Paul who was chasing down that leader bike while he held the first place all the way home, and Sarah who took 1st place for the girls. She's super speedy! We went to High school together so that puts her in my age group and kicks me WAY out of any chance to place at any local races.

Finally got to the turnaround I grabbed water and tried to put my head in a good place for the 3 or so miles back. Although its mostly downhill unless you count the hill back up to the "green gate," its pretty technical with lots of rocks and funny gravely areas and tilts far to one side many times. I'm not good on this stuff, I have to watch right in front of me because I can't tell you how many times I have twisted my ankle or tripped, almost falling on my face, on this road. I'm sure if you are watching me I would be entertaining with all my hopping and jumping over loose rocks and finding a place with footing where I won't twist something. I got a stitch at 4.5 and every time I sped up it came back so I backed off for a little bit and let a bunch of people pass me and finally Liz disappeared into the distance. I took the long steep hill to the "green gate" with my head down and a fierce determination because I wasn't sure if there was actually anything left in my body to give to a hill like that. I pushed over the hill and into the water station where I didn't stop and walk at all. Downhill, thank God. I finally got back on the asphalt trail and its a pretty good downhill clip to pick up speed but I was tired. I could heard Debi closing in on me and I just stayed just in front of her all along. When we got to the turn off (just after mile 6) there is a little road that takes you to the bridge and over the creek I picked it up again and pushed past my limits. Final turn and she's on my tail. Its a pretty steep downhill and I turned to Debi and said "Catch me and pass me Debi" then I flew, big long fast strides down the hill and across the bridge. She was right on my heels, right through the shoot. She wanted to throw up. I love those finishes. That means you gave it your all. I turned off my Trusty Garmin and looked at my watch. It said 57:33. Average pace 8:58/mile. Liz came in at 56 minutes or so. So she "Kicked My Ass" again. Oh well. Then she said most of the people who came in in front of her were women from out age group. LOL. I guess that means we don't have to wait around for awards but I tell Sarah (holding her baby in her arms as she passes by me) Congratulations and head home.

Run into the New Year

2010-01-08T20:58:00.000-08:00

So far I've tallied about 22 miles for the week. I didn't run last Saturday with group because I just wanted to sleep in and hang out with my kids after being gone to LV the week before. I knew vacation was coming to an end and I wanted to not have to worry about getting up and about for just one morning. I took up an offer to run with Susan (owner of FF and 5k, 10k and 1/2 mary coach), Ed and Katie (both helping to coach the 1/2 mary group). I love my running groups but not sure how "special" I looked running with 3 coaches, either I really needed it or I'm damn lucky. I'll take the latter "Thank-you-very-much". We took the trail to upper park and the levy around to the bridge, back through 5mile and down the trail to 1 mile again. I love our not so little park. I had missed my running buddies now that we were all running different speeds during training. It was so nice to chit chat with them again. 6.89 on the books and the first for the new year and new decade.

Tuesday: Speed work. I got there early and ran an easy lap around the 1/2 mile or so loop at WW park. The fog was setting in as we did our plyometrics and warm up. We got done as the pea soup feeling settled in around us. 6x800's . Wahoo! But I kinda suck at figuring out what my threshold pace is. My marathon pace is actually about the same as my half and my 10k pace... because well, I don't really know why its the same. I feel like I push the same effort at any distance some are just farther than others I guess. TTD and I settled into a 8 minute pace (for me in hopes of speeding up by teaching my body that faster is not a bad thing) and Liz and Ross were on our heels. Diane is new to the program and she stayed right with us too. The fog was so eerie. I really liked it up until someone mentioned that it seemed like a set for a horror story... eek! Then I ran faster thinking about things like men in hockey masks and chainsaws and before I knew it the speed work was over. Did a cool down and some stretching with David. 5.5 miles in the books for my second run this 2010 season.
I took Wednesday off and ran Thursday hills with Liz, Katie and Kim. We met at 5pm after work and it was already mostly dark. We had fun with the rolling hills in CalPark and Canyon Oaks. If you stick to the main road, and don't climb the biguns, then the gentle up and downs feel like work in a good way. The fog looked beautiful hanging into the nooks and crannies of the canyon and the light finding its way through the dark foggy night in beautiful and magical ways. I <3 my good friends and a good run. Another 4.04 miles in the books.
Thursday: Ed FBed this morning that he wanted to run in upper park this morning. I took him up on it and we had a blast. We trudged through dirt and mud and muck and talked and talked and talked. I haven't had a run alone with Ed since his "unemployment days" not so long ago. Today his job was on a furlough day like most of our friends in any govt. or upper division school position holds. So glad to take advantage of the BEAUTIFUL day with a wonderful friend. 5.5miles today.
Sheesh I feel so blessed to be a part of this amazing running community.

2010 Welcome!

2010-01-08T20:45:00.001-08:00

I wrote the breakdown of the CIM but didn't post it because it just seemed dry and sad. I had a great first 20 miles until I used the port-o-potty for a much needed break then struggled and never got my groove back. I came in at 4 hours 7 minutes and 47 seconds. Not as good as I had hoped but I know I went out too fast and held that too long. Oh well. I still took 18+ minutes off of last year and I'm looking forward to using that knowledge for this year. I believe that an amazing group of friends and coaches as well as kettlebells at KOR made that happen. I can't wait to use their knowledge again this round.
2010 is a new year, a new decade but I'm not putting forth resolutions but small goals I have written on a piece of paper. I'm not ready to open that up and post it. Somethings are a little too personal and I hold close to my heart. I have every intention of fulfilling them and maybe I'll be sharing when I feel more comfortable.
Running: Oh my goodness. I'm doing the Bidwell Classic on March 6th. Its a half marathon here in our very own Bidwell Park. I hope to take some time off my PR. We'll see if that is in the cards. If its not I'm not devastated. I enjoy half marathons... at least I did until I got sick last year and missed Shamrock'n then totally bombed Nike Women's in October including puking at miles 6 and 7.5. I'd like to redeem that now. LOL
Marathon training will start in June if I plan on doing Chicago. I think its totally cool that it is run on 10-10-10! Training is kinda freaking me out though. It gets really really really hot in Chico. I don't do well in the heat. I don't do well in the cold either for that matter. Give me 80F all year round and I'd probably be as happy as a clam. Maybe that's a clue that I should be on a beach somewhere.

CIM Report part I: Before the race

2009-12-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-22T14:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-21T17:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-15T21:49:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-09T21:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-09-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

*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

2009-08-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-08-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-08-17T17:20:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-01T18:00:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

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!