Put Me In Coach

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

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



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



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

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



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.