New(s) to Me

In getting into the holiday spirit I bought myself (an my mama) a new toy with lots of fun features to help us track our movement. Because sitting on our toosh does nothing good for our bodies or minds! Merry Christmas to me! What else gets me into the Christmas spirit? Christmas MUSIC. I'm a nut... I love it. Even the BAD not so good ;-) stuff.

 Go ahead and watch. It's a hoot and a half. I love Ray Stevens. I have a picture of me with him from when I was about 15. I won't post it. I'm a geek. Here's more about me being a geek.

I did it. Jumped in feet first. Got me a FitBit. Love it. It might be a little like Santa... "it knows when you are sleeping, it knows when you're awake". I wouldn't go as far as saying its creepy but... It also knows when you haven't been out on a run. OOPS! I'm hoping to rectify that today. I do have to say if you are interested I may be able to help you out with that. Stay tuned and I'll dish more when I know more.
24 hours into FitBit life that I should wash my hair more vigorously in the shower to register more "steps". Gotta love accelerometers!  I like the ability of recording how much water and food I consume... although I don't see this as a constant. I just don't like logging that sort of thing but it is a good reminder and a valuable tool when I feel like I'm off track. More to come but I am excited and  nervous and you'll be seeing FITBIT on here more as I am documenting my progress and testing its features.
Do you have a fitness devise/application that measures your movements, sets goals, helps you keep track of your food or hydration? I want to know how you do it, what you think, if you would recommend that product to friends or family.
Now go get your Holiday spirit on that's an order! If you need a present idea I do suggest Fitbit!

Boston in our Hearts

Its one of those days. We should be celebrating our friends accomplishments (my 8 runners from our marathon program), we should be talking about who BQ'ed for next year, what goals are next, what the course looked like, felt like, sounded like, did anyone see their signs from the Wellesley Girls? We should be jubilant and ecstatic! Yesterday was a "runners national holiday!" Now its been cast in a dark shadow... the day but not our spirit. Whoever planned this didn't understand a runners soul. They don't know how our spectators understand the love of running and how much heart it takes to get to Boston. They they stand by the gates and CHEER everyone on!

 The person or people who did this, they have no clue that this tragic event where people were undeniably and irreversibly harmed or killed, it brought us together. Together they help when others needed them more than the importance of a finish line. Runners ran to the rescue of those hurt, race officials and EMS were right there to carry people to safety, to hospitals, to waiting areas out of harms way. Runners ran THROUGH THE FINISH LINE AND TO HOSPITALS to give their own BLOOD! First responders who carried people out in their arms when there was no access for the ambulances. It was the military, firefighters, police, runners, race officials and volunteers who ran TO those who were hurt, not away. You picked the wrong people.

"If you are trying to defeat the human spirit, marathoners are the wrong group to target"  -Mighty Brights status on FB

Yesterday I was fine as long as I had a job to do, track our 8 runners plus the handful of other local runners we knew were there and their families down. That is until I talked to my friend Traci via FB messenger, then I lost it, sitting in the car waiting for my son to get out of school when she asked me if there was something she could for me. I couldn't even reply as I was racked with sobs. She knows that runners are a "tribe," we are a FAMILY, we are a community no matter what city, state, country we live in. She quantified how I felt, that my heart was in Boston, wanting to keep all our "ducklings" safe. In my heart I'm a mom to more than just my children, even if all but one of our runners I helped coach to Boston were older than me. I want to give them the tools to succeed, then watch them do it! To not know what was going on was heartbreaking and scary.

So my question is What Can We Do? What can we do to prove that this terrible day did not define us as a country or as runners? What can we do to support Boston, its runners, spectators, race crew and the city? What can we do to show the person or people who terrorized OUR race that this does not scare us into submission but will lift us up? What can you do? I wore a race shirt today (and probably a different one all week). I will run tonight and ask my runners to run in honor of Boston. I will keep telling people that running is a community and not just an exercise. Running brings us together when these bombs tried to tear our spirits apart. We will not be unraveled, we will not be subdued. We will not be scared because that means you won. We won't let that happen.

 I love this quote by Kathrine Switzer
"If you are losing faith in human nature go out and watch a marathon."



Just Keep Swimming!

I've been trying to be positive about swimming but to tell you the truth it's been a long tedious journey. It comes so easy to so many of my friends but I make such little progress, even when I am consistent, in the pool. I've taken 2 semi private lessons with KE and I'm feeling more confident already. Still struggled today when Jilly and I did our Faux open water swim in the shallow end, across the short direction at One Mile Sycamore pool though.

I did the 24 day challenge from Advicare and I can't believe how good I feel just changing my eating habits... Well I should say routine, not a habit since it still doesn't feel second nature to me to eat 5-6 meals a day. Even today I only had a tall green tea lime refresher from Starbucks and it was WAY TOO SWEET! The only dessert I've had besides fresh fruit was a small root beer float that I didn't even finish. It's amazing how REAL food tastes so much better when your body isn't polluted by all those refined, chemical, over processed crap.

Last night I cooked chicken breast lightly seasoned and pan fried, no oil until a little brown on both sides. I added 1cup of water, lid on and let it cook on medium for 25 minutes. Chicken was perfect! I put the cut up chix in some romain leaves and added some home made mango peach salsa. Next time I'll definitely add some black beans. I felt like it was missing something. What a perfect meal by the pool though!

Morning routine

My friend Shelly asked if I'd like to run 30 minutes on MWF mornings 5:15am with her. I made to 2/3 this week. Not too bad! It feels good to get back into a routine. We tell the runners in our programs that consistency is the key to a healthy running lifestyle. I'm attempting to set a good example.
Of course the dog was another story. She was terrible on and off the leash today. I guess I had better get her fat tooshy back on a running schedule too!

Back in the game

I ran my first race with some of my No Boundaries 5k group today. The Downtown Mile was a 1mile foot race through downtown Chico between the Bike stage race criterium. I am SO PROUD of my coaches, mentors and team. Many of them got a taste if racing before their graduation 5K event in a few weeks. My time 7:58. Not too shabby for not participating in speed work in nearly a year and hardly and running in the last few months.

Star struck

While we were headed home from a whirlwind vacation to celebrate my birthday, and my little sisters too, I made an effort to see my BadAss Mother Runner Mentor and Friend Sarah Bowen Shea read from her (and Dimity's McDowell's) new book Train Like a Mother.

She is so down to Earth honest, witty and sincere about herself, her relationships with her BRB (best running buddies), her kids, her husband, her co-author and dear friend and her "tribe" of mother runners. She even (almost) convinced my husband to train for a marathon.

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to spend the evening listening to her speak.

Safety #1 Running buddies

 

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

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

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.

It Snot Pretty

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

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...



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...

• 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

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.