Motivationally Deprived

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.

Is it Friday yet?

At this moment my 6 year old is crying like a baby because he can't find his Leapster that he can't even play because its after lights out time. What is up with that? My 8 year old won't turn off the light because he's reading. Not that I want him to stop reading but without a full nights sleep tomorrow is going to be hell for me. I need some mommy time. I need some recoup from this week time. I need a new body and a new brain because mine is falling apart... and fast.

Tuesday I was supposed to go do speedwork with the Fleet Feet Marathon group. I spend all night sitting up while trying to sleep because my head was so stuffy and my ears hurt and body ached. Full blown cold came to visit. I was so exhausted that I slept on and off on Tuesday and decided not to run that night since I was pretty blah from the Advil Cold and Sinus (which is my go to drug for any head cold let me tell you). I watched Biggest Loser and ate Peppermint Ice Cream while everyone else was running their tahookies off on TV and at the track. I tried to hit the hay but to no avail. Sometime after midnight the sandman finally came to visit. I woke up several times through out the night but not for very long at a time.

Wednesday we took both the 3rd and 1st graders to the farmers market. They each got $2 worth of Market cash to spend on fruits and veggies. They brought home a feast. Its amazing what $40 a classroom can bring back. They tried Bock Choy and Persimmons, peppers, lemongrass and squash. They bought things to make a soup in class with fresh herbs and local veggies. Both Classes came home with locally grown sugar pumpkins for our families to cook. I'm very excited and they all seemed to have a great day.

I for one was feeling great. Like the cold just blew on by. I went out with the Fleet Feet Flyers on their Wednesday night speed workout. I felt pretty good in general but felt held back by this nagging tightness and ache in my left leg from my hip to to ankle. I had to keep slowing down. It was really like I never got warmed up in the whole 5.6 mile workout. It makes me so mad that you are not even breathing hard, your heart rate is still low but you can't give it your all. Apparently I did get a work out though because I hurt like hell this morning. Worse than I have ALL of the marathon program. Enough that I think I may need to make an appointment with Dr. John. I need to nip this in the bud before it becomes an "injury" instead of some tensed up muscles.

I felt better overall today. I was really tired and still feeling the recovery mode from last night and this cold. I took it easy. I had a hard time straightening out my leg then a hard time bending it once it felt good straight. I've been eating OK the last few days. Elk for dinner in Spaghetti last night. YUMMY Hunny Thank you. It was ready for me to warm up when I got home and the kiddos were all ready for bed at 7:30pm. RIGHT ON!

Monday Funday

Today the hubby got up early and left to go Turkey hunting which means his lab went crazy... camo + gun = a day out for Sprig... but not today. No doggies turkey hunting so she kept me up whiny and sad because she was left behind. I finally got up took a shower, got the boys ready for school and out the door in time to ride our bikes. My tire was flat so into the car we went. I did get to go to coffee with a friend I used to work with. It was nice to see her now that she's a SAHM and loving it. Its a different world and she went through some depression after leaving but she's doing a good job of coming out of it and feeling her way through this new appreciation for a NEW kind of job. Coffee and Kayla to love on made the day.

Hubby and I went to the landscape place and debated over rock. I made my decision we brought it home then he griped about it the whole time. Of course. Oh well.

Hollywood had Guitar lessons then we went to Food Maxx to go shopping. Hubby is TOO GOOD to shop there so I have to go alone. Of course I got only what was on my list and filled the whole back of my car for little over $100! The Lord knows we don't need meat so the rest of the food is pretty reasonable in comparison. We buzzed home where hubby had started dinner. Round Steak (elk) in cream of mushroom and cream of celery soup at 300 degrees for 2 hours. Then the gravy poured over white rice and corn bread on the side. Scratch the yams that I put in the oven. Oh well, I'll save them for tomorrow when he's gone and I eat healthy again. LOL

I totally could have ran today. I felt so good after my 16 mile progressive run yesterday. We finished so strong in the low 9 min mile range. It was a great day! Three weeks from yesterday is the CIM! I need to blog about my mental shifting gears and I hope to get to it tomorrow. I work in the boys classrooms and still need to find a sitter. Night night! I'm out.

Its not just me

No its not. Everyone tonight was like... when the heck is this OVER! I'm so freakin' done. I'm not really. I'm actually scared. Scared that this thing I found that I'm good at will be over, that these friends that I've made will disappear and this routine I've found to make me a healthier, happier person will come undone. I'm not ready to lose those things.

The eating. ugh. I'm tired of eating all the same things over and over. I'm tired of the time lines and the pressure. I lied, I love the pressure. I hate the pressure I put on my kids and the sitters. I'm not so worried about the hubby, he gets hunting... I get running. So there.

So I'm conflicted but so is everyone else. That makes me feel better, I'm not alone. Lets celebrate! Who's making mimosas tomorrow? anyone? ... hu?

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Tonight was speed work. We ran to the track but the lights were off so we ran in the dark like we did in January and February in the Half Marathon Program. It was cold, dark and wet. Totally brought back memories. So we had a two mile warm up, the loop was almost exactly 2/3 of a mile so we did threshold pace around then a one minute rest then again then a one minute rest then again. We did 2 miles back. We totaled 6 miles even tonight. Everything has felt so good for so long I'm getting worried but my hamstrings are so tight. I'm off to shower and to roll out the hams.

Later gaters.

Still no stinkin' Garmin and the rest of my day

I have been waiting (rather impatiently) for my Garmin Forerunner 405 for WEEKS! I am not kidding. I was hoping to have it by Mother's Day... its still not in. Well they haven't called me anyway and Alan promised I would be the first since I have been the only one calling like 6 times to see if and when its going to be in. I'm getting frustrated. I wanted to take it for a run before my 5K next weekend. I was hoping to play with it at the Fun Run 5K this weekend. I just want to play with it. URGGGHHHHHH!

On a high note I was supposed to run with Laura yesterday but she got off work late so she invited me to run with the Girls only 6miles at 6pm group that is forming. I met a new gal-Danielle and I already knew Tracey and Max so that made 4 of us for the run. We went running in places I have always been too scared to run, right along the creek on Yahi trail then on the other side of the creek where I had never been before. It was amazing and beautiful and although I don't have a heart monitor because, you guessed it... I don't have my GARMIN 405, I couldn't tell what zone I was in. I was a little beyond talking ability and I was hanging out at the back not doing my part in leading the group. I almost felt guilty but I did not feel strong enough with where I was or how fast I could go to actually hang out in front. I played the part of the guest last night but had a great time. I kind of regret signing up for the 10K program since they run on Tuesday nights. That and my husband doesn't have one of those predictable 8-5 jobs these girls husbands do (or in Laura's case no man at all in her life).

I proceeded to get up a million (or so) times for the bratty black lab doggie who had to go potty every half hour last night then got up at 5:30... or 6am to run two miles with Laura this morning. At noon I met Good Neighbor in the park for a nice 5.8 mile loop walk. Started out pretty s-l-o-w but we caught our grove and moved more quickly as the walk moved on. I love my Mizuno Wave 4's but bought a pair of Brooks that I need to desperately try out. I'm just nervous because I haven't bought anything different in a long time. We will see.

I rode my bike (pulling Blondy with me on the tandem he doesn't help me with) to school to drop off Hollywood this morning then again to the Hass house to pick up Hollywood from a play date then to PV pool for swim then home. I figure I did about 7 miles today. Why can't http://www.buckeyeoutdoors.com/ manage to calculate the added calories I burn for pulling an extra 80lbs around on my bike. That would be nice wouldn't it?

Hubby stuck his finger with a fishing hook. And it stuck. And now he's at our friend, the surgeon's office getting it taken out. Nice hu? So I'm going to take fishing away from him now. Just kidding. He is actually not so much into fishing as he is into hunting so this winter is going to be interesting when I want to train. At least the Marathon is the beginning of Duck and Goose season and a month and a half after Elk and Deer seasons. Lucky me.