Have I lost my mind?

Last week I blogged about my first experience with doing hill work. I honestly never thought that I would do it again without my friend that I did them with the first time but I guess I proved myself wrong. It has been a long week. I ran my 10 miles Sunday and did sprints Tuesday with a friend. I attempted to run Thursday but I just wasn't feeling it. We had a few things come up the day before that were really wearing me down so when I went out for my run it wasn't pretty. I didn't get in the distance that I was hoping for either.

It was really wearing me down that I wasn't able to push myself to do more that what I did. So I decided I would run yesterday. I normally don't run on Fridays because I take a water class and then take Saturday off completely to get ready for my long run on Sunday. At our local rec center, there are no classes this weekend due to it being Labor Day weekend. So I decided I was going to make up for not getting my miles in that I wanted to.

I decided that I would go out and run an easy 3 miles. Well I quickly decided that I would do hill work and started the first of four sprints up the first hill. At that point, I quickly thought to myself, "Have I lost my mind?" But I already started so I had to finish. I did 3 different hill sprints with each hill being a little steeper than the next one. I did the second hill four times and even set a PR sprinting up it. I was extremely excited about this because I usually slow down dramatically when going up hill and this time I actually was going faster than I normally do when I am running. Below is a picture of on of the hills that I sprinted up.  Even though it doesn't look steep, it is and it is one of the ones that I would easily slow down on but not anymore.  :)

Next comes this big hill that just about everyone I know that runs or walks doesn't like it. Including me. I dread that hill everytime I hear about a 5k or 10k going down that way. I learned the last time I did hill work that you don't need to let the hill dominate you. You dominate that hill. Even if it means you feel like throwing up once you get to the top which is exactly what I felt like doing after running up these hills repeatedly.

I am wanting to do this type of hill work until the week of the half and take that week off from running hills because I will get plenty of hills when I run the half. The course is the same as it was last year so I feel as though I have an advantage. I remember quite a bit about the course. Especially the hills. Even though I have heard that it isn't as hilly as it has been in the past. Don't even want to begin to imagine that.

I know last year I struggled quite a bit with the hills. Mainly because I didn't train properly. I feel that if I would have trained like I am now then I wouldn't have struggled so much. I am hoping that my training this time will pay off and I will be able to do a lot better.

Compared to last year I don't feel as though I am as nervous because I have trained well and I am trusting my training.  I know I have said it before but I feel that I was unprepared for my half marathon last year. I only ran 8 miles in training and then turned around and ran 5.1 miles longer to complete my half. I am very lucky I didn't permanently damage anything and make it to where I would be unable to run at all.

As I have said before, you need to do your homework. In running, it would be training properly. If you don't train properly, you will get injured. I only know one person right now that doesn't really have to train and she runs like she has been training for months. She ran a half marathon just because she felt like it and had an amazing time. Makes you wonder what the difference in time would have been if she had trained. I am saying this to all of you that read my blog so that you don't run into the same problem I did. So you are able to run your next race. I am still learning so I am just telling you based on my experience. I would love to be able to hear about your running experiences and if you don't run, tell me about what you do that brings you happiness.


So until next time.

One more down...4 more to go

I have completed another long run today and have 4 more to go before race day.  I have been on cloud nine since this morning for two reasons.  I ran 10 miles this morning and cut off 8 seconds off my average overall pace per mile!!!  I have been so tickled.  Don't know if you remember me saying in an earlier post that the farthest that I went in training last year was 8 so running 10 today was a huge deal to me. I am so excited and even more so looking forward to race day!!!

I did, however, have to get started earlier than most of the runners did.  The group was running 6 miles this morning and I needed to get in 10 so I started about 45 minutes before everyone else did.  Plan was to get 4 miles in and then run with the group, I only had time to get in a 5k so I had to run a little extra at the end.  That was hard in itself but I will get to that in a minute.  I did pretty good for the first part of the run and into the second round to start the six.  I was able to maintain a pretty good pace and was quite pleased with myself until I stopped at the first water station.

I paused my run to get a drink and didn't have anywhere to set my phone so I was like I will just stick it in my bra.  Bad idea!!!  At first, I thought that I lost my run altogether and that is just not even funny at all.  Turns out I ended the run so I was going to have to start over. It still saved my run but now my mile splits weren't going to be consistent and I was a little irritated.  I knew that if it didn't do that I would have beat my 10k time from the 4th of July race.  Oh well, it was already said and done and there wasn't anything I could do about it so I just tried my best to let it go.  I had 4.25 miles left to go when this happened and I needed to get it done so I could get home to get ready for church.

So I restart my running app and get my butt moving.  After about half a mile or more, we came to a hill that I did sprints up last Tuesday.  I am glad now that I did them because usually I get very intimidated by the hills which in turn makes me go up the hill slower.  Instead, I went full force up the hills and it felt good.  I think that has helped me with my pace and running with this group as well.  The last couple miles was the hardest.  I just had a hard time finding the motivation that I needed to keep moving forward so at times I was moving really slow and then there were times I felt great. 

Now we are down to the last mile and boy was it hard. I struggled so much during that last mile that I was ready to give up but knew that I needed to keep going because I needed to get my miles in today. The past 2 weeks I have been unable to get my miles in and today I was able to and I needed to take advantage of it so I pushed through that voice in my head saying, "It is okay to stop." I made it and adding my times together I had a great pace and like I said at the beginning of this post I took 8 seconds off of my overall pace from last week and even ran longer.  I am getting excited about next month's race and can't believe that I only have 4 more training runs to go and then the next weekend is race day!!! 

So until next time.

Goal...long time to train...well worth the wait??

Today has been my day off from running so it seems that my mind is all over the place. So let's talk about goals. One goal that I have had since I completed the Women's Half Marathong last year was to one day complete a full. Unlike most people, the first marathon that I run I want to qualify to run the Boston Marathon. For someone that has only been running for a year and a half, that goal can seem far fetched. To be honest it is quite intimidating to say the least. I mean to be able to qualify, my overall pace would have to be 8:12 per mile. For 26.2 miles!!

Sometimes I get down and out because I begin to let that little voice in my head telling me I can't do it. It would take a lot of hardwork and dedication to accomplish this. Right now my half marathon pace isn't where it should be, in my opinion, to help me reach my goal. I have a plan but life happens so it is always good to have a plan b as well.

Right now my plan is to work hard to achieve that pace and be able to maintain it for at least 13.1 miles then once I am able to do that I will slowly start adding miles to my long runs. This will take quite a bit of time as well as the hardwork and dedication and that is another thing that is holding me back right now.

I have two children that are six and three. They are only going to be young once so I don't want to spend hours and hours training and miss spending time with my family. Remember the plan I told you about? When my daughter is in school, that would be when I would start training. I wouldn't have to worry about trying to find a babysitter for the kids or being back by a certain time. It seems that the process of training for this is going to be tedious and on top of that I am wanting to qualify for Boston on my first marathon. I am not even sure if that has ever been done before. It is lofty goal but nonetheless it is a goal of mine. Even if I don't run another marathon after that, I know the memory and the feeling of crossing that finish line when I qualify and the feeling of crossing the finish line at Boston will stay with me forever. I am hoping that will also show my kids that if you want something in life, no matter how far fetched it may seem, that with hardwork and dedication, you can accomplish it.

I would like to hear what your goals are and how you plan to accomplish them. Let me know in the comments below or find my group page on Facebook, Focus on Your Own Race.

A little can be too much

I am not sure who all reads my blog but for those of you that do. Have you ever just had a day where it seems as though no matter what someone said or did whether it was intentional to be mean or not just bother you? Well today has been that day for me. It seems as though when I get really tired things tend to bother me more and I have definitely not gotten my rest.  Here is a recap of the last few days that I have had.  Keep in mind that I still have to get up between 5:30 and 6 in the morning to take my son to school so there is no sleeping in for me on top of my already busy days I have had this week.

On Wednesdays, I help cook at church for our Wednesday night meal. This particular day my husband had to be at work at 5 so he got up at 4. Usually when he gets up he doesn't wake me when he is getting ready. That definitely wasn't the case for me that morning. So on top if getting up early, I was cutting potatoes to make mashed potatoes and guess what? I almost cut off part of my finger. A friend asked if I wanted to use her ceramic knife and I was like sure. Then all of a sudden she showed me what my face looked like and said that I said I think I just cut the crap out of my finger. I don't even remember saying this so I got so tickled and was laughing until I couldn't breathe. It took a good hour and a half for it to stop bleeding. By the time I went to our Wednesday night class and had choir practice got home, I was up maybe 30 minutes and then was out. Felt like I had only slept maybe 10 minutes but I was out for 2 hours.

I had thought about running yesterday morning but because I didn't fully catch up on my sleep from Wednesday that I could barely walk a straight a line so I thought for my safety and others sanity, I would just do my normal classes.  My son had an eye doctor appointment originally scheduled for Monday but they called Wednesday afternoon to let me know that they had a cancellation and they could see him yesterday afternoon.  So after school off to the eye doctor we go.  I was already exhausted and we still weren't finish with our day.  We had a home group that we started at church last night that we were going to as well.  I am getting sidetracked now.  Back to the doctor appointment.  Turns out that he has to have glasses due to a stigmatism.  Both my husband and I were hoping that neither one of our kids would have to wear glasses but since we both due the odds definitely were not in their favor at all.  I guess the fact that he is excited about wearing glasses makes it a little easier. Oh well, can't get upset because the genes due have a greater pull than you do in this particular case.

Now on to today. I originally planned on running ten miles this morning but I thought that I would just do speedwork and on Sunday get up and run 4 miles before meeting the group and I can get my ten in on Sunday since they are planning on running 6 miles. My speedwork for today didn't go so well. I am not a fond fan of the treadmill. Not even on a really cold day. Staying in one place when running is BORING!!! Then on top of that, going around the track isn't any better. I get dizzy and feel as though I am going to throw up. I have gotten so use to running outside that when I try to run inside it just doesn't turn out well.  I did pretty good but didn't quite get the miles that I wanted to get.  My first mile was a warm up then my second mile was almost a minute improvement from the first one so I was quite pleased with that. 

I am just ready for the race to be here so I looked and we have only 36 days until race day!!!  I enjoy training but I honestly think that I have reached the point that I am just ready for race day to come.  I love the feeling that I get right before a race and I am looking forward to seeing what my results are going to be.  I have a feeling that I am going to PR on this race and just anxious to see how much compared to last year.  I have put in quite a bit of hard work with my training.  There have been days that I don't want to train like today but I still get out there and do something instead of doing other things with my time when in the end, I would just beat myself up over not running at all. A little bit is better than nothing at all right?  You also have to do your homework in running and that is training.  Like I have said before, there are very few people that can run long distances without really training. I currently only know one and she ran a half when she was 5 months pregnant without any training!!!  But for me that is not an option so I work hard week after week and month after month only to prepare for a race that I hope I will only be out there within my goal time that I have set for that particular race.  I am too determined not to train and I am afraid that if I don't, I will be injured and then I won't be able to run.  That would not be good for my sanity!!!

So until next time.

38 Days & Counting!!

That's right. There are only 38 days till the Women's Half Marathon and then 52 days before the Middle Half. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am!!! I know I will be able to PR this time and with any luck cut at least 30 minutes off of my time!!! That would be awesome!!!

I am hoping to PR on the Middle Half as well since it is a flat course. To be honest, finishing within my goal time would be awesome but to be able to finish two half marathons two weeks apart is pretty amazing in itself.

The team captain actually told me that I should use the Women's Half as a training half and the Middle Half as one to PR on. That one is flat and let's face it, everyone usually runs faster when it is flatter. I am currently training on hills right now because the Women's has several hills along the course and I figured since that one was going to be first, I should do pretty good on the next one.

I already have a plan to take all of you on the journey of running the Women's Half. I am going to be taking lots of pics before, hopefully during and after the race. I am going to see if I can't get my husband to meet me at certain checkpoints along the course so I will be able tell you where I was at in the race. Maybe this time the camera batteries won't die.

I can't wait to share this journey with you. Looking forward to writing my blog on the day before and after. I hope you will check back then if not before. I do have several training runs planned.

Hillwork...a love/hate relationship

Today I had every intention of running speed intervals on the treadmill.  I wasn't really looking forward to it, therefore, I was in no big hurry to get upstairs.  Saw a friend and asked if she was running today.  She said that she was doing hill work.  Something I haven't done before.  I try not to run with people that are faster than me because I don't want them to feel as though they have to slow down for me.  Since when doing hills pace really isn't a factor, I decided to tag along. 

We got to the first hill and I have run up this hill before.  I went to sprint up it as fast as I could.  Oh my gosh!!!  I thought I was going to die.  My legs, butt and lungs felt as though they were on fire.  Finally get to run downhill and guess what??  Up we go AGAIN!!  I was thinking to myself, what have I gotten myself into?  I know I need to do this but I would like to live to run the Women's Half Marathon next month.  I stuck with it though and I am glad that I did.

We did this same hill 3 or 4 times and then continue to run.  We go down this big hill that we had to run for the 4th July race and when you go downhill, you HAVE to go uphill.  That uphill sucks, just in case you were wondering.  First, we had one more hill to do and yes we did it more than once.  It was probably 4 times.  I hated but loved every minute of it.  Then we ran a little bit on a flat surface and headed to go back up that massive hill.  I felt as though I was going as slow as molasses but I was going less than 10 minute miles up hill and I was thrilled.  As I stated in my previous post, I normally slow down dramatically when going uphill and make up time when going downhill. 

We get back to the first hill that we sprinted up and she wanted to do one it more time.  I was like you are killing me and honestly, I tried to get out of doing it one more time but she pushed me into doing it one more time.  I am so glad that I did too.  The rest was a breeze.  For once, I was able to keep up with her and it felt like it was easy. My pace was incredible.  I couldn't believe that I was going as fast as she was and able to keep up with her for the most part.  It felt amazing to do that because I never thought I would ever run that fast ever.  I just proved myself wrong!!!  I did a little victory dance!!  That was after I was able to catch my breath.  I will be out there again doing the same thing sometime next week.  It is definitely a good workout.  Thanks for letting me join you!!!

 

 

The above quote is what I was thinking each time I saw a hill that I knew I was going to have sprint up.  I didn't want to still be at the bottom wondering what it was like.  This got me through my workout today and will probably each time I do hill work.

 

So until next time.

Best long run...so far :)

Yesterday I had a long run planned with the running group that I ran with it last week. First let me say that I had a bad calculation on my part so my run was cut short by 4/10 of a mile. :( I was upset when I realized it but I really needed to head to church so it was going to have to do.

I decided that since I lived so close to where we were meeting at that I would just run from my house there and I would get half of the extra mile I needed but I said earlier that didn't work out but it was still an overall good run for the most part. The only thing that I feel that I did wrong was start out too fast. My first mile was less than 9 minutes a mile and then it started going downhill, not in a good way either. There were times that I had to stop because I honestly felt sick to my stomach. Just like Thursday morning.

On most of the hills along the course, I did excellent as far as running up them. All except one. It was a gradual steady hill for half a mile. I think that was the slowest that I ran all morning. It was terrible. Once I hit the top of the hill, I made up quite a bit of time going downhill. Even though my running app on my phone didn't register it, I beat my 10K time from the 4th of July race. It might have only been a few seconds but I will definitely take it. It means I made some type of improvement, right?
When I stopped to get water a little over 7 miles, I was beginning to think it was a bad idea. My legs just didn't seem like they wanted to hold me up. Bad thing was I was only standing there getting a drink. Could have definitely turned out bad but thankfully, I was able to push through it. I only had a little over a mile and a half left to go. This was before I realized that I miscalculated my run. Either way I made it back and was able to make to church on time after all. As I am sure most of you have realized, I am not okay with running on Sunday if that means I have to miss church. There have been several races I would like to do but because they fell on a Sunday I have chose not to do them.  There is even a half marathon that I would love to do but I would have to basically PR in order to make it to a church in time for morning services. That one is still up in the air. I need to get these two races I am already signed up for finished and then see how about that one. I have like 2 weeks before the race to sign up and the price doesn't increase either. Always a plus. :)

Below is right after I finished my run. Even though the shirt is suppose to be a dry wick shirt and pull the moisture away. You can still see the sweat and I have proof I worked hard. Lol

The next picture is of my inner thigh. Gross I know but I promise that I will make a point. Just hang in there.

Last year when I ran the Women's Half Marathon, I forgot to put on anti-chaffing cream. Despite the fact that they provided some in our goodie bag. Well, I actually I was so excited about running my first half marathon that I didn't notice that I forgot. Until mile 3. Yep you guessed. I had 10.1 miles to go. Which was very painful. I am telling you this because you would think I would have learned my lesson right? Apparently by the picture above, no. Believe or not, I did put some on. Obviously not enough.

I want to leave you with something to think about it. Next time you lace up your shoes to run, walk or bike, remember all those that can't do it. Consider doing it for them. If this is something that you would consider doing, please go to www.whoirun4.com. You will be matched with a child or adult with special needs or health problems. The form you will fill out should give more information. These kids and adults are more than tickled that you run, walk or bike for them. Just think about it.

So until next time.

Anniversary Date

On Wednesday, my husband and I celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary.  It sure does seem as though time has flown by way too fast.  We have two beautiful children now and are as busy as ever.  Since our anniversary fell on a weekend, we chose to go out and celebrate our anniversary this weekend.  I barely even saw him on our actual anniversary. He is working days so I didn't seem all day because he was at work.  I have volunteered to help cook Wednesday night meals at our church, went to our class after supper and attended choir practice.  So needless to say, we didn't spend that much time together.

Here comes Friday.  We dropped the kids off at Granny and Grandpa's house and headed off to Carrabba's.  I love this restaurant but since it is a little on the pricey side and we have to drive a little over 30 minutes, we only go for special occasions.  Either Valentine's Day or Anniversary dates.  We did call a ahead seating since we couldn't get up there till after 7 that evening.  I am glad that we did.  We got there and I am not sure how long the normal wait was but we only had to wait maybe about 15 to 20 minutes tops. 

We sit down and order our meal.  I normally always get the steak.  Of course, that is what I got this time.  When our meal was brought to our table, I cut into my steak and it was over cooked.  No big deal just sent it back to be recooked how I ordered.  I was in no way upset that it was cooked wrong.  When you are cooking for over 100 people a night, it is bound to happen at least once or twice.  Not long after I sent my steak back to be recooked the kitchen manager came to our table and apologized for my steak not being cooked properly.  Like I said before, it wasn't a big deal and I told him that.  He even offered to recook my husband's food so it would be hot when mine was finished.  Brad declined the offer because it really wasn't necessary.  It wouldn't take that long for my steak to be finished but it was nice for him to offer.

The manager was the one that brought my steak out to me once it was finished for the second time and it was perfect then.  He said that thanks for being so understanding and apologized once again.  When he left, I was more in shock over the fact that he was surprised I wasn't upset that it wasn't cooked the way that I ordered it.  Things happen and getting upset over it will definitely not help the situation.  I wasn't expected him to take my steak off our ticket but he did.  I have never been disappointed in service from here.  If you haven't been before, you should definitely try it.  Especially the garlic mashed potatoes.  Oh my gosh!!!  Once you try them, you will know what I am talking about.

Since we rarely go to the movies, we decided we would go see one.  We decided on Elysium with Matt Damon in it.  I didn't see the preview prior to going to see the movie so to be honest, I was a little skeptical about watching it.  Brad was really wanting to see it so that is what we watched.  I am glad that we did because I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.  It was such a good movie minus all the cussing.  I couldn't tell you how many times they used the f word and there was a few times that used the Lord's name in vain.  That I was not happy with but other than those few things, it was a great movie. 

It was basically a futuristic movie about how the rich felt as though they were better than everyone else.  When things went south on Earth, they were able to afford to build an escape in outer space and you basically had to be rich or you were considered scum to them.  They didn't even want you to breathe on them.  The people that were left on Earth were trying to once again bring everyone together and everyone be treated equal.  If you have a chance, you should go see it.  Other than the cussing, it was a really good movie.

Even though I really enjoyed spending time with my husband, I really missed my kiddos so when time came to get them.  I was more than ready.

My fastest 5k run

I feel as though I have been missing in action this week.  It has been a very busy week.  I celebrated my 9 year anniversary Wednesday and cooked at church that day.  I did find time to run.  I ran Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.  I have noticed that when I run every other day, I don't have as many problems with my plantar fasciitis.  On Tuesday and Thursday, I ran a 5k distance but I am most pleased with my run on Thursday.  Let me explain why.

On Thursday, I normally take a class called Butts and Guts at my local rec center.  Once I stepped out the door to take my son to school, there was no way that I could skip running.  I have been quite skeptical about running by myself because there has been a few incidents of people being followed by car that were on bikes or runners almost getting hit by a car because the driver is too busy messing with a cell phone, radio or something else.  With the weather being so nice, I just couldn't resist so I skipped my class and decided to go for it.  That is definitely a runner e-card that you see floating around on Facebook.  You know you are runner when you skip your favorite exercise class to go for a run because the weather is too perfect not to.

I changed into my running shoes and headed out the door.  It had been a while since I had run in 62 degree weather but I definitely welcomed the change in temperature.  It has either been high temps and high humidity or low temps and still high humidity.  So in other words, the weather definitely was not cooperating.

What started out as a leisurely run, quickly turned into a 5k worth of speed work.  Not intentional at all.  I don't know if you remember me talking about why I was so disappointed in my pace.   When the weather was cooler in the spring, I was able to run 4.2 miles with an average pace of 9:09 a mile.  So when the weather warmed up, my pace went down due to the heat and humidity. Since I was use to running anywhere between 10:25 to 10:40 a mile, running a 9 minute mile was definitely speed work.

I kept thinking to myself that I needed to slow down and as crazy as this sounds, I couldn't force myself to slow down.  I was loving being able to run in the cooler weather and feeling the burn in my lungs because my breathing was definitely not where it should be since I haven't run that fast in a while.  It felt absolutely AMAZING!!! 

After probably about a mile or a little over, I had to stop to catch my breath and then I was off again.  There was this hill that I just looked at and normally would opt out of running up since I was by myself.  I was like you know what, I can do that and stayed at the current pace that I was at. Maybe a tad bit slower.  You know what?  I did too.  I normally slow down big time going up hills but not this time.  I was on a roll.  Then I got to this stop sign and had to stop once again.  Not because I was unable to breathe but seriously thought that I was going to throw up.  I was really working hard on my run.  Funny thing is that because I had all these issues while running, I actually felt like I accomplished something.

I worked myself to the point that I thought I was going to throw up.  I probably have never pushed myself like that ever.  I was so proud that I did something that I really thought I had lost.  I am hoping that maybe on race day the weather will be like it was on Thursday and maybe just maybe I will be able to finish within my goal or under.  I have just a little over a month before my first one and then once that one is complete I have 2 weeks before my next week.  I am just ready for race day!!! 

I will be running 9 miles tomorrow morning and that means that is the true test on whether I can maintain that pace for a long distance run or if it was just a short distance run.  I am going to start out slow and slowly work myself up to going faster and faster.  Maybe doing this unexpected speed work will pay off.  So until next time.

8 Mile Run

I had a rough run Tuesday and was not feeling like running the rest of this week.  So to be honest.  I didn't.  I took a much needed break and boy did it do me good.  I took yesterday off so that I could run this morning.   I was able to sleep in until 8:30 yesterday and catch up on some much needed sleep.  Since we chose to send our son to another school, I have to get up up earlier to make sure he gets to school on time.  That sure does wear you down and I even try to nap everyday for at least an hour.  Still doesn't do any good.

Anyway, last week I found a running club on Facebook because a friend had commented on a status update.  I didn't make the run last week but was able to run this week.  I needed to get 9 miles in this morning but was only able to get in 8 due to getting to Sunday School this morning.  I really enjoy running but I refuse to skip church to go run.  To me, running is not that important to skip church.

I have said in previous blogs that when I finish running I am not happy with the pace that I had for that day.  I think I have finally learned that pace really isn't that important.  You just need to enjoy the run and be happy that you have the ability to run.  There are a lot of people out there that don't and you have been given that ability.  I kept thinking this throughout the entire run and it really kept me going and allowed me to just purely enjoy the run.

I have become so wrapped up in my time whenever I run that I was not running to enjoy it.  It was more like something that I had to do.  Not something that I wanted to do.  To be quite honest, I was beginning to hate it.  Since, I got the mentality that I mentioned earlier I am a HAPPY runner.  I know that may sound funny but it is true.  I am truly happy while running and after.  Knowing that honestly the time isn't what matters, it is finishing.  Knowing that you have done something that you honestly didn't think that you could do is rewarding in itself.  If you would have told me that I would be training for my second half marathon a couple years ago I would have told you that you have lost your mind.  I hated running a mile in junior high let alone 13.1 but here I am doing exactly what I thought I wouldn't.

I have about 48 days or so until the Women's Half Marathon and I can't wait.  Then two weeks later I get to run the Middle Half. I was wanting to do that one last year but since the Women's Half was my first one ever and the Middle Half was 2 weeks later I chose not to do it.  I had knee issues in training and I didn't want to risk injuring myself to the point that I wouldn't be able to run again.  This year I have learned my lesson from mistakes that I made last year in training so this year should be fine. I just can't begin to explain how excited I am.

I plan on running a 3 mile recovery run so until next time.

Just to get away

During the summer, I enrolled my kids in the summer reading program so that it would help Bradley with his reading and get Peyton use to listening to people read her books. Well at the end of the summer, they threw a big party.

Depending on how many books you read depended on how many times you could be entered to win the weekly drawing they held or the grand prize drawing at the party. Most of the items were something that they would lose interest in quickly so they were entered each time for the grand prize drawing. Peyton won tickets to Ripley's Aquarium. So we decided that the weekend school started that we would go and have a weekend get away.

Brad and I kept it a secret from the kids a week and left when we picked Bradley up from school. Once we got there, I think the kids were more excited about the hotel room than they were anything else. They took turns jumping from one bed to the other. Well Peyton did her best. It was so cute to watch them have fun and enjoy being around family. We had to be checked out of the hotel by 11 so we went and got breakfast at the restaurant that Brad and I ate at the first morning that we were officially husband and wife. Then we were off.

Below is a picture of Brad and the kids playing at the river that is behind the hotel.  Brad was trying to teach the kids how to skip rocks.  I can't do that at all.  I tried and it wind up sinking first hit.  Peyton had no interest in it and would rather find a "baby" rock and bury it.  Everything to her is a baby.  It doesn't matter how big or small it is.

 

Up until now, the kids still had no idea where we were going and what we doing. They asked what seemed like a 1,000 questions about what we doing, if we were there yet and on and on. It was great to see their faces when wr told them while we waited to get our tickets. Now even though Bradley didn't win anything, we still played it out like he did. He read and listened to 70 books this summer and she won 7 sets of tickets. What I mean there is that on each gift cerificate it said that you received 2 free one-time admission. Yeah and there was 7 of those babies in the envelope. A total of 14 tickets!!! We can go 2 more times and either my parents or Brad's parents could go and it will be all free.

It was nice to be able to go through the aquarium without having to worry about the time. Thinking that we have somewhere we have to be. I do have to say that it was nice to not feel rushed at all. We started to go through the aquarium and I had my phone to take some pics to upload on Facebook and my camera for just "us" photos. I started to take pictures and I noticed that my good ole low battery sign was flashing at me. I was like are you serious?  So Brad went to the gift shop to get more batteries and we were off once again.

It was hard to get a picture of the kids at each exhibit considering that they were so excited that I was lucky if they stayed longer than 10 seconds at any given exhibit. Then we went under the shark tank.

It was funny because earlier they were asking how the people got down there so it made it even better when we did get there. I think Bradley's favorite part was the moving belt that you can chose to stand on. Halfway through he actually sat down and waited. Just looking up at the sharks.

Peyton was a little freaked out by it. I guess she thought that one was going to get her. Speaking of that, there was a sign on the tank saying that there was a shark attk almost three years ago. Talk about making you have warm fuzzies. I was just glad that sign was a little more than halfway through.

 

 I haven't been since Brad and I got married so it was nice to go again. Below is a picture of one of the sharks. There is also a pic of a shark and to be honest not sure what other kind of fish.

 

 

After this, we were just in time to see a diver feed the stingrays.  That was pretty cool to watch.  Learned that the bigger stingrays are more aggressive so they had to be feed differently than the little ones.  When they finished feeding the stingrays, they asked for a couple volunteers and picked a couple from the audience.  The speaker asked the lady to bang on the glass.  While she did this, her boyfriend got down on one knee and the diver asked was holding a sign asking her to marry him. It was so sweet.  I was able to snap a picture.

 

 

I have really enjoyed taking this time to spend with the kids and it just be us. Sometimes it is just nice to get away.  Until next time.

Unexpected Run

We were on our way back from Ripley's Aquarium when I saw on Facebook a friend was going to go for a run.  I sent her a text to find out when she was going and how far.  So not long after getting back I was able to run.  After having to take a break from running because of my allergies, I can't even begin to tell you how awesome it felt to run.  I wasn't going fast.  Which I kinda expected not to since I had only run 1 mile last week.  I was thankful that she didn't mind me joining her.

We wind up running a little over 7 miles.  Overall it was a pretty good run. There were times that I felt like I wasn't going to make it another step because my legs were burning.  When you are struggling to make each and every step, to me that is when the true workout begins.  When you have to fight with that little voice in your head, telling you that you can't do it and you know you can.

To be honest, I was just excited to run.  Yes, I would have liked for my pace to be better but I knew that I wouldn't be doing very good because I hadn't been consistent with my running through week since I was unable to breathe due to allergies. This time I chose to suck it up and run anyway.  Since I really wanted to run, I forced myself to do it.  Even though I had to stop a few times because I had a little problems breathing because I was still a little stuffed up or had issues with my foot.  With my friend's help, I was able to complete it.  I didn't give up.

There are so many people that would love to run but can't for one reason or another.  I try to remind myself of that.  I may get upset with my pace and total time for my run when another person would love to just be able to run or be able to run that particular pace.  I am learning so much from having what I think is a bad time.  I learning to be more grateful for the opportunity to be able to run and less focused on the time.  So much has changed since I started running and I am beginning to grow as a runner.

An Unexpected Break

I am sure that some of you that I am friends with on Facebook have noticed that I haven't posted anything after I run like I normally do. The reason for that is when I did my long run last Saturday I ran by some hay twice. Later that night, I started getting stuffy and could hardly breathe. So I am thinking I was allergic to it.  Needless to say, it is hard to run when you are unable to breathe.

This has really had me bummed that I was unable to run. Especially Monday. The weather was so pretty and cool. I usually run first thing in the morning so that I beat the heat. When I looked at the weather, it was a cool, crisp 58 degrees. I was so upset that I couldn't run when it was perfect weather.

So I have only ran one day this week and it was only a short mile. I saw a friend getting ready to run and thought I would try and run with her. I knew that I wouldn't be able to go far considering that on this particular day I do a class that focuses on your butt and gut. I learned my lesson the hard way last year to not run on this day. I hurt my knee doing this so I decided I would try but not push it. Plus I wasn't wearing my running shoes.

Let me tell you. I noticed a big difference. Less than half a mile in, my right foot was hurting where the plantar fascitis is. I knew then I needed to turn around to make sure that I am not injuring myself to the point that I wouldn't be able to run next month or the middle of October. Even though I turned around, I decided that I was so close to a mile that I would complete my mile and stop. Since I was unable to run all week except for that one day, I can't even begin to tell you how good it felt to run.

When I was in junior high, I use to dread our nine week test in gym. We had to do so many situps and run a mile in so many minutes to get an A. It would then go down the slower you finished. I tell you this because I find it funny that I missed not being able to run this past week. Life takes us in directions that we never thought we would take when we were younger.

I am thankful that I have found something that I enjoyed and will help me stay healthy. I know my diet is a big part of it and that is what I am working on now.

I am looking forward to running this next week since I am suppose to run in the morning with a group and then head to church. I have plenty of time to get my training completed and be ready for my race next month. I am beyond excited to run with a great group of women and thankful to our group leader for putting a team together this year. I am very grateful for all the advice and words of encouragement she has offered me through my training. Especially on race day last year. I was so nervous that I thought I was going to be sick but once I started running it was fine. I am actually looking forward to that feeling this year. Kinda crazy huh?

So until I run again.