Nothing says Happy New Year better than a chilly hilly 4 miler!
Running for me is cathartic. Yes, I am sure I drag my heals before hand but once I am out there and especially after completion, wow, does it do something for me. Today didn't disappoint.
Feels great to move my body and to have a bit of time to clear my head. Perfect.
Stink. Just sayin'
After all the food and preparation for the holiday's take over every last moment, running gets pushed to the background. But a new year is a'coming and this woman is going all out. Starting Hal Higdon's training plan for the half marathon and I am putting all effort into training.
Today was just putting one foot in front of the other and getting er done. Whew! 3 miles in the book.
For me, getting out there and having my feet hit the pavement leads the way for overall better health. I feel better physically so I tend to make better food choices. At least that is what has been my past history. Fast forward to now and I can tell that my theory remains true. Once I get out there and move my body, the other choices follow suit.
Enter the Paleo diet... Gasp! What you say? No carbs? No dairy?? Anyone who knows me knows that this girl loves some pasta and grains and I am positive that all that pasta has made its home around my middle... So out it goes. Now, I am not going to follow it to quite an extreme but I am going to cut down considerably. I have already seen a drop in the scale and an increase in my veggie consumption so it is a win in my book!
Over the weekend I was able to run 5 miles and I was amazed at how strong my body still was. Hey, there are muscles under there! Must be some truth to the muscle memory theory. Yay! No, I am not as fast but I can tell that if I keep it up, it won't be long.
Now get out there!
Is that sweat pouring from my brow? You mean to tell me that it is week 3 of running and I am still in the game?? What?
I told you, I have no clothes, I am getting way too fluffy and this is one emergency situation. I am serious.
So today I am thankful for hulu for my kids. I am thankful for Jake's naptime and a treadmill down in my basement. Priorities have shifted and this needs to be done. If anyone comes and knocks on my door and I haven't showered yet, oh well... My pride is out the door and you will just have to hold your breath!
While I can't stand getting going, and I don't like my first 5 minutes of running, the feeling I have once I am done is fantastic. Still have a long way to go but with 20 extra pounds, I feel stronger than I did when I first started running years ago. I feel that I could hit a 5K and at least finish strong. Muscle memory is a wonderful thing!
Happy Running!
Here I am again...
20 pounds heavier and as lazy as ever! Well, not actually lazy, I am chasing 3 kids mind you!
I can't stand the body that I am in and I have got to make a change! I refuse to buy new bigger clothes so the extra weight has got to go. Thankfully I have some pretty awesome friends who know just how to encourage me to get off my tail and get going.
I know what I need to do. I need to get running and eating better. One way to get me running is to set up a challenge! March 18th 2012 there is a little half marathon going on in NC and I am excited to say I will be running it! Yay! Just what I need to get going.
So far I am in week 2 of Half Marathon training. Nothing to insane as I don't want to get injured but running two times during the week and then a longer run on the weekend. So that is the plan!
Kylie took some before pictures of me and I am not sure I am ready to post them... Did I say I am not liking my body!
Happy running!
Last post was in August... Of LAST year! Something about the month of August must have me panicking about the state of my body! Funny how I haven't visited this blog since that time last year and here I have another 30 day challenge.
Thankfully Jillian has no part in this challenge! I hope to do some form of exercise for 30 days. Something like 30 for 30! I know there is a catchy title in there somewhere but I am tired and sweaty and I need a shower.
Anyhoo, I hope you all can keep me accountable - check on my sidebar widget thingie to make sure I am getting out there. Wait, is there anyone out there? Anyone??
Crickets...
Bring it Jillian! Yesterday I shouted that at her as she motivated me to "shred". Today, it might just be a meek whisper but I am pumped none the less. My calves are on fire!
I have chosen to enter in a 30 day challenge with 30 other women on facebook and I can't be more excited. It is fun to compete with friends who are motivating and can talk a bit of trash. ;)
I have before pictures but there is no way I am going to post them here. Let us just say that since Jake has been born, I have let myself go. I am tired of pouring myself into all of my clothes and I am too cheap to buy anything new!
Remember me?? Well I am slowly trying to make a fitness comeback. But it is slow road and I am swerving like a madwoman trying to grip on to the asphalt and keep on keeping on.
January 10th was going to be a big day for me. I was going to train for the Disney marathon but God had other plans for me. When I heard I was pregnant that April morning I had a bittersweet feeling in my stomach. One side of me was so thrilled to hear that a new child would be entering into our family. But I couldn't help being a bit selfish in my bodily pursuits of running. How many people do you see running *on* their due date!
So here is the most expensive shirt I have ever owned. Oh, and I also got a cool Sharpie pen in the goodie bag. Sigh...
But don't you think he was worth it? 
The last time I ran, I was up in DC. I had a magnificent run where I happened to find a cool trail that meandered through woods, streams and open fields of deer. And then as the sun went down, lots of mosquitoes... But, it felt great to get out and run somewhere other than Florida.
Then, we were off in West Virginia visiting some friends and ran along the river in Charleston. It was a nice day, not too hot but still warm. Can I tell you how much I hated my run? It was only supposed to be 3 miles or so and it felt like 20. I even started 2:1 intervals which I haven't done since I started! I just felt like death.
Discouraged from my run, I gave it a rest for a day. My dh and I were talking about more personal matters and the next day found out that we were pregnant! OOOOOHHHHHH, so that is why running sucked the life out of me the day before! Needless to say, my running ended on that day.
Now many will say they ran up to their last few weeks, but I have to be honest, that is not me. Right now I can barely get my butt of the couch. I have about zero energy and my main goal is to get up in the morning! Every day I have a little conversation in my head about "this is the day when I will walk a mile!" then find myself crawling into bed at night without walking. Oh well, I am not going to beat myself up about it. This too shall pass.
I am thrilled about this new adventure we will be on. Baby #3 will be a welcomed addition into our home. But for now, running will have to take a backseat. I will miss all of my online and IRL running community for a bit but I will be back! You all are a great bunch!
Oh, and just in case you were wondering? My due date is Jan. 10th, 2010. Yes, it is the same day as the Disney Marathon that I was registered for. There is always next year!
Don't ya hate it when just as you get in your running groove, something sets you back? Well, I have returned to getting up early and running, and what happens? A wicked head cold saps all the energy from me!
Today I ran 3 miles and it was pure torture. I was so weak all I could do was lope around my loop. Not pretty at all! I guess I am happy that I got out there but I can't wait to feel better!
Last weekend we spent the weekend down in Tampa. I was so excited to be staying about 2 minutes from the starting line of the Gasparilla race site that I had run only a few weeks before! I had a long run planned and this would be a perfect venue.
So Monday morning I started out on my run. My first 3 miles were around large yachts, expensive restaurants and beautiful homes. I made a turn and headed over a bridge that took me towards the old race route. As I had a wonderful view of the water I noticed sheets hanging from docks, bikes resting on fences that were supposed to keep away trespassers from expensive boats.
Then down on the ground behind a decorative wall I noticed the people. Men, women, young and old, sleeping on the cement.
What a contrast from what had been occurring there a few weeks ago. Smiling faces, people coming together to run and now this? The blaring reality that people share a different vantage point than you. As I ran, I thought of their stories. What brought them to this place? What about their families? It haunted my run as I thought that those people could be any of us. I felt so helpless to be running next to them. Kind of like I was rubbing it in that I had a home and a life that wasn't so bleak.
So then I remembered an awesome site that my friend Becky introduced me to. A site whose mission is to empower homeless people through running. It is called Back on My Feet and it is starting chapters all over the United States. Maybe it is calling you to be an organizer in your area, or buy a few awesome t-shirts to support the cause! While it doesn't feel like much by myself, with all of us joining in we can make a difference.
Well better late than never!
Had a great time at the Gasparilla event in Tampa on the weekend of Feb. 28th- March 1st. I am thankful I ran the 15K (9.3 miles) instead of the half as the weather on Sunday was quite cold and blustery! Our weather on Sat. was in the nice upper 60's and pure sun. Beautiful.
The expo was fantastic and provided a lot of entertainment for our family. Even my little ones had a blast trying out free samples of food and smoothie drinks. There was shopping galore but I was good!
It was up early for the 7:30 am start. I traveled by myself as my dh and mil didn't have to be there until 8:30. I was a bit worried about parking but I had plenty of time to get a great spot.
The race started on time and we were all off. I kept a good pace for most of the race but on mile 7 I started lagging. I had Hammer Gels that I took on mile 4 and 7 so I was thankful that I had them. The one negative of this race was that there was no sports drinks on the course, just water. I think I really needed it since I was sweating a lot.
Funny thing is that I had to go walk the 5K at 9:30 so I knew I had to book it before I missed the start! I was meeting my MIL and I had to be on time! So I kept on running and had a PR of 1:41:23 which was 20 minutes off of my last years 15K time. I was pleased as my goal was to be under 1:45.
I was especially proud of my dh who ran his first 5K! He ran the whole time and was laughing as he tried to plow through a water stop running but it didn't work so well. Gotta love him!
Here we all are! 
Snowshadow at The March of The Humans just tagged me on his blog! I first "met" Showshadow on Twitter or was it RuncastTV? Anyway, I have really enjoyed his presence on the web. A few months ago on RuncastTV he posted a challenge and the prize was a really cool Vado pocket camcorder. I participated in the challenge and low and behold, I WON!!! Life has been crazy as of late, so I haven't been able to post my video's but believe me, they are in there. I love it. And as a special surprise, he packed a cool Runcast TV shirt too with my user name on the back. Very fun.
So here are the rules: Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog. Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.
Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.
Since this is a running blog, I am going to talk about running related things that might give you more insight into me!
1. I started running two years ago after being prompted by a dear friend of mine Sarah. She is an awesome runner who just finished her 2nd marathon in Jan. She also has 3 great kids and a wonderful husband who supports her in her addiction. ;)
2. I am addicted to my Garmin.
3. My dh just started running as well and is training for his first 5K. I am really excited that he is doing this as now we have a shared hobby! I am a bit possessive of my Garmin (and he borrows it) so I think I see a new gift in his future.
4. I love running on paved nature trails and despise the treadmill.
5. I have lost a toenail - and am very proud of it BTW!
6. I have just started back on my Weight Watcher journey to better health and fitness.
7. I have internet friends due to running! ;-) Y'all are the best!
Lets see, who should I tag!
Sarah who got me in this whole mess to begin with. She has been such a great source of support and encouragement. Also a good friend to kick me in gear if I need it. She opened my eyes to the best form of mental health out there as I swear running soothes the soul. Thank you!!!
Maddy She is a local running girl I have been excited to know from Twitter. She runs on the treadmill for most of her training runs and I am in awe at how she does that!
Kitzzy is another local Florida girl who I have actually had the pleasure to meet! She has been an inspiration to me as I have read about her transformation to be more healthy and fit. Also, she has incorporated her family in her running and she looks like she is having fun while doing it!
Nik I don't know if she will respond to this but she was the first person I was able to get running advice from via 4 Feet Running! I love listening to their podcast and enjoy Nik and Dan's friendly running conversations.
Lybe challenges me to get out even when it is coooold! ;) I love her ninja outfit where just her eyes peek out.
Nicole at blogs about her running up in Canada. Brrr! How does she do it?! Her blog is really encouraging and informative about all things running - and some not about running! ;) She has a great sense of humor that makes it fun to read.
And I know it said 7 people to tag but I know all of my other running friends would probably do me in if I named them. ;)
Work calls and I won't be able to do the Princess Half Marathon on March 8th. But I am not sweatin' it because it was just darn expensive! My goals have switched and now I am doing the Gasparilla 15K the week before in Tampa. It should be a fun run and I feel as if I can be strong running it after completing my training.
Last week I decided the day before the Season's 52 5.2K race that I should participate so off I went, bright and early Saturday morning. Actually, it wasn't bright but it was rather early.There were a lot of folks there and the neighborhood was beautiful to run through. I really didn't have any goals for this race, I just wanted to have fun and run but a minute into it, I made two goals. One, not to trip as the roads were all brick pavers. Nice and quaint if you live there but a pain to run on! LOL! My second goal was to run straight through. Y'all know that I run intervals. Usually run for 3 and walk for 1 but I felt great and strong so I just kept on running! I did walk and take some water, and one time to tie my shoe but for me, that is progress.
My time for 5.2K was 33:24 which as one of my friends pointed out is actually a PR since I have never run that distance before... snicker snicker! My actual 5K time was 32:27 which isn't the fastest that I have run a 5K but given the amount of people in this race, and how congested it was, I am happy.
After a few weeks of just resting (aka being lazy) after the race, I think I am back. Of course New Year's day is a wonderful day to make a comeback but I have to grab the momentum from somewhere you know?
Holiday's, food, friends and family have ruled for the past few weeks and I am thankful for them. I am also thankful for the great weather here in Florida that pulls me outside to get on the trail.
While my 3 miles were slow, it felt so good to be out there in the fresh cool air. Good music and pod casts in my ears led itself to a cleansing time of rejuvenation that I have forgotten in the past few weeks. Good for the soul.
Happy New Years and happy running!
I haven't run for a week. Up until yesterday I didn't have a plan for future races or a goal of what I wanted to accomplish as a runner. I was wandering around the wilderness and I was lost. I had completed my race, basked in the goal of running 13.1 miles and then realized "now what?"
So yesterday I sat down with a calendar and a list of races and planned. My first question was, did I want to focus on getting faster? Or distance. Well, I know that I want to run a marathon at some point in 2009 so I opted for distance. So here is my plan for this year:
March 8th - Disney Princess Half Marathon - start Hal Higdon Intermediate training Dec. 15th.
Jan. 10, 2010- tentative date - Disney Marathon - Starting training Sept. 7th 2009
I am sure I will throw in a few 5K's and 10K's to make life fun and before the marathon training I will have a mileage buildup plan to keep me busy. I have learned so much about myself through running. I *need* a plan!!!
So I have thrown my blues aside and have now returned to my giddy little running self. Whoo hoo!
