summary

hey girls, it's been a little bit since I've done a post. I guess because there hasn't been anything too exciting to report. here is a brief summary:

saturday: ran 7 miles with jess. felt good. so happy to have good conversation to pass the time.
monday: ran 3 miles. short & sweet
wednesday: ran 3 miles at the gym b/c I missed the run on tues. no comments about the run being a mile short. It was all I could do to actually get myself to the gym & run tonight.

as for tomorrow, I'm hoping that jess is feeling up for running. I am in need of some motivation to do 4 miles within the next 24 hours.

fyi... a little freaked out

so, i've been doing some research this morning on the pain i've been feeling in my foot and i'm a little freaked out. i'm afraid it's peroneal tendonitis. i hate self-diagnosing, but i think i would be better off to err on the side of caution than to seriously screw things up. so, i am not going to run today, and probably not tomorrow - we'll see how i feel (although i may freak out since i haven't gone more than a day without running for almost 5 months!) wish me luck.

so glad it was only 7.

yesterday was such a crazy day and i have been so exhausted all weekend that i am so glad it was only 7 miles in the am. clint was kind enough to drag his hiney out of bed to drive amy and i out to the beach again so we could run home. we started at the border of cardiff and solana beach and ran to amy's house. we ran a pretty good pace - averaging about 9 min miles on the downhill, 10 on flats, and 11 on uphills. i think our total time was about 75 min. everything was good and fine (although it was really hot for 7 am) until about mile 6 my right foot started hurting. the past few weeks i have noticed that my 5th metatarsal (bone on the outside of your foot that connects to your pinky toe) starts to hurt after i run, but i don't usually notice it while running. anyways- i thought i was going to have to stop, but managed to make it through the last mile. i'm not really sure what to do about it, i need to do some research on what helps. i've heard cushier socks?? any one else know what i'm talking about or what to do? anyhow- i may take it easy during the week this week just to make sure i don't kill my foot just a few weeks before the race (a month from yesterday, by the way). i do still want to do 11 this coming saturday, so wish me luck.
and about mid-week posts - i will probably continue just because it helps me to be accountable. i think i'd be more likely to fudge it if i am not writing after each run. but whatever works for you guys. please don't feel like you ever HAVE to write.

Proposal

I have a proposal. Are we all a little "over" the post-run blog? I still love reading about all of your experiences, but I feel like I personally don't have anything really new to report after each run. What if we morphed into more of a weekly summary of our runs? We could review the week on Saturdays, after our long runs? Unless someone has an amazing story to share, or a burning question, by all means, I don't want to limit anyone. I'm still so grateful for this blog. Especially in the beginning, it really helped me to get through each run, knowing that I had to go home and 'report' back to you all. And I still really like knowing we are all on the same page. So, just some thoughts.

For me, this week (although I did already write about Wednesday night), I ran Friday morning and today. Friday morning: yuck - major hurting knee, ran only 1.5 -2 miles and walked the rest of the way home, ~3.5 total. Today: much better: Miq and I ran 9, a good solid course with a nice mix of challenging hills and straight stretches. We weren't speedy (a little under 13min miles), but I felt strong, and definitely could have done 4 more (?!?). Memorial Day is just around the corner people! Wow!

on empty

Tonight we headed out for the 4 miles and about 3/4 of the way through the run I ran out of gas. I guess I just didn't consume enough calories today...or enough of the right calories. So, we ended up only going 3.8 miles (thanks, jess for making up the .2 for me). :) I don't know if this has ever happened to any of you...but with breastfeeding there are just times when if I haven't eaten for a few hours and try to exercise I can all of a sudden feel really weak and out of energy. That is what happened tonight. Nothing that is a big deal...I just have to get some food in me. Ya know? Hey, and good thing that I love to eat!! So, I convinced my hubby that we needed some Papa Johns pizza tonight to refuel me. YUM!

a little more than i could chew.

went to mom's house this morning so we could run a few errands together and while owey napped i took advantage to hit the road by her house. i took off to run the trail in their neighborhood (which by the way has an awesome view of all of encinitas) and then took a turn off not really knowing where i was going. i figured i know encinitas well enough that i couldn't actually get lost, so i just kept running. i did not get lost, but i did bite off a little more than i could (or wanted to, rather) chew. i ended up running up one of the steepest hills by my mom's house (leucadia) kind of on accident, and between that and the dirt trail (so different from pavement!) i managed to challenge muscles that must have been in hiding all this time. i did make it back alive, and since i ran somewhat aimlessly (kinda fun sometimes- you should try it) i was hoping i had hit the 4 mile mark at least. sure enough, 4.2 miles, 47 minutes. happy friday tomorrow. i think amy and i are planning 7 for saturday, and then next week will be the big one (11 or 12).

"Fun" Run

I neglected running this week until last night (my 3 yr old broke his wrist and his nose on Monday, and everything else has pretty much taken a back seat). So last night I ran with Mique, pretty late, we didn't get out til around 8:30pm. She had a really "fun" six mile route planned out for us. It looked kind of like this.

The run really did remind me of a really "fun" rollercoaster ride where you start out really high and then face a sheer drop plummeting down down down and then just when you think you have caught your breath the "fun" starts again, although this time the ride ended after a climb up up up (think tick tick tick tick tick). Wow, thanks Mique for setting up that run for us, let's do it again really soon!

(OK, I'm being a little sarcastic, it actually felt great to be out and running, and although the course was a "challenge", I must say we handled it extremely well, and in decent time - we think - anyway hopefully I can get another run in this week before Saturday. What are you ladies planning for your long run this week?

yesterday

all my troubles seemed so far away...

yesterday mom came to watch owey and poor amy had to push the stroller again while i was baby free. my mom feels bad that she can't watch both babies, but really - who could?!? anyhow- we ran from my house down to the bike trail and planned it so that we had run 5 miles before making it to the ginormous hill up to my house so we could walk up that. we ran pretty fast - the first mile (all downhill ) in like 8:30. Of course, the pace evened out quite a bit through the rolling hills of that trail, but the 5 miles took about 48 min or so. (i think... is that right amy?)

so, we were talking about race day--- how are you guys feeling about running together, pacing etc?? any thoughts on wanting to stick together, wanting to go your own pace, anxiety about being alone, etc etc? i know for me, i would like to run with some one as much as possible because i get so bored alone. but, i don't want anyone to be uncomfortable with a different pace, or whatever. i also want everyone's expectations to be met. what are you thinking? (am i being mother hen right now, or what?)

:( Sick

Sick, sick sick. No voice, sore throat. Can't decide if its from allergies or if something is really going on here. We walked for about a half hour tonight. That's all I had in me. Hopefully things will pick up as the week goes on.

better than nothing.

i had pretty much decided to bag it today. just plain ole' didn't feel like it. and then clint came home and made me do it. something about how i'd thank him later, blah, blah, blah. well, by that time, i only had 1/2 hour before dark, so i got in a whopping 3 miles at the track. i did discover that wearing shorts (i've been wearing pants from the beginning) necessitates body glide in a major way - glad i found that out on a 3 mile run and not a 10 miler. that would have sucked.

back at it

After a 14 hour day at D-Land on Friday and finally crashing into bed at 1:20am I was just too worn-out to get up early for the run on Saturday. We had to be at the temple for a wedding at 10:30am and so I just knew if I was going to be worth anything that day I had to forgo the run. I must say that I am SUPER impressed with what each of you did for the long run. TEN MILES, Brooke!?! You're an animal. Awesome work. I LOVED the pics Kristen & Mique. And jess, I missed being your running buddy....the drop-off and run home method sounds SWEET! We'll have to do that soon.

As for today, I ran 4 miles. I'm a bit confused with what schedule we are all following now but that sounded good (plus that is all my husband was willing to do & he's the one pushing the stroller). Plus, knowing that I will be running 5 miles tomorrow PUSHING the stroller myself I didn't want to push it too much tonight.

Five weeks to go. Let the countdown begin!

Monday, Monday

These are the new shoes. I liked that they were red since my running jacket is also red and I have that Angel's visor I wear a lot. I'll look SO coordinated! :) (cuz we all know that's important!)

Well, funny to say I actually WANTED to get out there and run today because I was excited to try out my new kicks. We went to Road Runner on Saturday and I did their fancy high tech shoe finder thing which involved walking on a mat (which I had to do like five times because I wasn't doing it right!) and running on a treadmill barefoot while they videotaped me (thankfully only from the ankles down). So I ended up with a stability shoe which I've never had before. I'm curious to see how it will be and glad they have a 60 day guaranteed fit policy where if I don't like them I can take them back. The girl also told me I had flat feed (knew that) and that I should wear an orthotic (not sure if that was just an upsale or legit). So I left with an expensive pair of shoes, orthotics and a bunch of shot blocks because if I got my total up high enough it got me into some savings club. The girl told me to break them in slowly, just do some shorter runs to see how things felt. I also overheard another girl saying that orthotics (I'm spelling that wrong but I don't know how to spell it right!) would take a month to break in so I'm not sure if I'll end up running the race with them or not.
So I decided we needed an "easy" run today so we just went down on the flat trail and did somewhere between 3 and 4 miles, probably closer to 3. I felt pretty good, I was over analyzing EVERYTHING in the shoes so it was hard to know what was just sore from running 10 miles on Sat. or if there were any weird things with the shoes. I did get a weird pain in the bottom of one foot close to the end and I think it might have been from the orthotic. Also, my foot did fall asleep so I know I need to mess with the laces. All in all though the shoes felt good and I think I'll pretty much take it easy this week to see how it goes. I also plan to do a few runs without the orthotic to see what I like better.

Good, Better, Best

7:30ish am- pre- run
9:00amish- post- run
8:00ishpm - RS stake enrichment


Need I say more?

7

Just checkin in...ran my three on Thursday morning, it was actually a little difficult, I felt kind of stiff, but it was fine, finished in :29.

Ran with Miq this morning, starting out on a pretty steep hill up and down, and then nice and mostly flat, with a few of what we like to call "inclines" (aka, mild hills). I ditched her on the way up the big hill and listened to my iPod (a little Martina McBride) and once I made it to the top, I turned it off and we gabbed our way through the rest of the run. We ran a really nice easy seven - didn't push the pace at all. I think (she disagrees) we could have gone faster, and we both agreed we could have gone on for another mile at least, but I feel good about doing the seven and not over extending myself. We finished in 1:29.

T-E-N!

That's right ladies! I did it! 10 miles! I debated and debated yesterday about what I should do. In the end I decided that I would not regret doing a long run and that I would actually be glad next week when I didn't feel like I had to squeeze in a long run with the wedding. And given the fact that I hadn't done more than 5 miles in 2 weeks I figured it was time. So I mapped out a non-hilly (I thought) out and back where if I was hurting or my feet were annoyingly asleep I knew where I could turn around and have it be 5 or 7 instead. I got myself pumped, tried not to eat too heavy of a dinner and got my sport beans ready to try for the first time.

I was incredibly nervous for the poop issue. I didn't sleep well at all (so unfair that the baby of course sleeps all night and sleeps IN on those nights). I woke up at 6 and ate. I managed to poop (tmi sorry). I went back to sleep until 7 (seriously when has my baby ever slept in until 7!?) I was so nervous it took me until almost 8 to get out of the house. I pooped again and you would think that would have made me feel like I was in the clear but instead it made me MORE nervous! I had a 9 mile out and back mapped out and I planned to pull one of those tricks I like to play on the dog and do a mile around the neighborhood first which would put me at 10 and let me go back to the house if I needed to. I did go back after that first mile but only managed to pee. Then I started out. I stopped at Starbucks after only about another 1/2 mile. No luck. I decided to stop playing mind games with myself, be confident that my bowels were empty and go.

I had a really hard time the first couple miles. It was just one of those runs where you are thinking too much about running. Too much about shoes, poop, ankles, etc. But somewhere along the way I finally got into a groove and got my mind off things. I felt like I was keeping up a pretty good pace. I felt good and the best part, my feet didn't fall asleep! I did have a couple of surprise hills, funny how you can drive a road for 3 years and think it is totally flat until you have to run it one day!

I stopped at the half way and had the sport beans. They took too long to eat, they didn't taste very good to me (probably because I've been eating real jelly beans since Easter). I like my shot blocks, 3 of those and I'm good to go. I realized at the half way point that my timer had stopped, well I had stopped it somewhere and not turned it back on. So that sucked but I decided to time the second half and I knew that first mile I did was about 11 min. I felt pretty good on the way back and finished strong! I did the second half at 54 min so if you assume I did that as fast as the first half that was 108 plus 11 would be 118 min. Not sure how right that is but it gives me a general idea. Definitely could have done 3 more.

Really wanting the new shoes today. We'll see what happens. Maybe some gear too if my Road Runner is having a sale! Happy Saturday!

8 is GRRREAT! (says tony the tiger)

i decided i needed to do 8 this morning- one more LONG one before the 11 or 12 in a few weeks. really, i had a great run this morning. one of the best.
i was a little nervous because i was hoping to go with amy (goes by so much faster!) but when i talked to her last night at 10:00, they were still at disneyland. crazy kids.
so, it was on my own. i had clint drop me off at cardiff state beach and i ran all the way home. i can't believe i just typed that sentence. i ran home from cardiff. that's insane.
the weather was: perfect. overcast, breezy, yummy.
my legs were: well rested, strong, confident.
my mind was: who knows where, but distracted, and made for less mind games.
the course was: hilly, definite ups, definite downs, but nothing to kill me.
the scenery was: awesome. descending towards torrey pines state beach was breathtaking.
the fuel was: cliffs shot blocks. my new favorite. by far. first time i've noticed a difference with any fuel.
the apparel was: perfect! i hit up road runner this week (they have a clearance outlet at the store here in SD - highly recommend it - i got 2 pairs of shorts and 2 tanks for $50. a steal!)
my time was: 84 min. that's not stopping the clock for stoplights either. a pretty fast run for me.

so, 8 was great. hope it was for you too!

Food for thought

A wise man once said…
“"Where performance is measured, performance improves. Where performance is measured and reported, performance improves dramatically.Where performance is measured and reported publicly, performance improves exponentially."
–Thomas S. Monson

Thank you little public performance motivating blog! :)
Back tomorrow to let you know how the longestrunI'veeverhad goes!

I heart 3 mile days!

Funny that 3 miles used to be my hard core work out! I remember someone telling me once that you know you are a real runner when 3 miles isn't a big deal. So I guess we're all real runners now! We actually didn't make it out yesterday, we had a rough night and a 2 hour babysitting favor for a friend turned into a 4 1/2 hour ordeal. But I knew that we could easily squeeze in our 3 miles today. It was warm but not too bad, and I felt good except now instead of just my left foot falling asleep both of them are. It is SO annoying and distracting and I am so frustrated with it since I feel so good in every other way. I am torn on how much to run on Saturday, I'd like to do a long run, like maybe even 10 because next week with my sister's wedding its going to be much harder to get in a long run and be there in the morning to help her get ready (and walk around in heels the rest of the day!). But I'm nervous about the foot falling asleep. I want to get new shoes but I don't think a 10 mile run is the time to break in new shoes anyway. So I have some thinking to do. I know I have to decide by this evening because when it comes to 6 am I am never good at making decisions. (well I'm really good at making ONE decision which is to stay in bed!). Either way I'm running at least 7 since I didn't do a long run last week.

lovin' a simple three

I don't know about you guys, but having to run a mere 3 miles today was a treat. It's been a busy week for us and as I prepare today for some out of town guests coming tonight to stay with us, it was perfect timing for a short run. I was able to get out the door, run the three, and be back in time to clean the house, due the laundry & go grocery shopping before tonight. Oh, and I've got to fit a shower in there sometime before 5pm. Tomorrow we're off to Disneyland - so good thing it's a day off. I'm not sure I could do a long run & then walk all day the park. Though the 5 miles on Tuesday was nice to run on the coast with Jess, I much prefer just having to do 3 while pushing the stroller. So, how many miles is everyone planning on doing on Saturday? six? eight?

catching up.

so, i am still here by the way. the toe-stubbing turned out to be really minor (thank goodness) and i even still have a toenail! tuesday amy and i ran along the coast - mom watched owey and i felt really guilty that amy had to push audra in the stroller for 5 miles while i was childless. thanks mom! sorry amy! anyhow- it's funny how you think 5 miles is not a big deal nowadays and then you remember "oh yes it is" when you are out there. pretty good run, great scenery, great conversation, pretty good time (although both of our watches stopped- we think we did it in about 55 min) - all in all, not bad.
today i woke up so excited about only having to run 3 miles. i of course just ran on the treadmill cuz i'm lazy like that and ended up doing it in 28 min. i run so much faster on the treadmill because it is soo dang boring!! i just want to get it over with!
anyhow - a little pick me up from "The Non-runners Marathon Guide for Women":

My final recommendation cannot be purchased at the store. (Unless you have a lot of money. And questionable morals.) I recommend surrounding yourself with great people during your training. Try to find at least one other person to go through this hell with you. He or she will provide you with more support than a sports bra ever could. (In a figurative sense, of course. Unless you are very close with your running buddy.)
Your running buddies don't even need to run with you. But they do need to b@*#% with you. I personally hate running with people, but I absolutely love complaining with them. So I run alone and bond with running buddies afterward, comparing our various aches and pains.
Just about every good (or bad or ugly) experience in life is better if you have someone to share it with, someone you can call 25 years from now and be like, "Remember how much that sucked?" Like you, they'll remember that all the running and sweating and chafing really, really sucked. Like you, they'll also remember that all the laughing and the finish lines and the friendship formed from a common goal were pretty friggin' cool.

hope you all know how lucky i feel to have such great friends and to share this misery with you!

Easy, breezy, beautiful...

Ok, at least that's how I FELT if not how I looked. I was putting off running until after hubby got home because we had morning plans. Well when our morning plans fell through and I called about everyone in the entire world to try to get someone to go with me and no one could I decided to take it as a sign that I wasn't supposed to be out playing, I was supposed to be running! Add to that the fact that the heat wave seemed to have let up at least for today and it was a beautiful cool crisp spring day I just HAD to hit the road. SO off we went at the random hour of 11 for a great run. Funny how it can be SO hard one day and so great the next. I felt great, no mishaps, the weather was perfect running weather, a nice thin thermal over my running tank and I couldn't have felt better. My foot did fall asleep for a few minutes (still don't know what the deal is with that!) but it was right before our turn around so I was able to stop and shake it off a bit. Even tricked the dog into going the full 5 miles with no protest whatsoever, she seemed to be enjoying herself as well. I am happy now that its evening and I don't have to stress about when or how I'm going to make my escape or eat dinner.

I also broke the news to hubby that I need new shoes. I am going to be in San Diego next week so I could hit up Movin' Shoes where I am guaranteed to get great service and a good pair of shoes but I also kind of want to check out this new Road Runner Sports by us which has some computer dealy hooked up to a treadmill that looked pretty awesome. But I am scared of technology or that when I step on that treadmill it is going to flash my weight across some marquee on the store front. (I have issues I know) So I guess you'll just have to wait in suspense to see what I decide to do!

Is it just me....

Or does running provide the same smell-sensitivities that can only be compared to that of a pregnant woman? I went on my run last night (first since last Monday mind you) and I was totally distracted by all the smells. And last night wasn't the first time....Granted according to Jess I have "fart nose" (I'm always asking if someone cut the cheese) and a more sensitive nose than most (save my Jules- who apparently inherited my nose; I'll be cooking something and she'll come in and say, "Mom it smells like chicken." Or even open a candy bar and she'll say "I smell chocolate." Try to chew gum in secret with that girl, you can forget it- "Mom I smell gum."....anyway back to my point)............but for some reason I find running brings out the best (or worst) in my sniffer.
On the plate for last night? For some reason since it was 90+ degrees in the beautiful SCV every house on my run decided to start bbq season early. It stunk. Not a big bbq fan here. I also had the pleasure of smelling something similar to a broken septic tank. YUCK! Again a lovely smoker decided to puff smoke towards me (although this time it was not directly into my mouth and he didn't laugh- I think he just HAD to get that puff in when he saw me huffing and puffing past him).
Unfortunately for me- this time I didn't smell cherries or roses. Maybe on my next run (with Kristen tonight)? Am I alone on this?
4.2 miles (not on purpose), 50 mins.

Dig down deep and find...

I hate mondays (as has been said by all of us at some point on this blog). By the way, it occurred to me today that race day is a Monday. That kinda bummed me out/scared me to death. What is it about Mondays? Is it because it is just a few days after the long run? Anyhow, today was probably one of my top 5 worst runs yet. I ran my super duper hilly 4 and super duper struggled. I walked for the first time in this training (except the run where I hurt my shins). I walked for probably five minutes down the steepest part of the hill. I just didn't have it in me. I tried to dig down deep and find my inner stronger Kristen, and she said I don't give a rip, I'm walkin'. And ok, yeah, so I didn't eat anything this morning, and I forgot to bring any kind of fuel, but I am out of groceries and... apparently out of my mind! So, hopefully somehow tonight my body will miraculously remember that I have been training for several weeks now (months even) and I know how to do this, enjoy it even sometimes. We'll see tomorrow.

dilemma.

so we have a bit of a dilemma on our hands with the shirts. now that i got all of your sizes, i went to go order them and the tanks are no longer on sale. they are now $25. tees however are $10. so, i can look around and see if i can find another website with cheaper tanks, i can get tees instead, or if anyone has a better idea i am open to it. again, i'm not sure if you all want to wear them the day of the race or if you just want to take pictures or whatever. i guess that would make a difference on what to do from here. i need your votes.
and if i'm not mistaken, everyone wants a large except amy wants a medium? is that right? sorry, your responses are all over the place and i think that is what i remember. sorry to put us back to square one.

Sooooooo Hot!

So I want to steal Amy's pic for the day since that was me Saturday and today. Saturday was just a joke. I was soooooo tired and I traded 3 extra hours of sleep for my run. I should have just gotten up to do it but I didn't. So when I finally made it out the door it must have been over 90. And I had the stroller. I don't really know what part of me thought that 7 miles wasn't going to be a big deal because it was. And it didn't happen. I was sweating, baby was drenched with sweat in the stroller, I started feeling like I might pass out, my foot was asleep, it just wasn't happening. I turned around in the middle of a big hill, didn't even push myself up the hill just turned around and came home. I think it was around 4 miles, probably a little less. I didn't feel too bad though because we spent the rest of the day walking and I am sure I still worked my muscles.

Today I tried really hard to get out earlier, ok not that hard but sort of hard. We made it out a little earlier and it was quite a bit cooler so we did our 4 miles relatively easy, except for my stupid foot that keeps falling asleep! It is seriously the most frustrating thing. I have loosened my laces to the point that I'm sure its not good for my ankles because I have no support. It looks like I'm going to have to break the budget once again this month and get some new shoes (and I've been SO good on my budget!)

I may have to tweak the schedule a little for traveling purposes and I personally want to do 12 miles, something about that makes me feel better but I think it looks good. I'll stick with you guys for the most part.

hot mama

...and I'm not referring to the sexy type. I didn't get out the door until 9am this morning & let's just say with the heat wave that is currently passing through SoCal I came home a sweaty mess! The run actually felt really good - the sun not so much. Hey, maybe I'll get a nice tan out of this whole training thing (if you call a shorts & sports bra tan a nice tan). Due to the internet acting a little funky this morning, I was unable to map out a 4 mile course. So, I just went out and ran - hoping that my body would know about when to stop. Funny thing, I ran 4.2 miles just like you, Jess! I think we must be rubbing off on each other from all the hanging-out we do. ;) The difference is it took me 50 minutes...I'll blame it on the stroller. ;) So, the run is over and that feels great...because as you ladies know I usually run when the hubby comes home. This week is crazy busy for us, especially at night, so I will be a morning runner the next week or so. Hey, maybe it'll stick. That's all for now, folks!

does it run in the family?

stunning good looks? charming and magnetic personality? yes, of course! clumsiness? bad luck and stubbed toes? apparently.
boo.
last night i stubbed my toe on the stroller. no, it's not broken or near as bad as miq's, but stupid nonetheless. i'm pretty sure i won't have a toenail on that toe with all this running. oh well. if that's the only injury i have to go through in all this, it's fine with me!
anyhow, it was a little uncomfortable - had a little bit of a different "hop" in my step this morning, but i made it nonetheless.
and i just mapped it out, 4.2 miles - which i am glad about because i felt like i was pretty fast but it took 44 min.
so, that's my story. have a good monday!

Back to the grindstone

So I'm back from our vacation. As I explained before, I ran Mon and Tues of last week, and planned to run Thurs at Disneyland, and Sat somewhere near our campground. Due to some major family setbacks we didn't get down to Anaheim til around midnight on Wednesay, and needless to say, I just couldn't get myself out to run Thurs am. I actually possibly would have, but my clothes were buried (and I mean seriously buried, I loaded the car - clothes and camping gear for six people for four days, not an inch to spare, yadda yadda). I did plenty of walking around Disney, so at least the muscles moved! Saturday I ran about six miles with a friend from my ward who is going to try and do the St. George marathon in the fall. We had a good run, she is an experienced runner and I picked her brain the entire time - she had some fun and very entertaining advice. The revised training schedule looks fine to me! Back to the grindstone tomorrow, week 14 !?! Wow!

a bit short

well, today I only made it 5 miles. the problem...my left quad. It felt good the first couple of miles but then I started having sharp shooting pain. so, I decided that a 5 miler was all my body could handle today. I was bummed to not complete the 7 miles listed on the training schedule but know that this is the best for my body in the long run. I know that this isn't a major injury but just a something I need to baby for a little while. I'm hoping to be back to full strength very soon.

as for the training schedule, here is what I am thinking:

	Monday	Tuesday	Thursday	Saturday
week 14	4 miles	5 miles	3 miles	6 miles
week 15	4 miles	5 miles	4 miles	7 miles
week 16	3 miles	4 miles	4 miles	11 miles
week 17	4 miles	5 miles	5 miles	6 miles
week 18	5 miles	4 miles	5 miles	4 miles
week 19	4 miles	4 miles
week 20	RACE!

Tell me your thoughts, ladies.

7 by 8.

i had to squeeze 7 in before the trek up to miq's house for the funeral, and lucky me, owey had me up by 4:30 so i was sure to make it in time. wasn't that thoughtful of him? i held him off until about 5:30 and fed him and was out the door as soon as the sun started to come up. this is my favorite, favorite time to run. i just love that there are no cars out, the sun is barely peeking through, it is still cool out, just love it. i did a loop from my house to save time (i would have loved to do the coast again, but driving to and from takes an extra 15 min or so) so i ran to the coast instead. it was a nice easy run there, downhill, and a much tougher run back uphill. really, it is tougher on my body, but mostly on my mind. when running alone, it is easy for me to give up and walk up a hill. anyhow, i did the 7 miles in about 80 min. a little slower than my flat terrain pace, but not too shabby. now, my hubby beat me to the shower, so here i am blogging.
hope you all have a good saturday and a great run!

Kink in my plans

Where to begin this post? Well things started to go downhill last week when I hurt my neck/back while trying on a running shirt at Ross (long history of nightmare try-ons at Ross. Just ask Jess). Anyway- I ran that night just because I wanted to. Dumb. That's all there is to it. Note to self- don't run with a kinked neck. It will hurt. Not while running. But REALLY bad after.
Then I left for Mesquite- still thinking I could run at least 7 miles (mapped out plan and all). And then my father-in-law died. Basically it's been survival mode ever since. I went running on Monday and felt like Super Woman. But haven't been out of the gates since. I am for sure not gonna be able to go at all the rest of this week. So I only have a little over 3 miles for the week. But obviously family comes first.
I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things next week with little (preferably no) setbacks.
I have my magic beans. My water butt thingy. My new running clothes (testing them all out before the big day obviously). Now I just need a little one on one time with the road.
I'm missing my alone time this week.

father-son bonding.

sound like a strange title for a post about my 5 mile run since i am neither a father nor a son?
well, that's what it was all about tonight. and that's not even counting the father-son bonding going on at my house while i left owey with his daddy (cleaning the garage out with owey in the baby carrier!) i went to the track tonight and while it is usually boring as all get out, tonight i was very entertained. the 5 miles went by way fast because the whole time i got to watch some serious boy-bonding. my favorite was the little mexican boy and his dad. they got to the track about 15 min after me and were there the whole time i was. the boy must have been 10 or so, and his dad timed him on his cell phone as he did 100 yard dashes over and over. and he was fast!! it was really cute to see the dad pump him up and get all excited when he did well. my favorite was his last sprint when dad raced him and the boy totally smoked his dad. so cute. later another father and son also joined us on the track and same scenario - dad timed son running a mile. on the way out i saw another dad and boy playing baseball together. so sweet. so glad it entertained my mind for the duration.
anyhow- i ran 5 miles in about 50 min. that pace is really pretty natural for me. longer distances i have to go a little slower though.
anyhow- enjoy the day off tomorrow. i am planning on 7 miles on saturday before heading up to miq's father-in-law's funeral.
amy- i totally nominate you to redo the schedule if you're up for it. thanks.
by the way - if you didn't see my other blog yesterday, i am finally at my goal weight. yippee!!! all the torture has paid off!!

bummed

so, my left quad. has been hurting ever since the 4 1/2 mile run on the treadmill the other night. I had the hubby do a little Icy Hot massage on it last night wishing that the pain would magically go away. tonight we headed out for a 5 mile run and after 2 minutes of running I knew it was a no go. I'm pretty sure that I've just slightly strained/pulled a muscle. Walking feels okay. Going up & especially down stairs in painful. Running right now is out of the question. :( So, I'm going to baby the muscle and hope to be back at it on Saturday. I'll keep ya posted. For tonight it was an easy 45 minute walk just to keep the muscles moving. It's funny how when running isn't an option it makes me want to do it all the more!

p.s. we need to decide on the revised training schedule! it sounds like most everyone is up for 7 miles this saturday. yes? Would you like me to do a proposed revision?

Anyone out there?

We did a little over 4 miles today (puppy, baby and I!) and felt good. I was glad to be back out there, I feel so fat and sluggish when I don't work out and when I do, I feel good even if we don't do anything else all day. We had a really scary incident where a guy ran a red light going about 50 mph right as we were crossing a busy road. He missed us by about 5 feet, so not too close but close enough to give me a heart attack (I hate how in the stroller baby is so out in front and vulnerable). He somehow (seriously miraculously) made it through the intersection in between 3 cars and I honestly still can't replay exactly how it happened without him hitting anyone. It was SO scary, I hate crossing busy roads but we really have no choice around our house, I just try to keep it to a minimum. I said a big prayer of thanks that we were kept safe today on our run. I think that I will do 7 on Saturday, I feel good enough and definitely rested after only 2 shorter runs this week.

C A R E F U L L Y

That is how I ran today. I waited until hubby came home so I didn't have to push the stroller. I decided just to run for 30 min nice and slow to see how things felt. I felt pretty good. I realized it was the hills that were hurting my achilles tendon so I think I need to lay off of those for a while. I ran about 27 min, my tendon started aching a little so I walked and then ran again a little later. I probably didn't even do 3 miles but I would rather do something than nothing and rather do less than hurt myself. I don't feel it at all now so I must have done a good job of not pushing too hard. I really think I'm going to have to break down and buy new shoes.
I think I might skip tomorrow and try for 4 on Thursday.

As for shirts, sorry I must have missed this along the way, are they fitted? XL for me if they are, maybe L if not? I'm not sure these days, but these gigantic boobs have a hard time fitting into anything lately.

one of those days...

i guess it was just one of those days. i decided this morning to run for 60 min. i made it almost 6 miles (like 5.8). i totally agree with what kristen said about mentally being tired and over it. i kinda wish the race was this weekend. nevertheless, it is not.... so we have to keep moving forward - maintaining all that we have done and preventing injury all the while. so, i guess a revision of the schedule that we can all be happy with is in order - i think it really helps to all be on the same page. any volunteers?
LAST CALL FOR SHIRTS... ARE YOU IN? SO FAR CARLIE AND AMY ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVE GIVEN ME A SIZE. LET ME KNOW.

rough

tonight was a tough run for me. I only had 45 minutes to run and only got 4.3 miles in. Have I mentioned that I have a terrible relationship with the treadmill. I hate everything about it...from the lack of any change in scenery to the constant reminder of every second slowly passing right in front of my face. I also feel that every time I run on that blasted thing something on my body hurts. Last time was my left shin, tonight it's my left quad. I'm hoping it's just a tender muscle and that a nice little massage with some icy hot will do the trick. I'm happy that tomorrow is a day off & will for sure run outside on Thursday.

thanks for letting me vent, ladies!

Spring break

I am so glad I read the posts re: a new training schedule before I tortured myself with seven miles today! I could barely, and I mean barely make five. I felt so slow, I was actually surprised I came in at 1:02. There is no way I could have done seven yo!

This week is our spring break, and tomorrow I am off to Disneyland for 2 days, and then camping, so I won't be posting, but I will be running, and I will think about the proposed new schedule. Like I said in my comment below, I am open to change; I definitely don't want to over train. I agree with Jess, after the 8 and the 9 milers, I felt like I could have easily (well, relatively) kept going to the 13! Sometimes I feel like the novelty has worn off a little bit and we're all a little tired of training at this point, not physically so much as mentally. The newness is gone, but we're still far enough away from race day to not have those pre-race jitters and excitement to help us along. Maybe it's just me. Anyway, have a nice week everyone, I'll be back Mondayish.

training

Okay, so let's talk training, ladies. I have looked over our schedule and let me give my humble opinion. I disagree with running a long distance every weekend (9, 10, 11, 12 miles). With the minimal experience I have had training for a race, we have always run a long distance one weekend followed by a recover semi-long distance run the following weekend. The training during the week was very similar to what our schedule looks like except it was always for time (e.g. 30, 45 or 60 minute runs).

Here is an example for all of us visual peeps:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Saturday
40 min.	50 min.	rest/cross	35 min.	9 miles
45 min.	60 min.	rest/cross	40 min.	6 miles
35 min.	50 min.	rest/cross	40 min.	10 miles
45 min.	65 min.	rest/cross	40 min.	6 miles
35 min.	50 min.	rest/cross	35 min.	11 miles

So, I guess to get to the point. I don't think that we should do the consecutive long runs every Saturday for 4 weeks. I'm just afraid that is over-training. I have researched other training schedules online & they all have a recover week so to speak. When jess and I were talking about this on Saturday, I asked to look at the original schedule that we are using before the changes were made. The week day runs match-up on both schedules and the weekend runs look like this (starting with this saturday, week 13) with what our current schedule suggests in parenthesis...

7 miles (7 miles)
7 miles (9 miles)
7 miles (10 miles)
12 miles (11 miles)
6 miles (12 miles)
4 miles (4 miles).

I am not sure if any of this is making sense. I'm just typing as I think. For me, I am going to follow more closely the original schedule. I may even run 6 or 5 miles tomorrow instead of 7 (I'm not sure what that is all about). So, here is what my schedule is most likely going to be for the remainder of the training:

Monday Tuesday Wed. Thurs. Saturday week13 4 miles 5 miles rest 5 miles 7 miles week 14 4 miles 5 miles rest 3 miles 5 miles week 15 5 miles 5 miles rest 4 miles 7 miles week 16 3 miles 4 miles rest 4 miles 11or 12 mi. week 17 4 miles 5 miles rest 5 miles 6 miles week 18 5 miles 4 miles 5 miles 5 miles 4 miles week 19 4 miles 4 miles rest rest rest week 20 RACE DAY!

The changes I made from the original schedule are in blue. I guess each person just needs to do what is best for them. Whatever you choose, please just take care of you! remember to stretch, hydrate and allow your body time to recover (in other words if you miss a few runs, don't try to jam pack & run 7 days in a row). That's all from Momma Amy. ;)

Happpy Running!

p.s. tonight's run went well. as soon as aaron got home from work we headed out the door. we ran 4 miles in 38 minutes (super speedy!). I'm pretty sure the first 1.5 miles being downhill or flat really helped. The last 1.5 were all a steady uphill but we kept a good pace. I was shocked at how quickly 4 miles passed. I'm not sure how I'm feeling about the 7 miles scheduled for tomorrow. As mentioned above, I may just do 5 or 6 miles.

Nervous...

So after Saturday when I couldn't walk the rest of the day since my achilles tendon hurt so much I got majorly nervous. I just do NOT want to get put on the injured list right now, I don't! I have worked too hard for this! I spent a good amount of time in the hot tub on Sat (as a precaution of course) and took some advil and when I woke up Sunday it didn't hurt at all. But my on line searches have me totally freaked about this one. So I decided I needed another day to rest and then I need to take it easy this week and see what happens. I am going to reduce all the runs this week to 3 or 4 miles and we'll see about 7 on Saturday. I am just trying to play it safe!

Things are heating up!

I had to run in the middle of the day today, and like I've said before, whole different story. The weather continues to be beautiful here in SoCal, but that sun makes you feel overheated and drained pretty quickly. I ran 4 in 39:55, and I was dying. I now feel silly bringing my fuel belt when I'm running less than an hour, but I probably should have. And I totally second Jessica's opinion - 7 tomorrow!?! That was totally just our long run, no fair! I think this is the only time we have a 7 midweek, and I keep telling myself that this will just help build my strength and endurance, character and integrity, stuff like that. Also, I am totally bored with my music, any suggestions?

lazy monday

ok, so i guess a lazy monday would really be sleeping in and not going running at all, but even though i got out of bed before 6 and did go running, it was a very lazy run and i didn't even finish. i ran 3.6 miles before i started to feel a blister coming on on my big toe. i got paranoid (since tomorrow is 7 miles... what? wasn't that a long run like a few days ago?) and stopped. anyhow, i don't even feel guilty. i am tired, and it's monday. so there.

Me

Oh yeah, here's my picture that I keep meaning to post. Wow, I am quite attractive post-running! :)

Nueve

I was nervous Saturday morning getting ready. I went to the bathroom no less than 4 times and kept forgetting things. I hadn't had a chance to buy GU or beans or anything, so I brought a clementine cutie with me (worked great by the way). Anyway, in the end, my run was great! I had a moment where I was coming down my first big set of hills and looking at what was ahead - I had plotted out my course and was familiar with the streets, but you know when you are in your car you don't really notice whether or not there are hills. So as I came down this hill I looked up and got the same sensation that you get on a rollercoaster when you've plummeted down and look ahead to see the track heading straight back up! I was nervous for sure (as in, oh crap!), but the closer I got, the less daunting the hill seemed and it was do-able. I listened to a Lost podcast for the first hour of my run and made a pitstop at a McDonalds. I took things pretty slow, still fearful for the shins, but I enjoyed plodding along early on a Saturday, the weather was beautiful. My course ended up quite hilly and I had to stop for quite a few stoplights. I finished my 9 in 1:56, just in time to sustain Pres. Monson! Not to sound cheesy, but I actually felt a little teary as I headed into my driveway, I was quite proud of myself and felt a little bit like yes, I can do this! Or maybe I was just crying because upon stopping my knees felt like they were going to pop out of my legs, which felt like they were suddenly made of cement. Anyway, I did it. This week will be a challenge as we will be at Disneyland and camping down in San Onofre on Saturday. Spring Break can't mean a running break! Great job everybody, I loved reading about all your successes. Go gazelles!

amy beat me to it...

so, i know amy already wrote about our run, but i just had to add my two cents. i can't believe we ran 9 miles this morning!!! seriously!!! we ran from here:


all the way to here:



and i just can't get over it!!
it really felt easy- almost too easy and i know that it is because not once was i caught in the mental game that i sometimes find myself in while running long distance. i didn't have to fight myself the whole way because i was entertained and really just not focused on every single step. what a difference! it makes me feel that much more confident about how all of us will do on race day since we will have each other's company as a distraction.
one detail amy did leave out is what an idiot i am... somehow i had a serious brain fart and left my keys in her car all the way up in carlsbad. did not realize this until we were at my car in solana beach. since clint was at home with owey and no car to bring me a key (long story) and aaron was at home with a sleeping baby, i called my mom to the rescue to come pick us up in solana beach and drive us up to carlsbad to amy's car. i felt like such a retard... so, we could have been home by 9:00 just in time for conference, but instead we weren't home until after 10. dumb, dumb, dumb!! thanks mom! sorry amy! won't make that mistake again!!

10 seconds and one Carl's Jr.

That is how far away I was from pooping my pants today on my run. Let me rewind a little.
I got up and out the door by 7. I was nervous, not sure I slept all night. I had an 8.5 mile loop planned so I had to start out with a little .5 mile warm up around the neighborhood so I would total 9. I was feeling pretty good, felt like my pace was good, I was in the "zone".

Well I couldn't poop before I left in the morning so I was a little nervous but the first 45 min or so was fine. Most of my run is through neighborhoods so I have wondered a few times what would happen if I had a bathroom emergency. But I figured there were plenty of gas stations scattered throughout so I should be fine. WRONG. About 45 min into my run I started to feel "the urge" at that point I was probably the farthest I would be the entire run from any kind of store or gas station. I was pretty close to a friend's house so I contemplated knocking on her door but decided I was too embarrassed and I knew there was a gas station about a mile away.
LONGEST mile of my LIFE. I was trying to run as FAST as I could but that only seemed to make things worse! So I came up with a little, sprint, stop walk thing so that when things got a little too close for comfort I had a minute to "pinch it" so to speak.

I knew I was getting closer to the gas station but at a certain point I just couldn't run any more, I knew I was going to poop my pants. I was in tears. I was looking for a bush, for anything but I had neighborhood one one side and business park on the other side. There was no where to hide. I was glad I had brought my phone because I figured once I pooped my pants I would probably just have to call Aaron to come pick me up. Then I saw it, the Carl's Jr. Just a little closer than the gas station. With tears streaming down my face I made my way to the bathroom. It was so embarrassing and so relieving all at once. And yes, seriously I was crying in the bathroom of Carl's Jr.

Once I took care of my bathroom issue I decided it was a good time for my shot blocks (3 this time I had left over from last week) and some water. I felt like my dilemma (which only lasted about 10 min but seemed to me to be an eternity) had really thrown off my zone. And about 10 min later I already felt like I had to go to the bathroom again. I didn't come close to an accident like I did earlier but I was uncomfortable the rest of the run. I just kept thinking, go faster and you'll be done.

I finished my 9 miles in 102 minutes. I did pause for some of the walking and the bathroom break but didn't pause for any stop lights. So again, I figure that puts me just about at an 11 min mile. I feel good that I finished. I am, however, a little worried because my achilles tendon on one side is so sore I can barely walk. I plan on icing it and hope it feels better by Monday.

Good job everyone!

1:37

I think I may be on a runner's high. I have barely sat down since finishing the 9 miles this morning and I still feel all excited inside (like a kid in a candy shop). I guess I'm just SO happy with the accomplishment of today's run and also how GREAT it felt! Jess and I met bright and early at 7am at the Solana Beach train station. We parked one car there & drove 9 miles up highway 101 where we parked car #2. The running started right there on Island Way and continued along the coast back to the train station..passing through little beach towns like Leucadia & Encinitas along the way. I know it may sound crazy to say but I had a BLAST! The time passed quickly and physically I felt awesome. Jess & I chatted about everything under the sun....from self-confidence to relay races. One of my favorite parts of the run was having jess point out all of her favorite "hot spots"...taco shops & breakfast joints she would frequent during her high school years. It really was just a great run... I'm not sure what else to say. THANK YOU, jess for being such a great running partner! I hope that each of you had a great 9 as well. NINE MILES!!!! I love it! I can hardly believe it! What a great start to the day.

Slacker!

I'm outing myself today. I didn't make up my 3 mile run from yesterday when it was raining. It just kept getting later and later and now at 5 the thought of going at all when I have to get up and do 9 is just too much for me to handle! But I've mapped out my 9 and i hope I everyone has a good 9 tomorrow!

A Dreaded Disease

I have been a bloggin slacker! And also a little bit of a running slacker. I was all about the comeback from my shin splints, and then I got a serious case of . . . busy-itis! Man, life is just getting in the way. As my friend said today, wouldn't it be nice if school just started when I got there, and ended when I was ready, and homework was due when we were finished, etc. You get the picture. But that is not the way life works with four demanding kids, and a husband with 3 jobs, and so! I have again entered catchup phase. I ran 5 on Wednesday, and did my superduper hilly 4 today. Both were OK, I haven't had any more shin problems, thank goodness, but I feel a little weaker/slower for my missed runs, and yes I'm scared for Saturday.

Oh yeah, Jess, large shirt for me por favor.

done.

today was a battle of the wills and the hills. i was not feelin it. could be the fact that i was up from 1am to 2 am and again from 4 am to 6:30am with the fussy babe. it's a good thing he's so darn cute. my mom came the rescue this morning to come watch owey while i ran, so that made it pretty impossible for me to talk myself out of sucking it up and going. i ran 5 miles in about an hour (my watch mysteriously disappeared this morning) - half of it was uphill, half downhill. a comment on that from captain obvious: i much prefer the downhill.
good news is, it's done, it's over, and can't wait to run 9 on saturday. YIKES! oh- i also have run all the way up the big hill on the way back to my house the last 2 times in a row (normally i walk/run up it because it is so steep and i am mentally exhausted by the time i get there.) now that i know i can do it, i almost can't stand to take the wussy way out. hope you all have a good day off tomorrow... relax and enjoy before the torture begins!

morning run

I decided to get the 3 miles done early today. I headed out the door just in time for audra to take her morning nap. She did her job and fell asleep in the stroller. I did mine and ran the 3 miles. I even had time to run to the grocery store and grab some things for dinner tonight before she woke up & it was time to feed her. It's only 9:30am and I feel like I've had a pretty productive day so far...although I do need to shower!

five miles.....check

well, nothing too exciting to report. I ran the 5 miles today instead of yesterday (just worked better with my schedule). I have found a nice loop that is becoming somewhat of regular for me. It has hills (I think we all can agree that we cannot avoid those here in SoCal) but nothing that is too steep or long. Tomorrow's 3 miles should be nice. Jess & I were talking today about how it's funny that we say, "only 3 miles" or "just 4 miles to run". I guess just a sign of our rockstar running status, ladies ;) I'm not sure how I feel about the 9 miles this weekend, though. Jess, wanna run together? Kace?

Nothing new...

Well, nothing too new to report. I missed Tuesday, made up for it today. The baby and the dog were driving me NUTSO so it was actually good to get out of the house where I knew the baby would sleep and the dog would get tired. I decided to take the dog even if it meant I didn't get to go the full five miles because she was driving me crazy and I knew it was because she hadn't been for a walk in days. I NEEDED her tired. So I dragged her to the 4.6 mile turn around and managed about an extra lap around the neighborhood after. I wasn't hurting as bad as Monday, but still don't feel "normal" my foot fell asleep AGAIN, I was so frustrated, and my ankles were hurting a little. We made better time than on Monday but still not great. Oh well. We did it and that is what counts. Hopefully tomorrow's 3 miles will be a little easier on me.
And today was totally worth pushing myself out of the house since baby was much happier after his nap "add on" and dog hasn't done anything annoying since we got home.

out of order.

decided to swap the 3 miles for the 5 miles (thurs) today since my momma is coming to watch owey thursday morning. saved the run till tonight and planned on a quick treadmill jaunt. however, when i got to the gym at 9:15 tonight there was a big sign that said "machines out of order." what the? they can't do that to me! so, i hopped on the eliptical for 30 min and called it good. by the way,have any of you done an eliptical lately? that thing is EASY PEEZY. seriously. i wasn't even sweating. and i was going fast. turns out running has made me hard core. or something like that.

Is this thing on?

Hello? Hello? Where are you people?
4.3 miles. 51 mins. Almost 12 min miles- but I must say I had to walk for almost 10 mins of it. I reversed my route tonight from home and it ended up being the wrong choice. The hills of death ended up being at the end instead of the beginning of my run. Thought I could handle it. Thought wrong. So all things considered- did ok. Glad it's done. It was torture and I came home wondering why I am doing this to myself. Anyone else feel the same?

Following Brooke's advice

I saw this recipe over at Kristi's blog:

National Marathon Baked Ziti
16 oz. ziti pasta
1lb 10 oz. bottle spaghetti sauce (trader joe's has a great one)
6 oz. sliced provolone (or enough to cover 9x13)
6 oz. mozzarella cheese
1 ½ -2 cups sour cream
1 pd. Ground beef
1 onion, chopped
Grated parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions. Brown ground beef and onion. Add spaghetti sauce. Layer as follows in a greased 9x13 pan. Half of the ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream, half of the sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese, and remaining sauce mixture. Top with parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for 30 min. or until cheese is melted.

Anyone want to try it with me on Friday night? I might be out of town (still working the logistics out and running on Sat. is a big issue- running 7,8, or 9 miles in Mesquite, NV sounds terrible.....) but I'm planning on making it no matter where I am.