Sometimes Henry Surprises Me

Yesterday Henry surprised me.  He did something I didn't expect when I was dropping the kids off at the "Amazing Kids Center" at the YMCA.  It was our third day going there.  The previous 2 days Henry had thrown a fit when I dropped them off.  Before getting there yesterday, I asked him if he was going to cry when I dropped him off.  He said no.  So, when I took them in there he started heading for the door and saying he didn't want to go.  I reminded him that he said he wasn't going to cry.  He immediately stopped, changed directions, and walked right in!  He is 2 1/2 so agreeing with mommy isn't something that happens all the time.  But, on a rare occasion it does and I'm thankful for those times!

We Meet Again, Jillian

Now that I'm able to exercise again, I'm eager to start toning my muscles back to pre-baby form. I prefer to run, but my left knee has been bothering me.  It's a total mystery since I haven't exercised at all for so long I don't know why it could possible be hurting.  I just hope it feels better soon so I can get back to running.  I really, really miss it!  And the weather has been so nice I would love to go for a good run out there.

I did the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred video after Henry was born and liked it.  I did level 1 today and it kicked my butt.  The cardio isn't real intense, but the strength portion is hard.  How is it that I can hold Oliver in one arm while I vacuume the entire house, yet it burns like mad when I do shoulder press?  It felt good to get my heart rate up and sweat a little.  Exercising really is a favorite hobby of mine so I'm really looking forward to working back up to being fit again.

Lost Dutchman Marathon

I found out about the Lost Dutchman Marathon today and think I'd rather do this instead of the PF Chang.  I like that the Lost Dutchman is more rural rather than all street running.  I wanna try it!

Swimming

I haven't really worked out much this pregnancy.  I've walked quite a bit, but now it's too hot, even early in the morning, so I renewed our membership at the YMCA so I can exercise indoors.  Well, I decided to try swimming again.  I haven't really swam since the triathlon in October so I thought it would be really hard.  But, it wasn't even hard at all!  I thought I would have to stop to catch my breath after every lap, or more, but I made it through quite a few before I needed to stop.  It felt so good!  I'm not really good at it, but I sure do love it!  I'm really glad a pushed myself to try something new because I never would have known how much I love it unless I tried it!

My Release

Running is totally my stress release.

Last Thursday and I hadn't been out of the house since the Sunday before.  I had my 2 kids, of course, 3 daycare kids, plus Jeni.  I was pretty overwhelmed when 5:45 rolled around and I was expecting the kids to be picked up.  It's a hard time for them to leave because I feed my kids dinner at 5:00, do baths at 6:00, and they go to bed at 7:00.  The daycare kids' parents want them to eat dinner at home, which is fine with me, but it's always a little awkward when I feed my kids, so I usually feed the day care kids too.  So, after a long busy day and dinner, I was really ready for the kids to leave at 5:45 like their parents said.  They weren't picked up until 6:00.  Every minute after the time the parents say they will arrive seems like an hour to me.  I don't mind watching them at all, but when the time comes that the parents said they would pick up the kids, I expect them to leave.

So, when the parents did arrive, I saw something that made me upset and I just had to get out of the house.  All I could think about was how much I wanted to go for a run.  Luckily Devin was already home, so as soon as the kids were picked up, I got my running clothes on and left.  I ran about 3 1/2 miles and loved every moment.  My lungs felt so good, but my left knee and right hip were hurting.  I didn't care.  I just kept going because I needed that time to myself.

I absolutely love running.

Ragnar: Hot Cops

Here is my team at 7:30 am on Friday.  We were just about to start our first runner and it was freezing!  Literally.  30 degrees.

I thought this was great.  I'd say we were ragnasty by the time the race was over.

All geared up for my first leg--8.5 miles averaging 8:30 miles.  Since I didn't really train I didn't set time goals so I was happy with that pace.  My only goal for this race was to finish my legs, which I did!  This leg had hills and I realized that if run this race again I will have to train for hills--they are hard!  (That's a big IF!)

Getting the "baton" for the first exchange.  It was a slap bracelet.  

Action shot

Water break minus the break.

Here's kinda how the race goes.  2 vans with 6 girls each.  The runners in van 1 run their first legs first. Then the runners in van 2 run their first legs.  While your van isn't running, you can eat or sleep.  Sleeping is hard to do.  After my van ran our first legs it was van 2's turn to run their second legs, and so on.  

Here we are at about 2:00 am.  Van 1 just finished their second legs and van 2, my van, was just about to start our second legs.  My van had gotten dinner and slept while van 1 ran their second legs.  We got about 2 1/2 hours of sleep that night before we were up to run again.  That was not the fun part of the experience.  

While my van's first runner ran her 2nd leg, we got word that one of the runners had been hit by a car and killed.  Everyone couldn't believe it.  We were so sad for him and his family.  We were confused as to what they were going to do about the race.  They had everyone stop where they were and wait while they decided. After 2 hours of waiting we were told they were going to continue the race, but not where everyone left off.  We were to go to the exchange to start van 1's third legs.  This meant that all but the first runner in my van (since she finished hers right after we got this news) weren't going to run our second legs.  I'll admit, I was relieved when I realized I wouldn't be running my leg in the dark!  I was totally scared of that.  But, I was bummed I wouldn't be running three legs.  Some of the girls in van 1 were sick and couldn't run so those of us who had to skip our second legs picked up their third legs.  So, instead of my 6.5 mile night run in the dark, I split a 4.2 mile uphill run and ran 2.2 miles of that.  

We did find out later that the runner who was hit did not die.  He was alive, but in the ICU.

Here I am running my last leg (3.4 miles) down in the valley.  Devin got to see me on this leg.  He was so sweet.  He was really looking forward to going to a gun show that day, but he came to watch me finish instead.  He kept driving past me and whistling at me and cheering me on.  

Coming in on my last leg!  I was glad to be done!  My knees were really hurting by then.

It was a fun experience and I'm glad I did it.  I don't anticipate doing it again because running in the dark is pretty much terrifying for me.  But, if I do, it would only be with girls that I know because with all the down time, it would have been much more fun with friends.  There were 3 other girls who didn't know the group so luckily we had each other.  

There were 350 teams.  These are some of my favorite team names:

"Haulin Asphalt"

"Scrambled Legs & Achin'"

"Gently Rolling Hills My A$$..."

"Knights of the Buffet Table"

"Ragnar, huh...welp, see ya later."

"6 Sweaty Chicks & Their Disco Sticks"  (I'm assuming this was a team made up of couples.)

"Bros and Hose"  (This was a team of firefighters we cheered for because we saw them a lot and were keeping pace with them.)

"9 Dudes and 6 Boobs"

"Hot and Sweaty Cact-Asses"

"High Speed Fartleks"  (Fartleks are a running training drill.)

"My Third Leg is the Hardest"

Ragnar

So, I got a text on Sunday night from my aunt asking me if I wanted to "run in a relay called Ragnar" and I could "read about it online."  Of course I knew what Ragnar was!  I was going to run it, but we couldn't get enough girls for a team.  I was little relieved, but mostly bummed to not get to run this relay.  But, it looks like I'm going to be able to run it after all!

I've only run about 5 times since my marathon so I don't think I'm very prepared, though the marathon was only 6 weeks before Ragnar, so maybe it's better that I didn't run much so my muscles could recover.  I'll just tell myself to "keep going" like I did in the marathon.  It worked for that!  But, really, I am a little scared!

Here's what I'm up against:
I'm runner 11.
Running legs 11, 23, and 35.
Distances 8.5 miles, 6.4 miles, 3.5 miles for a total of 18.4 miles.

We are meeting at 4:00 am on Friday morning to drive up.  We start at 7:30 am on Friday and between 12 girls, we will run until sometime on Saturday afternoon/evening, depending on how fast we all run.  The course goes from Prescott to Tempe Marketplace.

Completing this race will mean I competed in a sprint triathlon, half marathon, marathon, and this relay within 5 months.  After that, it's time for a break.  Then, hopefully we can get pregnant and have a little baby girl!

Too Soon

A few days ago I tried running to our mailbox and my hips felt like they felt at about mile 24 of the marathon!  It was too soon for me to start running again.  It was a little bummed, but knew I needed to let my muscles/joints/tendons/bones/organs recover and not push myself before my body was ready.

But... yesterday when I tested again, I felt great!  I ran to the mailbox and was thrilled that my aches and pains were healed!  Now I can't wait to actually "go for a run!"

Mike,
My mailbox is across the street and down like 5 houses--not very far at all.  Does that make it better or worse?

CA Relay

I've been thinking about the race I posted about earlier.  Though I would absolutely LOVE to do it and I think it would be tons of fun, I realized all the expenses associated with traveling are not exactly in the budget right now.  Dang.

Runner's Commandments

I saw this on another blog and like it, so here it is...

The 53 Runner’s Commandments
by Joe Kelly

1. Don’t be a whiner. Nobody likes a whiner, not even other whiners.
2. Walking out the door is often the toughest part of a run.
3. Don’t make running your life. Make it part of your life.
4. During group training runs, don’t let anyone run alone.
5. Keep promises, especially ones made to yourself.
6. When doing group runs, start on time no matter who’s missing.
7. The faster you are the less you should talk about your times.
8. Keep a quarter in your pocket. One day you’ll need to call for a ride.
9. Don’t compare yourself to other runners.
10. All runners are equal, some are just faster than others.
11. Keep in mind that the later in the day it gets, the more likely it is that you won’t run.
12. For a change of pace, get driven out and then run back.
13. If it was easy, everybody would be a runner.
14. When standing in starting lines, remind yourself how fortunate you are to be  there.
15. Getting out of shape is much easier than getting into shape.
16. A bad day of running still beats a good day at work.
17. Talk like a runner.  *Singlets*are worn on warm days. *Tank tops* are worn to the beach.
18. Don’t talk about your running injuries. People don’t want to hear about your sore knee or black toe.
19. Don’t always run alone.
20. Don’t always run with people.
21. Approach running as if the quality of your life depended on it.
22. No matter how slow you run it is still faster than someone sitting on a couch.
23. Keep in mind that the harder you run during training, the luckier you’ll get during racing.
24. Races aren’t just for those who can run fast.
25. There are no shortcuts to running excellence.
26. The best runs sometimes come on days when you didn’t feel like running.
27. Be modest after a race, especially if you have reason to brag.
28. If you say, *Let;s run this race together* then you must stay with that person no matter how slow.
29. Think twice before agreeing to run with someone during a race.
30. There is nothing boring about running. There are, however, boring people who run.
31. Look at hills as opportunities to pass people.
32. Distance running is like cod liver oil. At first it makes you feel awful, then it makes you feel better.
33. Never throw away the instructions to your running watch.
34. Don’t try to outrun dogs.
35. Don’t trust runners who show up at races claiming to be tired, out of share, or not feeling well.
36. Don’t wait for perfect weather. If you do, you won’t run very often.
37. When tempted to stop being a runner, make a list of the reasons you started.
38. Never run alongside very old or very young racers. They get all of the applause.
39. Without goals, training has no purpose.
40. During training runs, let the slowest runner in the group set the pace.
41. The first year in a new age group offers the best opportunity for trophies.
42. Go for broke, but be prepared to be broken.
43. Spend more time running on the roads than sitting on the couch.
44. Make progress in your training, but progress at your own rate.
45. *Winning* means different things to different people.
46. Unless you make your living as a runner, don’t take running too seriously.
47. Runners who never fail are runners who never try anything great.
48. Never tell a runner that he or she doesn’t look good in tights.
49. Never confuse the Ben-Gay tube with the toothpaste tube.
50. Never apologize for doing the best you can.
51. Preventing running injuries is easier than curing them.
52. Running is simple. Don’t make it complicated.
53. Running is always enjoyable. Sometimes, though, the joy doesn’t come until the end of the run.

Runners - Anyone Interested?

Hi fellow runners!

I found a race on May 1-2 in California called The Relay and really want to do it.

12 people, 200 miles, 36 cities

36 legs, 3 - 8.9 miles each

Anyone interested in being on a team with me?  We have to register the team by March 1st.

We need 2 vans and $960 to register a team, plus $600/team ($50/runner) to donate to Organs R Us.  (Total $130 runner)

I have to run it by Devin, but I found it and got so excited I had to see if anyone is even interested.  I wanted to do Ragnar, but we didn't quite get enough people.  I am more interested in The Relay because it's in California and the course sounds so beautiful.  Also, because it is in May, instead of February, I think the weather will be better.  (Better means more like what I'm used to.)

Let me know!!!

Gym Thoughts

My mind tends to wander while I'm on the treadmill.  These are some of the thoughts that occupied my mind during my past few runs...

Sweat on chapped hands
Since winter has come in AZ my hands have been so dry and recently they got so bad they cracked in a few spots.  When I run and my hands start sweating it burns my poor little knuckles.

Sweat drops making me itch
As my body gets warmed up and my head starts sweating I can feel the little droplets running down my scalp and it so itchy!  Until my whole head is damp with sweat, I am constantly scratching!

Sweat on my earphones
Another sweat issue...One thing I love is when I drop my earphones for a bit and when I put them back in they are all wet from the sweat dripping down them (sarcasm, in case you didn't catch it).

Heart rate reader on Treadmill
There is one treadmill at the Y that's a little shady.  When it's not being used it flashes an estimated heart rate.  The rest of the machines sit with a blank screen.  I just wonder what's up with that...

Guess What They Look Like game
A little game I like to play is to try to guess what the people look like on the machines in front of me.  At our Y, the elliptical machines are behind the bikes and the treadmills are behind the elliptical machines.  So, if I get there and people are working out on the machines in front of me, I try to guess what they look like.  It's kinda entertaining.

Shower curtain
I discovered that showering at the Y is the greatest idea.  If I shower at home I have to worry about the boys...are they going to get hurt, fight, raid the candy bowl, etc.  I could shower when Henry naps and Jaxon watches a movie, but then I'm using precious "my time" to shower.  So, I leave the boys in the kids center for a few extra minutes and enjoy a worry-free shower all to myself.  But...the shower curtains are in desperate need of replacements.  The holes at the top that the rings go through are breaking and the metal rings are rusting.  They don't stay closed very well because of the broken holes unless you stuff it between your stall and the next.  It works, but I figure with what people pay per month for a membership, they can afford to get new curtains.

Toenails
I was told that marathoners often lose toenails.  Well, I was doing good until this past week with the 2nd 16 miler.  The toes next to my big toes on both feet feel like they are going to lose their nails.  It's kinda freaking me out.  It hurts to wear socks and really hurts when little Henry steps on them.  I'm not sure what to do about it.  I don't think my shoes are too small.  They have been fine all this time.  I thought it was just from running so many miles.  Does anyone know of a solution?  Do tell.  Please!

GU
Gu is my new best friend.  Chocolate is so yummy:)

Oma
My Oma (means Grandma in German) is the best.  She watches the kids pretty much every Saturday so I can do my long run.  (Devin has wrestling practice.)  I love her and she is fabulous!

6 more weeks of training and then it's the RACE!!!

Marathon 2nd Thoughts...

So...training has been really though lately.  Mentally tough.

I love running, but when it takes literally ALL of my free time, and time with my boys and husband, I don't love it so much.

Since I watch kids now from 7 am to almost 6 pm, I have to do my runs at night.  That means they are during my time with the boys (without the daycare kids) and time with Devin.

Then, my long runs are on Saturdays, which take up most of the morning.

It has just been really wearing on me.  I am not a quitter so I won't stop now.  I have come so far!  Only one more milage increase...18...and I'll be at the longest of the training runs.  After doing 16 last week, it's hard to imagine adding 10 to that to equal the race distance.

In the book I'm reading, The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer, page 72 says,

"When the moment comes in the marathon when you feel you can't go on...you will go on anyway because you have done it so many times in the past and because of that, you will believe that you can do it again."

This is SO true!  When I am running and running and running and want to stop, I tell myself something like, "You have felt this way before and didn't stop so you CAN'T stop now!" and it keeps me going!

I do love running, I just gotta get out of this funk.  I ordered new shoes because by now mine have almost 200 miles just from the past 9 weeks of training and within the next week they will have over 230, so that might help mix things up a bit.  Though, they are the same shoes I have, so I guess that's not much for mixing things up.  But, I did order this blister powder that might help my blisters go away.  They seem to be permanent.  At least they aren't painful anymore, but they do make my usually cute toes look ugly.

Half + .9 = 14

Yep, a half marathon plus eight tenths of a mile equals fourteen miles.  That was the run today and it was serious!  Good thing Gu tastes like chocolate pudding--yummy!  My hips were okay, but under my butt hurt like under my hip bones???  I don't know what that's about.  And now I'm having a weird pain in my right inner thigh that isn't like any other pain I've had before.  I hope it goes away because every time I move my leg it hurts...yikes!  Oh, and my face got a little sun because it took quite a while and I'm getting a little congested...noooooo!  I hate a stuffy nose!  (I don't mean to complain, I'm just documenting my ailments during training.)

Only 4 more miles and we'll be at our longest training run.  I can't believe we are this close!  I ran today with my mom and Louisa.  Those ladies rock!

Oh, and today we helped Devin's sis and her husband move into their new house.  It's super cute and the best part is that it's only 10 minutes away from us!  Yea!

Now, it's time to take a hot bath!

The Results Are In...

At the half marathon I ran 13.1 miles in 1:44:58. That averages out 8:01 a mile.

I came in 43rd out of 269 runners. I was the 12th female runner and 4th in my age bracket.

I'm pretty proud of myself! I hoped to make it under 2 hours, so I was very surprised and excited to see my time as I crossed the finish line.

It rained on us for a little bit. As the rain washed down my face it tasted salty. I don't think I've every prayed so hard for it to NOT rain than I did then. My hip also started hurting before the half way point. It's an old injury I first got my junior year. I'll be taking Glucosamine from now on.

Devin was there with Jaxon and Henry. They were so cute in the stroller all confused about why mommy was running like a crazy person. My Aunt Alisa and Uncle Danny and their 3 little ones were there for the whole race moving from spot to spot to cheer for me. They were even out there in the rain. It really meant a lot to me and I almost bawled every time I saw them. My grandpa lives near the course so he rode his bike and caught me once along my run to cheer me on. That almost made me burst into tears too! But each time I saw one of them, it made me run harder and do better.

I am excited for the marathon. It's hard to imagine running twice as far as I just did without stopping. But, when I started the training I never thought I could run 13 without stopping so it just takes time to build up to.

The results website also had this info:
4 Mile 32:03
10 Mile 1:19:15

It's Tomorrow!

7:00 am tomorrow I'll be running my guts out in the half marathon!

Well, hopefully I don't actually lose my guts, but I'll be running hard!

Poor Little Piggies

2 blisters on this foot

And 3 on this foot

But I still love running!

Update: I guess my left little pinky toe heard you weren't cool unless you had a blister, so it decided to grow one too! That makes 6!

10 Miles!

Yep, this week the long run was 10 miles. I ran it yesterday and I absolutely loved every second of it. Call me crazy, I know, right? But I felt so good through the whole run. My hips got a little tired at about the 8th mile, but my muscles and lungs stayed strong. I ran it with my mom (she's doing the marathon too). We averaged less than 10 minute miles. It was pretty cold outside, but I felt so good. I was able to really speed up the last half mile and finish strong. I think running on the treadmill for part of my training makes me really appreciate the chances I have to run outside. Today, I still feel good, but I can tell my knees are a little tired.

After I got home and took my shoes off this is what I found...Future star runner!

I guess he likes to point at the camera now.

When he gets tired he stands like this...I have no idea why he does it, but it's so funny!

This is totally random, but the other day I was making dinner--yep, I'm not kidding--and I was looking for something in the spice cupboard and just couldn't find it. Then I realized I was sifting through about 50 cans of spray oil, so I pulled them all out. This was what we had in there...

I snapped a pic and left them there for Devin to pick out what he wanted to keep. He did and put them away. But...I haven't cooked since, so I'm not sure how many are in there now!

8 Miles, Baby!

I'm proud to say Louisa and I ran 8 miles today! Farthest yet! Go us!

Tri it! You might like it!

This weekend was the 1st Annual San Tan Triathlon! I loved it! Well, parts of it:) Like, the swimming, running, and finishing part, but not so much the biking part. Originally I wasn't going to participate because of my marathon training (and the fact that I didn't even know how to swim, nor did I own I bike), but I decided, what the heck? It could be fun! It was and I'm SO glad I did it!

There were 27 participants. The winner had a time of 1:13:45. I came in 9th overall, 4th out of the 13 women, with a time of 1:35:30.

I am really proud of myself! Swimming and biking were both things I had never done before, so to learn how and practice then see improvement was exciting! The improvement was mostly on the swimming part. The 400 meter swim took me over 10 minutes the first time. On race day, I swam in 8:26. It's 2 seconds slower than my best, but I had to stop once for a few seconds because Jaxon was about to jump in after me!

I was so much fun to race again. I haven't competed in 5 years (since high school). The night before I couldn't go to sleep! I think if it had been running only I might not have been so nervous, but since I've never competed in swimming and biking, especially at the same time, I didn't know exactly what to expect. Once I got there and it was about to start, my nerves calmed down and I wasn't so worried.

The transition from swimming to biking wasn't too bad. I didn't towel off much, but it didn't take long to dry. I took a few extra minutes getting my iPod on, but I wanted to have the music. My legs were pretty tired on the bike and it was SO windy I felt like I wasn't going anywhere! Oh it took forever to bike those 11 miles! That was the hardest part--biking in strong winds. There were times where I was actually talking out loud to myself to pick it up. I had a chocolate GU packet stashed in my bra that I gulped down during those hard moments. That helped.

The transition from biking to running, now that was tough. My legs wanted to quit, but I wouldn't let them. After a few minutes, I was able to get into my pace I was enjoying myself. It was a little warmer than I'd like, but not bad. I love running. I really do.

Oh, a few times I actually had to turn around because I realized I had gone the wrong way! That was a bummer since I lost time.

My sweet husband and kids were there to support me. My brother came from school to see me finish and my mom, who had worked from 3:00 pm to 1:00 am the previous day was there before it started to help me get set up and plan my transitions. My dad had to work, or I know he would have been there to support me too. Devin, the boys, and my mom drove along the way and cheered me on at certain points. That was helpful and so sweet. I have an awesome family and I'm so thankful they were there. It really meant a lot.

My number 1 fan

About to start...

I was in the first lane so he was able to run along side me. It was so cute!

On the bike

Just dropped the bike and off to run. Notice the wet spot...I didn't pee. It's from my seat where my shorts didn't dry.

Right after I finished

Rehydrating

Jaxon playing with my iPod

Henry being supportive

My brother and mom

Not all, but most of the group