1/2 Marathon

I did it!! I finished the 1/2 marathon. I ran in my neighborhood to get all of the 13.1 miles in. I decided to do this because I wanted to do the Disney 1/2 Marathon that was on the same weekend. I couldn't afford it. It was crazy expensive. So, I decided to train with my cousins anyway and still do a half on the same weekend that they would do their race.

It almost feels anticlimactic because I have finished a marathon. However, during the marathon I was walking most of it. I was planning to walk the whole thing until I realized it was going to take forever so I decided to run the last 10.6 miles. That 10.6 miles was the longest I had run before. And I had so many breaks in those 10.6 miles for stretching and resting for water that it doesn't feel the same as running the whole thing would feel. Still an accomplishment to finish one though. I won't take anything away from actually finishing it.

So back to the 1/2 marathon. This was an effort to run pretty much the whole way. I know myself and know that occasionally I will have to walk. Even if it's only like 30 seconds of walking, I know occasionally I will need to do that. I ran the first half only stopping 3 times. The first half was so nice. Easy running because it was overcast and cool out. The last half was so much sunnier and I felt like I was getting heat exhaustion. I am prone to that so it wasn't surprising to me.

My house was the half way point so that I could stop for water and something to eat (graham cracker). I knew my grandparent's house was on the way too so I could stop for water if I needed to also. I didn't feel like I needed it when I passed their house the second time, but by the time I got to the trail again I was dying. My legs and feet were actually fine. It was the heat that was the problem. I kept finding shade to walk in when I could. I was about 2-3 miles from finishing but felt so lethargic. At some point I decided that I might have to walk the rest to finish it. I kept doing little bursts of running trying to get started again but would just be so exhausted that I would have to walk again.

At one point I was praying, "God, please let someone be outside." Right around the corner some lady was outside watering her garden. I went up to her and asked her if I could drink some water from her hose. She said yes, but then insisted she get me a water bottle instead. (Since this was a stranger, I did notice that it was sealed before I opened it.) haha She talked to me about seeing me running before and that she was going to do her first 5K soon. It was so refreshing to get some water and I couldn't wait to finish. At that point I only had about 3/4 of a mile or less to finish. I did get a couple more running bursts in, but was just too wiped out.

I finished it!!! And as soon as I sat on my porch i could feel my heels start to hurt. Thankfully they didn't hurt at all during the run. But as soon as I got up I already couldn't walk very well.  Lots of resting and a couple days later and I could finally walk without pain. lol

At the end of it I felt this sense that I wouldn't ever do long runs again. I just was over it. But now I'm not quite so sure. The thought of running longer again is tempting, but I guess I will just see how it goes. I haven't run since. I did get orthodics today so I'm hoping that will start the healing process for my heels. At the very least I will continue running my 5Ks. Those are my favorites. But I have a feeling I'll do some longer ones too.

Mental note, pick a day that will be overcast to do a long run. Or run earlier or later with lights or reflectors or something. Especially an almost 3 hour run. I started at 6:15 in the morning hoping to have it all be fairly cool. The beginning was awesome and my run was good, but as it got hotter it was harder for sure.

So, no race medal or running through Disneyland, but I still did it anyway. And now I can say I have done it. It does make me want to do it all running though. ahh, maybe. I don't know yet. We'll see.

My time was 2 hours 55 minutes. Even with all of that walking. I was hoping for under 2 hours 30 minutes running most of it. So, that's pretty good considering I had to walk pretty much all of the last 2-3 miles.

10 on Tuesday

1. The 1/2 Marathon is only a week and a half away. I did a 5K last night to keep with the training. I'm only doing shorter runs until the actual thing. My right leg especially (and my left heel) is really not appreciating the long runs.

2. The last long run I did was 9 miles. It was so much better doing it with a friend. Thanks Kristin! It made the time seem to go by faster. Plus it probably helped that it was a new route and we were hoping to remember it. The first part of it was the loop I will be doing for the 1/2 marathon. I wanted to try it out so I wasn't doing it and getting lost next week. We had to stop at a friend's house for water. I had some graham cracker with me too so I had a little of that and some nice cold water and we were on our way again. I'm glad our house is the mid way point for next week so I can stop for some much needed energy and hydration. If I need to, a few friend's houses are on the way too.

                Boo!!
3. A very stressful update for you today. My hubby did not get one of the 7 positions (out of 12 people trying to keep their jobs). So he only has a job until the end of September. There are several other locations of his company that he is applying to but all of those other locations we would have to move. No fun. I do not want to move. But I guess you do what you have to do, right? He is applying for a lot of jobs not at Chevron too (and has been since he first found out about the possibility).

This was taken on the day of her photo shoot.

4. We have a beach ball that is deflated. It must have a hole in it. But it's sentimental because it was the one that the director gave to Courtney on her photo shoot for Oprah Magazine. She gave it to her because she did so well. So, I normally would just trash the thing, but it's sentimental. So, I keep blowing it back up. lol

This picture was taken when Skyler was 2. She figure out how to dribble a ball all by herself. All over the yard.

5. Skyler starts soccer this weekend. This is her first organized sport (with a team). She's done gymnastics before so I don't want to forget about that, but this is her first team. She is on a green team with no name so far. Her daddy and cousin will be her coaches. It's so fun knowing so many people on the team.

6. Be prepared for cute water pictures. We are going to Splash on Friday. We are so excited. This is our first time going. The girls have been saving up for this and the tooth fairy made it finally hit enough to go. Splash is a small, overpriced, waterpark near our house. (Assuming Skyler is feeling better by then.)

The first one was taken after her front top 2 came out. The bottom one is after one on the bottom came out. (Sorry so blurry. It was with my phone.) So, now it looks like she has 4 out. One of them is starting to peek through on the bottom. She has lost 6 teeth all together now.

7. Courtney lost 3 teeth last week!!! So insane. She lost her front top 2 last Thursday when her daddy was playing a game with her and her sister. They got scared and ran into each other and they fell out. Thankfully they were already loose. One was practically falling out (she just needed to pull) and the other wasn't as loose. The third came out when we were at a birthday party on Sunday. What's the going rate on your tooth fairy? All I want for Christmas is my 4 front teeth!

8. Tonight is Skyler's "Read-To-Me" Reading Club party. Sadly, she will not be going. She's just too sick. Poor thing. She was up all night coughing last night and she looks sick right now. I hope she sleeps tonight. For all all of our sanity. We stayed home and mommy did face painting just like they wanted to do at the party.

9. I am reading the last book in the Twilight Saga, "Breaking Dawn". Ahh...so fun. It's my favorite book of the series. Finally things start happening that you seem to be waiting for the whole time. It's been fun re-reading the whole series.

10. We have some pretty awesome table names this year for MOPS. They are some of my favorite words. What are some of your favorite words? I'm thinking I shouldn't give it away just yet. Suspense and all. :)

10 on Tuesday

A little late. Who cares? lol

1. I have been so busy these past few days getting stuff done for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). Especially yesterday and today. It's a good thing. A little stressful at times, but overall good. Since I am coordinating it with Danielle we have had so many things to do lately. A massive check off list of sorts. :) Thankfully, I am very organized when it comes to this stuff. That's just in my nature to do that. It's awesome seeing it all come together and getting together with all of my friends. I love those women.

2. Ok, well I already confessed my gain from last week (.4)..but look out everyone. This week is going to be awesome. I'm not going to spill the beans yet. But I have already been doing great. This writing down everything you eat is really working. What a concept! lol

3. I ran a 5K last night. I'm happy to report that my foot/heel feels fine. It definitely likes the shorter distances better. First of all I can't believe I'm calling a 5K a short distance. I said the same thing about a 10K the other day. Because compared to the longer ones I have been doing, those feel short now. I caught myself saying it too. Weird. I am so thankful it's ok today. My leg on the other hand is hurting. It started giving me a tiny bit of trouble on my 10K last Saturday but got better and I didn't think anything of it. Then almost the whole 5K last night it was hurting. Especially at the end. It's at the top of my leg like around it. I wonder if that is the hip flexors. I'll be resting tonight and tomorrow for my long run on Friday. 9 miles this week. EEEK!!

4. How does my house become a mess so fast. Oh wait! I can tell you. 2 kids who run around taking things out and not putting them back. ahh At least their rooms are still clean.

5. Not sure how healthy this is, but everyone asks for my meatball recipe. It's really not a recipe at all. Just putting a couple things together. It's totally cheating, but everyone thinks they are divine. 2 packages of frozen meatballs (Italian is the best....yes totally cheating), one bottle of Masterpiece BBQ sauce, Dr. Pepper That's it folks. You put the meatballs in the crock pot. Then pour in the bbq sauce until you cover all of them. You'll have to stir it around a little. Then pour in the Dr. Pepper until it reaches the height of the meatballs. Put on low for several hours or on high for a few.

6. I want to get one of these SpiBelts. So awesome. That way I can carry my phone with me and my key without worrying about needing a phone on my runs or my key coming off my shoe.

7. I just changed my picture for the header for my blog. I kept wanting to change it since I look so different. The last one was from Easter.

8. As of right now Skyler wants to be a black kitty cat for Halloween. (She got the idea from Dora's Halloween DVD). Courtney wants to be Jack Skellington (from Nightmare Before Christmas). Why she wants to be Jack and not Sally? I don't know. lol I'm sure they will change their minds before then. I'm really surprised how long they have said they want to be these 2 things. Quite a while.

9. Wow, it's hot here. We didn't have to have our ac on for a week and now I had to put it on. It's on 80 degrees and still the ac can't keep up with it. Actually, right now I'll go turn it off again and open the windows again. We get a good cross breeze here.

10. I've been trying to drink a lot more water lately. And since that's really all I drink, that's an even better thing. Occasionally I'll have a Sprite Zero, but I can't have too much of it or it will make me sick. Speaking of water....gulp

7 Mile Run!!!

7 Miles!!!

I did my first 7 mile run. I have done 7 before, but not running pretty much the whole thing. The only time before was at the relay for life and I was constantly stopping to get water and to stretch. This run was pretty much a run the whole time. I only stopped like 5 times for lights and to catch my breath. I counted that time against me too (except the lights where I couldn't even walk if I wanted to). At those I just paused the sportband.

I finished in 1 hour 20 minutes and 16 seconds. I was very proud of that. I kept my 5K pace throughout the whole 7 miles. I was shocked and surprised.

I decided to map it out ahead of time to see where I could run. Then it was getting late and I was losing daylight. So, I only mapped part of it. I did an extra loop at the beginning and a few cul de sacs along the way to add to the miles. I got back from the mapped part and was to my house at 4.95 miles. So I knew I had roughly 2 more to go. It was starting to get dark so I had to stay close to home. I looped around a few blocks then came back. I then just stuck to the sidewalk that is across the street from my house. It was too dangerous for me to run on the street. Especially since I was wearing all black (except my shoes). The rest of the run was rather boring because I was just going back and forth on my street and the one next to it on the side walk back and forth.

A few interesting things happened. I only got chased by one dog this time. Once again, it was a little one and a new one. So, mental note, don't go down that cul de sac again. Seriously, why are they out? You can tell they are just protecting their house, but really? Keep them inside or on a leash if you're outside with them.

O

Ok, I want to know why these say they are free clipart, royalty free...but then they put a big watermark on it??

GROSS!! A bug went up my nose....eeeeeeewww. Thankfully it went right back out as I essentially snorted it out. eeeeewwww Of course the natural reaction would be to snot shot it out. But what I wasn't expecting was that I then needed to blow my nose because I had more just waiting to come out. So gross. I of course didn't have any so I had to get it off my nose. I sorta blew my nose on the inside lower part of my shirt. NEVER thought I would do that! But I wasn't right near home to just go in and blow it real quick. And I didn't want to stop. I'm going to have to keep a running list of all of these random things one could need when on a run outside. It's kinda hilarious. Gross, but funny. Great stories to tell my hubby and kids when I get home. This time the kids were already asleep so I told my hubby. He laughed.

I also felt very clumsy. Maybe it was because it was so dark. Or my muscles were tired but I almost fell twice. Like tripped and caught myself, should have gone down, but somehow didn't.

I might need to start going on the trail. It has several signals but at least it wouldn't be a million streets to cross without signals. Also, it seems a little safer there for a longer run. There are constant people on it so if anything happened. Chances are someone would find me.

I have been thinking about safety a lot now that I am doing longer runs and more things are happening on my runs. So far I haven't been running with a phone. BAD IDEA. I don't like it at all. I want to get one of those little packs (kinda like a fanny pack but smaller and for runners). It stretches out to hold whatever. My phone could fit so at least I could call for help.

Some possible things you might need when you run:
Phone
Mace or stick
Tissue
Road ID
Gels or whatever you take for more energy on long runs (Do any of you do that? I bet it has too much fructose for me.)
Headband for sweat?


FYI: Trying to catch up on blogging after being on vacation.

All Star 5K

What a fun race this was! It was my first ever 5K race and my second race ever. My first race was a 10K. This was a HUGE race. There were over 10,000 participants. Thankfully they had us spread out a little to start. That really could have been coordinated better though. There was a tiny little sign off to the left saying that if you could do 10 min. miles to start there. That's where Shauna and I started. We were in the second group. There were so many people crossing the barrier that should not have been in the group ahead. So, even though we were supposedly a slower group starting second, we were passing walkers when we did start.

There were several baseball players and people from each of the charities that were being supported at this event. They were all cancer charities. Jillian Michaels was there speaking to us. I could hear her voice booming out, but couldn't really see her til we got started. She told us she was proud of us that we got there at 7 in the morning to run. She brought her friend with her who had just "beat breast cancer". The first group was allowed to go and then they moved the second group up. I'm assuming there was another group behind us too. When we got to the start line we could see Jillian. She was being mobbed by people by then so I could only see the side of her face. Plus, she's so short it would be easy to not see her at all. Now I know from seeing her why Bob calls her Mouse.

We all had chips on our shoes to tell them when we started and when we crossed the finish line so that it didn't really matter which group you started with. I really liked that because it was more accurate. I loved that my Nike+ was only 2 seconds off. And considering that after you cross is when I'm holding the thing down to stop it, that's 2 seconds right there. So, it's exactly right with the time.

The actual race was good. I started off way too fast. I was dying by 1/4 mile. I was like, what the heck am I doing? So many people were passing me. I just had to remain focused and remember that I had to go at my pace. I was not actually racing these people. I was in competition with myself. There were only 2 up hills so that made the course easier. What was awesome was when we got to go on the field. Since the race was at Angel Stadium, they let us run on the warning track of the field. That's the outside edge of the field (all the way around it). I touched the green wall and the dugout. It was fun. We were so close during that part though so it was hard to go at your normal speed through there. They had us all pass a camera (that went to the jumbo screen). By the time you notice the camera you already missed yourself on the screen. Oh well. They were calling out names and where people were from while we were in there too. Since we had our chips on, they knew who was actually in there. That was near the end of the race.

Jillian was supposed to be at the finish line cheering us on, but I never saw her. I was sooooo looking forward to this. I wanted to hear her cheering. Come on! Keep going! You've got this! Faster! DIDN'T HAPPEN. Oh well....maybe she was there for the big finishers and left before our group went through. I did however get my medal handed to me by Tim Salmon!! That meant a lot more to my hubby than me. lol It would have meant more from Jillian. I know I know...I'm obsessed with Jillian. It's ok. I just would love to meet her. She has inspired me so much. The medals were pretty nice too. Actually medal. I was thinking they were going to be plastic with how many they had to buy.

My time was 34 minutes 26 seconds. This was my second fastest 5K yet. (And my fastest running outside/not on a treadmill) I was VERY proud of my time. I was even more excited about the possibility that I have increased my pace. This was the second 5K in a row (this week) that I had done in the 34 minute mark so I am hoping this is a trend. I used to constantly be doing 35 or 36 minutes so this would be awesome. Shauna was much faster than me. I believe her time was 30 minutes 36 seconds.

Shauna and I walked around and found Scott working afterward. He was working the booth that had all of the race times on the computers. He helped look ours up for us. It was fun to find him while he was volunteering among the masses of people.

Michelle, Me, Shauna

We also found our friend Michelle there. I actually knew a bunch of people who were at this race, but we only found Michelle. Thankfully she took a picture. :) It was so fun to talk to her about her race experience too.

We waited in a couple lines to check out some of the sponsor stuff. I had my run checked out and found out that I need a stability shoe. I forget what he called it. Inward Instep or something like that. It was fun. We even got some awesome burritos on the way home. :) It was a fun experience and I would do it again.

I finished a MARATHON!!!!!

That's right, baby! I finished a MARATHON!!! 

 I can't believe I am even saying that. But it's true. 

This is going to be long...but what an adventure.

Let's start at the beginning. Saturday was the Relay for Life. The Relay for Life is a 24 hour relay to raise money for the American Cancer Society. I came to honor those who have passed on and to those currently battling cancer. I came for Grandma, Monica, and Jenn who have lost their battles. I came for my Grandpa who is currently at stage 4 with prostate cancer. It has taken over and is in his bones now too.

A HUGE thank you to those who have donated through me to help me make my goal, but to ultimately to help find a cure for this horrible disease. Shauna, Kathi, Oralia, Stacey, Beth, Veronica, Jacoba, & Grandma thank you for making it happen.

 

Our team sign on the field.

I really just wanted to show up and support everyone. To be part of Team WACC (from my church) and give back. I had no goals in mind of what would happen that day. I just knew we would take turns walking around the track. One of the rules of the relay is that someone from the team has to be on the track (with their spirit stick) for the whole 24 hours because "cancer never sleeps".

 My family walking

The first couple laps were very leisurely. My whole family was there. The kids were wanting to run ahead, but we were just walking today. I kept getting the feeling like it made me want to run, but I kept thinking that I would just walk so I wouldn't get sore or exhausted. We would take breaks and come and sit for a bit. Or help with one of the booths that our team was running to help earn more money. I helped with the ring toss game. Eventually my family left and I stayed and walked some more. 

 Trish and I

My friend Tricia came to support me and some other people she knew there. It was so fun to walk with her. We had a great time. Especially by the guys trying to get us to buy some "Ice. Cold. Pickles." We laughed so hard. Seriously? Pickles? I'm hot and I think I want a pickle? But the guys were so funny in their t-shirts with coconut bras on top dancing trying to get us to buy pickles. lol So, every time we went buy we did the little dance and said "Ice Cold Pickles". They loved it and kept looking for us to go around the track again.

My family came back for lunch time. We had a potluck with our team and Scott made some delicious brownies. WAY too good to not sample. Plus, I was walking so much. I could have one. ;) My mom was even there before I was. Somewhere in there I heard my friend (and teammate) Nancy talk about what her goal for the day was. She had done 20 miles last year and wanted to complete a marathon this year (26.2 miles). That got the idea in my head. For some reason I was thinking at one point that 7 miles would be cool to hit because I have never done that much. Then I started thinking 10 was a nice round number. Especially since the miles were coming so fast it seemed. Now I had a new challenge. The thought of her doing a marathon enticed me to think about if I had it in me to even try. So, I started thinking about it.

We did a few more laps and eventually decided it was time to go. I had just finished 6.6 miles. We had a graduation party to go to for a good friend. And we couldn't miss it. Thankfully I got a shower to get off all of that sunscreen/dirt/sweat. It had been so hot I think I re-applied 4 times and still got a little burnt. So, we went to the wonderful party and got a chance to relax. I told Scott that I thought I was going to go for it and try to do a marathon. I hadn't really fully made up my mind before that. Then I started thinking, why not? I have all night that people will be there walking. I'll just keep going until I hit it. On the way back to our house I decided to put it on my facebook status as well that I was going to go for it. This also gave me more motivation just knowing that others knew I was going for it as well.

(Yes, my pants had dirt on them from the track.)

I got back to the track at about 7pm. Initially I walked thinking I could do this all walking. I was feeling good. I started noticing some of my muscles feeling the walking though. Like maybe I was trying to walk too fast sometimes. I got the chance to talk to Nina for several laps as well. This was so wonderful.

It turns out that 3 of us (that I knew of) were going for a marathon. Nancy, Anna, and myself. Nancy was the first to accomplish this goal. She was way ahead of me when I got back. I got to walk her last laps with her. It was great! Then Anna and I took the torch (quite literally). Our spirit stick was a torch that lit up with a flashlight inside. She only had a few miles left to reach her goal. I got to see her finish her goal as well.

At some point I started thinking about the fact that this was going to take FOREVER if I walked the whole thing. So, with 10.6 miles left to go, I ran the rest of the marathon. It was invigorating. What was so amazing was that I didn't feel winded AT ALL. My lungs felt great. I had my inhaler at my chair just in case of course. I kept getting people cheering me on too. Most people were NOT running, so the random runner got cheers. That was fun. Even the pickle boys.

My mom and aunt (after the marathon was over).

I would come in to our team area to stretch, eat, and drink water. I knew I had to keep track of my blood sugar. Then I would go right back out to finish running. I don't remember what time it was, but my mom showed back up to support me. She told me she wanted to witness me finish a marathon. I was so excited to have a personal supporter. Then Aunt Maureen shows up too. How awesome is that?! Someone had to watch the kids, so Scott was with them. Probably a good thing too, cuz he was falling asleep at the computer while I was running. lol

The Luminaria Ceremony started and they turned off all of the stadium lights. ahh I was a bad girl and didn't watch the whole ceremony. I was so antsy to get back out there and finish this thing. One of the laps was where everyone goes around in the dark with just the light of the little bags (with glow sticks inside) all around the track were. They all had been decorated by a loved one and dedicated to someone. There was a huge word (spelled with the luminaries) on one side of the stadium that said "HOPE" and then a little later they changed it to "CURE" and then back to "HOPE" again. I was beginning to wonder if they would turn the lights back on again.

That's when I saw that Shauna was there. She came out to support a bunch of us (and in honor of her sister). Her nephew Evan was with our team walking in memory of his mom, Jenn. And her sister, Kristin, was there walking in memory of their sister, Jenn. Shauna and I got to walk a few laps together too. I'm now realizing it was sometime after this that I started running. Sometime during our walk they turned on half of the stadium lights back on again. Woho! (That was short lived.)

So, I started running. The middle of the stadium was filled with tarps and tents galore for people who were sleeping in shifts. Perhaps them and the neighbors needed the lights off. Because the lights suddenly turned off. Boo!! It was so hard to see while running on the track at night. Even with the light from the Luminaries. About half way through the running part my ipod stopped working. I hadn't needed it with the walking because I was usually walking with someone and talking. But the running was all me. Oh well, perhaps it was better this way so that not more than one sense was diminished. It was already hard to see, let alone only hearing my music.

The last 5 miles approximately were the hardest. I started needing to stretch more often and eventually my sciatica started acting up. I kept trying to stretch it out and keep running. That worked for a few laps. Then I needed to walk intermittently because I was pretty much limp/running. I could barely walk on my right leg, let alone run on it. So, I would stretch and get back out there hoping to be able to break into a run again. I did each time, but it became harder and harder. Since there was hardly any light, I could barely see my Nike+ Sportband readout of how many miles I was at. (Even with a glow stick on that wrist.) So, I had to stop by the light of the bathrooms to see it and calculate where I was at. 6.6 + whatever it said. This is hard to do when your mind isn't focused.

My mom and aunt kept encouraging me to keep going. Reminding me of how close I was. Trust me, there was NO WAY I was not going to finish this. I was determined. Even if I had to walk and limp to finish it. I did, however finish it running. I even told Scott that I wasn't coming home until it was done. :) Since I hadn't just checked the miles, I didn't think I was quite finished when I came to my mom and aunt holding up their hands across like a finish line. They were so cute. That was something I will never forget. I kept calculating it in my head thinking I still had a little bit to run, but each time kept coming up with over what a marathon is. I was right. I had done 26.25 miles!!! We took pictures to commemorate this special occasion. It was an awesome feeling. And a huge sigh to be done. Well, almost. I had to still walk to the car. lol You would think after doing all of that, that the walk to the car would be nothing. But as I was taking the picture I could feel myself starting to feel like I was going to fall over. Thankfully there was some quick sugar handy (licorice) and I ate that on my way to the car.

I finished at 1:50am. It took 7 hours and 15 minutes. My sportband has a pause button so that it was only calculating time that I was walking and running so that I could save the battery life. I already had to charge it while we were at the graduation. And that way it wasn't counting the time we were eating lunch as time it took to walk/run.

All done!! I'm holding the pole because I feel like I'm going to fall over.

Wow, I can't even believe it. I just started running in February. This is June. Even if you just account for the time that I was running (10.6), that's still way higher than I have ever done before. Ever since my friend, Amy, challenged me to start thinking about doing a half marathon, that would be held this September, I started running more. At that point I was only at about 4 minutes running at a time. She challenged me to think beyond what I thought was possible. And to think that I feel ready to run one now. Of course, I will have to keep conditioning before then, but to complete a marathon just fathoms my mind. I thought I would shoot for a 1/2 marathon and always thought it was just crazy to ever think of doing a marathon. And now I have done one.

Just think about the things we think we are not capable of achieving. I challenge you to reach higher and farther than you think is possible. Set a goal higher and push yourself to get there. We are capable of doing so much more than we give ourselves credit for.

Go for it!

19 Miles

A pic of Scott and I at the zoo yesterday.

Skyler and I at a party on Thursday. I did my hair after being slightly wet and just letting it look natural. I have a natural wave in mine but haven't ever tried to have it stay that way. I always blow dry it straight. It was fun to be different.

I had a rockin' week for exercise. I managed to do 19 miles!!!!!!!!! I don't think I have ever done that. On top of that I also did a 30 Day Shred Level 3. Yesterday I wore my Nike+ SportBand at the zoo so I would get credit for all of the miles that we walked. We ended up doing 3.3 miles there.

This weekend is going well so far with eating. I managed to lose after yesterday so hopefully I can keep that all off today and make it keep going lower for weigh in on Friday. Obstacle Day 3 is here and we have a bbq happening. Not sure what kind of foods I will be able to have since I have no idea what's on the menu.


Now on to the Summer Slimmin' Challenge update. See above for how the workouts are going. I also am doing great on getting more water and eating my 5 a day. I think I will be losing this week too. So that's the update on that one.

100 Miles

I put my Nike+ Sportband in my computer to upload my run and this guy shows up telling me that I have hit 100 miles (since getting my Nike+ system). WOW!! I had no idea it was that high. That feels like such an accomplishment.

I finally was able to calibrate my Sportband/Sensor so that it is more accurate. I did this on the trail by my house. It's already marked with distances. I ran .6 and it told me I was only at .54. That doesn't seem like a lot, but once you add it up to all of the distances I run, it's a lot. 10% my husband pointed out. lol

I also had another person pop up that told me that I had my fastest mile ever too. NOT. It is saying that my fastest mile is 10 min. 33 sec. but it's actually 9 min. 59 sec. Today I wasn't running for the speed of a mile either. The Sportband was just so way off that I wonder what my true fastest is. I'll have to try that again.

Since I went to the track so late, it was getting darker. There was still some sun out but I didn't want to keep running. So, I came home to calibrate and go to the gym to finish my workout. I ended up doing 3.7 miles today. However, my hip started hurting while I was sitting calibrating the thing. I bet it wouldn't have hurt if I had not stopped. Darn.

My hip was doing pretty well during the run at the gym until the last .3 miles. I had to walk. Right before I kept having to stop to walk because it was making me run/limp. That's the weirdest feeling. I had to slow to a walk for the end of it and walking to stretch after I was limping too. Man. I really was hoping this would go away.

10 on Tuesday

1. Why do I do this to myself? I have a great weekend (first in a long time I actually lost over the weekend), then gain yesterday. Then have an awesome salad for lunch and scarf down a bunch of little cookies. ahhhh Why oh why do we even have these little morsels of goodness? Don't we know they call my name from the cupboard. And I shouldn't even be eating them at all. Let alone scarfing them. I think I need to remind myself how bad they are for my body. In more ways than one.

2. Ah my Panera girls. I love hanging out with you. This morning it was Danielle (and Elliott), Dawn, and Nanette (and Matty). We started this tradition of going to Panera before our bible study. Now that bible study is over we decided to keep it going. No, this is not a closed group. lol Feel free to join us at about 8:15 on Tuesdays.

3. We weekly have to fight over the big table with this group of "older gentlemen". Not really a fight, but we try to get there first. We never know how many of us will show up and most of us with kids so we need the room. It's the days like today when Sky and I are waiting or Danielle is waiting that they get all uppity like we are snagging their table. I wonder if they go there every day. We usually end up having the same number of people they do. We just get there faster usually. One week Danielle was standing in front of the chair about to put her stuff down and the little old man came and threw his paper on the table in front of her trying to snag it from her. She was shocked of course since she kinda was already at the table with her stuff. In the vast scheme of life, our little battles with the grumpy old men are nothing. I just think it's a funny story to share.

4. I lost .6 last week. A loss is a loss, right? Man I want this week to be better. I'm hoping to recover from yesterday and today quickly so I can lose more this week. The progress has seemed so slow lately.

5. I got some bad hip pain Sunday night after I ran. I am hoping it was from not stretching after my run 2 days in a row. I am in the habit to stretch after a run at the gym. It's just what I do. But at home, it's so easy to forget. All day Monday it was still hurting every time I stepped. So, I didn't get a workout in yesterday to help my hip heal. Then this morning it felt really good. I eased my way into a workout today. I did the elliptical machine and walked. I stretched a bunch of times on that particular muscle group around my hip. And so far since my workout it's not hurting. Little twinges here and there, but not much. A lot better than yesterday.

6. Yesterday really felt like summer. I got all thrown off when I thought about the fact that Courtney had school today.

7. I would love to spend a weekend going through our garage. I know there is a ton of stuff we could get rid of. Then we could put other things away and have more room in there. We also need more shelving. We definitely need some over the washer/dryer. Our stuff is just sitting on top of the dryer right now. A shelf would be awesome. I wish I had some of those sturdy metal shelves for our garage to put my PartyLite stuff on. I could be all organized like how I want. It would be awesome.

8. I ran in my neighborhood again on Sunday and ran the whole thing. This time was not as easy. I did not feel like I could keep going and going. This run was as the sun was going down and after dinner (an hour). So, I have a feeling that had something to do with it. The run on Saturday was in the morning (8am) after cereal (1 hour before).

9. We have been so blessed to be invited to so many parties. We are at the point that we are going to have to start saying no. Of course we have to if we already RSVPed to another at the same time. It's just hard when the second one you find out about is equally as important to go to as the first. Oh well, people understand, right? I hope so.

10. A couple times last week I got to the gym expecting to have an easier workout and do elliptical. To my surprise, all of those machines were taken, so I went to the treadmill. This is opposite world apparently. Normally every time I want to run the treadmills are all taken. So I ended up having more energy than I thought and getting through running just fine. It just took a little longer to warm up. This just shows that we really have more in us if we really want/have to try. I thought I needed an easier workout and had a hard one. :)

5K Around My House

I went for a run this morning with Shauna. We set out to do a 5K around my house for the first time together. I have done it one time before by myself and had to stop a bunch of times to walk. I am so happy to report that I RAN THE WHOLE THING!!!!!!!!!!!! 36 minutes 17 seconds (according to my Nike+ Sportband). We both were wearing one and they were so different. So, we realized we both need to calibrate them. :) I don't know why I haven't done it yet. Hers said we did 3.33 miles and I had to keep running to get my 3.1 in. I ended up doing 3.11 miles.

Two great things about this run. First of all it was a slower pace and I was loving that speed. I felt like I could keep going when we were done. I felt strong and capable of going much further today. And it was so nice to run outside and with a friend. It's nice to have company. Even if I slow her down. ;) I have been doing so much of my running in the gym that it was so great to just run outside with the wind blowing on our faces. It did end up getting a little sunny by the second lap, but still nice. We went early in the morning so it would be cooler and because she had to get back home.

This has been a great start to a new week of weight loss. I feel like I am doing so much better eating during the weekend. And I am exercising every day too so I should be losing this weekend instead of gaining. That would be an awesome change.

I tried on a shirt from my closet that I had yet to wear and it was feeling looser then when I tried it on. I was really enjoying that feeling until I dropped a strawberry on it. Oops! That is some hard stuff to get out. Even when I went straight to get it off.

We had our last day of MOPS on Thursday and my friend, Amy won both hair cutting packages. She generously gave one to me. I am so excited. I need to call to schedule my free haircut! I'm going to chop it off!!

Weekend MADNESS

Ug! I gained .4 this week. Not much, and I could have worked out in the morning to lose it, but I didn't really want to have to do that. Especially since I was such a workout queen yesterday. I was so determined to lose this week, but it just wasn't happening. I had done too much damage over the weekend to recover from that.

The weekend madness is OVER! I'm sick of it. I'm so tired of having to make up for whatever I did on the weekend. A couple friends of mine are having the same problem. So, we are weighing in together on Mondays as well. Just to make sure we did well on the weekend. I really need this. And I need to exercise on the weekends too. I have been slacking on that too. Then feel rushed to lose the weight during the week. I hate to do it, but I think for the next challenge, I might have to switch it to Monday weigh ins. Fridays seemed so much better because then I didn't have to be as stringent on myself on the weekend. Well, that is NOT working.

On a good note, I got one of the best workouts of my life yesterday. It started in the morning with doing the 30 Day Shred DVD (with Jillian Michael's). I did Level 1 and Level 2 with no breaks. That alone was insane. Then I told Skyler that we were going to walk to go get Courtney from school. She told me she wanted to run. How do you like that? I got a challenge from my 4 year old. So, we ran to school. Skyler did so well. She's really a runner anyway. She loves it. She only stopped a couple times to pick a flower. :) That's so Skyler too. We picked up Courtney and all 3 of us ran home. We couldn't go quite as fast on the way home because Courtney is not a runner. She needed more breaks. I was so proud of them. Then at night I went to the gym because it was so late (and dark). I really wanted to run outside because it felt so great. I waited too long to leave. I ended up running 4.55 miles there (5.67 total for the day)and doing stretching and abs too.

It felt so good to push myself past what I thought I could do in one day. It felt like a Biggest Loser workout day to me. It was my last chance workout for sure. And I still gained. I guess I just need to take it from here.

Today was not a good start to that goal, however. I went out with my hubby for a date lunch to Chilli's. We hardly ever eat out so eating out was not good. I did eat well though. I had their guiltless grill chicken sandwich (however I had to substitute a different roll because I'm not supposed to have wheat) minus the sauce and minus the onions (yet another thing I'm not supposed to eat). That came with a side of steamed broccoli (and tiny pieces of carrot and a little cheese). I tried to take off as much cheese as I could. It was just a tiny bit on it but still. Then we tried Frugos for the first time. Also not a good choice. It's a frozen yogurt place. I didn't have a ton, but shouldn't have had any. Then my parents wanted to come over to have dinner with us. They wanted to have pizza. Ug! They ordered mediums at least so the pieces were smaller. I had a little salad and one piece of pizza. I'm going to be working out tonight at home. Scott is at a Dodger game tonight so I have the night open after the kids go to bed.

At least I tried to make the best of the situations and I am going to work out tonight. I need to be more accountable for my actions. That's why I'm putting it on here.

10 on Tuesday

Ok, so I logged into my blog on Tuesday, and as I'm writing this it is already after midnight. Why am I still up?

1. I went to Disneyland again today. My sorority sister's daughter was celebrating her birthday at the happiest place on earth. I'm so glad that we went. The girls all had a blast together. So compatible as friends. And it was great reconnecting after so long.

2. I let Jillian kick my butt tonight. I did the 30 Day Shred LEVEL 3!!! This was only the second time I have done level 3 and it was easier this time. I was actually able to do the full sit ups. I couldn't even do it last time. I was so excited. I also did a few other moves better/easier than last time too. woho!

3. I am determined to make this week a great week for my weigh in on Friday. Last week I lost 1.8. It's good, but I want to be losing more. I know I can if I just get better on the weekends. A couple friends and I talked about our weekend battles today. We decided that we are going to pretend that we have another weigh in on Monday as well. So, the 3 of us are actually going to weigh in together just to make sure we were good on the weekends. Keeping each other accountable. I'm so excited about this. I think it's just what I need. Motivation to stay the course.

4. I hear Skyler coughing in her room right now. Oh, how I pray that she isn't getting sick. The poor girl seems to be getting sick left and right.

5. Oh the drama with the doctor. I will have to elaborate more. I have a follow up appt. on Monday.

6. The girls and I ditched the BMX bike show tonight. I seriously did not want to go. And I totally forgot about it and had thought we were doing Disneyland. Then I get the illustrious "golden ticket" home from school that Courtney won. This entitles her to get there early for better seating. Still no desire to go other than to make her happy if this is what she wants to go to. So, I gave her the choice. I told her all about the bike show and that her friends would be there or Disneyland where she would meet some new friends. It was such a quick choice. Disneyland it was. Then she kept going back and forth, but ended on Disneyland. :)

7. Oh good. No more coughing sounds from the other room. I hope she can get some good sleep tonight. They both should with all of that fun and exercise tonight at Disneyland.

8. I asked the teacher about the "3rd grade phonics book" because it was hard to believe. She said that she didn't really know for sure if it was 3rd grade for sure, but that it was the 3rd phonics book. So, even if there is one per year, it would be 2nd. Regardless, it's above reading level.

9. I also found out that she started the Accelerated Reader Program at school too. And from the mouth of her grandma (who is the librarian), she didn't think there were any kindergartners in that program. How exciting. Charting new waters. So, she will be reading the book and coming to school and taking a test on it. Then she gets a new book. There are points and prizes and fun stuff like that. We read the book today and she did so well with it. Several new words and she is learning them fast. She could probably test on it tomorrow. I'll have her read it again just to be sure before school. Ya, ya....I'm a bragging mom tonight. So proud of how well she is doing and excited about her eagerness to learn.

10. Only a couple more days until weigh in. More workouts coming my way. :)

10 on Tuesday

1. Today marks one year since my dear friend, Monica passed away. It's so hard to believe that it has been a year already. I think about her all the time.

2. I lost 1.2 last week in the challenge and am tied for 7th place. I'm hoping this week is better.

3. I feel so much better today. I need to get my booty back to the gym. I have been sooo slacking with that.

4. There is such a fine line between eating enough sugar to combat low blood sugar and overdoing it and making myself sick and too much to overeat. ug! I want to lose weight, but this is all complicating matters. I will be reaching for more fruits at home when it's low, that's for sure.

5. It scares me a little to think about the results not coming back as having this. Because otherwise, it's like, what the heck?! The side effects of both scare me too. Those foods making me sick is only the beginning of the underlying problem of it causing liver, kidney, and small intestinal damage. Let alone the horrible things that can happen with damage from low blood sugar. I'm going to try not to think about it in the meantime.

6. We had a good sex talk at bible study today. You read that right.

7. I'm a little sad and a little excited that softball is over. It was so fun to watch. It made me want to play. But exciting that we don't have somewhere to be 3 times a week.

8. I have really been enjoying reading with the girls. Courtney started reading her Fancy Nancy books to me yesterday. I'm so amazed at how great she is doing after asking about the words once. Most of them she remembered when she read it.

9. I feel a little stressed right now. I think it's from all of the testing and figuring everything out. I need to go work it out at the gym.

10. You would think with my fast yesterday that I would have lost some weight with it. NOPE! Boo...that bad scale. Come on...at least .2! Nothing.

30 Day Shred

Awesome workout! I recommend it. Today I decided to push myself in my workout so I could lose weight this week. I did Level 1 AND Level 2 without breaks in between. It was pretty hard core. My muscles are feeling great and I'm not sore from it. However, by the end of it I was so exhausted. I have been battling being sick for a week now and am not 100%. I was so exhausted that I had to take a nap after my shower. I had this huge need to lay down. I guess I did too much too soon. Oh well. I was just excited that I did both together. That was awesome. I still have yet to try Level 3.

10 on Tuesday

ya ya so it's a day late. Who cares?

1. Please pray for my husband's job. Right now if you can. He and his whole department yesterday were asked if they were mobile (willing to move to another refinery far away to keep their job). He said no because really, we don't want to move away. I'm hoping they are going to weed out those who can just switch to somewhere else instead of being let go. His company is doing massive lay offs. He said it's getting scarier today because he sees people being walked out (being let go) today. PLEASE pray hard. We are just barely managing to get by WITH his paycheck, let alone if we didn't have it.

2. I ran 4 miles yesterday!!! That was a major accomplishment for me! I haven't ever run that far let alone in 49 minutes. It was hard and felt like torture. I didn't have my running buddy with me, so that's probably partially why. It's the first time I went past 3.1 miles (5K).

3. My asthma is driving me nuts. I keep feeling it come on. I had to use my inhailer 2 different times yesterday. Yet, it was fine during my run. Go figure. I can feel it again today too.

4. Courtney has her 1st ever softball game tonight. I'm excited and hope it doesn't get rained out. 5:15pm at EWMS.

5. I'm now in a 2 way tie for 4th place in the challenge. I lost 5.6 pounds last week. Insane. I can't believe it was only 2.2% for the week though. ug!

6. Why do cookies have to be so good?

7. Last week we woke up to find 2 chocolate bar wrappers on the table (with no chocolate in them). We knew there had been some candy thieves. Then all of a sudden we noticed 20 little dimes piled on the table. See, the night before we told them that they couldn't just eat the softball candy we were selling. They had to buy it. Then we let them eat buy a candy from the money in their piggy banks. We had a lesson about coins and they ended up paying in dimes. I guess I should have explained that they couldn't just buy as many as they wanted. It was a one time thing. lol But cute that they now know how many dimes are in a dollar.

8. Taxes are done. Woho! That was a huge accomplishment of last week. The whole process stresses me out.

9. Can't decide if I'm going to the gym after writing this blog or going to skip it today. My body says skip it. My mind is reminding me of how little we have til the final weigh in. Maybe I'll just do a smaller workout.

10. I should have a PartyLite shipment coming soon. I finally spent a bunch of gift certificates I had been saving to get some new product. I will probably be hosting my own party in April (PL's anniversary month) and have all kinds of stuff to sell off my table as well as all of the incredible specials and catalog they always do.