Sunday, May 29, 2011

Um, we are going to call this one Recovery Run #2

Distance: 3.5 miles
Time: 42 min.
Run: 2 miles at 10:44 pace, 1 mile running/walking 12:11 pace

I VASTLY overestimated my ability to recover from a 27 mile bike ride yesterday and figured I could easily run three miles today. Um, yeah, not so much.

That bike ride kicked my butt. Seriously. I felt like I had been run over by a truck. By late afternoon I could barely keep my eyes open. In fact, I didn't. I took a short nap but still felt like death warmed over.

I got a good night's sleep and headed out this morning around 9:30. The weather was 53 degrees and quite breezy. A mile or so into the run, I knew I hadn't fueled properly, especially considering yesterday's effort. Sigh. A Fiber Plus bar just wasn't going to cut it this morning.

I ran a solid two miles before allowing myself to take it easy for the third mile. My training for the Salinas half doesn't officially start until tomorrow anyhow! We are definitely going to call this Recovery Run #2. Nice and easy.


A view up one side of the road.


Clearly I am excited to be out running!


View on the way back. The clouds were gorgeous this morning.


My leg. And my new pair of shorts. Sometimes I look at my leg or my arm and wonder where it came from. It's taking a little time to get used to a slimmer version of myself.

We had to do a bit of shopping for the 8th grade graduation party that my 7th grade class puts on, and while we were out I stopped in at Old Navy to look for smaller jeans. The ones I had on were getting saggy. Eric doesn't like saggy butt jeans!


Size 10! Yay! I feel rather cute in them! I loved the top, but it was $25. I'm too much of a cheapskate to spend $25 on a shirt. Hopefully these fluttery little tops will go on sale at the end of summer.


I took these pictures and texted them to Eric. He approved. Or should I say he liked 'em a lot?


This is the outfit I got: jeans, a tank top for $5, and a striped and slightly ruffled shirt for $8.


Side view. I'm not used to layering my shirts. I always seem to catch onto trends a few years after they start. However, I had to layer the striped shirt with the tank top because it is a bit low cut. In any case, I love my new outfit.

And in news totally unrelated to my funky run or my shopping trip, here are two photos from my half marathon that Eric took with his phone.


I am mid way on the home stretch in the blue shirt.


I am right under the "S" in the blue shirt and pink hat...if you can make out the color.

I love the fact that I am off tomorrow. Three day weekends are the best!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Memorial Ride

This morning Eric and I participated in the Crystel Stanford Memorial Ride. I didn't know Crystel, but she grew up in my hometown of Chowchilla. She was involved in a horrible bike crash last weekend during the California Classic Bike Ride and Half Marathon.

Eric signed up to ride in the 30 mile memorial ride right away. After giving it some thought, I asked him if he thought I could handle the ride as well. He was all for having me along with him. I signed up and was pretty excited to be doing my first ride and to be doing it for such a great cause.

Crystel was 29-years-old and was a pretty amazing young lady from everything I have read. She was kept on life support so that her organs could be donated to help seven other people. I'm saying it here and now, people, that my organs will be donated if I am ever so unfortunate as to be on life support.

Besides new running tights, I also bought a red shirt at Target last night. They didn't have any red shirts in the women's section, so I got a men's small. Red was Crystel's favorite color and we were supposed to wear red on the ride.


Front view of my riding outfit.


Side view. Do I like like a cyclist? A runner? I don't know, but I think I want to be both.


Weird shot of Eric. I'm sure he loves it when I post such flattering photos!


Before the ride.


Waiting to start.

I didn't know what to expect. I was a bit anxious but ready to get on the road. We hung back to let most people go ahead of us. I was wobbly and nervous at first, but once we made the first turn onto Ashlan I settled down a bit. I've never ridden with that many people all at once.

We rode way out into Sanger. I was feeling pretty good at the beginning of the ride. I was trying to soak up the morning. I had one of those moments where I was grateful to God for my life. I have my family, my health, and so many other blessings. I was reveling in the fact that I was out on a three hour bike ride with the love of my life on a gorgeous spring morning. Things don't get much better than that.

We came to the SAG stop. That basically means a place to rest, get snacks, and use the bathroom. We did all three.


Coasting in to the SAG stop. You can see small tents on the right side of the road. I am the rider on the far right with both my feet on the road. I love the view of the mountains in the distance. We got to see that view the whole first part of the ride.

We headed off again and were pretty far in the back of the pack at this point. There were some points where it felt like Eric and I were the only ones on the road. We couldn't see anyone in front or behind us.

Once we turned around, the ride got much tougher. There was a headwind that was pretty brisk. We ended up behind a small group on beach cruisers, and I was able to use them as a good excuse not to go any faster than 10 mph. I'm not sure I could have gone faster even if I had been able to get around them!

Two hours of riding is pretty rough, but I kept telling myself that it was for an amazing cause. My butt was (and is) so sore. Oh my goodness my glutes were aching! One other weird pain I had was my thumbs. They got tired being wrapped around my handle bars, so I needed to stretch them out every once in a while.

We got to about a mile from the finish point when Eric decided to stop because his bike had been making a weird noise for the past five miles or so. He didn't want to break a spoke, so he ended up putting his bike on the SAG vehicle and riding the last mile in the car. I kept going on my bike. I think I was the very last person to coast into the finish area. That's okay. I felt amazing (aside from being exhausted and sore).


After the ride. We volunteered to go back out to the half way point to load the porta potties into a truck so they would be off the side of the main road.


I stayed in the car. I wasn't much use in lifting porta potties into a truck bed!


Eric was bummed to not finish the entire ride, but it wasn't due to his physical ability. It was a mechanical issue beyond his control. I think he's pretty amazing!

I really enjoyed the speed and freedom of riding along the road. Who knows? Maybe I'll add cycling into my list of ways to exercise and stretch out of my comfort zone! I just know that I liked it.

And now I want a better bike!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Push Present?

You know how it is quite popular to get a "push present" after giving birth? Well, I got a "1/2 marathon present" from Eric for successfully completing my first half marathon! It arrived in the mail today!


A 1/2 marathon necklace!

I love it! It is so cute! It is perfect! I don't think I'm going to take it off.


It is a silver circle with "13.1" written on it three times with the cutest little runner girl complete with ponytail hanging in front.

I told Eric I expect a new piece of jewelry every time I finish a 1/2 marathon from now on!

Eric and I are getting ready to participate in the Memorial Ride tomorrow. We went to Target to look for bike gloves for me. They didn't have any, but I got a pair of knee length running tights. Size medium! And I didn't want to scream in fright when I tried them on in the dressing room! I am probably going to wear them tomorrow on the ride to avoid chafing issues.

I still needed gloves, so we headed across town to Sports Authority. There I got a very cute pair of gloves (because cute is important) and a pair of Nike running shorts for $12 on clearance. They were also a size medium. My current shorts are large and roomy, so I figured for twelve bucks, I could test out a smaller size.


Not bad!


They are slightly more snug than I am used to, but I don't think people will point and laugh.

Anyhow, I am really looking forward to tomorrow. In just one week, this ride has been put together and they are expecting over 200 people. So many people have donated items from food to t-shirts to porta potties! It's neat to see so many people who care. We are offering our pop up shade cover to be used if needed.

I didn't know Crystel, but she was six years behind me at Chowchilla High. That alone makes me want to participate. I also bought a red tech shirt to wear tomorrow because Crystel's favorite color was red. So is mine.

I'll post tomorrow about the experience.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Recovery Run

Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 34 min.
Run: 2 miles/12 min. pace

I know nothing about recovering after a long run or race, but after doing a bit of reading on the internet, I at least figured out I needed to take it easy for a few days. I took this advice very seriously and did nothing for three days!

Today I ended the resting streak and got on the treadmill for an easy two miles. It felt good. I only felt teeny tiny twinges in my left knee, but nothing that would even cause me concern.

I took the day off from school to attend my mom's retirement party. She has worked as a teacher's aide in Chowchilla for 26 years! Not going to work today meant I was able to sleep in a bit, get a morning run done, and enjoy the day with very little stress other than refereeing the children. Quite nice.


Evan and my mom at her retirement lunch.

I am going to do a 30-mile bike ride with Eric on Saturday to honor the life of a girl from Chowchilla who died in last Saturday's Century bike race. I may or may not do a three mile run after biking. I'll have to see how my legs feel.

And last, Eric and I went to our Weekly Wednesday Weight Watcher meeting last night. I lost 4.6 pounds for a total of 37 pounds gone! Eric is at the 40 pound mark. I needed to see a decent loss last night after floundering for over a month. I hit 155 on April 13 and have bounced up and down around the upper 150's until last night. Finally, I fell below the 155 to reach 153!

Our leader mentioned that is approximately 12 weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day (it is actually 14 - I counted!), and gave us the suggestion to think about what we could lose in that time. If we go with the one pound a week mantra (which I do), I could be down another 14 pounds.

With that in mind, it is my goal to be down to at least 140 pounds by Labor Day. Obviously, I'd love to be smaller than that, but the goal is at least 140. It will give me some focus during the summer. You would think I'd have more time to spend on my health in the summer being off work. In theory, yes, I have more time. However, I tend to be lazy and not care much about anything including my health. Not this summer!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Half Marathon

It has been three days since I completed my first half marathon, and I am just now getting around to posting about it. I guess I had to let it all sink in!

It was an amazing experience. There were things that were perfect, things that I wish I had done better, and things that I'll never forget. I completed my goal of finishing in under three hours.

My official time was 2:45:31/12:38 pace. I finished 1505 out of 1958 overall, 819 out of 1191 women, and 132 out of 177 in my age group.

I didn't get to bed exceptionally early on Saturday night, but I knew excitement would carry me through...at least part of the way! After watching Eric in his races that morning and attending the farewell dinner for my principal, I was too wired to sleep. I finally drifted off around 11.

We were up bright and early at 5 a.m. for the second day in a row. We picked up Sally, who teaches 6th grade at my school. Her classroom is right next to mine. She was really anxious because this was her first race EVER. Not having to drive downtown was one less thing for her to worry about.

We got to the start, barely got a parking spot, got our gear ready, used the porta potties, and lined up to wait.


Sally and me right before the race. I am in the pink hat. (I have GOT to wash that hat!) Most of my pictures are pretty fuzzy. I think the lens on my iphone was smudged.

Sally is younger than me and faster than me. It's not fair! She did amazing, and I am so proud of her!


I was trying to show how crowded it was. It was easily the largest race I have ever done with close to 2,000 people running and walking.


Ugh. My pictures really do bite. Oh well. If you look closely, you can just barely make out the curve of the starting line balloon. It took us about two minutes to reach the start after the gun went off. This was my first race using timing mats. I was nervous about attaching the D-Tag to my shoe but managed to figure it out!

Sally stayed with me for about a half a mile (if that) and then took off. She ran like the wind! I was left with my music and my thoughts. Sometimes this was good. Sometimes it was bad.

We started the course running through downtown Fresno. We zipped up one street and down another. It lasted quite a long time through that area. It was neat running past the historic water tower and the Veteran's Memorial Theater where I went with my parents to see plays when I was little.

Then we headed across the railroad tracks and entered the zoo at around mile 6. I think I was starting to get tired and discouraged at this point. My pace may have been under 12 minute miles here, but I have no idea. I know I started taking more walk breaks, and I started texting Eric through this area.

Despite being tired, the zoo was amazing! I loved it! I have spent so much time in this zoo that it felt natural running through it!


Out of the three zoo shots I took, this was the only one with an animal in it! Apparently the zoo employees had been running through the zoo for a few weeks prior to the race to get the animals used to a bunch of people running through! I thought that was neat.

Unfortunately, we didn't spend too much time with the animals. After leaving the zoo, the race wound it's way through the park before heading back across the railroad tracks to the Tower District.

I was feeling a lot of pain at this point. My texts to Eric were getting shorter and shorter. "Pain." "Hurt." He was quite encouraging and just told me to keep going. I did. I knew I was going to finish no matter what, but I still wanted Eric's encouragement. His words mean everything to me.

My knees and feet were burning at this point. Not sure what was up with that. A few things I was surprised about: instead of sucking on my Gu Chomps, I chewed those puppies fast. I guess I was hungry. I also took water and Gatorade at every aid station and saved my own water for in between stops. I needed the chomps and the liquid something fierce.


This picture doesn't do this house justice. It was the brightest shade of lime green I have ever seen! Putting it on a house was quite a bold move!

The last few miles were pretty painful. I felt like I could only run for 30 seconds before giving up and walking.

Finally, the end was in sight. It was pretty neat to run down the back ramp of the Grizzlies (affiliate team for the Giants) baseball stadium and through the finish line. All I really remember is seeing the clock and realizing I was going to beat three hours.

I saw Sally first. She'd been lounging for about 40 minutes before I came crawling in! Youth. My knees and feet were hurting so bad I could barely get up the steps. I pretty much collapsed into a bleacher seat. I didn't see Eric or the boys, but I knew we'd meet up. They found me within five minutes or so. They saw me finish, but were at the very top of the stairs, so I didn't see them right away.


Success!

The thought of the free breakfast made me want to gag, so we headed out pretty quickly. We dropped Sally off at home, grabbed me a Diet Coke at a gas station, and headed to the house.

I feel like a real runner because I had bloody toes! For some silly reason, I am super proud of my bloody socks! I trained and sacrificed all the way to my toes! I also had some pretty bad chafing on my inner left thigh even though I used plenty of Body Glide. Painful! Besides aching knees, I didn't have any other "issues" besides those three things. The sore thigh muscles set in on Monday. Fun.


That explains some of the burning in my feet.


So proud of this medal! I took it to school to show my kids! They were properly impressed!

After a shower, some rest, and a giant chicken salad from Chipotle, we headed back to the baseball stadium to watch our complimentary game. I am normally not much of a baseball fan, but it was fun to chill out and watch the game.


Evan and me watching the Grizzlies lose. Oh well.

Things I am proud of:
-Finishing my first half marathon
-Doing it in less than three hours
-Not quitting
-Sticking to this plan for three months
-Doing something that is waaaaaaay out of my comfort zone
-Showing my kids I am trying to be a healthy mom

Things to work on for next time:
-Strive for less than 12 minute miles
-Quit texting through the whole race
-Finish the training strong (I fell apart the last two weeks)
-Strength training

Was it worth all the effort and training? Absolutely! I am so proud of myself! Wouldn't trade this feeling for the world!

And I have already mapped out my training for my next half marathon in Salinas on Aug. 6! I am running it with my cousin. I officially start training on Monday! I have been taking it easy for three days, and tomorrow I am going to do a short and easy two miles. I guess it's kind of like forgetting the pain of childbirth, because I am ready to do this again!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Mini Metric

My husband rode in his first ever bike ride this morning! I am so stinking proud of him that I can hardly put it into words!

Watching me train and run over the past few months motivated him to get active, but he wouldn't run unless something was chasing him. He decided to look into cycling as a way to be fit and have fun. He's been training for about six weeks and just finished his first mini metric this morning.

The bike race was day one of the California Classic Weekend which includes cycling today and my half marathon tomorrow. Eric wasn't going to sign up at first, but he figured, why not? He has made a great friend where he works who is very into cycling, and the friend rode with him the whole way. (That made me feel better knowing someone was out there with him!)


Quick breakfast before heading out the door at 5:45 this morning.


All geared up and waiting at the start line to get going.


Child #1 ready to cheer on Dad!


Child #2 and me. As usual, the little one clung to me like a monkey for most of the morning.


Eric's friend who rode with him the whole way. Eric looks like he's asking Greg, "Why? Why I am doing this?" Hee hee!


Still waiting. They had just played the National Anthem. Almost time to start.


There he goes.

Then I had to try to figure out what to do. Two little boys were tired, grumpy, hungry and not going to last several hours hanging out at the finish line. So, we got in the car, found a Jack in the Box, and then set out to find Eric along the course.

The cool thing about this race is that they closed down one of the freeways in order for the riders to ride! We zipped onto an overpass and saw Eric ride by underneath us! He saw us and heard us cheering! That was a lot of fun.

We jumped back in the car and zipped up to the next overpass and saw him again!

Then we headed out to a spot out in the country (Shaw and McCall for people who know the area). We waited there for quite a long time, cheering all the riders as they passed. I had to chuckle, because I had three separate cars of people ask me if I was okay and needed help! Good to know that a female with two small boys hanging out on a corner in the country will be looked after!

We cheered and yelled as Eric rode by. I think he liked being able to see us at various spots.

By that time, we were close to home, and I needed to pee. We made a quick pit stop to change clothes, update Facebook, and get a snack. Then we got in the car and headed out again. We passed Eric on the opposite side of the road, flipped around, and waited for him in the parking lot of a mini mart. He actually stopped to talk and rest for a bit. He was hanging in there just fine!

Finally, the boys and I headed back to the baseball field where the race started. We parked ourselves on a curb and waited for Eric to ride to the finish.


The boys waiting for Dad to finish.


Here he comes!


Victory! He finished in three hours and 44 minutes. Not bad for a first ride which included some pretty lengthy hills on the freeway!

So so so so so so proud of this man!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Okay...

I'm getting some of my confidence back. I ran four miles without stopping last night.

Kids were asleep in bed, Eric was at a council meeting, the house was mine, and I just told myself I wasn't going to push that giant red button until it said 4.0!

I set the pace at 5.1 and just ran. I started out watching a movie off of Netflix, but the sound went wonky in middle, so I switched to music and kept going. The music was more motivating tonight than the movie.

Four miles felt good.

The rest of the day was rough dealing with 6-year-old drama. Let's just say my kid can't be trusted with scissors for a while (he accidentally cut a girl's school uniform sweater - ugh), and I had to make a phone call to another mom. Awkward.

Child #1 lost going to a birthday swim party this Friday, and he had to write apology notes. Being a mom is rather challenging and heart breaking at times. However, we want Evan to know that you don't play with scissors. He is crushed about the swim party. I had even bought him new goggles at Dollar Tree the other day. Oh well. Gotta stick to what I say.

I must be anxious about my sister's upcoming wedding and getting my cavities filled today because I've had dreams about both of those things the past two nights. The wedding reception will be at my house. Yikes! My house needs lots of work. Nothing like a deadline to motivate us. And the dentist freaks me out in general. The older I get the worse it is.

Must get ready for school. Is it June 10 yet?

Distance: 4.5 miles
Time: 57:04
Run: 4.0 miles/5.1 pace

Monday, May 16, 2011

Hand in Hand

I realized something very important today.

For me, exercise and eating well go hand in hand. Earth shattering, I know.

I understand that this is kind of a no-brainer, but for me, if I lose hold of the exercise, the eating quickly follows. So maybe I should say that eating well is dependent on the exercise.

I noticed over the past two weeks that both my exercise habits and my eating habits slipped dramatically. I was busy, so it was really hard to fit in my long runs. Now, you would think knowing that I was limited in exercise, that it would cause me to be extra careful regarding my food intake.

That's where I seem to do the opposite of what I should. As soon as my exercise falls off, I seem to treat that as a free pass for eating whatever I want to eat. Make sense? Of course it doesn't make sense. If I could wrap my head around why I eat like a moose when I haven't worked out, then maybe I wouldn't be fighting to lose weight.

Ugh.

On the flip side, when I am doing well with exercise, I tend to eat better. I don't want to mess up all my hard work with bad food choices. I also tend to crave healthier foods when I'm exercising, as if my body knows I need good fuel to get me through a long run.

Anyhow, just thought I'd share my "ground breaking" discovery about the link between physical activity and food consumption. One of those super high tech research colleges is going to snatch me up any day now so I can share my highly developed theories with the world! The Catholic school kids will just have to do without me!

While I wait for that phone call to lure me away from the riches I make here, I'll be trying to find a good balance between exercise and food. I am onto a good start with the five miles from last night. I plan to do an hour of elliptical tonight, a four mile run on Tuesday, a three mile run on Wednesday, and a two mile run on Thursday before two rest days leading up to the half.

I'm also back on track with food. It helps to have a frig full of good choices.

By the way, this is Teacher Appreciation Week at my school, so today we received a healthy fruit snack. I sadly did not eat the scone. It's okay because the grapes and apple slices were delicious.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Trying

Distance: 5 miles
Time: 1:08:00

I am trying so hard to get over my little slump. Trying, trying, trying.

I'm not sure why I got into a two-week slump, but I did. Life got super busy and stressful. No excuse, but it factored into it nonetheless.

I've got one week until my half marathon. I am trying not to beat myself up for falling apart during my last two weeks of training. I was supposed to run 10 miles this weekend. It didn't happen. If I'm being completely honest, I knew I wasn't going to do the ten.

However, I am proud that I got on the treadmill and moved my body 5 miles. It wasn't all running, but that is okay.

I am going to follow the final week of my training plan, keep my spirits up, have a good attitude and enjoy my first ever half marathon next Sunday!

And hey, I can look at it this way: if I run a really crappy race, I can look forward to bettering my time with later halves!

In other random news, one of the hooks on my super sturdy 11-hook running bra broke! Oh no! This bra is not what I would call dainty, but then again, that's not a word I'd use to describe my chest either! Let's just say I need support.

The Enell bra certainly keeps things from moving around, and it has lasted for over a year. Eric ordered me another one, so I'll have two. No one will ever see them because they aren't "cute" like regular sports bras. They look like sturdy underwear...or a vest. I chose pink anyhow, because then I'll feel cute on the inside!

Anyhow, a hook broke, so I'm down to 10 hooks. Less work to get this puppy on I guess.

I must be nesting or something because I spent a good part of the weekend cleaning, and it feels good to get the house back into a nicer state. (No, I'm not pregnant. Just spring cleaning.)

I hit rock bottom with the house on Saturday morning when Child #1 couldn't find his soccer shin guards amidst the massive mess in the family room. It just made me crazy, and it was the last straw.

Once we got home from the game, I started doing load after load after load of laundry. And it all got put away. I gotta say, I love starting the week with clean clothes. That means no running around mid week looking for clean underwear. Evan has plenty of uniforms, and I don't have to Febreeze something I really want to wear.

This morning I started cleaning the kids' playroom. Took a couple hours, but it's clean. It's a really nice room when it's clean. I cleared out tons of stuff. They just don't play with a lot of their toys, and they don't need a lot of toys. I feel no guilt. They were having fun today with some of the stuff they rediscovered.

I also went grocery shopping. I didn't want to, but just like having clean clothes for the week, it is nice to start the week off with plenty of food. No running around on Monday figuring out what to have for dinner. I already have stuff on hand.

So to recap: I'm getting my home life back in order, trying to get my health/running back on track, and trying to get through four more weeks of school. Ugh.

One last random fact for today, I just watched Easy A on Netflix and thought it was pretty funny. It helped me get through five miles. Time for a quick shower and bed.

I wish the weekend could go on and on.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Rough

Distance: 9 miles
Time: 1:45:xx
Avg. Pace: 11:45/mile

Last night Eric said he wanted to get up early to get a decently long ride done. I had planned to run, but I told him to go ahead, and I'd get my run done early Sunday morning.

I was WIPED out last night. I slept for about an hour from 6-7 p.m. Then I got back in bed at 9 and fell asleep until this morning. I dropped off so fast that I didn't even tell Eric goodnight.

This morning Eric woke up at at 6-something. He said that Child #2 had been up several times in the night, so he didn't feel like doing his ride this morning. I wasn't mentally prepared to run 9 miles, but I figured I'd better get it done since Eric wasn't riding.

I was up and out of the house by 8. I wasn't exactly hurrying.

I had two options: run 4.5 miles and turn around and run back home...or...run 9 miles and call for a pick up. I really thought I'd do the turn around option, but once I hit 4.5 miles, I had NO desire to run back the way I'd come. It worked out nicely, though, because I explored a new trail. I love finding new trails right in my own city.

I ran out of water at mile 5ish. I wanted to fill up my water bottle, but I couldn't get a grip on the lid to unscrew the cap. I was so upset I almost cried. Instead I just kept running. I managed to unscrew the cap at a fountain a bit further on. Thank goodness.

I fueled with Jelly Belly Sports Beans. This is the second time I have tried these, and I have come to the conclusion that I do not like them. The thought of eating all of them was making me gag, but I forced a few more down. I needed them to get through the last few miles. I like the Gu Chomps the best so far.

By the time I reached mile 8.5, I was pretty tired and loopy. I called Eric to tell him to head my way since I only had a half mile left. I couldn't even accurately describe to him where I was. I ended up walking probably about a mile after the 9 was done just to get to the street where he could find me. Oops. Like I said, I was feeling a bit loopy and confused.

Skipped the ice bath today. Simply couldn't stomach the thought of putting myself in freezing water. Took a HOT shower/bubble bath instead.

Needed post-run fuel, and all I wanted was a chicken salad from Chipotle. They are my new favorite "go to" restaurant. I never went there regularly, and suddenly I have been there almost every week since March. So tasty. Felt better after that.

We are going to Casino Night to benefit my school this evening. I needed a new outfit. Need! We all headed to Kohl's. I hate shopping for clothes with the kids in tow, but we were all out, so we all went.

Of course the kids were a nightmare at the store, but I had a good shopping experience for the first time in forever. I took five or six dresses into the dressing room, and they all fit! I whittled down my choices based on what I like rather than what fit. I haven't been interested in clothes shopping for over a year. I guess losing over 30 pounds will do that to a person. I can't wait until I lose 40 more. I may need a part time job to cover the shopping I just might have to do!

Now I am debating getting my nails and toes done. Should be a fun night. We had a blast at Casino Night last year. Hopefully I'll get on the ball and actually post a picture or two on this blog.

I have a 10-mile training run next weekend, and then the weekend after that is the 1/2 marathon! I can't believe it is almost here!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Did It

Distance: 5.5 miles
Run: 5 miles

I did it. I ran five miles. I started on the treadmill, and I was MISERABLE. It was 97 degrees outside today and about 79 degrees in the house. I made it a whole .65 miles before hitting the "stop" button. I felt like I was running under water.

I really wanted to run outside, but the problem is that it was already 8 o'clock. I am a big fat chicken and don't run in the dark by myself. However, I was desperate not to be running in the house. I ignored my chicken self and decided to head out.

It was still dusk when I started off, and the breeze outside was great, even if it was 87 degrees at that point.

Eric and the boys were at soccer practice, so I called Eric and told him to pick me up along Shaw Ave. when soccer practice was done. I managed to get in three miles outside.

Eric found me on the street, I hopped in the car, and we drove home. I finished out the last 1.35 miles on the treadmill.

It took some doing, but I got the five miles done! And I feel so much better about myself. Funny how a good workout will do that. I even made myself do 10 minutes of crunches.

I'm getting my head back in the game. Hope it lasts.

No Excuses

No excuses. I am about to start running. I WILL finish five miles. I WILL NOT weenie out at three (or less).

I will get over the fact that it's hot. Yeah, it's gonna be hot until October. Suck it up, Heather.

I will enjoy my music. I will let my mind wander. I will focus on my breathing.

I will be back in an hour.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Trying to Find My Motivation

Distance: 2.1 miles
Time: 30 minutes

I lost my motivation. I am really trying hard to find it. I'm stressing out about it. I'm trying to stay calm about it.

I had a fantastic four mile run in Monterey on Monday. I had a mediocre five mile run at home in the heat on Wednesday. And then things fell apart.

I don't even remember my reasons for skipping my runs for four days. Saturday was tough because my husband and my little guy were throwing up. I was "on call" for the day. Sunday I was just tired and dreading going back to work after being on vacation for a week.

I sucked it up and did a very short run today. I'm trying to tell myself that some is better than none. I can always do more tomorrow.

And with that, I need to go grade a whole mess of essays because progress reports go home tomorrow.

Month of May...it is only day two and you are already kicking my butt.