Sometimes I Wonder

Sometimes I wonder why I blog...

I will never inspire a tribe like Sarah and Dimity from Run Like A Mother.

I will never have the followers of Tonia or Tall Mom.

I will never be as entertaining or as witty as Skinny Runner.

I will never have as many giveaways as Running Diva Mom.

I don't get tons of comments.

Since the computer is still broken, I don't get to "catch up" with as many bloggers as I used to.

So, I find myself wondering. Why do I blog?

Then, I remember.

I remember when I now can run 10 miles and feel amazing at the end. I remember when I look back at this post or this one, and so many more.

I blog because it's my running journal. It's my history of where I am now, where I've been, and hopes of where I'll be.

Reminders of how fast I can go when I'm in the middle of training.

Reminders of how it feels to get going again after a little break.

So many reminders.

And, I love it!

I'm thankful for this journal. To keep track of my thoughts. To keep track of my running. And hey, maybe somewhere in there, someone will be inspired. Maybe someone will say, "I've felt like that too!" And if not, well that's okay too :)

A Runnerd Indeed!

I was talking to a friend the other day and he mentioned that he and his wife were invited to go speak at a couples retreat the weekend of October 7th, 8th and 9th. I instantly knew it was a no go for them. His wife is a runner. She's running the Portland Marathon. The Portland Marathon is that weekend. I laughed as I said, "only a runner would know that off the top of their head!"

A runnerd indeed.

As I looked over my training plan, I noticed that I have my 1st 20 miler planned for April 9th. The day after my birthday. I was super excited as it sounded like a great birthday present!

A runnerd indeed.

I received an email today from Terrapin Events. They put on the Cinco de Mayo 1/2 Marathon. The Cinco 1/2 was my very 1st 1/2. It's a beautiful and hilly course that I would love to run again this year, but it's on Mother's Day. And my hub's is working. And I would never ask someone to watch my kids on Mother's Day. But, still, I checked the calender to see what my miles were for that week. 20!! On Mother's Day weekend. Lucky girl! Another great present. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't actually contemplate running the 1/2 and then running 7 more miles.

A runnerd indeed.

And speaking of special days. I'd also be lying if I told you I wasn't already thinking about birthday present ideas. Like this Athleta skirt or anything else from their beautiful catalog for that matter, or some new running tanks, or perhaps a new hydration pack since mine only has 1 water bottle and I know I'll need more for marathon training, and then there's even getting to run the Eugene Women's 1/2 again... Oh, how I love to dream!

Definitely a runnerd.

Most definitely.

And So It Begins

I just got an email that put a lump in my throat and brought tears to my eyes.

If my computer weren't still on the fritz (sp?) I'd show you.

Instead, I'll tell you...

It was my confirmation email for the Vancouver USA Marathon.

Yep. A lump. And tears.

And you know what else?

I started my training this week!

5 miles Monday. 6 today with 4 at tempo pace of 8:44. 10 Saturday. And a couple 3's thrown in with my yoga on my rest/XT days.

I'm so stinking excited I can hardly stand it!!

And... And... Way back when I ran the Eugene Women's 1/2 in September, we were surprised with the promise of a pair of Lululemon shorts. It's been a long time coming, but we got word last week that a Lululemon gift card is in the mail. What perfect timing! I can go look for a little something to wear for my 1st marathon! So so excited!

A great day, headed for a great run, counting down the weeks and days until June 19th!

CSN Stores Review

I have to say I was super excited when CSN contacted me to do a review for their site. CSN has over 200 online stores with such a wide range of shopping options. From rubber boots, to pots and pans to workout gear. You can imagine, for a girl that has a hard time making decisions, it took me hours to decide what to review. I'm not kidding. Hours.

I finally narrowed it down to yoga DVD's/gear. I haven't been getting out the door to Jazzercise and knew I needed something else to do besides running. I figured yoga would be a great compliment to running.

There were so many options at CSN! What kind? How long? What would I need with the DVD's? I went with the Valeo Inc. Yoga Kit, the Gaiam Power Yoga Strength DVD, and the Gaiam Power Yoga Total Body Workout DVD.

One of the things I absolutely LOVE about CSN is that when you place your order they give you an approximate delivery date. There's no guesswork and they keep you posted as your order progresses. I am a HUGE customer service girl. You give me good customer service and good product and I will be loyal for life...

CSN has my loyalty!

I was a little nervous. I have only tried yoga one time before and that was in college. One time and I knew that I had no interest to go to the class again. But, I'm a little older and yoga has come a long way since then.

So, I started with the Strength DVD after a quick 3 mile run. About 20 minutes in, I was counting down to it being done. Holy cow, it was hard! I had no clue what I was doing, but thankfully, the DVD was great at telling me what to do - what muscles to focus on, when to breath in and out, and when it was over.

I'm not kidding. It was hard! And wonderful!

The 2nd time around it wasn't quite as hard since I knew what to expect but I loved it. I mean, really, who doesn't love being sore in your entire core??

I then went on to tackle the Total Body Workout. Thankfully, my sweet little miss was in the room with me and was able to let me know if I needed to correct my form. This DVD did not disappoint! It was an hour long and by 30 minutes in I told myself I would never do it again (I'm a wuss!) However, by the end, I couldn't wait to do it again. Rodney Yee did an amazing job working my entire body and getting me so relaxed at the end that I was ready for a nap. Amazing!

I am seriously loving these workouts! Loving them!! You can bet that when I need to expand my workout library I'll be visiting CSN again!

Easy to order, great prices, awesome products, fantastic customer service - I highly recommend CSN!

Fresh Air

Fresh air.

Something that many of us take for granted...

Green grass.

Trees all around.

Riding bikes.

Playing in a backyard.

Gazing at the stars.

Deep breaths of fresh air.

On March 20th, 2011, the Fresh Air Fundraisers will be running the NYC Half-Marathon. If I lived closer, you can bet I'd want to be a part of this...

'The amazing 13.1-mile course takes you through beautiful Central Park, action-packed Times Square and ends with breathtaking finish-line views of the New York City harbor."

Sounds amazing to me!

Even more amazing is what the Fresh Air Fund does to give kids an experience that will forever change them. That will encourage them. That they are sure to not take for granted.

The Fresh Air Fund is looking for runners to join them in fundraising and is also looking for families willing to host children during the summer months.

Go check out their website for more information and start changing lives today!

Just A Little Fun

My computer is still sick so I'm just on hubby's computer for a bit.

I'm missing your blogs and can't wait to catch up!

Just thought I'd catch you up on some of my happenings...

A little fun in Vegas...
A lot of fun at Julie and Ashley's 80's Valentines Party!

Not to mention a little running here and there and some amazing yoga workouts thanks to CSN. But, I'll have more about that later.

I so hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to a little catch up!

I Dream Of Shot Bloks

I'm not kidding.

I actually dreamt about Clif Shot Bloks.

The black cherry ones, actually.

I'd forgotten about the dream until I was doing my run on Monday.

Then, I remembered.

In my dream, I was hungry and I wanted a snack. So, I pulled out my shot blocks and ate 3. Three black cherry shot bloks.

For some reason it just makes me laugh. They are my fuel of choice on long runs. Wondering if my dream meant I was craving longer runs that had me needing fuel.

So Clif, just so you know, they're not only my favorite fuel while I'm awake, but apparently while I'm dreaming too!

I'm A Chart Girl

I am not organized nor would I ever claim to be.

I do not do well with chore charts for the kids. We can go strong for a week before they are made into an unattended pile on the counter.

I'm not talking pie charts. Or any other kind of presentation chart. (I hate presentations!)

However, I HEART charts!

What kind of charts you may ask??

Well, let me tell you this, when we first talked about having kids, I loved the charts that would tell me when I would ovulate for the next million years of my life. Because, not only would they tell me when I "should"ovulate, they would tell me when I "should" be able to find out I was pregnant and when I "should" have a baby. For a girl who spent more than a year and a half trying to get pregnant with her 1st and had to take infertility medication, I clung to those dumb charts. They never could tell me when I would actually get pregnant, but I didn't care.

When I was pregnant, I loved the pregnancy calenders and journals and books. They would tell me how my baby "should" be developing. What signs I "should" be looking for as I got closer to delivery. And, if I stared at them long enough, they just might tell me when I would actually pop that baby out.

Seeing a pattern yet?

The other day, I figured out why I like the SmartCoach plans so much. Can you guess?? Their plans tell me a pace to train at and if you look at the very end of the plan, it will tell me that I could even finish the marathon in less than 4 hours. I know it's silly (after all, none of my past chart experience has panned out) but, I love it! I love that there's even the slightest possibility that I could kick some serious you know what. I love looking at the tempo run paces and the speedwork paces knowing I can totally hit those times. I love it because in my self doubt moments, smartcoach tells me I can.

I know many experienced marathoners will tell me to not count on it. That they may even laugh at my silliness. I'm not so dumb as to truly believe that that will be my time, but I'm optimistic that I can get somewhat close...

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

Super Bowl Sunday

Yesterday was an exciting and nostalgic day for me. I couldn't help but smile and reflect...

Last Super Bowl Sunday I headed out for a 4 mile run with 3 of my friends. The guys were watching the game and we thought it would be fun to go for a run.

4 miles.

I had started running in January and was doing the Couch to 5K program. I loved it and was really seeing progress. On week two of the program, I finished up my session and out of complete curiosity I decided I would try to run an entire mile straight. No walking. I had no idea if I could do it, but I decided to push on and see if I was capable.

To my surprise, it felt great and I continued to do that extra mile with each session.

But, 1 mile was all that I had done straight through.

I had no idea if I could do 4. Nor did Mandi. But, our other friends told us that we could walk if we needed to. There was no pressure.

As we ran along, there were a couple of times I had to remind myself that it wasn't going to kill me. Most the time though, I was just excited to be running with friends and as the miles went by the excitement grew.

We talked about running. About training for the Girlfriend's 1/2 (2 of the friends I was running with were my inspiration to run the 1/2 in the 1st place) I had all sorts of questions about what to eat before long runs? And after long runs? What to drink? What to wear?

At one point we did walk. A quick breath and about 200 feet later we were off again.

When we finished up the 4 I could not get over the fact that we had pretty much ran 4 miles non-stop!

Amazed and encouraged I headed out to complete 4 the next weekend as well. When I was done, I couldn't wait to tell Cory that I had actually done it! He, of course, said, "I knew you could!"

4 miles and it was huge!

Yesterday, I headed out for a deep breath. My first outside run in 2 weeks. My first somewhat long run out my back door on the hills. My only game plan was to run 4-6 miles. Nothing super ambitious, but something to celebrate the day.

It was one of those runs where I'm sure I looked like a complete goofball. Where the smile didn't leave my face. Where the miles went by way too fast. I didn't want it to end but knew I didn't have a lot of extra time. I had said I would be home in 40 minutes to an hour.

But, when mile 3 came, I just couldn't turn around. I just couldn't. I went another 1/2 mile and finally headed back home.

The hills felt glorious. The fresh air even better. The beauty of God's creation layed out before me. I was soaring.

I glanced at my watch during my last mile and a 10:26 mile stared me in the face. While I felt that I hadn't been pushing it, I definitely felt faster than that. So, I picked it up a bit. Then, a bit more...

Mile 1 - 9:16
Mile 2 - 9:07
Mile 3 - 9:10
Mile 4 - 8:58
Mile 5 - 9:05
Mile 6 - 9:12
Mile 7 - 8:42

An amazing 7 miles that left me with a smile on my face yesterday and sore muscles today! Thankful for a day to look back on where the last year has brought me. Smiling about the fact that a year ago I thought I was wanting to run a 1/2 and thinking that the challenge of running one would be enough. Never thinking I would love running like I do. Never thinking I would ever view the 1/2 distance as something incredibly doable and not as challenging as I thought. And never did I think that I would ever gear up to run a marathon. Ever!

I Have To Tell You...

My belly flip flops every time I think about it.

Every.

Single.

Time.

It flip flopped in January as I realized this was the year.

It flip flops now as I think training is just around the corner.

And, as I pulled up SmartCoach last night, I plugged the numbers in and it showed me a plan that has me start THIS week.

Self doubt starts to creep in.

What if I can't do it??

I was talking to Julie yesterday and am thankful for her experience. She's been there done that. Rocking her 1st marathon and persevering through her 2nd. She is a warrior and in my opinion, the Queen of mental toughness. Yes. The Queen.

She has faith in me.

But, what if?

What if this thing that I so think I'm going to love (I also love labor and delivery. What does that tell you??) leaves me crawling across the finish line?

The easy button girl says that maybe 1/2's are my thing. I love racing that distance! I could just work to improve my time. A LOT.

In my plan ahead mind, I'm already doing LA 2012 and Portland 2012. And you would probably laugh if I told you I'd even planned farther out than that...

Considering I haven't even completed ONE marathon yet.

What I do know is that although I was basically spent after my last 1/2, I still feel like I wasn't completely tapped. I know there's more in me. And when I ran 14 with Julie and Ashley last summer, I felt great. So, really, I can do this, right?

But, what if I fail?

What if, even though I'd like to say I don't have a time goal, I don't meet it? There's that stupid perfectionist side of me that will probably struggle...

Dumb what ifs.

I also know that along with the flips and the flops is a heck of a lot of excitement. I truly cannot wait to toe that line. I guarantee that as we start shuffling towards that starting line there will be tears in my eyes. And I guarantee there will be more when I cross the finish.

And here's a little laugh for you...

I've already started thinking about what I'm going to wear :)

What Do You Do?

So, here's the dilemma.

Well, not really a dilemma, but just wondering what others do.

Whenever I run on the treadmill I finish it up with a .25 mile walk.

.25 miles that I don't want to add on my dailymile.com mileage because, although it's silly, I don't want that WALK to mess up my average pace.

Anal. I know.

But, I just counted up that mileage walked and it totaled 3 miles.

3 miles!

Not much, but when I'm adding up to 1,000 miles, doesn't every mile count?

However, when I run outside I stop my Garmin as soon as I stop running.

And, I still cool down with a walk.

And, I don't count it.

What do you do??

Do you count your cool down in your mileage?

By the way, miles ran for January????

88.75!

Miles planned???

78.

Man, this is fun!!

How's your year going so far?

Finally, still have sporadic access to the computer and am SO far behind on everyone's blogs. Please know it's not that I don't want to read. It's that I haven't been able to. Hoping to get a little reading in today if the computer stays up and running!