Run Forest, Run

BG went on a run over the 4th of July weekend.  He always goes when it is so hot outside, I don't see how he does it.  Anyway, this particular run happened actually on the 4th fairly early in the day and when he got back, he had a whopper of a story for me.

Turns out, his route goes by the park in our neighborhood.  As he was entering the park to go on the trails, there was a man sitting on the curb that looked a little out of sorts.  BG started asking the man if he needed help.  About that time a lady who was standing by her car told him "No, he is just drunk!"  I guess that she was his wife or something and he had partied a little too much the night before and was about 15 sheets by this time!  The guy went on to mention that he had only had 3!  Not 3 beers, but 3 cases!!!  That is a LOT of beer!  The lady got so aggitated by this point that she just drove off because he wouldn't get in the car.

BG continued on his run, but decided he would run back by there just in case the man was still there and needed help.  When he ran back by he was gone, so I guess he decided to get in his old lady's car and go home to sober up!

Marathon Momma

This year I decided I wanted to try for 4 Half Marathons! An ambitious goal and double what I did last year. Well...I am halfway there. The first one was really special because I did it with the cousins on my husband's side of the family in honor of my sister in law who passed away this past Christmas. So here are my thoughts from the first two:

Dallas Rock 'n Roll - March 2010

• Awesome to run with family


• Not that well prepared


• Time 2:29


• Interesting course, but kind of hilly

Heels & Hills - Irving - May 2010

• Ran all by myself, I didn't even have any fans to cheer me on :(


• I was in a very odd place mentally, really struggling with some issues, so it gave me some great time to think and process what was happening


• Time 2:19:58, took 10 minutes off my time!


• Calories burned - 2552


• Very flat course, the name of the race is a misnomer :)

I have two more scheduled for the year, one of which I am already signed up for, one I haven't signed up for yet. I will be doing the Heels, Hills & Him in September and then The San Antonio Rock 'n Roll in November with my best friend from HS.

My Husband Rocks Friday

My husband rocks, because he is such a good sport. He totally does not understand my love of running. He runs to stay fit and pretty much hates it, but it works for him. The thing is, this does not stop him from supporting me in my crazy adventures. This past half-marathon that I did, in true BG fashion, was out there cheering me on! He even brought SD, who LOVES watching races and kept her entertained for 2 plus hours!

He has done this from the beginning! My first marathon, he even ordered the plaque and the picture and had it put in a huge shadow box that now hangs in our hallway!

Race Reflections

Last Sunday, I ran my first half marathon for this year. It was a make-up from one that I was registered for in May. And I did so much better than I would have had it actually happened in May! I had a couple of reflections from the race, so here goes it!

1. Some people who run think they need all sorts of CRAP! I saw people with belts of all this gunk. Special water bottles. Knee bands. Head gear. I guess I am just a minimalist runner, when I go out to run, it is me, my attire, good running shoes and my iPod. That is one of the things that I love most about running, you don't need any equipment. Especially at a race, it is all out for you!

2. At the beginning I was quite annoyed, because there were tons of people walking the half-marathon. I don't have a problem with people walking, but they need to understand race etiquette. This is the reason that I refuse to do Race for the Cure, it is a cluster, albeit for a good cause, but a cluster none the less!

3. There was one lady running barefoot. I don't really know what else to say about that.

4. At one point, I was near a lady who I thought sneezed. But it wasn't a sneeze, it was some weird breathing that she was doing. It was so annoying that I had to speed up to put some distance between us. At one point, I walked a little and then could hear her again, that motivated me to pick up the pace!

Not as Ridiculous

I went to the running group again this Sunday. Allison and I had a good run, not as quick as last time, but she helped me to realize that I was doing just about the same as last time, although we think our pace was a little slower. The great part was that I was not nearly as tired when we were done or the rest of the afternoon. And today I am not in utter pain like last week! I am sore, but nothing like last week. The best part is that when I went for a run this morning, I didn't look nearly as ridiculous as last week!

It really feels good to be running so much again. I am getting back into it with gusto! I love the way it makes me feel and the energy it provides. I have also signed up with a group that is all about half marathons. It sends out info about them and tips, etc. They also have a challenge to do 4 or 5 in the next year and I am going to try! I am already signed up for two and was planning on signing up for a third (that this group puts on). Then, Amy told me that she was doing the R&R in Dallas, so I said I would do it with her, so that makes 4. Now I just have to find one more. How cool would it be to do 5 in a year's time! I had told a friend that I would love to be able to run a half marathon at any time and it not be THAT big of a deal. If I stick with this, hopefully that will become a reality!

It's A Miracle

I went running with my friend Allison last Sunday. We joined up with a running group that is between us physically, so it was a great place to meet. It was really nice to be able to run with someone else too, instead of always by myself. The best part is that Allison pushed me, she always have and that is one of the things that I love about her! We ran an 8 mile loop and I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. I had told her on the phone the night before that I wasn't sure if I could do 8, but I could probably do 6. Even then she pushed me, she told me, don't give yourself that out now, wait until we are out there, the mind quits a long time before the body does!

So as we were running, she stayed with me, which was awesome, because her pace is faster than mine. She also pushed me to a pace that I don't normally run at, but could and should. I am so looking forward to doing this with her every week, or at least most!

At the end of the run, I was pretty proud of myself, I ran almost all 8 miles and actually didn't feel like I was going to die, until later that is...I was fine on Sunday afternoon, just tired. But then came Monday, I thought I was dead, it hurt to get out of bed. The biggest problem was my right ankle, my Achilles tendinitis I guess had flared up and it hurt bad, but I made myself go for a short run that morning. I knew that I needed to warm everything up and loosen it up. I was so glad that there were not that many people around, because I probably looked ridiculous running since I hurt so badly! And the rest of the day wasn't much better. So Tuesday came around, which meant boot camp and I wanted to stay in bed, but I made myself get up and go, after all, I was paying for it! All day yesterday, I kind of limped around and even put ice on my ankle. I went to bed early last night and decided I would give myself today as a break, I didn't want to over-do it and then not be able to run on Sunday with Allison. I don't know if my body finally recovered, or if just allowing myself to take that break did it, but today, no pain, not even soreness!!! It is so crazy, I feel like I have been miraculously healed! So, tomorrow, it is back to business and I am really looking forward to Sunday! If I keep it up, a half-marathon will be no big deal, which is just what I want!!!

No More Excuses

Two weeks ago I was really tired on Friday. I had started bootcamp and had run on Monday and Wednesday, so I figured I had earned a break on Friday. SD had other plans though. As I was doing my Bible Study, she came to me and asked if we could go running. I told her we could, but Mommy needed to finish her Bible Study, she sat there so quietly and patiently waiting for me to finish. As soon as I closed my Bible, she hopped up and asked if it was time to go. I had already gotten her dressed and she had picked out her Nike's to wear. So as I went to change my clothes and put on my running shoes, she went to get "ready" as well. As I came out of our room, there I saw my little running buddy, complete with a baby in her baby stroller. I guess that I wasn't actually going to get a run in that morning, because SD wanted to "run" with her baby! So, I plopped Linus in the Flinstone Car and out we went. It was so cute to see her actually running while pushing her baby. I don't know what I loved more about that morning, the time we got to spend together, the fact that she wanted to go running, or her encouragement to get me out the door! Truly a cherished morning. I don't have pics of the actual event, but here is a picture of her pushing her baby on a run!

I was so Not ready!

A while back I signed up to do a half-marathon in the Spring (May ish). This was my way of motivating myself to lose the rest of my baby weight! The only problem, is that I didn't really stick to my training schedule, so not only did I not lose the weight, but I was so unprepared for the half! Thankfully, it rained here in the metroplex, and rained and rained and rained! It completely flooded the route and the race was cancelled, which is very rare. I just happened to wake up at like 3 or 4 am and check my email, I guess I was hoping that it would be cancelled. Sure enough, it was!

The bad news is that they don't refund your money. The good news is that they have another race in September and I got a comp entrance! So, here is to training for this one!

So far I have done pretty well. Last Sunday, I ran 5 miles and am hoping to run 6 some time this weekend! I have also been doing well at my running during the week! Can you say hello swimsuit season!!

Scorpion Queen

Our old house was in a developing neighborhood and for a long time, I had to run around our little section 3 times just to get my mileage in. When they finally opened up Phase II, I would run in there, before there were houses or even street lights. One particular morning, when I was doing just that, I stumbled on what I thought was a brood of very large scorpions. I was totally freaked out and ran home quickly to tell BG about it. He laughed at me and later went to drive around to find these scorpions. Turns out they were crayfish, which I have never seen alive before, and they look similar enough, and they had their tales up, so I wasn't totally crazy. Did I mention that I run early in the morning, clearly I wasn't fully awake! Anyway, back on track...

Yesterday morning, I took the kids running with me. We live near a wooded area that has a creek and a lot of open space. As we were running, I looked ahead, and on the path I saw a dark thing moving. From far away it kind of looked like a curled up leaf, maybe blowing in the wind. As I got closer, I saw that it was not a leaf, but instead a crayfish. This time I knew what they were (see above!). I showed it to SD and told her what it was, etc. I could barely contain myself, BG was NEVER going to believe me! Unfortunately I didn't have my camera or my phone, which I usually carry, or I would have evidence. I thought it was one loan crayfish that had escaped the creek, then I looked in the dewy grass and they were EVERYWHERE!!!

That will wake you up!

Recommitment

My friend Lindsay always does Team in Training when she signs up to do a race. She does this for some accountability and because they provide a schedule (not to mention it is for a great cause!). Anyway, in the middle of the training, they usually have a recommitment dinner. At this time, they provide you with the rest of the training schedule and I think you have to have some of your money raised by then! I think it is a great idea because it allows those who are not really in it, or have encountered things that make it not feasible for them to continue, to bow out gracefully. It also pumps up the people who are really serious and gives them some fresh wind in their sails!

Today, 12/1 is recommitment day for me! Recommitment for my running, eating healthy, working out, strength training, etc. I gave myself the past two weeks off for the most part. I have always read that after running a big race, you should give yourself as many days of rest as the miles in the race. I ran a total of three times I think in the past two weeks, but they were light runs and shorter than I normally do.

My goal weight by the end of the year is 155, I am about 5 pounds away and with the holidays coming up, it isn't going to be easy! Not only that, but I know that the longer I wait, the harder it is going to be to get back into the swing of things. And it is about to be colder, and not nearly as nice to run in as the weather lately. So, against every bone in my body, I got out there this morning. I bundled both kids up and braced for the wind and the 40 degree temp! I am not going to lie, it was tough! I gave myself only one walk break, but after it was done, I felt so much better! I am so glad that I forced myself to do it, hopefully I won't fall off the bandwagon after Day 1! Here is my schedule:

M, W, Th - Run my neighborhood run with the kids and BG hopefully!
Sat - Run a "long" run - plan is to do 3, 6, 9, 6 each month
T/Fr - Do some sort of video or cross training
Sun - NOTHING!!! This is a day of rest :)

Hopefully I can get this back under control so that I can think of a more creative New Year's Resolution!

The SA Half Marathon

I am back from the half-marathon and I am actually not too sore. It was a great time to go to SA and visit my family and friends. I got to meet up with Erin, who I hadn't seen in quite a while, so that was fun and we met up with some friends who used to live in the metroplex!

The half-marathon was good, a very flat course. And the weather was perfect! It was a chilly 38 or so in the morning, but by the time we got finished it was a beautiful day. As we were walking to the start of the race, being the only one without long pants on, I said, "I am not going to lie, it is a little chilly!" The rest of our little group was all sorts of bundled up and Erin lives in the north! There were people crazier than me though with tank tops on. And men in tights, note to all men, don't wear tights! We know it is there, we do not need to see it on a run!

Amy & I before the race

Amy did a great job and it was so much fun to run with her! My cousin's wife also found us along the route and ran most of it with us! We definitely enjoyed ourselves. BG was a trooper and came out to watch with SD and being the fabulous hubby that he is, took tons of pics for my scrapbooking obsession. All in all, my favorite part was seeing SD along the route, although she was very confused as to why I would run up to her and then run off!

When I first saw SD, they were at 2 stops along the route!

Being my first, post-kids run, I think it went pretty well! I am going to try and set a goal of two next year and keep up my "long" runs so that I can stay in shape and be able to do half-marathons whenever I want! Here are some pics from after the race.

Running isn't Everything

I know, you are shocked! But it isn't everything. I used to only run, that is all I did and I thought that was enough, but it simply isn't. It is really important to tone other parts of your body, because unfortunately running isn't the cure-all. For me, running is the base, the thing that is always there and is the foundation, but I can build on it. I have been really trying to focus on my core and my arms. Running pretty much takes care of toning my legs and getting rid of the flab around my mid-section, but it doesn't tone it. I have been using my exercise ball and this great quick routine I found in my Runner's World magazine. I have also been trying to lift weights and do arm videos, but it unfortunately is not tops on my "want to do" list so I have been kind of slacking on it. I have found though that as I increase the strenght in my core, I run much better. I am not hunched over at the end when I am tired, the strength in the middle carries me to the end and helps me finish strong!

All that being said, I got to run my long run by myself on Saturday. I actually prefer taking the kids and having hubby along, but every once in a while it is nice to go out alone. Our stroller has a wheel problem, again, and BG has not had time to work on it. So, as much as I didn't want to go yesterday morning, I grabbed my iPod, and my cell phone and adorned myself in my cute little skirt and hit the road. I did 6 miles and it felt great, I wasn't even really sore today!

Run on!

Running with an Audience

This morning we went out for a 5 miler. I probably should have done 6 since I missed last week and need to do seven next week, but it was all I could do to get my hiney out the door! Since Hurricane Ike's rains and winds were going to hit the metroplex, we got going pretty early. Thankfully, we made it home before it started raining too badly, we just got sprinkled on a little. The good thing is that it wasn't hot and the rain really cooled me off. The bad news is the wind was pretty strong. BG didn't go with me and that made it much harder, I really enjoy his company and the ability to trade off who is pushing the stroller.

Anyway, I took the kids, although SD through a fit at first, about what I am not really sure, she really enjoyed it once she got in the stroller. She chatted like normal and was cracking me up. At one point, we ran by a house that had been "papered" or as some people call it, TP'ed. She was kind of confused as to what it was, but in the end decided that they were noodles hanging from the trees! Then, when it started to rain, I used a blanket to cover the kids more, SD thought that was so much fun and told me it was a flag! She made it a little difficult to keep them dry because she kept playing with it. Then she said "I got wet Mommy!" well yeah, you kept moving the blanket! Linus, he just relaxed and enjoyed the ride, talked a little and slept a little!

I am glad that I went for my run, but man am I tired today! Running long runs is a lot harder when you have two little ones that still need lots of attention!

Flirty Skirty!

I finally got a running skirt. I was so excited because it was on clearance at Target for $5, a great deal considering they are usually $20. I would post a picture, but BG took the camera today, so I couldn't get one. Anyway, I decided to wear it today because I wanted to try it out on a not so long run, that way if I hated it, I didn't have to stay in it for over an hour. But I LOVED it! It is a little big (but it was cheap) so there is a little extra material, but overall, it fit really well. I was glad that it was lose, I don't like things being too tight, especially when I run. It was great to run in, the bike shorts underneath stayed in place and did not ride up into the vortex known as my inner thighs. My only complaint is that since it is a slick wicking material, my tank top would not stay down over the belly, I am thinking that if I had a longer tank top, it wouldn't have ridden up. The great thing is that I felt really cute and I think that transferred into my running. I definitely will continue to run in skirts and I am hoping to get some more. I might even try to get a running dress!

I wanted to wear my little skirt all day! I am not all that into wearing skirts on a normal basis, but I think I like the athletic skirt because it has shorts under it that are attached. You don't have to worry about being extremely lady-like, but you look feminine and sporty, which I love! I think that is why I like tennis outfits so much. Speaking of...a couple of years ago for my birthday, I asked BG to get me tennis stuff and let me take lessons. He did get me the stuff (a cute pink tennis racket and bag) and said I could sign up for lessons. Unfortunately, my city rec center cancelled the class because they didn't have enough people. I have been staring at my tennis racket and bag longing to take lessons and use it again. So, I looked on my city's website and they have lessons! And they are only $35 for a month. Hopefully I will be able to take them in October. I think this will be a great way for me to meet some people and hopefully get involved in a league or something. I would love to play tennis!

Ready to Run

BG and I did a 5 mile run this weekend pushing both kids and it felt great! I am so thankful that he is running with me, it is so much more fun. He also is a great motivator for me. I am hoping that he will fall in love with running like I have and will do a long run with me some day. But, for now, I am happy that he is going with me. I am also glad that the kids will remember both of us running.

We also got new running shoes this weekend, which was great. I tried something new...it is really hard for me to buy running shoes because I have big feet (don't laugh, I am slightly sensitive about this). Anyway, I had found a pair of shoes but they were more than I wanted to spend and they were not the brand that I like (Saucony). I started walking toward BG and the men's shoes and saw a pair of Saucony that I liked, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try them on. The cool thing is that what fits in a man's shoe is much more common than the women's size I would need, so they are more readily available. I am going to try this from now on! More variety in men's shoes, of course I doubt I will find a pair of hot pink or purple shoes, but I can survive with blue or green!

Oh, and our jog stroller wheel is going out. BG had to get some tire repair stuff while out getting shoes and hopefully it is fixed!

By Faith

This is my daily email devotional and for me, it was a perfect visual of living by Faith. I have a huge problem with worrying and am trying to conquer that daily, especially when it comes to my kids! I love running, so this really spoke to me! Enjoy!!

July 23, 2008

Running By Faith
Tracie Miles

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)

Devotion:
It was finally here. My favorite time of year, and my favorite place to be. I hopped out of bed with an unusually eager attitude to do my morning exercise. I stepped out the door into the crisp morning, and inhaled a deep breath of salty beach air. I headed for the soft white sand, and began jogging briskly at the edge of the surf, admiring the vastness of one of God’s most amazing creations. After a short while, the morning sun became exceptionally bright, causing me to squint. It was then that I realized that in my haste to experience the beautiful Carolina surf, I had left my sunglasses behind. I tried to keep my eyes open, but it was just too bright. I thought to myself about the open area around me, and decided it would be safe to go a short distance with my eyes closed completely. Knowing that miles of empty beach lay ahead of me, and that there were very few people, if any, at the beach this early in the morning, I confidently ran forward with both eyes closed tightly shut.

As I continued running blindly, and spending time with God in prayer, a startling thought leapt into my mind - “is this what God means when He tells us to walk by faith and not by sight?”. I allowed my mind to drift away from my surroundings and focus on this concept. In the case of my morning run, I already knew that there was nothing in my path to bump into. There were no people, dogs, umbrellas or flying frisbees yet, so I felt completely confident running with my eyes closed. However, life does not always have a bump-free pathway for us to run on, but rather is packed full of obstacles, big and small. During this prayer time, I felt God nudging me to recognize whether or not I would be willing to run with my eyes closed through the bumpy patches of life, and solely rely on Him for my confidence, even when I did not know what lay in front of me.

I found myself asking God, “Lord, what things do I need to walk by faith in, and not by sight?”. For the next several minutes, with each exhale of breath, God brought something to mind that I needed to have a stronger faith about. A family member’s chronic illness. A friend’s job search. A damaged relationship. Someone whom I needed to forgive. Raising my children. Marriage. Health concerns. The war. Who would lead our country. The future.

It became crystal clear to me in that moment, that I rarely walk by faith regarding issues of great concern. It seems that when the burdens get heavy, I try to carry them on my own. I fret and worry. I imagine the worst case scenario. I try to determine what I can do to remedy the problem. I waste time wishing things were different. When what I should be doing is giving God the opportunity to do His work. Worrying will not change a thing, but faith can change everything.

Walking by faith and not by sight, does not mean we need to walk around with our physical eyes closed, but that we need to live with the eyes of our heart open. God wants us to put our faith in Him, believing with full confidence that He will take care of the obstacles, guide us around the problems, and carry us through to the end. The NIV version of 2 Corinthians 5:7 puts it this way, “We live by faith, not by sight.” We are not commanded to merely walk by faith, but live by faith, each and every day.

If you are like me, I want to not only walk by faith, but run by faith. I want to have the type of faith in Christ that will allow me to close my physical eyes, and see through the eyes of my heart instead, while running full force ahead with no fear.

All about the Numbers

So, as I have been saying, I am trying to be transparent. Also, I was going to address the issues that made me sad last week. Today, we are going to talk about my body! Aren't you excited!! I am going to be transparent in a way that is really hard for me, I am going to give you actual numbers! Oh, let me give you a little history first. I believe my genetics are not necessarily stacked against me, but they are also not really doing my any favors. About half my family struggles with their weight, in some way or another (actually, I think there are very few people in general that do not struggle with some aspect of their body image). I am not one of those people who can eat anything and still be really skinny. But, I have been blessed with genetics that allow me to control my weight fairly easily if I want to. My parents also blessed me with the perseverance and hard work ethics to put my mind on something and accomplish it! It took me a long time to get to this kind of comfort level with my body. I have so many friends who are really tiny, and I mean tiny (most of them from college are under 5 feet tall or right at it) and are definitely single digit sizes! I used to compare myself to them all of the time, but I am not them, and that is okay. I don't need to be comfortable with their body, I need to be comfortable with mine! The cool thing is, they never made me feel like I was the odd man out (it was all in my crazy head), they love me for who I am! Thanks girls!

So, here it goes.

Before I got pregnant with SD, I was in pretty good shape. I was doing lots of weight lifting classes and running a good amount. I have never been a "small" person, but I have never considered myself fat or overweight. I am 5 ft. 8 in. and have wide hips. I actually have come to a place where I like my body and understand that being a size 6 is unrealistic. Like I have posted before, I think clothing sizes don't really matter anyway. So, back to my point. I don't know exactly how much I weighed before I got pregnant with SD, I am guessing it was in the high 140s or low 150s. I looked back in my pregnancy journal and found a weight of 156, which was around 13 weeks or so. With SD, I gained over 60 pounds, I stopped counting after I hit 200. Yep, I hit 200, and I was a big old pregnant lady, with a ton of water weight.

After I had SD, I did a pretty good job of working out, but never really killed myself because I knew I wanted to get pregnant again soon. I was running a lot and getting up in my mileage, but I was not toning anything. I had gotten back to my size 10s fitting really comfortably (in NY & Co sizes anyway, and that is what most of my clothes are). My weight was 162 at the doctor when I got pregnant with Linus. I am very comfortable being a loose size 10 (in NY & Co clothes) and really don't need a single digit size to make myself feel okay. So, once again I was pregnant and gaining weight. Thankfully this time I did not gain as much on the scale, but I also didn't work out as much, so I think some of the lack of weight gain was deceptive and was actually muscle weight loss, which I didn't want. So, I gained 40 or so pounds and hit 200 once again.

Today, 8 weeks after Linus was born, I am back down to 170 and have been steadily losing about a pound or two a week. I am in a size 12 jeans, pretty comfortably, but I don't like the flab that hangs out on the top. My goal is really to be around 150 pounds, I think that is a very suitable weight for someone my height and frame size. More than the number though, I want to be fit. I want to feel comfortable with my body. I want to have muscle tone and be able to run for long distances periodically. My biggest goal is to have tight abs. I don't need a six pack, although that would be nice, but I want to be strong. My tummy has always been my trouble spot, so it is going to be some work, especially since that is where I gain ALL of my weight, including pregnancy weight.

So, here is my plan. I am running, at least 4 times a week. I am training to do the San Antonio Half Marathon with my cousin and my best friend in November. I have started my training and am doing pretty well. My goal is to finish it, no certain time, not necessarily running the whole time either. I started off running a couple of weeks ago, by walking 4 minutes and running 1. I am now at week 2 of running 3 walking 2 for 2.5 miles. Next week, I will move to 4 running and 1 walking and then keep adding a minute of running each week/couple of weeks until I am up to 7 and 1 which is what I plan on doing for the half. I am also trying to do some weights and abs at least a couple times a week. My abs are pretty much shot after two babies via C-section, so I have a long road ahead of me there. As far as eating and weighing, etc. I am being very flexible on that. I am eating good things and trying to follow this book so that Linus gets what he needs in my breast milk. It means eating 2600 calories a day of certain foods. I am also only weighing myself once a week, on Mondays. This past Monday, I weighed in at 170, I will try to post my progress each week so you can help encourage and hold me accountable!! I will definitely need it!

So, there it is. So far this week, I ran on Monday and Wednesday, did abs on Monday and Wednesday, and did Yoga on Tuesday. Today, I will probably do Pilates or something. I plan on running Friday and Saturday as well. Sunday I take off, because it is too hard to run before church, we have a hard time getting there on time without me running! The cool thing is that we have been running as a family. BG goes with me and we take the double jogger with both kids. I think it is setting a really good example for the kids and I like that it is something that we do as a family!! This is one of the huge perks of BG working for himself and my job being very flexible! We are blessed!

Reducing Your Time

As promised, although a little late, here is the running schedule. Sorry, I have had a sick kiddo!


A good friend of mine's husband is a personal trainer and he gave this to me years ago. It helped me go from a 10 minute to a 9 minute mile, and it was relatively easy to do. You just adjust the longer pace (11 min) with what you are currently doing and then adjust the rest of the schedule accordingly.


Running Schedule
Week 1 : Mile 1 11 min pace, Mile 1.5 10 min pace, Mile 2 11 min pace, Mile 2.5 10.5 min pace, Mile 3 11 min pace

Week 2: Mile 1 10.5 min pace, Mile 1.5 10 min pace, Mile 2 10.5 min pace, Mile 2.5 10 min pace, Mile 3 11 min pace

Week 3: Mile 1 10.5 min pace, Mile 1.5 10 min pace, Mile 2 10.5 min pace, Mile 2.5 10 min pace, Mile 3 10.5 min pace

Week 4: Mile 1 10 min pace, Mile 1.5 10 min pace, Mile 2 10 min pace, Mile 2.5 10 min pace, Mile 3 10 min pace

So basically, for week one, you would run the first mile at an 11 minute pace. Then from mile 1 - 1.5 you would speed it up to a 10 minute mile pace, from mile 1.5 - 2 back to an 11 minute pace. And so on and so forth. You need to have a good route mapped out and know your mileage. It is kind of a guessing game at first as far as the pace goes, but you will get the hang of it. You can also adjust the schedule if you are only running 2.5 - 3 miles not 3.5 like the schedule calls for. The cool thing is that once you move your time down once, you can stay at that pace for a couple weeks and get really comfortable at it and then start over moving it down again!

Good luck and please let me know your progress!

A Crisp Morning Run

As I have said before, I love to run. I went to run this morning and it reminded me of why I love to run in the Fall. It was a cool, crisp 50 degrees out this morning. I bundled SD up (her Daddy is very afraid of her getting sick) in her cute sweater and matching hat, wrapped her footed pajama-clad bottom half with a warm fuzzy blanket and headed out in a long-sleeve t-shirt and shorts. It felt so good when I was running and inhaling the crisp morning air. It is like new life being breathed into you! It felt fabulous!!! It is such a different feeling than running on those muggy summer mornings. I pretty much run during all seasons, although I have a rule that if it is below 20, I stay inside! But, all in all, mornings like this morning are my favorite, whether it is in the Fall or the Spring, 50 degrees is PERFECT!

Confessions of a Local Race Runner

I did a run this weekend that was near my house. It was only a 5k and since I needed to run 8 miles this weekend as part of my half-marathon training, I ran to the race, ran the race and then ran home. My plan was to leave the house by 7:45 so that I had plenty of time to run the 2.5 miles up there and be early for the race that started at 8:30. That of course didn't happen, why would it when you have a 1 year old! She actually slept in until 7:40, I got her all gussied up and ready for her first race (she had to look cute for pictures!) and we left the house by 8, with plenty of provisions to keep her occupied for the next two hours! We hauled it up there, I didn't realize it, but I ran faster up there than I did on the way home. As we were getting close to the start of the race, we saw lots of the participants walking from the parking lots of nearby stores to the site of the starting line. One participant in particular totally caught me off guard. As she was crossing the street with her friend, she slowed up so that she could finish her cigarette before getting any closer to the race start. Are you kidding me? A cigarette BEFORE a race, I wonder how she felt after that first beating of a hill?!?!?!? I couldn't believe my eyes, I have heard stories of people I think are athletic, but smoke and I believed it, but this was just crazy. Mind you, she did not look what I would call athletic, but she was on the way to a race, can't you wait until afterwards? I am not, nor have I ever been, a smoker, so maybe I am missing something. Anyway, SD had a fabulous time at the race, she evidently believes that she is Ms. Cute Adorable of America, because she waves when we do our runs. Maybe she is practicing for her future! The photographer at the race snapped some pictures of us, so as soon as I can find them, I will post one!