Journal of a Slow Texas Girl

Re-Think Your Shrink

2009-12-29T15:34:00.000-06:00

Taken from the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, http://shrinkingjeans.net/

The countdown to Re-Think Your Shrink is ON!
Just one day left!
Are you ready??
Because support is such a big part of our weight-loss successes, we really really want to get the word out about our challenge, which starts TOMORROW! WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30TH!
So we are giving away a $25 I-Tunes gift certificate to the person who tweets and posts the most about our newest challenge, “Re-Think Your Shrink!”
You will need to make sure your post includes a link to The Sisterhood and mentions the new challenge and start date (Dec. 30th!) and be sure to include a link to your post in the comments. When you tweet, make sure you use the hashtag #rethinkyourshrink so we can tally up the tweets. You can also share the information and Shrinking Jeans link on Facebook and MySpace! And be sure to leave a comment about these things or we will have no way of knowing!
Spread the word! There are lots of exclamation marks in this post because I’m UBER-EXCITED AND SOOO READY TO GO!
Now get out there and start posting and tweeting!
Contest ends tonight at 2 a.m. Pacific Time.
Re-Think Your Shrink! Join the Revolution!!! Change your body, change your mind!
Have a nice day.

Testing!

2009-12-29T15:21:00.001-06:00

Is this thing working?

Wow!

2008-09-23T17:38:00.002-05:00

Thanks Susan for letting me know.

I'm the Phedippidations Featured Blog from episode #153, Running Over Cancer.

I haven't had a chance to listen to the latest episode, so I really can't believe it. I'm honored Steve! I love your podcast and have taken you on many runs through my area. Now this puts a little pressure on me to come up with some dazzling new post to show that I'm Phedip worthy.

So how did this come about? Did one of you little lurkers nominate me or something. Susan was it you?

Upcoming Schedule

2008-09-16T11:52:00.003-05:00

This mornings run was tough. I've been battling allergies and drainage that I think has gone to my chest and ears a little bit so by mile three I was zonked. I walked a little, probably about a half mile total and finished with 5 miles. Then I went to the gym and lifted upper body. I hope to go do some sprints tonight at the track, but I'll see how I feel.

So here is my upcoming race schedule:

New Balance Race Series(races at Kelley Park)

October 18, 2008 5K

November 22, 2008 4 Miles

December 20, 2008 10K

January 17, 2008 8 Miles

February 7, 2008 10 Miles

January 31, 2009 Benbrook Half or 5k (tentative)

February 28, 2009 Cowtown Half Marathon

These should be fun events and I hope to get my first half medal in early 2009. I may throw a few more races in but we'll see. Those should keep me pretty busy.

Week In Review

2008-09-11T11:17:00.004-05:00

Well, well, well it's been a week since my last post. I have had intentions to post several times during the week and just brushed it off. So here is what I've been up to .

Training! I've been really concentrating on my workouts and I feel like I'm on my way to some good races in the next few months.

I finished up last week with 19 miles. This week I started off hoping to get 2 miles in Monday, but that just did not happen. Tuesdays have become two-a-day Tuesdays. So Tuesday morning I ran 3 miles. Here are the splits: 11:03, 11:13, 10:30. I then did upper body weights. I was a tired puppy. I lift with very little rest in between sets so I was really working. Tuesday nights I have set aside for a sprint workout. I went to the track and ran 4x220s. Here are the splits in seconds: 52 , 49, 49, 47. I walked a 220 in between each sprint. Then I did 4x100s. Here are the splits in seconds: 20,17, 18, 17. At my fastest in high school I once ran a 13.47 100 so you can see I have lost much of my zip. But I'm not too slow for an old momma! I finished up with a few laps jogging and got in another 3 miles that night.

Wednesday was yoga torture. That instructor concentrated on balance the entire time. I was hurting this morning. Balance is tough work but really beneficial especially for your core.

This morning I ran 3 miles and then lifted lower body. Here are the splits: 11:31, 12:17, 11:10. I was going to take it easy this morning because I felt soar and fatigued. The last couple weeks I have been following an unspoken goal of making the last mile of every run the fastest. This morning I was a third of the way through mile three and I was just going to let that goal drop. Steve from Phedippidations was talking about "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and how you really should live to the fullest. My pace quickened. Then I started thinking about how this last mile of this training run could be the exact mile that makes the difference in some upcoming race. How this exact time may be the preparation that puts me in the next level. My pace continued to quickened. The last two tenths I was sprinting up hill and guess what; I kept my goal intact! I almost vomited on the side of a busy road, but I did manage to keep it down. Giving your best at every moment and holding yourself to your goals are such important steps in developing mental toughness. I have always been a naturally good athlete, but what I have lacked is a better grasp of mental toughness. That is going to be my biggest goal in training the rest of the year.

As in every year since 2001, remember 9/11. May we never see anything like that again. And please remember Texas as Hurricane Ike comes our way. The coast may be greatly damaged and those of us in central, north and east Texas may get some wicked flooding and wind damage.

Week In Review

2008-09-04T17:45:00.002-05:00

Well this weeks workouts have rocked! I have been up and running everyday this week.

Monday - 5k race
Tuesday - 2 mile treadmill run in the a.m., Upper body weights, 2 miles steady in the p.m. and 2 miles of 200 meter sprints in the p.m. I ran negative splits on the sprints as well.
Wednesday - Yoga torture. We had a new instructor and I was actually soar this morning from holding some of those poses. Not sure I like the new instructor, but the class still did me good.
Thursday - 4 mile run, the first three miles included some hill work and the times were in the mid to low 12's. The last mile I wanted to finish strong so I pushed a wee bit. Every time I felt I was slowing I would pick it up a step. So I finished mile four with a 10:52 pace. Nice. I can definitely tell that I hold back way too much at the first part of my runs. I need to push myself more if I'm ever going to get faster. I play it way to safe. I also lifted lower body after my run.

I hope to get in 5 miles this weekend to round out my week. I'll miss Saturday yoga since we are going to Zest Fest! We go every year and taste test all the yummy salsas and bbq sauces. Too much fun. Looks like I might have to get up early early to get my run in.

Fort Worth Labor Day 5k

2008-09-01T14:35:00.006-05:00

Wow, I actually have a race to report on! Who knew!

This was a family event for me. My husband walked the 5k with my son and my son ran the kiddie 1/2 k as well. My son loved it and got a gold medal placed around his neck which he has worn all day.

I ran the 5k and it was my first race in six months or so. Man have I gotten slow. Forget Shave Your 5k, how about Pad Your 5k! I clocked a 36:54. This time included stopping to help someone that tripped and fell.

We ran the same course I have run for several of the Fort Worth Running Club races. I've never been a fan of the course. I always feel like I'm struggling immediately out of the gate. It's all mental I know. However I did not walk any of the race. I really wanted to but, I just kept thinking that I always seem to give up just before I make it through. That is a serious chink in my armor. So I just kept going and luckily my friend Jack came back on the course to cheer racers in and his high five kept me going a little longer. Then my friend Elizabeth came back out (after she ran a 26 min 5k,) and ran with me the last few tenths. She told me the exact best moment to turn and burn and I finished sprinting and passing several. I obviously had not pushed myself much during the race because I had a lot of sprint left.

This was a nice overall race. The goodie bags were nice little nylon backpacks with several neat little things inside, (Biodfreeze, Cytomax drink mix, Udder Cream, Dannon Yogurt coupons, etc.) The shirt was a nice technical shirt that was gender specific, yeah! And they had a nice party afterwards with food, drink, bouncy houses and music. The only problem was not enough potties! I had to wait in line for 25 minutes and it caused me to miss my son's race, boo hoo. I really had to go and thought I wouldn't be able to make it through his race if I waited.

So all in all a good experience! I'm glad to be back out running and racing. I think I will run a local 5 series race that starts in October. It begins with a 5k and the distances go up to 10 miles. Maybe I can pull out a couple of half's before my back snaps in two in the Spring.

Fun and Games

2008-08-28T12:47:00.003-05:00

Well this weeks workouts have been good! I started a new weight lifting regime and had a couple of run/walks, and of course Yoga. I am also in my third week of Weight Watchers. My body is feeling good and my back is feeling strong. The only problem is with my sleeping. When I get horizontal my right leg starts acting up and I get deep leg pain, foot sensations and a fidgety problem. That stinking sciatic nerve is just not cooperating. It keeps me awake and thus I'm short on sleep. I'm still taking Etodolac which is an anti-inflammatory but it is not cutting it at night. Just another thing to go over with the doc.

The weight training is great. I started lifting in high school and it is something I have always been good at. In high school a coach approached me to do some powerlifting, but I wasn't sure how that would look. I'm not sure why I was so hesitant, but I think back in the 80s the view of women and weights was a great deal different.

Now I am back and working a semi-split routine of upper-body on Tuesdays, lower-body on Thursdays and everything lightly on Saturdays.

Upper-body consists of bench press, dumbbell flies, bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, overhead tricep press, barbell curls, military press, upright rows, push-ups. I think that is it.

Lower-body consists of squat, dead lift, leg press, lunges, extensions, curls.

Lower body has always been my favorite because I'm pretty strong but I think the bench press may surprise me. I would like to have a day were I max my lifts on the bench, squat, leg press and dead lift just to set a mark to be able to gauge my strength gains.

This week I worked out with the following maximums on my big 4:
Bench - 115lbs (8 reps)
Squats - 155 lbs (10 reps)
Leg Press - 360 lbs (10 reps) (Don't freak, physics is in your favor on this exercise.)
Deadlift - 120 lbs (10 reps)

The above totals were on my final set. Great thing is that I like to do most of these exercises without rest between sets or exercises, so I can get done in 30-45 minutes.

So my questions are these; what are your thoughts on performing progressively heavier sets? Have any of you done the reverse by performing your heaviest set first and then decreasing the weight each set thereafter? Did you like it?

Pain

2008-08-22T07:39:00.002-05:00

I have had a pretty good week of workouts. WooHoo! I took a new class at the gym Wednesday and boy has it done a number on my quads. I've been wanting to try the BodyPump class and finally I was able to fit it in. It is an aerobic workout with weights. It didn't feel like I got a lot of cardio work from it, but I did get a good muscle workout. I can tell the area I have been neglecting the most is my upper back, so I will add some cable rows to the mix. I also thought that I needed a little more leg workout after the class so I headed out and did leg extensions, standing ham presses and leg presses. Turns out I overdid a little. My quads are so sore. I think it will take a few more days to get them back to normal. I did Yoga after the BodyPump class and that just added to the leg pain with all of the isolation and balance work, but I think I will make that my regular Wednesday morning routine.

Last night I took a short run of 3 miles and made it a fartlek workout. I sprinted up hills and slowed and quickened the pace the entire time. I walked about four times but I'm overall happy with the effort. Tomorrow I'm going to the gym to do Yoga and weights and then later in the day I hope to get a run in.

I've been working on a more scheduled workout routine which includes more weights so I hope to post next about what I have planned.

Whatever It Takes to Motivate!

2008-08-20T07:51:00.000-05:00

You know sometimes you need a little extra to motivate you. You've read Runner's World and that doesn't do it. You've watched Spirit of the Marathon and that doesn't do it. You've camped out watching the Olympics and nothing. You've reflected on where you've come from and how much you have accomplished and that doesn't do it.

So what's a girl to do?

Buy a convertible! I got this little beauty this past weekend. I've always wanted an 80s model Mercedes convertible and we found one this weekend at an unbelievable price. It needs some work but it is so sweet!

I drove it to the gym last night and I was smiling the entire way there. This is going to be my Tuesday and Saturday gym car. The thrill of driving my little toy will definetly motivate me to get to the gym.

Olympic Dreams

2008-08-06T08:49:00.001-05:00

Olympics athlete news at NBC Olympics.com!

Ruidoso, New Mexico Vacation

2008-07-29T07:54:00.006-05:00

Hello all! I got back to reality Monday and I'm glad to be home. Vacation was good but all that driving wore me out.

I popped over to Nancy's blog last night and loved her China recap, so here is my attempt.

We got to Ruidoso, NM Thursday ready to have fun and we sure did. The condo at the Lookout Estates was great. Three floors beautifully decorated and super comfortable. There was even a pool table on the bottom floor. The coolest things were the hundreds of birds off the upper deck.

The hummingbirds sounded like a swarm of bees. There were tons. I saw five or six different kinds.

View from upper deck. Friday night we saw a bear from the upper deck.

Checking out the cold river. This was the day before it started to flood, (One of the biggest floods in many years.)

We played lots of games and put together a 750 piece jigsaw puzzle in 48 hours.

We did a lot of walking and hiking. This is the main tourist drag, Suddereth. I ran 3.5 miles from the condo along Suddereth. It was a lot of fun and my second day back to running more consistently.
View from a hike up to the National Forest Lookout above our condo.

We took the nephews geocaching and they had a great time.

All the cousins at the Smokey the Bear Museum in Capitan.

Riudoso Downs Horse races

Inside Hubbard Museum

Hubbard Museum, I didn't know my little boy had his tongue out until we got home and looked at the pictures. Wild horses, Hubbard museum.

Great fun and great food. I'd definetly go back again. I don't have pictures, but we also went to the McGary Studio to see the bronze work. It was fabulous and very detailed. I felt like the Indians were going to reach out and scalp me. We also stopped in Roswell and went to the Alien museum, but I don't have any pictures of that. I guess I wasn't impressed.

I can't wait until my next vacation.

Proud Mama!

2008-07-21T08:07:00.003-05:00

Saturday I went with my son and husband to walk a 5k at my husbands work. It was an event that was in connection with the new health benefit, so you participate and you get points. I was going to meet a girlfriend afterwards so I thought I would just have a leisurely walk so that I didn't get all nasty and sweaty. We told my son that he could run whatever he liked. We knew he wouldn't get too far in front of us.

They yelled go and off went the 10 or so runners, including my 3 and a half year old. He ran and ran and ran and... Hey he wasn't stopping! I finally decided that I needed to catch him and give him some more instructions. It took me a couple of minutes to catch up with him. Luckily the track is a crushed limestone track that is about 3/4 of a mile long. I had sight of my kiddo for most of the run and we also had other friends out on the trail as well. When I caught up with my son I told him to stay on the trail, don't talk to strangers, stop for water and walk if you want to.

He just kept running. After he ran close to 2 miles, I cut across a field to tell him again to stop for water and to ask him to walk. He just shook his head and kept running, then he said that he had passed 2 strangers and he was so happy. He actually had lapped about 40-50 people but he was in such a zone he didn't notice. He stopped for water and then took off again. I finally got him to cut across and to come walk with me and my friend Diane for the last half mile. He was worn out but wanted to know what prize he won. Luckily they had fruit and fruit bars so that had to do.

My husband and I were amazed at our little guy and I was really thrilled to see his concentration and determination. I'm not sure I should have let him run so far, but I think he would have had a crying fit if I had tried to make him stop. He really is an exceptional child.

He asked us yesterday when the next race was. I may have created a little running monster. I guess I can live with that.

I Just Don't Have Anything To Say

2008-07-18T12:57:00.002-05:00

I'm alive, but I haven't had much of an urge to type anything. The back is better. I have been working out some and I have a 5k walk tomorrow with my son and husband. I may try to run it if the husband doesn't mind being stuck walking with our toddler. We'll see. It might be more fun if I stick with the guys.

We are off to a short vacation next week in Ruidoso, NM. I'm so looking forward to some cooler temps. We have a condo rented and will hopefully get to do some fun stuff while there including some running and hiking.

I guess that is about it. Everyone take care and good luck to those of you doing races this weekend.

Free Books!

2008-07-10T07:26:00.001-05:00

Check out this giveaway from Trish. 14 free books to 5 people. The drawing will be soon so go comment.

Just a Little Update

2008-07-09T07:08:00.002-05:00

The MRI results came back looking good. So I have no damage, no herniation and the previous surgery is still holding stable. So when I left the dr.s office Monday I headed straight to the gym and ran 30 minutes on the treadmill.

What the doc and I cam up with is that running is not the best for me. I believe I can do some running but it can not be my primary exercise and I can't do long distances like 10 miles anymore. But I don't have to give it up all the way so I am stoked! The last week and a half have been much better with the back pain, so the break from running the stretching in yoga, the weight lifting with emphasis on strengthening problem areas and the anti-inflammatory pain meds have gotten the aggravation under control. The trick is keeping it all up.

So good news all around.

Who Knew!

2008-07-03T06:45:00.004-05:00

I went to the gym again yesterday and took my first Yoga/Pilates class. I really didn't know what to expect but thought that some good stretching would be fine for me. I got to class and we started off by sitting on the floor. This is usually pretty hard for me, but the instructor gave us a tip to fold the mat a few time and tuck under the back of the tail bone to put a slight tilt forward. That did the trick. We then went through an hour of stretching, breathing and core work. By the time we were done, I was pain free! Can you believe that! My back was pain free! It may be because my calves hurt so much from the Body Attack class the night before that I don't notice the back pain. But really my back felt good all day. I noticed the muscles were really taught around my lower spine and it felt like they were more stabilizing than normal.

I'm shocked that seemingly one class could relieve my pain for several hours. My hope is that the MRI will not show much of anything and that I may be able to continue running with a big emphasis on yoga to keep me inline. I think the key stretches were those related to my hips. My favorite was the Pigeon. It really relaxed my hip flexors, which I think have been causing some problems.

For now the gym only has one yoga class a week, so I need to get a DVD. Can anyone suggest a good beginner plan? The class wasn't labeled as any particular kind of yoga so I really don't know what to look for.

So for today my suggestion is that if you have any kind of injury, sniffle, ache or rash you should take a yoga class. It will fix you right up.

You Can't Keep a Good Girl Down

2008-07-01T20:54:00.004-05:00

I tell you what, I’m tired of sitting on my can. I’ve not ran in about a month and the back doesn’t feel any better. In fact I feel worse because now my back hurts and I’m a big slug. I have been deprived of all those good endorphins and my self esteem is slipping. I’m done!

So I headed to the gym and did my first class of Body Attack. Forget the low impact, I went after it and it felt mostly good. I tried to limit the motion when I hit a painful move. I am pretty uncoordinated dance wise so I was amusing myself with the goofy moves. I kept thinking about Java and her experience in the class and felt better that I’m not alone in my challenges. It was a great class and I feel good. I also lifted a bit afterwards. I was very pleased with my cardio performance. Tomorrow morning I’m going to head in for the Pilates class.

I had an MRI this past Monday and will be going to discuss the results this next Monday with the doc. Until then, I’m going to get my cardio on because if I don’t I’m going to go crazy.

Guilty Pleasure

2008-06-25T07:23:00.003-05:00

Did you guys see the ABC show Wipeout last night?

I thought it was hilarious! There is always something funny about people falling down or falling off of things, or hitting the water at weird angles that just tickles my funny bone. I should be more empathetic but I can't help it. I don't think anyone was injured but they sure did flop around like rag dolls.

I wonder where they found the people that competed? They were an odd looking group. I would bet a handful of them were homeless and the rest were tourists. The worst was the poor 58 year old lady. What was she thinking! I did feel sorry for her, but she was also quite amusing.

We'll see what torturous competition they come up with next.

On to other news, I went in Monday for an EMG test. It was much better than the one I had last year. I guess I knew what to expect so the needle stabs were only bad about 3 times. Well the test didn't show any nerve damage so that is good. Next Monday I have an MRI scheduled and the following week we'll go over the results and set up a plan. If I can get the back in order, you may just see me on Wipeout in the fall.

What Up!

2008-06-19T16:52:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone. All is well. I don't have much of a post for you but I needed to get the last moved since the info is dated. The back is feeling better and I will go to the gym again tomorrow for some cardio and weights.

Have a great weekend!

You Have Permission to Have a Frosty This Weekend!

2008-06-13T12:45:00.005-05:00

A Good Treat for a Good Cause

This weekend, you can help support Foster Care Adoption just by buying a Frosty! Participating Wendy's will donate 50 cents from every Frosty purchased on June 14 and 15 to the Dave Thomas oundation for Adoption. Their goal is to raise $1.3 million to support the Foundation and Wendy's Wonderful Kids, which funds full-time adoption recruiters to match parents with waiting children.

Since 2004, Wendy's Wonderful Kids has helped 3,500 children in Foster Care, and more than 500 of those children now have finalized adoptions.

So share a delicious treat with your family, and help children in the U.S. Foster Care system find their own forever families!

A Walk and a Witch Doctor

2008-06-12T06:50:00.002-05:00

I made my long walk Tuesday night. Turns out it wasn't so long in distance but it felt great. The only problems were the blisters all over my feet. Do your feet lose conditioning after a week and a half? It was crazy. I went to Academy yesterday and bought a new pair of shoes. We'll see if the blister problem improves.

I also went to the neurologist yesterday. He thinks a fragment may have broken loose like the last time. So the MRI should be next week sometime and then in two weeks the dreaded EMG. I hated the EMG last time so I am really not looking forward to it. They take thin needles and stab you in various spots up and down your spine, hip, legs and feet. They can then see if there is any damage to the nerve paths in those areas. So in two weeks I should know what is going on.

I do need to get back on the core workouts to help stabilize the spine and I think I will do some exercises to treat a Piformis problem to see if some of the issue might be due to that. May not be but it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot.

2008-06-10T07:09:00.002-05:00

Thanks to all of you for the kind words. I thought I would be able to get rid of you all but alas, you keep hanging around like a bad case of athletes foot.

I hope to go for a good walk tonight if I can drag my friend Courtney out. I am really missing being outside exercising. The Golds Gym is still not open. I am about to go mental with that place. Not sure why they are having so many problems but this is getting ridiculous.

I have a few questions for you all; I am trying to come up with my own smoothie mix. I have been enjoying the Weight Watchers Vanilla Smoothies. They are only 1 point and you can add all kinds of fruit and ice and make them super satisfying. The ingredients list soy protein but then it goes downhill from there.

The questions are these:

1. What is the best tasting vanilla soy protein powder? I've tried some in the past and they made me gag.

2. How do you boost the fiber? Flax seeds? The WW smoothies have 4 grams of fiber per serving. Would a tablespoon of flax seeds add that much fiber?

So my little reverse engineers let me know if you have any suggestions for building the best smoothie mix. Have a great day and a great workout.

The Other Shoe Has Dropped

2008-06-05T13:22:00.002-05:00

Not sure any of you are going to keep me on your blog roll, but it looks like my running days are over.

As I have mentioned before, I had back surgery last February and then took up running in July to drop weight. I found that I enjoyed it and running fit into my schedule. Well since earlier this year when I started bumping up my mileage, I have had some additional back and leg pain. I really feel it after my 10 mile runs. Those nights are almost impossible to sleep with all the leg pain. I haven't had a solid nights sleep in ages.

So I went to the doctor yesterday and talked it out. She was very alarmed that I was running and practically tried to slap some sense into me. She doesn't want me to ever run again(she can bite me on that one.) But I will need to go back to my neurologist to get reevaluated to see what is going on. So no running until I can get an MRI to see if there is another herniation. I'm hoping I can get hooked up with a great physical therapist that will help me get back out on the road, but I'm trying to be realistic with that. So for the immediate future, I will be trading running for walking and adding pilates or yoga and some weight training when my gym opens next week.

I'm bummed about this news but on the bright side, I won't have to buy those expensive running shoes from those fancy shmancy running stores. I know I will be ok. God is slowing me down for some reason. I still love working out and will find my next obsession before you know it.

So this blog will change a bit to just a general fitness blog. Hope to keep seeing you runners around the block.

Not Much To Report

2008-05-28T13:36:00.002-05:00

There's not a lot going on in this stay-at-home mom's life. I colored with my little guy, got him a snack, played chase and have done that everyday for several days.

I plan to step-it-up a bit tomorrow and solve world peace but I will worry with that later.

I ran 6 miles Monday and hope to get out Thursday night. I think my running is going to slow a little with my son being out of school for the summer. So we will see how much I have to report.

Everyone take care and stay cool!

TNR 10 Mile

2008-05-21T07:25:00.003-05:00

Tuesday nights have been set aside as running nights, so last night I and my running buddy headed out. We wanted to get 10 miles in. By the time we got to our spot and got all situated it was about 6:30. The temperature however was still in the 90s.

The run was in a new location for me and it was a great spot along the lake with some rolling hills. There was only a light breeze so we worked up a sweat pretty fast. My running partner is much faster than I am so she was great as pushing my pace. I slowed her pace however. By mile five I had to send her on so I could settle into a slower pace. We continued to run loops around each other and finally by around 8:35 we met up for the ride home.

10 miles done and I must have lost 2 gallons of sweat. I was drenched, a little light headed and worn out. It was great! I cut 3 minutes off my previous 10 mile time and came in at 2:05. Yeah!

Hot Stuff

2008-05-17T20:40:00.002-05:00

Luckily I was able to fit in a run today. I got out around 11:00 and it was a little warm. I was running a route along a road so the temp was probably around 85 or so. The wind was so light that I couldn't even feel it. I was warm, but it felt pretty good and was definetly an improvement from Monday and Wednesday.

I ran 6.2 and was hoping to be a little faster than some 10k runs in the past. I came up a little short with 1:15 finish. However I feel good with that since the last half mile I picked up the pace pretty good down in the lower 10s and upper 9s.

That's about it. Short and sweet.

Later gator!

Friday Update

2008-05-16T07:54:00.002-05:00

Not much to report this week. I had that bad run on Monday of 3.5, a mediocre run Wednesday of 4.5 and a nice walk/run last night of 4.5. Tomorrow we have a day at the Zoo so I'm not sure if I'll have time for a run, but I would like to try to work in a few miles.

Next Tuesday my running buddy wants to do a 10 mile evening run. Hopefully I will find my groove by then.

Some good news on the health club front. I joined Gold's Gym several months ago at a new facility. They were scheduled to open April1, then May 1 and now.....

Well they started to work on the main roadway entrance, and that is the last hurdle for the facility to open. So I'm hoping that in the next two weeks I'll have a gym home.

Everyone have a great weekend and a special good luck to Java! You are going to do great girl!

Gear Check

2008-05-14T07:05:00.003-05:00

I'm still hoping to get a run in outside today if the rain will give me a window. If not I'll trudge on the treadmill for a while.

It's about that time. Time for new shoes. I'm currently in the New Balance 882s and they have been great shoes. They are a little ugly looking, kinda like a canoe, but very comfortable. I hope to get to the running store this weekend to see what shiny new model catches my eye.

I'm also thinking of switching fuel belts. I'm using the Amphipod no bounce and that thing chafes something awful. Does anyone use the belt with the 4 little bottles evenly disbursed around the waist? How do you like it? I'm thinking that might work a little better for me.

What other gear is popular this season? I'm always up for trying something new.

Warning: Whiny Temper Tantrum In 3......2.......1

2008-05-12T12:09:00.004-05:00

I DON'T LIKE WIND! I DON'T LIKE COOL TEMPERATURES WHEN IT'S WINDY. I CAN'T STAND IT WHEN MY LEGS FEEL LIKE LEAD!I'M TIRED OF MY BACK HURTING! WHAT'S UP WITH MY KNEES?! I COULDN'T FIND MY HEAD PHONES SO I HAD TO USE THE STUPID LITTLE ONES THAT FIT IN MY EAR! OUCH THOSE HURT! I FEEL EXHAUSTED!

Excuse me for a moment while I hurl myself to the floor and kick my legs and pound the floor with my arms screaming some unintelligible guttural nonsense.

I'M NOT DONE YET! ONLY THREE MILES! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME! THAT SHOULD BE A CAKE WALK BY NOW. WHY DID I STOP AFTER ONLY ONE MILE! ONE MILE! WHY DO I FEEL 50 TODAY! I'VE GOT TO GET A BETTER NIGHTS SLEEP.

I HATE BAD RUN DAYS!

Excuse me for a moment while I hurl myself to the floor and kick my legs and pound the floor with my arms screaming some unintelligible guttural nonsense.

Ok, maybe I'm done. It really was a struggle of a run today. Goofy thing was I wasn't having any breathing difficulties. It was just all sluggish body issues. I was pretty disgusted so I kept the mileage down to 3 miles and threw in four 30 second sprints.

The good news is that tomorrow is a new day. Thank goodness! I better get some good sleep tonight or my speedy running partner is going to have to carry me tomorrow night.

Urban Dare San Antonio Race Report

2008-05-07T11:03:00.005-05:00

(at the start and ready to go!)

Well it all started at Waxy O'Connors on the Riverwalk. We knew we were in trouble when we went the wrong way to get to the starting point. And the technology overload was also a problem. I left Garmie at home and took Nuvi with me. That proved to be a pain so we packed it away pretty early on and relied on a good old fashioned map.

We did a quick trivia question start to stagger the field a bit. When we finally answered correctly we received our list of clues. We then split the clues up and Lisa called her father-in-law and I called my husband for Google help with the clues. In pretty short order our contacts had given us the answers to things like, "Who was San Antonio named after?" and "Where did Pee Wee Herman find his bicycle"

We then plotted the locations that we needed to visit on a handy map and decided to attack them in a logical route. Some locations we needed to get our pictures with a statue or object. Other locations we needed to complete a dare or task. We had to get to 11 different locations so off we went.(Hidalgo in Hemisphere Park)

The first 3 or 4 locations we got done pretty quickly and were cruising solidly for a mid pack finish. Then the "Battle of the Bulge" hit us hard. We needed to find the memorial that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the battle. We had an address that was way out of the way, so we took off. We never did get the buses figured out so everything was on foot. When we got to the supposed spot we didn't find a thing except a scary area. We stopped for a potty break and quickly flew out of the porta-potties when I heard some really horrible sounds from a junkie we didn't realize was in the last porta-potty. After calling a few more people we determined the location was back in town, so about an hour later we were finished with that one.

(mural of Willie Nelson, 5 minute bonus)

The only other clue that slowed us up was finding the Zero milestone for the Old Spanish Trail. It was on the other side of the Cathedral and we were stumped after looking around the front for about ten minutes.

The dares were actually pretty lame. I was hoping for something a little more involved and had actually anticipated a rock climbing wall. But we were stuck with a two man wheel barrow race, putting together a 60 piece jigsaw, chewing gum hidden in whipped cream, push-ups and yelling a chant at the top of our lungs. A zip line from the top of the Tower of Americas would have been good too, but we didn't get anything that daring.(Jigsaw puzzle in Milam Park.)

We finished up back at Waxy's with a dart throw for a bulls eye. Our time turned out to be 3:50 and some change. The winning time was 1:38. I don't how that team made it so fast. We should have just followed them.

(Posing with guy at wheelbarrow challenge)

(We needed the picture of the engine, but the muscle head got in there as well.)

All-in-all this was great fun. I would recommend it to you all. You really get to see the city and you get a great work out in. Since I didn't have my Garmin I would guess that we covered 10 miles, no joke. My body said it was ten for sure. It was also great to run with a friend who was up for whatever. From the moment we got our clues, Lisa was on. She was great at navigation as well. And the people around San Antonio were very helpful and friendly.

If you get a chance to do something like this, go for it. It will really help to break up your training monotony and give you a sense of just having fun. I'm looking forward to a Fort Worth version next year. You up for that Lisa?

I'm Alive

2008-05-06T20:23:00.003-05:00

Just got back from San Antonio. The race was fun but we did have an unfortunate miscalculation on one clue that cost us about an hour.

I'll post a race report tomorrow. The above picture is funny. It appears that my handsome husband can't smile and shoot a picture at the same time. This picture was taken under the Tower of The Americas and there was no one else around outside to take a picture of us.

And yes, I'm very short.

Urban Dare Preparations for Team Slightly Menarded

2008-05-01T08:50:00.000-05:00

Many of you have read my explanations of the Urban Dare races but for you newbies here is a recap.

Urban Dare is a race were smarts can be speed(uh-oh on both counts.) It is a one day Amazing Race type event. Teams of two compete in trivia, physical challenges and scavenger type hunting through out a down town area. You generally cover between 5-7 miles. You may travel on foot and/or use public transportation. You may also call friends for help.

San Antonio is my race spot, team name is Slightly Menarded and my partner is Lisa, one of my friends since kindergarten. Lisa and I have competed as team mates in many high school basketball games and band competitions, but that is coming up on 18 years ago! Arggh! So this weekend we will see if we still have it. Hey Lisa, I bet we can still make the front page of our hometown newspaper!

To prepare for the race Lisa snagged us a great navigation resource, a SA EMT. So if we can figure out where we are suppose to go, he will be able to tell us how to get there. We also have a couple of SA residents one of which should be helpful with local historical sites. My husband will be our Google master. He will be able to kickback somewhere on the River Walk with an ice tea and a laptop while we are running around like fire ants. I have also gotten a few maps together and have been studying random facts about SA in hopes I will stumble across a potential trivia question or checkpoint site. I will also get bus passes this week online. I've gotten the camel backs out and ready and I'll make sure the cell phones and digital camera are ready. So I hope I will have some great pictures to show you all next week of our adventure.

Wish us luck and if you have any advice or ideas drop a comment.

Healthy Benefits

2008-04-29T15:28:00.000-05:00

My husband works for a great company that is known to treat their employees well. They are also very involved in charitable endeavors and have done lots of great things around the world. They are constantly tweaking their benefits and recently we got notice of the latest addition to our family of benefits.

Vitality!

I love our company but let me say that very few benefits are simple. You really have to study them to get to the heart of the matter, so I am still digesting the finer points of this benefit, but I am excited.

What is Vitality you ask. Well the booklet says it best, "the Vitality program is a wellness offering that integrates activities and incentives that encourage you in choosing healthy behaviors and making smarter choices."

Basically you do the things you should like physicals and proper medical screenings, working out and getting consistent with your healthy habits, and in doing so you earn Vitality Bucks. Each workout gets you a few bucks. Each physical, flu shot, first aid certification, blood donation, etc. gets you Vitality Bucks to be spent online for all kinds of things like subscriptions, electronics, sporting goods and more. Oh, and you get bucks for running races!

This is right up my OCD alley. I will log and plan and do everything I can to see my buck total rise. It's like a game and I am all in. I understand that the company will benefit with healthier employees that miss fewer days of work, have better performance and don't over tax their health insurance plans with unhealthy lifestyle illnesses. I also know that many employees will not participate or will lose interest after a short time. Kinda like a health club membership. But I am not that kind of employee (or spouse of an employee.) Incentives work really well for me so I can't wait to get started.

Does anyone see any downside to this type of thing? I know you could get into the aspect of the company medaling in your personal life, but I think they have a stake in our health. What do you think

Warning: Incredibly Cute Pictures

2008-04-28T19:54:00.004-05:00

Yes I am very cute(a little tired looking however,) but I wasn't talking about me; Look at my sweet kids. They are all girls. I will only be keeping one and that will be little Sugar.

In this picture I'm holding Sugar and Cookie(a little friend named them for me.) Sugar has the little elf ears and Cookie has the long ears. They are from the same mama, Doodles. The elf ears are normal. They are from the LaMancha breed which is what Doodle is. Sugar also has cute little waddles on her neck.

These girls are from my Nubian doe Snickers. They are nicely colored but they are wild just like their mama. Also, their mama is not a good milker. Nice quality milk but low volume. She also has a bad habit of sticking her foot in my bucket of milk. That means you have to throw it out. I think she does it on purpose.

I'll give them a couple of more weeks and then they will start sharing the milk with me. I can almost taste the chive garlic goat cheese and the goat milk ice cream. Delicious.

IIIII'mmmmm BBBBaaaackkkkk!

2008-04-28T07:47:00.003-05:00

Nice week off. Actually I just took the week off from blogging. The running resumed after Monday and I capped the week off with another 10 mile run at 2:09. That shaved almost 10 minutes off of my previous 10 mile time. And my body felt much better afterwards. It's all conditioning baby.

I was also busy with goat kidding and chasing my own kid around so no rest for the weary.

I also spent some time getting ready for my upcoming Urban Dare race this coming weekend. Can you say EXCITED!

Out for now, but I hope to post this week with the following things:

* More Urban Dare
* Baby Goat Pictures (who doesn't love a good baby picture!)
* Virtual Bucks (a new benefit my husbands company is offering us.)

Later gator and as my friend Pokey posted NOXQSZ!

Just A Little Break

2008-04-19T10:40:00.002-05:00

I'm going to take a break from Blogging this week. I'm even going to take today off from running. I'm feeling a little run down and feel like I am on the brink of getting sick, so a day of rest is in order.

I hit 17 miles last week, so a little short. That 20 mile mark is a real hurdle for me. I'll keep trying.

Running Knitter tagged me for a 6 word memoir. So here is what I came up with:

Searching intently for my next adventure.

I love trying new things and learning new things. I think I could be described as a jack of all trades, master of none. To me that is what keeps life interesting.

Take care and I'll be blogging at you next week.

Biggest Loser

2008-04-16T07:32:00.003-05:00

Yeah Alli! She looked totally great and deserved every bit of that $250k.

Am I just being cranky or do you all think they should move that prize amount up a bit? I mean every other game show or reality show gives a million dollar prize for being good at trivia or being a jerk and "outwitting" people or guessing some numbered box. But let someone lose a life changing amount of weight and get physically fit and healthy and work your rear off and you get $250k. Sounds a little backwards to me. We as a society would rather reward someone for their sly personality traits or their fortitude to gamble instead of rewarding them for just plain old hard work and determination. Very sad but yet another example of our declining moral character. Maybe I'm reading too much into The Biggest Loser or maybe I just didn't get enough sleep last night. Whatever, I think I may be right.

My 10 pound challenge was challenging for me last week. I had my first gain back but I will get it this week. I've set a 20 mile mark again this week and have gotten 9 miles knocked out so far.

And The Winners Are........

2008-04-14T07:26:00.002-05:00

Thanks for participating!

The winners this go 'round are:

1st - Nancy with 45
2nd - Running Knitter with 30

Great job ladies.

Nancy gets a $10 Amazon.com e-card and RK gets a $5 Amazon.com e-card. I'll email you the prizes a little later today.

Enjoy!

Push Contest Deadline!

2008-04-13T20:07:00.002-05:00

Now is the time. I've got Nancy with 45 so 2nd place is wide open. Don't assume that you can't do enough push ups to be in the running. Throw me any numbers and you just might be surprised.

I'll post results tomorrow.

My View of Spring

2008-04-10T19:25:00.006-05:00

***Reminder**** Post your 60 second push up numbers****Deadline is Sunday*****Girlie or regular***

I have a love hate relationship with spring. Mostly I love it because of the green grass and warm temperatures and just the fresh newness of the season. I don't love the allergies I suffer with. I've had a touch of a soar throat and itchy eyes. But it's nothing new. I go through this every year. I could alleviate the problem somewhat by mowing my front yard but I won't do it. Check out the reasons why:

I have a couple of acres of wildflowers in my front yard. I've counted well over twenty different types. They are gorgeous for several months. Each month has a different dominant color. It is so beautiful. But they have a lot of pollen that covers my house. It's a good thing I don't have any races scheduled around my area for a few months since I probably won't be able to breath until July. Claritan is my best friend at the moment.

10 Pound Challenge Update

2008-04-08T20:13:00.003-05:00

Since Tuesday is the night I sit down to watch The Biggest Loser, I thought it was appropriate to give you an update on my 10 pound weight loss challenge.

Last week was great with my running mileage at 22 miles so that really translated into my weight loss. I dropped 2.8 last week. So I have 5 more to go in this challenge. If I can keep my mileage up then I will be on the right track. Yeah me!

Short and sweet! Now back to the show.

Oh and don't forget to post your push ups for the contest.

PUSH UP CONTEST TIME!

2008-04-06T20:22:00.005-05:00

Well the time has come back around. It's time to push up or shut up. My husband about killed me on the pictures above. We had to take several sets before I approved so he kept making me hold the down position and my arms were getting tired.

The premise is simple; count the number of push ups you can do in 60 seconds and post your number. Prizes will be awarded to the top 2. Let's see who can dethrone our last winners, Jenny & Mark and Topher.

Now I have really been working on my push ups and I took the challenge once again and guess the number! I improved a great deal from last time. I logged 60 push ups in 60 seconds. How about that. Luckily for you all I am not eligible for the contest.

The deadline will be next Sunday so drop and give me your best. It's only for 60 seconds so I know you can endure the pain for that short amount of time.

Good luck!

My Saturday Fun

2008-04-05T19:11:00.004-05:00

Well the weather was just too perfect around here, so what better way to celebrate it than with a long run. I also had such a great week that today was the icing on the cake.

I took off to Benbrook Lake when the temperature was just around 60. I really wanted to stay out for a couple of hours and I ended up with 2:18 on the Garmin. I made it to 10 miles. That is a new long distance for me. The last two miles were ugly because my left knee was really hurting. I didn't want to injure myself so I walked a good portion of the last 2. It really was a great run with lots of wild flowers and sun. The only problems were the water crossings. I got my shoes muddy a few times but managed to skirt around them pretty well. But it really slowed me down.

So my mileage ended up at around 22 miles this week. I like that. Any week at or slightly over 20 miles is perfect for me. Anything more and my back revolts and anything less and I don't feel like I have put in the work.

Let's see how this next week goes!

Oh and check back tomorrow for the details on the push up contest.

Wowzer Wednesday

2008-04-02T14:56:00.003-05:00

My mileage has been down a little the last two weeks, so this week I'm trying to get back up to that 20+ mile mark.

Monday I ran at a familiar trail. I thought I would get in a good 5 miles. I started strong with the first two miles at 11: 49 and 11:20 but around mile three the monkey jumped on. I walked and that was the beginning of the end. My stomach also started causing me a little trouble. So I walked and then ran until my tummy protested then I walked some more. I was disappointed so I tacked on another mile point two and finished with a 10k at 6.2 miles. I think it was around 1:20 and some change. I did go home and do some upper body weights as well.

Today I wanted something a little tougher. So I set out for a 5k at the same place I set my PR in January. I took off and concentrated on a short stride with quick turn over. I also didn't want to obsess over the Garmin, but once I looked down and saw my pace I was determined to keep it around that mark. So I did keep a pretty close eye on my Garmie. By mile two I was just trying to distract myself. As I passed the 2.5 mark I really had a soul searching moment. I was close to walking, but I knew I would be so disappointed in myself. I just kept pushing. The last .3 were brutal. I was breathing like a stalker. At one point I just yelled, "COME ON." I reminded myself that I wasn't going to die and that I could do it. I did it! 32:40 my fastest 5k distance! Of course it is not official, but It was a big mental breakthrough for me. If I can run that fast on my own, I'm thinking I will be even a few seconds faster in an official 5k so my 5k pace is coming down. Yeah! Here are the splits: 10:22, 10:45, 10:25

Once I got done with that I wanted to tack on a little more punishment. So I ran two 100 meter sprints at about 75% speed. I was going to push a little harder but my left quad was hurting a bit and it got a little worse on the second sprint, so I thought better of any more running. I dropped and gave myself 44 push-ups, 30 tabata squats and 20 lunges. It was greatness. And I'm thinking we may just be close to another push-up contest, so keep checking for updates.

So today I can say I ROCK!

Monday Update

2008-03-31T07:08:00.003-05:00

Hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was about as exciting as a bowl of oatmeal.

We were a little chilly here Saturday so I really wasn't up for a run. I told my husband that I was tired of the cold and that I wasn't running in it again! I guess I called a boycott. But the southern winds are back and it is warm this morning. I will try to run this morning and hope I don't get caught out in a thunderstorm.

The weight loss slowed yet again for me and my husband. I managed 0.2. But I'll take it. String enough of those together in a few months time and you win. Slow and steady has been my mantra with running so I will apply that to my weight loss as well.

On a fun note, this weekend I got registered for the Urban Dare race in San Antonio. I have my hotel reservations and I'm getting excited. My partner Lisa is ready and now we just need to do a little San Antonio studying to brush up on SA geography and public transportation. If you don't know about the Urban Dare races, they are sold as a one day Amazing Race. You can travel by public transportation and/or on foot and you have to decipher clues to different check points. You take pictures or pick up tokens at each point. Some points have physical challenges. You can also call people to help you figure out the locations you are headed to. So my husband will have his laptop ready and we will have a few other people ready to google their heads off to get us to each spot. Sounds like a great adventure to me.

Happy week to you all!

Loser!

2008-03-25T20:08:00.005-05:00

I'm watching the Biggest Loser tonight as usual. Is Ali great or what! She looks fantastic. We are down to the wire and I have no idea who will win. Thank goodness the boys have been broken up a little. As long as that weird bald karate guy doesn't come back to win I'll be good. I wish I could go to a fitness camp for a month. I would love to have the time to work out like the biggest losers. And to have the food help and the constant personal trainers. One month and I would be so ripped. Oh well, it may take me a little longer but I will get there.

So I did my 10 pound challenge weigh in yesterday and, tada I lost 1.2 pounds. It would have been a solid 2 pounds if I had not eaten 3 or 4 deserts on Sunday. Stupid family get togethers. So I am on my way. Slowly but surely.

Saturday

2008-03-23T19:20:00.002-05:00

This has been a great weekend. I got to get out yesterday and just take my time running and walking and enjoying the beautiful weather. I actually got a little sunburn on my shoulders.

I ran a familiar course. I didn't worry about running the entire thing. I didn't even worry about my time. I just enjoyed the moment. I listened to a Phedippidations episode and caught a blurb from Jodi and Confessions of a Runner, another great podcast. I also listened to a few episodes of Endurance Planet.

I walked up the hills and coasted down the other sides. I explored a new road and caught up on the changing landscapes of the newly developing neighborhoods. I felt the sun on my skin and the Spring breeze across my face. I love my long Saturday runs.

I ended up with 7.3 miles in 1:30 and some change.

That is what running is about for me. Just enjoying the moment. And I did. Hope you did too.

Yeah!

2008-03-20T20:00:00.002-05:00

I finally got to run outside tonight. It was hard but felt great. I got 4 miles done in 45:34. That is a pretty good time for me. Especially good since I haven't run outside in over two weeks. I have also done two 60 minute treadmill workouts, my crossfit legs routine and upper body weights this week. I am almost in the zone. I'll give a Saturday long run a try and catch up on some podcasts.

I feel so much more energized and my nutrition has been pretty good. I think I may not be getting quite enough calories, but I'll reassess that Monday after a full week of concentrated effort. It's been hard getting a morning snack in when I am not at home but I need to start carrying something with me. I took a little 100 calorie snack pack with me the other day, but my little boy wanted it along with his own snack, so I lost out.

So onward and upward my friends. It's been a good week!

Tasty Tuesday

2008-03-18T19:32:00.003-05:00

Well my husband and I have taken the 10 pound challenge! I made up the challenge myself to help motivate me. Hubby is on board for himself as well. I'm thankful that I haven't gained weight back from the 20 I have already lost. But I still have several pounds more than 10 to get off. So yesterday we got started. I planned out our meals for the week and went shopping yesterday. To stock up on fruit and some healthy snacks. Tonight we had a delicious fruit and chicken salad. Yummy pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, mango and oranges on a bed of greens with a few ounces grilled chicken. Super easy and tasty!

Luckily it's not to far from how I normally cook. I just need to write down what I eat and cut down the portions. So you guys remind me once a week to report on my progress. That will help me stay focused on my 10 pound goal. Maybe I should post a picture every week to up the ante on my progress.

On a related body issue note, are any of you able to shop at Old Navy?
In the past I have only bought a few t-shirts, polo shirts and a few pair of cargo pants there. I went in today to look for some casual tops. I have put off buying too many clothes since I still have weight to drop, but I wanted a couple of things for spring. Most of my clothes are too big except for the handful of things. Anyway, I tried on three shirts. Shirt one was a medium womens polo top with the half short sleeve. Too small. Shirt two was a tank top, which is a stretch for me. The bra cups weren't even stitched the same size. Way beyond poor quality. Shirt three was a large womens polo with the half short sleeve. I put it on and giggled. The shirt fit and showed off my waist, but it also showed off my muscular arms. I looked like a roided out sorority girl. I like my muscles but that was not the shirt to show them off. It was a little alarming but funny also. That was clothing for a waif. The only thing I can figure is that the last polos I bought there were from the mens section. Pretty sure they were.

I put all the shirts back. I will have to tackle another shopping trip and hope I can find something that looks a whole lot better.

I've Got Spring Fever!

2008-03-15T21:03:00.006-05:00

It has been unbelievably beautiful around south Fort Worth the last few days. I can just eat this time of year up.

Yesterday was 84 which is just perfect. After my son got up from his nap, we went outside and washed and cleaned my car. Little guy got funny and picked the water hose up and proceeded to drench me in very cold water. I was trying to be serious to get him to stop but he was having so much fun and being so cute that I just kept running from him. That was the most running I got in all day. What fun playing in the water. The following picture is not something I normally just let my kid do, but I did find it amusing. We did put a stop to it after I got this picture, so please don't report me as a negligent mother.

The second picture is little guy and our dog Shammy getting in on the fun.

I like this time of year because it gets me going after being cooped up for several months. I have been a pretty consistent runner this winter, but I am no fan of cool temps. I would much prefer to be in shorts and drenched in sweat. The last couple weeks have been a struggle running wise, so I am looking forward to a renewed commitment to running, fitness and diet. The season is in my favor.

Finally!

2008-03-13T08:07:00.003-05:00

After 11 days I finally got back on the treadmill. I got 4 miles this morning and it felt good. I had several sprint sections and some walking, but I will take that at this point. 11 days is the longest I have been without a run since last August. That is not good.

We went to the farm this weekend and I just didn't take the time to run. We were busy working the bees and toodling around on the four-wheelers and just visiting and having fun. I had a Dr.s appointment Monday and she changed up my pain medicine. Tuesday I remembered why I shouldn't take that particular pain medicine. I was sick as a dog with nausea, vomiting and dizziness.

So today I feel good! I almost blew-off this mornings workout but I knew I would be glad I did it. It is so easy for me to do that. I have got to make myself use that treadmill more. So the challenge for the rest of the day is a mini cross-fit leg workout and 3 sets of pushups. Now if I and my little guy can also clean the house and wash my car I will really be rocking. Next week will be a treadmill week since my little guy is out of school for spring break. I can't wait to get back outside for a long run.

On a side note, the bee thing is going well. We worked our first hive this weekend and the bees are really working along. I took two intentional stings and I'm not allergic. In fact I have super immunity. I don't feel much pain and I have practically no swelling. My husband thinks I'm abnormal, but I think this is my hidden super power. We should have two more hives to start up next month and then we will be in full swing.

So that is it for today. Everyone have a good one!

I'm Here!

2008-03-12T08:05:00.002-05:00

Just getting over a bug or bad drug reaction yesterday. I'll try to come up with something to post later. Hope everyone is starting to get some awesome weather! We are headed for around 78 today. I love the spring.

Tag #2

2008-03-07T12:34:00.003-06:00

Jenny tagged me yesterday so here is another bunch of random facts about myself. I used up all the interesting stuff on last weeks tag so these may be a little boring.

1. I played the alto saxophone for 8 years. I was never fantastic but I could play loud in the marching band so quality wasn't that important.

2. I can't stand being late to anything. I am ALWAYS early. Getting to races is a bummer because I get there too early and have to waste a bunch of time.

3. I love scavenger hunts. Every time I plan an event for groups at the church or keeping my nieces, I almost always try to work in a scavenger hunt. In fact I have one planned for tonight. I can't wait! Nancy D. if you read this don't tell anyone, it's a secret.

4. I am terrified that I will be attacked by a large dog while I am out running. Even if I am running in an area where there should be no threat. I am on the look out. If an owner is with the dog I'm ok, but I keep thinking a stray dog may be out there. I love dogs otherwise but I am very careful where I run. I'm a psycho.

5. I got to see 1 million bats swarm from there roost one summer evening in Austin, Texas. We sat in a park just under the Congress Ave. bridge at dusk. They started flying out a few at a time and then really got going. They looked like black ribbons blowing in the breeze just about 20 feet above our heads. Very cool. If you are ever in Austin, this is a great thing to see.

On a down note, Instead of living the tar out of this week I have actually felt like I was stuck in tar. We are going to the country this weekend where I hope to get a nice run in.

Good Vibe Monday!

2008-03-03T11:31:00.002-06:00

Send me your good vibes friends! This week looks to be rough in the workout department. The weather is bad today with storms, cold temps and my favorite wind with gusts in the 20s. I also have other plans Wednesday morning so my regular run morning is out.

So I am banished to my nemesis the treadmill this week. I did just finish 70 minutes on the beast, so I am happy to have one day out of the way. I also got some upper body weights and some core work done. If I can just keep it up to battle these winter blahs. I'm so ready for spring. I have been battling sore legs for several days as well, so maybe the treadmill will help give my
legs a little rest.

Thanks for all the great comments the past week and lets all go out and live the tar out of this week.

When Blogging and Marketing Collide

2008-02-29T08:13:00.005-06:00

Well it is my turn. The last few months I've noticed several bloggers that have had marketers sending them great products just because they mentioned the product in passing. That kind of happened to me this week.

In my Cowtown Race Report I mentioned Lara Bars. Well I also went to their site and told them how much I liked there product. They promptly contacted me. Yesterday I received a variety box of all the flavors of Lara and Jocolot bars and a t-shirt. How cool is that! So we are enjoying trying all the flavors. These are great bars and also a perfect calorie count for an afternoon snack. Give them a try. Today I'll try the Cashew Cookie. Sounds too good.

I'm guessing that this is a new push in the marketing arena. Maddy may have that info. Since a lot of us are not watching commercials anymore (TiVo, PVRs) this makes some sense. It brings back a little of the personal touch. Interesting.

Anyway, I will end this post with the TAG from Susan. Why is it so hard to think of 7 random things about yourself. I find other people so much more interesting than myself, but here it goes.

1) I have a big accent. I thought this would be interesting for you all that have read my blog for a while. We don't often think of each other in this way. So now when you read my blog I want you to do it with a Big Texas Draw. I try to tone it down at times but it is almost impossible. Back in my career days I would have to call various state government agencies. Me and Ms. New Jersey really had a time understanding each other.

2) I was a homecoming queen. Band Sweetheart to be exact. I wore a tiara and everything. Too funny but I did look pretty hot in that formal.

3) I once hiked across a section of the Continental Divide. It was during a great backpacking adventure in Colorado. We jumped off a coal engine train and hiked 40 miles over 5 days with backpacks and elevation jumping up and down from 7600 to just over 13000 ft. It started off scary but I'm so glad I did it.

4) I ran into The Incredible Hulk in a sporting goods store. Yes Lou Ferrigno. I didn't talk to him but when he brushed past me and I realized who he was, I ran over to my husband like a giddy school girl. He is pretty big.

5) I am a mosaic artist. I learned to do mosaics when building our house. I wanted some fancy accent tiles in my kitchen back splash so I learned how to make them. For a short time I had my own custom mosaic business making decorative accent pieces like candle stands, mirrors and coasters. The business didn't work out but I got pretty good at it.

6) I owned a llama. He was an evil creature. They look so cute, but once you have been spit on, charged and had a llama throw you a flying roundhouse kick you tend to distrust them a little. needless to say, he has moved on.

7) A friend and I broke into a school when we were much much younger. I didn't go in very far because I was too scared. We didn't vandalize anything but we just wanted to see if we could do it. If memory serves me correct the door was unlocked so technically I didn't break I just entered. I'm hoping there is a statute of limitations on that one.

There you go. There is nothing interesting left for me to share with you. Have a great weekend!

So What Do You Do?

2008-02-28T07:24:00.002-06:00

The last month I have been trying to up my training. I am attempting to be more consistent in hitting right around 20 miles a week running and doing 2 weight and or crossfit workouts a week as well. As soon as my new Gold's Gym opens I will be going there and doing more serious weight training and probably a class or two.

The problem I am having now is trying to decide when I need to rest and when I need to just get over it.

When your legs feel tired and sore, do you go ahead and do the workouts or the scheduled mileage? I know we should listen to our bodies and we need rest but I'm beginning to think this is just a part of being on the downhill of my thirties. I don't want an injury but I have got to pump it up. I've felt my speed or lack thereof has kind of leveled off.

So how do I continue to build my strength and endurance without overdoing it? Am I just wanting too much too fast?

So I Married An English Bull Terrier

2008-02-25T19:55:00.005-06:00

Can you guess which one is my husband? Let me assure you that it only got a little worse. What in the world happened, you say. Well let me set this up a bit.

I have waited until you all got to know me a little before I started dragging out the skeletons. It is so easy to judge someone prematurely before you get to know the better parts of them.

You see, I am what is called eccentric. Hubby up there is also on the eccentric side. What in the world are those guys going to do next is a common question in our circles. I've always been a little on the different side (no comment Lisa, Mike or Coby). Now I would classify myself as weird and that is a good thing in my view. I totally expect to be wearing Kleenex boxes as shoes in about 30 years.

Really, we just are curious people that believe we can learn to do many things that most people don't even consider. We are cheap also and so we don't like paying lazy contractors to show up days late or so called experts to do things that really aren't that complicated. So with that spirit we built most of our own house, worked on our vehicles, made cheese, made soap and lip balms, built our own TiVo and well the list goes on. So what is next you ask?

Well isn't it logical. Beekeeping! I've been interested in it for a few years now. My grandfather was a beekeeper and I have good memories of honey harvest. So when hubby's parents, who have a farm, said they needed bees for pollination, well the neurons started firing. So we joined a bee club and have been reading and researching for months. We went Saturday to pick up hive bodies (the bee's house) and to visit with a more experienced bee keeper. He showed us his hives and talked to us about how he does things. Well we haven't gotten our clothing equipment yet, so I watched from 20 feet away. Hubby was a little closer, so when the bees started checking out hubby's face, I slowly turned and headed away. Shortly after, hubby was behind me handing me his pocket knife so I could scrape three stingers out of his forehead. Luckily we found out that he is not allergic to the stings. However, the face is the worst place to be stung since there is not a lot of extra room to disperse the swelling. Thus and therefore you get the dreaded English Bull Terrier side effect. Man am I glad it wasn't me.

So we have suits ordered and will try to avoid any more stings to the face. But I can guarantee that the weirdness will continue.

And The Winner Is......

2008-02-25T07:35:00.003-06:00

Sid the Sloth. Way to go Sid.

Sid clocked an amazing 32 minute 40 yard sprint. Now that is something my friend.

For your efforts Sid you have won a pound of assorted bug granola. Enjoy! And remember speed is all relative.

Back to the drawing board for March.

Cowtown Marathon 10k 2008

2008-02-23T21:19:00.005-06:00

Well I ran my first 10k race this morning. It was a great course and a fun race. It will be a regular on my calendar.

I and a friend headed downtown this morning and the traffic was thick by the time we made it down there. So I jumped out of the car at the curb and she parked while I headed to the start. My friend was running the 5k which was starting 45 minutes later.

Of course I really needed to go to the potty but the lines were too long to get through them and make it to the start. So I kept going. I saw a few people darting into the Worthington Hotel so I decided to follow. What did I find, but an empty bathroom with clean flushing toilets and plenty of toilet paper. Luxury.

Got to the start and then I had trouble getting Garmie to link up to the satellites. The high rises were getting in the way so the first mile was spotty. Downtown Fort Worth has a lot to take in so the 10k was along a great course that took you by several of the gems in the downtown area. We went from cobblestone streets to early cowtown architecture (Susan, I thought of you). Lancaster Avenue, which is a mile downhill, to a portion of the Trinity Park. I worked downtown for several years and always enjoyed the atmosphere, but this was a new view for me and I fell in love with Fort Worth all over again. I grew up in small Menard, Texas so large downtown cities are really a marvel to me. The race organization was as slick as a whistle and everyone was pleasant and excited to be a part of the 30th running.

I don't trust my Garmin splits since the thing kept auto pausing. My over all time was 1:14:12, so just under a 12 minute pace. I'm happy with that. I still have trouble with clothing. My legs are always frozen and my core is always having a sweat fest when the temperatures are in the thirties to mid-forties. I will just be happy when it warms up another 15-20 degrees.

About the only thing that the Cowtown could work on is the expo. It really wasn't much to speak of. The bright spot for me was the Lara Bars. Has anyone tried these? They are so good. Raw nuts and fruit ground up to make little fruit bars. Yum! Give them a try. I think they are vegan Jenny.

So that's about it. A great morning and the largest event I have participated in. Super fun.

How Low Can You Go?

2008-02-21T08:58:00.004-06:00

I went for a five mile run yesterday. I ran 4.5 then walked .25. The last .25 I ran fast. At one point I was clocking a 7:45 pace.

I was a little surprised that I had more left. I think I could have held that pace for .50. It really shows me a couple of things. One, I'm not pushing myself quite as much as I can. And two, I have come a long way. I need more cross training.

I've been holding off on joining a gym because I'm cheap and I wasn't sure I would be able to get in as much time to justify the cost. A new Gold's Gym is about to open up in my area and I think it would be a good time to join. Unlike the Gold's of the past, the modern day Gold's actually has classes like pilates and yoga. They also will have childcare. I asked them about crossfit training and the sales girl thought they would have that but wasn't real sure.

So more serious cross training will hopefully commence next month when they get the facility finished. I'm really looking forward to it.

Looks like you guys are less than siked about this months 40 yard sprint contest. So the prizes are really up for grabs. You might be able to just walk 40 yards and post your time to win. I'll have to really think about March. Sprint must be a dirty word.

February Contest!

2008-02-16T13:17:00.000-06:00

Ok guys! You all are great endurance runners. Several of you are killer push-uppers. Some of you are even professional plank planters. So trying to come up with an event that will give some of you an interesting challenge is quite thought provoking. I love it!

So for this months event I would like to see how speedy you all are. But I don't want to give you too much distance to build up to that speed. So from a dead stop I would like for you to time your best 40 yard sprint. We'll see how your explosive sprint capabilities stack up. I would guess that the moms of toddlers would be pretty good at this one.

I have yet to get my time. The weather hasn't cooperated with me the past few days, so I hope to get mine next week just to compare with everyone else's. I hope to run about five 40 yard sprints and then I'll post the fastest time from those five. You may want to do something similar.
I will set next Sunday, the 24th as the deadline to submit your times. You can post them or email them to me. Prizes will again be awarded for 1st and 2nd places. Good luck and think speedy thoughts.

What Is Your Favorite Running Book?

2008-02-13T07:30:00.000-06:00

I'm looking for a great read about running or adventure sports. So what book would you recommend me? I tend to lean towards non-fiction books and movies, but I'm open to a good fiction book as well.

And be sure to check back for a new "February Contest" around Saturday. I'll see what challenge I can give you.

9 on the 9th Race Report

2008-02-09T20:40:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Nancy for a great race! I have never ever ever even attempted to run 9 miles so I knew this would be a challenge, but I thought I would give it my best.

So I slapped on my extra red hot lipstick (in honor of our Race Director) my amphipod hydration belt with watered down Gatorade, my Garmin and my mp3 player. I wanted to run a route I had never covered before so I decided to start at my favorite location at Benbrook Lake and run most of my mileage on a horse trail that goes around the lake.

Texas was so beautiful today. The temperature when I started out was around 50 but rose to around 60 degrees by the time I finished. So it was plenty warm for shorts and a short sleeve technical shirt.

I took off slow and steady to be sure to finish all nine miles. The first 1.5 miles were on asphalt to get to the trail head. I felt great and was really enjoying listening to Phedipidations. I made it to the trail and ducked in under the trees. What a day! My legs felt so strong. I'm so glad I did a couple of crossfit leg workouts this week. It really made a difference. Up and down a slow rolling trail I went. I expected to see a lot of horses out today, but saw none on the way out. I had the place to myself with the exception of all the red birds, hawks, robins and the little scurrying animals in the brush. The trail was nice and smooth with just a handful of rocky sections. I even had a couple of water crossings that I had to walk around since they were particularly marked with deep horse tracks. By mile 3 I started to sip my drink and pop Cola Flavored Caffeinated Shot Blocks. My plan was to have one block at each mile and sip my gatorade sparingly.

Around mile 3.5 I got to the remote control airplane airport, operated by the FW Thunderbirds Club. I got to run and watch the loop-de-loops and the death spins of the cool scale model planes. I ran a little past mile four and at my turnaround found a bathroom and a water fountain so I stopped and used both. After a couple of minutes I was off again back up the trail with just a little tightness in my right quad. On the way back I walked a few times to eat my blocks and drink but kept the walks short. I also stopped to give the right-of-way to three horses and riders that came up over the hill. I drank in my last view of the calm lake and turned to get back on the asphalt for the last 1.5. I picked it up a little and my quad was sore but I kept pushing. I knew I was going to make it. And I did!

To think one year ago I was face down on an operating table getting a broken off piece of herniated disc fished out of my back with subsequent fusions. I would have never thought I would be here today in this beautiful place with this perfect weather running 9 miles. Wow, God does good work.

Thanks Nancy for the challenge. I finished.

Time: 1:50:27
1st - 11:54
2nd - 12:25
3rd - 12:45
4th - 12:23
5th - 12:15
6th - 12:35
7th - 12:16
8th - 12:21
9th - 11:29

Don't Forget the 9 on the 9th

2008-02-08T14:12:00.001-06:00

Good luck to you all!

Ouch! Crossfit Payback

2008-02-05T19:03:00.000-06:00

My crossfit workout of yesterday has highlighted an apparent weakness in my fitness. My rear and my quads are screaming.

I've done walking lunges several times a week forever, but apparently I wasn't doing enough of them. Between the lunges and the tabata squats I know what I need to work on. Upper body is fine.

I'll continue experimenting with the crossfit stuff and work more on the flaws in my leg strength. Tomorrow I'll see about a 6 mile run and then more lunges and squats.

On a similar note, does anyone have a good hamstring exercise that is not leg curls on a machine? I use to do straight leg dead lifts for my hams, but I think that is not going to be very smart with my low back concerns.

Cross Fit Attempt

2008-02-04T07:39:00.000-06:00

Hey do any of you have experience with CrossFit Training? I've see several references to it and watched a little of it on You Tube.

It looks very intense and prone to injury, but I can't help but want to try it.

I think I will do a mini-Crossfit routine today just to get a taste of how it feels. Here is what I'll try:

(20) overhead press walking lunges (broomstick, no weight)
(20) push-ups
(30) tabata squats (quick explosive squats, no weight)
(10) dumbbell overhead presses (20lbs)

I'll do each exercise in progression with 3 sets each with 10 seconds rest between each set.

I'm going for a run first of 5 miles. It will be a nice slow run. Then when I get home I'll attempt the crossfit routine. I'm betting I just about puke.

I'll report back later.

11:45 (update after the workouts)- I'm still alive and actually I did really well. Lunges went well. Mind you none of this stuff was easy. It really took me close to failure. The last set of push-ups was tough. It took several attempts to complete them. I did lower the 2nd and 3rd set of tabata squats to 20 reps. And the dumbbell presses went fine. I probably could up the weight on those. I still wanted to work my triceps more so I added dumbbell tri extensions and overhead tri extension. And to cap it off I added a couple sets of dumbbell squats. I'm tired but a good tired. I will also do a good core/ab workout today. This has been an awesome workout day! I'll try some more experiments with the cross fit stuff.

Lake Benbrook Half and 5k

2008-01-31T19:18:00.000-06:00

I can't find my camera so I'm posting this without the picture. Oh well. Here it goes.

I was really looking forward to this race since it was in an area that I regularly run. However I had developed a cold a few days earlier and was worried about how well I would be able to perform. I left the house a little early because there was such a thick fog I figured I'd have to drive a little slower. But it wasn't that bad and I got there too early. I got my chip and headed back to the car to stay warm.

The temps were in the low 30s but there was no wind so I was happy. I sat in my car and people watched. It amazes me how some people dress. I mean really wind shorts and a sports bra! And some people should not wear tights.

I thought I should make one more stop at the bathroom after a quick warm-up and stretch. There was a long line with 8 minutes to go. So they stretched the start time out to allow a little more time for everyone to get out of the potties.

I took my place at the back and before long the horn sounded. The starting chute was narrow so it took a little time to get through. We ran up a little hill and then down the road about a quarter of a mile. The half marathoners went right and us 5kers went left into a thick fog. The course runs right alongside the lake so the fog was hanging pretty tight which made the race course even more cool. I steadily passed people and when I felt like I was starting to slow, I would pick it up just a touch. Soon the leaders started coming back in and I watched the speedsters blow back past me. Wow some people can really run fast. It's amazing.

I came back in and passed the 2 mile marker. I passed a few more people including a 5 year old boy. It only took me two miles to catch him. Oh how sad. Well at least I passed him. I had one lady in front of me that I had been trying to catch for some time. We started up the little rise to the finish line. I had a quick flash of nausea. I wanted to speed up, but started thinking about hurling my guts up as I crossed the finish line. Oh what a great picture that would be. So I just kept my pace for another tenth then gradually sped up for the last tenth. I didn't catch the lady this time.

I got through the gate and got my water and walked around a few minutes until my heart rate dropped a little. My black fleece top was covered in frost on the shoulders. I looked around for my friend Jack, but he was no where to be found. I drank some more water and got a Luna bar and some hot chocolate. By this time I was starting to get a chill. They had some results posted so I checked and they didn't have any for my age group. Weird. So I headed to my car to get a dry warm shirt and my warm vest. By the time I changed, I saw some race friends that I always seem to run into. We chatted a little and then saw the newest results posting. Finally my age group was up. Guess why they hadn't been posted before. Because the first through third place finishers were so slow that they had just gotten their results tallied.

So needless to say the number one slow poke for the age 35-39 group was none other than this slow Texas girl! Can you believe that. I know I am not a fast runner, but I can't help but think that I got that award because I put in the work. I don't doubt that God was throwing me a bone. My time was 32:52 which is a 23 second improvement to my PR, so I will take it. Every race I have done has set a new PR, so I know I am working hard.

So I am proud of my 1st place trophy and proud that I showed up.

I'm Still Here!

2008-01-29T19:06:00.000-06:00

I have been nursing a sinus/ear(s) infection so I haven't been much into doing anything other than being a couch potato.

No running so far this week and I probably won't be able to get out until this weekend. Probably for the best to heal up. I do have a race report to post from Saturday, but I would like to wait until I can upload a picture. So check back a little later.

And The Winners Are........

2008-01-26T11:05:00.000-06:00

Great job on the push-up contest everyone! That was a lot of fun and set a benchmark for improvement. I hope to repeat the push-ups in a few months so be practicing.

Here it is:

1st place - Jenny and Mark. Jenny blasted out 49 and Mark got 66 (wow)! You all are the winner of a $10 Amazon.com e-card. Congratulations and watch for the next event.

2nd place - Topher. Awesome job with 48 of those bad boys. You are the winner of a $5 Amazon.com e-card. Thanks for participating.

I'll email mail the prizes out as soon as you guys get me your email address's. Email me at Bev@childresscentral.com

Now I will begin to see what other torturous challenges I can come up with. Who's in?

Last Chance to Report Push Ups!

2008-01-25T08:45:00.000-06:00

Get your numbers in on the push-up contest by midnight. I'll post the winners tomorrow! Good Luck

New Entries On My Race Schedule / Push Up Contest

2008-01-22T12:39:00.000-06:00

60 Second Push-Up Contest

Good job with the push-up contest so far. Just a couple more days to beat Jenny! Who can do it?!
I have a couple of e-gift cards for the winners so get those numbers posted in the comments.

Last week I added a couple new races to my 2008 list. I am really excited about them and hope to add a few more like them this year as well.

The most interesting and fun so far is in May in San Antonio. It is an Urban Dare race. They bill it as a one day Amazing Race, which I love. My friend Lisa is on board so we will be teaming up. I am kinda thinking this will be a learning experience for us to do some more of these in the future, but competition will kick in I'm sure. These races are not so much about being great runners, but about being smart, efficient and having fun. Well one out of three isn't bad, right Lisa!

The other race is the San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Marathon/Half. I would like to do the half. I know that is enough time to train for the marathon, but I still don't feel that pull to do a six hour race in the streets. Now if you said it was a six hour adventure race, that might be a different story. I would really like to get more into that. I know all I have to do is say the word and my brother would be all over it. I guess I am just waiting to drop more weight. I should stop procrastinating and just do it regardless. How much time we waste waiting for the perfect situation, huh.

Had a great run today. 5 miles in about an hour. Slow and steady! Brrr it was cold though.

My Turn To Come Up With a Contest!

2008-01-21T13:14:00.000-06:00

I enjoy all the contest's that the different bloggers set up. They are motivations and little challenges that keep things interesting.

Here are a few to check out!

Nancy's 9 on the 9th

Walk Across Arizona

Shave Your 5k

I thought I would give a contest a try. And YES there are prizes!

In an effort to help in your overall fitness, I propose the

Push 'Em Up
60 second push-up contest

Show me what you got! Assume the plank position and take one minute to see how many regular push-ups (no girlie push-ups) you can crank out. Post a comment to let us all know how many you did. 1st and 2nd places get a prize. We'll see how this goes and if it works well, I will try to do a monthly contest with prizes.

I'll allow until Friday to get your results in. That's it. Short and sweet. And although I am not eligible to receive prizes, I just did my 60 second push up challenge and crunched out 47 push-ups. Good Luck!

Best Workout of All Times! Or At Least a Fun One!

2008-01-18T19:08:00.000-06:00

Today I found a great workout.

It wasn't high tech like Nancy's jerk face stair climber with broken VO2 max display. It wasn't sophisticated like playing a nice tennis match or round of golf. It wasn't elegant like ballet or synchronized swimming.

But there was plenty of sweat, quad and hamstring exertion and aerobic activity. I even think I was using my core, however not to the extent of Queen Plank.

Prey tell!

Bouncin' Bonanza baby! I took my son and his older cousins to jump at the indoor bouncy house place. Well since I act like a big baby most of the time, this place is right up my alley. I bounced and bounced. I was tackled. I climbed up the 20 foot slide and slid down in various positions. I ran from apparatus to apparatus for about an hour. Let me tell you, bouncing is tough work. It always wears my son out and I love the leg and cardio work out. By the time we left, I was tuckered. The only bad part is that it is a little tough on my old knees and lower back issue, but worth the trade off.

So you all may want to think about adding this to your cross training agenda. It sure would break up the monotony.

But make sure you don't take out a toddler in your quest to up the intensity. I'm still working through the litigation for that little mistake.

You Never Know How You Can Help

2008-01-16T11:49:00.001-06:00

I got up this morning not wanting to do the 4 miles on my schedule. A cold front was moving through and the wind was blowing like crazy and I have a raging case of stupid PMS. I was tired and I needed to clean around the house. There were clothes that needed washing and if I go running that will just add more sweaty clothes to the pile. What would it hurt to just take today off? I mean after all, I have been faithful to run on Mondays and Wednesdays since September with few exceptions that I can count on one hand. So just take this one off.

So I continued to mentally whittle away at my resolve. I sat down with my coffee to check emails and to see if there were any new posts and there were.

Karen, aka Pokey, had posted her race report from RNR Arizona of this past weekend. To read her desperation and pain was touching. But to read that she didn't quit was inspiring! She wasn't on the pace that she had wanted and worked so hard to achieve, but she didn't quit. She had a repeat of crippling leg cramps, but she didn't quit. She even ended her post with hope and determination for the next race. Then I popped over to Micheline's and read about Karen a little more. Here is someone I can identify with. I'm not a natural runner. I'm a natural basketball player, but since I'm 5'2", a woman and in my mid thirties, I don't think the NBA is a realistic expectation. But just an ordinary women doing something "not normal", I can identify with that.

So dagnabit Karen, I had to get up get dressed and prepare for my 4 mile run. Why do you all keep doing this to me. I try and try to talk myself out of doing those things that will build me into a better person and you all squash that almost every time. A pox on you!

I got to my running place and exited my car only to be push back with a big blast of cold wind. Keep moving. I had a potty break and a short warm up and took off. Mile one I look at Garmie and wow, it feels good. Mile 2, even better but I figured I better slow down for mile 3 so that I could have a strong finish. Mile 3 I start thinking about walking but then I think, why am I wanting to walk? I'm not exhausted, I'm just being pushed and my first inclination is to stop. Well Karen didn't stop so neither am I. So mile 4 comes and I kick it in! It was great! I of course feel better and stronger for having done the work, but I also feel more mentally tough. And that is 95% of the battle.

Thanks Karen!

Here are the stats:
Mile 1 - 11:01
Mile 2 - 10:45
Mile 3 - 12:39
Mile 4 - 10:19

Enough!

2008-01-15T19:58:00.000-06:00

Ok, Runners World mag is ticking me off. I subscribed to the magazine back in July and they now keep sending me notices to renew. I thought a 12 month subscription actually meant 12 months. Have we changed our calendar here in America?

They also sent me the Women's Running book to look at for a month, which I did and then returned it. They are now on the second notice for me to pay for the book I returned on time. I called them after the first notice and they said they took care of it. They are driving me crazy!

This is cruddy because I love the magazine, so I won't cancel.

But I will BLOG. Behold the Blog power Runner's World and be afraid. After all, there are a mighty 7-8 people reading this who no doubt love your magazine and will also not cancel their subscriptions. Thus I shall type this issue into the black hole of no recourse.

What Were You Thinking?

2008-01-13T14:47:00.000-06:00

Well apparently not intelligent thoughts.

I had my long run yesterday. I needed to get in 7 miles. Well the hubby, little guy and I went to the Fort Worth Stock Show Parade yesterday morning, so my run had to wait until the afternoon. No biggie on most days. We got to the parade early because main street lines up with over 100,000 people, so you have to get there early to get a curbside seat. As soon as we got there I needed to go potty (you can tell I have a toddler.) Hubby wanted coffee, so I left them and headed out to find a potty and some java. 100,000 thousand people really slow the flow of the coffee. I had to wait in line for about 45 minutes. I decided that I didn't need to get any liquids because I would just have to potty again before we left. So no fluids for me. We watched the parade and two scary incidents involving the horses and headed home. When we got home I hurriedly ate a sandwich and feed my little guy before getting him down for a nap. Then I ran out the door to drive to the place I was going to run.

I set out to run and then thought, hey shouldn't I take some water with me? Naw, just run! I'm guessing I had had about 16 oz. of fluid the entire day. NOT SMART! By mile 3 I was trying to devise a plan for water. Every house I passed, I was hoping someone would be outside watering something so I could beg for a swig from the water hose. No such luck. Then I ran to a little park area that I know has faucets. The faucets were shut down for the winter. There was a birthday party going on and I almost went over to beg for some punch. I decided against it, since I had just come running out of a wooded trail and am sure I looked like a crazy women. I didn't want to scare the children!

I walked a good amount and continued to fixate on finding a drink. By this time I was a mile from finishing so I took off again to just get back to my car to some water. I finally made the 7 miles in 1:30.

That's what cutting corners gets you. I'm lucky I didn't pass out along the road somewhere. I don't like to beat myself up too much, but that was stupid and I won't do it again. Hydration is number 1 people! Don't ever forget that. I think this highlights the week as I have got to stop cutting corners. If I want to up my performance and distances, I need to concentrate more on my nutrition and hydration.

So I end this week with an ugly 19 miles.

What Insprires You?

2008-01-11T19:40:00.000-06:00

I like reading blogs of people that are similar to me. But I really like reading about people that are where I would like to be someday.

I have very much enjoyed reading about the excitement many of you are feeling this weekend as some of you run the PF Chang Rock-N-Roll marathon/half in AZ and the Disney Marathon/half in Florida. How cool is it that many of you met through blogging and have been able to meet in person to enjoy something you are all passionate about.

I still feel new to running and the running blog arena, but I hope that it will lead to many wonderful friendships and an additional running support system.

So as I get the updates on Maddy at Disney and Pokey and the bunch at the RNR, I will plot and plan my attack on my first half marathon. You inspire me and no doubt many others. Congratulations on living life and not just watching it pass you buy from the comfort of your recliner.

I wish you all a steady stride.

Confidence Restored!

2008-01-10T08:03:00.000-06:00

You know, sometimes when you are feeling down, it helps to go to a place that reminds you of better times.

So Wednesday I went to one of the places. I guess it's my Zen runner place. I went to the Benbrook area to give myself a little pick-me-up and it did not disappoint.

I got in 5 miles in 59:44. I was just lallygagging around until I looked at Garmie and it said I had half a mile left at 55 minutes. So I was determined to come in under 1 hour. I took off in a sprint and did it! It felt great! Unfortunately, Garmie was not set in Auto Lap mode, so I don't have splits, but that last half mile was down in the nines. And that was at the end of five miles. It just gives me great confidence that I can handle greater distances at faster speeds.

Cool thing also is that I have a 5k on the 26th at my Zen runner place.

Well It Was Bound to Happen

2008-01-07T12:12:00.001-06:00

After several weeks of inspired, determined, passionate running, today I BONKED! Not sure if it was all that Jolly Rancher candy I ate yesterday or what but I walked during a run for several minutes and my pace was slow and my legs felt like lead and still do. Since I now have Garmie, my training GPS, I can watch my heart rate and it seemed a little high.

I had listened to a Phedipidations podcast about base training and want to pay closer attention to the old heart rate, so I don't know if that psyched me out and kept my mind thinking I was over working. I did have a good section of faster running so I think I will call today's 4 miles an interval workout.

Also I ran at a trail I haven't been on in a few months. The two times before I ran on that section I didn't enjoy it and had a hard time. Do you notice that you have those places that just bring out the runner in you and those other places that make you beg for mercy? I think today's section of the Trinity Trails is the latter for me. Too bad because it is a nice spot.

Last excuse before I go, It's hot and humid in Texas today! We are now in the low 70's heading for a high of 78 or 79. Our normal high for this time of year is around 54 so it is toasty. I like warm weather but a sharp and sudden swing either direction in the temps is no fun. I have actually worn shorts the last two runs. Maybe one more excuse could be my shame over my pasty white legs.

What's the Scoop!

2008-01-07T07:42:00.000-06:00

I got my Garmin 305 Friday! I love it and I haven't even tested out all the features. We went out of town this weekend to the family farm, so I got one good run in and a nice walk.

Running at the farm is hard. It's all off road or on dirt road. The terrain is sandy. The roads are hard packed sand, but you can tell it really takes more energy to run off-road. Better for the joints of course, but I am a little soar today. I have some pictures I'll post when I get a chance.

I also was able to take my dog running off leash at the farm and it was fun. She enjoyed it and I enjoyed the companionship. I hope to start taking her with me more often, on leash.

Also this weekend I signed up for the Benbrook Half 5k on the 26th. It is held at one of my favorite places to run so I am looking forward to it. I will also run my first 10k next month at the Cowtown Marathon.

So I better get busy and go run. Have a great day everyone!

Advice Needed

2008-01-03T09:06:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone! I have already revised my 2008 goals!

I think a half marathon is in order. Does anyone have a good and simple training plan? I've found several on line but some are so convoluted. I'd like to keep it simple.

Let me know what you think!

Red Hot Black Eyed Pea 5k

2008-01-01T12:58:00.000-06:00

Time: 33:14
Distance: 5k
Date: January 1, 2008

Yeah, my first race of 2008! Luckily this race was a 10:00 a.m. start so I had time to wake up for a change. The race was in Trinity Park close to downtown Ft. Worth. It was around 38-40 degrees with a very light wind. I overdressed a little by wearing my long tailed vest, but usually it works fine for my long slow runs. This time though I was moving a little faster and I would like to stress the word "little".

We started right on time and the pack stayed pretty close together. I was a little surprised because my last race, everyone left me in the dust right from the start. I took my time the first quarter mile to let people spread out a little. Luckily I was making steady progress with very few people passing me. I concentrated on watching the large flock of ducks swimming in the Trinity. I had Endurance Planet going in my ears, but honestly couldn't tell you what the story was about. I should have just started with music and left it that way, because when I went to change to music, I couldn't see the display very well and two people passed me while I was fooling around with my new mp3 player. So I just put the thing back in my pocket and passed the two people back. We got to the turn around point and I thought I was doing great so I picked it up a little. Bad thing was, that was not the halfway point. We took another turn and I realized we were heading back out away from the finish. Oh Lord, this is going to be long. I wanted to walk, but I'm not sure why. I guess my pace was a little fast but I didn't think it was that fast. I continued to find people to pass. We turned back toward the finish and I heard someone say 1 mile left. Thank you Lord! I was in a pack of 4 and we all stayed pretty close together. One girl tried to pull away and I stayed with her for about 20 seconds and then let her go. I held off one girl but the other two got me. I picked it up the last quarter but had no kick left. I passed the mat and thought, I'm going to puke. I needed to get the chip cut off my shoe so I was hoping I wouldn't spray the poor person doing the cutting. Luckily I kept it down and recovered quickly. Good thing was the time on the display said 33:33. Chip time was 33:14 for a 10:48 pace. That was like 3 minutes faster than my previous PR! I'm siked! I was fifth in my age division. I have another race in 3 weeks and it's going to be hard to beat that PR.

But I can't imagine being able to give more and run faster. I know it will come with training, but I'm hurting a little. My back is out of whack and my foot is hurting a little. So I will recover today to race another day. Luckily I have a massage scheduled for Thursday. Hope she doesn't hurt me like last time.

Happy Birthday To Me!

2007-12-31T09:18:00.000-06:00

Just a short post for now. My husband and little boy are sooooo sweeeeet!

Guess what I got for my birthday? No, try again. No that's not right either.

Yeah! I'm getting a Garmin 305!!!

I thought I would have to wait to get it in March, but hubby splurged and ordered it. It will be here around the 4th. I can't wait. And, no Nancy I didn't open any presents just after mid-night. I haven't been up that late in years. I'm an old fuddy duddy!

Friday Challenge

2007-12-29T12:58:00.000-06:00

I went out yesterday for a long run and I was happy! The hubby was home with the little one so I was free to take my time. Even better, I had a 2:00 massage appointment. So in my mind I was going to run long and then get my massage reward.

There was lots of sunshine but the temps were in the upper 40s with a little wind. I'm not a big fan of winter, so I dress more heavily than most. I had a pair of tights under some lite sweatpants, a long sleeve technical shirt, windbreaker and a long vest. Felt good but bulky. I also wore my amphipod bounce less water bottle since I hoped to be out long enough to want a drink.
I don't have a Garmin (yet) so I just put on my pedometer to keep track of distance. I've checked it several times and it seems pretty accurate but hopefully in February or March I'll bite the bullet and purchase a Garmin.

I took off from the Burleson Community Center and ran a familiar route beside Hidden Creek Parkway. I took a left past Bransom Elementary to Renfro and then back to the parkway and left down the parkway another mile or two. On my way back I saw a truck I recognized and waved real big at my friend Brant. He looked at me like, "Who is this crazy woman waving at me?" He did manage to give me a little wave, but I know he didn't have a clue who I was. He is use to seeing me move much slower with my hair down and less panting.

My route was quite hilly coming and going so I felt like I got a good butt and thigh work out. Around mile 3-4 is hard for me. I get a little bored or something. I had my mp3 player and was listening to Endurance Planet and then Phedipidations. But I still was a little ready to be done. Makes me wonder how people can run a marathon. 4+ hours is a long time to run. I think if I had a running partner it would be easier, but I don't have any friends that are into this. Guess I should make some new friends.

The foot was a cramp for miles 4 on but it does seem to be better. I'm still trying to hold off on the podiatrist. I came back into the community center an hour and 21 minutes later. Check these numbers out; 7.3 miles in 1:21:40. That is not bad for me at all. That's something like an 11:10 pace. I'll take that.

2008 Goals

2007-12-26T21:36:00.000-06:00

I am a believer that to accomplish most things I need to put them in written goal form. It is something about the permanency of putting pen to paper or post to blog that really sets a course of no return. I have used this method since high school and if I am really serious about something, I will put it in writing and then I feel a real obligation to make it happen. I guess some of you can relate when you register and pay the entry fee for a race.

So I have always been really careful what I am serious enough about to put in writing.

Here are three goals so far for 2008
1. Get my 5k PR down into the twenties.
This doesn't sound too hard until you understand that I had back surgery in February of 2007 and running fast is a little uncomfortable. But I am thinking that the physical pain will get better as I train my muscles to do a better job of support.

2. Run (3) 10k races
The last few weeks I have been running 6 miles and some change as a long run for the week, so this goal is well within my grasp. I think however I would like to try more trail running so a 10k trail race will be more of a challenge.

3. Loose 20 more pounds. I've lost 25 so far, (at least before Christmas I had.) In the past my sole goal was to loose weight, but now my goal is to be a better runner/athlete and to do that I need to loose the extra weight that slows me down. Each pound I shed will shave time off my pace.

That's all I have right now. I don't have a burning desire to run a marathon. Goofy thing is, I would much rather run a 50k or a 50 miler. I think reading Julie Bergs blog has gone to my head.

But seriously, am I dreaming to small? Does anyone have a challenge to throw me or a suggestion? Really, throw it out, I won't laugh.

Merry Christmas To Me!

2007-12-26T14:51:00.000-06:00

Hope you all had a great day yesterday. I and the family headed down to Marble Falls to be with family. After eating my fill and letting it digest a bit, I headed out for a run. We were out in the country a bit, so I was real concerned about dogs, which I have developed a phobia of. So I ran to two different dead end roads and saw one set of dogs which barked at me but didn't leave the vicinity of their yard. I also got to the end of one road and heard dogs start up barking and turned around. The weather was great and my foot felt pretty good. I was able to get 6.2 with several nice hill sprints included at 69 minutes. So that is 11:13 pace. I like that. I can see improvement.

Tonight I will sign up for the Red Hot Black Eye Pea race on January 1. Hopefully the foot will continue to cooperate and it would also be nice for the weather to cooperate as well. Today the wind is blowing at gusts of 30. I just hate to run in the wind. That's it for now, but coming up soon I will post about some goals for 2008.

Not What I Was Hoping For.

2007-12-22T12:53:00.000-06:00

After a solid week off from running, I eagerly set out this morning just as the sun was rising. I don't usually get out so early on Saturday, but there was a wind advisory scheduled for 9:00a.m. and I wanted to get going before the winds got to gusting over 30mph. Unfortunetly, about a half mile into the run I could feel some pulling in the tendon on the outside of my left foot. The cramping set in about mile 1 and continued to bug me the rest of the way. At about mile 2.5 I thought I would try to run on a trail to see if the softer surface made a difference. It actually felt worse. I think it was the uneven terrain that made it worse. So I decided to stop at 3.5 miles. What a disappointment. I was not even close to being ready to stop. But after reading a blog last night about a girl running a marathon and fracturing her pelvis, I thought I better not risk tearing or snapping anything.

So I headed home and iced, stretched and have been repeating that process. I'll try that a few days and late next week I'll try to get to a podiatrist. Thanks to Non-Runner Nancy for advice on finding a pod. That made a lot of sense.

Foot Injury

2007-12-20T13:48:00.000-06:00

Since early December I have been messing with a foot injury of some sort. I first was fearful I had a stress fracture, but after talking with an experienced runner friend and doing some Internet research I think it is an aggravation of the tendon that runs down the side of the ankle into the outside of the foot.

I decreased mileage and iced, but when I went back to run the Hawaiian 5k last weekend, the pain came back. It cripples me for several hours. By the next day it feels OK but if I run that day it hurts. Usually if I take a day off in between, the foot feels fine for a few runs. I also bought a new pair of shoes because my first two pair are a year old and worn out since I started running in the summer. The new shoes made other aches feel better but not the big foot pain.

I'm really not sure where to go from here. I have taken a whole week off! I will do a run tomorrow and hopefully I will be able to stop myself at around 4 miles so I don't immediately re injure the stupid thing.

I will not stop running, but I may need to see a podiatrist to make sure I'm not tearing something.

Hawiaan 5k, Fort Worth, December 2007

2007-12-20T13:39:00.000-06:00

Time - 36:16 (PR)
Distance 5k
December 15, 2007

COLD, COLD, WINDY, WINDY!!
I was seriously not looking forward to this race. But I was determined to show up since I bailed on the Turkey Trot race. I got there early enough to warm up, take a pottie break and have a couple sips of coffee. We lined up and I got to the back so I wouldn't trip up any of the fast people. There were only about 70-80 participants. The horn sounded and everyone took off pulling away from immedietly. This race was put on by the Fort Worth Runners Club and almost everyone that showed up was fast. It really highlighted my slowness. I just loved that. This course was an out and back so that also highlighted my slowness, because as I was just passing mile 1, here came runners back past me from mile 2. Lovely! Every time someone passed me I would say, "Please don't pass me." None the less I kept plugging along. About mile 2.5 I caught up with an older gentleman that was struggling. He ask me to hang with him to get him to the finish, so I did. I was hoping to pass three people up ahead of me, but let them go so I could help the older man. I got him to the 3 mile mark and made sure he could see the finish line then I took off to sprint the last tenth. Yeah! I finished and now to my warm car. A couple hours after I got home, I got a call from a friend that said I placed 3rd in my age division. Can you believe that. I'm not a student of Karma, but come on! Also, if you are willing to go to the races in bad weather, you may just wind up placing.

Friends of the River, Ft. Worth, October 25, 2007

2007-12-20T13:36:00.000-06:00

Time : 39:25
Distance 3.4 miles
October 25,2007

This was only my second race, but it was a good one. It took place on a Thursday night in the close to down town Fort Worth area. I don't know what it is about that section of the Trinity Trail, but I always feel like it is the longest course ever. This race I didn't walk any of it, so I was proud of that. I also felt good about passing lots of people. My first mile was over 12:30, but mile two and three were under 11:30. So while others were fading, I was able to pick it up in the last half and pass. Even when you are going slow it is always nice to pass someone for an ego boost. I also brought my 5k race time down from the race the previous month. If I can whittle away at that time every month, I will be doing good in 2008.

The best part of this race is the party afterwards. 30 or so of some the areas coolest eateries set up booths with tons of samples, drinks and doodads. They have a live band and everything is included with your race entry fee. Now the worst thing about this race is the same thing I just mentioned. Since I am still a beginner at this running thing, I don't have all the ins and outs figured out. So I pushed through the finish line and found my husband, son and dog and I carefully picked up a few samples and some water. I was not hungry after the run so I really didn't over-indulge. But I had plenty of pizza, lamb and cucumber sauce, black forest cake, hamburger, shrimp cocktail, blah, blah, blah. Ok I didn't have the volume of food I have historically been able to handle, but I had way to much for an after exercise snack. We left and before I could get home I was sick as a dog. I parked the car and ran into the house to take up residence in the bathroom for the next few hours. I now know better.

I will be attending that race again, however I will not run the 3.4 if I plan to eat anything. I may just run the 1 mile fun run with my son and enjoy the great food.

First 5k, Pecan Festival, Mansfield Texas

2007-12-20T13:20:00.000-06:00

Time - 38:33(?) PR
Distance - 5K (3.1)
September 22, 2007

Boy was I nervous. I had never ran a race before. I felt like I was going to die waiting to get this under my belt. The weather was upper 50s and high humidity. My brother ran with me. Let me rephrase that; My brother ran the same race only much much faster. I wasn't even sure I could run the whole thing. Turns out I didn't. Just after a mile and a half I stopped to walk, but I did start running again. I also met a lady that had run several marathons with Team in Training and she was running 5 walking 1 minute intervals. So I fell in with her and she helped talk me in the last mile. The course was nice and had a few hills. Some of the course was on Mansfield city park pavement which winds through tons of trees. The other part of the course was through neighborhoods. There were actually people out watching us run or walk by. They would say "Great Job!" and it really did help. I was glad to see the finish line and kind of sorry on my part, the lady I had run the last mile with wasn't fast at all, but I didn't want her to beat me, so when we got closer I took off and just passed her at the finish line. She did help me but darn it, I'm still competitive and wanted to beat someone. On an up note, I didn't finish last, however I was down the list in my age group.

I look forward to running this race again in 2008 to see how far I've come in the pat year.

Working the kinks out!

2007-12-20T13:12:00.000-06:00

I'm still trying to get this thing the way I want it. But I'll go ahead and start posting to get some content built up.

July 07 I started running on my treadmill on a regular basis. By August I started running outside and by late September I ran my first 5k race. I finally got tired of being overweight and out of shape. I have always been a beefy girl, but I had really turned into quite a heifer. So now I am in a battle to reclaim by athleticism and work on becoming more healthy overall.

I know this isn't a new concept. I read these kind of blogs everyday, but when I do read them, I feel a kinship. So hopefully this site may help someone else to live for today and stop waisting time thinking you will correct things tomorrow.