Sick Leave

If you have seen my Dailymile Profile lately you know that I have not run since the Capital City Half Marathon on May 20th!!!  Well except for the very brief jaunts in the Video :)  That is well over a week!!

What happened?

I caught Typhoid

OK not really but I caught the worst Cold/Flu/Gunk that I have ever had.  I was the Bus Captain for an event at work on Friday before the Half, apparently the carrier Monkey was on-board because about 10 of the 19 people on the bus came down with the same plight and were on Sick Leave multiple days.  I think the cold hit at mile 10 of the Half and caused my chills...

Symptoms:

Chills

Fever

Nausea and Vomiting (on Saturday)

Fatigue

Running nose

Plugged up sinuses

Coughing Fits

Sore Throat

Light Headed

Fluid in Lungs

and on and on

It is pure Misery!!  And poor Muscle Man caught it too.  We spent the holiday weekend on the couch resting and trying to avoid getting our kiddos sick with multiple hand washings and sending them to play away from us.  I generally try to run through sickness but this is different, it hurts to breathe.  I keep thinking I am going to get better, so I have not gone to the Dr., but I have not improved much at all.  With a Relay this weekend I am getting nervous.  I have lived off of Chicken Noodle Soup and Orange juice, but I have no appetite.. Taking my vitamins and getting plenty of rest... but it hangs on... I feel like my immune system is crap since having kids, I always seem to catch the crud!!

Wish me luck!!  I have a Business Trip for 2 day and a Relay to make it through.  I need to get better ASAP..

Hope to be back and Running soon :(

Cough Cough Cough.... BLECH!!!

VIDEO- Oiselle Totally Trials Entry

Check out 5 Miles Past Empty and the second half of our Oiselle Totally Trials Giveaway Entry.  Please comment in support, or click like on Facebook.. THANK YOU!!!

EPIC VIDEO HERE

Oiselle- Totally Trials Entry

Back in 2009 I was new to Blogging and pretty new to Running.  Somehow AJ (Amanda- 5Miles Past Empty) and I stumbled upon each others blogs.  Crazy that we lived so close and had no idea.  I lightly convinced her, via the help of my bloggy friends, that we should meet for a run.

First Running Date 10-10-09 HERE: 

After the run I called it a "match made in Bloggy Heaven."  Meeting new people can be awkward, it wasn't like that with AJ.  From the first sentence I felt I had known her forever and could tell her anything.  We are very DIFFERENT.  I am anal, matchy matchy and structured, she is more of a relaxed go with the flow type of gal. In some ways I think that is why we get along so well, we have a good balance.

Our friendship grew through training runs, races, funny photo taking sessions and post run FOOD! 

The Mercer Island Half Marathon was on Amanda's Birthday in March 2010.  I had planned to run with her and pace her to a PR.  Somehow we didn't connect so we went on alone.  The race was HILLY and HARD.  I finished ahead of my friends and headed to get some water.. Soon after I texted my friend to see where she was, she replied.  As I walked her way I could see the PRIDE in her face, she had earned her PR, the CONGRATS HUG had us both in tears.  That hug still ranks as one of my all-time best post-run memories.

Not "the" hug but you get the idea

AJ is my first close friend in a Military Family, so it was a huge blow when AJ told us she was moving..  Moving away?? And to North Carolina??  We knew for a few months, and dreaded the day when she would hit the road.  I shared our run-lationship with the world through PBA-Public Blog of Affection:

BLOG Link

AJ was training for the Portland Marathon, after the Marathon they would move to North Carolina.  My buddy Jill and I grabbed our umbrellas and set out to cheer her, and others on. 

It was a TOUGH day, torrential rain before the race even started.  AJ wanted to quit early on, we offered to drive her back, but she kept on.  I ran a few miles with her to keep her company, not knowing that would be our goodbye, we didn't connect after the race.  All of this on our Friendiversary 10-10-10. In that instant we began our Long Distance Run-lationship.

***6 days later my Dad died unexpectedly of a heart attack.

I was lost, my heart broken, I didn't know which way was up.  I NEEDED something to look forward to.  When AJ told me her friends couldn't run the Las Vegas Rock N Roll Marathon in December with her and she didn't want to run solo, I registered the next day.  I was not trained for 26.2, all I knew was that I wanted to be with my friend, to feel something other than sadness.  Up until mile 18 I was great, we held strong together.. Toward the end and after the race it was not pretty, I prayed to multiple gold garbage cans in Vegas.  AJ took care of me, and we salvaged what was left of our trip. 

Running a Marathon with someone bonds you forever, she helped me through when I leaned on her and vice versa.  When AJ came for Rock N Roll Seattle June 2011, I knew I wanted to run the Half with her, regardless of Finish time.  She was running to raise money for cancer to honor her Dad.  Stride for stride with my buddy, all the way to the end.  Those are the memories I cherish, time spent with good friends.

***A few months later AJ suffered the loss of her father to Pancreatic Cancer. 

I hated that I understood what she was going through. We are too young to both lose our Dads!! GAHHHHHHH!!!  I did what I could to empathize and support her being so far away, I felt helpless. 

Through ups and downs, PR's and injuries, miles and miles distance,  we have stayed close.  Texts, phone calls and care packages keep the Run-lationship alive.  Here we are nearly a year since we have run together or seen each other.  And I see the Oiselle contest HERE to win a FREE trip to the Olympic Trials.. Hmmmmmm!!!  I sent the info to AJ instantly.

Oiselle, a company I love, would help me and my run buddy to reunite! And we would get to experience the Olympic Trials at Hayward Field!! What?!?!?!  Summer after 11th grade I watched the Olympic Trails at Hayward Field with my parents, we happened upon the event while touring the college.  I remember how AMAZING it was to be in the presence of greatness.

This year my cousin Ryan will be throwing the Javelin in Olympic hopes at Eugene.  My family on the field gunning for London!

Why do we want to win??

-We want to have a blast hanging out with the STELLAR people of Oiselle, hamming it up at a Fashion show and playing in the nest.

-We want to pose for endless fun photos in Oiselle Gear. What girls doesn't love new, high quality, stylish clothes??

-We want to CHEER our hearts out at the trials, for all the athletes and cousin Ryan (bummer he will not be competing the dates of this Giveaway).

-We want to reconnect through an EPIC OISELLE Weekend!!

That is our Story..

PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE PICK us Oiselle!!!

Video on 5 Miles Past Empty COMING SOON!!

2 Good + 1 Bad= 3 Things

1.  Earlier this year I was contacted to use a picture from a photo-shoot I did for a Wellness article at my work.  They were planning to use it for the "On the Move" campaign.  I was not sure in what capacity the photo would be used but I of course said yes.  Last Night a friend I worked with posted a picture on facebook of something that looked like a mailer with me on it....hmmmm..  Tonight when I checked the mail there I was.  My heart skipped a beat..I was giddy as I brought it home to show Muscle Man and the Little Studs.

Muscle Man thinks I should frame it.  LS #1 thinks I must be a superstar to be on the mail... it is fun to have some excitement over Mommy in the house.  Inspires me to get on the MOVE and get that body from the photo back :)


2.  My buddy AJ at 5 Miles Past Empty and I are working on something fun!  Writing scripts and hoping to get a video done ASAP.. a little difficult since we are in a Long Distance Run-lationship.. she live in NC, far far far away from WA!! The Video will be posted soon and I hope we can get your support when asked.  In the mean time wish us luck, we are a little defunct in our video making skills and we want the video to impress the lovely ladies at Oiselle.com...

3. BAD BAD NO GOOD UGH!!  The chill I had at the Half Marathon may have been caused by a virus/cold/flu of some sort that has taken over my body..  I have not run since Sunday, I can barely breathe and have had fever and chills.  And I passed it to my hubby.  We are hoping to get the CRUD out of our house and be healthy for the long weekend.  What a bummer to be on a running high and hit such a LOW LOW..


****Hope you are well, sorry I have been MIA, hard to post when all I am doing is eating Chicken Soup and sleeping.  BE well my friends...

Post your 3 things... good, bad, ugly... doesn't matter, I would love to hear :)

Capital City Half Marathon 2012

 We set out about 10 minutes behind schedule, thankfully I had run the Half in 2009 so we knew the ins and outs.  Olympia, WA is about 45 minutes from our house..  We found a great parking spot a few blocks away and snapped a horrible photo, I felt too rushed to get a good one.  I left my camera phone in the car, I doubted I would have time to take pictures and didn't want to risk breaking my phone.  

 We hit the potty lines, which were pretty long and turned on our Garmins.  The sky was thick with grey as we made our way to the start area.  It is hard to know where to line up, there are no pace signs so the start is a bit of a mess.  Tiffany HERE and Will found us and we chatted a bit, she also snapped a photo for us, still in our Toss-aways.  Just before the start the rain began to lightly pour, it became more steady and continued to RAIN THE WHOLE RACE!!

 
The plan we had discussed was to keep each mile under 9:04 leaving us a little time to slow on the big hill at mile 9-10 and still make it in under 2:00. This is how it went…

1- 8:54- Weaving around the crowds, we were in the 11’s pace wise..  It was frustrating not being able to hit our pace.  Muscle Man was impressive as a new racer he was able to spot the opening and work his way around.  We had driven parts of the course and he knew what was coming.  He also ran around cheering me on in 2009.  He had some knee pain earlier in the week so I was worried come race day, thankfully the pain did not show up on race day!!

2- 8:59- We turned and headed up the gradual hill. I took off my toss-away which I had stashed at a few races, finally tossing it to the side.  I dressed wrong for the race, I didn’t think it would rain so heavily, I would have worn long sleeves had I known.  MM grabbed at water and we plugged along.  Funny my right shoe was a little too loose and his was a little too tight, but neither of us wanted to stop to fix it.

3- 9:06- Continuing up the hill we spotted Lindsay HERE on the side with a GU, I said Hi, I am not sure what she has to do to keep her Diabetes in check during the race, adds a whole different element to racing.  We passed people left and right, up on the sidewalk, down to the road, we weaved like pro’s I could anticipate what he was going to do without saying a word.  We Finish each other’s sentences, and used the same ESP-type thinking for racing. :)


4- 8:55- Into the residential area, the volunteers at the water stops were GREAT!  Cheering, smiling, all the while getting drenched with rain.  MM gave a high five to a few kids on the side line.  There were cool signs throughout the course that made me smile.

5- 8:51- This mile there were about 3 photogs, we posed with thumbs up, I waved, trying to catch their attention. I am hoping we got a few good pictures.  My Garmin did not like the overcast skies and was sporadic with pacing.  MM was very focused on pace, calling out the miles and paces…I was supposed to be pacing him but he really didn’t need me.  At one point his Math was a little off, so I corrected him, we both laughed about it because he is the human calculator in the family.. guess I have more running calculator experience..

6- 8:53- We were getting close to the 10K mark our time was just shy of our family 10K PR. We looked down at the 6.5 time and knew we were on a good pace to Finish with a sub 2, but we still had a long way to go and some tough miles ahead.  At this point I felt AMAZING!  I asked MM if he wanted his Gu, he said he didn’t… I knew I should have taken the Gu Chomps in my handheld but I didn’t, a mistake I would pay for later.  MM seemed great too, I think he wanted to bank a bit more time, his legs began to turn over faster and faster.

7- 8:37- We were at the top of the elevation chart for a bit banking time on the down hills knowing the BIG Hill was coming.  There was a gal in the GROSSEST booty-spandex shorts I have ever seen… BLECH, I sped up to pass her, no idea how she got in front of us at the pace she was going.  I love to people watch in races but some things I just cant take..

8- 8:38- It felt good to speed up so we went with it, stride for stride.  We passed a man and woman we had been behind for about 4 miles.  Funny how when you race you see the same group of people if you stick with a pace, we leapfrogged with a few people throughout the race.  MM was breathing hard but seemed fine, we shook out or arms and tried to stay relaxed.

9-8:14- We curved around to the PRETTY part of the course with lush trees lining either side, back in 2009 this was where MM was waiting for me with Gatorade, I smiled at the thought of how his face lit up when he saw me.  There was a good downhill and MM ran ahead, he is way faster on steep down hills, I let gravity take over and zoomed past loads of people holding back. We recorded our fastest mile. MM had a twinge in his back when I caught up, thankfully it passed quickly.  There were loads of people cheering in that section, I told Muscle Man to soak it all in, they were cheering for him.


10-9:13- Starting the HILL we passed a lot of people and realized we were going 8:30ish pace.. OOPS!! I think we thought we made it to the top...but that hill goes and goes.. My quads were burning trying to keep a good pace.  I was hoping the little band who played “Eye of the Tiger” during my first Half in 09 would be there, but with the rainy weather I am guessing they stayed home.. BUMMER!!

11- 9:02- We finally made it to the top, but there was some gradual climbing to do.  I am PROUD that we didn’t walk!!  There was a man playing a trumpet in his front yard… dun dun dun dun dun duh….CHARGE!!  Recovering from the HILL I started to get very very cold. My arms were freezing and my legs felt heavy.  I wondered if my body was shutting down since I didn’t take my Gu mid way, I cursed myself for such a Rookie move!!  I was glad to have my husband there with me, I know he was worried about me, but the best thing I could do was to FINISH!  I got very quiet conserving my energy, putting all I had into one foot in front of the other.

12- 8:55- Our quads were shot and we did the best we could to get back on pace. We knew our Finish Time would be a high 1:55 or low 1:56, which is GREAT for hubby's first Half.  It took all I had to keep my legs moving, I was so COLD.. I gave MM my handheld and rubbed my arms, but it barely helped.  We were getting passed left and right, I said “This is our race! Focus on us!”  We did, everyone melted away.  It was just me and my husband.  I felt a little like I did while reciting our vows on our Wedding Day.

13- 8:33- I love a downhill Finish!! People were flying by us, we gave it all we could, I was grunting pushing myself to my limit.  I felt horrible, so COLD and so weak, all I wanted was to be done and to warm up.  At this pace I should have been fine, but the combo of the rain, wrong gear- short sleeves and lack of food must have done me in.  I felt bad, I was not pacing MM, he was keeping me going.  Seeing the state Capital is amazing, but I could barely enjoy it.  A TALL gal passed us, I cheered for her in my head, I didn’t have the energy to yell.

.17- 7:26- We crossed the FINISH LINE Hand in hand, soaking wet and smiling. The post race Kiss has never meant so much!!

This ranks as one of the best Days in my Running life. CONGRATS Muscle Man!! You did it, killed your goal, while taking care of me..

1:56:11- Official time, he beat me by a second.. Go Figure!

The post race coffee and pizza was FAB!  But I was too cold to hang out.  We changed in the car then went to Tall Grandmas to pick up the Little Studs (THANKS MOM!!)  We had a Relaxing day on the couch the rest of Sunday..  Today we have sore quads and big smiles..

True Love is Garmins in Sync :)

Family Time

 Last night Little Stud #1 had his first school concert.. it was ADORABLE!!  For a boy who claims he is shy he did well on stage.  We decided to go out to a Family Dinner at Applebeees to celebrate..  Silly boys!!

This Sunday is Muscle Man's first Half Marathon!!  I cant wait, he has been talking about running a Half Marathon since I started running in 2008.  He got a little intimidated when he saw the time guesses you all supplied.  I told him that the time doesn't matter, our Goal is to have fun and to Finish.  The course is pretty hilly, so that is the one factor that may slow us down.. That and ALLERGIES!!!

I am highly allergic to Scotchbroom, on our run this week my nose was so plugged I couldn't breathe..  We bought Claritan so hopefully that will get us through the race.  The weather is still TBD, we have a few semi-matchy outfits picked out.  Hubby doesn't mind matching with me, isn't he sweet??

We will go to the expo tomorrow and race at 7:45AM Sunday!!

I hope to take a lot of pictures, but they will be camera phone quality since we won't have anyone cheering us on at the race :(  My guess on time??  Anywhere between 1:50 and 2:10.  I know that Muscle Man will push himself and without the Stroller to hold him back who knows what he can do!!

The best part about all of this is the time I have been able to spend with my Family... I feel like my Priorities are right where they should be and that is a great feeling...

• What are you up to this weekend??
•  
• GOOD luck to all those running RNR Portland and any other races.

Guess and WIN!

It is official, our last Long Run is in the books!!  Only 2-3 short training runs left and Muscle Man and I will be at the starting line for his First Half Marathon!!

 I thought it would be fun to have you all GUESS what our Finish Time will be for the Capital City Half Marathon, Olympia WA on Sunday.

**Leave a Comment with your Guess.**

   Closet person/people win a PRIZE!!

• Want to know how our 10 Miler pushing the boys went?? Check it out on DailyMile HERE

Funny Pose Friday

Us PNW runners are not used to the SUN!!

I am trying to show off my new Garmin 310XT and white legs :p

Sweaty and almost done!!

Same funny pose

 HAPPY FRIDAY ALL!!

Have a GREAT weekend!!

No SOLO Half Marathons

When I ran my First Half Marathon, Capital City 2009, I didn't know what I was doing and just RAN and ran FAST.. I got a 1:43:49.. My second Half I hoped for a PR but it wasn't my day, thankfully it was a small race and I ended up being the 1st Place woman!!  My 3rd Half Marathon I had been sick for 2 weeks leading up to the race.  It was Mercer Island on my good friend Amanda's (HERE) Birthday.  She was aiming for a PR.  I thought about running with her, to help pace her, and to be with my friend, but for some reason we didn't connect.  So I ran ALONE, up and down all the HILLS, sick, killing myself.  When I finally got to the Finish Line no one was there for me, all of my friends were still on the course.  Something in me SNAPPED and since then I have not run a Half Marathon solo..

My 'Pacing' History

#4- Super Jock & Jill- Pacing Jill to a PR

#5- You Go Girl- Pacing Tonya to a PR

#6- Seattle RNR- Running with my buddies Amanda/Jess.

#7- See Jane- Helping me Tall Sister Jayne finish her First Half

#8- You Go Girl- Trying to pace Kim to a sub 2:00, I failed :(

And here we are at Half Marathon #9 and again I will be running with someone.. This time the LOVE of my life..  The best part about pacing my Husband is that I truly KNOW him.  I am learning more about him as a Runner, the best ways to encourage him and when needed push him. Our training runs have been great and I feel blessed to have him by my side for my next Half

***Last night I asked Tall Sister, who recently moved down the block, if she would watch the Little Studs so we could run a 10K solo..  She said YES!!  Thanks Sister!!

From the first stride I felt AMAZING.. Totally connected with my legs, my breathing, everything felt perfect.  I knew that we could kill Muscle Man's 10K PR, which he has improved on every week.  It was a BUMMER because MM was off, Dinner was not sitting well and he got a side-ache early on.  Everything in me wanted to go FAST, so I kept at a comfortable/fast pace a few steps ahead of him.   I could tell he was struggling, but I wanted to test his limits, to see what he would do.

I want to know how to help support him when it gets tough.  The answer?  Run ahead of him a little.  He kept up with me, despite struggling and feeling like crap. I slowed down for mile 4 and asked if he wanted to walk, he said no and kept going.  He told me to run ahead, he knew that I wanted to go-go-go.  for the next mile I sped ahead, with MM about 100yards behind.  He picked up his pace to keep me in site.  After the mile I stopped and waited, I wanted to finish the run together.  He caught up and we headed toward the car.  Overall pace for the run 8:50!!  He felt like crap and still pulled out sub 9:00 miles for a 10K!!

With his First Half Marathon 11 days away he is right where he needs to be.. and I won't be SOLO.

****Now Half Marathon #10- Seattle Rock N Roll??  Will I be ready to go it alone again??

Time will tell!!

• Have you run a Half Marathon with a friend, family member, spouse?  Share your story

FIXATED

Fixated by Definition:

1. To make fixed, stable, or stationary.
2. To focus one's eyes or attention on: fixate a faint object.
3. To command the attention of exclusively or repeatedly; preoccupy obsessively

The 3rd definition really hits home for me.

Do you ever find yourself totally FIXATED on something?

It may be my own version of OCD, I am not sure, but I can easily get caught up on one thing to the point where I can't seem to let it go. I find this personality trait to be a BLESSING and a CURSE.  Since this is a Running Blog, and I am not a professional counselor, I will keep with that for my examples.

BLESSING:

Being FIXATED helps you to never lose site of what you want.  The lazer attention can lead you to results that you could not have imagined. 

-Think of the Iron Man Finishers who pass out just after they cross the line…. They were FIXATED on the Finish Line and once they got there….BAM!!  At what point did their body give out? Could have been miles and miles ago, but the brain took over and carried them the rest of the way.. Being FIXATED in this example is a combination of heart, head and GUTS over and over until the race is done.

-Training can be considered a Fixation, think about it, training for anything really commands your attention, takes over your life.. You live, eat, breathe, sleep, all to get through the training.  Those who are able to manage that level of attention/commitment will reap the rewards.

-Being FIXATED on Weight Loss is essential for those who are trying to real a *healthy weight.  Counting calories, eating right, working out, every morsel that goes in accounted for.  Eventually if you are FIXATED enough it may become a way of life, requiring a little less all-encompassing thought.  

* I realize that some who are fixated on weight have an unhealthy obsession. I am not talking about anorexia or bulimea, my example are those who accomplish weight loss the right way and reach a "healthy" weight.


CURSE: 

What about when things don't go your way? 

-You get injured.  All you can think about is the injury and how frustrated you are.  How PT is a pain and you can't wait to be whole again.  It is hard watching others doing what you love. 

-That goal you set and put in months of hard work, just to come up short on race day.  All that time training?? For what?? To flop on race day?  UGH!!! You want to prove that you could do better.  You want to run another Marathon to get the goal.  You are frustrated and can't believe that all that time was for "nothing."  You go back and forth trying to make yourself feel better.  "Finishing the race was enough," but at the end of the day you still wish you had a redo.

I tend to let things get in my head and stay there.  I get so FIXATED that I can't pull myself out.  It can be a vicious cycle leading to depression and self-abuse.


WHAT CAN YOU DO?

If you find yourself complacent and want the BLESSING of being FIXATED on something, set a Goal.  Create actions and realistic timelines that will get you to that Goal.  Commit the goal to your mind.  Put reminders on your calendar and in plain site so it is on the forefront of your thoughts.  Reward yourself along the way so that this commitment feels good.

If you are crippled by the CURSE of being FIXATED try a few things:

-Practice being in the moment.  Don't let your mind run.  Whatever activity you are doing commit yourself fully.  Be aware of your surroundings, the people, the places etc.  Let what is bothering you go and LIVE in the moment.  Use all of your senses, you will be amazed how good it feels.

-Find a way to make it Positive.  Think of Cancer survivors, those who keep a positive outlook and fight are more successful.  Change the way you think about something and you may just change your world.

-Talk to others.  I find venting, although a bit childish, does make me feel better.  Be careful not to vent too much, no one wants to be around Debbie Downer.  Giving what you are FIXATED on a voice could be what you need to work through it. 

-Think about something else!!!  There are a million things you can think about.  Don't give in to what you are FIXATED on, move past it.

• Leave a comment with examples of when you were FIXATED on something and you found it to be a BLESSING and/or CURSE.

Running HAPPY

Last year while running Hood to Coast I remember seeing the Handful team in bright orange, they were smiling, the whole team was out at every transition and they were cheering on every team.  They were positive, and having an amazing time… when I learned I would not join nuun at HTC this year the Handful gals immediately popped in my brain…  BUT… I didn't want to run for a corporation if I didn't like the product..

Sooo.. I ordered a bra, they were having end of the season SALES HERE.. I also ordered a bucket cap because it was adorable and I love orange.. The product came quickly and I wore the bra that night.. SCORE!!  I love the support and femininity of the Handful bra..  I wrote an email expressing interest in joining the team, not expecting a reply.  To my surprise and DELIGHT the CEO replied and said they had a spot due to an injury..  I have found a team for Hood to Coast!!  I will be in Van #2, my hope was to be Van #1, but to be able to run the Mother of all Relays is a treasure regardless of the Van..  My team is totally organized, the team Captain is stellar!!  I am excited to make new friends on the run.

TRAINING WITH MUSCLE MAN:

Wow is my husband gaining some SPEED…  For those of you who keep up with me on Dailymile HERE (http://www.dailymile.com/people/tallmomontherun#ref=tophd) you have noticed.  He has the endurance and suddenly his legs want to MOVE..

Thursday Rainy 10K:
It was pouring rain, I mean pouring!!  But we knew we had weekend travel plans so we had to fit in a good 10K, probably not the best idea since I was sick earlier in the week.   We didn't set out to break any records but when the first mile chimed and we felt great we just went with it..

1- 8:13
2- 8:42
3- 8:57
4- 9:14 (slight hill)- I tried to push but my knee was on fire so MM took over
5- 9:16 (bigger hill)- we traded off pushing me on the flat parts
6-8:50
.2- 8:08

NOTE: We were the only CRAZIES on the trail.

Finish time- 54:49, in the pouring rain, pushing the boys (they were under the rain cover).. This is nearly a 3 minute Family Pushing Boys PR, last week we ran a 57:39..

AMAZED at my husband and his progress, this was sub 9:00 pace (8:50)!!

LOVE LOVE this man!!!

New outfit from the Nike Outlet SCORE for $30!!

Sunday Sunny 10 Miler:

I was LOW on energy after traveling for a couple hours home in the morning.. I was hoping I would get jazzed as we hit the trail but I slogged along.. Thankfully MM was full of energy so he pushed the boys for over 80% of the run, and he kept a good pace.  My knee has been causing me issues when I try to push the boys :(

The trail was PACKED!! There was a bike event of some sort and a group of about 20 cub scouts that we leap frogged with a few times. It was about 65, we gulped down our 2 water bottles and then some.

Our boys were good the second half of the run, we had to stop a few times for various reasons (snacks, to water the plants, etc), always for them..

1:34:02- 9:20 Average pace!!  When I finally get MM out from behind that stroller and in a race scenario it is going to be amazing!

****2 weeks to race day.


Speaking of Races this is my schedule for the next few months:

TALL MOM SCHEDULE:

May 20th- Capital City Half Marathon, Olympia, WA (Muscle Man's first)

June 2nd- Rainier to Ruston Relay team Honey Buckettes
**they still have spots open check it out HERE

June 23rd- Seattle Rock N Roll Half Marathon

July 15th- Fueled by Fine Wine Half Marathon, Dundee, OR (For fun with MM)

August 18th- MAYBE Railroad Days 5K or 10K

August 24-25th- Hood to Coast with team 2Hot2Handful

September 9th- Iron Girl Seattle 5K

September 16th- You Go Girl Half Marathon, Tacoma, WA

• Do you have any Running HAPPY news to report??
•  
• Leave a comment if you will be at any of the races above.. I love love meeting new people.

RUNNING PRIORITY

What are your priorities?

How do you decide what is worth your time, effort and energy?

When I first started running these were my priorities...

1.  Lose baby weight

2.  Run a mile without stopping

3.  Finish my first 5K

Of course I had LIFE priorities in there as always, but for the sake of this blog, I will just talk about my RUNNING PRIORITIES.

As time passed I dropped weight, gained endurance and signed up for races left and right.  With new vision I ran on and on...

1.  Finish a Half Marathon

2.  Increase my speed

3.  Eat for fuel to get to Goal Weight

All good things!!  My first half marathon was SPEEDY (for me) and I was racing at my goal weight.  What an amazing feeling to know I could run longer and faster than I ever imagined..

While training for the Half I realized I had more in me...

1.  Finish a Marathon

2.  Qualify for Boston

3.  Become a Marathon maniac

These priorities took up a TON of my time and focus!! I was a Marathon training machine.  It felt good to be able to pop off 20++ mile training runs at a decent clip. I don't feel I am built to run long long distances, but during this time I made it a priority. Along the way I built friendships which made the miles much more enjoyable :)

A few months after I qualified for Boston…LIFE happened!!  My Dad passed away unexpectadly... When you suffer a loss of someone close to you it really shakes you.. I almost didn't run Boston because I felt like Running had taken full priority in my life and that was not sitting well with me..

FAST FORWARD...

Where are my priorities today?

1.  Help Muscle Man Finish his first Half Marathon

2. Let the miles come without expectations on speed or distance.

3.  Run for the joy of it, no pressure.

I feel like I have come full circle in my running "career."  Will I want to get back to training hard to set new PR's?  Maybe.  Will I want to see the Finish of my first ultra?  Sure.  Do I envy those who are running fast marathons?  TOTALLY!

But for now I am right where I NEED and WANT to be and wow does that feel good…I am so proud of what I have accomplished the past 4 years.  Running has become a way of life for me, which is AMAZING!!  If you know what you want, where you want to be it is as simple as charting the course to get there.. Or sometimes, slowing down to find what you needed was there all along..


A few quotes about Priorities:

The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, 

but to schedule your priorities.  

-Stephen R. Covey

Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it.  Establish your priorities and go to work.
-H.L. Hunt

We realize our dilemma goes deeper than shortage of time; it is basically a problem of priorities.  We confess, we have left undone those things that ought to have done; and we have done those things which ought not to have done. 
-Charles E. Hummel

Goals are simply tools to focus your energy in positive directions, these can be changed as your priorities change, new one added, and others dropped.

Review our priorities, ask the question; What is the best use of our time right now?

What comes first, the compass or the clock?  Before one can truly manage time (the clock), it is important to know where you are going, what your priorities and goals are, in which direction you are headed (the compass).  Where you are headed is more important than how fast you are going.  Rather than always focusing on what's urgent, learn to focus on what is really important.


What is your RUNNING PRIORITY right now??

-Recover from injury
-Run while pregnant- Nancy :)
-Get Faster
-Run Longer
-Take to the trails
-Qualify for Boston
-Drop some baggage (weight or otherwise)
-Inspire/coach another person to their goals
-Enjoy the journey
-Unplug

***Determine your priority...and go for it.. knowing that you can change/shift at any time :)

Weekend recap and the FUN to come

Saturday- 4 miles 9:36 (stop and go) pace

The weather was pretty nice.. We piddled around in the morning, then around 11:30 Muscle Man decided he wanted to run our long run, pushing the boys?!?!?!  I was a little baffled since I already had Tall Grandma on the line to watch the boys the next morning… And I knew that Muscle Man would need to eat soon… Hmmmm… Not to get in his way, I got snacks ready and we set out..

I had Muscle Man take a very staged photo of me…

 Have I told you that we have a team for Rainier to Ruston?? Race info HERE:

50.8 miles with my 4 Bloggy buddies

Kerrie HERE, Zoe HERE, Tiffany HERE and I are the...

Honey Buckettes


***I had originally thought of Honey Bucket Inspectors, but Muscle Man came up with a more feminine name..

So I took this photo for the team theme.. I also emailed the kind people at Honey Buckets to see if they had any gear or signs we could use for the 50 mile relay… I did not expect a reply, to my surprise they responded.. How 'Stinkin' awesome is that? (hehehe)

>>>>Back to the run, we set out and the boys were FUSSY!! And by boys I mean all 3.  Poor Muscle Man had a cramp in his side and was SUPER HUNGRY (Did I call it or what?)  I knew there was no way we would get in a long run, but we could salvage a few miles..  We went out half way and then took the little trail to the river so the boys could toss in some sticks, the ice/snow storm in January had knocked down trees across the path.  I got a few scrapes in the effort but didn't realize until we got home. 

We turned back, 4 miles done… good news is we would have fresh legs for the long run take #2 the next day..

Sunday- 12 miles, 10:03 pace

Tall Grandma watched the boys (thanks Mom!!) so we opted to start from the Orting Park.  The trail was busy busy with people, bikers and runners.  It was a strange mix, almost like there were trainers with their clients.  We also saw 5 couples, which was very cool.  There was a group of 3 well-dressed women on bikes, one lady complimented my grey Sugoi jacket…they stopped to check out the area that looks like a Beaver created it, but there is no Beaver, we ran past.. As they sped by again they asked what we were training for… on their return trip they cheered us on, very nice!!

I wore a jacket like a dope, not needed in 55', so I took it off when I stopped to admire a large bullfrog in the marshy area next to the trail.  The goal was to run 11-12 miles, when we got around the turn MM picked 12!!  About the mid way point we saw a older-looking man on the street which parallels the trail, he was jogging, wearing a stocking cap, sweats and sweatshirt… he stopped, looked both ways then dropped and started doing pushups.. VERY STRANGE!

6.0 miles done, half way… MM had his Chocolate Gu, I had a couple chomps, we both drank from our handhelds, and off we went.  The return trip is a slight decent, which felt really good.  We saw some of the usual people, funny how you get to 'know' people if you run a path enough… Having a high metabolism is tough, my poor hubby was pretty depleted toward the end.  I mentioned that there was a McDonald's near the trail head…pretty sure he ran the last mile for FOOD.. Our final mile was the fastest of the run.. 

I am happy to report that I (we) have run over 100 miles for the month!!  Gotta love sticking (sort of) to a training plan!!  2 longs runs left before MM's first Half on May 20th!!

• CONGRATS to all of you who raced last weekend.. With Eugene, Big Sur and other races there was a lot going on.  I am PUMPED it is racing season!!!