Much Needed Rest Day

I needed a day off.  Fridays are a rest day for me, and I took full advantage of it this morning.  I woke up at 4 am with Jenn.  She wanted me to make sure she got up and ran with some of the girls from Nixa.  Once I was awake, it was really hard to go back to sleep, but I did.  Then, Micah came into my room at 6 saying his throat was hurting.  He was running a temp, so we got him some meds and back to bed. When Jenn got home, she was telling me about her run and how much she enjoyed it.  She really likes running with other people.  It was a nice relaxing morning; my body needed it. 

We have a busy weekend ahead of us.  I am running 8 on Saturday, and then on Sunday, I will be running two water stations and starting the marathon part of the Kicking 66 Mother Road Run.  It will be a lot of fun, but it will keep us busy. 

My friend Allyn is running the 50 miler, and he is raising money for Team Olivia.  Five members of Nixa Running ran a 50 miler in Tulsa this year to raise money for Team Olivia, and Allyn was one of them.  He decided he wanted to do it again.  All money raised will go towards the ADA.  We can help find a cure for diabetes.  Please consider donating!  Click Here.

I am really excited to help in another great race and a great cause this weekend.

But I Don't Have Time To Workout

I just ran my 100th mile for the month today.  Just for fun, I ran an extra mile to make it 101 miles!  Amy and I were talking about what I was doing a year ago and if I could've imagined that I would be running 100 miles in a month.  It is crazy how far I have come and how far I will keep going!

Something I hear a lot when I talk to people about working out and losing weight is, "I do not have enough time to workout."  I call BS!  I run with someone who has two teenage kids and two jobs and still makes it out at 4:45 am to run.  I have some online friends with 12 kids, and they wake up early and work together, so they can both get their run and still take care of their family and jobs. 

If these people can do it and all the other people who work out daily can do it, you can too.  It is not like we all have free time coming out our ears.  You have to make the time, you have to give something to get something.  You will have to get up early or turn off the TV.  Get up and do it.  Starting is one of the hardest parts, but once you are going, you feel so good!  I feel the best I ever have.  I have had to work for it and give up a lot of my Saturdays and TV, but I would do it again in a heart beat. 

I will be your biggest fan!  Let me know what you will do next week to get up and go.  Let me know how I can help you.  Emails, phone calls, meet and workout together! I am here!  You got this.  Let's go!

Way Too Happy At 4:45 AM

When I get into a routine of waking up early, it is no problem for me.  This morning at 4:45 AM when I was ringing Pat's cowbell at people, I realized that I might be way too happy in the morning.  I do not think most people are ready for that level of energy.  This is not the first time something like this has happened to me.  I used to work the 6 am shift at Melaleuca's call center.  Nick and I would be singing Newsies at 6 am while other people can barley keep their heads off their desks.  So needless to say, I was threatened with my life and should not ring the cowbell at 4:45 in the morning!  It's not my fault; I FEEL GREAT!!!

We had some people move in across the street this last weekend.  They have kids the same age as ours.  So after dinner, we let Micah go outside and run around with them, and then we took Paige out to play with their daughter.  They seem like a really nice couple, and we are happy our kids have friends that live close by.  The woman we met is also a stay-at-home mom, so we are hoping Jenn will have someone to visit with throughout the day.  The best part was that my kids went right to sleep last night!  We will let them go out and run around any day!

So on a different note, I am really bad about stretching. Shannon is going to yell at me for this, but I do not stretch.  I need to start stretching, because I have been really tight this week after my long run this weekend. Must start stretching.....

I need to stretch more!!

100 Miles

I added up my miles for this month, and after today, I am just 7 miles away from 100!!!  I will hit it on my 4 mile run on Thursday.  I am very excited and shocked that I have been able to do something like this.  I have come so far!

Last night on our Facebook group page, we were talking about what route we wanted to do for our 5 mile recovery run.  Tiffany suggested a route that I really enjoyed up to mile 2 and kept up with Karen.  That is when one of my worst stomach attacks hit. I had to walk and make an unexpected pit stop.  I always wanted to run that route again to see what I could do.  So I wanted to redeem myself, and there was some teasing about why.  FYI, bran flakes and milk are not the best thing to eat the night before a run.  Dairy and fiber...

We didn't pick that route, but it was up by where we ran last time, and I ended up running with Karen again today.  Wouldn't you know it, at mile 2 my stomach started really hurting again!  I had to stop and find another bathroom.  This is the second time it has happened to me.  So I am cursed running in that neighborhood and with Karen.  I teased her about it as well.  She said she had that effect on guys! 

Otherwise, it was a good 5 mile run.  I never really did loosen up.  My calves and thighs were tight but never really hurt.  I am trying to embrace the pain and not give into it.  I am also being smart about it and not getting injured.  My problem is that I give up too easily.  No pain, no gain. 

Wednesday is tempo day.  I am excited to see what I can do!

Gatorade Is Better

I had a really good weekend filled with running awesomeness.

On Saturday morning, I rocked my long run.  We ended up doing 13.1 miles.  The first 7 miles were nothing.  I didn't even look down at my watch once before then.  I just ran and talked with friends.  Then I made the mistake of looking at my watch, and then I started doing it almost every 5 minutes.  I think that makes the run a little longer for me.  It still was not that bad of a run.  It felt like a lot of the people around me were really struggling towards the end, but I really felt good the whole run.  I did it in 3 hours 9 minutes.  I know a sub 3 is very doable.

Then later that night, I rode with some good friends down to Joplin, and we ran a 5k down there.  I knew I wasn't going to do anything amazing or special considering I just ran a half marathon that morning, but I did do okay.  I did it in 38 minutes.  It had some mean hills and my legs were not fresh by any means.  At 2.6 miles, Allyn came back and got me and ran me in.  He really helped me up that hill that went on forever.  The rest of our group was at the end cheering us on and ran me in the rest of the way.  This is one of the many reason why I love the Nixa Running group.  The support everyone gets at all levels is amazing!  It was a fun 5k and road trip.  I didn't get home till after 10.  I ran 16.2 miles that day!

Then Stefanie, Mike and I decided we would wake up at 4am Sunday morning and play mobile water station for the people running long.  Gatorade is better!  Loved playing waterboy for our friends!  Some went 13.1 and others went 23.  We set up our first water stop at the 5 mile mark.  This was in downtown Springfield.  Springfield isn't very ghetto, but as far as the ghetto goes for Springfield, we were in it.  While we were setting up, about 10 cars pulled up across the street and 4-5 people got out of each car.  One guy started puking, and others were drinking.  It looked like the party was moving to a new location.  We were really nervous our runners would get there while the party was outside.  They all moved in pretty quick, because it was chilly. 

Tiffany, as she was running up to our van, thought I was a hooker.  So that was the highlight of the morning.  $5 love you long time! We were able to take care of everyone and get them hydrated and fed.  Some of the crazier people thought it would be a good idea to finish their run by running from Bass Pro to Nixa.  That is a crazy busy road with monster hills.  Great job everyone!  Lots of people ran distances they never thought they could!

Fun weekend!

Half Day of Work = Great Friday

My body really needed a rest day today.  I slept well.  I did wake up at 4 am, but I rolled over and went back to bed and didn't feel bad about it.  It is my rest day!  I have a big day ahead of me on Saturday.  I am supposed to run 12.5 miles with my Galloway group Saturday morning and then a 5k that night in Joplin, but I am thinking about dropping that down to 10 miles and doing the 5k.  I might do the 12.5 and then just take it easy at the 5k.  Still not sure, so I guess I will figure it out on Saturday.  Who would've thought I would be excited to run 15 miles on a Saturday...  Not me, but I am!

Today, I am working a half day, because it is Grandparents Day at my son's school, and my in-laws are coming into town.  So I am heading home at noon to meet them before they go to his school.  Love short work days on a Friday.  We are having Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner tonight. I have to remind myself to eat healthy and hydrate for my run in the morning.  I do not want to be looking for a bathroom every other mile.

New Shoes Part Deux

So I want to say "thank you" to everyone who talked to me about the shoes I bought.  They were not right for me, and I was more enchanted by the orange and blue than the overall smarts behind buying them.  Erin was right; they are a racing shoe and would've fell apart after a few hundred miles.  I need a shoe I can train in.  This is all still a training process for me.  Shannon sent me a good article to read about shoes.  I am a newbie.  I never knew that shoes could stress me out so much. 

So say hello to my Asics GEL-DS Trainer® 16! 

It is going to take a little to get used to. I pronate a little, and these shoes are going to help with that. They also do not have as much heal support as my last pair of shoes. I hope this will help me not heal strike as much. I did feel that today.  When I was getting tired, my form started getting sloppy, and I noticed it in my heals.  So my legs have some getting used to in these new shoes.  I also got a little blister on my heal.  

This morning was hills.  We ran Plainview.  I opened my door to leave this morning and saw the rain.  I almost turned around and went back to bed.  I am glad I didn't.  I jumped in my swagger wagon and met up with the crew at Plainview and ran.  My legs were so sore this morning.  It was a mix of the 100 kettle bell squats I did on Tuesday and the 4 miles I ran in those other shoes Wednesday.  It took a while to get loose.  I did run farther today before walking.  Those hills suck.  I made it almost to the turn around before walking, but that last hill is evil.  I had to walk a couple of other times on my way back.  I think some of it was mental.  I didn't have my hill partner with me and the other part was the blister on my heal.  

Friday is a rest day, and then I am running 12 on Saturday morning and then a 5k that night with Nixa in Joplin. I am crazy...  BUT I FEEL GREAT!