Blonde Mom Runs

Feels so Good!

2012-01-22T15:42:00.001-08:00

I got to go for a run yesterday, for the first time in almost three weeks. I got the tenative okay from the surgeon on Thursday, with a warning to take it easy and see how it goes. I went to ballet on Friday afternoon, figuring that would be a great test of how much my stomach muscles were ready for. It felt great! Except my feet-big ouchie there. They are always the first casuality when you stop dancing for a few weeks.

I was all jazzed to run on Saturday. The funny thing was, not running and laying around instead is a habit now. So weird! It took me until 4pm, (and after eating half a bag of candy orange slices) to get out the door. I was really sore from dance, (just muscles, not from surgery), so the run would either help or really hurt already sore muscles.

It felt great to wear my running gear. I had forgotten that my shoes are on the verge of dead and needing to be replaced. The wind was cold, and I was already having second thoughts. I have been dreaming of being able to run again, and I was not in the mood.

Then it felt great! Running, I love you! I've missed this! I'm flying! Until about mile 1.5, then ugh, why does this hurt? Why am I out of breath? Please tell me I didn't lose ALL my fitness in three weeks!

I finished the three miles. Since my Garmin had been set aside at forgotten the last few weeks, it wasn't charged. It was probably for the best that I ran without it anyways. I am so glad I was able to run pain free, but somewhat discouraged how hard 3 miles could feel.

The plan for this week is to run every other day, as long as I am still feeling good. I'm glad to not be running today since it is blowing some crazy snow out today. Honestly, tomorrow won't be much better, but I can hope.

3 Things Thursday

2012-01-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday! So this is me blogging on drugs. It could be entertaining, or just incoherent.

1. My surgery yesterday went well, and they were hopefully able to fix something. I don't know. The doctor told my husband what all the did, since I was still out with drugs. And him being him-he doesn't remember everything. I guess I will find out more at my post-op appointment in two weeks.

2. It feels so weird to just lay around in bed. I mean weird. It is hard to imagine doing this for the next two weeks. Right now it is easy because moving is seriously ouch. When it isn't so painful, I'm guessing I will need some reminders to take it easy.

3. Drugs are good. Sleep is good. I had a very random running dream, (that the drugs had something to do with). I've got to say, having wings on my shoes would be pretty cool. Of course, the outfit I was wearing looked kind of like an american gladiator outfit. That was definitely the drugs.

2011 Recap!

2012-01-03T08:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! This past year has alternately flown by, and seemed like forever. Isn't that always the case? So here's a brief recap:

Miles Run in 2011: 1442

Total Miles including swim and elliptical: 1511

Highest mileage month: December 159!

Lowest month: July 82

It was not a great race year, I struggled to find my speed after injury. I struggled with injury and illness, (shin again, knee and wisdom teeth removal). My only PR for the year was the Pear Blossom 10 miler, because I had not run that distance as a race before.

What am I proud of for this year? This fall and early winter, I built up my base and feel STRONG! I am injury free, and anything up to 9 miles feels easy most days.

September: 140

October: 148

November: 151

December: 159

I streaked all through the month of December, and have not taken a rest day since November 26th. I ran at least one mile each day. I expected to feel burnt out and tired, but I feel fantastic and wish I could keep going. Unfortunately, today is my last running day for a while. I am trying to look at my time off as a positive break, and I'm sure it will be. I just need to ban all things sugar from my house. My willpower with Christmas goodies=not so good.

Looking into 2012, I have no idea what is next. That is a first. I raced the Hangover Handicap on New Year's Day, (recap to come), but other race plans are on hold due to surgery tomorrow. It could be just 2 weeks off, it could be 6.

If my time off is short, I might due the Eugene Marathon. If not, Portland. After maintaining a strong base this fall without injury, I am ready to tackle my first full marathon. (eek, it's out there now!)

Other goals: Sub-2 half, 10 mile PR, more strength training-and sticking to it!

I'm off to run a few, and enjoy my last run for a while!

Hello Blog, Long time no See!

2011-12-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

I am sitting on my bed, looking at a large pile of laundry and thinking of all the things I should be getting done this morning. And I am not in the mood to do any of it, so I think I'll FINALLY write a post.

We have had a lovely fall, with very little snow so far. That is unusual, and it the general opinion seems to be: if it starts late, beware! I am thinking there will be lots of snow soon enough. I have been running as much as I can, getting in the mileage before the weather turns, and before I am forced to take at least a few weeks off, (more on that later).

Monthly totals the last few months:

August: 133

September: 140

October: 143

November: 151

I have been so pleased that I've been able to up my mileage and hold a good 35-40 mile per week average WITHOUT INJURY!!! Huge accomplishment! My 151 miles in November was the highest mileage I have hit that I know of. I am over 1300 miles for 2011. This makes me happy.

This month will probably be a little less, but we will see. I have been feeling strong and great on most of my 7-9 mile runs. My goal is to be able to run 13-14 miles any day and feel as strong. A few weeks ago I ran 12, and I was hurting my the end.

Goals for 2012

Get back to speed work! My speed has been seriously lacking, and I have been hesitant because of injury
A sub-2 half. I have been so close a few times, but keep falling short. Thus the speed work!
Hopefully, a marathon-most likely Portland

That's all I've got at the moment. I am sure that list will grow.

January will be a low mileage, (if any) month for me. I am trying not to dread it. At least it won't be for injury for once! I am having surgery on January 4th. I was hoping to get it over with in December, but no such luck. The surgery will be laparoscopic, so the recovery should only be 2-3 weeks or so, but it depends somewhat on how things go.

(sorry if it's TMI) I had massive complications after baby #3, and spent two quality weeks in ICU. I do not recommend this. Things have never quite been right since, so they are going in trying to figure out why, hopefully fix what they find, and to deal with a few cysts. Fun, huh? Hopefully it will be a simple fix, but we shall see. (if anyone wants the long version, let me know)

It is weird to think of taking weeks off without even being able to cross train. They say it's good to give your body a break once in a while, so maybe I will come back rested and ready to train hard. In the snow that is sure to have arrived by then.

Tale of the Worst 5K Ever

2011-10-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I would have to check, but I am pretty sure it is my slowest 5k EVER. Not how I expected the race to go. Oh, and forgive typos and errors, my backspace button is broken. How inconvenient is that?!?!

Backing up a bit, this was the Running Y 5K for the humane society. I haven't run a 5k in forever, and i really haven't done speed work in forever, so I had pretty mediocre aspirations for this race. I even joked than anything under 30 minutes was fine with me.

Oh, backing up a little more, I have chronic migraines/headaches. My doctor put me on a new medication hoping to help with his problem. One possible risk, it could slightly lower my (already low) blood pressure. I could just see how it goes.

Race morning: chaos in sues. Kid 1: pick up from birthday party, deliver to soccer. Kid 3: deliver to birthday party. Kid 2: whining that she did not get to do the things kid 1 or 3 did. Add a fight over clothes since we were having our first fall weather, and it was a doozy of a morning.

I got to the race on time, and warmed up a little with A. I was actually wearing a matching outfit, (unusual for me), but due to previous chaos, I don't have a picture. Need to work on that.

We start. Whoa, not used to running with dogs. Right, humane society. hadn't thought of that. OKay, deal with the dogs. Mile 1: 8:38 all uphill, difficult, but doable knowing I had a few downhills. The course looped the golf course more or less, and was surprisingly hilly.

Then things got interesting. Around mile 1.3 I start to feel funny. then I start to see black spots. that can't be good. I slow down a bit, and actually walk through a water stop (in a 5k!). I start up again. Oh, hello black and colored spots now! Dancing! And my hands are numb. Huh. And my feet. That can't be good. seriously, what's with the spots? I slow more. take a quick walk break. It gets a little better. I speed up, hello spots. Dang it. I am leapfrogging a few ladies and feeling ridiculous, like I need to explain that I am a real runner! I can run a 5k! But holy crap can someone take the dang spots away?

The finish. Uphill. a very big uphill. I have been working very hard on hills, but this one defeats my already shredded ego and body. I just want to be done. The course is not well marked, and weird. We finish by cutting across a basketball court then through the parking lot. Finish time, 31:23. Over 30 minutes. for a 5k.

Now let me say, I know a lot of people that run 5k's slower than 30 minutes all the time and that is fantastic. For me, I was bummed knowing I can do better.

A asked if I was okay, which was a big no. I swear birdies were flying over my head. I drank my nuun I had packed, thankfully, and that seemed to help some. It was like I had massive low blood sugar, but that didn't make sense. or low blood pressure. Oh! The light dawned. That would explain the spots and the tingles and why I didn't feel like I could stand up anymore.

I felt odd and weak the rest of the day, and laid pretty low. Sunday morning I still felt so low energy and weird. Walking downstairs felt way harder than it should. We stopped at Fred Meyer's on the way home to get gas, and I went inside to use the blood pressure machine out of curiosity. BP 79/58. Whoa. I have low blood pressure typically 100/80ish, but dang! I've never seen it that low. /that explains a lot.

needless to say, I am NOT taking the medication anymore, and when I see my doctor on thursday, we will come up with a plan b that does not involve me seeing spots, thank you very much.

What I think when it's Dark

2011-09-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

I got up at 4:10am to run this morning. It was very very early, and very very dark. My mind was playing funny tricks on me this morning, so I started composing a list in my head. So here we go, (fair warning-very random)

Wearing a headlamp helps a lot. Except it ruins your night vision, so everything outside the beam looks a little freaky.
Headlamp+sweaty forehead=zits. Lame.
I wonder what I look like to cars before they realize I'm a runner?
Why are cars out at 4:30am on a Saturday?
What must they think of ME running in the dark at 4:30am on a Saturday?
Crap! Almost stepped on roadkill. I don't even know what animal it was. Ew!
I think it was a raccoon. Maybe. Why am I still thinking about the dead thing?
Eek! Eyes everywhere! Where did they go? There they are, wth?
Oh, cats. Okay. That's not so bad. A herd of cats? There must be six or seven. Creepy eyes. Quit looking at me!
Oh hello deer family eating breakfast. Um, why is the buck running next to me? Seriously, two blocks? I have a new running partner! Oh, back to his family he goes. That was so weird.

A lot can happen between 4:30-6am when your mind is working overdrive. 9.38 miles done before 6am. The amazing part? It's 2pm and I'm still awake.

Tears and Trails

2011-09-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Whew, what a week. I mean whoa. School started for the kids on Tuesday/Wednesday. Yay! I felt a little bad that all the other parents were crying dropping of their kids, and I just felt like doing a happy dance. I'm free!

Okay, that sounds bad, I know. I love my kids. I love being home with my kids. I am blessed to have the opportunity. But I have been home for 8 years, and I am ready for some "me" time. In the daylight. That's right, no more running at 4:30am for me!

What did I do on Wednesday when all three kids were in school? I went for a run. And I just kept going, until I realized I didn't have THAT much time, and I'd better head home. 9.3 miles later. In the daylight. It was great!

The adjustment to school itself this week has had it's rough moments. Oh boy. The 2nd grader is great and is the best brown-nose there is. I'm somewhat proud, somewhat embarrassed about that one. The kindergartner-that's been a little rough. She was SO excited. The first day was FANTASTIC. Day two, not so much. The bus? Um yeah, fail. I got called to come pick her up yesterday because she was terrified of the bus. What? This is my tough kid. The one that nothing phases. The one with my guts than sense. Of course, she is also the kid who still needs a nap. That could have something to do with it. JJ is in preschool for half day, and is loving it. I think. I did have to pry her off my arm this morning. So I wouldn't be late for a running date. Priorities you know.

Trail Running

Trail running is HARD. The hills are brutal.
The view at the top is awesome. I mean incredible. Most of the way the view is fantastic. I am just not coordinated enough to take my eyes off my feet for long!
Hearing animals in the woods is a little freaky. We heard something big that was definitely not a deer. Probably a cougar. Oh boy.
Trail running makes you dirty. Really dirty. And there are a lot of bugs/
spider webs/etc
My skin does not enjoy the weeds we run through. I've broken out in a rash each time, but Benedryl takes care of it.
Benedryl makes me sleepy.
6 miles on hilly trails feels like 10.
I'm afraid to take my nail polish off. I think I have my first black toenail. Again, half proud, half dreading.

Weekend Rewind

2011-08-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

How is it that time goes so slow and so fast all at once? I blinked, and the weekend was gone. Wait, it's Tuesday? Crap.

So here's how it went down:

Thursday/Friday my ankle was making noise so no running. I made a pathetic effort at core work and push ups to make up for it. Yeah, pathetic.
Saturday I was going to run first thing. First thing turned into 10am. It was hot, and I didn't bring my handheld. I am a GENIUS! I knew I was in trouble when I stopped sweating over a mile from home. Finished with 6 miles, but had a killer headache the rest of the day.
Sunday I got up early to get in some miles before church. Squeezed in 7 miles, and still had time to shower and get to church on time. Go me.

This week already has me as a messed up ball of stress. It is not pretty. One minute I'm okay, the next I'm screaming at the kids for leaving a toy in my living room that I JUST CLEANED! What is going on that is so stressful?

We were waiting for word on hubby's job-a sort of promotion into a permanent slot leading up to the official promotion in November. Chief What's-his-name already told him the job was his, we were just waiting for the official announcement. And....it went to the other guy. Wait, WTH? The guy with the lower rank, less time in service, and less qualifications? Huh?

How is this running related? Well, I had intended to get up early as usual for a run Monday morning. I had (another) bad headache, so it just didn't happen. I figured I would go later, or just rest or whatever. Until this news came at lunch time. I was already having a DAY with the kids, and this just sent me over the edge. It was either cry, scream, or eat the frosting in my fridge. I needed a run! So, I called my friend A and begged her to keep my kids for an hour. Like a good friend, she knew I was on the edge in a big way, and I was able to drop off the three crazies and run for my life. 5 painful miles in the mid day heat. It was great. Hilly, hard, and completely consuming and distracting from everything else. And suddenly, I could be mom without screaming at them for everything. Mostly. (seriously, school needs to start NOW)

The next stressful event on the agenda? My mother-in-law is coming to visit tomorrow. And staying with us, for the first time in 8 years. They always stay in hotels. Oh boy. Let the cleaning frenzy begin. My MIL likes to stay busy, but there is little to do around here since it is peak bug season. We'll see how it goes.

In other news, my shoes are already about dead. Sheesh. I just got them in May, but I am over 400 miles in them and my feet are starting to hurt after runs. I run in the Asics Nimbus, but would like to switch into a lighter shoe I think. I just hate ordering something that MIGHT work, when I know the Nimbus works fine and I won't have to deal with any returns. There isn't a running store around here within 200 miles to go try anything on. Suggestions? I am tempted by the Newtons Distance, and the New Balance Minimas, but wonder if I still need a more heavy duty shoe for longer runs?

An Eventful Run

2011-08-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

Remember how I am running at 4:30am? And that it's very dark? I was going to get out my headlamp, right? But I forgot Wednesday morning. It was early, and I didn't want to go digging through the garage since I don't know exactly where my headlamp is. I have been running every day in the dark, what's one more?

Event #1

Running along with my ipod on very low, listening to my feet and crickets. Out jumps a big 6 point buck 4 feet in front of me. My heart went in my throat. Scary! He meandered away, not at all concerned about the gasping human.

Event #2

I run in bright reflective clothing, even though I didn't have a light. Neon pink running skirt, white reflective top. Typically there is not much traffic to worry about. About a mile into my run I was going down a quiet, narrow street, the speed limit is 25mph. A truck comes roaring up the hill going at least 40. I move over, he does not. I end up jumping in the bushes on the shoulder. Awesome.

Event #3

On the way home now, running up the big long hill. It is feeling easier (finally!). It is still really dark. Normally the sky is lightening by now, the days must be getting shorter. Bummer. Crossing the street, running along. I step in a big hole, and roll my ankle. Ugh, really? Thankfully I have gumby ankles. I roll them all the time, and have sprained that right ankle so many times I don't think it is possible to sprain it. I am hurting for a few blocks, and after that it isn't so bad. And now I'm needing to speed up so I'm not late getting home.

Walk in the door at 5:47 (hubby likes to leave by 5:45). Garmin is at 5.44. Normally I like to do sprints or short hill repeats in front of my house to land on even mileage. My ankle is making some noise-I'll call it good.

Not the most successful run ever, but I got it done. We went about our normal day. I laid around for a good part of the afternoon, because I was GRUMPY and the kids were driving me CRAZY. A new book was a good thing to hide in. When I finally got up and around in the evening. my ankle was a little sore. Huh. Unusual. I set my alarm like normal.

Get up at 4:22, walk to the bathroom to get dressed. Ouch. Really? Still complaining, ankle? Not cool. One day of rest won't hurt. And my bed did feel pretty good.

Friday morning, set the alarm for 5 planning on just doing 2-3 miles to see how it goes. It hurts to point my toes. Seriously? I am feeling like I have the absolute worst luck with injuries and sickness lately. So frustrating! And with a complaining ankle, there isn't a lot of other things I can do for exercise. Can't dance, can't do yoga, can't do any of my videos, had to do push-ups and planks on my knees. Two days off, including not great eating, not great for weight loss.

I am down two pounds. Well, I was on Wednesday. Yesterday there was cake. And pizza. Sigh.

Running is...

2011-08-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

Running is hard. Sometimes. Other times, it is euphoric and wonderful. We need those runs to keep us going on the craptastic days that happen to all of us. (please say they happen to all of us!)Running when it is early and you are tired is hard. Running when you can see the stars and there are no cars is beautiful. Running and feeling those extra pounds jiggle is frustrating. Running and seeing the muscles in your legs is empowering.

Life gets in the way of running. So does laziness. Yesterday was a combination. I planned to get up early, but I was just too tired. I needed rest. I planned to run when I woke up. But then there were things that needed to get done. I'll run in the afternoon. We decided it was the day to take the training wheels off my 5 year olds bike and ride. I ran along side her, but that doesn't really count. Would I have wanted to miss that moment? Not a chance. And of course we had to get ice cream after. Now I definitely need a run. And then my son lost a tooth. His sister kicked it out, (thankfully a baby tooth that WAS loose). You can imagine how well that went over. Suddenly my day was over, and my chance to run had been missed. Life happens, especially with kids.

So I was up bright and early. Okay, very dark and early out the door by 4:30am. My legs felt tired even with the rest day. I started on my way, enjoying the stars and a cool morning. I love that about living here. It is August, and it was 47 degrees this morning. by mile 1, I was starting to enjoy my run. By mile 2, my stomach was telling me in no uncertain terms that it was unhappy and I needed a pit stop. Um yeah, nothing is open at 4:30am. I detoured to home. I was just shy of 3 miles, and didn't want to end there. I headed back out and did another small loop to end just past 5 miles.

Then my day started. All three kids to the dentist by 8am (never again will I make an 8am apt). The kids are up by 7am, but getting them dressed, fed, and out the door in a timely matter is frustrating to say the least. And why, WHY does someone ALWAYS lose their shoes when it is time to go? Directly after the dentist, we had a preschool interview for JJ. Whoa, they really meant interview. Colors, shapes, count to 20, find the letters in your name from random order, etc. It was a little stressful!

Good news! She passed! And now I give myself a mommy pat on the back for teaching her enough to pass. Whew!

I need to do my second workout this afternoon, but I'll admit, I am seriously considering a nap.

Summer Running, Silly Kids

2011-08-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Summer weather is here! Which is great! And happy! And wonderful! And it is finally HOT! So what does this mean for my running? Running at 4pm is no longer much of an option. Too hot, and way too buggy.

This is a midge. Around here, they are more bright green than this

photo, but they are EVERYWHERE. The good news is, they eat the mosquitoes, and they don't bite. However, they hang out in big clouds of buggy nastiness, making in very hard to run without ingesting more of them than I care to think about.

Combine hot weather with the eating of many green bugs, and suddenly getting up before 4:30am to run doesn't sound THAT bad. Until about three days in, then I am starting to consider fighting off the bugs.

Running in the early morning is a different experience all together. Some interesting things I have seen this week:

Bats-lots of bats that like to hang under and overpass I run under for pretty much all my routes. I've only been dive bombed once, which was kind of freaky, other than that they aren't so bad.
Deer-a lot of deer that are not all that worried about one solitary runner in the early morning. That means, I get to stop and wait for the deer to meander out of my way.
Even though it's the middle of summer, it is DARK at 4:30. For some reason I have resisted using my headlamp, because Hello! It's summer! This lasted until I almost biffed it big time tripping on a crack I did not see. It would have been a stupendous fall.
Hills seem harder in the dark. I realize this is all in my head, but dang, the hills are beating me up! and no matter where I run, I am looking at a climb of at least 1 mile straight up to get home. I know they will make me a stronger runner, and I'm thankful for that, but right now I just feel out of shape and annoyed.

I will leave this post with a couple of quotes from my kids

(at walmart grocery shopping) K: "Mom! You should get this! It says it will help you los

e some pounds! See, it says right here, lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks! You should get it and lose some pounds" Gee, thanks. The lady shopping next to us tried to hold in her laughter, and just couldn't. I agree. It was pretty stinking funny.

A, to her brother and sister: "You need to treat me like royalty! Don't you know that? You need to treat me like royalty, and this is most certainly not the way you treat royalty!"

A: "Mom, if girls have to wear shirts when it's hot, so should boys. Because that's not fair. And besides, no body wants to see THAT!"

And a picture of JJ who was clearly hot at bedtime. She looks like she was shot and fell that way. Play hard, crash hard. And yeah, she is clearly getting too big for her toddler bed.

Please Work, Blogger!~

2011-07-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

Blogger has NOT been cooperating with me lately. Has anyone else had this problem? I have had 4 posts not go through, and not save. Not cool. Who has time to write the same thing over again???

So quick recap-I had a bad case of bronchitis after Seattle RNR. Not good at all. It equaled almost 2 weeks off of running, since every time I tried I sounded like an 80 year old with emphysema. I am finally better, and managed to log 25 miles last week. Sad to say, that was a lot comparatively.

My dad and my (half) sister came and visited this

weekend. Very fun, very crazy. Throw in an Air Show, (which meant work for hub

by), and the whole weekend was crazy. We took a trip up to Crater Lake yesterday, a first for my hubby and kids. I had forgotten how incredible it is up there! They had a record amount of snow this year, (over 12 feet), and there was still a lot in places. Like where we planned our picnic. Fail. So we tailgated our picnic lunch.

The Crater Lake Rim Run is in a few weeks, (half marathon, marathon, or 6.7 miles). I did not make the cut off to sign up, and honestly, I'm kind of glad! Seeing the hills and feeling the altitude was intimidating just on the short hike we took. I know I could not have run the half. This year. Next year, oh yeah, I am so in!

I need a race on my calender. I've got nothing! So that is this weeks goal. Find a race that I can afford-that is the tricky part. And make a training plan to get serious. My weight is slightly up, my speed is way down, and my overall conditioning is sad. I've got some work to do!

(Thanks Kerrie, for telling me how to fix blogger!)

I'm Confused

2011-06-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

Am I injured? Or not?

On Sunday my knee really hurt. Monday morning, I was feeling pretty good. I wasn't sore anymore, and I could straighten my knee without pain. Great. I dance on Monday, and felt just fine. Tuesday, more rest-mostly because of the awful cold I came down with on Saturday night.

Today I met my friend Lisa for an easy run. I told her I would give it a try if I was pain free. We did 4.5 miles at a nice easy pace. She is a little slower, and I was coughing enough where it felt good to go slow. My knee? Felt totally fine. I had a tiny little twinge around mile 3, and then nothing. No pain afterwards, no swelling. Nothing.

What the? I'm confused. On Saturday I wanted to saw off my own leg it hurt so freaking bad. I mean bad! It was swollen and angry on Saturday night and Sunday morning. And now it's, good? I'm not sure what to think, other than I seriously need some better Race Mojo.

My body is messing with me.

Hopefully I will have time to finish my Seattle recap soon. Right now, my kids are driving me CRAZY. My hubby gets here tomorrow night, so I will have backup with the kids-just in time for the insanity that is all of us being in a wedding. Awesome.

Seattle RNR Quick Update

2011-06-27T11:22:00.001-07:00

What a great weekend! The expo was a lot of fun, the Bloggy dinner was a fantastic party, and the race was pretty great too.

Okay, the race did not go as I had hoped-but I finished, and got a pretty medal for my effort. I will take it! My time was 2:15ish. I am not on my computer, so I can't load my official Garmin time, and I dont' have the patience for the RNR website. I'll do that later.

My knee was unhappy with my from about mile 7 on, making it a battle of wills to the finish. The will to keep going, but at the same time not to push too hard through the pain and hurt myself more. Success on both accounts! I finished in a ok time, and my knee is already feeling better. I haven't run, but I am feeling better than Saturday and Sunday for sure!

Most importantly, I am done beating myself up over having a few bad races. I have been plagued by injuries all spring, and I have not trained well. Or really, at all. I have gotten mileage in, but in quantity, not quality. No speed work, no tempo work.

So next goal? Get healthy! And then work hard to train better. I will write a full race report with pictures later.

You have Got to be Kidding Me!

2011-06-20T08:37:00.001-07:00

First of all, I hope everyone had a fantastic Father's Day spent with family. Our day was great. I woke up early to run, but had a killer headache. Ow. So, I went back to sleep. It didn't take too much convincing to not get up at 5am on a Sunday.

I got up and made my hubby french toast. Yummy. (after that I felt a little bad about missing my run) We headed to church, and did a barbecue afterwards. After nap time we dropped the kids off with some friends, and we went for a hike.

The big hill/hike around here is called Hogsback. You can go straight up the face and along the ridge line, or go around the side where it is slightly less steep. I hadn't done the easier route before, but knew it was a better choice for hubby.

It was a gorgeous day! Warm and windy, but the wind felt good while we were climbing. We saw a lot of wildlife: deer, 4 snakes (almost stepped on one), 3 lizards, 2 rock chucks, and various birds. The wildflowers were amazing, and I was enjoying our date. So much more fun than a movie! Hubby had to rest a few times, the hike is steep.

The top was awesome, and a huge accomplishment for him! Almost 3000ft vertical climbing in 2 miles. Yeah, and that's the easy route. I was feeling fantastic the whole time, so much that sometimes I forgot to wait for him. Oops.

We started down, just enjoying everything about the day. We were 3/4 of the way down, and I had to stop. Ouch! My knee! I hadn't fallen, or done anything to it, but suddenly it felt off. Like something had shifted? I don't know, just off. We stopped for a moment, and I stretched it out. I wiggled it this way and that until I felt like it was fine. We kept going, and it felt pretty normal. We ran the last few flat spots and raced to the car. Hubby cracked me up, he said "I gave up being competitive when I married YOU, knowing I would never win at anything again." I felt proud and sheepish all at once.

We headed home, and fed dinner to the family that was willing to take our three monkeys for the afternoon. I went to bed, happily exhausted, but with my knee feeling a little funny when I straightened it. I didn't think much of it.

I woke up this morning, and my knee hurts. It hurts to straighten it, it hurts to walk without a limb. Oh no, oh no. This cannot be happening! I did not just work my way back from a shin injury to hurt my KNEE less than a week before Seattle RNR! No no no no.

I have no idea what is going on with it. I was supposed to have a dance class this morning that I canceled, and I have a running date with a new running buddy tonight at 7pm. I will be canceling that too, although I really don't want to!

For now, I am icing like a crazy woman, and praying that whatever is tweaked in there, rights itself quickly. I am supposed to drive to Washington tomorrow morning! Sigh. Sometimes I think my body doesn't want me to be a runner. Isn't that silly?

7 Morning Miles

2011-06-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I knew I was not going to have time to fit in my run. The afternoon was busy, and warm. I not acclimatized to running when it is hot yet! Monday afternoon A and I ran our loop downtown and ran some errands, (literally). Run to the bank, the store, etc. We came home the trail and it was HOT. We finished with 8 miles instead of the 5-6 we had planned. which reminds me, how much do you taper before a half?

Tuesday we went shopping all day. I planned to run after we were home, but FAIL. My feet were tired. It didn't happen.

Yesterday I knew I had a fondue party in the evening to go to. Mmmm cheese and chocolate and all the goodies to dip in it. What's not to like? I wanted to get up early to run to make sure I was burning off some of the calories I planned to eat.

My alarm when off at 4:25. Wow, that is early. I had had a hard time falling asleep, so I only slept about 5 hours. Not ideal, but I got up anyways. I checked the temp outside-whoa only 35 degrees! I put on my fleece shirt and gloves.

With my hubby's work schedule, I have become an evening runner more often than not. This morning run felt like a special treat. The sky was just starting to lighten, and it was so incredibly quiet. I was wearing my ipod, but never did turn it on as I was enjoying the sounds of the birds, crickets and frogs.

About a mile in, I saw a herd of deer crossing the road. I kept going thinking they would move. They just looked at me like, "what? you want US to move?". It made me laugh. The deer around here are not all that scared of people. Maybe I should be worried.

They repaved the trail around here, which we were all excited about. New pavement to run on! But, they did a crappy job. I mean seriously. It is already cracked with dirt showing through, and it is not at all even. I ran downhill on it, and it did not feel great on the inside of my calf muscle. You know? that funny muscle that is impossible to stretch? Yeah, still hurts. Stupid trail.

I looped through downtown and enjoyed how quiet it is at 5am. No cars, no waiting at the lights, just being able to run and enjoy it. After downtown, all uphill to home. Very uphill. I love where our new house is, but being on top of a hill has it's downsides. Mostly that no matter which direction I run, there is a big uphill for at least a mile to home. It will make the hills in Seattle seem easy!

I got home at was at 6.42 for mileage. I hate ending mid-mile, especially with Dailymile. They either round up or down, either way it feels like being robbed. I checked inside, hubby was still in the shower. He obviously wasn't waiting for me, so I ran out and finished the half mile to end at an even 7.

There is something so awesome about being able to run 7 miles before 6am, when the rest of the world is still asleep. I should get up early more often.

The slight downside-it's 6am, and I can't shower or it will wake up the kids, or make any coffee. A pop tart was the only easy (quiet) thing I could find to eat. Going to have to work on that!

Let Summer Begin!

2011-06-11T13:37:00.001-07:00

Schools out for Summer! Ballet recital is DONE! Yay! I am so happy that I will not need to put my poor sore feet into pointe shoes for a good long while. This week was exhausting and I celebrated the end of it by sleeping in this morning. Sleeping in with three kids means interruptions, but going back to sleep after they are set with breakfast and cartoons. I'll take it!

I am thrilled school is out, but it was a little distressing that my two oldest were fighting in the first 45 minutes of him being out of school. About geometry. How many 7 and 5 year old argue about geometry?
K "Two triangles make a rhombus."
A "Two triangles do NOT make a rhombus, they make a square. Or a diamond. Are you sure you are in second grade now? Shouldn't you know this stuff?" (my 5 year old is such a smarty pants) Me telling them that they were technically both right did not go over well. I hope this doesn't set the tone for the whole summer!

This afternoon I have 12 miles with A planned. It will be my longest run since my injury, and my last long run before Seattle. Normally I really enjoy long runs, but this one I'm a little nervous about. My legs are tired I know, and my toes are not loving me either. We will see how it goes.

Normally before a half, I like running a long run of at least 14 miles, knowing I won't have to go that far on race day. This year, obviously I'm of out time. I know I can finish 13.1-I've done it many times. Seeing my goal time and corral start made me a little sad, knowing that my "a" goal of 1:50 is not even a slight possibility.

So what are my goals for Seattle? Finish, obviously. As for time? I don't really know. I have done no speed work, few long runs, and my running schedule is a mess. So should I just run and enjoy it, or try and race and hope I don't bonk? The lack of altitude will work in my favor, but I don't know how much.

We'll see how 12 goes this afternoon!

Lake of the Woods Race Recap (finally)

2011-06-09T13:31:00.000-07:00

First of all, Friday I got a brutal migraine. Not cool. Unfortunately said migraine usually arrives around that time of the month. Awesome timing, huh? I took my meds, tried to eat anyways, and hoped for the best for Saturday morning. I told my hubby if I woke up with a migraine, I would just bail on the race. (the advantage of it only having a $15 entrance fee)

Saturday morning I woke up with a medicine hangover, but very little headache. I was still a little on the fence about racing-which is unusual. The kids got up ridiculously early for a Saturday, so that sealed the deal. May as well drive to the race!

The race was only about 45 minutes away, and we got there in plenty of time to get parking and pick up my stuff. Pretty low-key start, which was great. They did a kids dash around 9am, and started the 5k and 15k together at 9:30. I lined up at the front not because I wanted to go out fast, but because I didn't want to dodge people, strollers, and dogs. Yeah, people did this race with their dogs. (only 5k)

You know sometimes you start out in a race, and you can tell in the first mile it just isn't your day? It was like that. I didn't feel bad, but I didn't feel good either. My legs felt heavy at the very beginning. Not encouraging! My friend Amber and I pre-race. She won first place female, 5th overall!

The first 2 miles are uphill. Not super steep, but a steady climb. After that starts the rolling hills. Lots and lots of them. The course loops the whole lake, but you can only see the lake from certain points.

"Make sure you keep the kids out of the water-I didn't bring extra clothes" (yeah, I wasted my breath-they were soaked)

I decided to try the Galloway run/walk knowing I was going to have trouble racing the distance. Since I have not practiced doing this, it didn't go all that smoothly. First, I would forget to stop at regular intervals. Then, my walks were poorly timed with the water stops, so I would have to walk again. The water stops were off the road, so you really did have to walk through them. (the road was not closed to traffic). When I would start running again, I think I would take off too fast, wanting to make up the time, and it was driving me crazy having people leapfrog me. I looked down and was running a 7:42 shortly after a walk break. I am NOT in shape to maintain that!

We looped around the back side of the lake around mile 5, and then it got ugly. More rolling hills, but more uphills than down. The downhills were short, but steep. I was trying to take it easy on the downhills to save my shin, but that meant I trashed my quads instead. Crap. I slowed down.

Lake of the woods is about 6000ft in elevation, so pretty high up, and cold. It was about 40 degrees at the start. Running around the back side of the lake, we were having to run in the tire tracks that were mostly clear of snow. Otherwise there was between 2-3 feet of snow on the road. Nice, huh? Some June weather!

So add snow to that back loop with punishing hills, and I was suddenly really wishing I had run the 5k. I felt like I was getting a blister on the ball of my left foot. It was on fire! Not a good feeling.

We come down off the back side, and have to run along the highway for about 1 1/2 miles. As soon as we turned that corner, the wind was blowing hard in your face. Awesome. That mile and a half felt like forever, but I did not want to walk on the highway with all that traffic.

Turn off the highway, last 1.4 miles or so. It felt so much longer! Gradual uphill, but it felt horrible. I was glad to not be the only one walking on this stretch. Finally, the last turn to the finish. It was blessedly downhill! Which hurt an amazing amount considering. I did chick two guys on the last half mile, that made me feel better after being passed by several people the last two miles of the race.

Final stats: 15k 9.24 miles

Time: 1:32 11

Pace: 9:57 So glad to be done!

Elevation: 2509 Ascent, 2451 Descent

Next year, I am going to be prepared to RACE this and kill my time. This year, not so pretty, but glad I did it anyways.

When Hobbies Intrude on My Run

2011-06-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

This week's schedule is a little insane. It is the last week of school for Monkey-boy, and hey, for kicks, let's throw in 3 field trips this week. Awesome. That adds some running around and some weird pick-up times to my week. Okay, no big deal.

But wait, there's more! (Don't you just LOVE infomercials?) This week is also the big ballet recital. Which means rehearsal EVERY DAY, and shows on Friday and Saturday. So, with rehearsals eating up all my afternoons, when will I fit in my run?

I am starting to feel somewhat time crunched with Seattle looming a few weeks away, and knowing I am not in top shape. Okay, not even close. The 15k this last weekend KICKED MY BUTT! I blame insane hills. (a separate race report on that coming) This post is partially to explain the delay in the race report. :)

Brainstorm! I can run to class. Sure, I will get there all sweaty-but hey! I leave all sweaty anyways. It is about 5 miles to the studio from my house if I take the trail, (slightly longer route). I think I can get home in 3 miles. Or, if my legs are dead-tired, I can call for a ride.

So I have a small hydration backpack, with the hydration pack out of it for space. I wadded up my necessary dance clothes, shoes, and baby wipes. (thanks Kerrie-I almost forgot wipes!) Of course today is the FIRST day we have had that is hot and sunny. And by hot, I mean we might reach 70. Not hot by most standards, but the warmest it has been here, and I'm not used to it. It will be worth it to get the miles in. I hope.

I'll let you know how it goes! And the Lake of the Woods Race Report will get done as soon as I can manage it. Maybe my kids will take amazing naps today? Maybe?

Happy National Day of Running!

2011-06-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

Happy first day of June, and National Day of Running! However, around here it looks more like March. I came out of the studio today and had to use my scrapper to get half an inch of hail and ice off my windshield. I kid you not. I NEED SUN! Hopefully soon.

The good news is, I have been running! Not a lot, and I'm trying to be good about not going on consecutive days. Mostly. Some days you just need a run! The official Doctors word was, run if it doesn't hurt. Duh Dr. Waste My Money. I have been been (semi)diligently strength training and cross training, as well as running a few here and there.

May Stats: 44 miles Running, 116 miles total counting Elliptical and Swimming.

This weekend is the Lake of the Woods 15k. My original plan was to just not go. Then I was going to go cheer on A. Now I am running a bit, so I thought, I'll just do the 5k. Then I looked at how many weeks I have to build up mileage before Seattle. Crap. Not much. Um, suddenly doing 10 miles is sounding like a good plan after all. Maybe?

It is discouraging how hard running feels, and how out of shape I feel after 5 weeks off. I mean wow. I have discovered that running a little faster makes it easier for me to maintain better form, IE not drop my hips. The bad news, I can't hold that faster pace for very long. It goes to show that cross training is not the same!

My friend A is a bad influence. Okay, mostly I'm just bad at saying I've had enough. We always leave planning around 5 miles, which turns in to 7 or 8. The good news is, I ran 8.5 on Saturday with no pain! Weird thing? 5 miles yesterday caused some discomfort. I think it was the hills, and the fact I was going as fast as possible due to the hail and rain pelting me. Ouch!

So back to Lake of the Woods. My plan. I am going to do the 15k as long as I am pain free on race day. And I'm not going to race it. No seriously, I'm just going to relax and do what I can do. Easy enough, right? At least I'll get the mileage in and get to enjoy a lovely run around a lake (at nearly 6000ft). Uh huh. Totally easy.

Injury Update

2011-05-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

Injuries of any kind are frustrating. The questions are many-Why? How? What now? Am I better yet? The answers are few-?

Some days my leg feels almost normal. Other days, it hurts with no activity at all. Some days I can do the elliptical without any pain, others even lap swimming hurts. WTH?

I went to a sports doctor last week hoping for answers. Just like last year, the x-ray was clear. No stress fracture. That's good news right? Except it doesn't match up with the pain. The doctor took another side view x-ray and noticed that there is a thickening of my shin bone that shows it is under stress. What he doesn't know is WHY. So, I am on a prescription anti-inflammatory daily that may or may not be helping. And, tomorrow I get to have a bone scan.

So tomorrow morning at 8am, I get injected with radioactive dye. Crazy, huh? Then we wait a few hours for it to circulate all through my body, and I go back to get the bone scan. I guess with the dye it should (hopefully) show the contrast of what's going on with my bone. I hope so! Last year after paying for x-rays and an MRI I had NO answers, just waited until i was pain free. Not a great solution if this is going to keep happening. I miss my run.

I got an email with some race photos. Aren't those the best? Wow. Always so flattering. One wasn't half bad-but what I noticed was that one hip seemed to be dropping. Hmmm. I looked back at another race photo, and saw something similar. After last years injury, I shortened my stride some thinking perhaps over striding was the culprit. Mistake? Now I am wondering if these injuries are not overuse, but something with my form that is fixable. Time to do some research I guess...

Just Keep Swimming

2011-05-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

I am reminded of my injury time of last year and how much I hated it! Nothing compares to running. It just doesn't. I could handle the elliptical (with the help of Netflix), but it was still just okay. However, at least I got to feel myself sweat and get all jello-legged.

Today was my first trip to swim laps since last years injury. Yeah, pleasant memories there. So it was also my first trip to the pool at the YMCA. I was pleasantly surprised there. It was better than expected, although only 4 lanes wide. Thankfully going to the mid-day lap swim, there were only 3 other ladies there. Two were walking in one lane, the other was doing the side stroke/drifting.

Having not only a lane to myself, but my pick was pretty great. And the water was warm! Not uncomfortably, but it felt great getting in. Worst part of swimming? Getting in and out of the freaking cold pool. All the pools around here are geothermally heated. Cool, huh?

I am horrible at keeping lap counts. Laughably so. I get so distracted! Which is funny because when your swimming, there isn't much to think about. No music, no Netflix. Just swimming. I did two laps of freestyle, two laps freestyle pulls (with the buoy between my knees), and two laps of backstroke pulls. Repeat. Over and over, until the arms feel like jello. Okay, that took just over 40 minutes. 1200 yards, I'll take it since I have done laps in about a year.

Here's one of my beefs with swimming. I get out feeling all exhausted, like I can't lift my arms. What you're supposed to feel like after a workout, right? Awesome. And that lasts for about 10 minutes, and then I feel like I haven't worked out at all. I'm not tired, I'm not sweaty, my muscles don't feel fatigued. (of course, we'll see how my arms feel tomorrow!) Does anyone else experience that? I don't know if I am not going hard/long enough?

Downside? Stupid pool hours. Not open early enough to go then, and the daytime swims conflict with preschool pickups or naps. And what's up with offering Aqua Zumba more often than lap swim?

The Dark Place

2011-04-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

I am in a dark place today. The blowing snow outside my window together with a difficult day with my kids moods is not helping. But the real reason for my dark place? No more denial, I am hurt. Which is a crushing blow. I've been here before, but I cannot handle it again. I cannot handle once again not being able to RACE in Seattle at the end of June.

When I started having twinges in my shin, I eased up. When the twinges turned to pain, I stopped running and hit the eliptical. Yesterday I was doing my thing on the eliptical, on the easiest resistance. I was almost to mile four, and I felt a twinge. I slowed down, eased the hill level down. Just past mile four pain shot through my shin. No no no no, this isn't happening. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I really wanted to throw something. (mature, huh?)

I stopped. I got off the machine, and wiped it down. My leg hurt. Not good at all. I texted my husband for a ride, (he had dropped me off). I went upstairs, and did some upper body, just to feel like I had gotten something from my workout.

I came home defeated. And cried. I don't cry often, and my husband has no idea what to do or say when I do, since it doesn't happen often. I had a pity party on the couch with an ice pack, while my family went to church. (the only bonus-fantastic payoff basketball last night)

I am in a dark place today. I want to eat every piece of candy in the house. I am terrified to eat anything, knowing I can't burn the calories. This is obviously not a healthy place to be, but how do you get out of a dark place?

I made an appointment with a sports doctor for next thursday. I am terrified, but wish it was sooner just for the answers I hope to get.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter Everyone!

three very hyper, sugared up kids!

We had a wonderful day with friends, celebrating the best day of the whole year! And as usual, celebrating involved eating way too much. Time to get back on track tomorrow!

A Distance PR!

2011-04-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

But not the kind I am actually happy or proud about! I did 8 miles on the elliptical today. Uh yeah. 8 miles of mind numbing elliptical at the gym. Although honestly, I would have kept going if I didn't need to get home for the Easter Egg hunt with the kids.

It was a perfect mild morning, cloudy and 45 degrees. Great long run weather. Instead of enjoying 11 miles with my friend A, I was at the Y on the dreaded elliptical. My shin has been feeling a little sore off and on, the same shin that had a stress fracture last spring. What is it with spring? It's like a conspiracy!

Wednesday afternoon I went for a very rainy 4 mile run. I was keeping a good pace, but feeling a twinge here and there. That had been happening off and on for a week, so I was running fewer miles and minding my form. The last mile of that 4 miler not only was it hailing, but my leg started to HURT. Oh no. Not good. I eased up and made it home, iced right away, and prayed it was okay.

Thursday I did yoga, did a few miles on the elliptical, and had dance. Okay, I could have rested more than that. Friday, my leg was sore just cleaning house and doing laundry. Ice ice baby.

This morning my leg felt fine, no pain walking. Whew! I would've loved to run, and thought about it briefly. And then I remembered last year when I pushed it until I was hurt for 3 1/2 months. 3 1/2 long grumpy months of NO RUNNING. Resting now is sounding like a much better idea, so I can race in Seattle come June.

So off to the Y I went. It was pretty empty for a Saturday morning, but that meant I got to set the TV to the basketball game. I ended up talking on the phone with my mom, and texting A after her run to keep my mind occupied. I was trying to go for distance, keeping my effort pretty even but not too easy. I changed up the hills, but kept the resistance low.

My leg felt fine afterwards, thankfully. So how long should I take it easy before testing my leg on a run again? The gym is closed tomorrow for Easter, so maybe a quick run on the soft trail?

I am not good at taking it easy. Someone hide my running shoes.

A Not So Smart Running Moment

2011-04-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

A not so smart running moment=a really not fun post race experience

I mentioned how sick I got after the race in my last post. Bummer, but I didn't really focus too much on the why aside from I didn't eat right away. Yesterday I was flipping through an older Runners World, and came across one of the many mentions of what a bad idea it is to take NSAIDS before a race to ward of injuries and soreness.

Of course-we all know that. Duh. Oh wait....

And then I remembered, I went to bed on Friday night with a massive headache. I woke up Saturday morning with a bad headache/almost could be a migraine. Oh no. (This is what my in-laws do to me) So I looked through my medicine cabinet and decided on taking an 800mg Ibuprofen to nip the headache knowing the migraine meds make me dizzy.

800mg!!!! How did this not occur to me sooner? Not a smart decision!!!!! And sure enough, what is one of the side effects with running/racing? It sucks your sodium away. Did I mention I am a salty sweater? Yeah, the light dawned a little late.

There is a reason I earned the nickname Space-Kase.

I feel like an idiot. Well I know what I won't be taking next time for a headache!

Pear Blossom Race Report

2011-04-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

On Saturday was the Pear Blossom Festival in Medford. They have a 1 mile, 5k, and 10 mile race. The race had sold out at 4000. I signed up for the 10 mile, but went in to the actual race with tempered (low) expectations after having to take nearly two weeks off in March. Saturday morning we needed to leave the house around 6am. My in-laws were in town visiting, and decided to come along. Which meant we got on the road about 6:25, (my MIL grumbling about the ungodly hour all the way). We got into Medford, and the directions we had didn't work because of detours for the race. The race started at 8:15, and it was 7:50. I was starting to stress. I still needed to find A at the start line to get my bib. The fam dropped me off two blocks from the start, and I warmed up (aka RAN) to the start line to find A. They ended up starting a little late, so it worked out okay. Whew. The start coral was CROWDED! It's been a while since I've done a big race like that. The 5k and 1 mile had started half an hour earlier, so it was just the 10 milers and it was still huge. A lined up right near the front since she's speedy, I put myself around the middle. They started counting down, and the muskets were supposed to fire after the countdown. Someone accidentally fired on 3, and we were off. Mile 1: People watching is so great at bigger races. I saw Fred Flinstone and Barney Rubble, a guy in a green tutu, and two girls in fairy wings. Mile 2: Still relaxed but dodging people, playing name that brand on runners clothes. Amazingly fun. (my husband thinks this means I have been shopping online too much) Mile 3: We start heading out of town, I am happily holding under a 10 min pace and feeling comfortable. Mile 4: Why am I such a retard trying to drink while running? All they had was water, and my shot blok is stuck in my teeth. The only big hill on this course is between 4-5. It isn't long, but a steep uphill and downhill. I ROCKED that hill. I passed everyone near me. Okay, running all the hills around here is paying off. Mile 5: Lots of people at the turnaround, still feeling really good. Tackle the hill again-same thing. Seeing lots of people starting to walk. Mile 6: Still feeling comfortable, keeping my eye on the green tutu guy. Mile 7: walked through the water stop to make sure it got in my mouth! Mile 8: I feel a twinge in my shin and back off pace a little. Am I hurt? Where is the pain? I walk a water stop, start running again and feel okay. Mile 9: I realize my pace is coasting but I still feel good! I pick it back up. Mile 10: I start picking people off, and pushing the pace. Last mile, 8:55. I try to catch green tutu guy, but miss him by about 30 feet. I did pass 7 women the last mile. 10.1 miles 1:37 9:41 pace I finished feeling great, like I could have run a full half at that pace. Dang, I think I left way too much in the tank. I was being so conservative with my pace not wanting to bonk, I took it too easy!

The only picture my husband got of me from the race. He missed the finish, expecting me about 1:45. So the only picture I have my eyes are closed!

After the race, there was a parade. I changed in the car, and we went to the parade route. All they had for food was bananas, so I ate one but wasn't feeling all that hungry. We went to the coffee shop to get something, but nothing looked good. I wanted salty, not sweet. Shortly after, I got sick to my stomach. Way sick. I've been sick after races before, but this time was the worst! So I spent the parade in the bathroom, and later when we went shopping at Costco, I handed over the list and spent my time dry heaving in the restroom. (TMI I know) I couldn't hold down liquid and knew I needed some calories. It was horrible. I finally kept down some gatorade, and made myself sleep in the car hoping I could make it home without being sick. We made it home, and I started munching, (even though I didn't feel like it) and replacing fluids. By dinnertime, I felt okay. Not great, but okay and able to eat.

Sunday morning I woke up feeling great. Still a little dehydrated, but not at all sore. I am always disappointed when I am not sore after a race-it means I didn't push to the limit. We went out for an easy few miles to loosen up, which turned into 5 gorgeous miles of recovery.

Is it spring YET?

2011-03-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

I am done with snow. D O N E. It is almost April, and we have snow on the ground. Wrong I tell you. As bad as the weather has been, it did make not being able to run for 10 days slightly easier. Very slightly. Okay, it still drove me crazy. I had my wisdom teeth removed almost two weeks ago, and it was BRUTAL. Way worse than I expected. I was thinking 3-4 days off, and I'd be back. Yeah, not so much. To add to the fun, the day after my surgery, my dad called to let me know my Grandma had passed away. And I was still hopped up on pain meds. So, my husband got to drive us all the way to Washington, (me drooling all the while). Like most runners, without running I find it very difficult to process lifes various challenges. I felt rather numb, and couldn't place why. Running is such a huge part of my "me" time that it is when I do all my thinking, processing, venting, etc. You get the picture. 10 days was a long time to go without my therapy of choice. Saturday's run with A was discouraging. I felt out of shape, out of breath, and slow. 5 miles had never felt so hard-at least not in recent memory. My mouth still throbbed, which was equally frustrating. The good news, we stopped to shop afterwards and I found a really cute dress for $10. Sunday, we had planned to run together without a real distance in mind. If I needed a walk break doing 5, I wasn't sure how it would go. Thankfully, I was feeling much better and had remembered to take some advil in advance. We thought six, then seven. As our turn options became fewer, it was looking like around 8. I was feeling pretty good, just tired. We got almost back to my house, realizing we would be at around 8.5. A expressed her frustrating that Dailymile rounds up-so we went around the block. And finished at 9.4, kind of defeating the purpose-but my legs were DONE. Added to that, it had been snowing HARD the whole time. We were soaked. The flakes were pretty the first couple of miles; after that, not so much. Later that evening A texted me saying she had to finish to make it an even 10. I couldn't argue with that, and after a rest, what's another .6? So I asked my son if he wanted to come with me. He was so cute, and wanted to sprint and walk. We are still working on pacing. He and I ran .75. He was so proud of himself. I am hoping as the weather improves, the kids can come with me more for short runs. Like my cooldown. This morning was my first solo run since my break. I woke up at 4:30am (ugh) and looked out the window to 2 inches of new snow. Not so bad. I got dressed and headed out the door. The snow was crunchy with ice underneath. If I had known that, I would have found my yaktraxs. It was still snowing, and slick. I needed this run though. To think. To grieve. To zone out-running in the snow by light of a headlamp is funny that way. I came home with tired legs, a cold body, but a peaceful heart.

Run for the Music 10k

2011-03-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the Run for the Music race. I was so excited to have a race to look forward to, even knowing I was not in shape for a fast time. Speed work needs to be added to my schedule in a hurry! The course is hilly, but I'd run a lot of it before so I knew what to expect.

Rewind slightly-went to the dentist last week for tooth pain. I have a wisdom tooth with a hole in it that is mega painful, and needs to come out. (scheduled this Tuesday for all four-ouch!)

Friday night my tooth hurt, and I wasn't feeling the best. Then the cramps started. Oh no, really? It couldn't have waited one more day? Sometimes they aren't so bad, other times they are debilitating. Guess which kind I was blessed with? Ugh!!! So I spent Friday night taking various drugs every two hours and keeping heat on my stomach. I did not sleep.

Saturday morning I got a text from A-"Excited to race?" Um, yes and no. I love to race! But everything in me wanted to bail. I had not signed up for this race ahead of time. I should just stay home. I got up, did my breakfast (with Advil) and figured I'd hope for the best. I would be happy with anything under an hour.

The race was put on by one of the high school bands, with a 1 mile, 5k, and 10k. The band members all ran with their instruments. Pretty hilarious to see the guy running with a tuba. Much easier on the flutist. People turned off for the 1 mile.

I was holding a comfortable 9:30ish pace, not wanting to go out too fast. It is uphill the first 2 miles, so I just wanted to maintain a good pace. There was a water stop at the turn around for the 5k. I would rather just be thirsty in a shorter race then stop. Most of the runners around me turned at the 5k, I kept my sights on a few in front of me.

Mile 2.5 is a BIG uphill into the park. I've run this park with A and it is HILLY. I got passed for the first time on this hill, but passed her before the top. I saw A on her way back already and cheered her on-speedy girl! (she finished first female 45:41)

The turnaround meant a great downhill stretch. I am realizing I am not a great downhill runner. Easier yes, but my stride isn't smooth. Hm. Something to work on. Heading back on the road I set my sights on 4 ladies ahead of me and started picking up the pace. The last slow uphill I started really feeling blah.

I started picking off the women ahead of me, passing all 4 with about half a mile to go. I was so glad to see the turn for the finish. What I didn't realize was, it wasn't the finish yet. I started my kick too soon. We had to run around the outside of the school and around to the track. I just wanted to be done! I could feel myself slowing down a little until we got on the track. I kicked with what I had left, swerving around walkers in the finish shoot.

Finish Time 55.37

My splits were not at all even, but hills and not feeling well, and whatever. I was thrilled to finish under a 9:00 average. Nothing close to the 50:00 I used to be able to run, but for now, I'll take it!

Today we were under a wind advisory with 60mph gusts, so no running. I woke sore from the race, which made me really happy. Sometimes when I'm not sore I worry I didn't work hard enough. I was sorry to not get a recovery run today, but the weather did not cooperate, and the gym was closed.

Plan for tomorrow: get up and run really early, if the wind has died down. Otherwise the gym during preschool. Surgery Tuesday, so not sure when I can run after that!

Thursday brought to you by the letter R

2011-03-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

RAIN
This morning I got up at 4:30 to run before my hubby went to work, hoping for less wind. No such luck. Then it started to rain-hard. Ouch! Needless to say, my last mile was the fastest. I am excited about it getting lighter in the mornings, but if I am going at 4:30 I think it will be quite a while before I can go without my headlamp. Still trying to decide if early morning works better, or trying to squeeze it into busy afternoons.

RACE
There is a 10k on Saturday I am really looking foward to. I am not in 10k race condition, so I don't expect it to be fast at all. I have not worked on speed in a long time aside from throwing a few tempo(ish) miles in here and there. The course is a steep uphill, and a continuous uphill to the turnaround. The good news? Downhill to the finish! So, I am planning to keep the effort even on the uphills ad hopefully have some fantastic negative splits on the way down. Preferably without a sideache.

REST
Because of my cold, I haven't run a lot this week. I keep feeling the need to add miles to make up for the lack on Sunday and Monday. Is it better to rest the day before a short race, or run a few miles with pickups to get the legs moving? Again, I'm not going for a PR here-just a decent effort.

RANT
1. Why is it so hard for drivers to LOOK right before they TURN right.
2. I need to have my wisdom teeth removed ASAP. I am trying to plan this around my running/racing-easier said then done.
3. PMS-speaks for itself.

I hope everyone is having a good Thursday! The end (of the week) is near!

The sniffles and a Massage

2011-03-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

Saturday A and I ran 11 difficult miles on Saturday, in the rain. I felt lousy for most of the run. I had fueled badly for the run, and worse-for the whole week. I munched all week long and didn't eat real meals, and very little protein. It was one of those weeks when time just gets away from you and it's hard to fit it all in.

I shouldn't have been surprised to have a sore throat on Sunday, and a stuffy nose by Sunday night. I rested Sunday and enjoyed a pajama day after church. Monday I woke feeling lousy. I started on Zicam Monday morning, and spent the day sleeping on the couch. Two rest days in a row felt weird-but I know it was the best thing since I wasn't feeling great. I even skipped ballet Monday night (my hubby made me).

Tuesday I was still drinking lots, and taking Zicam. It seemed to be doing the trick, I was over the worst! I had a massage Tuesday afternoon that was horribly painful, (it was to treat chronic headache/migraine issues). She also told me my hip was out. After pushing and pulling and OW! It felt awesome!

So, that decided it for me-a short run was in order. I called A, and although she had already run, she was game for a few more miles. We did an easy 3.5. I felt tired, but my gait felt so much better than on Saturday. Who knew? The massage therapist said my left leg was probably almost an inch shorter then my right because of my hip. Huh. I'm hoping this can justify more (hopefully less painful) massages.

Seattle RNR!

2011-03-06T15:54:00.001-08:00

I am registered for the Seattle Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon! Wohoo! I was hoping to be able to run this race again this year. I had such a blast running it last year with Zoe and her friend, and doing the bloggy dinner. Last year I was just coming back from my stress fracture, as in I hadn't run farther than 3 miles in 3 months leading up to the race. Not the ideal way to run a half!

So this year, I will hopefully be getting to the start line injury free, and be able to actually RUN and RACE the whole thing. Not to mention, since I am now training at altitude, I am hoping to get a solid sub 2 hour time.

My spring race plans are starting to come together I think, now I just need to work out an official training plan to go with it. It's been nice having the winter to just run and not worry about mileage, time or speedwork. Now I am feeling very ready to train hard and work towards improving my times at every distance.

Upcoming races:
March 12th Run for the Music 10k
April 9th Pear Blossom 10 miler
May 14th Run for the Birds 10k
June 4th Lake of the Woods 15k
June 25th Seattle Rock 'n Roll

Time to work out a training plan that will make me faster without hurting myself! Always a good goal.

Today is a rest day after yestedays 11 miles. I wanted to get in a few miles today, but have a sore throat. Here's hoping I just need one day off to rest!

Thursday Thoughts

2011-03-03T11:12:00.000-08:00

My brain is tired, and stuff is rumbling around in a very random fashion. I figured this is a good place to spew and make room.

1. I had a terrible migraine yesterday. Sometimes running helps, sometimes not. I tried to run. Epic fail! Almost crawled home after less than a mile. Not awesome.

2. It is staying light later! Which means I ran run some evenings with A. So great. She is speedy, and I need to work harder to be faster.

something tells me the didn't go right to bed

3. I really dislike doctors and dentists. They are necessary, but freak me out. So, I have been procrastinating finding a new doctor and dentist since we moved. Bad!

4. I am feeling burnt out on my DVDs and crosstraining. I need some new ideas!

5. When I do a workout DVD my 5 year old does it too, and tells me it's too easy. Add more! Sometimes I am annoyed, most often amused.

6. Cleaning house should count as crosstraining. Especially all the picking up, over and over and over. It's like core work, right?

7. My eating habits have been weird, and not in a good way. Munching and not eating real meals. I'm not sure why. I need to keep a food diary again.

8. Fitness magazine seems much more about looking pretty during/after exercise then actually excerising. But sometimes they have good workouts.

9. I am dreaming of being somewhere warm with no snow or wind!

10. I have been having runner's tummy troubles after long runs again. Not sure what to do about that. Any ideas? I have tried doing watered down gatorade instead of water as fuel, and eating something salty when I get home. I don't know.

I am still working on finding my living room floor. It's hard to do core work if there isn't enough space to lay down! Happy Thursday!

Saturday's 10 miler

2011-03-01T10:44:00.000-08:00

Winter weather has made a comeback around here, unfortunately. I had to get friendly with the YMCA treadmills again. Saturday's forecast was for cold. I had not gotten to run with my buddy A for almost 3 weeks because of traveling, (first her, then me). We were going to run together, not matter how cold! And because of the cold, we didn't really know how long we would run.

I got up Saturday morning and checked the temp first thing. It was -8. Yuck! The plan was to wait until around noon, hoping it would warm up. My husband got a good laugh out of how many times I checked the hourly weather, texting A all the while. Finally we decided on 1pm, hoping for the most sun. It had (thankfully) warmed up to 18 degrees. Not warm by any means, but better than -8!

We bundled up, and headed for the trail still deciding how far we would venture. We decided to run downtown, thinking it was about 4 miles. If we were cold when we got there, we could get a coffee before heading back.

It was actually 4.87 miles to the coffee shop, and by then we were reasonably warm. The thought of having a latte in my stomach for the 5 miles home did not appeal. A agreed with me, so we went into the store next door. I still haven't explored much of downtown, so the store was new to me. They had some cute stuff! So there we are, in our running clothes, the icicles melting off our eyelashes, shopping. The first thing I pulled that I liked was an $80 skirt! Oops, not my price range! A found a cute basket on clearance, and I found another skirt on clearance I wanted to try on. We asked the owner to hold them until we ran home and came back. She laughed and said she'd be there.

The run home was colder than ever, the downside of stopping! The wind had picked up a bit and made the last mile seem to take forever! We got to my house, I ran in to change and off we went. Coffee and shopping after 10 miles! A great way to spend a Saturday in my book. My husband said he's not so sure about us running downtown if we're going to shop while we're at it!

ABC's of Me

2011-02-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

A) Age: 29 (for another few months, the big 3-0 in May!)
B) Bed Size: Queen
C) Chore I hate: Anything in the kitchen. Dishes especially.
D) Dogs: No, sometimes I think I want one-but too much work
E) Essential Start Your Day Item: Coffee! and food immediately after, I wake up starving
F) Favorite Color: Blue and Purple. It really depends on my mood
G) Gold or Silver: White Gold or Platinum. Yellow gold looks terrible on my skin.
H) Height: 5'10"
I) Instruments you play: Piano, clarinet, violin, trumpet. I wanted to be a music major once upon a time
J) Job title: Mom, Wife, Dance Teacher
K) Kids: 3 ages 7, 5, 3 1/2 (boy, girl, girl) Never a dull moment in this house!
L) Live: Klamath Falls, Oregon
M) Mom's Name: Jeri Lee
N) Nicknames: Kase, Space-Kase, Spacey-Kasey (seeing a theme here?), and of course MOM!
O) Overnight Hospital Stays: a night or two for each kid, 2 weeks in ICU after baby #3 with major complications. Not fun!
P) Pet Peeve: People who drive 5 under the speed limit, and general stupidity
Q) Quote from a Movie: ooh, tough pick. We talk in movie quotes around here. "I'm getting the pig!!!" (from the movie Red-highly recommend if you like action movies)
R) Right or Left Handed: Right mostly. I can use either for most things
S) Siblings: Older sister, older brother, two younger half-siblings
T) Time you wake up: right now, around 7am.
U) Underwear: Hipsters
V) Vegetable you Dislike: Mushrooms, Lima Beans
W) What makes you run late: My kids, and my husband. I hate being late! The rest of my family has no sense of urgency
X) X-rays You've had: shin, knees, ankle, elbow, wrist, head and spine-okay what haven't I?
Y) Yummy food you make: I am an awesome baker-cakes, cookies, you name it. Real food cooking, I make a great homemade mac and cheese.
Z) Zoo Favorite Animal: Big cats are my favorites, Leopards, Lions, etc

There you have it!

New Running Buddy!

2010-12-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

On Sunday afternoon, I got to meet up with my new running buddy, Amber. She knows the area a lot better than I do, so she gave me directions on how to get to a sports complex in town that has trails around it. Fun!

Winter has really hit early here, which I guess isn't all that uncommon. She had thought that the trail would be packed down by cross country skiers, but it was still close to a foot of loose snow. Time for plan B!

The parking lot had been plowed, so we did loops around the roads to the different parking areas. It worked out surprisingly well, one loop was 1.4 miles. It is so great getting to run with someone new, and hear about their running journey. Everyone starts for different reasons, and I love hearing about races! Running with a local was awesome because she was able to give me insight into all the races that are in the area, including one in that same park in just a few weeks. There is a race almost once a month, most are around the 5k distance. Not my favorite, but it is a good opportunity to get better! After an hour of great conversation, we finished with just over 7 miles.

Hills, oh my. The HILLS! This area is HILLY added to the fact I am not used to the altitude. Moving from 1000ft to 4500ft didn't seem like a big deal, but I feel it on those hills. The good news, hills make you a stronger runner, and I have no excuse to avoid them!

The kids are adjusting to the area, although they are already lamenting that it is going to snow everyday FOREVER! They have seen more snow in the last 3 weeks than probably the last 3 years combined.

I am working on getting more comfortable on the treadmill. Covering the display with a shirt helps me not stare at it, but it is still hard to get into a rhythm. If winter continues this way, I will be using the treadmill quite a bit!

Turkey Trot

2010-11-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled to find a local running club. I have been struggling through my afternoon runs, and am missing training for something. Mostly I am missing having contact with people other than my children! Cold+Snow+Wind for a week=wild children that are literally climbing the walls!

Today there was a Guess your Time Turkey Trot 5k. I know I am not in fast 5k shape, since I can't remember the last time I did speed work of any kind. Not to mention, I am still getting used to this whole altitude thing. I thought I would go with a conservative 28:00. Then I thought, taking the weather into account, I'd better make that 30:00. This morning, we woke up to 4 new inches of snow, and it was still coming down HARD. Okay, I'll reevaluate the time goal when we get there.

My husband decided to run the race too, which was great! I did ask if he wanted me to pace him and stay with him, or run my own race. He knows me well, and told me to do my own thing. :)

We arrived on time to register, and there were very few people. Everyone was laughing and joking about the conditions. So thankful to have found a fun group to run with! It was still snowing hard, and my feet were already cold.

A snowplow had plowed the road we were to run on, but it had scrapped it down to ice. It was going to be interesting! The original course plan was to go up a trail, but it was too snowy and slick. Instead, we did three laps around the park on the road. Up a big hill, around, down a big hill, around to the beginning. The road was solid ice with a thin layer of snow on it. I decided to make my time guess even slower, not sure what pace I could keep on the slick road. I finally decided on 34:00

It was very relaxed-there were only 9 of us who braved the weather. The race director shouted "go", and we were off. And sliding. Whoa! Sticking to the edge of the road wasn't too bad, but uneven. Coming down the hill I kept slipping and sliding. I was afraid I would fall and hurt myself!

We slipped and slid our way around the course, but it was a blast. The snow was still falling which made the park just beautiful. I realized I was on the last part of my last lap before I knew it. I wasn't ready to stop! Into the finish line, the few that finished ahead all cheering. Finish time, 30:11. Oops. I guess I should have gone back to my original guess. Oh well! Hubby finished in 35:00 or so, which was great! He only had to walk a few times, and did very well.

Afterwards they offered hot chocolate and cider, or water. Very relaxed and fun group. Great to know that they have races about once a month! I didn't feel nearly done running, (I clearly hadn't raced hard enough), so I told my husband to go ahead, and I ran to the house where our kids were staying during the race. It added almost 2 miles I think. There is something so peaceful about running in the snow, even though it is hard work!

How do you Survive the Treadmill?

2010-11-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

It is -14 this morning. This is ridiculous! I am thinking this winter could equal a lot of quality time on the treadmill. I went to the YMCA yesterday and got a family membership so we all have somewhere to get our wiggles out, (as my kids put it), when it is cold out. They even have a Zumba class for kids starting at age 4. Funny!

So yesterday was my first treadmill run in a long while. The YMCA is the economical choice, and their facilities are functional without a lot of extras. I have the hardest time getting into a rhythm on a treadmill. I don't know what it is about it, a pace that should be easy makes me tired. There is only one TV in the room, and it is directly above the treadmills. In other words, if you want to watch it, be prepared to look straight up and hope you don't fall off the 'mill in the process. There is a window, but a parking lot is not the most distracting thing to watch. I have my music, but for some reason that isn't enough.

Next issue; It is too cold to run outside, (obviously), but does the gym have to be so HOT? I mean 70++*!!! 10 minutes into my run I felt like I was dying for lack of air. There was one fan in the room, and of course it is in front of the ellipticals (who also have a great view of the TV). Why do I get the feeling they are used more than the treadmills? Hmmm. Do you get used to the lack of air? As nice as it feels to wear shorts and a tank, I would still like to feel like I can breathe!

Ideas? Suggestions? If this week is any indication, it could be a long winter!
What do you do to make it on the treadmill?

I'm Alive!

2010-11-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hello, long lost blog. It has been a very long time. I somewhat doubt I still have any followers after my long hiatus, but time to start my rambling once again.

So, here's a quick recap. We MOVED! Whoa, crazy. I am now an Oregonian, and am finding that to be very weird. What do you mean, I can't pump my own gas? Okay, now that it's winter, that isn't such a hardship I admit.

Moving was a whirlwind of crazy. We literally had two weeks to get our stuff packed and out of our house. Which meant, we had to find a rental sight unseen on the computer. To add to the crazy, my Grandpa passed away the night before we were packing the truck. Whoa. Okay, I can deal with this. My hubby drove the Uhaul down November 1st, and the kids and I waited a few extra days to attend the memorial.

We moved in to a nice house in a neighborhood we like, (here comes a giant...)BUT, the house smells like DOG PEE!! ugh. Apparently my husband has no sense of smell whatsoever, since the smell about knocked me over coming in the door. The rental agency has treated the carpets twice, and it still reeks. Gross! I am hesitating to really make this "home" until that is sorted out.

Okay, moving on to running. What's that? Oh yes, RUNNING! That thing I like to do. Okay, right now, I don't like it so much. It is cold, and I am having to run in the afternoons now which is not my preference. Hubby's new job has a great schedule, starting work at 6am, and getting done at 3:30. So great to have him home in the afternoons! But it does mean running in the mornings isn't a workable option unless I leave at 4:30am. Um, yeah. So afternoons it is. How do you afternoon runners do it? I am tired by that time of the day, and my motivation is nonexistant.

Things I have learned running here:

there are no street lights. If I am gone past 4:30pm, be prepared to trip over everything in the dark. the sidewalks are not great
cars do not move over for you AT ALL
there are not street signs on all the intersections, so don't assume you can find your way home reading the signs
there is a paved trail through town Wohoo! downside, it is completely straight, with nothing to look at
running the trail, be prepared to stop at every intersection it crosses

So, I have been running 3-5 miles, 3-4x a week. Not great, but I am working on it. I am thinking it might be a treadmill kind of winter by evidence of all the snow on the ground, and more importantly, the high for tomorrow is 14 degrees. I guess it's time to embrace the gym!

The good news, there is a local running group! They are doing a Turkey Trot on Saturday. Totally stoked for that. It sounds like they do a short race about once a month. Hoping to meet some fellow runners, and hopefully a running buddy or two for long runs!

A Comedy of Errors

2010-09-26T10:20:00.001-07:00

As much as I wanted to run the You Go Girl with the rest of the bloggy buddies, it just wasn't possible this time around. Instead I chose to run the Indian Summer Half Marathon in Richland. You can't beat a $15 entrance fee!

I knew it wasn't going to be the best race since I haven't done a single speed workout, and my only tempo run (if you could even call it that), was three miles. My longest run was only 12 miles, and I have still had twinges of something in my shin. The good news is, I was planning on going into this race relaxed, and ready to just enjoy it and see what happened. I hoped for 10 min miles, but didn't know if I could even hold that pace!

And then, everything went wrong.

The morning of the race, I got up and packed everything up to get in the car. I drove to the ATM for cash. The ATM wasn't working. No big deal, I drove to another one. -5 minutes. I was just about to get on the freeway, doing a mental checklist, (good thing too!) and I realized I FORGOT MY SHOES!!!! Argh! Quick turn around back to my house, and there they were sitting on my porch. Duh, seriously. Preparing for a race with PMS brain was not going well. -10 minutes at least. My extra window of time to get to the race was narrowing.

Finally on the freeway cruising along until everyone slowed down to 45mph for fog. Really? I was going to be cutting it close! At this point, I was hoping to get there 15 minutes before race time.

I get to Richland and pull off on Exit 5A, following the directions I had printed off. I drove, and kept driving. Hmmm, this doesn't look right? I call my husband. No answer. 10 minutes to race time, starting to panic! I go back and try again. Maybe I went the wrong direction in the roundabout? It wasn't there last year. Try to call my husband again. Voicemail. Driving in circles, clearly in the wrong place, but having no idea where else to go! Husband finally calls back and I tell him where I am. He very helpfully tells me I'm lost. Thanks. I get back on the freeway, and finally figure out I needed exit 5B! I pull in and get lucky with a parking spot, the race has already started. To go home, or race anyways?

I go to the table and sign in, the 5k starts. I ask if I can start the half even if I'm late? She said sure, go for it. I quickly pull my hair back; the rubber band breaks. I dig around the car for another one. Hair up, Garmin searching, tie my shoes and I'm off a good 20 minutes late, 5 minutes behind the 5k racers.

I start overtaking a lot of the 5k walkers and joggers pretty quickly. I knew I was going out too fast, but had a hard time slowing to a comfortable pace. At the 5k turnaround, I was the only one to keep going. After another mile, I start catching up to other half marathoners. Whew! Feeling like I'm actually part of the race now. It was warmer than I expected, and I knew the adrenalin was helping me go out too fast. Oh well. Banked time for later?

Between miles 5 and 6, I see my running partner and cheer her on since she is on her way back. I start chatting with people around me, really trying to enjoy the race but keep going at a good pace. I feel like I have settled in at this point.

Last year, when I ran this race, it was going to be my PR course. It is relatively flat, and small and I was in shape to crush my PR of 2:02. I psyched myself so totally out, and had a horrible running day. I had asthma problems from anxiety and felt completely defeated before the turnaround. I finished in something like 2:17.

This year, I reached the turnaround feeling good. Around this point I realized I did not remember body glide. Yeah, uh oh. I was wearing compression shorts, so my legs were okay. I was starting to chafe under my arms. Ouch! I didn't expect it to be so hot. What can you do mid-race? Nothing, keep going knowing I would pay for it later!

I start thinking through the remaining miles, feeling my legs burning out from my fast start. I talk to anyone I pass, trying to occupy my mind. I try embracing the burning in my legs, which works for a time. By mile 10, I was tired. I walked through the water stop after 10, but set a point to run again. I was going to run it in, even if I was tired!

Miles 11 and 12 always feel so long! I was still passing people, but no one felt like talking, myself included. The sun was warm, and I was getting a headache. Did I not drink enough? No, I think I just had a headache. Not a good feeling on the run.

Mile 13 has a cruel twist. You can see the finish line, but you know it can't be that close, right? Run around a corner and realize you follow the river away from the finish and back again. Up the hill to the finish (why is that always the case?). I was thrilled to see lots of people cheering at the finish line. Sometimes in smaller races, not very many stay to cheer. I laugh when i see the clock at 2:30 something, thankful that was not my time. Finish! Garmin time, 2:10:31

Splits:
Mile 1: 9:00 (way too fast)
Mile 2: 9:32 (still too fast)
Mile 3: 9:37
Mile 4: 9:48 (better, where I want to be)
Mile 5: 9:53
Mile 6: 9:55
Mile 7: 9:49
Mile 8: 10:03 (getting a little tired, water stop)
Mile 9: 9:48
Mile 10: 10:16 (tired legs)
Mile 11: 10:48 (water stop)
Mile12: 11:07 (out of steam, slowed to chat with girl who pulled a muscle)
Mile 13: 9:56 (want to be done!)
Mile .1: 9:20 pace

2:10, 9:58 average pace. Way better than I expected! Not a great time, but one I'm proud of considering!
1231 ascent, 1221 descent (lots of rolling hills)

Long Food Confession

2010-07-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Food and I have had an odd relationship for a long time. I grew up a horribly picky eater, (and am so getting payback with two picky eaters of my own-one who won't eat anything but plain pasta) and still am somewhat picky. I was a vegetarian for 10 years until I was pregnant with my first and was anemic. Now I eat only chicken, and only if it is cleverly disguised to not taste like chicken.

When I was around 12, I filled out-not my chest, just my body. It seemed to me I got big overnight. My best friend was as tall as I was, but a string bean. I compared myself to her, and felt big and awkward. Having a brother that teased me about my size did not help my confidence.

By high school, I started worrying over my weight. I would eat 300 calories in a day, then eat 3000 the next. My relationship with food was not healthy, especially for the athlete that I was. In my mind, food=fat. I had no concept of healthy, balanced meals.

I grew up watching my mom do fad diets and ordering infomercial exercise equipment that was used only for hanging laundry. She worked swing shift, so I was left on my own for grocery shopping and meals. One night I would have a lean cuisine, the next a whole frozen pizza with a side of cookie dough, then I would feel horrible with guilt. I briefly tried purging, but for the life of me could not bring myself in puke on purpose.

My senior year I still worried over my size, not understanding that you can't change your frame size. I compared myself to everyone else without a sense of practicality or reason. By summer, I stopped eating as much as I could-and I liked the results.

See, this is the trap with anorexia. It does work as weight loss. At times I would give in to sweets, and I would punish myself by running. I would not have called myself anorexic, and still hesitate to use that title-but the signs were there.

I moved to Montana excited to start out on my own. I was poor, and it is hard to eat at all let alone well when you are poor. When I did eat, it was ramen or something equally cheap and processed. I worked at a restaurant, and for a while that was my only meal of the day. I started dating, and started eating more. Eating can be such a social thing. I still ate like a bird, but I ate without guilt. It was a good thing. I gained a little weight back, but not enough to worry me.

I look back at how I felt then, 125-130lbs at 5'10" and I still felt fat. I still tried to suck in my gut, and worried over arm flab. I look back at pictures from that time and think, I looked bad, all bone! Why didn't anyone tell me I looked bad?

Fast forward, I got engaged, got married. I am eating more and running less, and put on a few pounds. I was embarrassed, but okay with it. I was on the pill which didn't help. I sprained my wrist and my husband had to help me button my jeans. He commented that they were tight. I stopped eating unless I was with him and had to. I knew what I was doing wasn't healthy. I reached out to a few friends, but stopped short of actually asking for help. In my mind, that equaled saying I wanted to get fat.

The second year we were married, I discovered I was pregnant. Wait, what? Birth control failed us, but it wasn't a bad thing-just unexpected. I tried to eat well knowing it wasn't just for me. I didn't gain any weight and was eating a ton. It was great! The doctor complained about me being underweight, but I was thankful to not get fat. That didn't last. Of course I got fat. Have you ever seeing a pregnant woman NOT get fat? Hello! It was hard watching my body change, knowing it would never be the same. After he was born, I was depressed. Montana winter, being cooped up with a newborn when all my friends were in college or playing, and I was fat (in my mind). I had stretch marks. But the depression did work in my favor in one thing-I stopped micromanaging what I was putting in my mouth. I just ate.

Three babies later, I was overweight. And I didn't think I was that bad, although I cried having to buy size 16 pants that were tight. I ate dessert daily, and enough carbs for a whole family. I fed the kids fruits and veggies, but ate few myself. I was over 210lbs and knew I needed to make a change, but before I did-I needed a plan to do it right.

I worked out, still somewhat obsessively-I can't help that. I dieted, but I counted points using old weight watchers tools of my moms to make sure that I ate what I should, not just cutting out food. The weight slowly started to come off. I was relieved to see progress, and it felt good not to be starving. I lost 45lbs.

I started running. The remaining 25lbs came off steadily, and I was finally where I wanted to be. I kept running because it felt great and burned of my stress, but I still needed a goal. Met a friend who turned into a training partner who got me to race. Something to focus on! I am a person who needs goals, and needs a plan. Not to mention a competitive drive in everything. Training to race suited my needs perfectly. Now I was eating to fuel my training, and splurging some without guilt.

Being injured has taught me a lot. #1 you can't eat like when you are running when you aren't. duh, but still true. So I gained weight back. Not the end of the world, but I would like to get back where I was. #2 I don't only run so I can eat like I want and still keep my weight where I want, it is so much more a part of who I am now-I like that about me #3 I do miss eating whatever I want on long run days

#4 I am coming to understand that how my mom dealt with being overweight affected me. I don't want that for my kids, my girls especially. I don't want them hearing and repeating "I'm fat". I want them to have a healthy relationship with food, and the best I can give them is my example. (this topic may need it's own post later since this is way long)

I am easing myself back into running. today I did 5.6 with one mile at "tempo" 8:30 pace. That hurt, but it felt great to push it. I remember when I started running and how HARD it was. It felt that way the first few days, and now it feels like I can go forever again. I'm sure I can't, but it seems like it at mile 3.

Summer of Weight Loss

2010-07-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

Kerrie @momvsmarathon.blogspot.com came up with the idea to make the Summer of Weight Loss official adding in challenges and a weekly weigh in. I NEED that motivation. After being injured and off running, I have struggled with my eating. Well, like most runners, I love to eat. So I definitely don't struggle to eat-ha! The problem is I didn't keep my portion control in check with burning fewer calories, and I have a huge sweet tooth. I love sugar in all it's forms. When I am stressed and can't run, guess what I reach for? yep, sugary snacks. I try not to keep them in the house, but give in more often than I should.

So, as of July 5th I have been trying to keep as accurate of a food log as I can manage. I am trying hard to make smart choices, eating lots more fruits and veggies. This trip to Canada is making things a little more challenging. Canada is EXPENSIVE! We are trying to eat under $60 for the 5 of us, since that is my husbands daily amount from work. Thankfully the hotel has breakfast, sort of. We are doing PB&J for lunches, with carrots and cheese slices for snacks. The mini fridge is stocked with healthy food as much as I'm able, but eating out for dinner every night is tough. Especially kid friendly food. Last night was IHOP. I ordered off the lower calorie menu which was fine, but I inhaled the food and left hungry.

I know I don't need as many calories as my body thinks it does. I remember when I was first dieting, I thought I should never feel hungry. Sometimes our bodies like to trick us into thinking we are hungry when we are just fine. I did eat a package of fruit snacks last night before bed, which was better than the chocolate candy bar I really wanted.

I weighed myself over a week ago, just to see where I was at-and I almost cried. I am up 12lbs. No wonder my clothes are tight. So very frustrating, and I am upset with myself. It's okay though, I know now is the time to turn it around! I've done it before, and I know I can do it again.

Starting weight (as of last week sometime) 163lbs
Goal Weight 148 (this is the lowest I got my weight down, I wouldn't mind a few pounds off of that either. anything in the 140's I'll be happy with)

I will try to get before pictures up soon.

Challenge for this week: Eat a fruit and vegetable that you have never tried before
I am a picky eater-I admit that. This will be a challenge for me, especially not being able to grocery shop really, but I'll give it a shot! Thankfully the hotel breakfast has bananas and apples. Certainly not new, but free. :)

I ran 3 miles this morning that felt sluggish. I really argued with myself over going or resting. The calorie burn in my favor tilted the scale.
Breakfast, small box frosted flakes with skim milk, PB toast, 1/2 banana, and COFFEE!

Welcome to Canada, Eh?

2010-07-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

What a week this has been. I keep thinking things will slow down, but it hasn't happened yet! Last weekend I decided to have a yard sale, which was a huge success. But seriously, yard sales are HORRIBLE! Ugh! Now I remember why I rarely bother. Doing it on the weekend of the 4th made for a long weekend. The 4th was great. They had a concert and fireworks at the fairgrounds. we told the kids in advance they could use their money for rides or food, and that was it. No fussing or whining or we would go home. They did great! They sold cookies at the yard sale and made almost $8. We bought a small book of tickets, so they each got 4 rides. It worked very well, and best of all, we got to stay for the fireworks with no fussing!

Monday we tried to recover, and Tuesday was back to work for me teaching class. I was told summer is usually pretty slow, so I didn't prep in advance. I had 18 girls show up between the ages of 8-17. ugh! Not what I was prepared for. There is just no easy way to teach ballet to that big of an age gap.

At noon, my husband called and asked if I could have the kids and I ready to travel in 2 hours? Ha! Um, no. Are you kidding? Every year we go to Kewlona, BC with him when he travels for work. It's the only place he goes where we can go and have fun while he works. This year, we thought it wasn't happening and his boss was taking the trip. Needing to be ready to go out of the blue was crazy!

After a stop Tuesday night, we made it here Wednesday evening. I was stressed and grumpy. Traveling with kids is so hard. I am thankful for the chance, but I was so done with whining. Dave took the kids for a walk to the park, knowing I needed a break. And I went for a run.

I love to run. It just makes everything else melt away, for a while at least. It was hot-still 90 degrees, so it was a slow and hot 3 miles, but it helped immensely. This morning I got up at 5am, and the weather was a perfect 60 degrees. 5 miles along the waterfront was a great way to start the day.

View for my run this morning. Gorgeous!

Last night after my run, my shin felt a little iffy. I was concerned. I probably should not have run this morning, but I needed to start my day right. I don't like being grumpy with my kids (PMS is part of the problem). I used my new shoes today, Asics Gel-Nimbus 12 and they felt much better! I am praying that I am truly on the mend, and no more injury!

Oh, and next post, Summer of Weight Loss-although my weigh in and measurements will have to wait until I get home.

Final Seattle Recap

2010-07-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

Whew, what a weekend! A simple race report should not take this long. Of course, it doesn't help that they tend to be a little long.

Standing at the start line, looking at all those people was amazing. I was so glad that I decided not to miss the opportunity to run this race. Everyone started clapping and cheering-oh, I guess someone sang the National Anthem. I didn't hear it at all! Oh well. And we were off...

For such a big race, the wave start went smoothly. It was crowded sure, but it didn't seem like we were having to weave around people much at all. People watching at big races is awesome. Crazy costumes, like the dude in a polar bear costume, a couple of Elvis'-one with a fanny pack carrying a stereo. Then there was the guy with the blond mullet to the middle of the back. Zoe, Cassie and I tried to decide-wig, or real? I'm thinking wig, although can you say hot and itchy?

At around mile 3, we heard loud cheering. There was Kerrie and her cowbell! It was so great to have someone cheering for us by name!

Before we knew it, 6 miles had flown by. Wow, that is the longest I had run in 3 months. My muscles were starting to feel it a bit, and I was glad when Zoe suggested a quick walk break. I didn't want to be the first to ask to walk! The walk break was short but helped, and we were off again.

The hills weren't nearly as bad as I expected-not anything like Mercer Island! I was feeling much better than expected, and so far no pain in my shin. Running along the lake was beautiful, and we joked about wanting to go for a swim. There was a line of 40 (or so) soldiers holding American Flags. What a beautiful sight! I almost got choked up. As the wife of a veteran, I know the scarifies are HUGE but so worth it.

Up the steep hill to the freeway was really crowded. I wanted to run up, but was caught behind a group of people walking. Zoe charged up the hill, and waited for us at the top. Marathoners went right, we went left into the tunnel. The tunnel was LOUD and SMELLY! Ugh! I am not one to feel claustrophobic, but running in the tunnel made me want to get to fresh air, fast! Funny looking at my garmin for this section-I sped up a LOT! I got out of the tunnel and was thankful for the sea breeze while I waited for Zoe and Cassie to catch up.

This was the first race I have run with friends the whole way. I've started with people, but always got caught up in my own race and didn't stay with them. It was so fun to enjoy a race with other people, and to not give my watch more than a glance. No stress over pace, splits, finishing time. At times I could feel myself wanting to be caught up in the race, but I am so glad I stayed with Zoe and Cassie.

Mile 11 there was a steep downhill into town. Okay, THAT HURT! Shoot. Well, the damage is done. I was not going to quit! After that point, I could feel my shin the rest of the way. Zoe said let's run the rest, no walking. I didn't know if I had it in me. On to the viaduct and I wanted to walk in the worst way. Right when I was seriously considering it (it helped that there weren't any spectators right there) Zoe says, "Come on Kasey, You've got this!" It was what I needed, although I didn't know if I did have it! Downhill off the viaduct I was saying "ow ow ow ow" every step. The guy next to me gave me a funny look. Now I just wanted to be DONE!

We curved around toward Quest, and I kicked it and started picking everyone off I could. (chicked 4 guys) I didn't know where Zoe and Cassie were behind me, I just wanted to finish hard. Mr Garmin said 6:30 pace. Not a bad kick for being so out of shape! I heard my husband and my friend Joy cheering for me. I did it!

It felt great to get my first finishers medal, and to get my picture taken with Zoe and Cassie. Never has a half been so FUN and stress free. Maybe I should go into more races unprepared. Well, preferably with a lot more miles of training. Nice to know I can do the distance without training though. Of course, walking on Sunday was painful! Ouch!

My in-laws were laughing at me hobbling around Sunday and Monday, to which I said-

Totally worth it!

Happy Birthday

2010-07-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Three years ago today, my last baby was born-all 8lbs of her (2 1/2 weeks early, thankfully!).

The last three years have alternately flown by, and felt like forever. Having a three year old, 18 month old and an infant was a huge challenge!

JJ Bug is my blue eyed dreamer. Always wandering around the house singing, spinning, dancing. She loves all things purple, and at 3 already likes shopping and the mall more than I do. She is the last to fall asleep most days, and always the first up saying her tummy needs food. She is fearless, willing to be first to jump off on anything and everything, wanting to keep up with her siblings.

She has the best grumpy glare ever, and looks so much like me at that age it is scary!

Even with the health problems I had after she was born, I cannot imagine our family without this spunky girl! Happy Birthday JJ!

I am hopefully going to finish my Seattle race report this afternoon-it depends on how the purple Tinkerbell cake goes.

Seattle Recap part II

2010-06-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

I keep sitting down to write this post, and other things keep coming up. Kids are funny that way.

Normally before a race, I am very organized. I have a plan of what I am wearing head to toe, a plan for fueling during the race, for transportation and everything else. When I was first planning to come to Seattle knowing I was injured, I wasn't even going to go to the starting line. The plan was to just enjoy the expo, have fun at the blogger dinner, and cheer on the sidelines.

Well, I obviously didn't stick with that plan. I decided Friday to run as much as I was able, still not sure if I could or should finish. Of course, this meant that I hadn't packed Shot Bloks. No problem, I'll get them at the expo. Except they didn't have them-all they had were GU Chomps which my tummy does NOT like. Thankfully, Tall Mom Mel saved the day and brought me some shot bloks. Thanks Mel! Not planning very well also left me running in a running skirt (without shorts), and a bra top that didn't match. Not ideal.

My husband was a great sport, and was willing to drop me off at the start so we could get an extra hour of sleep. Well, what sleep we got. I had a hard time falling asleep, and he stayed up too late playing video games. Ha! We got to the drop off spot by 6am, so in good shape. I started following everyone else walking. It was a long walk to the start.

Finally the start line. I have never seen some many runners. I started making my way to corral 6 to meet up with everyone, but no one was there yet. I figured I'd make use of the honey bucket. The lines were crazy long, and caused me to miss the photo op at the meet up, but I was able to see most everyone and meet up with Zoe and her friend. Since Zoe is 5 months along with Goober, she was planning on walking/running the race. I was hoping I could keep up with her!

Standing at the start was awesome. looking back and seeing people lined up ready to race as far as the eye could see.

and....nap time is done, which means my blog time is done for now (not to mention this is getting LONG). The race will have to wait!

Seattle Rock n' Roll Weekend Part 1

2010-06-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, where to begin? It was a busy, FUN weekend! Thursday I spent frantically cleaning in preparation for my in-laws coming to babysit. There is something so discouraging about cleaning for hours, then having your mother-in-law walk in and pick up a piece of lint from under the couch. *sigh* I was so ready to leave town!

We left Friday at lunch time and drove to the expo. I have never been to such a big expo! I wanted to buy everything! Then my practical side kicked in, and I didn't buy anything. I did stuff my bag full of freebies though! I got to see Scott Jurek, but the line was too long to get his autograph. Oh well!

Then it was off to Pyramid Alehouse to meet up with a few bloggers from the Runners world Loop.

From there, off to the Spaghetti Factory for the Bloggy Carboload Dinner! It was so much fun to get to talk to everyone and put faces and voices to the blogs that I read! I ate too much, laughed a lot, and got really excited for race day.

Up to that point, I had still planned on just doing part of the race to protect my shin. I threw that out the window, and knew I was going to take it slow, but do my best to finish!

Seatte Rock n' Roll...

2010-06-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Wait, that is THIS WEEKEND? Whoa, when did that happen? June has slipped away in a frenzy of craziness. I look at my schedule and think, "oh yeah I've got this-no problem." Then things start rolling, and I'm thinking, "What psycho thought I could handle all of this???"

Ballet recitals, (yes, plural-the school I dance for, and the school I teach for) were hugely stressful and majorly time consuming. This was the first recital that I worked, and wow parents are CRAZY! I mean seriously! I got yelled at over the silliest things. Wow people, chill!

The Seattle RNR has come up faster than expected, and I am not ready. More importantly, my shin is no ready. I am on 13 weeks of this injury. 13 WEEKS! I cannot even express my frustrating. I have tried running easy a few different times which feels fine while I run, but hurts 3 hours later. Does that seem strange to anyone else?

I wanted to finish the race, even if it was slow. Now I don't know if that is a good idea or not. My current plan is to finish at least 10k of it and see how I feel. The problem with this plan is that the pain never sets in until after the fact. Hmmm. I know it would be smarter to not run at all, but this is my big race of the summer! I spent good money to experience my first big race, and dang it I want a finishers medal!

I am looking forward to the bloggy meet up dinner. Yay! It will be so great to meet everyone, and hang out. (is it bad I am almost sorry I have to bring my husband? I feel like I have to entertain him)

To walk/jog the whole race? or bow out early?

I weighed myself for the first time in a while...let's be honest, I've been afraid to. For good reason! I am up 12lbs from my lowest weight! I almost cried. I worked so hard to lose the weight, and it is creeping back. I am still working out 5 days a week at least, and being fairly careful about my food intake. *sigh* Running I miss you.

Ready or not, Seattle here I come!

Um, Now What?

2010-05-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

I ran 4 miles in the early morning sunshine this morning. It was the first early morning run I've been able to do in a very long six weeks, and it was warm enough to wear my cute running skirt. I felt great during my run, albeit a little out of shape. 4 miles used to be the bear minimum I would run on any given day; today it felt tiring by the end. This disappointed me, but what did I really expect after 6 weeks of only doing ballet, swimming, and aqua jogging?

I was greatly encouraged that I did not hurt during my run, and with the knowledge my MRI was clear. However, in the back of my mind, I was thinking that all is still not well-no matter what the MRI said. I did some research online yesterday after my results came in, and found a few other options of what the trouble might be. The most likely culprit, a longitudinal stress fracture. In other words, going down the length of the bone rather then across. Apparently this type does not show up on an MRI, only with a CT scan.

Although a possibility, I don't WANT to be injured, so I figured I would go with the first answer-my MRI was clear, time to slowly start running again. So back to my run this morning. I am still very much enjoying my new garmin-not sure what his name will be yet. Right now I'm thinking Brick, because it's heavy! I also have a hard time keeping it off the bone on my wrist, which is a bit uncomfortable. Thoughts? I have skinny wrists, kind of incongruous to the rest of my body.

I felt great after my run. A few twinges, but nothing major. I am feeling in the clear! I am clearly on the road to recovery, and my hopes of running Seattle are improving. Two hours later, my shin starts to hurt, and throb, and pulse. Dang. The disappointment is huge.

Right now my plan is to take another week, head back to the pool and give running another try next week. I am not sure if I should try to go back to the doctor, or try to get into a sports doctor to truly find out what's going on. If it is a stress fracture, does it really matter that i have a picture of it? The treatment is the same-rest. What else could it be?

Spend extra money on a sports doctor for an answer, or keep resting and testing?

News, News, News

2010-05-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

First of all, Happy Birthday to ME! It was my birthday on Friday which was wonderful. My big present, my new Garmin 305 (WOOT WOOT!) had gotten here the week before, but I was good and left it in the box after checking to see that everything had come. Friday night the family took me out to Olive Garden, my favorite. Not my favorite with kids, but I'll take it anyways. Hubby was very sweet and got me a running book, and a silly crown and wand to wear at dinner, (I totally did, too). The rest of the family got me gift cards, which I promptly spent the next morning on new running shoes (review to come).

Saturday as a birthday present to myself, I went for a run to test my new Garmin. It felt amazing! I could also tell I was out of shape, but it just felt great to RUN! I spent most of the 3 miles looking at my Garmin watching my pace and distance. Way too entertaining. It's a good thing I ran on the sidewalks. Oh, and I discovered that walkjogrun.net is not so accurate. My shin hurt somewhat after my run, but it was worth it!

Mother's Day we went to the Mariner's game. It was awesome! We got cheap seats in the LF Bleachers, which ended up being excellent. It was hot! We came home with a little sun, and all very happily exhausted.

And now, the big news:
I have been waiting for a week and a half for my MRI results. Waiting and waiting. They were supposed to get them last Tuesday. I called Thursday, and they didn't have them. I finally got the long awaited call this afternoon and....
the results were normal. Okay, this is techincally good news. Except now they don't know what caused the pain, and the lump and all that. The lady from the office who called said I could follow up with the doctor if I wanted. For what? If the MRI didn't show what was going on, what would?

For now, I'm focusing on the positive. It's not a stress fracture! And I am so going on a run tomorrow morning. We'll see how my leg handles that, and go from there.

100 Things about Me

2010-04-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

After reading a few other 100 things lists, I thought I'd give it a go since I have nothing running related to report. (unfortunately) We'll see if I can come up with 100!

100 THINGS ABOUT ME!

I am 28 years old
But my birthday is in just a few weeks, May 7th!
I love my birthday and presents
After becoming a mom, I have had to lower my expectations since the day no longer gets to be all about me. This was a difficult transition
I hated my name growing up because it was a boys name
When I complained to my mom, she called me Penelope for almost a year, which made me cry. Suddenly Kasey didn't seem so bad
My name was spelled "Casey" when I was born. My mom switched it when I was 4 months old
She wanted to switch it again when I was in high school to "Kaci" I told her to leave it alone
I am 5'10", the tallest girl in my family
My mom is 5'1"-I was taller than her in the 4th grade
I didn't want to get married until I was over 30
I got married when I was 20
We had our honeymoon in Florida
The highlights were the roller coasters and getting to help with the dolphin show at Busch Gardens
I didn't ever want kids
I have 3 kids
I am ridiculously competitive
It drives me crazy that my kids are so competitive with each other
My last real job before having kids was a Professional Snowboard Instructor
I was a snowboard instructor until I was 5 1/2 months pregnant
I love movies
I can't usually pass the shelf of $5 DVDs without buying one
My husband and I rarely have conversations without movie quotes thrown in
Yes, we are nerds
I love disaster movies-Volcano, The Day After Tomorrow, The Core, 2012. They make me laugh
Movies put me to sleep-I usually last less then 10 minutes
My middle toe is longer than my big toe
It is also shaped like an alien
I hold my pen between my index and middle finger
I love music
I grew up playing the piano, trumpet, violin and clarinet
I can still play the piano and the clarinet
The violin is very painful on the ears when you are learning
I got my first tattoo right after I turned 18
Now I have three
The only other tattoo I would consider would be a wedding band
I forget to wear my wedding ring a lot
My favorite color is blue
When I shop for clothes, I am usually in the mood for a certain color depending on the day
I have always made fun of my sister for being "type A"
My son is SO type A it is scary
God has a funny sense of humor sometimes
I love puzzles
Doing a puzzle with three little kids around is a challenge
I haven't tried a new puzzle in a while because of this
I am always cold, especially my feet
When I take an ice bath, I turn blue
I love to read
I tend to ignore the world when I have a new book
My husband doesn't like to read by me because I read faster
He once quizzed me on a chapter because he thought I was skimming to be faster
I won
Playing old maid growing up with my siblings, the cards were marked
I cried every time I lost for years
I didn't know the cards were marked until I was 20
My family is competitive
My husband's face when he first saw the winners dance was priceless(yes there is a dance)
We are also bad winners
I've gotten better since having kids
I still hate to lose
My husband won't play board games with me anymore
I like to color in my kids coloring books when they are asleep
I have my own box of crayons that I don't share to keep the tips nice
I am a little addicted to Facebook
I do not like any of the Facebook games like Farmville
I cannot stand the sound of crunching ice, or when the kids crunch suckers
I loved to crunch ice when I was pregnant
The sound was still horrible
I always tell everyone my husband is the same height as me
I think I am actually 1/4 inch taller
I wanted to marry someone over 6' so I could feel petite
I enjoy driving and drive most of the time, even when my husband is in the car
It bugs my dad that I drive when my husband is in the car
Wearing a dress makes me self conscious
I really like wearing skirts
It is hard to find skirts that are long enough when you are tall
I love ballet and used to dream about dancing professionally
A teacher flat out told me I was too big, which broke my heart
I still love it, and am enjoying teaching it
People who don't try their hardest drive me nuts
My running shoes are the only shoes I own that lace up
I would prefer to wear sandals over anything else
My kids make me laugh and make me want to scream all at once
I like my girls' hair to be fixed at all times-it bothers me when little girls look like they haven't had their hair brushed in a week
I rarely fix my own hair, and just leave it in a ball or bun
It bothers me when people mispronouce my daughters name, or spell my sons name wrong
I went out of my way to make them origional-what did I expect?
I lose my cell phone on a regular basis in my house
I am a picky eater
I do not like the taste of meat at all
I was a complete vegetarian until I was pregnant with my first
I had one beef craving with each pregnancy
I still only eat chicken if it is heavily seasoned and cleverly disguised to not taste like chicken
I have no idea how to cook anything meat related but chicken
My sweet tooth is my biggest hurdle to eating healthy
I love to bake, especially when I am stressed
My kids are picky eaters and it drives me crazy
I love the feeling of clean sheets
I hate doing dishes and only do them when my husband is out of town
The classic Scooby-Doo cartoons are still my favorites, but they still scare my kids

My Favorite Things

2010-04-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

I am missing running, no surprise there. What is making me smile is my running "stuff" that I am missing. For fun, I thought I'd make a list to see where it went.

Running Stuff

Lacing my shoes. They are my only shoes that lace. Isn't that funny?
My Balega socks. I love those socks.
My NEON YELLOW Brooks Vest. That vest is so LOUD I love to wear it!
My music-running is the best time I have to listen to my own music. Right now my ipod is getting used mostly for Ballet music-not nearly as fun
My running log, now I call it my exercise log. I liked it better when I was recording MILES not laps
My watch-I realized the only time I use a watch is when I run
Alone time-swimming laps is pretty solitary, but there are still people around that chat while you rest. I didn't realize how much I enjoy just being ME
Mountain Berry Shot Bloks for long runs

Good Stuff about NOT Running (this list will be short)

Less laundry
Charging my ipod less
My watch and sports bra tan lines are fading. (I'm actually pretty proud of those tan lines)

Wow, that's all I've got. Anyone have something to add to the list?

Blonde Mom Swims

2010-04-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

Blonde Mom no longer runs. I am still trying to wrap my mind around that one. I admit, I was in quite the funk this weekend. Seeing people out running in the sunshine made me jealous. My husband went for a run to meet us at the soccer game. Great for him-he is really wanting to get back into shape. It just made me jealous and sad. I don't handle being injured well.

Today was my first swim workout. I am not a great swimmer, but I am not bad either. I am thankful for an early morning lap swim time, so I can get a workout in. Last year when I started swimming laps in preparation for a sprint triathlon, I was humbled by the fact I could only do a lap without gasping for breath. I was pleasantly surprised today with being able to do my first 4 laps without a break. Not bad for having not gone swimming in 7-8 months.

There is a group of "elite" swimmers that are there daily. I ended up in one of the their lanes since the slower lanes were crowded. I did okay for a while, but was more than happy to scoot over when space allowed. A very nice lady clued me in on their workouts, and I knew they were beyond me right now. Not a problem. I've come to the conclusion that athletes in general are nice.

Aqua jogging
This was my first attempt at aqua jogging. I had read about it, and had the general idea. After swimming laps for 20 minutes, I went to the deep end with the float belt to give it a go. I felt like such a dork. I was the only person under the age of 60, which was funny. Everyone else was floating around chatting, I was trying to "run" intervals. I'm glad there aren't mirrors or anything at pools. I did 2:00 hard, 1:00 recovery figuring that would be like running 400's. Sort of. I didn't feel like I got a running work out, but I was tired by the end of 6 reps. I went back to swimming laps for the last 10 minutes.

I stopped after 45 minutes remembering last time I swam a full hour after not swimming for a long time, I was sore! I would like to be able to lift my arms tonight. So far, so good.

No news on the MRI yet. I am hoping they call with my appointment soon. After having the doctor poke at me, I have been more sore than ever. Praying the MRI will be soon, and will give an answer as to what is going on!

To avoid being all doom and gloom-who wants to start a Monday that way?

Goals for the week:

Be POSITIVE and not grumpy. It is not my family's fault I can't run!
Don't buy anything sweet, sugary, or pastry like.
Eat a fruit and/or vegetable at every meal!
No Baking! (it is a comfort thing-then I eat it)
Be THANKFUL that I am able to swim for exercise. It is way better than nothing!
Keep a food journal

My weight has been creeping up just a bit with my mileage being so low, and me eating a lot of sweets because of stress. I was somewhat embarrassed to get weighed at the doctors office. I am really going to work on making better choices is week. I'll keep you posted!

No News is Not Good News

2010-04-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

I had a reasonably good tempo run on Thursday morning. I just went by feel, trying to keep a relatively hard pace for 4 miles. I was very pleased to finish with just over an 8:00 average. I haven't lost all my speed! That was the good news. My shin started really hurting after 3 miles, worse than ever. It hurt when I got home for the rest of the day which hasn't been the norm.

I gave in and called the doctor. I really dislike doctors, especially when they tell me to take it easy! To my surprise, they fit me in the next day, (Friday morning). I do like the new doctor that I found, and she took her time and listened to what's been going on. She is an occasional runner, so she was understanding about me not wanting to give up running.

I didn't get my wish. She sent me in for an x-ray on that leg, but what has her really concerned is the lump that is next to the shin bone. It is not sensitive to the touch like a bruise, and is hard. Very weird. Well, it didn't hurt until she started poking at it. After that it did hurt.

I got the call about my x-ray this afternoon. Great news! All clear. Oh wait, not great news-they don't know what's wrong. Up next, MRI. Until I have the MRI and they figure out what is going on, no running. NO RUNNING! I knew it was coming, but it still is so hard to hear.

I can swim, and possibly use a stationary bike. No running, no elliptical, no stair climber. I even asked about rollerblading, just in case. No go. My race schedule is seriously in jeopardy. Okay, she told me flat out my May races werent' going to happen, and the Seattle RNR is unlikely. I'm going to ignore that last part until it's a sure thing.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter Everyone!

I am amazed that it is April already, and Easter. My family and I had a wonderful weekend. Unfortunately, it included no running. Or maybe that is a good thing. I'm resting like I should, right?

I got to take my youngest (call me Piggy!-not sure why she wants to be a piggy, but sure) on a date with my mom. We went to a gift shop and picked out a new snuggle for her, similar to her old one. She took picking it out very seriously. I wasn't sure she would be willing to replace Lily, but she picked out another frog named Tadbit. And best of all, SHE NAPPED! Praise God!

After shopping, we went in a shoe store that actually had a good supply of running shoes. Awesome! Chatted with the owner, got fit and discussed the problems I've been having. She was a great help and suggested the Asics Nimbus, but did not have my size. Probably a good thing as it is not in the budget for this week. Tried on the Cumulus which I liked okay, but want to wait and compare to the Nimbus. Thoughts?

The kids woke up EARLY this morning. I had to laugh when my husband informed them Easter didn't start until the sun came up. Church was wonderful, then we went and spent the day at my moms. The hunt was hilarious, and we all made ourselves sick on candy.

I am planning on running tomorrow morning, just to give it a try. If my shin is painful, I promised to call the doctor. I am hoping that only running 10 miles last week was enough! I am missing running so much. If it does still hurt, I guess it's time to start swimming. And dieting! I am still eating like I am running 30 miles per week. Time to hide the candy...

Good Friday

2010-04-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

I decided to run this morning feeling the need to get out and have ME time. It was AWESOME and so totally worth it. I did not give myself a lot of time, which was probably wise. The temptation to keep going was strong!

I ran less than 3 miles, and I definitely felt my shin. It didn't feel good, but it wasn't horribly painful either-just there. My stride felt normal, so I kept going. It felt amazing this morning! It was a perfect 37 degrees, and you could feel a storm coming in the air. The sky was bright red in the east. I mean BRIGHT RED! I wish I had a camera with me. It felt great knowing that I was one of the few people out and about to see that incredible start to the morning.

Then being able to watch as the clouds started rolling in, covering the red sky. It started to rain lightly and it just felt wonderful to be out and moving. My breathing easy, upper body relaxed, just enjoying the feeling of running in the early morning quiet. The clouds dropped lower and opened. It rained a little harder. No wait, now it's snowing. It didn't start coming down hard until I was 3 blocks from home. It worked out perfectly.

I came home relaxed, refreshed, and ready to be a much happier mom. My shin is hurting somewhat now, but I maintain it was worth it! There is something so incredible about experiencing a beautiful morning while running. It was a perfect way to start Good Friday, having that quiet time to be thoughtful and thankful.

Good Things

2010-04-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

My blogs this week have been real downers. I am not normally a negative person-at least, I try hard not to be. Yes, we all know it is not fun to be injured (I am not admitting I am officially injured), but who wants to read whining? I don't even like writing it, although I freely admit it feels good to vent. Venting to non runners doesn't really count since they don't get it.

So today's blog is going to be about GOOD THINGS!

New Runners World today! Let me hear a Woot Woot! And I showed more willpower than usual and did not read the whole thing in one sitting. It might last me until tomorrow.
Runners World has an article about dealing with being injured. It made me laugh. Oh the irony!
I got to sleep in two days in a row past 7am! Wow! I miss my morning run, but the extra sleep is something I could get used to.
And better yet, a cute 2 year old blonde barista took my coffee order in bed, and my husband delivered it. Good way to start the morning. (we make our own espresso at home)
That cute 2 year old finally took a nap today WITHOUT her SNUGGLE! Huge step, and will make my evening much better. (finding her snuggle would be even better. Lily is still missing!)
I got ALL the star coins on Super Mario Brothers Wii. For any of you that have that game, you know it is a huge deal! (sad, I know-but my son loves that game)

I have not run since Tuesday. I did ballet yesterday, and some ballet conditioning and core work today. (all no impact) My shin feels fine when I am walking around on it. Should I try running tomorrow? Just to see? I could go swim instead, but I have a hard time getting in a cold pool when it's cold outside. I know, I'm such a wimp.

Try to run? Or Swim? I don't know if I can handle three days in a row of sleeping in.

Lost!

2010-03-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

It has been a very traumatic day around here. Lily is lost. Who is Lily? My 2 year old's snuggle pet/blanket that she cannot sleep or live without. It is in our house somewhere, but we have turned the house upside down looking since yesterday afternoon and nothing. I'm sure any of you moms out there understand the implications of a missing snuggle. It has not been pretty. Added to the fact that the weather is still horrible, all three kids spent the morning crying and/or whining-spring break is not off to a great start.

As for running, I did go this morning. I realize I should have rested, but I just wanted to get out and try. How did I justify this? Surely it is just the shoes. I wore an older pair of my Asics to see how they felt. I ran down the block, and it hurt. So I turned around to head home. But wait, it doesn't hurt so much anymore! Keep running the other way, and maybe around the block. The big block. Ended with 3.65 miles.

My shin really felt okay until the last half mile which lulled me into thinking my shoes are just the problem. That still could be the case, (hoping) but my shin has been throbbing off and on since my run. Dang.

My husbands car broke down again, crabby kids and a toddler who won't sleep without her Lily, and a possible injury for me. Spring break, can I have a re-do?

(sorry for the whining this week. I'm working on it!)

March Showers bring April Flowers? Please?

2010-03-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Or better yet, BRING SUN!

It is spring break here. Yay! Except, the weather is not cooperating. Today it is raining and blowing like crazy. We are on a wind advisory all day, with gusts up to 55mph. Doesn't that sound fun? Three kids+no school+bad weather=restless grumps! I can tell I will need to get creative this week.

The good news, the rain held off for my run this morning. It was breezy, but not gale force winds which was great. Speed work in the wind makes a hard workout near torture. I did not have a super hard workout scheduled today, keeping in mind the fact that Saturday's run was TERRIBLE. Seriously body, get with the program here! The mind is willing, the body is whining.

And unfortunately, winning the battle for the moment. Saturday I set out for a "long" run of about 8 miles. The first two miles, my knee hurt. I told myself I would turn around if it didn't feel better by the end of town. It did, so onward I went. Then my left shin started hurting again at about the halfway point (isn't that always the case?). I ignored it, and tried to concentrate on my stride. I struggled to finish 7.8 miles. That annoyed me. I sat and stewed in my ice bath, angry at my shoes or my legs or whatever was making my runs so bad.

Sunday I rested and iced. Well, more or less. I was also on my feet a lot. *side note* I am a "yes" person (I'm working on that) so even though I had had a huge week, I had agreed to sing for a Haiti Benefit that was going on. Good cause, but huge time suck! I was gone all afternoon, and on my feet for a lot of it.

The grey morning suited how I felt about getting up this morning. But I was determined to get to the track, especially since I mentioned to one of the soccer moms that a few of us meet at the track Monday mornings. I couldn't not show! I normally run a 1.5 mile route to the track. Today, I cut it a bit short just wanting to get there. I was somewhat relieved to see that none of the regulars were there, and the soccer mom did not show.

I want to work on my speed so was starting with 200s. My first was almost 10 seconds slower than usual. Not a great start. On my second repeat, my left shin started hurting again. Uh oh. I tried one more, which made it very clear that speed was so not happening today. So here is what went on in my little brain-"I know! I'll do a fartlek. Nope, that hurt too. Bummer. I guess I'll just head home. Wait! It doesn't hurt so bad! Try to go fast again! Crap, still hurts. Go home. I know, I'll just try a tempo to get home faster. Oh, and add a few blocks. I might as well make it worth it! Okay, I added a mile. It isn't hurting so bad. (at home) I lied. It hurts."

Brain, you are a tricky thing, and not so smart sometimes. I am starting to worry about a stress fracture. The very thought makes me cringe. I have a visible bruise on my shin that has been there in varying degrees for a few weeks I think. I am a klutz, so I dismissed the mystery bruise. But it isn't going away, and is sort of a lump. Thoughts anyone? I told my husband I would call the doctor this morning, but am procrastinating. I don't like the doctor anyways, and especially not if they are going to tell me not to run! I know, not so smart. I'll call. Really. I am telling myself if I deal with it now, if it is an injury it can be dealt with before the Seattle RNR. But I don't want to waste money on the doctor if it is really just a bruise!

I am open to suggestions. Happy Monday-well, I'm trying.

Keep on moving on

2010-03-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

This morning I actually managed to drag my sorry behind out of bed for a run, (for the first time this week-wow!). I am typically a morning person and don't mind my early morning runs. It is my quiet time-often the ONLY quiet time I get in a day. I have been so tired this week, it just hasn't happened.

I wanted to get back into my routine and make it happen today, even if I still felt sleepy. And boy did I feel sleepy. It is way too easy to get used to sleeping until 7am! I did manage to get out the door by 6:00 which is a little later than usual, but I'll take it.

I did my 5 mile loop this morning, and by the end of it I felt like a runner again. Thank God! I knew my body just needed rest, but having a bad run is stressful to no end. Silly, I know. I did just race on Sunday-which already feels like forever ago.

My 5 miles was not fast, but it was not slow either. My feet remembered how to pick themselves up again instead of dragging and tripping their way along. (Tuesdays night run was really that bad) And now I am ready to start training again. I will take the rest of this week as a down week, but want to start picking it up again right away. Maybe. We'll see how it goes!

I am looking for a 10k or something of the like in April, but haven't found anything yet. I wish there were more races around here! A runner friend mentioned she might go to Trout Lake for the half marathon, just for the day. Oh..tempting. It is 3 hours from here, so I didn't want to drive it on my own, or pay for a hotel to go. I thought, perfect! I can do the 10k. Can I hop in the car with you?

But then I started thinking...if I'm going anyways, why not just do the half? I've already put in the mileage but haven't had time to work on the speed for a 10k. I did trout lake last year as my first half. It is a pretty flat course, only one little hill. (flat as a pancake if you compare it to Mercer!) Hmmm

I admit, I really hope she decides to go-and takes me too!

Recovery Blues

2010-03-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, calling it the blues may be a little overly dramatic. That being said, I am still feeling very "off". Monday I was seriously sore and walking like an old lady. I was proud to be so sore, and very willing to take Monday very easy with just normal activity. Tuesday morning I woke up to run and my joints were still hurting. My muscles felt better, but the bones in my left foot, my right shin, and left hip all ached so I turned off the alarm and figured I would take two rest days.

That seemed like a great plan, until the afternoon when it was sunny and 65 degrees. How can any runner resist that? I took my son to soccer practice, and left from there to do a 30 minute run. It felt like I hadn't run in a year. How is that possible? Aches, sore feet, and my stride felt weird. Even so, the weather was glorious and I was happy to be running.

This morning I set my alarm to run again. No go. I have never had a post race recovery like this. Normally I take one day off and start right back up again. My body has apparently decided not this time!

I am somewhat wary of the pain in my foot in particular-worrying about a stress fracture. I did a two hour ballet class this morning and aside from feeling tired, my body felt fine. I am planning on doing an easy run tomorrow, and hoping for the best.

Has anyone else ever had trouble bouncing back like this? It's kind of weirding me out!

PS My new runningskirt got here today. Very excited! For some reason I thought it had the shorts underneath, and not just briefs. Hmm. I clearly miss-read the website, looking at it now. I'm a little concerned about chaffing-thoughts? (even with bodyglide)

Mercer Island Half Marathon Recap

2010-03-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

We'll see if I can get this post written before my the end of Super Why on PBS, and therefore the end of my quiet time.

It was great to get out of town this weekend and have a much needed kid break. My mom came through and blessed us by keeping the kids so my husband and I could travel alone. We stopped in North Bend and met a couple of friends for shopping. Well, the girls shopped and the boys headed on their way for "guy time" aka video games.

After shopping, we headed to Mercer and picked up the race packet. Hubby was a little mistaken in the directions, so it took a while to find where we were supposed to be. Oh well. I got my packet, that was the important thing. I looked at the map, but did not take the time to drive the course. I knew the course was hilly, and at that point figured ignorance was bliss. I'm not sure if it was the right call or not, but I like to think I slept with less stress.

Going into the weekend, I was coming off a two day migraine. Not fun, and I had missed my last two training runs. I was still head achy Sunday morning when I woke up, but it wasn't a migraine anymore. It did make it hard to eat breakfast, well that and nerves. I am not great about eating before a race, although I know it affects my energy later on.

We got to the race in plenty of time. In fact, too much time. Time to stand around and get cold! I did get to meet fellow bloggers Mel, Jill, Kerrie, and Zoe! Good thing Mel stands out in a crowd, she was easy to find. :) I chatted with Mel and Jill while we waited, and waited in line for the bathroom once more. We headed to the start, and realized how packed the start was. Oops! Should have gotten down there sooner. It was crowded!

It took a few minutes to cross the start, and off we went! I ran with Jill the first mile and part of the second, then lost her in the crowd. It was hard to weave around so many people! This was by far the largest race I have ever done, so I wasn't used to weaving around people the whole race.

The first 6 miles went great. I was relaxed, holding a good conservative pace I could keep, hoping for lots in the tank for the second half. The support at the water stations was good, although with so many people it was crowded. Then there was the people who just stood there drinking their water blocking the table. Um, keep walking people!

Mile 7, I really started feeling those hills. Ouch! My calves and left hip really started to hurt. I started trying to do the math in my head to keep my mind occupied, and to push up to the top of each hill telling myself I would get a rest on the downside. Then I tried to push hard until each water stop, promising myself I could walk through the water stops.

Mile 10 I was getting tired! This is normally when I bonk unfortunately. I was still doing okay, my legs were just starting to feel heavy and my hip hurt. Then we started up the big hill. It just didn't end. Most of the people around me were stopping to walk. That was hard enough to push through, but they were walking in the middle of the road, without much room to get around them. More people weaving. Trying to weave around people when everything in me wanted to stop and walk too was HARD. I wanted to stop.

I kept running, but it turned into a shuffle. My feet weren't wanting to pick it up! Miles 11 and 12 felt like forever. Just keep moving! I knew if I stopped to walk, it would be all over. At this point, my sub 2 hour was out of reach, but I still wanted to push hard.

My last mile was slow-a 10:something. I didn't mark the split. Finally going up the hill into the finish corral I gave it the best kick I had. However, the people in front of me were not going as fast. I tried to move around a couple of girls in front of me, but they were not overly cooperative. Oh well.

Finish time by my watch: 2:04:21 9:17 Average (13.3 miles)
chip time: 2:05 9:30 Average

Walking up the big hill to the tent was horrible. My calves were a knotted mess. I was proud of my finish time though. It wasn't the sub 2 hours I was after, but I know I gave it the best I had on the toughest course I have ever run.

things I learned:

Hills are HARD!
Eat more breakfast, even when it doesn't sound or taste good.
Even if it feels cold at the start, don't wear a coat. It was in my way the whole race
A big race means weaving around people-and that you will run further then 13.1
I need to keep working on picking up the pace on the last few miles of long runs when I feel tired.
Eat afterwards even when I don't feel like it. I make this mistake after most races, and always pay for it with a sick stomach.

Things I did Well:

I did not start out too fast
I kept pushing myself to the finish
I did well on the uphills until the last one and passed a lot of people. It made me feel strong!

I am sore today, but it is a good sore knowing I gave the race everything I had! The only soreness that concerns me a little is in my left foot, the bones on the outside of my foot are sore. Hoping it is just from the race, and nothing more serious.

Next up:
A 10K race in May, and hopfully one in April too if i can find one.
Seattle RNR Half Marathon in June

Training plans to come.

Who Am I?

2010-03-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

Profound title, I know, but this has been something that has been going through my mind lately as more things are being added to my plate.

So who am I? Wife. Mom. Runner. Dancer. Teacher. Soccer Mom. Chef. Laundress. Maid. (to name a few)

How do we balance it all? How do we know when it is just too much? How do we find that perfect ratio of things that make us better wives/moms/athletes without overdoing?

I love my husband. We have been married almost 9 years, and he has been a huge help to me as I am finding my footing in this new schedule. My kids have been understanding on the outside, but we have been facing some escalating attitude issues we have not dealt with before. Is it too much?

My runner self feels a little bi-polar. I'll have a great running day where I feel like I can tackle anything! And then a day that feels like I shouldn't even bother to run at all if I can't finish that workout. Where's the balance?

Teaching ballet has been a good thing. It feels good to see improvement in my classes, and to know that they are working harder than they ever have. My legs are handling the extra workload well, and my feet are getting stronger. That will make me a better runner. I haven't seen the weight loss I was hoping for with the added exercise, but perhaps that will come.

Spring soccer has started for my son, which he is ecstatic about. He was up by 6am Saturday morning for an 11am game. It was a long morning. I love that my kids want to be active and busy. It's finding the balance with my activities as well.

Adjustments need to be made as schedules change. For me, that also means learning to say "No". Such an easy thing, but it is so much easier to say "yes". For example, I was asked to teach 3 Friday night dance classes, including Jazz. I have never taken Jazz. I told my boss this, and she was unconcerned, figuring I could work with their recital piece. Classes went fine, however by saying yes to that, I unwittingly said "no" to something else. My daughter had her preschool open house. No problem, it started at 6:30, classes were done at 6:30. I would just be a few minutes late. Oops-open house started at 6:00pm, and I missed most of the activities. She enjoyed doing the things with Daddy, but I felt bad.

Another adjustment that makes me sad, but is the right choice, is postponing my first full marathon. I will now be doing the Seattle RNR half, and waiting to do a full in the fall. Probably Portland. As much as this makes me sad, putting my dream on hold, I also realize that this will relieve stress for myself and my family. Trying to find training time that isn't there when I am already slow on prep time doesn't seem like a great idea. Plus, it does give me a chance to keep focusing on my half marathon time and to do some shorter races this spring also.

Mercer Island is this weekend, and I am nervous! I have been spread so thin that I have not given my training my all. Can I still get my sub 2:00 half? I want that so badly. I will give it the best I have on race day, and we'll just see. And I will make my workouts this week as quality as I can in preparation.

Today's workout was fabulous-6x400 @ sub 1:50 (1:47, 1:46, 1:47, 1:46, 1;45, 1:45). I felt great for all the repeats, even though I did my long run yesterday. I added 2x400, 2x200 that I ran with a friend at a slightly slower pace.

I'm Alive! and Kicking

2010-02-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

Wow. I mean wow. So sorry for the serious lack of blogging. I have been lurking and trying to keep up with everyone else, but that's about it. My in-laws were in town for a long (really long) weekend. The kids were happy to see them, but it was a lot of stress and work for me. On PMS week. Not great timing. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am super clumsy during PMS. I can't even tell you how many bruises I have on my legs and hips from running into everything. Hello door frame! Frantically cleaning for my very type-A neat freak mom-in-law while running into everything was interesting.

I have been keeping up with my running, with a few schedule changes. I got 14.7 miles in on Saturday before going to play with the grandparents. Of course, all I wanted to do was lay down on the couch. Does anyone else have a hard time being productive after long runs? I'll admit that the last two miles of that run were HARD. I was eyeing the different places I could stop and use the phone to call for a ride. Glad I finished though.

Next big news, I got a job! One I was not at all looking for, although I freely admit we could really use the added income. I have stayed home with my kids from the beginning, so I haven't had a job in almost 7 years! How weird is that? And my last job was as a Snowboard Instructor. This new job is similar, sort of. I was hired to teach Ballet at a studio in town. Now, as previously mentioned I used to dance. I am not fantastic, but know the technique relatively well. A friend teaches hip-hop there, and mentioned they might be interested in more help. I thought I could maybe assist in a ballet class. (I have seen their recitals, and the ballet is BAD. Great hip-hop, jazz studio, but their ballet is horrible). I ended up being thrown in to teach a class of 18 11-13 year old (haha) as a working interview. Uh yeah. Apparently it went okay, because I was hired to teach all the Ballet classes to focus on technique. The owner will continue to work on their choreography, which is fine by me. So I will be teaching 3 nights a week.

And so begins a new juggling act of adding this into our schedules. I think we can make it work, and I love that I have a job where I get to exercise the whole time. I will keep my same training program, and just consider the extra few days of ballet cross-training. I admit I have been tired this week. An extra 2-3 hours of exercise a day is a lot, but I am excited for the opportunity.

A Mile 2 Months in the Making

2010-02-16T12:01:00.001-08:00

I'll get to that in a moment. First I'll post on my interval workout yesterday. My schedule called for 4x800 @10k pace. I had that written down to be 4:00, so 8:00 pace. I don't know if I ran my intervals too fast, or my goal time was too slow. Either way, I didn't get close to 4:00-can't complain!

3:38
3:38
3:40
3:39
3:36-felt so good, added one more. Probably would have added another, but my family came to the track.

Which brings me to the mile. 2 months ago, my husband bragged that he could run a 9:00 mile right now if he wanted to. He has not run at all in 9 years. Yes, 9 years. Nor does he do any other kind of exercise. So, I laughed at him and told him I'd love to see him try. I kept suggesting going to the track to get it done, but things kept coming up.

Well, what better time to make good than a 3 day weekend? He knew it was time to make good on his boast. He took a lap to warm up, and I timed him. His first lap he was a little fast-which I let him know. I ran with him the second lap-not pacing, just encouraging. After that he was on his own, since my girls were having a sand fight in the long jump pit.

Hubby walked once during lap three, twice during lap 4 but just for a short while. He really gave it his all! I ran the last 200 meters with him, trying to help him give a good finishing kick. Final time, 9:37:55. He missed his time, but did finish a mile.

I admit it was a little hard not to laugh at him seeing spots and feeling like he was going to pass out at the end. However, I remember well what that first running mile felt like when I was so out of shape. Hubby was red faced even an hour later, and sore this morning.

The best part is, he is thinking maybe we should do a family day at the track every week and maybe he will start trying to run on my off days. Great idea-we'll see if he can get out of bed! A morning person he is not. I think the running bug is taking root.

Where are you?

2010-02-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

Motivation-where have you gone? Not so long ago I treasured my early mornings alone. Some days I was sleepy, but that first block always had me awake and ready to tackle everything. Is it burnout? Is it sleep deprivation? Or is it the constant gloom of winter that we have found ourselves in? I think there has only been one day in the last month that it has not rained.

No matter the cause, it is time to snap out of it! I am ready to train hard and give it my all. Grumbling at having to get up at 5:30am is not going to benefit my running, or my life in any way. Negative thoughts, time to go away now-and I mean it. I am tougher than you.

After arguing with my alarm for 15 minutes this morning, I did get out of bed to run. That was a victory. It was only a 30 minute tempo, but it felt like so much more. The good news is, my watch was found-that excuse is over. (until a short person relocates it again)

1 mile warmup felt good and on the way, I decided I needed a change. I went a different route which meant I had no idea where my mile splits would be. I thought that might be for the best and I would just give it what I had for 30 minutes, and plug in the time and distance later. (This is where a Garmin would be fantastic-I am hopeful for my birthday).

30.03 = 3.83-5.25 miles total
7:50 average!

No wonder I was feeling it towards the end! I was going 40 seconds faster than my pace! I felt good knowing I could hold a faster pace, but I have got to learn some consistancy. Next time I need to mark splits. I am proud of this tempo run and knowing that I worked hard and gave it my all when I really didn't want to.

The easiest place to do that is the greenway since it has markers every 1/2 mile. I will be glad when it is light enough to run there and feel safe!

Confession

2010-02-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make. I skipped my tempo run. Yep, totally skipped it. I had several weak excuses, my number one being I still hadn't found my watch. A tempo run is a waste of time without a watch, right? My two year old fell out of bed this morning at 4:30, and I had just gotten back to sleep when the alarm went off. It didn't take much to talk me out of a cold, dark run.

*My two year old fell out of her bed and started screaming. I rush to her aid, and hug her until she's calm. She informs me, "that bed kicked me out. Or my pets. That isn't nice. Night night" and was back to sleep before I left the room. Her pets are the stuffed animals she (and her sister) insists on sleeping with. They each have 10-15 in their bed and can't live without them.

I slept in until my husband gave me the not so subtle hint that it was 7:30, and he needed to go, could I be so kind as to deal with the kids? Oops. Thursday is my usual off day/cross training day so I'll just switch. No harm done.

To make myself feel better for missing my run, and my poor eating habits lately-that is a whole other blog!-I went to the adult Ballet class I used to frequent. It was hard work, but I enjoyed it a lot. I took my girls with me, and they behaved beautifully. That last time I tried, it was not so successful. My muscles handled the barre work well-the ballet conditioning at home has paid off! The dancing center work was a little slower to come back. I felt a bit awkward, large and clumsy. Oh well, it was a solid 2 hour workout, so it took care of my cross training for the day.

Up for tomorrow: the Tempo Run.....report to follow

"Thank God you're Crazy!"

2010-02-09T09:15:00.000-08:00

This was my husbands quote yesterday. It made me laugh out loud. We were at Costco, and passed by the display of flowers. He commented that he had something in mind to get me for Valentine's Day, but it wasn't romantic. He gave me a look that said, "will that get me in trouble?" Then decided to tell me, my Race Fee! I told him I loved it, and it was romantic to me! To which he loudly proclaimed, "Thank God you're crazy!" in the middle of Costco. Between that and me laughing, we got some looks.

In my mind, romance isn't about what you get-it's the motivation behind it. Flowers are nice, but die. Jewelry is great, but not realistic to our budget. Most people I know would think a race fee is totally unromantic. Paying for you to run and feel miserable? For me, it is the perfect gift. As we all know, race fees are not cheap. I would love to race a lot, but the lack of races in my area and the already hefty fees make that difficult. My husband knows me well-that I want to race, but don't want to stretch an already tight budget to make it happen.

Today's run was the usual easy 4.5 mile loop, and my first run in my new shoes. The lure of the new shoes was the motivation I needed to get up this morning.

SHOE REVIEW: Saucony Progrid Guide 3
They were horrible. They hurt my feet before I had made it half a mile. It felt like running on rocks, and I don't know why. They felt like they had enough cushion when I jogged around the store, but they seriously hurt! I am a mid foot striker, and every time I landed on my forefoot pain shot through my feet and shins. I found myself trying to adjust my stride which made it worse. Not good. I ended up cutting my run short by a block because I couldn't do it anymore. I debated walking, but decided to speed up instead to make it home.

I guess I get to go for a drive again this weekend to return them, and back to the drawing board. I will try them once more for my easy run Friday and see if they feel better.

Hills, Speed, and other Good Things

2010-02-08T12:55:00.000-08:00

How is it already Monday again? I always thought stay at home moms, you know, stayed at home. Somehow that isn't quite the case as busyness takes over.

Since I have been out of bloggyland since Tuesday, (yikes!) quick recap on my week.

Wednesday: Tempo run. I had anxiety dreams the night before this run. Tempos are so mental for me. Or maybe I'm just mental-either way. 6.3 miles total, splits: 8:28, 7:57, 8:08, 8:37, 7:43. I have got to work on my pace consistency!
Thursday: I taught Ballet Conditioning again, and it went FANTASTIC! My class grew by word of mouth, people are loving the work out. It makes me feel good.
Friday: 4.5 miles started off slow, my legs didn't want to move. A downpour of rain got me moving faster, last mile was a 7:30. I just wanted to be dry!
Saturday: 9.8 miles. I ran from my house to my mom's to fit it into our Saturday play schedule, looking for 90 minutes (60 min easy, 30 at pace). I was congratulating myself on my planning, thinking I had planned this just splendidly. Started in at pace doing fine, not feeling too tired-until I hit the hill. The holy crapola that is a big hill. I should have thought this plan out better. Gah! I didn't even check my pace, but I pushed as hard as I could while still breathing! (pats back) I actually got to my destination too fast, and needed to add on a bit. Success! 9:17 average overall.
Monday: 4.25 miles Speed work at the track. I could not find my watch! What a Monday! Finally I had to make a choice, scrap the run as time was getting short, or just go with feel. Knowing I had NO TIME to make it up-I went for it. 8x400 sub 1:50. I felt good through the workout, and might have added a couple of repeats if I had more time. Guessing on my times of course, but I think I totally nailed it. Came home, changed, ate a Cinnabon (bad bad bad) and went to Circuits. (the Cinnabon guilt helped with motivation-why are those SO GOOD?) 1 hr circuits class=hard core! It is one of those things that can be as easy or hard as you want. After a weekend of bad food choices, I went as hard as I could! Hopefully it at least worked off the frosting.

*NEW SHOES NEW SHOES NEW SHOES

I got new shoes on Saturday. After much deliberation, I decided on the Saucony Progrid Guide 3. I am excited to have new shoes, but wary that these will work. I really hope they work! Shoe review to come tomorrow after my easy run.

What Do You Want for Valentine's Day?

2010-02-02T09:46:00.001-08:00

My husband was whining about what they expect you (meaning men) to pay for Valentine's Day roses. Over $100 most places. I pointed out that Costco has a reasonable deal of 3 dozen with a vase for $65. I also pointed out that I don't expect him to pay that much money for flowers. His comment back was right on: "I'd be better off spending the money on something you can lace up or a race fee." Running shoes or a race fee? Sounds like a perfect Valentine's Day gift to me!

Today's run: Easy 4.6 mile loop, 44:00 or so. I couldn't find my watch this morning. Foggy, grey, and gloomy. It was a good run to zone out. Fog has a funny effect that way-it makes everything feel slow. My shoes are feeling very dead-I was feeling achy in my knee and shins.

February Mileage: 9.6
2010 Total: 150

Does anyone else want to shoot the groundhog when he sees his shadow? Me neither, just checking.

I am still Thinking Spring!

Monday Monday Monday!

2010-02-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday! Okay, I am trying really hard to make it a happy Monday. I have three kids with coughs, and one with a possible ear infection. I'm thinking it is a pajama day! And maybe I'll find enough floor to vacuum. Maybe.

Weekend recap:
Saturday's long run summed up: Sluggish. It took me until 10am to even get out the door because I was tired! My training schedule said 90 min, last 30 min faster, but I had mentally planned on 13 miles. I came close to that last weekend, but didn't actually hit 13. In hindsight, should have done the 90 min. I was tired by mile 6-that is never good. I did a loop because I didn't want to wimp out! (I would have, too) I finished, but with an 11 min mile pace-sad! Time, 2:14 and my legs felt like lead.

Possible Fixes:
-better fuel! I have been using Shot Blocks, but ran out. I used Sport Beans and didn't feel a boost at all!
-Knowing I was tired, should have done the shorter run-live to run another day!

I am hoping just getting the miles in will make a difference in my next long run! During my first half training, I remember we did do a drop down in mileage week-but when should that be done? It is not on my schedule. Thoughts?

Sunday I got to go shopping in Tri Cities with my mom! So fun to have a kid free day, and much needed. I found some GREAT deals on clothes at American Eagle. It made me excited about spring/summer clothes. Also went shoe shopping for new running shoes. I was fitted for the Saucony ProGrid Guide 3. I didn't buy them yet-still thinking. Mostly I'm thinking I should have bought them!

January Recap:
36.8 miles last week (highest of the month)
140.4 for the month!

Today, Hill Repeats! Schedule called for 8, but I felt good (and was having Oreo guilt) so I did 10! 2.6 mile warm up, faster than easy pace (9:00ish) 10x hill repeats, 5.0 miles total!

I was supposed to go to a Core workout class this morning, but sick kids means no-go. I will do my best to make it happen during naps! Feeling the need to step it up!

Bad Tempo, Bad

2010-01-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

My friend and running buddy is pregnant with her third baby, which is great news for her. For me, I keep losing my running buddies to pregnancy. So sad. She has a history of miscarriages, so has been taking it very easy-which drove her insane in less than a week. Yep, she's a runner. Yesterday we met for a very easy 4 miles. We kept it at a light jog for the first 20 minutes, then jog/walk for the return route. It was great to catch up, and it was a recovery day for me anyways.

I have not been sleeping well. I have no idea why this is. I fall asleep great which lasts until about midnight. Then I wake up every hour all night. And I've been waking up with the munchies! Not because I'm hungry, but because I'm awake and bored! Gah!

I bring this up, because todays tempo run was a huge FAIL. Okay, not a full fail. I'll give it a C. Maybe. I woke up tired and considered going back to bed, but the weather was ideal: 36 degrees and cloudy, no rain. No such guarantees for tomorrow. (it is pouring right now-you'd think this was Seattle!)

I had planned a mile and a half warmup to get to an area where I could mark splits. I had to stop after 2 blocks to fix my shoes. After half a mile, I had a sideache. What?!?!? Half a mile of easy running! What in the world? I tried to run through, but it was a doozy. Fine. I walked until it went away. Ran two more blocks, side ache is back. Seriously!!! This continued the whole warmup!!!! I considered just going home. I was so frustrated! Knowing how the rest of my week is looking, I knew I needed to at least give it a shot. 40 min tempo, goal pace 8:30.

Mile 1: 8:56 it felt terrible. I don't know what is wrong.
Mile 2. 8:43 I want to quit.
Mile 3-5, I stopped checking my watch because of my negative attitude. I covered it with my coat, and decided to go by perceived effort and hope for the best. I pushed as best I could and more importantly, pushed as much of the negativity out as I could! I turned up my ipod as loud as I dared, and gave it the best I had today.

Tempo: 4.8 miles 39:50
Somehow out of that disaster, I still came out with an 8:29 average. I think my last mile was fast, just wanting to be home!

Total distance, 6.8 miles
January total 119.9

What did I learn from this? I don't know why I was having sideaches, but I do know I need to stick with it and work hard to reach my goals. Somedays that is much easier said than done!

Monday Speed

2010-01-25T10:56:00.001-08:00

Winter is back. After the wonderful sun on Saturday, it was hard to see snow coming down last night. Then freezing rain. I was all geared up to do speed on the treadmill this morning. I poked my head out the door, saw the rain, and got dressed in gym clothes. When I went out to start the car it was only a light drizzle and not icy. Change of plans! To the track!

On the schedule was 8x400 @ 1:50
I did 1.5 mile warm up on my way to the track. The track is always empty in the morning, which is nice. It was however, dark and foggy. Wish they had lights!

Intervals:
1:48
1:49
1:48
1:47
1:46 felt like I was going slow so I pushed it
1:45
1:46
1:44 wow, go me. decided to add one more
1:45 Okay, legs are dead now

Last week my times were a little slow, running in lane 5-6. Today felt good. I think if I had warmed up with some strides and high knees, I could have started the first few faster. Oh well. Very happy that I got faster as I went, and finished strong!

Long Run

2010-01-25T10:42:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else wake up Monday morning, and wonder where the weekend went? I'm pretty sure it happened, but how can it be over already?

Saturday morning my husband had to work for a few hours which postponed my long run. I am a morning runner not because I love getting up early, but because it is the time I have. Even on the weekends I find it so much easier to start my day with a run, rather than carve the time out later in the day. It is too easy for me to feel lazy later in the afternoon.

Hubby got home around noon, and I should have started out the door. I didn't. I ate and talked on the phone with my sister for an hour. Suddenly it's 2pm. Maybe I should just skip it. This is why I run in the morning before I have time to talk myself out of it!

Thankfully, the sun was out. The sun was out! It was almost 50 degrees and there was sun! Something we have not seen much of around here the last month. That was more convincing then anything else. I did what I often do when I'm not in the mood to run long-start and promise myself I can turn back if it's awful. I did an out and back route for this very reason.

I listened to "Born to Run" on my ipod while I ran, keeping a nice easy pace. The sun felt glorious. I was running in a tank top and capris. So much better than winter layers! I am enjoying listening to "Born to Run". It was interesting and motivational to hear about ultra-runners-definitely a whole different breed!

Stats: 12.5 miles
1:06 minutes out
1:00 back
Last mile, 8:37 (hugely proud of this, my legs felt tired!)

My legs felt tired, but good afterwards. I suffered through an ice bath knowing my muscles were tired. The only sore part of me Sunday was my feet! They hurt bad enough that I wore flip flops to church, even though it had turned winter again and was in the 20's. Does anyone else get very sore on the balls of your feet? It is always on the inside of my foot that it hurts. I feel it when I lift up my toes. Thoughts?

Tempo Thursday

2010-01-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday! For whatever reason, I keep thinking it is Friday. Wishful thinking, I know. Yesterday morning I had a tempo run on my schedule. My alarm went off at 5am as usual, and I lay there deciding if I was getting up. I had a headache and the thought of a tempo run in the rain just made me want to hide. So I stayed in my nice dry bed instead. No problem, Thursday is normally my planned cross training day and off day for running. I'll just switch. Well, the cross training didn't happen. My headache turned into "that time of the month". Does watching movies with a hot pack on my stomach, and an ice pack on my head count as cross training? It takes coordination!

This morning I was determined to knock out my tempo run. I have been struggling with my ability to keep the pace, and I needed a confidence booster! I did my warm up and started my tempo, goal pace 8:30.

Mile 1 9:02 oops-way slow. Wake up legs!
Mile 2 7:48 Not that much!
Mile 3 7:52
Mile 4 8:36 going out too fast catching up with me!
Mile 5 8:12 Got a break during a red light, so that helped
Mile 6 9:09 Half was at cool down pace

Wow, I really need to work on keeping a consistent pace. I felt all over the place. I would feel myself slowing down, then speed up and try to make up for it. I knew the basic locations of my mile markers, but I don't really have a way to check my pace aside from feel. I guess that is a big part of tempo runs, getting used to the feel of the pace! (I still want a Garmin)

Today it felt not great. It felt hard, not only in physical effort, but to keep my mind to put up with the effort! Everything in me wanted to just do an easy run. During mile 4 when I wanted to slow down and walk, I thought-I really don't want to blog that I walked!

I was so relieved to be done. Got home, showered, dressed myself and kids, took one to kinder, took another to preschool, checked the third in childcare, and went to workout number 2. My normal cross training for Thursdays is the workout class at the preschool. Now it probably would have been smart to skip, but I knew it was the core strength class, which I really need! I do core at home but it ends up being 10 minutes here or there. This was a solid hour of core, arm and leg strength. I'm feeling a little like gumby this afternoon.

Miles for today: 6.4
Miles for 2010: 86.0

FinishLine Rant

2010-01-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

No, not the fun type of finish line that we all love crossing after we've given it our all-the other kind. The store. I have kept my frustration to myself for the most part, (aside from my husband) but I am seriously mad at this point!

Several months ago I bought a pair of shoes at finishline, because we don't have any other options in town that carry running shoes. I bought them with the understanding I could return them. Well, when I returned them they would only give me store credit, or an exchange. I exchanged for a different pair that they had to order, and ended up with the difference ($45) on a gift card. So here I am stuck with this gift card. Fast forward to before Christmas.

Time for a new pair of shoes, and I need to get rid of this gift card. I try to order my usual Asics 2140 online with a Visa gift card my in laws gave me. The website wouldn't work. Okay, I was patient. I tried again, did the whole order. It said the transaction would not go through. Huh. So I tried twice more, wondering why it wouldn't work. The transaction didn't go through, but they DID charge my card all three times!!!! Gah! So now, all my Christmas money is gone, and I still don't have any shoes.

I sent 4, yes 4 emails over the course of a week. Each confirmation email said I would get a response within one business day. I have yet to hear from them. I tried to call, and was put on hold so long I couldn't do it(all you moms know how it is on the phone with kids). After 2 weeks, the money was reimbursed. Maybe it was just the holiday rush. I'll give them one more chance. Same thing, didn't process but charged my card. So I went into the store and just ordered right there. The card went through fine. Great! Nightmare over, and never buying from them again!!! My shoes should get here in a few days.

Okay, 2 weeks. *sigh* If it hadn't been for that store credit, I would have ordered from running warehouse! They were cheaper and I get my shoes in two days! UPS finally came tonight. Joy oh Joy! New Shoes! Of course I rip into the box right away, and slip them on my feet...

And my toes hit the end. Seriously? I check the box-Size 10 Asics 2140. The same shoes I own 4 pairs of. Weird. I put on my usual running socks and lace them up. They are definitely short. I try on one of my old shoes, and one new and put my heels against a wall. There is a half inch difference in length!

So now what to do? Finishline won't return emails, and I don't want to waste a whole day on hold! My biggest issue is, I don't want store credit or an exchange. I just want to take my business elsewhere! I am open to suggestions. I do not like being mean or angry to customer service people after working retail, but I am so frustrated!

It has been a month, and I still don't have new shoes. Rant over.

Long Run Saturday

2010-01-16T13:43:00.001-08:00

Today was one of those mornings that is was hard to get up and out the door. It wasn't even early, but staying home in warm pajamas just sounded awesome. I am thankful I was meeting a friend at 7:30 this morning, or my run may have been postponed or shortened.

It was 35 degrees this morning, with a light drizzle going on-so not too bad. I had planned a loop route, but since I was feeling a little on the lazy side, I changed it to an out and back for an easy option to turn early if the skies opened. Thankfully, the rain held off and we got our miles in.

I ran with a friend who I have only run with a few times, and typically with someone else also. I had forgotten that she is FAST and a little on the impatient side. Now, I don't mean that in a bad way-I adore this friend, but I realize that we are not well matched for most long runs. I run at a pretty steady easy 10:00 mile pace. That feels uncomfortably slow to her. If I try to keep pace with her the whole time, I get tired.

We ended up with a pretty good compromise I think. We ran the first 4 miles together, then she took off ahead and I enjoyed some music on my ipod. After the turnaround, we ran together for another mile or two, then she took off for home ahead of me.

Stats for the run: 10.4 miles, 1:40:21

I think she will be a fantastic friend to run with as my conditioning improves training for Mercer Island. Keeping the pace on longer tempo runs and long runs is hard for me. How great to have someone to help push the pace when I get tired and want to slow down!

Right now I am enjoying being back in comfy pj's and having my legs up on my couch, and the lovely quiet of nap time. The only thing that would make it better would be if someone would deliver some onion rings. Does anyone else crave salt and grease after long runs? Normally I am a sugar person, but not on long run days.

Ballet Conditioning

2010-01-15T12:41:00.000-08:00

I taught Ballet Conditioning for the first time yesterday. A friend and occasional running partner teaches step aerobics and core rhythm classes twice a week and asked me to teach to add variety and difficulty. I was very nervous. I can sing in front of a group and be fine, but speaking is a whole other thing. Isn't that funny?

Despite my nerves and shaking, the class went very well. We had a surprisingly good turnout of more than 15 women, (mostly moms from the preschool). I got a lot of positive feedback which made me feel great for having stepped way out of my comfort zone!

Ballet Conditioning is a fantastic workout. I have found that it does amazing things to strengthen my knees, hips and ankles for running. Having had surgery on my bad knee once, this is a great way to prevent further injury. Not to mention what it does for your core! When done correctly, every move you make with your feet or arms-affects your core. I admit, it felt pretty good today to see various facebook status updates reflecting sore muscles.

I will be teaching once a month, which is a great motivation for me to keep up my cross training. I don't want to be up front teaching, having my muscles quiver with effort. More importantly, I know it will help my running. I try to remind myself that when I am tired and sore, and cross training just does not sound as appealing as curling up with a nice book.

This morning I had an easy 4 1/2 mile run. It was one of those runs that aside from the cold, was just relaxing. I was enjoying the music on my ipod, and even enjoying the crisp chill of the air-a welcome break from the rain.

Tomorrow I talked my occasional running buddy into 10 miles with me. I am hoping to do 11 total, but it will depend on time. My schedule calls for 90 minutes-what do you think of runnign for time vs. running for mileage? Praying the rain waits until lunch time to avoid a soggy run, but having a buddy to run with will make a huge difference either way!

Favorite Recipe

2010-01-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe for my favorite dinner. It isn't difficult, (which is good for me) and is so good!

Homemade Gnocchi (potato pasta)
1 1/2 cups prepared instant mashed potatoes, cooled
1 Egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2-2 cups all purpose flour

combine mashed potatoes, egg and salt: mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and mix until dough begins to form into a ball. Turn dough out onto cutting board; knead lightly until smooth. Sprinkle additional flour over surface as needed to form a dough that is not sticky or dry.
Divide dough into six equal portions, roll each portion into a 1/2 inch thick log across length of cutting board (like a long snake).
Use a pizza cutter cut each log into 3/4 inch pieces, forming pillow-shaped gnocchi.
Carefully drop gnocchi into boiling water. Once gnocchi rises, boil 2 miles. about 4 min total. Darin in large colander.

Walnut Pesto
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

microwave walnuts 1-2 minutes, stirring after each 30 seconds, until fragrant and lightly toasted. place walnuts and basil on cutting board. finely chop together. combine basil mixture, oil, pressed garlic, salt and pepper.
Add pesto to cooked gnocchi, mix gently. Grate Parmesan cheese over gnocchi.

*I don't measure the pesto exactly-I use a whole package of basil, and probably more walnuts too. Just guess until it looks and tastes good! (sorry, that's how I cook)
I love this recipe. Very simple, and pretty fast too. The kids like to "help" make the snakes. The gnocchi is low fat-I use the Costco instant mashed potatoes, and do the low fat recipe.

As for my running self:
I had a 30 minute tempo scheduled for today. I had to do the treadmill because of torrential freezing rain. I had a very hard time feeling comfortable with my rhythm and my pace. the treadmill makes the pace seem harder, and seemed hard on my legs today. I did 5 miles total, 32 minutes at 8:30 pace with one 30 second break in the middle. Why is it easier to cheat and take a break on the treadmill? I would have toughed it out had I run outside. I think.

Let it Begin...

2010-01-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

Hello Blogging Buddies! It is so great to see a few people are actually reading my ramblings. I am trying to get better about the length of my ramblings-ha!

-Yesterday was my first day on my training schedule, and first speed workout in a while. It felt like it! 7x400 goal pace 1:50. Splits: 1:53, 1:51, 1:51, 1:52, 1:51, 1:50, 1:52-I am actually pleased with these times, since I was running in lanes 5-6. They were the only ones clear of snow. 5.8 miles total

-Today I woke up to pouring rain, so feeling a little wimpy I went to the gym. I go to a small little gym that is never busy. Today all the treadmills were full. I didn't figure in the New Years crowd. I grudgingly got on a bike for 12 minutes until a treadmill opened up. I lasted a mile, but it was really unusually hot, and I was feeling claustrophobic with so many people by me. Rain sounded better. Went home, changed into pants and headed out the door. It was just a light rain at that point-perfect. Until I hit the sidewalk and figured out it was freezing rain. It was a slippery run, but it was still better than a treadmill. 4 miles total

-Finish line has horrible customer service (online). I will never buy shoes from them again. The only reason I did this time is because I was stuck with a gift card from a return when they wouldn't give cash back. Rant over.

-I am doing better with my food choices-mostly. I give myself a B- for yesterday because I ate ice cream after the kids were in bed. Out of the container. I didn't eat too much, but I still ate because of stress. Oh, and I dug out the pieces of cookie dough. Okay, let's go with a C+ for yesterday. Today, so far I would grade myself a B+. No stress eating, good portion control. I just need to add more veggies.

-Day three of taking a Vitamin D supplement. Does anyone else take this? I have learned to take it on a full stomach. Taking it as you eat breakfast is not enough. It made me feel really yucky this morning.

50.3 Miles for the year so far-I'm well on my way!

Loses and Gains

2010-01-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

I was reading magazines while in line at the grocery store. I have a talent for picking the slowest line, no matter how many are in front of me. I was looking at People Magazine (I think), and saw an article on Jared (the Subway guy). It was talking about how he knew he wasn't making great food choices, but wasn't concerned-figuring it was just a few pounds. He was shocked to discover that it wasn't a few-he went from 190lbs back up to 221lbs (again, I think-not sure on his weight right now).

It got me thinking how easy it is to gain back the weight we work so hard to lose. I lost 60lbs through running and very careful eating. As my running mileage went up, I gave myself more leeway with my eating habits. A few cookies here and there aren't going to make me gain weight, and I stopped feeling the need to measure my food. I just tried to keep a good balance, which has worked well. I have kept the weight off with very few instances of going up 3-4 lbs, then back down.

After Christmas, I weighed myself for the first time in a while. I was up 4lbs-not a big deal, but frustrating. I know I spent most of December eating horribly! I have a serious weakness for all things sweet, so having and baking an endless supply of sugar cookies, pie, candy etc is not a great idea. I have no willpower. When I was dieting, I couldn't have any sweets in the house.

I went to the doctor last week, and I was up 7lbs. Wow, it is a slippery slope. It is still not a huge number, but I can very much see how easy it is to be like Jared was-I exercise, therefore I can get away with eating whatever I want, right? Not so much.

I am writing this blog to help keep myself accountable. Here are my goals for this week:

1. Follow my Training Schedule-winter is hard for me, I hate being cold. I know the increase in mileage and intensity will help with the extra pounds.

2. Keep a Food Log-accountability is good. I learned having to write down everything I put in my mouth does help, and keeps me honest-like stealing a few pieces of the kids candy.

3. Make Better Food Choices-
a. Eat a large enough breakfast after my run where I am not hungry and munching an hour later
b. Make good snack choices, fresh fruits and vegetables
c. Don't wait to eat until I am starving!
d. Cut WAY back on the sweets-no more candy, or cookies. I will try to not have any sweets until Saturday (long run day).

4. Cross-training-I usually do well Monday and Tuesday, but slack off towards the end of the week when I get tired. I am teaching a Ballet Conditioning Class on Thursday, so that will be good motivation for the week.

I am not so much worried about the number on the scale, (although I am not happy with it either). This weeks big goal is just to make better healthy choices overall. I think that will make a big difference.

Other suggestions? Comments?

Saturday Long Run

2010-01-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday! Mine started off in a very lazy fashion, which is unusual for me. I enjoyed having a date night tremendously, but I am not used to being up until midnight anymore. Not to mention seeing Avatar in 3D made me a little dizzy, mostly because we ended up having to sit in the second row. Way too busy, but my husband loved it.

He got extra points by letting me stay in bed until 10am! Wow! I haven't slept that late in years. I was woken up a few times by kids coming in to say hi, but it felt great to sleep and be lazy. It was freezing rain last night, so I was anticipating a run on the treadmill. For 90 minutes. Ugh. I started getting my things ready, including my ipod that is newly loaded with audio books.

Off to the gym I went. On the drive there, I noticed things were starting to melt. The temp had warmed up to 35! Change of plans, back home and into outdoor running gear. I chose the greenway knowing that it would most likely be clear, which it was.

I ran 33 minutes South while listening to "Born to Run". I am enjoying it I think, although it was a different rhythm. I don't know if it made me slower or not-I wasn't focusing on my pace at all. I turned around keeping the same easy pace. When I got back by my car at the hour mark, I switched to music and picked up the pace.

The goal was to run the last 30 minutes at race pace. I'm not sure if I was at race pace, which should be around 8:30(faster if possible), but I was going fast enough for it to feel hard. I was really pleased with my ability to hold the harder pace when I was tired. Long runs have never been a strong point for me, so I am hoping this means my training will go easier this time around.

1:30:49 total run time, 10 miles (I think). I used mapmyrun to figure the distance, but some of the trail is hard to track-so guessing a little bit. My dream of getting a Garmin for Christmas has not come true yet. Maybe Valentine's?

10 Things that Make me Happy

2010-01-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else with kids sit down to blog or check email or whatever, get two lines in and get interrupted by a kid (or husband) who NEEDS something RIGHT NOW OR THE WORLD WILL END! All that to say, I started writing this post 3 hours ago. Lets see if I can get it done.

Taking the idea from Mel @ www.tallmomontherun.com 10 Things that make me happy. I must say, that is a good way to end a week-especially a busy stressful week.

Without further ado-

1. Date Nights! I get to go on a date with my husband tonight FOR FREE! How awesome is that? Thanks to a great friend who gave us a gift card, and included free babysitting. Wohoo! So, dinner at Applebees, and seeing Avatar.

2. Coffee. This week I have been very thankful for coffee, and my espresso machine. It is not as good as having someone else make it, but it is cheaper and I can have more whenever I want! Oh, and Eggnog flavored coffee syrup. Way less calories than having a real eggnog latte, and tastes almost as good! I bought three bottles hoping to save at least one for when I have an eggnog craving in August.

3. My ipod-on days when I am struggling to run, or worse on the treadmill, it is a lifesaver. I am a music lover, and starting the day with my ipod on shuffle while I run is always a mood booster. A friend just gave me a few audio books for my ipod, so I may try that on long runs. Not sure if it will be the same, but it's nice to have the option. First book, "Born to Run".

4. Fuzzy Socks. My feet are always cold, and fuzzy socks in fun colors make me smile.

5. My baby (2 1/2 year old) is POTTY TRAINED!!! Wohoo! Happy Dance! No more diapers!

6. A new book. I love to read and get sucked into new books to where nothing else exists. It's wonderful.

7. My sweet understanding husband who made dinner and wrangled three kids after he worked all day, so I could chill with my book and have a break.

8. Nativity scenes. I collect them, and love all different styles. I am okay with putting away the tree (sort of-it is still up), but I don't want to put away my Nativities. They are beautiful. My favorite my mom got me from Bethlehem when she toured Israel.

9. My son loves making get well cards, and makes one for me if I have a headache, or am tired, or seem grumpy. He also asks me if I need to run when I am acting grumpy. That makes me laugh.

10. My 4 year old daughter who always has a hilarious question, which usually leads to an even funnier comment. For example: "why do I have nipples?" "because that's how God made you". "Oh. Well, ducks don't have nipples. I wish I were a duck, because they don't have nipples. Or a penguin. Waddle waddle waddle."

My life is never dull. I am blessed, even when I am tired and have had a long week.

Oh, and to make this somewhat running related-5.8 miles this morning. 17 degrees. It was cold, but felt wonderful to be outside. Totally worth it, although I've found I am slow when it's cold.

Thanks for the idea Mel, it put a smile on my face!

What a Week!

2010-01-07T15:59:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a week. I mean, it has been a week! My kids have had colds, again. I think we have had about 2 healthy weeks total since September. Has it been this bad for everyone? Somehow my week got very overbooked with company and activities. I love having company, but three visits in one day from different people is a lot for three kids to digest without going crazy. Getting back into the up at 5am groove has not come as easily as I had hoped. Shocking, I know. 5am i just SO wonderful! Yucky grey cold conditions do not improve my morning disposition. Is it time for summer yet???

Okay, I promise-this is not a whining blog! FYI, I do not like winter. I never have. I even worked for 3 years as a professional snowboard instructor and I still did not like winter. All my co-workers laughed at how many layers I wore each day. My layering for running is just as funny. Having the gym and treadmill as an option is new to me, last year I toughed it out in the cold. I don't know if this year is colder, or if I am just more wimpy since I have the option. (I am guessing the latter, but it has been cold!)

Tuesdays run was on the treadmill, but it was one of those days I would have rather been anywhere else. Mostly in my bed. I met a friend which helped, but I just couldn't get into a groove. I did 5 miles, but they were slow and tedious. I varied the incline every few minutes to try and make it more interesting. Mostly, I watched sports center and dreamed of when my self-imposed treadmill time was done.

Wednesday, I convinced my running partner to run outside with me. Yes, it was cold-25 degrees, but more like 15 with the windchill. However, it felt so much better to be going somewhere! I came home with a big smile on my face. I am an outside runner at heart.

I am working on putting together my training schedule having decided on the Mercer Island Half Marathon. Last time I did the runners world smart coach, and didn't love the schedule they set me up with. My first half, I trained with a more experienced partner who made our schedule. I wish I had kept it, but that was before I was organized enough to keep a log.

My goal for the half is to be sub-2:00. I was so close in my first, 2:02, but struggle to finish. Anyone have suggestions for me? I am my own worst critic, and get so frustrated when I don't meet my time goals. My dream goal would be a 1:45, but I think that is out of reach. I would be thrilled with anything under 2:00.

New Blog for 2010

2010-01-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

I decided that I needed to start a new running blog for 2010. Let's call it a resolution that will hopefully stick longer than most. So, I will begin with an introduction.

My name is Kasey, and I live in Washington. I have been running for a year and a half now, and love it! I have three kids, 6, 4, and 2 1/2. Running keeps me (mostly) sane. My husband says my "running crazy" is better than any other kind of crazy.

Last year I ran 1515.5 miles. I am so proud of that! On new years eve, I was looking at my training log seeing if I could break 1500, only to see that I was already at 1508. So I settled for making it 1515.5, 6 of which were on the treadmill because of massive amounts of snow. The last 1.5 miles were done at 11pm after a new years party (3 kids, didn't make it to new years-big shock!). My husband drove home, and I ran. This got some pretty strange looks, but it was so fun running home in 8 inches of new snow when the streets were mostly quiet.

Last year I ran 3 5K's (24:03 PR), 4 10K's (50:30 PR), and 2 half marathons (2:02:02 PR). I know I am capable of going much faster. I am working towards learning how to make that happen. I am open to any and all suggestions! I have enjoyed reading others "mommy" blogs, and decided it was time to share my experiences and get a chance for feedback.

The only race on my schedule for this year so far is the Mercer Island Half Marathon. Today was my first training run on my schedule, and I already messed with my plan. My schedule called for a 3 mile tempo @ 8:23. Because I was on the treadmill this morning, (stupid freezing rain-not a fan of winter!) I did 3 x mile repeats @ 8:00 instead, with 800 m recovery, 6.2 miles total with warm up and cool down. Not my best workout, but it was what I was able to accomplish today. It is going to take a few days to get used to getting up at 5am again. Christmas Break spoiled me.