Life is Good

Today is my husband's 32nd birthday (happy birthday honey!) and to celebrate, we were still camping this morning.  He told me I better get up and go running or I'd be mad at myself later.  (He knows me so well!)  So, I did.  4 miles, 2 uphill, and then 2 down.  Man, uphill bites!  But uphill, in the mountains, in high elevation... yikes!  I'm pretty sure I'll be feeling that tomorrow.

I don't know if I was feeling "frisky" today, or the competitive nature in me jumped into gear, but I killed almost 15 mins off my time this morning.  Every time I bike I end up  sharing the road with two other bikers that always lose me :o(.  {They are on road bikes and I am on a mountain bike...  the physics just isn't on my side}.  Well this morning, one of the two bikers must have dropped something, so they both stopped, and I flew past them.  Then I spent the next 2.5 or 3 miles riding as fast as I could to keep my lead.  When I got to my turn, I looked back and saw them coming.  I turned and started heading up hill, and I got to a point where I thought I was going to have a heart attack (okay, maybe not that bad), so I looked back, and they were no where in sight.  I'm a dork, they must have turned the other direction, and here I was all parinoid that they were going to fly by me at anytime.   It's kind of funny, but I sure did get a good work out this morning.  :o)

It has been a heck of a day, to say the least.  My poor little girl woke me up moaning at midnight.  I didn't know that babies could moan like that.   Anyhow, she has the flu :o(.  No good!  So, I didn't run this morning, I spent all day with her.  I did do some kickboxing during one of her naps and cleaned my house  (it was pretty embarrasing).  After the hubby got home from mutual he took over and I went for my run.  (Melanie was already asleep, so he just "chilled").  He also timed me, and I'm proud to say that I ran my 3.1 miles in 25 minutes (give or take a few seconds because he forgot to hit the end button when I got back).  That's crazy!  And... i'm pretty sure I know what running on the sun feels like!  Yuck!  I can't handle the heat!  Back to morning running for me!

I ran later this morning than I normally do (leaving the house at 7).  I was actually surprised with myself for getting up.  My daughter is still really sick and spent all night last night crying in pain and throwing up.  It's aweful.  I don't there is anything worse than that helpless feeling when your kids are sick.  She is acting alittle better this morning, so hopefully she is getting better. 

This morning's run felt really good.  I was going slow (about 9-1/2 min/mil), and I actually got passed by a little boy who was "cruising" to school on his bike.  That was kinda funny.  I'm glad I got up and ran.  There is something about running that makes you feel better about yourself.  :o)

Melanie and I ran 3 miles to a park...  Then I let her play on the swings!  (which she throughly enjoyed).  Then we ran the mile back to our house.  It was a good run, and really nice to get out of our house (I feel like I have been trapped in this house all week... oh wait... I have).

Here is a picture of Melanie enjoying the swing.

This morning was great!  I could have gone longer, but I have a race this weekend, and I don't want to push myself too much and injure myself. 

I had a great ride this morning.  It was just me and the rode... oh, and a few runners with dogs (that seems to be a fad).  I didn't see those two bicyclist this morning.  I like to think it's because I scared them away last week.  LOL  But it is more likely that I didn't see them because I was too slow to catch up.  (Darn!)

Can you say L-O-S-E-R?  I was up way too late last night and my body hurt way too much this morning, so I didn't get up.  Dang it! 

I have my first race on Saturday, and next week I'm turning it on for the following 4 weeks because I'm going to run 100 miles in a month.  (I have a story behind it, if you are interested, let me know).  So, I guess I should run a few miles tonight to help me keep it going, but nothing too much, right?  How does that work? 

Added... 

I got out and ran tonight.  Brandon got home from work a little early to get his scout activity ready, so I was able to get out beforehe went to mutual (5:30).  It was a little warm, but not too bad.  I did learn a very valuable lesson though...  don't eat oreos withing 2 hours of running.  I almost tossed them a few times... bad!!! 

I woke up a tiny bit late this morning, and so I shortened my bike route.  I thought I had shortened it by 4 miles (I typically ride 10 miles), and when I got home, I was so discouraged with my time.  35 minutes to ride 6 miles.  I was starting to think *I* could have run fast (not really... but it felt that way), but when I mapped it, it turned out that I had biked 7 miles.  5 minute mile.  It's still slow, but given the head wind I was fighting, and that I was on a mountain bike, I feel pretty good about it.  I hope everyone else had a good morning!

Okay, do I didn't take Melanie with me this morning, but this is a picture of my cute Melanie ready for a bike ride.  If that isn't inspirational, I don't know what is. :o)

***Added***

This afternoon (pre-dinner) Melanie and I decided to go for a short run.  I was inspired when I went out to get my mail (with Melanie in my arms) and she got super excited to be outside.  Since it isn't all that hot out, it was a good day for us to "hit the road".  Melanie clapped and gabbed the first two miles, but then started getting real tired.  That's when we decided to head home.

Well, it finally came... my first race!  I am pretty happy with the out come too!  So, here's the scoop.

I ran this race with a good friend (Bethany).  We were a little green around the ears, and put ourselves in a bad starting position (towards the back, in the middle).  We ended up having a pretty slow start because of it, but I think it was okay.  We talked the entire run (mainly about upcoming runs), so we probably could have run slightly faster, but given the course was pretty hilly, I don't think I would have run much faster.  Definately not without her there pushing me.  Bethany is awesome!  I really loved having her there.  At the end, she kicked it into gear and bolted to the finish line (she's a rock star).  I finished 4 seconds behind her.  I need to learn how to kick it up a knotch at the end like that.  I seem to have the opposite effect....  slow down approaching the finish line.  Bad Camille! 

All in all, I feel really good.  Bring on the next race!

I had a really good run this morning!  I was planning on only running 3 miles, but after the first 2, when I had the choice of turning left and heading home, or right...  well, I chose the right.  It got me home as well, but just not as quickly.  I'm really glad I made that choice.  It gave me more time to think.  :o)

5 down...  95 miles to go!

Happy Monday everyone!

***added***

Melanie and I were having a rough evening.  She refused to nap, and after listening to her cry for an hour, my patience was running thin... I let her play in the bath until she keep trying to stand up.  When I took her out, she was all tears and screams again.  so, I decided to take her for a walk and let her get outside.  Once outside, I changed my mind and decided to go for a jog instead.  It must have been an inspired idea, because as soon as we started moving, she was happy.  We did the 2.4 mile loop through the neighborhood/park, and then back to our house.  She was little Ms. Sunshine when we got home for at least on hour!  I should have done that hours ago!

This morning I had another good run. Once again I felt like I could have just kept going. Maybe one of these times I should.

***Added some kickboxing in this afternoon.  Melanie thought it was funny to watch, but then again, I'm sure if anyone would think it's funny to watch if they saw me LOL.

Day 3

I stayed up too late last night (10:30), so I told my husband that he had to push me out of bed when the alarm goes off, regardless of my excuses. He did just that. I told him I was too tired, and he says get moving and you'll feel better. The first mile was hard and slow. Some girl past me like I was walking (so depressing). After that first mile, my legs loosened up and I got in a groove. Next thing I know, it had been an hour and time for me to hurry home. I totaled 6.7 miles :o).

***added per special request :o)

Total Miles: 18.1

Miles Left: 81.9

Today was a good day for a short run.  Funny how I'm calling 3.75 miles a short run when just a month or two ago I would have called that a long run.  LOL.

Total Miles: 21.85

Miles Left: 78.15

***Added***

Melanie and I went for a 1.67 mile walk this evening.  I'm hoping I can grow a little runing team like Lybi is...  :o)  So far she is enjoying it.

It almost took a crane to get me out of bed this morning, but some how I did it. I decided to make this morning my long run because Brandon has a scout thing tomorrow morning, so I'll have to take Melanie with me on my run (or jog). I decided I would run for 1.5 hours and figure out the distance afterwards. Well, I went for 1 hour, 25 mins and had a feeling I better get home. I turns out that I ran 8.7 miles. Pretty good!

Total Miles: 30.55 miles

Miles Left: 69:45 miles

I took Melanie on jog this morning to Red Mountain Park, around the park once (we would have done more laps, but it was super crowded) and then through our neighborhood for a total of 3 miles.  Then I looked at my watched and realized it was Melanie's nap time.  :o)  The park was fun though because there was a car show of sorts going on.  I don't know if it was an actual car show, or a hobby club that was getting together.  Either way, I got to see some really nice classic vehicles.  (Brandon would have been jealous... too bad he's out of town.)

Total Miles: 33.55

Miles Left: 66.45

(I'm more than 1/3 done, that's pretty groovy)

Today I ran an slow 5.6 miles. I swear, there were times that I thought I was running backwards, It was so slow. But... it was faster than walking. I will have to push myself to do a tempo run tomorrow.

Total Miles: 39.15

Miles Left: 61.85

I ran at a pretty good, steady pace this morning.  It felt pretty nice out too.  Brandon just informed me that it is suppose to get hot out this week before it cools down next week.

In unrelated news, I'm excited to announce that Melanie was a new little cousin, Justin Onzel Smithson was born yesterday!  I can't wait to meet my new little nephew.

Total Miles: 46.15

Miles Left: 54.85

Happy Tuesday!

I'm a total loser!  I woke up with an aweful headache and went back to bed.  Now I'm ticked that I didn't get myself out of bed and on the road.  I so wanted to break the 50 mark today.  Hopefully I'll be able to go before Brandon goes to mutual tonight.  We shall see.

I didn't run at all yesterday, so I made sure I got up today.  I've noticed that in running, there are many opportunities to make decisions.  I can go left or right...  Today I choose what I like to pretend is the path less taken.  I chose to go the long way with every choice and it turned into 8 miles in the end.  I'm pretty happy with that.

Today I ran a new route.  I don't think I liked the route.  I doubt I'll be doing it again anytime soon (too dangerous, high traffic).  But, one thing I did like about the run today is there were some significant climbs.  I ran a little slower than I normally do, but it felt strong. 

I'm now questioning if I should have ran so hard today with my race tomorrow (Lybi talked me into doing a 5K tomorrow...  okay, it wasn't too hard to talk me into it).

I forgot to post this yesterday... 

Total Miles: 60.90

Miles Left: 29.10

Yesterday was a lot of fun. Not only did I get to run in the 5K, but I also got to meet Lybi and James, who are both wonderful people. James was extremely helpful getting me ready for the race, and Lybi was a total rockstar, both before the race coaching me, and during the race. (I think anyone who runs barefoot when everyone else is looking at her like she is crazy is awesome.) So, here is my run down of the race:

First, I have to admit, I was extremely late. I'm so happy I got there before the gun went off. I can't believe how late I was. Brandon, Melanie and I jumped into the car about 10 mins later than we planned on, with a map in hand, but unfortunately the map didn't account for road closures. :o(. Thank you James for giving us quick directions when we were close to the race. We appreciated it! I felt so guilty being late while Lybi was waiting for me. So embarrassing. Lybi, I PROMISE I will be on time next race.

Before the race, Lybi and I went for a run to warm up. I appreciated the warm up run because I had an awful pain in my right leg when I woke (to the extent that I was limping while getting ready in the morning) and I think the warm up run helped it. While warming up, Lybi asked me what my goal was. My only goal at that point was to finish faster than 29:30 (and beat out my last race). I told her my husband's goal for me (25 min... ha ha ha). And she said that she thought I could do it in 27. She told me to run as hard as I could at the start, and then when I got to mile 2, run faster. I've never had anyone coach me (ever) for a race, so I really appreciated it. (I told you she was a rockstar!).

When the gun went off, unfortunately, my music didn't start. I started running hard, pacing myself with Lybi, but it was hard without any music. (There is this nasty voice in my head that tells me I can't do it, or to slow down... I have to drown that voice out with music). I tried to hum my own music, but it didn't work very well. I slowed down and tried to fidget with my music to get it to work, with no luck. At that point, I paced myself with a woman that was running next to me.

 At the 2 mile mark, my music finally clicked on. (Thank goodness), but at that point, I wasn't running as fast as I could have (sorry Lybi, I didn't follow your advice). I was being passed by everyone (even some girl that was using an inhaler). I just had to stop paying attention to everyone else and get past that finish line.

When I passed the finish line, I could hear Lybi screaming for me. That was awesome. I had to pass the finish line like I was the winner, with my arms in the air. Made me feel special.

I haven't had a chance to download my photos from the race, so if you want to see a before and after picture, you'll have to check out Lybi's blog (http://lybi.fastrunningblog.com). All in all, I finished in 27:23 (based on the chip). I'm very happy with my time, and I think I may be able to beat it in the future. We shall see.

Edited to add a picture!

Good morning everyone! :o).  Today the evil personality of my daughter woke me up.  (The one that screams bloody murder and is completely unconsolable).  Brandon (such a sweetheart) told me to go jogging and he would take care of her.  Wasn't that sweet?  So I set out for 5 miles, feeling pretty good (though a little sore).  About 3 miles into my run, the batteries on my music died (I'm not having good luck with music these last few days.)  Well, I just made my own music (thank goodness people can't hear me singing in my head.  LOL). 

Total Miles: 70

Miles left: 30

Just an easy 3 miles today. I'm trying to tapper for my 1/2 marathon this weekend.  I'm a little worried about it.  Anyone have any pointers for me?

Total Miles: 73

Miles Left: 27