Life is Good

I stayed up too late last night and had an extremely hard time getting up this morning.  I'm going to see how the temperature is when I get home and maybe take Melanie for a short jog.  But, here is my excuse for staying up late (I thought if I should you this picture, you'd forgive me... you know, like I'm buttering you up! LOL)

yes I made them, and if you are wondering (and to show off a tiny bit) I made the flowers too.  :o)

I ran an easy 4 miles today at a slower pace.  I'm thinking it was about the pace I will be running in the half on Saturday.  It felt good but I have a sore muscle on my left leg (the inside part of my calf muscle).  Any advice that could help me elevate the pain before my race?

Total Miles: 77

Miles Left: 23

Before anyone judges my time... I want to point out two things:  1st, this was my first ever 1/2 marathon, and 2nd, this is what it says as a description of the course (from the website)

"This Half Marathon course is not flat and fast so don’t expect to set any speed records.  It is called the Rim Country Challenge for that reason.  It starts and ends at Green Valley Park.

Due to the hilly terrain this race will challenge you as a runner.  It should be great training for marathons.

There are two significant hills. One is called “The Challenge"; Paysonites call it Airport Hill.  It is .45 mile long with an elevation gain of 165 feet.  The other is Vista Road with an elevation drop of 210 feet in .64 mile.

The majority of the course is undulating and runs its way through residential and scenic views of the Town of Payson."

Okay... now I feel justified in my 2:21:50 half marathon (which I'm sure is slower than some of your marathon times!).  Ready for the report?

I ran the race with my friends Bethany and Burt.  (Burt also has a blog on the fastrunningblog, you can find him in my favorite blog list).  Here we are feeling strong before the race.

Bethany and I stayed together for the entire race, but Burt left us like we were standing still.  We started with a solid 9:45 min/mil pace, which we kept for the first 4 or 5 miles.  The race started by going up hill...  and more up hill... and I'm not kidding by saying that the first 11 miles were predominately uphill.  There were some flat spots and the rare down hill... but mostly up.  By mile 11 I was starting to lose hope.  I couldn't understand how in heavens name we could start and stop in the same place if we don't go DOWN!  Finally we went down hill, and I think we did all the down in at once because we ended by going up hill.  I swear when I found out I had to go up another hill to finish I was going to scream.

Oh, side note, by mile 8 we could see Burt.  We had decided that if we caught up to him we were going to thank him for waiting for us.  In the end, he totally kicked our butts. :o)  It was neat that we came into the finish line in order though (Burt, me, Bethany!) 

Here is an after shot!

Okay... now I have to tell you about my hero who also ran on Saturday, but in the 5K.  My husband is awesome!  He doesn't run.  No training of any kind.  Well, when I asked him if I could sign up for the 1/2 marathon (because I wanted his support), he asked me to also sign him up for the 5k so that he and Melanie would have something to do while we waited.  Well, he totally kicked butt in the 5K (which also was not flat or easy).  Pushing Melanie, he came in 9th overall and 2nd in his age group, finishing in 25:05.  Here is a picture of Melanie and Brandon getting their metal.

And finally, I have to give a special thank you out to my cheer team!  My Dad and his wife just moved to Payson and came to watch, along with Brandon, Melanie, and Bethany's husband Nate.  Thank you for coming!  You are all awesome!  Here's Melanie and my dad's wife (Cam).

Went for a nice run this afternoon with Melanie.  I was hoping it would put her to sleep, which it did until I stopped running.  Shucks!  Should have ran longer.  She is having a really hard time getting back into a sleeping schedule after the long weekend out of town. :o(

Total Miles: 94.5!!!

Miles Left: 5.5!!!

I did it!!!  100 miles a whole 8 days early!  :o)

This morning I felt really good.  I still have a few sore muscles from Saturday, but nothing too bad!

I got up this morning, heading out back... got all ready to ride my bike... jumped on and.................

FLAT TIRE!  Can you believe that?  I haven't touched my bike in 3 weeks. Go figure.  So, instead, I went for a run.  It was a great run too.  I pushed myself to go fast, but not too uncomfortable.  I'm pretty happy with it.

Anyone have any pointers on how to increase my 5K speed?  I'm running a 5K on November 8th and would love to cut my time by a minute or so.  My husband says he thinks I can do it in 25 minutes and it would be really cool if I could.  But I for sure want to run a sub 27.  Any advice? 

Good morning everyone! I ran a good 7.25 miles this morning.  :o)  I left later than I normally do (because I didn't have to work) and had the sun in my eyes at first.  That's annoying.  But ultimately, it was a nice run.  I'm loving the change in the weather!

I'm a LOVING the weather!  For everyone that has enjoyed great weather for the last few months and want it back, forget it... LOL  I'm being selffish and don't want to give it back.  It was nice to have my window open today :o).  Okay, I'm done rubbing it in!

I went for a long run today, and after 8 miles, I ran past a friend's house.  This particular friend has been really busy and hard to pin down, so when I saw her out front gardening, I decided to stop and talk to her.  She is pregnant with number 5 and has been sick, so I like to check up on her.  (Plus, I don't have too many friends... definately not enough to start "miss placing" them).  So, I sacrificed the other 3 miles I was going to run, but in the end, it was worth it.

Oh, and today my mom taught me how to sew as we were sewing Melanie's Halloween costume.  We have one more thing to sew (the hat).  She is going to be the cutest Strawberry Shortcake ever.  Sewing is actually fun.  Maybe I'm going domestic. :o)

I didn't get much sleep last night.  Someone, who shall remain name less but is roughly 27" tall and weighs approximently 17 pounds, woke up at 11:53pm and cried for 20 before I decided to go get her.  (she usually goes back to sleep).  I rocked her back to being calm (which was nice because I got to snuggle with her, and those momments are far in between since she has been able to move) and then put her back into bed.  Then she decided to cry for an additional hour before she ended up in mom and dad's bed.  Yep... I was a sucker.  So when the alarm clock went off this morning, I reset it for 5:30am and caught an additional hour of sleep.  :o).  I figure I'll take Melanie for a run this afternoon. 

The whole point of that story was to make sure someone kicked my rear if I didn't go for a run this afternoon!

*** Well, I'm happy to report that Melanie and I did get out this afternoon and did 6 miles.  I did all the work though.  She just sat there and looked cute! :o)

Ran home from the Scout Board of Reviews.  There were a lot of strange people out, and I felt slightly uncomfortable, so I cut it a little short. 

Good morning!  It is beautiful out today.  I was watching the news this morning though, and they predict it will be in the 90's this weekend.  So much for my beautiful weather.  I hope that means my friends in Utah will have some good weather though. :o)

I almost didn't get up this morning.  I could have used the cute baby up at midnight excuse again, but I decided that would be lame to pull that twice in one week.  Plus, in a way, it was my fault she was up at midnight.  So, instead I decided to get out of my bed and hit the pavement.  I did 5 miles because of time.  When I told my husband I ran 5 miles he said I'm getting faster.  That made me feel good. :o)

I'm slightly concerned that I'm not eating enough to compensate for my running and for nursing (I'm still nursing my little girl and plan to for another 2 months).  Anyone have any advice as to how much of what I should be eating.  I think I've lost too much weight too fast.  If I weren't nursing, I wouldn't be complaining... but I'm concerned about Melanie.

I woke up with an aweful pain in my calf.  It feels like it's tight, not like I pulled anything.  I think I'll run this afternoon (after work).  I'm hoping that all the walking around I do at work will help loosen it up.  Does this happen to anyone else?  What do you do?

Brandon was a sweetheart last night and rubbed my calves.  He must not have been as hard as I thought he would be because I feel asleep :o).  This morning they felt much better.  They are still a little swore, but nothing like yesterday.  Thank you everyone for all your advice.  I'll have to do some of the exercizes that everyone reccomended yesterday to help prevent further pain.

This morning I hit the pavement and went 7.25 miles.  The first 1/2 mile was very awkward.  I don't know why, but I felt like my stride was not right.  After that 1/2 mile it felt great.  Brandon says I'm getting faster.  I'm still slower than most of the other people on this blog, but I ran my 7.25 miles at a 9:30 min/mile pace.  He is so sweet for telling me that I'm getting faster.  It made me feel like I was accomplishing something.

Okay, quick story:

While we were visiting my dad, Melanie was playing with this blocks.  My dad decided to take a nap on the living room floor.  He was sawing some serious logs and scared Melanie.  Melanie decided to investigate the noise, and crawled up to my dad.  She looked at him, looked at Brandon, looked around, and then looked back to her Grandpa.  It looked like she was going to claw his face or something.  Then all the sudden she pulls out a block that apparently she had carried over with her, and shoves it in Grandpa's mouth.  Smart girl, she stopped the scary noise instantly. LOL

I ran an awesome 10 miles this morning with my friends Bethany and Lybi (http://lybi.fastrunningblog.com/).  It was awesome because it didn't feel like 10 miles.  It was extremely comfortable and seemed to fly by.  It was definitely a lot of fun.  Now I understand why everyone runs in groups.  :o)  I can't wait until we do it again.  Those girls are great!!!  And even better... we are running in the Ragnar together, so our van is going to rock!

I hope everyone is having a great Saturday!  I know I am :o)

I was feeling a little frisky and ran my 5.1 miles at an average 8:50 min/mil pace! 
I know that sounds slow to most of you. but it felt fast yet comfortable to me. :o)

Happy Monday!

No running for me this morning.  I'm planning on taking Melanie this afternoon.  I have either pinched a nasty nerve in my right shoulder/arm/neck/head (all of those are killing me), or I have dislocated it (the shoulder).  I haven't been able to kick this headache for the last 24 hours.  But, on a positive note, Melanie must have realized my head hurt because she was an angel last night.  :o) 

*** Added:  Melanie and I just finished 3.5 miles.  We ran to Red Mountain Park, ran around it 3 times (sharing the park with the Red Mtn HS Cross Country Team), and then ran home.  It was freaking HOT.  90 degrees! yuck!  I had to come home, it wasn't fair to Melanie to stay out much longer.  But she did have fun.  She was clapping and making happy noises. 

Hello Everyone! So, I was really bad and didn't run at all today.  I got up a little late (5:30 am), and felt like someone took a bat to my body.  I think my arm and shoulder actually hurt more today after my appointment than yesterday.  Not good.  I heard a loud pop earlier today, and it's been really bad ever since.

When I got home, I made these (for a church fall festival):

Last year I didn't do anything special with my cupcakes, just vanilla frosting on top, and not a single one was eaten.  This year, they were gone in 5 minutes.  Picky kids. :o)  Actually, it's probably a good thing there weren't any left for me.

Okay, I also did this today:

And let me tell you, it hurts!!!  I'm a little worried about my shoes rubbing against it tomorrow! 

I have been such a horrible slacker this week.  Melanie was super sick yesterday and all night.  I hate having a sick baby.  You never know what to do for them and you wish you could take away all their pain.  It's not fun.  This morning I felt like a slug, so Brandon told me he'd watch Melanie for an hour before he has to get out the door and I could go for a run.  I was able to do 5.25 miles in 45 min.  I feel much better now.  Unforturnately, Melanie doesn't :o(

Today, it just wasn't in the cards for me to run.  This week has not been a big milage week, but there is always next, right?  Last night I took Melanie to the doctor because she was getting worse instead of better.  It turns out she has a Hand, Mouth, Foot virus.  (NOT FUN!)  She has been miserable all day.  I hate it when she is sick.

This morning I finished her Halloween Costume, and she was nice enough to let me put it on her.  She is an old fashion Strawberry Shortcake!  Too cute!

I couldn't resist.  I had to take a picture from behind.  I made her hat so big that from behind she looks so cute and silly!

Back in the Saddle Again!  After a whole week of slacking off, I decided I better run this morning.  I did 5.1 miles in 45 mins.  It left really nice out!!!

Good morning everyone!

***Added***

Tonight I convinced my husband to do a short run with me.  We did 2.52 miles in 22 minutes. :o)  I wore him out.  The first mile he was running faster then slower and acting goofy.  By mile 2 he was quite and breathing really hard.  At the end, we had a good laugh at ourselves.

Ran a slow but difficult 4 miles. I call it difficult because I was pushing Melanie... and it's HOT outside.  I know I'm complaining, but it is 94 out there... and we are in the last week of October.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  Nor should I be pushing my baby in a stoller in the heat.  This is why I didn't run for too long.  When I got her home, she drank her glass of water like *she* had been the one running.  She is too cute.

Update on my Husband from yesterday's run.  I think I killed him.  He is in quite a bit of pain today.  :o(  I like playing the nurse when he isn't feeling well, or is in pain, but I hate to see him like this.

I didn't run today, but I did want to participate in the 80's competition.  These aren't the best pictures, but they are the only ones that I didn't have to scan in.  In all three of these pictures, you'll see my cousin (Nicole), whom I ran to help between September 15th and October 15th.  I'm going to visit her for Thanksgiving and I can't wait!

Enjoy!

I'm the tall one.  That is my brother next to me, and of course, Nicole on the right.  Can you tell we aren't pleased with the torture they were putting us through in those outfits?

Okay, Here is me, in poka dots and my cousin Nicole.

And in the spirit of Halloween...

My brother is a Magician and I'm the Bunny jumping out of a Top Hat.  :o)

I have more 80's pictures that would make you laugh, but I'd have to pull them out.  I hope you enjoyed these ones! 

Well, I'm in PAIN!!!  I don't know what happened.  I was running, and got 3 miles away from my house and started feeling serious pain.  I pushed through it for another mile and got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore.  Then I found the only business that I had seen open my entire run (an AutoZone), and called my husband to come get me.  I was 4 miles away from my house (at the half way point of my run), and there was no way I was going to be able to walk home.  Note to self... Self, start carrying your cell phone!  Now I'm limping around like a painful fool.  I hope I'm better by next Saturday (my race)

Happy Halloween... Here are a few more scary images to help get you in the frightened mood.

that's right, I'm taking the whole family down with me!!!  The picture above was inspired  by Marion's Sadie Hawkins picture.  The picture below...  well, I think my mom's hair is comparable to Rachel's 8th grade photo

The 80's prep look:

And last, but not least...  another family shot!

(note that my parents would FREAK if they knew I was posting these.  They have been divorced for 14 years, and I think they think these photos have disappeared.  They were WRONG!)