Run Mama Run!

I am here! Do you see me waving my arm back and forth-jumping up and down? HERE I AM! I have not forgotten about this wonderful blog. I am still plugging along with my running. I went to San Francisco for a week and it put a crimp in my training. I am finally getting back on track.

GREEN BAY IS 84 DAYS AWAY!!

DETROIT IS 238 DAYS AWAY!!

"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that." -Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." --John Bingham

"I often hear someone say I'm not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner." -Bart Yasso

"I run because it's so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can't. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you're capable of so much more than you thought." --Arthur Blank

~2012~

In 2012 I will:

run two half marathons. Drink less beer. Drink more water.

Nourish relationships. Smile more. Challenge myself.

My whole family joined the YMCA. We are excited that this is something the family can do together. It is much more than working out. It is spending quality time with my family. It is about involvement in my community. It is about healthy living. It is about trying new things. Today is our first day. YIPPEE!

I registered for two half marathons already. My first will be The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon May 20th . I ran this last year (it was my first half) and I loved it. It is a must for me again this year. The second half I registered for is Detroit Free Press Marathon October 21st . It is an international half that travels from Detroit to Windsor, Canada---how cool is that? My BFF signed up as well. This will be her first half.

memba me?

HELLO! I have resurfaced! (if only for myself as I know I may have lost all my readers) but it is ok. I write for me and for anyone along for the ride. my writing is my reminder to myself that I have made a decision. I have decided to once again kick my ass in gear. enough is enough. summer is over. camping is over. food on the run is over. the scale tipping is over. I am ready to kick my own ass. I am ready to get back to where I was, and then go farther than I ever have been.

~I'm Hot and I'm Cold, I'm Yes and I'm No~

Summer. Is. Finally. Here.
Let's be real, summer here is short, so of course I want to enjoy every second of sun. We squeeze camping, drinking, and any sort of fun into every free second. Sounds great, right? The problem? HALF TRAINING! Yes I have another half around the corner---62 days to be exact. It has been HOT here. Wonderful for sitting in a lawn chair with a beer, not so wonderful for me to run in. I DIE IN THE HEAT, I tire so quickly. Today I am going to hit the treadmill in my basement. In my central air conditioned home. I HATE the treadmill, but I hate running in the heat even more. It is so hard to stick to my training schedule. I am a mama of 3. Kids have so much going on, especially in the summer. I run after work, but yet start to feel guilty that my husband is stuck home with the kids (especially after being home with them all day). I have to accept that I am a runner, but a mama and a wife and a nurse and a friend and a daughter as well. I need to allow all of my roles to take turns being first and accept that there are weeks where I can not run three times. I will do the best I can with the free time I can find. And that has to be good enough.

~New shoes, happy feet~

Ahhhhhhh I have new shoes. YAY! HAPPY BLISTER FREE FEET! I traded in my tired Saucony Pro Grid Ride 2 for a fabulous pair of Saucony Triumph 8. I got the last pair in November and trained for the half and ran the half in them. They were fine up until about 6 weeks ago when blisters started to appear. I went to a local running store and was fitted for my new pair. I have ran in them twice---blister free! I LOVE SAUCONY SHOES! YAY!

Good bye old:





Hello new:




This durable workhorse is a heel-striker's best friend. It props the heel up with a lot of soft cushioning and supplies a balanced, stable ride. Saucony dropped 1.5 ounces from the shoe by using lighter materials in the outsole and upper and sculpting the midsole. Overall, the Triumph's balance of stability and softness won over most of our testers, who appreciated its accommodating fit. Recommended for heel-strikers looking for a soft shoe with an outstanding fit.

Trail 5k recap

Yesterday my friend and I ran a trail 5k. It was my first trail race and her first race ever. It was at 10:30 am and it was very warm out already. I got there and was delighted to see that her 10 year old daughter had decided to join us. The 12k runners started first, then we were off. I had never ran on these particular trails and all I have is one word: HILLY. Good lord. The first half was OK, but about half way through my knee popped. PAIN. I literally walked the last half of the race. There was no way I could run the hills with my knee. I wanted to cry. I wanted to quit. I was pissed. I seriously considered walking around the finish so that my time was not recorded. But I thought about what that would say about me, and my character. But most of all what would that say to my friends daughter who ran that day? I finished, I literally walked across the finish line. I was still mad. My friends daughter finished 1st in her age group (I belive she was 9th OVERALL!!) and my friend finished her first race and she ran strong and did fabulous. Running is more than exercise, it is an emotional and mental challenge. I may not run well each time, but I run. I can not control my body, but I can listen to it. I can encourage and cheer on others, and hope to inspire others to run. Running has taught me so much more than I could have ever imagined when I started. After I digested the days events I look back and appreciate them. Because without set backs how can one truly appreciate moving forward?




P.S. to redeem myself, I did come home and go for a 10 mile bike ride with my husband. :)

P.S.S today my knee feels fine.........figures.

Green Bay 13.1 Recap

Saturday Jaime and I met Kim and Nigel at the expo. We got our packets and shopped. I bought more Bondi Bands www.bondiband.com (because a girl can never have enough), a spi belt www.spibelt.com , and an Amphipod handheld water bottle www.runningwarehouse.com/descpage-AHHL12.html .

Sunday morning we got up bright and early and enjoyed coffee and peanut butter toast along with a power bar. Jaime, myself, Mark, Chris and Catrina all were running. Sheri was out with an injury but bless her soul mustered up enough courage to come spectate. We got to Green Bay about 30 minutes before the race, we SEARCHED for the bag check, no one knew where it was. we finally found it. Did some quick stretches in the bathroom line and the hopped in the starting line. Jaime and I ran with no ipods. we wanted to truly be in the moment and wanted to hear everything. I do not regret this decision and I think next time (yes you heard right) I will run without music again.

Jaime and I started out at a nice pace, being very careful not to let the excitement of the day make us run too fast. We knew the importance of not burning out too quick. This was a long race. We paced our selves. We ran with no garmin or watch, again it was a decision. We really just wanted to run the race without stressing about time or distance. We trained together all winter. She is 12 years younger and faster than me. We knew that there would come a point in the race where we would part, but we planned to run as much as we could together. The first few miles were fine, lots of crowd support and energy. I saw my first spectator Kelly at mile 5. To hear my name was so fabulous. A HUGE burst of encouragement. We saw Jaime's family and her dad was just beaming for her. It was awesome. We crossed the 5 mile mark in under an hour and I remember saying outloud "we got this" At mile 6.5 Jaime started to pull ahead (that sounds much better than me pulling back) and we gently broke apart. We didn't speak, it just happened as we knew it would. I watched her get farther and farther in front of me. It was ok. This was our race, yet it was MY race as was HERS. I wanted her to run the best race she could as did I and I knew if I stayed with her I would tire. So I plugged along. At mile 7-8 I saw Nigel with a fabulous sign for me. YAY another spectator. It was so nice to see a familiar face. This was about the time where there was a band playing in a driveway and some guys were handing out beer. There was NEVER a point in the race that I felt I couldn't do it. Actually I thought "this is easy" now yes I am a SLOW runner, but a runner. I ran the whole way. The training is the killer, the race is fun. At about mile 11 I could see and hear Lambeau. I was almost there. At mile 11 I heard my necklace gingle, it was a gift from my BFF. I smiled. As I entered Lambeau I saw Kim and Nigel cheering for me, I remember yelling "I have nothing left" I ran through the players tunnel and out around the field. There were spectators in the stand and it was great to see Crystal. Back through the players tunnel and out to the parking lot. This is where I saw marathoners running beside me. I cheered and told them they were kicking ass! I saw Kim and Nigel again and I sprinted to the finish. I did a "Lambeau Leap" over the finish and my time was 2:33. I heard Sheri yell "I am so proud of you" I know that this day was so hard for her. I DID IT. I set a goal and followed through. No one got me to that finish but myself. No one trained endless miles after work for me. I did. I stuck with it and made it. It felt FABULOUS.

Jaime and I (P.S. she finished 10 minutes ahead of me)