My Runner's Wish List

It's been a long time. Yikes! I've been sort of sick, so I dropped off the face of the earth. Yesterday I got to run for the first time in a week, and man, oh man, did that feel good! Can't wait to get out there again.

While I was sick, I started to compile my list of things I think would help me on my journey. First is the Road ID

Road ID, has a whole bunch of options, bracelets, anklets, shoes tags, some have urls that you can add all of your medical history to. It'd be nice to know that if something happened to me while I was running, someone would know who I am and who to contact if I can't tell them.

Next, the Nike+ SportBand

A bracelet that comes with a sensor that you put in your shoe, and then it keeps track of your pace, your mileage, etc. You plug the little port into your computer, and you can keep track of all your runs on line with Nike. Pretty sweet!

The only thing that I'm not sure about, is I'd really like to have some kind of heart rate monitor, calorie counter watch. But, if I'm going to have the Nike+ SportBand, and a Road ID, I'm going to be wearing ten extra pounds just in bracelets.

What do you think?

Not Me Monday Runner's Edition

Hey everyone! It's that time again! Here's another Not Me Monday. (For more info on what Not Me Monday is all about, check out mckmamma's blog)

It was not me who thoroughly enjoyed the first cookies I have been allowed to have this year (all 7 of them in a row....)

It was not me who was too tired to do laundry, so I wore my gym clothes again before washing them. Hey, it wasn't like I was with anybody! Besides, I definitely DID NOT stink during that run. Like I said, it wasn't me!!!!

It was not me who wrote an imaginary blog in my head about an adventure about getting run over by a car during a run. Because I am always optimistic and I would never pretend something like that would happen because that's just wierd. But, in that pretend adventure I didn't have to run any more and I got to hitch a ride home (on an ambulance).

It is not me who is loading up my playlist with songs my church middle schoolers love, like Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, and Adam Lambert. Nope, I am totally mature in my music choices. Just give me smooth jazz...... (gag....)

A Runner's Best Friend

Emily here. Played it safe today and only ran 2 miles today instead of the normal 2.8+. I have a hernia I had repaired a year ago after my 2nd pregnancy and that area started to hurt today. A bit worried that it's a potential problem in the future but hopefully it won't be. I will worry less about it as my core gets stronger since the trainer told me the stronger the muscles are the less likely they are to tear, but as I strengthen my core I worry about it. (Kind of like when we were teenagers and told we couldn't have a job until we had a car, but had to have a job to get a car in the first place...) anyways... :)

I ran with a buddy today. Not one of my normal buddies, but hopefully will be a regular in the future. Here she is:

Sadie is my 4 year old sheltie my husband and I got when I was pregnant with our oldest. (she looks so pretty today because she just got groomed yesterday) If you know anything about shelties or other herding dogs, you know they have a TON of energy. Normally in the warmer weather we have to take her to the park almost every single day so she can run around and play frisbee for an hour or so. It makes the winters interesting at our house though. She just wants to play fetch all day long and whines because we don't take her to the park with the kiddos in the freezing cold. I had the bright idea today of taking her for my run to hopefully wear her out and calm her down for awhile. So far it seems to have worked okay. It was a pain getting her started though. We definitely don't work with her training enough to keep the "rules" intact and so every time we go for a walk or run we have to reteach her everything like "don't chase cars." She kept running right in front of me and I was scared to death I was going to trip over her and break one or both of us. But, after the first lap she calmed down and stayed with me. Still going to be a process that definitely needs refining but I hope it will help both of us stay motivated and moving. That's all for me today!

PS - I hate post-running pictures. No makeup, hair all sweaty, and just nasty. Oh well.

Not Me Monday Runner's Edition.

It's that time again:
This week I did not go for a run with out deodorant on because I didn't have any. That would be so gross, I'd have to throw away my shirt when I was done.
So, you know it wasn't me who went to Wal*mart right after the very same run without showering or changing first so that I could get some more deodorant. Eeeewwww, I would never do that!
It wasn't me who used a naughty word when trying to describe my frustration with the running route I had chosen. I would never use a naughty word, especially when I talk about running.

The Pain

About a week and a half ago my thigh started to hurt. I figured it was just soreness from running more than I had been, or running on the treadmill, which, I was previously unaccustomed to. So, I started stretching more and better. That seemed to help for awhile, and then it didn't as much.

Last Sunday I took a day off to recover, and then I took Monday off too, hoping that would help it. Tuesday when I went back out, and as soon as I started to run it hurt again. So, Tuesday night, I went and got a foam roller and stretched it out on that. It felt so much better. Until I ran again on Wednesday. Thursday, I took off again. Friday, my first running step, it was like an explosion of pain. So, I just stopped, and walked home.

Usually I can only feel it when I'm running, or right after I've finished. What's weird is, I can't seem to pinpoint it. Sometimes I think it's my quad, sometimes my groin. Sometimes it radiates to my knee, sometimes up to my hip. It feels deep and sharp. If I sit on a counter of something with my legs dangling, it causes pretty intense pain. The other day, I sort of twisted on it to grab something, and I thought my leg was just going to break it hurt so bad. I've tried ice, heat, icy/hot, rest, elevation. I've been running on flat surfaces because someone told me that would help a quad injury. At this point I'm frustrated, I don't want to continue to run on it if it's going to get worse, but I don't want to take off for very long either. I feel like I get out of shape SO fast. Anyone out there dealt with anything like this before? Any tips or pointers? Should I go see a Dr?

This, That and The Other Thing

This: Emily and I received our first blog award! How fun! Thanks Twila You all should check her out! She and her friend Kris are also doing 2010 in 2010, except, they're EACH doing 2010! Talk about rock stars! Amazing. Here's their blog, and here's Twila's personal blog. The rules of the award are to share seven random things about yourself, and then pass the award on to seven more bloggers. Em and I will each share our seven random things, and then work together to pick seven blogs to pass the award on to! Be sure to check back soon.

That: My runs have been tough lately. I took a few days off to rest what I thought was a strained quad, but now I'm thinking maybe it's closer to my groin. Just going to take it slow a few days and see where I end up. (Let's hope it's not in the Dr's office!)

The other thing: I went out and bought a foam roller last night, and gave it a try this evening. I had imagined this magical massaging sensation. Not. so. much. It was quite a bit more painful than I thought. That said, I feel GREAT now. My legs feel better than they have since I started this adventure! Hooray for feeling good! If you've never tried one, I highly recommend it. Even the kids have had a great time rolling around on it.

Staying Injury-Free - Foam Roller Stretches

I used my free personal training appointment today at the gym to talk to a trainer about staying injury-free during our year-long challenge. He showed me some really good stretches to do on the foam roller to help work the knots out of my legs and keep them healthy. This video shows the majority of the stretches he showed me, and I'm really excited to start utilizing them. He recommended stretching before and after a cardio workout or run.

Not Me Monday Runners Edition

Welcome to another edition of Not Me Monday! This idea was started by McMamma. You can head over to her blog to see what it's all about!

It is not me who accidentally left my kids in the gym's day care a bit too long according to their policy because I was enjoying my workout too much. Oops, guess that girl better pay closer attention to the time in the future!

It's not me who has dreams of drinking soda in very, very large amounts. Nope, kicking the habit has had no affect on me whatsoever.

It's not me who feels like the treads on the bottoms of my shoes that help me run on ice and snow make me feel like a superwoman, crossing buildings in a single bound, faster than a speeding bullet.

And it's so NOT ME who is SUPER disappointed I missed the premiere of the Biggest Loser and have to wait until Tuesday to catch up because of Hulu's new policies. sigh.... I suppose I can wait :)

Today was a rough one.

Yesterday was a pre-planned recovery day for me. Yesterday, I was also diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.

I felt great this afternoon, so I thought I'd go down to the track by my house, and put in some miles. When I got there, there was a soccer team of probably high school aged boys on the field practicing. Call me vain, or whatever, but I'm just not the girl who runs the track while there is a whole team of boys (anyone really) there practicing. Remember, I've only been a runner since December 21st, so I'm just not there yet.

I hadn't really considered the implications of having a UTI and running... Oops... So, I stopped to use the restrooms at the park where the track was, and then hit the streets. About five minutes into the run, I have to go again. I see Taco Bell a few blocks over, and think, great, I'll just head over there, and use theirs. Call me vain again, but I saw a friend in the parking lot, and didn't really want to have to explain everything, so, I waved then ran right on by. So, I ended up stopping at a hotel a few blocks from Taco Bell. Ok, I think, now I'm ready to really hit it. I knew that I wanted four miles, but I had no plan because I was thinking I'd be running the track.

So, I just took the next road over to see where it lead...After making it over the hill in the picture, (thank you Google Maps) I realize, there are no sidewalks on this road, great. I spent most of the time on this road thinking I was probably going to get hit by a car, but I didn't. I made it home all in one piece and without having to knock on somebody's door to use the restroom... And, I actually ended up with 4.3 miles! Even so, not looking forward to another one of these kinds of runs for a long time!

Ever wondered how to lace a running shoe?

My dad was trying to explain this to me awhile ago. Here's a video in case you've ever wondered :)

I took the plunge!

Well, I did it. (Emily here, btw). I took the plunge. I actually joined a gym. I have been toying with the idea of joining one for over a year, and I just couldn't justify spending the money on it. But, with two kids I have found it very difficult to fit in a workout and take care of them. I hate, hate, hate the treadmill at my house. And with the cold weather (btw, it's -2F where I am right now) I have a hard time getting motivated to go run outside :) Enter the gym idea. I called around to pretty much every gym in my town to get prices on enrollment, membership, and childcare. What surprised me was that Gold's Gym was actually the cheapest of my options. When I looked into it over a year ago, I would be paying $65 a month for membership and childcare. They changed their pricing though and it's actually quite a bit less this year! I figure I can go any time I want and not have to work out someone to watch the kids. If I am having a bad day, I can just take them there and go work out for while. Plus, my friend Sarah (who ran the Resolution Run with me) is one of the instructors there. I talked to my husband about it, and he was totally on board! So, I joined yesterday. I'm excited because it locks me in for the year too, so if I want to get my money's worth I better go work out regularly! I took a cycling class yesterday and also did my 2.8 miles for the day. I am horribly behind right now because I have been very sick (I'll talk more about that on the 22nd). But, I figure it was worth it to get started again and just go! I also had a little emotional high during the class yesterday. My foot kept slipping out of the pedal when we had to stand on the bike, and the girl next to me asked if I was okay. I just told her my foot kept slipping but I got it fixed and that it was my first time. She was amazed that it was my first time and asked if I did other cardio work. I told her I ran and she replied that she was amazed that I could just jump in and handle a cycling class that well already! I was elated to say the least! Plus she is super nice and we agreed the next class to exchange email addresses so we can run together sometimes :) Yay for making new friends! I took the cycling class again today because Sarah was the instructor, and I plan on it again on Saturday. It totally killed my thighs and my calves, but I can feel them really getting stronger and tighter. I am hoping this will help my endurance and my speed a lot for future races. If I can run a 5k under 30 minutes I will be so incredibly happy! I will definitely still make sure to do my miles, but I feel like this is what I need to get that extra boost and strength training. I will keep you updated on my progress!

The Treadmill

I used to hate it, but I think it's growing on me.

Here are the things I love about the treadmill:

• Watching the calories burn up
• Watching the miles fly by
• Knowing exactly how fast I'm going

Things I don't love about it:

• Having the opportunity to watch the time c r a w l by
• Not actually going anywhere
• It makes my legs hurt

Any pointers? What do you love and hate about the treadmill?

Small victories for today:

• I hit 16 miles today (an average of 4 miles a day!)
• Went for my longest straight run since I had surgery in September
• Managed to increase my speed

Oh, the sweetest things :)

Not Me Monday Runner's Edition.

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

There's some other girl out there, who is kind of afraid to cross train in a pool.... You see, she, whoever she is, has a weird phobia of the drain at the bottom of the deep end. It all started when she was a little girl, and thought that sharks were going to come out of it, and eat her. She never even saw Jaws! Isn't she weird?

It's not me who came close to having a complete melt down a couple of days this week when I hadn't been able to exercise by 8pm. I'm not starting to depend on those endorphins, no way, not me! (oh my goodness girl! That's "not me" either!!)

It is definitely not me who checks out her own growing leg muscles. I am not that vain at all! (but if it WERE me, I would be pretty dang proud of how tight they are getting!)

It is not me who walks on ice at a terribly slow speed on ice, arms flailing and feet slipping everywhere, looking like a deranged penguin. Nope, I'm one of those girls who runs on ice like there is no tomorrow and not a care in the world! Canada, here I come!

It's not me who sat on the floor to dry off the dishes in the bottom rack of the dish washer, I'm never that tired after a run!

Thanks for reading! How about you? Have any "not me" moments this week?

You can drink your vegetables!

That's what someone told me while touting the amazingness that is V-8. I've tried it, many many times. I just have a really hard time getting it down. It's got a weird texture, and I'm a definite texture person. I'll keep trying.... Here's the thing, I like vegetables, so I don't mind eating them. Not only that, I like McDonald's, but, I'm sure as heck not going to stick my burger, fries, and coke in a blender and drink it. BLECH!!!!

In other news, I ran/walked 6.2 miles today! I went with the intention of doing 5.5 once I was there, I figured I'd go 6.2 and see what it felt like to do a 10k. I feel better post run than I thought I would. On my way over to the treadmill, I was thinking maybe I should have broken in my new running shoes on something less than 5.5 miles. They were fine though. No blisters or anything! I did have a moment of panic right as I was finishing my warm up walk, I got a strange cramp on the top of my foot that made me think that maybe I had tied my shoes a little too tight. I walked it out, and was fine the rest of the time. I can definitely tell the difference between real running shoes and cross trainers.

So, as of today, Emily and I are out of the 2000s of miles, and into the high 1000s!

Anyone have any resolutions they're really excited about? Let's hear 'em!

PS Here's something funny: my spell check tried to change the word amazingness to amazons, LOL. It also tried to change blech to belch. How appropriate! Apparently it's never been to Urban Dictionary.

Emily - 2.8 miles

Good afternoon everyone! Emily here again. Today I started the New Year with a 2.8 mile run/walk. I ran most of the first mile (except for the really icy parts) and then had to walk the 2nd. Two reasons I had to walk: 1) it was SUPER icy in the neighborhood south of mine. I thought about calling their HOA and complaining that they didn't pave the paths very well. (okay, so I won't really call, but I thought about it!) 2) I was in a LOT of pain today during the second half. My calves were killing me, especially on a big downhill part. There is also a twist to my half of this project for the first 21 days, but you won't know about that until after it's over! (muahaha, I love leaving you in suspense!!)

Since Liesl posted pictures of her shoes, I thought I would do the same. I picked these up shortly before Christmas on a B1G1 1/2 sale at Famous Footwear. They are Avia running shoes. They weren't too expensive as I have a hard time justifying paying that much for a pair of shoes. They are comfy though, and I can definitely tell a difference from my old pair of shoes, which had holes in the toes and the soles were starting to fall off.

I plan on posting pics of these like Liesl every 100 miles I reach. My friends Sarah and Tanya were also talking about how we should start posting pictures of our toes once we start training for a half or full marathon. Something about our toenails turning black and falling off? Gross. We shall see!! Have a wonderful day everyone!