2010 in 2010

Update on Us

2010-03-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Emily here. I thought I would give a little bit of an update on us. We have now reached 150 miles!! Woohoo! We are pretty far behind, but I think we can make it still. I have hope. I think I can, I think I can....

As far as working out goes, I haven't been very consistent lately. I have still been doing my long runs, but not so much the short runs. Last week I did a 4 miler that was pretty good on Wednesday, and then a 7 mile on Saturday that was one of the most painful runs I have ever done. Whoever decided to make our local bike path concrete should be shot. I decided to map out residential runs from now on so I can at least stay on asphalt, and hopefully this summer hit some dirt. I have been running with one of the middle schoolers from my youth group on the long runs. She is so much fun and she totally keeps me motivated :) But, I may have to turn her down for the long runs together for a bit. She is also running track and she has developed really really bad shin splints, and I don't want her to get injured. So now the trick is figuring out how to get those long runs in on my own. I have found the key - when you run 3 1/2 miles away from your car, you HAVE to run 3 1/2 miles to get it back. It's both a blessing and a curse, but it gets the job done. Today I ran a mile on the treadmill, then did BodyPump, then went back and did another 2 miles and a 1/4 cool down. In all I burned 900 calories! I have been dead tired for most of the day. But I'm determined to reach my goal of 20 miles for the week.

Unfortunately we have had some sad news from the past week as well. Liesl's grandpa became very ill last week and went to be with the Lord on Saturday. She and her family are in Colorado right now for his service. Please keep her family in your prayers this week for their travels and hearts during this difficult time. Also, we found out last week our grandma was diagnosed with cancer. As of yet I haven't heard what the test results were as far as how bad it is or what kind of cancer it is. It's times like these when it is very hard to stay motivated, when your body wants to grieve like your emotions are, but that is when we grow closer and we need something to help us cope. Please keep our family in your prayers this week. Have a blessed day!

Emily

I'm a total slacker!

2010-03-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

I have a ton to blog about, and just haven't been doing it. So, here is my effort to catch up!

First, I haven't been running much lately. I'm still having trouble with my thigh, but, now it seems to have moved more into my hip. I was hoping it was just going to go away, but it hasn't yet. So, I started looking for a sports med Dr here in my little town. They don't have them here, but they do have Orthos who are apparently the people to see for sports related injuries. I have an appointment with their PA on Tuesday, and then I'll be able to see one of them. I wish it were sooner, but it's not. I really want to run today, but I can't decide if it's bad enough to actually go ahead and make an appointment, is it too bad to run through? It hurts a little bit now, and doesn't seem to hurt too much while running, but I'm fairly sure I'll be paying for it after the run, maybe even for a couple of days. Bummer.

Next, I got to go to a REAL live running store last weekend! We don't have one here in town, the closest is hundreds of miles away. But, I ended up in Durango for the weekend, and they have one! Turns out, I'm an over pronator, but just on the right side. Which, is the side that I'm having trouble with. The man who was helping us said that the over pronation probably caused some of the trouble I'm having in my thigh, and that my hip trouble might be because my right leg is a little longer than my left. I hope that's it! I got a new pair of shoes that I love, but have only been able to run in once because of the pain. They're Sauconys, and they're actually men's shoes, but they feel GREAT! I also got the special socks, those are so great, I can't believe I was running in cotton ones before. These are so much softer, I want to wear them all the time, but at $10 a pair, I don't think I can afford it!

While I was in Durango, I met a marathon runner. In person is kind of cool. I know a lot of you from the blogging world, but there's something to seeing someone face to face who has run 26.2 miles.

My first official 5k is scheduled for the 20th of this month. I'm really excited, and hoping that I can still make it.

That about sums it up for now. I promise it won't be so long next time :)

Dear Body,

2010-02-19T16:32:00.000-08:00

We've run a long long way together, through the hard runs and the good. I have to celebrate you body! I have to praise you like I should!

A little spin on the song "Praise You" by Fat Boy Slim

PS Just hit 68 miles! I know I'm behind, but I'll be there in no time!

New Shoes and A New Perspective

2010-02-11T22:32:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Emily here. This week has been really interesting for me. I haven't actually run barely at all this week. I did my long run on Saturday (8 miles) and by Sunday I was in SUPER amount of pain. My legs, my knees, my hips, and mostly the bottoms of my feet hurt super bad. I went to Body Pump on Monday, and then I tried to run and had to get off within the first 5 minutes because I hurt so bad. I tried the eliptical, which was better and I did 15 minutes, but still had to get off. Tuesday night I went to a youth group staff meeting and the staff prayed for me. I felt SO much better that night, and I went to the chiropractor and the running store and got all geared up with new shoes and insolse. The pain was pretty bad by this morning though. I went to Body Pump and the Abs class again today instead of cycling like I normally do to keep the focus on my legs for only a little bit. It was pretty good, but still hurt. Tonight at youth group we watched a video called The Finger of God, which is a documentary all about witnessing miracle healings throughout the world. It was so cool - definitely check it out. After the film our youth were asked to get in groups and pray for each other if there were any illnesses or injuries that needed healing. I asked my group to pray for my legs. Now, just so you know I am a pretty big skeptic when it comes to stuff like this (just ask Liesl.), mostly because of the amount of people I think fake it or make it mentally happen but it doesn't really happen. But, I really and truly hoped that God would heal my legs and it would stick this time. It was so cool though; I could feel heat starting on my left thigh, and it traveled all the way down my left leg down to my toes. Then it started at the right thigh, and traveled down to just above my foot. By this time all the warmth made my legs feel, for lack of a better word, "fuzzy" and my head was spinning. I seriously felt like I was falling over. (Apparently I wasn't). I guess a floating feeling would be a better way to describe it. When it stopped I felt like I heard God say "just one more". My friend Angie felt God pulling at her to read Psalm 63, which reads:

¹ O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

² I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

³ Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.

⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

⁶ On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.

⁷ Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.

⁸ My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

⁹ They who seek my life will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.

¹⁰ They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.

¹¹ But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God's name will praise him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

I couldn't really hear the passage, though (which is why it was good to go back and read it later). I was remembering at the gym today this girl who was driving me NUTS. When she walked in to me everything about her seemed fake. Her hair was really damaged from the amount of color treatments on it, her boobs were way larger to the proportion of her body, and her butt crack stuck out of her pants every time she did a squat. Even her makeup was perfectly done (to go to the gym??). She kept doing her own thing instead of what the instructor told us to do and it drove me crazy for the whole class. By the end though I realized, who am I to judge her? Here I am trying to think I'm all good at exercise and stuff because I have been to a few classes and run a few miles. I watched the amount of weight she had on her bar (which was A LOT), and she did stretches in the "advanced" mode all the time, wheras I couldn't even stay in the plank position for more than a few seconds on my toes and she was doing it with one and one arm in the air like it was nothing. I realized two things: 1) that she could probably beat me up, and 2) I was no better than her and needed God too, in that moment especially as I was choosing to judge someone else on her appearance. Back to youth group, I felt my foot become warm and "fuzzy" too, and there was absolutely NO PAIN whatsoever in either one of my legs. I realized that I needed a new perspective, to be careful not to judge others and to trust God that He knows what He's doing, and that He knows that girl at the gym too and loves her. Maybe through this new perspective God will continue to heal my body and make it so that I can continue to run, uninjured.

Anyways, I am rambling, and it's very late. I just felt like sharing how awesome God is!!

Emily

I feel like crap

2010-02-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

Emily here.

I feel like crap.

Every muscle in my body aches, especially those from the hips down.

I'm gonna go take some ibuprofen and go to bed.

Okay, enough whining for now.

At least this means I get to go to the running store this week and see if there is something they can do :)

Who would have thought?

2010-02-08T19:42:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I ran outside for the first time in a few weeks. I felt like I was running S L O W... When I got home and mapped my run I found that I had run half a mile more than I do in the same time on the treadmill! Woohoo!

My Jaw Dropped

2010-02-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

Today the Couch-to-5k page on Facebook that I frequent posted this:

"How many miles did you run in January? Fellow runners discuss how they started the year off with their January totals: http://bit.ly/9MUkiX"

I was excited to post my 45 some odd miles, I'm behind for the year, but I'm still training for some big miles, so I figure I'll get caught up. But, I was thinking these were all C25K people, and I'd be in good company! Boy was I ever wrong (because I was not the good company)! My jaw dropped when I started reading the mileage the people who were posting put down. Here are a few responses:

"This was a good start to 2010 for me! 166 miles." -MCMRon (This puts him right on target for his own 2010 miles this year)

"186.5 for me. 43.5 short of my goal as I missed two of my long runs." -Patrick_Runner

"Wow! Great mileages everyone! I got 127.34 and like y'all feel great and like it's a great start for 2010!" -Becky8846

"I only did 350 including the 3 marathons for January, all outside running and mostly hills. I had a small injury during Houston marathon that kept me from 450-500 miles per month. I am back on track for February." -PersianP

Wait, let's look more closely at that last one: "I only did 350 including the 3 marathons for January, all outside running and mostly hills. I had a small injury during Houston marathon that kept me from 450-500 miles per month. I am back on track for February."

I follow a few ladies who put up some amazing miles like Running 2010 in 2010 and Life After 40, but I had no idea there were so many people out there doing so many miles!!!! Whew. Who knew?

PS. As of 02/03/2010, I'm at exactly 50 miles for the year.

PPS. If you're writing a blog about running, let us know so we can come read your stuff, and cheer you on!

January in Summary

2010-02-03T14:03:00.000-08:00

www.mapmyrun.com is a great resource to keep track of your exercise routine. I really like it because I can put in a map of where I just ran and it tells me how long it is, keeps track of my pace, and tells me how many calories I have burned (though it doesn't take into account all of those mini oreos I just ate....) :-D Here is the summary it gives me for the month of January:

I ran/walked a total of 39 miles, which is well under where I should probably be for the month to keep up with the 1000 mile goal for the year. But, I am very glad that I successfully worked out 4-5 times a week for the whole month! And that last run on the 30th? Yeah, that was the 8 mile run. Boo-yah! So, not quite where I wanted to be but definitely on the right track :) Here's to February being an even better month!

8.6 miles and a bloody toe

2010-02-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Emily here. Wow, I kinda dropped off the face of the blogging world for a little bit. Sorry about that. But, I have some great news! I finished my first really long run on Saturday! Woohoo!! I ran/walked a total of 8.6 miles! I never thought I could do that!

In other good news, I got my first official running-related "injury." Thank goodness it was only a bloody toe! I was all excited because I thought it was the nail itself, but later I figured out it was a nail that was a tiny bit too long and cut the toe next to it. Still pretty cool. I feel like I can call myself a real-live runner now!

The reason I ran so long was because of the new schedule I put myself on. I finished reading The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide by Dawn Dais and it totally got me pumped for a half-marathon. I looked at the schedule in my area and the one that best fits the schedule is on Mother's Day in Fort Collins. Hmmmmm.... normally I would be spending Mother's Day sleeping in and having breakfast in bed. But no, this year it's a half marathon. What the heck am I thinking? Oh well, I'm excited.

This weekend's run was a real milestone for me in that it totally changed my attitude. The longest I had ever run before that was about 4 miles and 13.1 just seemed SO far away. Now, I feel like I could actually do it. I have watched my mile time drop from a comfortable 12+ minutes to feeling comfortable at about 9:40, which is huge for me. I've never run a mile that fast before! I do have to add a portable water pack to my own wish list though. Since it still freezes in CO until about April the city doesn't have the public water fountains open, so by the end of my run I was melting snow and drinking it. I think I read somewhere that that's really not good for you, but I was parched. Anyways, enough rambling from me. Have a great week everyone!

Road ID Coupon

2010-02-01T08:57:00.001-08:00

$1 off. Good for the next 30 days and up to 20 uses.

Code: ThanksLiesl614976

Get yourself one here

My Runner's Wish List

2010-01-29T08:44:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-25T17:49:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-20T15:34:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-01-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-16T14:58:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-13T21:40:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-11T14:45:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-10T22:43:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-01-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

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?

2010-01-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-01-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-05T21:41:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-01-03T22:29:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-01-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-01T14:51:00.000-08:00

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!

First 5k!!! Woohooo!!!

2009-12-31T23:53:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!! I hope you had a WONDERFUL New Year's Eve!! I know I sure did!! Emily here, and I finished the first 5k of our resolution! Okay, so technically it's not ACTUALLY in 2010, but I'm still counting it as the kickoff of our project. Today's run was the 5k (3.2 miles) around CSU campus. This is where I went to college and it was so much fun running around the really familiar places, including the dorms and my most-visited buildings. We even had to hang out in Clark A101 for awhile where I spent many long, annoying hours in biology class. It was a blast though! I'm not quite sure what my time is yet. The ticker was at 36:20 when I crossed the finish line, but we were some of the last to cross the starting line. I will just have to wait until the results are posted online. I did finish an entire song earlier than last time though so I'm pretty sure I beat my last time! Woohoo!! I unfortunately had to walk a bit on this one because of some ice on the road and around 1 1/2 miles my calf hurt like a mother. But once I gave myself a good kick in the butt (figuratively) I started running again and that made the pain go away for the rest of the race. I got to run this one with my friend Sarah and her friend Tanya. They are so fun, but man they are hardcore!! They are trying to talk me in to doing a half marathon with them in August or September. We shall see, we shall see :) Here's a few pics for your enjoyment:

Yes, you guessed it. I was running so fast that the camera couldn't keep up with me :) j/k My husband tried to use the "burst" mode on our camera and apparently it doesn't work with the flash so this is all we got of the actual race. My mom wanted me to post it anyway.

Here is me (on the right) with Sarah and Tanya and Sarah's sons Judah and Ian. Sarah pushed Judah for the whole race in a jogging stroller and Tanya is halfway through her pregnancy. They both smoked me. Go figure :) They sure are fun though!!

And last, here is me with my new t-shirt and racing number, all tired and sweaty and cold at the same time. All in all it was a blast and I'm so excited to start our blog this way!! Happy New Year everyone!

<3 Emily

It's official!

2009-12-31T12:47:00.000-08:00

Today we start counting the miles! It's so weird, and so exciting all at the same time. I still totally freak out staring down the 0 side of 1,005, so I can't wait to actually start putting the miles behind me!

Here's the breakdown of what we have to do:

2.75 miles a day

5.5 miles every other day

19.33 miles a week

83.75 miles a month

1,005 miles a year!

Oh My Gosh!!!! What The Heck?!?!?!?

2009-12-30T08:04:00.000-08:00

That's the moment I had this morning when I tried to put on my left high heel (we're not talking really high, just dress shoe.) Apparently my left calf has gone on strike, and instead of just communicating that to me like a decent muscle would. You know,"I'm just not feeling the heels today... Maybe not even tomorrow." It, in really, quite a maniacal way, said: "Ha ha ha ha, that's what you think! &$^@&#%^@%#^%&!" I'm not kidding you! That's word for word what it said.

Sigh, guess I'm going with the tennis shoe/dress pant combination that looks so amazing. Everyone else at work does it, but, I would not jump off of a bridge if they all did it. And, I really like to wear cute shoes, Dang it!

Dear Left Calf,

You may have won this time, but THIS IS WAR!

Best watch your back,

Liesl

Probably should have stretched better last night...

Random Woohoos from Liesl

2009-12-29T21:59:00.000-08:00

I got my rings back today! Woohoo!!! My finger has been feeling weirdly naked for the past couple of days! I never take my rings off for anything. So, to not have them for three days was really strange. I have a new plan for them too, in case I forget to take them off before I hit the treadmill. I'll take pictures and show you. I love my rings, can't pass up an opportunity to show them off!

I read a very motivational fact today. This, if nothing else, will keep me running... Runner's diets should be 80% carbs! That's right, ladies and gentlemen! You probably didn't hear it here first, but you heard it here. It's exciting, it's enthralling, it's the best thing that ever happened! I am a carboholic, rice, potatoes, bread... I'll take it all! I will run 1005 miles and a marathon to eat carbs! Woohoo! Oh, yeah, let's not forget pasta! :D

I ran on the treadmill tonight. Over 3.5 miles running/walking. And, I burned over 540 calories. Woohoo! I'm not really a calorie counter kind of girl, but still I think that's the small mocha with whole milk and whipped cream I drank today, at least I hope so!

What kind of woohoos have you had lately? Let's hear 'em.

Not Me Monday Runner's Edition.

2009-12-27T13:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, Liesl here. Let me tell you how this works. This was a fun blog idea started by mckmama. The idea of this blog is to confess things that you "didn't" do all week, but you really did, and you'd be totally embarrassed if anyone ever knew about it. Emily and I will start, hopefully, you'll get the idea. We won't tell you which one of us actually posted which confessions... Have fun guessing!
You heard if here first, but you know we didnt' do it!
- This week I did not leave my wedding rings on a treadmill. I'd been running on. Nope, I never ever take mine off, and if I do, they're locked in a safe at my house!
- And, you know that post with the shoe pictures? I did not have to upload and delete the pics 8 or 9 times while trying to figure out how to get them in the post where I wanted them. I got it right the first time!
- You know it's not me who likes to wear a headband and a ponytail. It doesn't make me feel more like a real athlete. What a nerd, whoever that is. And, if it is me, I have short hair so I have to wear it like that.

-It is most DEFINITELY not me who invited all 430 of my facebook friends to be a fan of this site (and our facebook site) so that all our friends can cheer us on. Someone must have hacked my account :)

-It couldn't have been me whose three-year-old runs around the house and then stops, lays face down on the floor for a few minutes, gets a drink, and then says "okay Mommy I'm done with my run too."

-It's not me that passed on the beautiful sweater (on clearance!) at American Eagle today to save money for running gear. That's just crazy!

Present #2

2009-12-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

Aren't they pretty? I know that that's not the most important part of a running shoe (in fact, it shouldn't be a factor at all). But, still, it's pretty fun :)

These are my first pair of running shoes. I've been wearing cross trainers until now. So, I'm pretty excited to have some real running shoes. I did the best I could to pick a pair that fit. We don't have a running store here in Gallup, so, I'll have to make it to one before the marathon for sure!

The average life of a running shoe is 300-400 miles. So, looks like I'm looking at 3 pairs over the next year, crazy huh?

Here's the plan: I'm not going to wear these shoes until the first day we start counting miles... Then, since we'll be keeping track I figure it will be really easy to know how many miles I go in them. Then, evey 100, or so, miles, I'll take pictures and we'll see what they look like through all the wear and tear.

They're Women's Nike Compete. Thought I'd put it out there on this blog. Hopefully, they'll be the perfect pair right from the start. Then I know what to get the next time I need shoes.

What kind of shoes do you wear? Do you have a favorite brand? Have you ever been to a

running store and been fitted? I'dlove to know what you think!

As Promised

2009-12-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

I promised you yesterday that I'd tell you about my presents, and, have pictures. So, here you have it, present number one...

My friend, Vicki, sent it to me, after I hijacked her copy and read the first chapter one night. It arrived in the mail the day after I made the commitment to do all this running. How cool is that???

I highly recommend this book, and I haven't even finished it yet. Every time I pick it up I laugh out loud. I even woke my husband up one morning laughing at it. The best part is that she can laugh at herself, and all the goofiness she feels about running. All the while, she talks about training schedules, and gives helpful pointers. She makes me believe that I can do it, and love it, and laugh through it. Gotta love a book that makes running enjoyable!

I'll give you a little taste:

Ode to Running

What's the point of running?

What reason could there be?

Running twenty-six miles

Makes no sense to me.

We have planes, trains, and automobiles,

Helicopters, scooters,and boats.

And if you really really need to

You could even ride a goat.

With all these options to move you

Why would you want to run?

Compared to running for hours

Riding a goat sounds like fun.

Running makes you sweaty

And tired and cranky and sore,

And running around in circles

Can be really quite a bore.

But the worst part of running,

What drives me out of my mind,

Are the Chipper Happy Runners

Who are Chipper and Happy all the time.

They get up at 7 AM

To run too many miles,

And whether it's Mile 1,5, or 10,

Their faces are covered in smiles.

I fear that I'm outnumbered,

And they're trying to wear me down,

They're trying to make me chipper,

But all I can do is frown.

But I'll be nice to the Chipper People

And I'll tolerate their smiles,

'Cause they have so much friggin' energy

Maybe I can ride on their backs for awhile.

From: Dawn Dais, The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide For Women, Get Off Your Butt and On With Your Training (Seal Press, 2006), p. 20

Merry Chistmas randomness from Liesl

2009-12-25T15:42:00.000-08:00

Today would have been the perfect day for a run... It's cold, but sunny, and I think the snow has melted off the sidewalks enough that they wouldn't be slick. But, Santa stayed up until almost 3am wrapping presents last night, so, said Santa, took a nap this afternoon instead. I know what you're thinking, and yes, Santa is a procrastinator. Hopefully Santa will remember how early the kids got up next year! Ha! Apparently, Santa is also an optimist!

I got some really fun running themed presents this year! Which, I plan to tell you about, but not in this post. You'll just have to wait and see. But, I promise, if you come back soon there will be pictures too.

Today I came here for two things. #2: Rewards. I've been thinking of rewards for myself when I hit certain miles. Like, I'm toying with the idea of professional pedicures every 100 miles. Doesn't sound too shabby huh? And, if I'm going to be running a lot, certainly appropriate. I've also been thinking about other bigger rewards for bigger miles. So, when I hit 251.25 miles, I think I'm going to get my nose pierced! Just a one of those little tiny barely visible studs. ssshhhhh.... I haven't even told my husband yet. Surprise hunny!

#1: Merry Christmas! I hope that your day was wonderful! Full of unexpected blessings, and the love of the people that you spent it with. Happy Birthday Jesus!

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting
Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child
Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home
Bring Your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven's silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world
Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born
So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our World by Chris Rice

Emily - 2 mile cross training

2009-12-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Eve! (or as my oldest calls it, "Christmas Steve!") Emily here. Today's workout was cross-training to get geared up for my 5k on New Year's Eve. We got a good 6-10 inches of snow in Colorado last night, so it was way to nasty out to run outside and I had to resort to the treadmill. Let's just say I HATE the treadmill. For some reason my legs always hurt a LOT more while running on the treadmill than they do running outside. But enough whining :) I started with 5 min (1/4 mile) of walking to get myself warmed up. After that I sprinted (well, ran at about 7mph) for 1 minute and walked at 3mph for 3 min. I repeated that until I had finished 2 miles for today. I had a goal of 3 miles but I just about passed out after finishing mile 2 and decided to call it a day. I ended up doing a total of 7 full sprints and had to stop halfway through the 8th one, which is better than the last time I did cross training and had to stop after 5 intervals. I love seeing this progress! I hope to see the benefit of doing this type of training by my time being lowered for my 5k. Anyways, that's it for today from me! Saturday marks the official launch of our blog, so be sure to check us out then! Have a wonderfully blessed Christmas!!

3.85 Miles... That Don't Count Yet :)

2009-12-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! Emily here. I just finished my workout for the day. Definitely not quite up to where I will need to be to keep up with our program next year, but I'm definitely working on it. Today I walked/ran 3.85 miles around the lake in my hometown. (BTW, we are counting the miles we walk as well as run in this blog. You will see some alternative workouts here like cross training that include walking, but it's still part of the workouts so we will still count them :) I also did this same route on Sunday afternoon at a time of 58:38 and today I cut it down to 50:48!! Woohoo!! I pushed myself a lot harder this time to keep running. I have a playlist on my MP3 player and I just kept saying "go one more song... one more song...." I did have to stop and walk a couple of times but overall I am really proud of myself! And majorly sore.... :) Even though Thursday is Christmas Eve, I plan on doing some cross training with some sprints to get my times down even more so I can get a decent time on the New Year's Eve run. Here's hoping I won't be one giant sore muscle for Christmas!! Anyways, thanks for reading!

A Bit From Emily

2009-12-21T15:03:00.001-08:00

LOL Liesl you crack me up. Misery loves company, ha ha ha :) Well, I supposed I should introduce myself too :) I'm Emily. I'm a 25 year-old mom of two who for some crazy idea thought this thing up. Actually, though, Liesl was the one who got me started running. She messaged me asking me to do the Bolder Boulder with her this coming Memorial Day and pointed me in the direction of C25k. My sister started doing the program too, and the competitive side in me thought that I couldn't just let them do it and not join in too :) I never did fully complete the program since I had a couple weeks of being sick in there but I did run my first 5k race on Thanksgiving at our local Turkey Trot. It was the first time I had completely RUN that far without walking and I finished in 35:12. Honestly though, until Friday of last week though I had not run one single foot since then. I had all kinds of excuses, bad shoes (though they really WERE terrible), too busy, didn't want to take my kids, etc. etc. I figured out it just came down to I had gotten lazy again and I needed to get back in gear. What I realized though was that I needed a goal, something to strive for. That's where this challenge comes in. I figure this will push me hard enough and keep me accountable that maybe I will actually stick with it and finish something! It sure helps to know that I have Liesl to do this with too. It's like she said, misery loves company :) But seriously, I know that when I am running my 3rd mile of the day, tired and sore and thinking about stopping, that there is someone who I love 600 miles away that is doing the same thing and in the same boat as me and as we finish each step we can pat each other on the back (panting) and say "we did it!" So yes, I too will now describe myself as a runner. Holy crap.

I am a runner... Wait, what?!?!

2009-12-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

My name is Liesl. I'm 28 have been married for almost 8 1/2 years, I have four amazing children, and as of 6:37pm, December 21st, 2009, I am a runner.

I've never been a runner before. Even when I was a little kid I hated running. So, let me tell you where it started. I found c25k this past spring; while looking for an exercise program to shed some weight. I thought it looked like I might just be able to do it. I knew that Emily had been wanting to train for a 10k, so, for some extra motivation, I offered to do it with her. I laced up my cheap Payless cross trainers and hit the dirt road I was living on. I've been running off and on now for about four months. But, I wasn't a runner until last night. Because, before last night my plan was to run the 10k and then be done. Another thing to put on a list of achievements.

Then, last night, while I was still loving the endorphin rush from my run, Emily sent me a message asking me to join her and set some lofty (at least for me) goals. I quickly agreed, and then, panicked. Now, I have a whole lot of brothers and sisters and, there are about four who I have really talked to about running. All of them are incredible athletes, and all of them know about running. So, at 8:59pm, December 21, 2009 I sent the following text to J,M,H, and T:

OMGosh just committed to running at least 1005 miles in 2010. And maybe (hopefully) a marathon next December! What was I thinking? I'm not a runner!

I got varied responses, but I'll share two with you.

T: Ha ha, now you are. :)

J: You will certainly be a runner by the end of 2010!!! That's just 2.73 miles every day of the year!!!!

Then, I realized, I can't start this project thinking I'm not a runner. There's no way I can commit to running 2.73 miles every day for a year or 5.5 every other day for a year if I'm not a runner. So, as of last night, when I agreed to do this project, I'm a runner. I may not be that great yet. But, I am, I'm a runner. YIKES!!!!

So, I hope you enjoy reading about our endeavor. I'm writing this because I want people to know that if I can do it, you can do it too. And, I want you to join me.

Because, well, misery loves company ;P

The Challenge

2009-12-20T21:45:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone! Thanks SO MUCH for visiting us on our new blog! We are two cousins that live a LONG ways away but stay connected through the internet. We both started running in 2009 in the Couch to 5k program (which we LOVE and highly recommend). But now the question is where to go from here? That's where the New Year comes in.

We have decided to set a challenge for the two of us. From December 31, 2009 to December 31, 2010 we are going to run a total of 2010 miles between the two of us. That's 1005 miles each. At first it seemed REALLY intimidating, but then we worked out the math. It's an average of 2.75 miles per day, and when broken into alternate day increments then it's 5.5 miles per workout. This past summer we made the goal of running a 10k by Memorial day so we figure it's totally doable to keep up that routine for the year. We also plan to finish our miles together around December 31, 2010 by doing a half marathon or (gasp!) an entire marathon together. Both of us are going to log on here to update the blog on our progress and experiences. It's definitely going to be an interesting journey, but we invite you to join us as we run more than either of us ever thought we could possibly run. If you have a fitness resolution, please tell us about it and keep us updated on your progress! Enjoy our blog!