Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics

Do you like feeling like you are part of a group?
Enjoy flaunting your athletic abilities as much as possible?
Do you like to wear singlets that announce your addiction to running races?

If you answered yes to the questions above, I have come across the perfect solution for you! If you can run 2 full marathons (26.2 miles people!) within a 16 day time frame (and can prove it) then you have earned yourself a bronze level membership in the exclusive Marathon Maniacs club. You can also earn a titanium membership if you simply finish 52 marathons within 365 days. That doesn't sound too hard does it?

Of course, if you are like me, and can't even imagine racing 1,362.4 miles in a one year time span, but still want to rock a singlet that screams "I'm the bomb" you have other options.

I've become pretty intrigued with the Half Fanatic's running club. It's a lot like the Marathon Maniacs, but you might not die trying to become an elite member. One way to earn a bronze level membership is to run three half-marathons in a 90 day time frame. And naturally, you can earn top ranks in the club if you complete 52 half-marathons in a 365 day time frame.

The best part about these clubs, is that race time is not an issue. All that matters is that you finish the race. That sounds like my kind of gig.

With both the Maniacs and the Fanatics, after you achieve the criteria, and pay a reasonable membership fee, you will receive your exclusive singlet and be running in style. You can also meet other runners like yourself, earn awards, and log into their website.

If you want more information about becoming a Marathon Maniac or a Half Fanatic (and who wouldn't?) visit their websites:
http://www.marathonmaniacs.com or http://www.halffanatics.com

Don't be surprised to see me with my kids at a local grocery store in a shiny, new Half Fanatics singlet in the fairly near future. I think I have set yet, another goal for myself.

Running in the Rain

I have decided I actually really like running in the rain, which works out nicely in the Northwest. It's a great way to cool down, and the air feels so fresh and clean. Of course, you have to treat a rainy run a little bit differently than a dry one. I'm learning more and more on each run. There really is no reason for you to not enjoy your wet, Seattle runs.. you just have to follow a few easy steps!

1. Wear a hat. It's pretty important to be able to see while you are running. In fact, I'd almost say it's crucial. Grab a visor or one of those fancy hats with all of the little holes on the top, so your head doesn't overheat.

2. Bring a hanky. I can't be the only one who gets a runny nose everytime I run in junky weather. Frankly, when it's windy outside, the oh-so-fun snot rocket can have an ugly outcome.

3. Wear a jacket. Now, by "jacket" I don't mean your wool pea coat, nor am I implying you should wear your big, yellow rain slicker. Get yourself a nice, light, waterproof coat. The idea behind the jacket phenomenon is to keep your upper half less wet, and it might even protect your Ipod.

4. Stay as far away from the traffic on the roads as possible. I learned this first-hand the other night. A hard-working truck driver thought it might brighten his day to drive through a huge puddle.. and splash the poor, unsuspecting runner on the side of the road. That runner still had over two miles until she reached home, and nearly froze to death.

5. Wear your bright colors and reflective gear. Obviously it's hard for drivers to see us in the dark, but in the dark and rain, it's nearly impossible. This is another one I had to learn by trial and error. My friend, Lisa and I were on a run and were crossing (in a lit-up cross walk, mind you) and were almost slammed into by a pizza delivery driver. Luckily, I panicked and pushed Lisa a little bit (to give myself some more speed obviously) and her pink water bottle went flying into the air, allowing the punk to see us and promptly hit his brakes. Sorry about that, Lisa.

I'm sure I will learn more about running in the rain, and I'm sure you all have some wonderful tips to share. So share! Share away! Happy wet running!

Confessions of a Burned Out Runner..

Ugh. Such a sad title for this blog. I think that all of the momentum after crossing my first half-marathon finish line caught up with me. I tried. I really tried to get out there and take advantage of the endurance I built up leading to the Rock and Roll Seattle back in (gasp!)June, but I really couldn't find the hunger inside for the longest time. I planned to run the Seattle half-marathon this coming Sunday, but to be perfectly honest, I didn't train nearly enough and decided it would be a bad idea.

Over the last few months I just kept making excuses not to run. It was hot, it was cold, it was wet outside, I really needed to bake cupcakes with my kids... all night, my favorite show was on, my knee hurt, my elbows were dry, etc. Well then naturally, the guilt started kicking in and thoughts were running through my head that sounded a lot like " You suck. You've reached an amazing goal, found something you love and you are ruining it all!". So then I would ease my internal pain with a brownie or four.

What happened people?!

Well anyway, what's done is done. I haven't run further than 5 miles since June. I was secretly starting to think in the back of my head that I would never want to get out there and train for another race. Laziness and negative thoughts were clouding my formerly oh-so-ambitious mind. That is, until I started reading facebook posts and instant messages from friends that are preparing to run the Seattle Marathon this weekend. Now my mind is filled with jealousy and envy.

Here's what I'm doing (and I'm sticking to it); I'm running 26.2 miles on June 25th, 2011. You heard me. I'm going to attempt to push myself beyond any limits I have ever set for myself and I'm running the full marathon at the Rock and Roll Seattle 2011. But seriously. I am.

This means I have to start building up my endurance now. I'm going to get myself back up to a point in which I can run 6 miles non-stop (the length of my first long run). I'm going with the Hal Higdon novice program because frankly, ol' Hal got me through the 13.1 and for that, I like the guy.

The good Lord knows I will need a lot of support and advice (and most likely a shrink) to get through this training, so stick with me! It's going to be a wild ride!

...And I'm really going to do it.

Running for More Than Great Looking Calf Muscles

One of the greatest things about being part of races, is knowing that not only is training and racing fun, but most races support a cause. There are also groups like Team in Training where you can train with a fun group of folks at no cost, and raise a certain dollar amount to go towards The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Groups like this are a great option.

I wanted to join a fund raising/training group earlier in the year when I was training for my half-marathon, but thought as a stay-at-home mom, I don't get a lot of exposure to anyone with income exceding say...$5.00 a week for allowance. I figured it might be kind of hard for me to raise a set dollar amount. Then my friend, Alissa showed me something.

Alissa Tucci's grandmother had a major stroke on September 21st, 2009. Life has never been the same for her entire family and she wanted to do something to help more families dealing with the effects of stroke and help fund it's research. Like me, Alissa is a stay-at-home mom and on a pretty tight budget. She decided on her own, in her grandmother's honor, to set up a website for people to donate to the American Stroke Association. She has set a personal goal of $1,000 and is trying to reach it before she runs her first ever half-marathon in Seattle this November.

For me, I think it's great to know there are options for people trying to raise money for their own personal causes, and set their own monetary goals. It's just something to think about for the next time you want to cross a finish line.

If you want to donate to Alissa's fundraiser just click here:
American Stroke Association

My Fifteen Minutes of Fame

So if you are cruising by your local newsstand and pass by a Fitness Magazine with a picture of a hot brunette on the cover in a bikini, that's me! Okay... I'm lying... but if you open up the magazine and turn to page 18 I am featured in the "I did it" column! It's funny because I still won't feel like I've done it, until I cross the finish line after 26.2 miles, but apparently to some people 13.1 miles are just as exciting! Here is a picture of the little article and I've attached my original interview with the folks over there at Fitness! :)



What inspired you to start your journey towards a healthier lifestyle?
Well, firstly, I was tired. Tired of being fat, tired of being depressed, and tired of being tired. At 25 years old, I literally had given up on myself because I was so focused on my family and thought I didn't matter anymore. About the time I set up an appointment with my doctor to get back on anti-depressants, I came across a picture of an old high school friend. She just had her second son, and looked happier and healthier than she did when we were 16. Her facebook photos were full of pictures of her crossing finish lines and holding medals. That got the wheels turning.

How many kids have you had? Did you previously bounce back quickly after having your children?
I have had 3 kids, ages 6,3 and 8 months old. I don't even know what "bounce back" means. There was no bouncing back. With my first daughter I went from a lean 135 lbs to over 200lbs. With Tae Bo and calorie counting, over a year I lost most of it.. only to gain it back, lose some, gain it back, lose some.. etc. After my second daughter, I had terrible post partum depression and I think I only lost 20 lbs of that weight before getting pregnant again with my son a few years later. With him I tipped the scales at close to 230 lbs. I'm only 5'6. I started what I call "the change" two months after having him.

Had you tried to run long distances in the past?
Never. I honestly don't think I had ever run further than 6 consecutive blocks in a row before I started training. I remember the first time I ran a full mile without stopping. I could barely walk afterwards, but my sense of pride was immeasurable. Even in high school, I ate Taco bell and only did the required aerobics class to some how keep my figure.

What effects did your running and weight loss have on other parts of your life? (Such as on your family members)
Well, as someone who has suffered from depression, self doubt, and some less than supportive family members, at first it was mostly negative feedback. My husband was a little bit upset that I was changing the family's evening routine and he would have to prepare some dinners (on my long runs) or bathe the kids. One family member actually told me I was "too big" to run and it wasn't safe or healthy. I just kept my head up and kept trucking. Everyone started warming up to the idea as the pounds started rapidly dropping, and as the mileage was adding up. After I crossed the finish at my half marathon, I saw nothing but smiles and pride from my family. The best part was the look on my children's faces to see me cross, and my husband asking when the next race was, because he would also like to start training.

What was the most difficult part about the experience for you?
Overcoming my own demons. I would be on mile 3 of an 8 mile run and my inner dialogue would sound a lot like " you really are too fat for this. You can't really run 8 miles, you look awful while you are doing this". I really had to teach myself that I am, in fact, awesome. I had to learn that there is no reason why other people can acheive their goals and I can't. The hardest part of changing my life, was changing my attitude towards myself and start believing that I too, can do something awesome.

How do you/did you stay on track with your running program and weight loss lifestyle when it was getting difficult or temptations arose?
Blogging helped a lot. A few times a week, I would get online and update my imaginary readers on my progress. I would just tell myself that there has to be some woman out there in my same situation wondering if they can do something great for themselves. How could I let that woman down? Also, deep inside, I knew I had to prove people wrong about me. I had to prove that a fat girl, with three babies and a husband to take care of, can still have a life. Shoot, I had to prove that to myself.

Have you had a support system along the way? If so, who?
I know it's cliche, but I have the most amazing friends on the planet. Since the day I declared I would run a half marathon (and eventually a marathon) they have stood by me, asked about my progress, and believed in me. It took a little convincing, but as soon as my husband realized this was the real deal, he was the greatest support system. If I decided to bag out on a run one day, he would say " Do you want to finish that race? Get your butt up and go running" and I would. It was helpful on my long runs to know when I walked in the door, my husband would ask how many miles, and I could look at him and say, "10" and watch his face light up.

Do you have any plans for the future launching off your successes?
Well now that I truely understand that I can do ANYHING, the possibilities are endless. I still have about 25 lbs to lose and a Full Marathon goal in the future, but I would also love to coach other people to the finish line. I love to write and would love to find a way to reach out to more women who think their life is over after having kids and forget to live for themselves. I feel like I have had such an amazing, life changing experience and it is my duty to show other women that they can do anything.

The Reason I Started Running

I've spouted out over and over again how important it was to me to prove that even an overweight stay-at-home mom of three can run a marathon. Well, this guy inspired ME today when a friend sent me this link on YouTube.

If you have ever had an issue with weight, or even if you have ever run... get the tissues ready!

This is what inspiration looks like:

A Running Group in Puyallup

So the Aflac Iron Girl was a success. I had so much fun, and although I only skimmed about 20 seconds off my 5k PR, it was a race to remember! There is something to be said about lining up to race with roughly 1,989 amazing women. We all train hard to do something for ourselves that is remarkable. Congrats to everyone who crossed the finish line and received that darling little medal!

On another note, I need a running group. I feel like the options are so limited in the south-end as far as training groups go and I would really love to have a group to meet with on the weekends. So this is my call out to anyone that might be interested! The Amica Seattle half-marathon is on November 28th and I thought we could get a clan together to meet up on the weekends for our long runs! There is beautiful scenery down here but maybe sometimes we could make some road trips to other great trails and tracks.

Wow. I feel like I am making my desperate plea on a dating website.

Anyone who wants to train for the Seattle Marathon with me must like long walks on the beach, coffee on Sunday afternoons, and shin splints.

So, if you are interested, shoot me an email and let's make it happen. I see all of you lonely souls beating the streets by yourselves. Let's be friends.

The Aflac Iron Girl

It's 9:50pm the night before my first 5k race since my epic half-marathon last June. I'm not very nervous, though I should be. I failed to train very much at all this summer so my endurance has really gone down the pooper. I guess the Rock and Roll taught me something, however. If we aren't having fun while we are running these races, why the hell are we doing it?

I'm obviously not in the running to win the race (although my 6 and 3 year old girls may beg to differ), so why do I have any reason to worry? I am just going to wake up far too early, lace up my running shoes, run like hell, then strut around with my medal on. If you ask me, THIS is living the dream.

The only thing about tomorrow that makes me a little bit nervous is that none of my friends or family can make it to see me cross the finish. Well, one of my friends will be there, but she is running the 10k. Chances are I will be waiting around for a while to cheer her on while she crosses the finish line. I just hope the overwhelming sense of accomplishment will cancel out the feelings of being a race-finisher/bad ass that is hangin' solo. Oh wait! I just remembered I get a stuffed duck in my goody bag. Feelings of abandonment: dissolved.

For the record, I am doing the AFLAC Iron Girl around Green Lake. I know that a good portion of you running folk regularly train around Green Lake, and being a 'south-ender' I haven't had the opportunity to yet. I'll let you all know how it goes!

My First Run After My Hiatus

My anxiety was up a little bit for my first run after my two month break from the running. I was afraid I would disappoint myself and be starting at square one; two blocks of running.. ten blocks of walking... two blocks of running.. ten blocks of walking, and so on.

I guess I was suprised. I haven't lost a ton of strength in my body. My muscles still felt strong and half way into the first mile, I felt confident. I remembered how much I missed this freeing feeling. I missed the feeling of being away from everyone, alone with my thoughts, my heart racing, my face burning. After that first mile, however, I remembered how hard I had to work to build up my endurance for the Rock and Roll half-marathon.

At the start of mile two, my body felt strong, but my lungs felt as though they were about to collapse. My chest was burning a little bit and I was breathing like a St.Bernard on a 100 degree day. I stopped to walk.

I had to take a 2 minute walk break and was able to turn around and jog to my car without dying. To me, this was success.

If this was the first time I had trained for a race, I would be worried. But I'm not. I know that the lungs are the first to go, and probably the quickest to recover and get back to normal. It's actually kind of exciting for me to know I have to build my conditioning and endurance back up, because now I wont get bored with just pure awesomeness, if that makes sense.

I crosstrained yesterday, so today will be my second day of one foot in front of the other. I have three miles to run tonight, and I am fairly certain I will be even more determined to finish the three without any breaks.

Until the next blog! Happy Running!

We Will Call This, Chapter Two

The Amica Seattle Half-Marathon. The time has come. When it cools down tonight, my first day back into training will commence with a short 3 mile run.

I haven't run since June 26th. You heard me right. I haven't hit the pavement that I have grown to love so much in two months. I'm not sure why. I have been really busy, but if I am being honest with myself, not too busy to squeeze in a few miles here and there. I guess I just took a break, but I am ready to face my new training schedule head-on.

I'm going to follow Hal Higdon's half-marathon training schedule again. I liked it, it was realistic and it helped me power through the 13.1 at the Rock and Roll half. I am, however, going to focus on really working on the cross and strength training this time around because
A: I want to be faster and
B: I want to have a sexier physique (if you know what I mean)

On another exciting note, I think I have sucked my husband into my little obsession. We went out and bought him some new Asics and he is going to train for the November race as well!

Get ready for a lot more blogging from this lady. Also, wish me luck. I just hope I can still run 3 miles without stopping!

Don't Worry, I'm Still A Runner

I haven't updated much since I finished my first half marathon so here it is, an update. I have been sort of on a running hiatus since the race, but not intentionally. My leg was pretty sore after finishing on June 26th, then I got some strange illness that has caused me to cough for almost a month and have a voice that sounds much like a 75 year old chain-smoking man. I have done some yoga and light aerobic activities, but I am ready to hit that pavement again. I guess I might have needed to take a little bit of time off to not experience running burn out.
I was thinking about following Hal Higdon's Spring Training program before I start my official training all over again. It seems like it will make me a little bit faster, and my body a little bit sexier. Does anyone have any great tips for in-between race training?

I also have a small chunk of exciting news! I have been talking to Fitness Magazine and they are talking about doing an itty bitty piece about me in their "I did it" feature. I don't want to jinx anything, but I just got off the phone with the nice lady from the magazine a few minutes ago! It's all very exciting!

I'll keep you all posted on everything!

Runnng in Hot Weather

There are about two months of the year (if we are lucky) in Washington in which we get fantastic weather. And by fantastic, I mean so warm you start to wish nudity was more widely accepted. It's the second week of July now, and we are finally in the midst of this heat. I have only trained in the winter and spring and I am really eager to get out there and pound that pavement again. I also don't want to die of heat stroke or just melt right into the road. This has actally kept me from running all week. I think I have gained 17 pounds in 4 days.

Anyway, I started researching a little bit to figure out how to run in the summer and not die. I have discovered the following tips:

1. Drink water. Lots of water. And not just before a long run. Drink all day everyday. Think of yourself as a sponge when the weather is hot and humid. You don't want to dry out and become all crusty and smelly, do you?

2. Electrolytes. From what I understand, if you are running in the heat, these are an important part of not dying. Gatorade, Powerade.. you know the drill.

3. Run early in the morning and late in the evening, when the temperature is cooler. This one just makes sense. Why would you really want to run at like 2 in the afternoon in 96 degree weather? You may be suicidal and you may need some counseling. That is just my professional opinion.

4. Show as much of your naked skin as you can, without offending someone or going to jail. Don't sacrifice being cool because you are self conscious about a body part. Who really cares? And always remember, cotton is rotten.

5. Wear your sunscreen! Unless you are gearing up for a lobster look-a-like competition, slap on some SPF 30. You would think this is common sense, but people love their tans (and apparently their wrinkly, prematurely aging skin). We also have enough to deal with with all of the chaffing. Can you imagine a chaffing sunburn? No thanks.

Well, this is all I have learned about running in the sun. I am going to test out my knowledge tonight. If anyone has any other tips to add, please feel free to do so!

Happy sweaty, sticky running!

Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon!

I go by quite a few nicknames these days, Honey, Mommy, Home-skillet, Crazy lady.. etc. You know what you can call me now? FINISHER.


Yes sir! On Saturday morning, I accepted my first medal and crossed the finish line at the Rock and Roll Seattle half marathon. I can say without hesitation, that besides giving birth 3 times, and marrying the love of my life, this was the most amazing moment in my 26 years. I thought I "got" the whole thrill of training and running and all that, but it wasn't until I burst into tears after two hours and fifty something minutes of hard work that I began to really understand this underground world of running. 5 months of hard work paid off on so many levels.



I don't think I could have chosen a better race to run for my first half. The Rock and Roll was extremely organized, entertaining, motivating, uplifting and surreal. Everytime I saw another band my heart would practically jump out of my chest because I knew I had just conquered another mile. The 27,000 other people all around me had worked as hard as I had for this exact moment. 27,000 people around me were pushing their bodies to the limit and loving every second of it (okay, so some of them probably weren't loving it too much, like the guy I saw crying in a ditch at mile 9).


Thanks to my wonderful friend Lacey, I learned when to take disgusting GU, when to eat the terrible salt packet, when to slow it down for a minute so I wouldn't burn out, and when to pose for the camera. I also learned the hard way not to drink too much water before the race, as I added about 15 minutes to my time waiting for a porta potty.



The most rewarding part of the race, for me, was not that I worked my body up to running 13.1 miles in a row. It was that I had the courage to do something for myself, work extremely hard to achieve a goal, and follow through. I watched my best friends, my parents,my kid's and husband's faces after I crossed the finish line and for the first time in a long time, they were obviously proud. And not the the kind of proud they are of me for not getting seconds at dinner. The kind of proud that says they might have been a little bit inspired.



So this is just the beginning. I wasn't even out of the Qwest field gates before I already started planning my next half and my first full marathon. After so many years of just feeling below average and like I was missing something, I found my thing. I am good at this and this is something that is all mine. This is something I am proud of myself for, and this is somethng that not everyone can do, or has the courage to try to do.



I want to send a huge thank you out to all of my supportive friends, family and readers who emotionally helped to push me all the way to the finish line. Mostly, thank you to my awesome husband who, although skeptical at first, has stood by me, bragged about my journey to others, and watched our crazy children while I was training. After the race, he told me he wants to start training so he can do this with me.



Mission accomplished.

Pre-Race Tips

Oh man. The Rock and Roll Half Marathon is approaching so quickly. I have barely 3 days until I am going to push my body as hard as it has ever been pushed. I don't have a trainer, so I am reading article after article after article until I am cross-eyed.

So I ask all of you animalistic half-marathon veterans... what are some important things to remember before race day to better prepare myself? What is the best advice you can give me? How do I get rid of this God awful armpit rash?


Sorry. Too many carbs today. This post is about my blogging limit.

Weight Loss and Running

When I started running in January, two months after giving birth to my third child, I took a picture of myself. I was so disgusted with what I saw in the picture, it was just the motivation I was looking for. I think I ran four blocks instead of two that night and let me tell you, it was a rough run.

Now I sit here, 6 months later and a week before my first half marathon. I have lost 54 lbs and my BMI is out of the obesity range. I am healthier and happier than I have ever been. I still have about twenty-five pounds to lose, but I wont say I am not proud of myself.

My advice to you, if you have a lot of weight to lose and no idea how to start, is to make a goal other than a certain amount of pounds lost. Whether it be a race, a certain amount of miles, or an overall healthier diet, try to take the focus off of the ever-so-daunting number on the scale. It's working for me!

January 2010


June 2010

Happy National Running Day!

Wow, this is not exactly a holiday I ever pictured myself being excited for!

Running has changed my life on so many levels and I feel like we should all take a moment to think about how awesome it is.

I run for the endorphines, for the stress relief, for the break from day to day life, for empowerment, self confidence, weight loss and so people will see and notice my awesome quads when I wear dresses. I also want to set an example for my children and show them that being active is the only way to be.

Why do you run?

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." - Oprah Winfrey

Doing Hill Work While Training

So my big, first half marathon is less than a month away. I am pretty stoked but just realized that while I have successfully completed all of the mileage on my training schedule, I have neglected to work on many hills.

Oh dear.

Well, no time like the present, right? Today I found the biggest hills in Puyallup during my 8 mile run and I am fairly certain that this is as close to death as I have ever been. Did I stop? No. Did I want to lay down and roll back down the hill once I got about half way up? Most definitely.

So now that I have figured out that I am strong, I am unstoppable.. and indeed, I am woman, how do I get my legs ready for the big hills on my upcoming race? Does anyone have any secret leg workouts or special tricks of the trade to make uphill climbs a little easier?

Tips for Beginning Runners

I just started running in January. When I decided I wanted to train for a marathon, I started reading up and learning as much as possible about what I was in for. I guess I disregarded some things or was just too excited about crossing a finish line to pay attention to some minor details. To those of you reading this blog that are just starting out in your training process, or just thinking about it, please... pay attention to the following:

1. Get the spandex. I know they don't look awesome to the naked eye, but when you are on mile seven on a 75 degree day, the last thing you want to be thinking about are your chaffing thighs.

2. Don't feel self conscious about yourself when you see drivers staring at you. Believe me, they are either jealous or thinking about how bad ass you are. They are also probably admiring your taste in spandex.

3. Drink Water.

4. Ladies, if you have birthed a child or more, you may want to think about some kind of panty protection before heading out on your long runs. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you wee yourself a little bit when you sneeze, wait until you hit your wall. Catch my drift?

5. It is okay to stop at stop lights in cross walks. Don't be that person jogging in place and checking your pulse. The people who drive by do not think you are bad ass when you do that. I promise. Also, take stop lights as an opportunity to stretch for a second. You will be glad you did.

6. Make sure you have Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin' somewhere on your Ipod. Just trust me on this one.

7. I know it's kind of cliche, but please don't ever mutter the words "I can't do this" or anything like that. You know damn well you can, don't be lazy. It's now or never.. don't waste anyone's time with negative thoughts.

8. Some things that do not qualify as excuses to skip a run include the following:
a. "I'm on my period." (running helps cramps)
b. "My leg hurts." (Ibuprofen became your best friend when you
decided to become a runner)
c. "I'm too fat for this." (Do you even know how fat I was when I
started? I'm 5'6 and was over 200 lbs. If I can, so can you.)
d. "I'm too tired." (endorphines, runner's high, etc. Next?)
e. "I hate running." (deep down, I think we all do..but like I
mentioned earlier; endorphines, runner's high and let's not
forget, when you are training you can eat what you like and not
gain an ounce!)
f. "I would rather get drunk." (Too bad there is a plethora of beer
post-just-about-every race on the planet!)

9. In the end, all running boils down to is one foot in front of the other. Once you can tell yourself that, you can do anything.

The Worst Run Ever

... well for me.

Let me start out by saying after my ridiculous 7 mile run on Monday, I took two days off. My legs felt like they had been run over by a semi. I was eager to hit the pavement today.

Everything went wrong. I don't mean to sound melodramatic but some outside force was kicking my butt all day long. I guess some of it was self inflicted, however. I'll start by explaining my non-runner's diet of the day to you:

Breakfast: Three cups of coffee with creamer, and a lean cuisine ravioli dinner. (Hey, you can at least see I was trying to go semi healthy, right?)

Snack: A big fat enriched roll of goodness with a slice of pepper jack cheese and some turkey/ham concoction melted on it. (no... i'm not pregnant)

Lunch: An Americano and some sour patch kids (approximately 34).

Snack: Two (yeah, you read that right) special K bars.

Dinner: to be decided post run.


Okay, so from my diet today you can see I drank no water and ate enough carbs and crappy food to kill a gorilla. I'm not sure what I was thinking there.

So at 7:30pm I embarked on my measly 4 mile run. I drove to the nearby trail and parked my minivan. I got out, stretched,and turned on the ipod. The soothing sounds of Limp Bizkut's "Nookie" was getting me pumped. I suddenly felt like I was being watched. I turned around only to see the creepiest emo kid I think I have ever seen staring at me. He wasn't even trying to hide it.

I got back into the minivan, and drove off.

Plan B was to park at my brother-in-law's house and run down a different path than I am used to. It started off okay, a little pain, I was sluggish and the heat was not very forgiving. A mile down the road I glance down at the pavement and notice another shadow behind mine. Instead of slyly peaking over my shoulder, I screamed. Like an idiot. Then I proceeded to jump into someone's yard and watched the bum on a bike, with a backpack (probably full of killing supplies) pass me. I tried to play it cool and continue on, but then I just kept thinking about the chance that down the road the bum may realize I am irresistible in my lime green running pants and try to attack. I decided to turn around and take another route. Meanwhile, my legs are feeling broken and I am so bloated from the day's diet, I look and feel 6 months pregnant.

The rest of the run went fairly average(aside from an abnormal amount of hooting an hollering from the passer byes) until I encountered a moment of terror I hope I never have to endure again.

A bug the size of a softball (okay, maybe a dime, but you get the idea) flew directly into my eye and blinded me! I mean this wasn't your ordinary gnat or something, this beast was trying to have my eyeball for dinner. I began smacking my face repeatedly and yelping until I felt like it was gone. This would have been humiliating ordinarily, because I was on one of the busiest streets in Puyallup, but I was clearly fighting for my life.

I headed back to my minivan and thanked my brother-in-law for the free parking opportunity. I was telling him about the close encounter I had with the killer cricket and checked my eye out in the mirror to make sure I got it out. Ladies and gentlemen, I DID NOT. After pulling my bottom eyelid down a hair, I realized that it was still in there! About ten minutes of sheer panic, assault on myself, and a quick self performed bugectomy, I can safely say, the bug that tried to destroy my running career is dead. I don't even feel bad about that.

The moral of the story is, eat better during the day... not only for your health, but for your karma. Also, it is always a good idea to wear sunglasses while running.

Let's just have a visit..

Is anyone reading this anymore? Are my running stories getting boring? Well, let me just say this. The actual running? Not so boring.

I have a quad muscle. I am still a bit of a chunker, but I have a large muscle sticking out of my thigh now. That may explain why my pants are a little bit loser around the waist and butt, but not so much the legs.

I ran 3.5 miles today with Lisa. I am really liking the foothills trail in Puyallup. Not only is it beautiful and scenic, but I also run much faster on it as I am deathly afraid of wildlife ( hell, I'm afraid of house cats) and I assume something is in the bushes watching me. Today, in fact, a duck the size of my running shoe ran across the road and I think I peed a little. I'm just saying though, good trail.

So I am in the very beginning of writing an article for a new magazine about this little journey of mine. I am so excited but a little bit stressed. Even though I have no article experience, nor do I have anymore than a year of college under my belt, the nice woman from the magazine wants to "give me a shot". Bless her. I am supposed to be thinking of a good topic for my article and obviously all I know about is self improvement through pain. I am not sure how to translate that into something that might inspire. Any ideas?

If you can't run it... volunteer!

Yep. I am not ready for any marathoning, obviously. I did, however get a spam email from the Tacoma City Marathon asking for volunteers! PERFECT! I guess I will be working at an aid station and I can get a better idea of the hell I am about to endure...by watching other people! This could be bad. It could scare me to death - OR it could inspire me. No way of knowing. I get a free jacket, and in the end, that is all that really matters.

Anyone else wanna volunteer? Better yet, does anyone else want to start RUNNING with me? As my mileage increases, my trail options are getting pretty limited. I would much rather run with a group than alone down the Orting trail. Who knows if there will be a shady bear or rapist waiting to lock me in a dark basement somewhere. If I were a shady bear or rapist, I would definetly hide in the bushes on parts of that trail. I'm just saying. I would like run in a pack. It would probably decrease my odds of being snatched up. Does that make sense? Cool. Now go get some running shoes.

Too much coffee this morning? That is what I was thinking too....

Run in the sun

In Washington we don't often see warm days, well in April we don't. Today, the weather was beautiful and it was another 4 miler for me. I wont sugar coat this, it sucked. I ran pretty much the entire time. I think I had to stop and walk for about 40 seconds one time but don't think I didn't want to stop the ENTIRE time. That is the beauty in running away from home. The only way to get back is to run back.

I felt like I was going to hyperventilate and I was sweating so so bad. For once, I don't think I enjoyed this run at all.

I also learned something about myself. Really, I'm an optimist. I annoy folks with my optimism sometimes. When I run, I am about the most pessimistic person around. The whole time, my thoughts sound a lot like, "What am I doing? I ate too much and can't do this. I am too fat to run. I'm going to have a spontaneous heart attack and explode right here, on East Main." It is pathetic, really.

So I got home and started reading articles about this mind over matter stuff. Apparently, if my brain tells my ass to get in gear, I can run like, 100 miles. We will see.

Check it out if you have the same problem!
Runner's World.

Tomorrow is just a stretching and strengthening day. Thank God. While we are talking about God, can we all pray for lots and lots of 50 degree days with a light mist of rain for the upcoming weeks? I have a lot of miles to run.. and would really appreciate it.

And the training continues...

I guess I am just running out of stuff to say. I'm in the middle of my half marathon training, and by the end of the day.. I just want to lay in bed and congratulate myself. Is that weird?

Yesterday I actually coaxed not one, but 4 friends to go running with me. We even got good old Denise out there again. They were all amazing. I hope they stick with it and I really hope I can get a bigger running group together come (gulp) November. I guess I am still planning to do this Seattle Marathon. The thought of it scares me to death, but that is what makes it all so fun.

Andy is finally totally on board with me these days. Probably because I have lost 47 lbs now since I had the baby 5 months ago (but who is bragging?). He sees that I am sticking to something and I think he feels proud. I hope.

Anyone who feels like really challenging themselves, or lives in this area and wants a running buddy, you know where to find me! :)

Happy Running! And don't forget to check out my blog on Seattle P.I. Run!

The latest is NOT the greatest

I've been failing this blog. I have been so busy with EVERYTHING that I never have time to sit down and update. The latest is however, I have hurt my leg. I have no idea how serious it is right now, but I do know I ran a mile and a half yesterday.. and cried. Cried from pain and from fear of not being able to follow through with my plans. I am NOT giving up. One way or another, I am running that half marathon in June. I hope my bones are just tired as I have been increasing my mileage. They will get used to it!


How are all of you?

The reason for the delay!

I took a week off from running. Okay, I took 8 days off. Terrible I know. I should be punched in the face. In all honestly, last week was an emotional one and I am still sick. Yes, still sick since the day before the 5k... 10 days ago. I went for a run today and my goal was just a measley 2 miles to get back into the swing of training. It went better than I thought (2.5 miles) but I did have to spit out loogies about 5 times. After the run I had some pretty painful coughing spells and my left shin is already hurting. Oy. No one said this would be easy though. I have to keep on going.

I must say that I am glad I started writing this blog. I am also glad I registered for the Rock and Roll marathon and paid all that money to do it. I might have quit all of this running without these thing holding me accountable. No. I wouldn't have. I'm unstoppable. I swear. :) 3 miles tomorrow! Hopefully I can get up to 4 by the weekend!

The first race...

My first 5k was on Saturday morning. I studied up and made sure I did everything I could to prepare for the big event, and everything seemed to go wrong. The night before the race, I went out to dinner with friends, and passed on anything that might dehydrate me. I went to bed early in hopes of getting lots of rest so I would feel great for the race, and I went over what I thought was the route of the race about 100 times.

The meal I had for dinner was way too fatty and bloating. I woke up Saturday morning and I looked and felt like I was 6 months pregnant. My daughter caught the flu, and ended up throwing up all night so I think I got about 2 hours of sleep total. I figured my sheer adrenaline would still get me through the run with no problem, until we got to the starting line and I realized I had been studying the wrong map. The course had tons of hills. I have yet to train on hills. Oh man. Also, let's not forget that I had a terrible cold and a low grade fever to boot.

I ran the race. I finished the race. I still, despite all of the elements trying to bring me down, had an amazing time. I was so proud of myself (and my fellow novice running partner, Lisa ) that I seemed to forget everything that went wrong. I even shed a small tear or two after I crossed the finish line.

I am so excited to choose and sign up for my next race, I can barely contain myself. I am also pretty excited to train on some hills. I can't believe I haven't done it yet. This was definetly a learning experience, but it's about the journey, not the destination, right? Right.

See you all at the 10k!

P.S. My daughter and I are both feeling much better.

My 50th Post.. how sweet

But you know what is sweeter? The fact that I beat my record again and ran 3.6 miles tonight. You heard me. I bet tomorrow I can beat it. I'm going 4 miles sucka! Woo!

Okay.. So I am not doing the St.Patrick's day dash in Seattle. This week has been catastrophic for so many people in my life and I think it would be easier for my family and everyone cheering me on for me to do something a little bit closer and more convenient. I am going to Tacoma's version of the race, The St.Patty's day run.. on Saturday! This coming Saturday!

I am all registered and ready to go! I even bought my first pair of running tights which are appropriately green in color. Who said a chubby girl can't rock spandex? Not me!

I will be running with Lisa and Mark and have lots of pictures of the festivities! This is a big week for me! My first official crossing over a finish line! Hope to see you there! :)

A little scared..

So I had a great week running wise last week but this week is off to a slow start! I found a short route near my house that I feel safe running, and thought I could just keep doing laps until I got to three miles. Half a mile in my left foot started hurting really bad, my shins felt broken, and my right calve muscle kept tightening up. I finished out a mile and almost broke down into tears. What the hell?! I even took a rest day yesterday.

I figure there a few factors that may have played into this.

1. My daughter has the flu right now, I haven't been feeling great, maybe I have a little virus. Who knows?

2. The last time I ran I really pushed myself, maybe too hard?

3. It was like 20 degrees outside. I haven't run in that kind of temperature and I could definetly tell the difference. I wore capri pants. Bad. Very bad.


Anyhoo, getting out there again tomorrow! :) EEk!

I don't know if you know this but.....

Yesterday, I ran 3.23 miles. Without stopping to walk or anything!! :) I got lost and had no other way back to my car but to jog, so I shall try to lose myself every time! ha ha. It was a great feeling when I got home and mapped my run online. I couldn't believe I did it, but good thing.. since my 5k+ is in a week and a half! I'm not so worried about it now, at least! :)

I am taking the running night off tonight and going to hot yoga. My shins hurt pretty bad and I watched a video about marathons and this woman actually developed stress fractures on her shins from all the running. Now I am kind of scared of that!

I have heard from a lot of people lately that they "can't" run. Okay, I'm saying this. I used to think the same thing.. but unless you have some physical ailment preventing you from running (say only one foot.. or 3 knees.. etc) you can. I am not super human. I am overweight, have a long history of smoking, a heart condition and formerly suffered from asthma. Don't say you "can't". Say you don't want to. There is nothing wrong with not wanting to run just say it. :)

I am learning more and more each day that it is totally mind over matter and no one can convince me otherwise.


How is that for an uplifting post? lol

Just in case you didn't want to go back forty-something posts..

...Here is my reader blog on the Seattle P.I. Run site. It will re-cap you.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepirun/archives/196234.asp

Today was a day off btw. I am allowed a day off once in a while. Don't judge. :)

Well it's official folks. I'm running.

...Which... I mean duh. But I officially registered for the Rock and Roll Seattle half marathon in June. Ugh. I am so dang nervous and excited..  and feeling sooo much pressure! I mean.. I really have to do this now. I have to run 13.1 miles. In a row. In June. Stay Tuned.. :)

So I know this blog is about running..

BUT.. I did what you might call "hot power yoga". You see, this week Thursday is my cross training day. I thought yoga would be perfect because it releases stress, endorphines and stretches out all of my sore muscles from running. I went with Lisa, and we were both really scared. Neither of us has ever done any yoga of any sort. It was beautiful.
Okay, so the class got up to like 109 degrees and I really almost threw up twice.. but if I don't feel awesome now (two hours post class).. then I don't know what I do feel... or something.

Anyway, yes, it is challenging, no, I couldn't do all of the poses.. but I actually suprised myself. Lisa and I both kicked a little bit of ass! We kept up with everyone else for the most part. The key is to park it way in the back so no one sees how stupid you look, and so you can see how cool the rest of the people look thus attempting to mimick their movements.

I will continue to add hot yoga into my routine as much as I can. If you choose to do hot yoga yourself, I have one huge word of advice... DON'T EAT PRIOR TO IT. They recommend you don't eat for two hours before and seriously, don't. Especially don't eat frozen chicken and cheese taquitos.

If you want to know where I went and want to take andvantage of the amazing special they have right now (first 10 classes for 10 dollars) just give the link below a little click! :)

Tomorrow.. I run. I run 3 miles actually. Wish me all the luck!

http://www.hotyogainc.com/

Hot Yoga

So I decided for this week's cross training exercise, I will be going to Hot Yoga. I am terrified. I have never done yoga, I am not sexy while stretching in any way shape or form..and it is going to be 105 degrees with 40% humidity. This should make for a smashing post. :)

www.hotyogainc.com

Decisions, decisions...

 I basically have until Friday to decide if I want to join Team in Training.. a wonderful organization that trains together and does marathons to raise money for patients with blood cancers, Leukemia and Lymphoma. Seems like a no brainer, right? Of course any good person who is already running a half marathon SHOULD join a cause and raise money, right? Well okay. But you have to raise 2500! Dollars! I mean, so many people do it but what if I can't raise that much and end up putting my family in debt trying? I would love the training and group runs and obviously the cause.. but I dunno! I just really have to think about it.

I found a route I like tonight. It is two miles there and back but I can always go there and back again! I am still really struggling with my measley two miles..but when I run again on Friday and Saturday I know I will break that. I HAVE to run for 50 minutes saturday without stopping. Soooo if I am doing a 12 minute mile (embarrasing I know, but I just started!!) then that is like 5 miles! ugh. I am just going to do my very best.

So what do you guys think? Should I join Team in Training or wait until the next race they do? I kind of think maybe for my first half I shouldn't have cancer patients depending on me (well, so to speak..). On the other hand, that might just be the push I need to get to that thirteenth mile! Help!

http://www.teamintraining.org/wa/

Just so you all know..

I'm still running! I just haven't had time to post anything! Last night I actually went running outside alone at night because I am so tired of the stupid treadmill. It was kind of scary which I think helped my speed but I drove it afterwards and found that I only ran 1.6 miles. I really need to program my pedometer. I'll talk more later about Team in Training and such things... chasing children around! :)

You ever have one of those days...

... The kind of day when nothing seems to go right, the clock is ticking far too quickly and it seems like nothing is being accomplished? Yeah. Well that's me. Ugh. All I wanna do is go for a nice brisk run and my husband is gone at a poker tournament, my kids are being crazy lunatics and my house is a mess. Even the baby.. the baby who never cries... has been really mad about something all day long.

Tonight the girl friends and I are planning to go get appetizers at the Melting Pot and relax, which should be fun... but I have to get out there for a run first... if it is at all possible.

I am feeling very stretched in every single direction right now. It is so hard to balance having three small kids, a husband, an entire household to manage, bills to pay, training to be had, diets to follow, friends to see, grandmas in the hospital, etc etc etc. I am extremely talented in the multi-tasking arena...but sometimes I think I might be stretched a hair too thin.

Anyhoo, I went to the Team in Training website and requested some info. I think this is exactly what I need to kick things up a notch and hold me even more accountable. I love running, I really do. I love how it makes me feel, the alone time I get, the sense of accomplishment when I am done. I do NOT love having zero time to do it.
For the upcoming week, I am going to stick to my training schedule come hell or high water. That is my promise to you, imaginary people. I will not let you down. :)

Whatever happened to lazy Sundays? I haven't had one of those in like... 6 years. Maybe next week?

Things that are new... sort of

Aloha everyone.

I have decided I need to find a team. My friend, Lacey is part of what I think you call, Team In Training.. or something. They do races for Leukemia and Lymphoma. It seems to me, if I am going to be doing all of this running, I may as well raise some money for folks. I also got a flyer in the mail for the Psoriasis walk. I am not a huge walking enthusiast, but I myself suffer from the crap hole that is psoriasis.. so I am probably going to do that one.

More and more everyday I am realizing that I really can do this. The more I read, the more stories I hear, the more pictures I see get me so pumped up. Also, in my current book I have learned that you don't HAVE to run the entire time. You can say, run 5 miles and then walk for a minute, walk 5 miles, walk for a minute.. and so on. That makes it all seem much more doable. I didn't run last night, as Aunt Flo made an terribly painful and unexpected visit.. she is still here but I am going to some cross training this evening anyhoo.

For those more experienced runners (we will pretend for blog's sake an experienced runner is actually reading this), while running a marathon or a half marathon.. how often do you stop, slow down, and start back up again? I am curious.

I am going to recommend one more time, the book I am reading, The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide For Women by Dawn Dais. It is a wonder.

Until we meet again!

Dawn Dais on pacing yourself: "I've found a pace at which I can run eleven miles and not die. That's a good pace for me. There's one thing wrong with it, though. When you're running a pace similar to that of an eighty-year-old asthamatic woman with a wooden leg, pretty much everyone else who is running or walking or riding a bike will pass you. I'm okay with being passed. What I have difficulty with is the number of asses I see as I'm being passed."

I know I have been a boring blogger..

But good news! I feel inspired again! I got my book in the mail today, the book about training when you are nothing but a lazy ass. I also looked at a bunch of pics online of the Rock and Roll Marathon in Seattle. I'm doing the half in June. I have 18 weeks to train.. and this is exactly the kick in the ass I need. I am going to follow the plan in my new book to a tee and see how it works! You should all check it out, besides being hilarious, the author really feels like someone regular folks can relate to! :)




http://nonrunnersmarathontraining.com/

I think they call this cross training...

So today is an off running day and I have decided it would be best to follow most training schedules that  I see and cross train or walk on my off days. So I went on the eliptical in the gym here today. Elipticals suck btw. I lasted about 5 minutes on it and was so bored I could have cried. I got off the eliptical and went back on my old friend, the treadmill. It was actually hard to restrain myself from running but I did. I cranked the hill elevation up as high as it would go and walked at about 3mph. I was actually sweating REALLY HARD. I did about 12 minutes of that and figured that was enough. :)

So yesterday I started logging the food I eat on www.caloriecount.com . So far it has proven to be EXTREMELY helpful. It makes me think twice about the crap I am putting in my body.

I woke up this morning and decided to weigh myself (which is something I haven't done since I became lazy last week.) Some how I lost 3 more POUNDS! ...but who is counting, right?

I ran today..

I went to the local treadmill again. Good news and bad I suppose. I haven't done anything since last tuesday so it was hard to even get my butt up.. but I did. I consider that good news. I only ran 1.5 miles, but I did increase my speed .. I did a mile in a little over 12 minutes. That is something, right? I mean.. considering the last time I ran it took me almost exactly 15 minutes. lol


Today has been a stressful day, and I know that is no excuse but I'm just happy I got out there. I will again tomorrow. My grandma broke her hip today while babysitting my 5 year old and that is weighing heavily on my mind. She is expecting to go into surgery anytime, and according to my mom, she isn't a good candidate for surgery.

I will write more tomorrow, and surely have better news! Gooooooood night.

Good News and Bad News

Happy Valentine's day, folks!

The husband got me an mp3 player and arm band holder thing for my runs, as well as a really nice pedometer that will measure my distance and calories burned while running. I thought you all could appreciate that. I also appreciate the dozen long stemmed roses and the positive attitude. Hee Hee.

I haven't run since Tuesday. I have failed myself this week. It's been a rough one. I'm glad I had it though, because I have proved to myself that I have the drive. I still can't wait to get out there and run my ass off. It really all changes tomorrow. I'm changing my diet and everything. I am now allowing myself to drink only one night of the week. The wine throws me all off.

Tomorrow's blog will be much more action packed. I need to go cuddle with my muffin of love now... or play Jenga.. whatev.

Love Love Love!

The old Kristina was starting to peak her ugly little head...

.......but I smacked that fat head.

Let me explain. Since my Bradley Lake run the other day, the run that I thought was going to actually kill me.. I haven't run. That was Tuesday. Today is Friday. What the hell am I doing?!! I don't have to time waste like this! In all honesty, something has been wrong with my stomach. It has been really bloated and hurt really bad. I still should have run. I feel like a lazy heap of dirt-bag.

Anyway, let us not dwell on our faults. Tonight - we run. A lot. Back on the horse.

I still haven't lost anymore weight than the 10lbs I have lost thus far, sooooo I guess it's time to change the diet, again.

I am going to start (gasp!) couting calories. I read online yesterday, while you are nursing you need a minimum of 2200 calories to keep your milk supply up. So I am making that my daily goal... 2200 calories. I have been looking at all of these calorie counting websites and will probably set myself up with one. Probably the most user friendly one, I suppose.

The husband and I are going to Vegas in June. I am going to lose 50 lbs by June. Think it's impossible? Watch me.

I am going to be able to run the 3 3/4 mile St. Patrick's day race. It's on March 13th. Think I can't? Watch.

Alls I'm sayin'.

What is it with Bradley Lake Park?!

So I like to go up to South Hill's bradley lake park trail once in a while. It is really hilly, about a mile one time around and great scenery. For some reason, though, I can't run nearly as far there as anywhere else! It always feels way colder, my lungs always feel like they are going to collapse, and I don't understand. I mean, I would think it might be a little more difficult than running downtown Puyallup's mostly flat turane, or obviously the treadmill... but I can't conquer this place! I Barely even ran for a mile straight and my legs hurt so bad and I actually started coughing because my chest hurt so bad.

Any ideas or tips? Anyone?!

Whoa - what a day..

Today in a nutshell: Happy, Tired, Really Sad, Really Frustrated, Really Sad again, Ran REALLY hard, Scared, Tired, Happy.

Okay, that was a pretty big nutshell and probably confusing. To sum it up, this day was exhausting. I didn't want to run at all. I felt fat and lazy and like I wanted to crawl in my bed and cry myself to sleep. Then I remembered that I don't want to be on anti-depressant drugs. Running is my new Prozac.

Aside from a Jeffrey Dahmer look-a-like watching me in the gym, I had a splendid time. Again, I thought I was hardly going to make it to a mile, but got to two. Hopefully when I go again on Wednesday I can bump it up some. I honestly feel completely maxed out every time I hit that 2 mile mark.

My husband's brother's girlfriend is a personal trainer and knows her stuff. I asked her if she could throw together a little diet/meal plan type situation for me. I am not stupid. I know that eventually I will hit a wall with how far I can go because I am so large and in charge. Sure I have lost some, but when was the last time you saw an overweight person finish at a marathon? I need to step it up a notch.

On a sad note, my best pal, Denise has to withdrawl herself from all of the running and training and future races. She is just battling some wee health issues at the moment and needs to take it easy. I love her to death and pray she will be feeling better in no time. Much love, Palmade.

* Thank you to Alissa Tucci for all of your grammatical help this evening ;)

Live and Learn, right?

Bad Weekend. Very Bad. But it isn't all my fault! We had an unexpected house guest all weekend, we had the superbowl, and I was lacking running partners! And... I was eating massive amounts of terrible food. And  I was drinking more than the necessary amount of Wine.

Anyway, getting back on that horse and riding.. all the way to the Seattle Marathon, right?! Right.

I ordered a new book on Amazon.com. It's all about starting out running and becoming a marathoner. Should be good!

I realize this post is lame. I will write more after my run tonight. :)

I ran.

This is quite an amazing journey, to risk sounding like a corn ball. At 7 pm I decided I didn't need to run tonight. Then Lisa called and said she amazingly ran to her son's swimming lessons (and then some) tonight. It inspired me. I got my fat butt off of the couch and went over to the ol' treadmill. I was pretty sure I was going to stop at the first mile.. I was really full from my huge dinner salad and kind of tired. I kept telling myself that I ran a lot yesterday, and didn't need to over do it. However,  after I hit that mile mark , I had to keep going..eventually I switched to a fast walk at 2.1 miles. I ran 2 miles straight. Whoa. Honestly, I'm sure I have before, but the treadmill is really the only way to make sure I can run that far. Sooooo a little over a mile more and I will be able to run...a 5k.

To run... or not to run... that is the question..

Okay. It is 7:21pm. I ran yesterday.. I shouldn't really run tonight. I want to. I should rest my joints. Oh man.

Better than we expected!

Well Howdy doo dee. The girls and I took last night off due to schedule conflicts, and just because we should be taking SOME days off. Tonight we all felt a little crappy I think. I had Dominos for lunch (best sandwich ever btw) and drank a lot of coffee. Getting going in the beginning of the jog was a bit of a struggle but did we ever get our second wind?!  Yes ma'am. 2.2 miles of pure, wet, beautiful running. It was great. I was so amazed at our progress I couldn't help but sound like a cheerleader, chanting things like " Holy S***! Look how far we are going!! ".
 Okay, so we warmed up for probably 3 minutes, cooled down for probably 5... but that is necessary. We also had to stop for a train but jogged in place like a bunch of douche bags (pardon my francais) while we waited for it. I felt AMAZING tonight. We are progressing very quickly. Running almost 2 miles is one thing on a treadmill, but out on the streets...with hills and puddles and car dodging?! I am proud of us.

Things on the home front are not going as smoothly today so I am going to take a little down time this evening with a beer and some quiet time ( if the kids allow it).

I guess I will say it again. This, by far is the best decision I have ever made solely for myself. Period. Until next run!

Just another manic Monday

Oooooh ooooo wooooah.

We ran today. We got out there and we ran hard. Apparently the girls (Denise and Lisa) thought we were going to walk/run the 5k on March 14th. Ummmmm no. We can get up to 3 3/4 miles by then. No sweat. We don't even really know how far we are going now. It seems like a long time to me, I sweat pretty hard and I honestly go until I can't move my legs anymore. I bet we can go at least 2 miles without stopping now. Do people who run marathons really RUN the entire 26.2? That seems crazy, but hell.. so did the thought of me having a desire to run a marthon in the first place. ha ha. It is going to happen. Maybe even sooner than we think, who knows?

If you ever get discouraged, by the way, I recommend reading a book that honestly changed my entire way of thinking. Oprah recommended it to me!

A weekend in review

Ok... so Friday night I went running on the ol' treadmill. It did well, only ran about 1.5 miles because I felt like I might pass out. It was so hot in there and I wore way too many layers. I got off the treadmill and quickly realized my knee was THROBBING. This was the worst pain I have experienced so far, during my training. I got home, iced the hell out if it and it seemed okay, but I knew I would have to take the next day off. Saturday I took the day off. Went weddng dress shopping with Lisa, ate a little Thai food. It was a pretty good day. Today the girls and I went for a mini run and were graced with miss Patti-cake's presence. It was nice to have someone else with us. Little change. I think we barely jogged a mile, but we were all really tired I think so kudos to us for even getting out there, I think. Tonight I am exhausted, not feeling as motivated as I have lately.. and my husband has something new up his arse.

 I am sooo tired and hope the baby will sleep for me. We will see how it goes, but hopefully I will be able to run tomorrow! :) I know this is a pretty boring post, but I need to sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The so good not so bad day..

Okay, today was my first weigh in..and with a little nudity and praying to God.. MY SCALE WAS MY FRIEND! :) I lost 4 lbs this week and hit my goal! I told myself I could cheat on Saturdays if I hit my goal on Friday morning.. but it feels too good to lose! Sooo I have decided I will have a few drinks instead.

Last night the girls and I did great. We ran a little over a block longer than we did the last time. We are supposed to take Fridays off, but we are all so damn addicted we are running tonight anyway. The knees and shins are feeling good today so I am going for it.

I'm hoping the (suddenly quite supportive ;) ) husband will allow me to get out of the house for some FUN tonight.. even just a few hours to celebrate my achievement! I wish we had baby-sitters on a regular basis.

Anyway, feeling strong and proud today. Thanks for keeping up with me, whoever is. It still really makes all the difference.

Horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day.

Well, Maybe not THAT bad... but not so good. I have been so tired all day, no one was able to go outside and run with me, I went to run on the treadmill and some really big girl was walking on the only one here, and I got home and was so mad I ate 1 and a half chicken breasts and almost a whole can of chilli. AND some green beans. I did try to do Tae Bo for 15 minutes but it hurt my knees.

 

Whatever. Tomorrow will be better.

This is really working!

GREAT day for me physically. I woke up and weighed myself... lost another pound. Tonight was supposed to be an "off night" but I felt really compelled to run. I discovered the gym here at my apartments. Great little area with a treadmill. Holy Moly. I am not sure exactly which factors played into my success but I RAN at 4.7 speed most of the time and went 1.7 miles.. running. No stopping. No walking (except the warm up and cool down.) I didn't have this kind of endurance when I was 115 lbs in high school. The other people in the gym were watching me and whispering, hopefully saying, " wow.. the fat girl can RUN" lol. It was amazing. I am so proud of myself. I told myself I can do something and it is really happening.

On a not-so happy note, I think I have runner's knee. I have all the symptoms and my knee hurts like a female dog. Ice, elevation, and ibuprofen. :) Ta ta!

Just to explain further why I am doing this

I came across this great article that explain WHY this is so great for me. This WHOLE thing is great for me. Check it out~

http://fansofbeingamom.com/?p=357&cpage=1#comment-3430

Week Three!

I can't believe I have made it to week three. I'm proud of myself. Granted, I haven't lost a HUGE amount of weight, and I can't run 10 miles straight, I still feel accomplished that I am still going and still really liking it. My knees are definetly taking a toll though. Tonight we ran ... we estimated about 1/3 of our 5k route and walked the rest. The entire time we were walking I wanted to scream from the pain but just walked it out. I'm okay now. This would be much easier if I had the kind of household where I could just lay down and put ice on my legs, ya know? Ahh well. It will be alright. We are taking the night off from running tomorrow due to plans and this week I really don't want to end up hurting again. I want to go out there Saturday morning and kick ass. I want to run that mile and then some. Eating went okay today. Too many turkey meatballs.

Sunday night

Aloha. New plan. No... not a "new plan" .. an extension to the first plan, if you will. I am not losing weight fast enough, and although I said this isn't just about weight loss, and I am not focusing on the scale, I think I will be able to run longer if I lose some poundage. I am going to tweak my diet. I am going to set a weekly weight loss goal for myself and weigh myself every Friday morning. If I don't meet the goal on Friday.. I don't get to have a "cheat meal" on Saturday! :) I am going to focus on eating mainly fruits, veggies, lean protiens and whole grains, at least those are my new food guildlines. We will see how this goes. My legs have just been suffering soooo bad. I had a good run/walk with the girls on Saturday morning. We couldn't go as far as we had hoped because my legs felt broken. We probably jogged 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile non stop and there is a lot of uphill where we were. I guess it's okay. This is going to take time. I just have to remind myself.

A week in review

Alrighty... well, this week I ran Mon, Tues, Thurs, and tonight.. Friday. I am getting up fairly early tomorrow morning to do what I call, "work my ass off run". I am going to push and push and push until I want to fall over and die. Then I'm going to take Sunday off. It is getting harder, but that is because I am pushing harder and running further.

I bought new shoes today, shoes that are supposed to be tailored to work with my body and foot type. They are pretty ugly..but they feel good on. Maybe a bit big.. but I dunno. The shoe lady says they are okay. They are also green.. so signify my first race, the St. Patty's Day Dash! :)

So Denise and Lisa are all aboard on this venture! It seems like they are as much, if not MORE excited about becoming runners than I am. I love them. It seems that no matter what crazy venture I am working on in my life, my friends are always right by my side.. no matter what. Not that anything could stop me at this point, but on my tired days, my girl friends really push me through. Husband is also getting used to this whole situation I think. He would prefer that I run in the mornings so we can spend evenings together as a family, so I may try that two days of the week. :)

My shins still hurt, my knees are throbbing, and my ankles feel broken. I love it. :) Who would ever know that I would eventually be addicted to something healthy?!

Not a lot of news...

I just took the night off to nurse my poor legs. I would be devistated if I couldn't do my first race or even if I couldn't run for a couple of days because my legs were seriously hurt. Denise and Lisa ran without me tonight which made me sooo excited! They are really on board with this whole thing, even without me. This is all very good. :) I sent the husband out for the evening again as I get tired of him mopping around complaining about how much I am "gone". whatev. For better or worse, right? It is 9:14pm and all of my kids are sleeping. I have a movie to watch and peace of mind to enjoy. Right now, at least. I'm going to ice my legs and reeeeelax. We will catch up more tomorrow!

Stay classy, Planet Earth.

So now I know

Yep. Every training program I have come across tells you to run one day, rest the next, train one day, rest the next. Well... I was trying to be an over acheiver. I ran pretty hard two days in a row and this morning, I believe I have what you might call Shin Splints. Blah. I am going to rest today and tonight, ice them and stretch a lot. I have also read that Ibuprofen helps situations such as these. It's okay. It's a learning experience. Now I know. I just really hope they go away so I don't fall off track!

Aint that the truth..

"It's supposed to be hard! If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great." - A League of Their Own.

And we are back, ladies and gentlemen..

Big Big things today. I finally figured out exactly how long a 5k is. It's a little over 3 miles. Then Denise and I looked up an area in Puyallup that we could run that is 5k and found a nice little route. We tried to run it. ha ha ha ha. Okay, we made it a little bit over 11 blocks jogging but speed walked the rest. I didn't expect us to be able to jog the ENTIRE 5k, but it was much further than I thought. Lisa came with us. It was a good day. Empowering and good to see we could still get back on that horse!

Here is what is exciting. I have chosen my first race. I am going to do the St.Patrick's day Dash in Seattle. From what I can tell it is a little bit over a 5k and goes up Queen Anne Hill. It is on March 14th. Today is January 19th, I think. SO that gives us almost exactly two months to be able to jog 3 3/4 miles. We obviously understand that we are not going to win the race.. but we are going to run it. Denise and I, maybe Lisa but she is so busy with the wedding, I for one don't expect it. I called my dad to tell him about it today and he seems to think I am too large to run or something. He keeps telling me to walk. I don't want to walk. Sooo that is the end of that. :)


I surfed the internet a little bit and found other bloggers like me, some more races and a great training schedule. The baby is waking up so I gotta 'run'. ha ha ha. I'll write more tomorrow!

Thanks again for keeping up with me... whoever you are!

Okay.. so we will start over.

If I am really going to succeed, then I am going to have to be realistic. Friday night we had a big poker party with tons of guys. Food everywhere and I spent my entire day cleaning and cooking only to sit down for the first time at about 3am. Saturday I went shopping at hectic IKEA all day long and had a wedding planning party for Lisa at night. Today we went BACK to IKEA all day long, and it is Sunday so there was sooo much to do. Thursday I couldn't run because my muscles were way too fatigued. Anyway, there you have it folks. 4 days. no run. This cannot happen again. It wont. Call it temporary insanity. Tomorrow I am going to run harder than ever. I am going to eat well. I am probably going to jump off of a bridge if my kids don't quiet down. BAH

Soooo busy!!

Will update tomorrow after my run! :)

Since I'm up anyway...

I will post a few pics!


This is Andy and I with our wedding party.. obviously.. ha ha


My beautiful baby Dane! 2 months old and well worth the large arse I have now! ;)

I bought a scale.

A good, accurate, digital one. This still isn't just about weight loss but I am feeling great! I have lost 5 lbs since I started running. 5 POUNDS!!! IN 3-4 DAYS.  And that was weighing myself at night. I will do it again in the morning. Tonight Denise, Lisa and I had a rough jog. It was FREEEZING and windy and our muscles were so stiff. I hurting a bit in the legs. My endurance has improved tremendously just since Sunday. My lungs and chest don't hurt at all when I run. This whole thing is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. I look forward to seeing how far I can go every day! Okay. I'm typing one handed. Until tomorrow!! :)

"I hear this sends endorphines to your brain!"

Wow. Talk about addicting. Tonight was awesome. So it stopped raining for the Don and me to do our run. We did amazing. I wish I had a way to properly gauge how far we are going..but I know we were active for 40 minutes or so and probably ran at least half the time. We were amazing! The entire time we were just talking about how amazed we were with ourselves and how good it felt to do it. This may be the best decision I have ever made.

On a side note, Lisa asked me to be her Matron of Honor tonight! And Denise to be her Maid of honor! She is one of the greatest people I have ever met and it really is an honor!

So there you have it. The day has ended on a good note. See you tomorrow! :)

Hello crappy, rainy Tuesday!

Well, today I am faced with a few challenges. Number one: Rain. Should I run in the rain?! I mean it IS Washington so like 75% of the days (at least) are rainy. Maybe I should just get used to it? I certainly can't let this be an excuse to NOT run. Can't.
Number two: Unsupportive husband strikes again. Before I started my mission, I specificially asked him if he would be on my side with this and understand I have to run every night. He obliged. Now here we are in our third day of this and he is complaining. He says he didn't know I would be gone every single night. I am gone for less than an hour every single night. Is it making him mad becauses he misses me? Probably not. Probably more like he doesn't want to watch the kids. So now what? Do I just back down and give up? We can't afford gym memberships with day care so if I want to keep running, I just have to go against his wishes. Really, nothing I do has ever been good enough for him so whatever. I can't stop. I have made a promise to myself and I am going to follow through.

So I am going to run in the rain. I'll let you know how it works out! :)

I think I have figured it out.. kind of

So I am sitting here over analyzing and I think I have figured something out. I have figured out a big reason why this running thing is so important to me. It's kind of symbolic. No matter what happens during my hectic days, no matter how crappy people in my life make me feel, or what mistakes I make... I can always run. I mean I can't (nor do I necessarily want to) run away from my problems but I can literally run. For one hour a day, give or take, I can just be me... running. I am alone in my thoughts. I am not hurting anyone and no one is hurting me. It's beautiful. This is becoming so much more to me than I have ever thought.

I know it sounds corny but if you know me you know. I have issues. ha ha. I might be figuring them out. It's cool.

Oh. One more thing comes to mind.
The other night I heard Paul Simon singing "Here comes the sun" a George Harrison Cover. It made me cry. I have never heard anything more touching in my life.

Maybe I actually can do this!

Okay! Just updating after today's run. I went running through downtown Puyallup with one of my best (and very thin) pals, Denise. It helped me a lot to have a partner! I honestly do not know the distance of our run today, but we were active for 35 minutes total and jogged for AT LEAST 10-15 minutes straight! Some people might think that isn't much but for me it was HUGE. I was sweating so bad I looked like I just took a shower. It was beautiful. It was empowering! I am seriously going to do this!

On another note, I tend to over analyze things quite a bit. Mostly my life. I think I may have realized that certain important people in my family have brought me down, quite a bit. I have been raised to have the belief that once you become a mother you are not important and you ONLY worry about the kids. I am important though, Damn it!
Today for instance. I talked to one of my family members who gets mad if I don't talk to her on the phone every single day. I told her about my plans to change the way I live my life and run a marathon some day. All I heard was a sigh and then a frantic, " What are you going to do with the children?!" Like I am some kind of idiot or something. Obviously Andy will watch them. She proceeded to talk down to me and ask me if he lost his job or something. Seriously? I will go running after work. etc. etc. etc.
It's this kind of talk I have had to deal with my entire life. Worse now that I am a mom. No body ever cares how I am doing.. they just want to make sure I am around to make the kids happy. Which I am. They are still and always will be my numero unos. I just can't understand why it is so hard for anyone to care about me? I have probably done it to myself in one way or another.. it is just something to complain about, I guess.

Anyway. We will see if I am sore tomorrow. If not.. I'm hitting the streets again! :) I know that probably no one is reading this but it feels good to have something to publish that I am proud of. I'm doing this. It's all happening.

Day 2

Hola. Okay so I woke up a little bit sore this morning. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I don't even know if I should try to run again or if I should just walk. I will do some online research. Feeling good overall though. Ready to face the day. I guess I will give myself a goal this week. By Sunday I hope to be able to run for 5 minutes straight. ha ha. It seems too pathetic that I can't do it but it is harder than I remember. Maybe because I had a baby 10 weeks ago and I am out of practice. I will give myself some slack. :)
I was reading over my first blog again and I am afraid I need to print a retraction. I said I get "no help at all". That isn't true. My dad and step mom help out when they can but they live an hour away so they just can't come out all the time to give mama a little time to breath. That is understandable. And by help I meant no one remembers to ask me if I need a little down time to myself and we get a baby sitter for a few hours once every three months.. maybe. So there you have it. I wasn't trying to down talk my family or anything, I was just explaining part of the reason for my feelings of depression and such.


I feel happier already. Maybe it's the idea that I am doing something for myself, maybe the little bit of exercise I have had is sending endorphines to my brain. Maybe it's that I have something to look forward to. Maybe it's that two of my best friends just got engaged this weekend? :) Anway. I feel good today. I'll post more after the run/walk today. Wish me luck!

Now that THAT is out of the way...

Okay.. some good news and some bad news. I went to Bradley Lake Park today for my "run". It is about a mile once around the trail and I made it twice around. Bad news is, I am in much worse shape than I thought. This may take a little bit more time than I had anticipated. My "run" was more of a walk/run. I could run at a slow pace for about 2 minutes until my chest and throat were burning so bad I felt like I was going to throw up. I would then slow her down to a speed walk. It's ok. It's the first day. Tomorrow (if I'm not too sore) I will try again. Increase a little bit. I had a HUGE salad for lunch. I did want to add a few things today too. In my introduction you may have noticed I haven't been talking about my diet very much. Well, I am breastfeeding. I still have to eat like a normal person. I have cut out all fast food, sweets, and junk food though. I am not eating past 7 or 8 at night depending on the circumstances of the evening and I am cutting my portions down. No seconds. I am also pounding down the water. I will update more later. Children in need. :)

Day one. Oh Boy.

Well, here it is. The first day of my big transformation.. and the gym of my apartments is locked up times 3. I would have prefered to start this whole process on a treadmill.. but I will not be defeated. I guess I'll just go run the streets. :) Wish me luck.

Well, here we are. Our first post.

This is my journey to the middle because I am tired of unintentionaly continuing my journey to the bottom with every intention of taking my journey to the top. I figure if I can shoot for the middle..I will be so satisfied once I feel like I have reached my goal (or goals) I just may feel like I am on top. Or maybe I will just stop feeling so crappy pretty much all of the time.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kristina. I am 25 years old, a wife to Andy and a mother to Emma (5), Mackenzie (3), and most recently I have become mom to Dane (2 months). We live in a suburb off of Tacoma, Washington that has small town hospitality with big city traffic. My husband works an 8 to 5 job as manager of the installation department at the biggest HVAC company in our area. We live in a three bedroom upstairs apartment that we keep as nice as we can. We do a lot of playing the cards we have been dealt and rolling with it. Too much, hense the blog here.

Okay, we can get to more of all that at another date. I am here to talk about me. I am in love with my husband and my children have always been my entire world. Since Emma was born I have obsessed myself with my kids and pretty much nothing but my kids. I do have a pretty nice circle of girlfriends that I think I am extremely close to, but as we have all come upon our quarter life.. we have drifted a bit. It's normal. Okay, so I have gained SO much weight with all the baby having.  I am not exaggerating either. I have been bouncing between the same 80 lbs of excess weight since 2004. Whoa. So, on top of that I am dealing with depression (post partum or not.. I'm unsure) and pretty terrible anxiety. I get pretty much no help with my kiddos at all (by this I mean no help from Andy or ANY of the kids' grandparents) and I am like 90% positive my husband doesn't find me even the least bit attractive. I am 100% positive he doesn't have very much respect or understanding for what I do every day. I am a stay at home mom. Believe me, if you knew me, you would never think of me as the type to be a SAHM. I have had so many dreams over the years, mostly to teach theatre in a college, maybe high school setting. Move to New York, do SOMETHING remarkable. Amazing. I have always wanted to be somebody. Well, then I had kids. Now I have to make THEM into somebodies.

More about all that later too. I am done having children. Dane was the last baby we are planning to have. Andy is going to get fixed.. if you know what I'm sayin. I have decided to give myself some ME time. Although I understand it is unrealistic to pursue a lot of the dreams I have had, I am going to start small. In the back of my head I have been telling myself I am so unhappy because I need Zoloft or Prozac or something. It JUST hit me that I need so much more than that. I need a life! Of my own! I am going to start creating my life by losing my weight once and for all. How, you ask? I am going to run a marathon. By this time next year, I will be able to say that I have run a marathon. I am out of shape. I have about 60 lbs to lose just to be in a healthy range for my height. I want to be IN shape, sexy even. I want to look in the mirror and say to myself, "At least you look good". In addition to all the running.. I have decided to go back to school. The only college I have completed is in the medical field. The boring side of the medical field at that. I am going to school for cosmetology. Damn skippy. I plan to start in the summer if the program even starts then.

I am going to blog about my journey because I need to. Not only for myself, but because I know so many other mothers are out there wondering who the hell they are every day. Other moms that need a purpose other than.. being moms. I am only 25 years old and I swear I feel like I am 40.. maybe even older. I understand that this wont be easy but it is necessary. I need to prove everyone wrong that thinks I am a flake (including my husband). Tomorrow I am going to get on the treadmill and run. I am going to run until I can't anymore just to see how long I can even go.

Wish me luck. We are in this together.... kind of.