"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired." - George S. Patton

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

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.

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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

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.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

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
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June 2010

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Wednesday, June 2, 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