Is this real? Did I really run a marathon??

I really can't believe I didn't blog more of my Marathon journey...epic fail.

But, I have to at least document it here now that it's done, right? Warning, if you like every single detail of a marathon, keep reading. It's kind of a long one, but I want to remember it all. In case you want the short version, here's a slideshow of all the pics my hubby took. There are random pictures floating around of us, from various friends...but these are the ones on my camera :)

It was such an amazing day. AMAZING.

Honestly, in the month leading up to it, I was secretly wishing I had an injury to get me out of it. BAD. I did NOT want to do it. OVER it. Over the Saturdays away from my family, with long runs in the 80 degree temps, even when we started at 6:30 am. I was just OVER it. My sweet friend Megan told me, that was exactly where I should be at the peak of training, that's how you know you worked hard and were ready for your body to rest up and taper. She was absolutely right. Tapering was great...I never even felt that crazy "how can I possibly be prepared for a marathon when I haven't really RUN in 3 weeks, for real?". I totally enjoyed every short run. 12 miles? Great. 8? Even better...4, 3, 2? HECK YES. I didn't even care if I wasn't prepared for the BIG race. I was so glad to be tapering. We ended our training with a really awesome 20 mile run. The PNW fall arrived, and it was so much cooler, and 10 of those miles were even rainy. It felt SO good to me, and I realized, I just do so much better when it's cooler out. I'd take rain any day over heat. Ending on a high, I felt more energized and ready for the Portland Marathon.

Selene and I both had such busy weeks leading up to the race, that we were pretty distracted from the Race. When friday came, we were able to carve out some time to spend the day soaking up the Marathon experience! We had lunch downtown, hit the expo, go totally sucked into some Expo purchases...and had a blast hanging out together.

Race Day came, we were pumped! We arrived about 6am downtown, easily parked and walked to our corral. We were so glad we didn't have to check anything, the line was CRAZY. My sister in law Rachel came to cheer us on at the start (True Love to come down there in the craziness at 6:30am!!). Selene's mom came too, and it was so nice to see familiar faces in the crowd as we crossed the start line.

As soon as we crossed the start line, I instantly had to pee. I realized around 5pm on Saturday, that I'd done a terrible job of hydrating myself and went into a H20 frenzy. I peed before the race, but we stopped twice before mile 10 to hit the potties! ridiculous. I felt bad, Selene was very gracious! We didn't have a specific time goal in mind, but knew where our pace had consistently been during training. We both felt we'd be a little disappointed if we didn't get in under 5 hours. Our main goal was finishing and enjoying the ride.

So around mile 3...we stopped to pee. 3 minutes from stop til we were running again. Around mile 4 we saw our first cheerleaders...Selene's mom and brother, Jordan. We were so excited to see people smiling and telling us they were proud of us! Just a short bit later, we saw some friends, Megan, Lisa and Audrey totally cheering us on! We felt like champs...seriously...they made us feel like we'd just won the marathon with their grins and hugs. It pumped us up and made us teary as we passed them. 2 miles later, we saw Selene's family at Mile 6, followed by mine around mile 7. I was surprised to see my friend Jen who I hadn't seen since she moved back from Michigan this summer mixed in with my fam! It was so awesome to feel so loved.Somewhere in there, we also saw a running friend Stacy, cheering for us, who we met on one of our training runs in the rain.

It started to rain a bit around that point. We were heading into an out and back...around mile 9 I saw my friend from Spokane, who I hadn't seen in 10 years. We were looking for eachother, and after Selene and I hit the turnaround, shortly after we saw Sarah and her running buddy Christie. We hugged a quick sweaty, rainy hug, and kept going. , AGAIN, I had to pee bad. So, we stopped again, this time it took 4-5 minutes to get through the line...but I will say, Portland had TONS of port-o's, and lots of them had no lines at all. Finally, I felt like my bladder was really empty. We turned up the stretch of industrial area of Portland, and saw my friend Jess and her baby, who high fived us! Then we saw our families again, and AGAIN our awesome friends who we'd seen around mile 4. It kind of felt like we were in a parade, and we were the homecoming queens :)

I think around Mile 12 we saw another group of my amazing girlfriends...all runners. Heidi, Jess (a different one), Meredith, Julie, and Ashley. I totally choked up as soon as I saw them ahead, jumping up and down, waving signs and blowing crazy noisemakers! They were a spectacle, and I loved it. I felt so loved. I knew they knew what a big deal this day was...it was awesome. Meredith was crying (as expected) and I loved her hug SO MUCH. (Is it weird that I hugged all the people I saw along the way? I'm a hugger, what can I say.) We trudged ahead in the rain, and ate our snacks (Honey Stinger Waffles, which were such a good half way munchie! Easy to chew, tasted good, filled our bellies...pretzels...we could barely choke down.)

Side note: we had always trained with our Amphipod fuel belts, which we both really like. We totally planned on taking them on race day. THEN we got sucked into the RooSport magnetic pockets at the expo. We decided to stash our fuel (Gu Chomp) in there, and ditch our belts...totally in vain. They are not flattering in the least. We decided to take our chances on race course aid stations being reliable for liquids. It worked fine for me. Except, I'd planned on grabbing a refill of my GuChomps at mile 19 from Matt, but I got distracted and forgot. Thankfully, they were handing out gummy bears at mile 20 and I took and handful to nibble the rest of the way.

Back to mile 13. We decided around this point, since it was  a little rainy and boring scenery, we'd turn on our music for a bit until we saw Selene's sister Ashley, who was going to run a bit and tell us a story for a mile or two, up the hill leading up to St. Johns Bridge. So, we did, for a few miles. (we rarely ran out of things to talk about during training runs. We'd avoid talking all week, so we'd have plenty to catch up on during our long runs.) Around mile 15, a friend of Selene's caught up to us (also running the race) and it was great to have some new conversation for a few miles. Leah hung back just as Ashley joined us. Unfortunately, there were MAJOR bib inspections happening at the base of the hill and Ashley looked much to dry and happy to have blended in with the rest of us wet and sweaty runners. She got the boot by the volunteers, and told us she'd meet up with us on the other side of the bridge. Selene smartly suggested that we take the hill nice and easy. So, we turned our ipods back on and focused on the hill. Once on the bridge and it flattened out, we turned to each other with looks that said, "that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be". We enjoyed the beautiful view of the bridge and the Willamette river. We got annoyed that a certain power walker was STILL ahead of us! We'd get an edge on her, and then take our mini walk break, and she'd get ahead of us. THE ENTIRE RACE.

Immediately over the bridge, we saw Selene's hubby and one of her boys. Channing was holding the BEST sign. It said, "Mom, you've got this! My head was in the 99th percentile!"  (only a mom would appreciate the meaning behind it...if you can push out that giant head during birth, a marathon is a piece of cake!) It was awesome. We saw Ashley again, and she joined us for a few miles, finishing her story, and a few other random ones to entertain us. It was so nice to mentally check out and listen to someone talk for awhile. Thanks, Ash!

At mile 19ish, We again saw my amazing friends, Mere, Julie, Ashley, Heidi and Jess (and Heidi's daughter, Ellie!). I was amazed and humbled that my generous friends would spend the morning in the rain, trekking all over portland to cheer for US.

We saw my family again, my daughter begged me to hold her. She was totally confused why every time she saw me, I ran away from her. :) My boys were so sweet and cheerful, honking their horns. My mom kept telling me how proud she was of me. My hubby looked a little emotional at this point,but has not since confessed to being emotional :)  From here, there was a few miles of downhill, which was GREAT timing. We were getting tired. We skipped our usual walk break on the downhill and just took advantage of the easy running. (we'd been running a mile, walking 45 seconds, and walking through aid stations to this point). We decided to just plow through. We had our music on for most of this time, which was nice. Around mile 23 we were neck and neck with the 5 hour pace group. We REALLY wanted to finish ahead of them at this point. So, we sort of zoned in on getting ahead of them. We weaved our way through them and managed to stay just ahead of them. Around this point, Selene said, "there's that DAMN walker again!" ahead of us. We finally passed her and left her behind for good. I couldn't believe someone was walking as fast as we were running. Not that we were FAST, because we certainly are not, but REALLY? Walking as fast as we're running? hard on the ego. Around mile 24 we saw, Lisa, Megan, Audrey, Nicole and Jess again. It was SUCH good timing to see them. I was feeling strong still, but starting to feel like the end was NEVER coming. They gave us the boost we needed to power to the finish. At mile 25, I unplugged from my ipod, wanting to soak in all the cheers, the spectators, total strangers cheering us on. I knew this may be the ONLY marathon I finish. I didn't want to miss it. We saw Mere, Julie, Heidi, Ashley and the other Jess one last time in the final stretch to the finish. I saw them ahead, and knew it was them. I couldn't believe it. We were finishing a MARATHON. I was overcome with emotion as we passed by. KNOWING we had done it. KNOWING those girls felt it as deeply as I did. Selenes family shouted over the top of the fence as we rounded the final corner. I think I had held my breath since I saw the girls...afraid if I breathed I'd loose it. Selene and I held hands as we crossed the finish, and I was SO happy we finished every last step together. The called out our names as we ran in under the FINISH banner. We stood there, feeling surreal that we just ran 26.2 miles. We were crowned with our mylar blankets and medals. We were pushed along through the food, finisher shirts, pictures...in a daze. It didn't feel at all real. I thought I'd want to lay down and die, but I didn't. I felt ok! I could still walk, breath, and see straight. I never felt like I hit the "wall" like I had during some of our training runs. I was prepared to feel it and push through, but it never came. It all felt consistent to me. Seeing our fans every 2 miles, totally made the hours tick by smoothly. I really felt amazing and happy and strong. It was weird.

We found Selene's family, snapped a few more photos, and I moved on to find my family. My girl friends were there to meet me too, which I couldn't believe. They spent ALL morning chasing me around town, and THEN fought the crowds to congratulate me at the end! I was seriously so humbled and felt so deeply loved. One of the best days of my life. Selene and I are both so thankful to our amazing husbands and Grammy's, who made this possible for us, by taking our kids EVERY saturday morning, and multiple weeknights and early mornings so we could run. It was a family effort for this day to come. I was so thankful to my mom, mother in law and honorary mom, Jackie, for coming and helping Matt with our kids, and cheering us on all morning in the rain. It was so awesome.

I went home to my mom's, took my ice bath, and ate like a Queen. I took a VERY long nap. Monday, my amazing Sister Friend, Nicole, took my kids to play at her house, so I could literally sit on my couch ALL day. My friend Lindsay brought me a VENTI Salted Carmel Mocha. mmm. My book club friends (and cheerleaders) celebrated me again by asking me to wear my medal and eating chocolate cake in my honor. It feels better than a birthday. It just keeps going.

I am so thankful. Thankful I have life. I can run. That together, Selene and I raised about $1500 toward the Ethiopia sports court. Thankful to have shared this mountain top experience with a best friend.

God is so good, to not only allow us to train, and finish, but make it such a rich experience! We are so blessed.

worst running blogger EVER.

Has it really been since JUNE? Wow.

In June is when I started my Portland Marathon Training...coincidence? hmmm.
Training has gone well. Good even. Selene and I ran our final long run today, and I'll be honest. I was DREADING it.  I have dreaded the last few long ones, actually. I've told a few of my running friends...I was "over it". That I didn't even WANT to do it anymore. But, my loyalty to my friend kept me going. I knew I couldn't bail on my "teammate". Even though we're a team of 2. :) After our 19 miler, I wanted to cry...I told her, I never EVER wanted to run more than 19.

I started my period this week, which really didn't help my bad attitude. Staring a 20 miler in the face, feeling like poop. I just didn't want to do it. A friend of mine, and 6 time butt kicking marathoner, Megan, asked me how I was feeling about the 20 miler. I was honest. I was Debbie Downer. I was ridiculously pathetic. I don't wanna do it.

She totally encouraged me, and told me this is how I SHOULD be feeling at my peak week. It's my body telling me it's time to taper. I'm SO READY to taper!!! I have a feeling she shared my desperate need for encouragement with a few of my friends who are runners, becuase that day, and since, my inbox and phone has been full of encouraging and loving words from my sweet gal pals, telling me the hard part is done today. The race is worth it. That they were praying for me, believing in me, cheering for me. It TOTALLY sucked me up out of the pity party and yanked my bad attitude out of the crapper.

Selene and I set out today for our last long run. 20 miles. First, we missed our exit and drove about an extra 20 minutes in the wrong direction. Then, it started to rain. But, our first 10 miles were dry. Selene was SO smart to plan out our run in 2 ten mile chunks. It really helped my mental game. Just two easy 10 mile runs. we ran 5 miles one way and back to our car. Mini break. 5 miles in the other direction and back to the car for cool down. I truly felt happy clear until the end of our run. I have hit "the wall" now during our last 3 long runs. About 2-3 miles from the end. I get hit with goosebumps, feeling a bit dizzy, and mentally tapped. Then, it passes, and I am able to finish. This time, no wall! I kept thinking about the kind words of my friends, encouraging me to finish strong, that they believed in me and were proud of me. It totally filled me up. I ENJOYED 20 miles today. My best long run (over 15). I really wanted to try my running skirt one more time, to see if I could resolve my chafing issue. It is truly my FAVORITE thing to run in...Lululemon skirts are SO comfy. The last time I wore it on my 15 miler, I totally chaffed my thighs. Which had NEVER happened to me before...but this time I greased myself up really good with BodyGlide and had no problems.

I am feeling strong. Ready to taper. Ready for the Marathon. I was seriously dreading the marathon. Even, honestly, wishing for an injury to get me out of it. (there, I said it). But now, I feel ready. Excited even. I still think this is my last marathon for this season of my life. Maybe I'll do one again someday...but for now, I'm ready to spend my saturdays with my family...not on the pavement.

I"m wishing I hadn't been in such a funk these past few weeks. I've stopped logging my miles, and I wish I'd kept it up faithfully. I'm sure I can go back and figure it out...and I may. It's nice to see the miles logged and really feel the accomplishment of those minutes, hours, miles invested in this journey.

Tomorrow, I'm walking the Race for the Cure in Portland. I'm reminiscing that last year, this was my very first "race" that I ran. 5k...27:33. I felt AWESOME. I never thought I'd be a runner, much less EVER consider a marathon. But...here I am. 3 half marathons later and on the brink of a full. Who knew...

Now the fun part...planning my outfit for the Marathon! :)

One Year Runniversary!

Wow...who knew??
Who knew I'd EVER start running.
Who knew I'd EVER STICK with running!

I'm so happy to say that June is my Runniversary month, and I've made it one WHOLE YEAR running.
It's something I'm feeling pretty good about. I have never ever stuck with a work out plan. EVER. I've run 4 races this year, 2 5k's and 2 half marathons...and one more half scheduled for July 24th, and my first full marathon in October.

This year has been so SO good for me in so many ways:

• I've lost about 15 pounds and at least as many inches. 
• I feel like I'm healthier and in better shape than I've ever been (at least since I was a 16 year old athlete). 
• It has reduced my mommy stress level so much, I never knew running would be good for my brain and my waistline!
• I've learned that I can do hard things...like run 13.1 miles. And feel good about making it through. This life lesson has totally translated to other areas of my life.
• That it feels DANG good to know I can do something I never thought I could or would.
• I had/have 3 amazing running buddies and SO enjoyed the time spent together over miles ran. Sun, Rain, Frozen Tundra, DARK, Snow...loved sharing these moments with Selene, Heidi, and now Nicole! I'm so blessed.
• I started this one year ago, having no idea if I even COULD hack it as a "runner". I had failed at it before. Not only did I learn I can, but I love it!
• TWO half marathons. I know there's so many runners who've done so much more, but for me, this was HUGE. I started training with Selene last summer, fully expecting that I would try to do it with her, and probably not be able to do it. I had NO idea. Every year on our anniversary, Matt and I share High's and Low's of our year. My first half marathon was right up there near the top of getting married and having kids. Just a BIG stinking deal for me.

Thank you friends, who've encouraged me and cheered me on, and given me running tips and advice when I needed it. I'm SO THANKFUL for this year!

Eugene!

I sit here with an achy body, but still on my runner's high.

It was a PERFECT day for a race. Chilly at the start, but warmed up and never got above 60.

I arrived yesterday afternoon, and Selene and I hit up the Expo at the Eugene Hilton, collecting our freebies and I made a few purchases (a handheld water bottle and CHI running book).

We went back to Selene's sister's house and ate this amazing lasagna dinner, made by Sean, Selene's brother in law and hubby Derek. DELISH. They made it with FRESH Mozerella and fancy ricotta (not the cheapie Frigo brand I usually buy) and it was SO GOOD. Then we vegged, watching highlight of the Royal Wedding (AGAIN for me...can't get enough!).

We got up early and Selene's amazing hubby got up early to drop us off at Hayward Feild at 6:30. It was crisp and cool, but just right for race day. It was perfect timing, we didn't check any bags, and we had just enough time to use the portos and get into our corral before the race started.  
Here we are in our custom shirts. We got so many compliments on them! I made the iron on transfers with my Cricut cutting machine and my SCAL2 software...LOVED that. Made my purchase feel justified! SO easy and fun. One funny older lady asked us what BFF meant and we giggled. (Best Friends Forever, in case you were wondering).

Miles 1-3 were a bit chilly, but by mile 6 we shed our arm sleeves.

We had a hard time, for some reason this race, keeping an even pace. we trying to reel it in at a slower pace for the first mile, but dang. That crowd just gets you pumped and happy and moving along. We struggled to keep it at 9:45 per mile.
 
Around mile 8 there was a hill that seemed to last forever and we slowed way down, I think I even registered over 11 min mile at that point. But the bonus to uphills is, usually, there's a downhill too! That felt good, but I laughed and told Selene my butt cheeks were tingley as we went back down!

We cruised through miles 9/10 feeling good. We waved goodbye to the full marathoners we'd been pacing with and wished them goodluck. Selene got emotional and said she felt bad for them that they had to keep going! (I was thinking, I can't believe we're going to attempt a full. Thinking about it, made me want to cry at that point!)

At mile 11, I hit "the wall". I even asked Selene, do you think we could walk for 20 seconds? She talked me out of it and pep talked me through mile 11. She was right, that if we stopped running, we might not be able to get started again. She told me to breath and relax my body. Think about our PR up ahead. It was weird, when I realized I was hitting the proverbial wall, I sort of panicked, breathing fast and feeling goosebumpy and cold. Thinking, oh crap. I 'm going to have to walk!! I don't want to walk! We're SO close! We'd been doing so good on our pace, and were on track to PR by a good 5 minutes. We slowed it just a bit, I caught my breath, and Selene kept encouraging me. By mile 12, I was doing fine. We were cruising our last mile at about 9:10 pace and Selene was buzzing, kicking butt. I was trying to just keep up with her and breath calmly. Just before mile 13, She was actually singing and smiling. I was so SO thankful to be with her and not going it alone. We passed alot of people in the homestretch, which is always good for your ego as you head for a finish.

As we finished mile 12 we could hear the crowd cheering in the stands at Hayward Field. I have to say, it's REALLY fun to finish on the track, with a BIG finish banner, and thousands of fans cheering you!

We made our way into the stadium, and around the track. There were lots of people on the track, and I kind of got stuck behind a few people and Selene and I got a little separated. We saw Selene's family just before the finish, that was so awesome.  And truly, no feeling like arriving at the finish totally spent, and getting a nice medal draped around your neck! LOVED that. I knew we'd beat our previous Half time by a few minutes, and it felt good to be rewarded for it with some BLING. This was my first real medal, and I'm in love with it! You might see me wearing it around town this week :) Official Finish time: 2:10:43 (shaved 4:07 min off my previous half time!)

I was totally exhausted at the finish. Kind of dizzy and just SPENT. But, it's kind of a good feeling, you know? Knowing you gave it EVERYTHING to get to the finish. I know many of you warm up faster than my pace, and could easily conquer a half under 2 hours, but today felt like victory to me!
 
We choked down some dry pancakes and chocolate milk and found Selene's family. They brought us donuts, which was AWESOME! Selene and I both have a donut weakness. We layed on the turf outside the stadium and stretched and chatted with the fam, snapped a few pics and headed home to Ashley's. We hopped into the hot tub, which felt AMAZING. Then we showered and went to a yummy lunch at Lucky Noodle.

It was a good day.


Things I may have done wrong (thus, hitting the wall)

We had wine with dinner the night before. Just one glass, but still, probably not the best idea.

I was on the road to Eugene, and got a late start on Saturday. I didn't eat breakfast or lunch until late Saturday. So, I didn't really eat great on Saturday. And even friday, I had a small sandwich for dinner. I think the food you eat the few days prior to the race is equally important to the night before carbo load.

I had Nuun in my water bottle, and I took my gummy Clif Shot Blox, and I took Gatorade at the first few aid stations. I think I may have over done the sodium...I had major sausage fingers. I feel like I'm pretty sensitive to sodium, even in day to day stuff. My hands swell if I have too much. I think I need to stick with water in my bottle during the runs.

And, nothing to do with the "wall" but a matter of preference-I bought my handheld water bottle at the last minute at the expo. I wish I'd done that ahead of time and gotten a little bit smaller one, although the Nathan one I got had a nice pocket for my shot blox. And I probably would have used it more if it was water in there.

I'm off to take a load of ibuprofen and head to bed...my hubby promised me a nice leg massage:)

Gearing up for the Eugene Half!

Woot Woot!!

I'm feeling excited. A little nervous. But mentally, I know I can DO this.

I know if feels GOOD to DO THIS.

I can't wait for a real MEDAL.

I'm excited to share another race with Selene. 

Selene and I before the Girlfriends Half 10-17-2010

I am a lucky girl. I have so many dear friends. But two special ones that fall into the BFF category. The ones who've been there for ALL of it. Boyfriends.Weddings. Babies.  Tears. Birthdays. Life.
 
I'm so happy that I'm now getting to share running with BOTH of them.
Selene is the one who simply threw out the invite..."anyone want to train with me for the Girlfriends Half?" I had just started up running, and was up to two miles. I thought, "what do I have to lose? If I can't keep up, I'll just gracefully bow out and let her do it without me". Miraculously, I DID keep up (or at least she let me believe I did, and is still lying to me :) Many many long runs later, I love spending my saturday mornings running with Selene. 6,8,10 miles? I don't care. They fly by every week while we tell our tales of parenting and marriage, family craziness and life. I can't WAIT to run a second half marathon with her this weekend!

Nicole has been my gym buddy for the past few weeks. And between her 5 kids, and my 3, our time together has faded to hardly any in the past year. But, we BOTH wanted to work out at 5:30 am at the gym. So, there we go. It's perfect, we meet several times a week, and spend an hour together catching up as we run or cross train. AWESOME. She's training for the Lacamas Lake half, and I'm SO happy for her! I'm so enjoying our short little visits every morning before the sun rises!


Of course gearing up for any race, is the all important decision of what to wear, right? So, we've got our race shirts, and I've been tinkering with making myself some headbands, a la Sweaty Bands....you know, simple, lined with Velvet ribbon to keep from slipping. I made a few awhile back and really, they are AWESOME at staying put.

So, I wanted a cute one to match my new shirt. With sparkles. BUT, annoying thing is, sparkles get EVERYWHERE. I made it, and it's very cute...but I have glitter in my hair, on my shirt, on my face...UGH. So, this is my second attempt to make an athletic no slip headband, with a little extra somethin'. I have to say, I LOVE it! Definitely going to wear it on Sunday in Eugene! Stays put, but has a little pop of fun to it! If you're interested in making one, let me know. I may post a tutorial. You'll need a sewing machine and glue gun, but easy peasy!

pardon my make up free face...mommy's looking a little haggard today!

I'm thinking of combining my blogs. I just can't keep up with a few different ones! We'll see. If you don't see me here, check www.5byfaith.blogspot.com.

On a Roll.

One of my best friends told me this week that she ( a non runner) is going to sign up for the Lacamas Lake half marathon. I was GIDDY. I've been trying to convince her to start running (mostly because I want her company at 5:15am).

In my excitement, after she called and asked me for a few suggestions, I may or may not have made a total dork of myself emailing her my tips and lessons learned.

BUT...she did kick my butt in gear on joining the gym. She's been going 5 days a week, and I told her I'd finally activate my gym trial membership so I can join her this week. And, we are ON.A.ROLL. The treadmill is so much better when hanging with a best friend! Even if we run different paces, it doesn't matter! We're together, catching up on life, enjoying it together. Yesterday, and today, and plans for tomorrow. I'm loving it. I even....wait for it...CROSS trained today, which is my major slack area. I like my rest days, but I am ready to kick it up a notch. Today, we biked and lifted some weights. Tomorrow, we're back to the Mill. I'm LOVING seeing her daily, and working together towards our individual goals and keeping each other accountable!


LOVING it.

Whoa. It's been awhile.

I have been MIA from this blog for a bit....I'm actually thinking about combining my blogs...I have 3 right now...adoption, running, and photography. It's a bit much to keep up with.

I've still been running, although not as much as I 'd like. With my family schedule, it just really only seems to work out for me to run early mornings, before my hubby goes to work. He leaves the house at 6:30, so there is not alot of people dying for chance to run at 5am! :)

I'm training for the Eugene Half Marathon on May 1, with one of my best friends and running buddy, Selene. Then we take a month off, and then dive into training for the Portland Marathon! I really and truly am excited about both! Selene and I have been using the Runners World Smart Coach training plans, which honestly...I'm not loving. My training plan is fine, but I'm using the online version, and Selene is using the Ipad app version...and even though we input the exact same details, our training plans came out totally different. So...every saturday, our long run is not matching! So annoying that they are not the same in both places. But...it's not a bad plan. I think I liked Hal Higdon better though.

I'm back to contemplating a gym membership, just because the early morning gig works best for me, and I can't do it alone in my neighborhood. I do have a friend who's starting to run and I could meet early am's at the gym though. So...I don't know. I hate to spend the money on a gym membership...I'm cheap. But...I also don't want to loose all the ground I've gained.

Selene and I chatted today about running the Big Bend Ultra (31 miles) in January of 2013. Sounds so cool...but I definitely think I want to see how I do in Portland :) We also talked Hood to Coast, but there is so much stinking work organizing a team, etc to get it off the ground. But, how fun would that be?? With a bunch of girlfriends? So fun.

This has been a great running week for me. A week when my runs ended, I just felt GREAT. I love those days.

Checking In. (EDIT)

*sorry to everyone who sent a paypal payment. I tried to set up a special account just for this, but it wouldn't let me verify my account and accept your payments, since I already have another paypal account. SO SORRY. I made a new button on the right to go into my regular account. 

Sorry you have to do it twice! 

Time to check in with all the 11-11-11 Losers. :) Is it offensive that I'm calling you losers? I'm trying to compliment you, and send you positive subliminal messages...You CAN and WILL lose weight.

Anyhow, I've been doing well for the past Day and a half. Lots of water, no sugar yesterday (BIG for me). Today, I did well, until 4:32pm. The hour before dinner. It seems to be my weak point of the day. Everyone is home, scrambling to get the last of my things done before we shift to dinner/bedtime mode. I'm hungry. I COULD have grabbed an apple. I COULD have grabbed some carrot sticks. I attempted about 3 to divert my chocolate cravings to a cup of Chocolatey Chai tea (only available in Canada, sadly, for this american girl). It worked for a bit. Then, I opened the cupboard. In a moment of poor judgement, I snagged a handful of mini marshmallows. It's a slippery slope...then, a few chocolate chips. UGH. I've been good about not buying "junk"...so all I have left is baking ingredients.

But, I hope to have reeled it at that point. It's been 10 minutes so far. Ha Ha! I'm pathetic.

But, I'm also determined to drop 11 pounds. I feel like it will help me in my running, to just feel, well, lighter. Funny how that works.

Dinner is looking good, though. Oven roasted chicken and carrots and potatoes. I keep telling myself, have a cup of tea. It feels you up, tastes sweetish. Keeps my fingers and lips busy from snacking on something I should avoid.

What is your strategy to avoid the munchies?

really, please share!

What is your weak point in the day where you find yourself mindlessly eating? 

Mine, is clearly, the hour before dinner. I need some of that Dessert Gum! No, really, I need to untrain the "need" for something sweet.

Keep at it, Ladies. The pot is growing! I think we're up to 13 gals now! Keep your eye on the prize...the real one. Being healthy and fit!

Don't forget to link up your blog, if you are blogging about your journey...if not, don't forget to enter your stuff on the spreadsheet!

11lbs for $11 in 2011-Let's be Losers!

apparently, i can't spell. LOSERS, not loosers.

Welcome to week 1, Losers! :) Thanks to all of you who've joined up for the 11lbs for $11 in 2011!  Here we go!

Details:
1.  Weigh In! Starting today, we weigh in on Mondays.  For weigh ins, round up or down to the nearest pound. Some of us have regular non-digital scales. For those of you who have digital... .1-.4 round down. .5-.9 round up. Please email me at 11lbsfor11in2011@gmail.com so i can add you to the google doc spreadsheet. Then you can login to enter your info. (Kim and Amanda, I don't have your emails)
2.  Pay up!  Part of the motivation is, the CASH. Use the paypal link on the right to chip in your $11.
First person to loose 11lbs and keep it off for 2 weeks, wins the pot O' cash. Remember, this is an honor system. Please, BE HONEST. 
3. How will it work?

• Enter your info- I set up a google spreadsheet here, but it's private. You'll only be able to view it and edit it if you've emailed me. 
• Link up! I have set up a link up system, so you can post your own updates on your own blog (or create a new blog for this purpose if you want...free blogs at www.blogger.com!) All you have to do, is make a new blog post, including your weekly update. Then, come back to the post for the week, and enter your info into the little magic box at the end of the post. A link to your blog post should appear after a few minutes. It should be a cool way for us all to check in on eachother and give encouragement as we become Losers. (you can click "get code" and copy and paste into your blog html code for the link up to appear in your blog post as well)
• What do I post? You can post as much or as little info as you want. I will probably post my weekly goals, my plan for getting there, and of course my weigh in. Now, you can share as much or as little as you want  on that...I'm going to suck it up and put my actual poundage. Not a number I love, but it's time to "own the bad dog" as they say. You can opt to just put your loss/gain if you want and not the actual weight if you want to keep that private. For the first week, maybe just share what your goal for the week is to get started, if you're not sharing your weight.  
• What if I'm not a blogger?  If you don't blog and don't want to blog, you can log into the Google doc on Mondays and input your info there. Here's the link to that.( Okay, the link isn't working...I'm working on it. for now, you can email me at 11lbsfor11in2011@gmail.com. )

4. NOTE: As I said before, this is not for extreme dieters. I consider No Carb, Cleanse or Fasting diets extreme (no offense...just not a fair competition for those of us going a different approach). I am looking for gals who are trying to make good food choices, with a balanced diet of all food groups :)

My personal goals for the week:

• I plan to cut waaaaaay back on my sugar intake. I have a major sweet tooth (literally, I have a cavity to prove it). It's my major downfall. 
• I want to eat breakfast every day.
• I want to drink 2-3 of my waterbottles per day this week.
• I plan to run 20 miles this week, spread over 4 runs, and at least one strength training mixed in on a non-run day.
• I'd love to see a 2 lb loss this week.

Weigh in 1/17/2011: 177lbs. (GULP. I can't believe I just put it out there.)
Goal Weight: 160-165 lbs.

Putting it out there.

It's time. I need accountability, and there's nothing like putting it into cyberspace to do it! I would love to loose a few pounds in 2011. I need a little kick start in my motivation to actually start making better daily food choices. SO, here it is. I'm starting a little friendly competition. Winner gets a great prize....first, the pride of knowing you kicked but and lost 11 lbs, and second...CASH.

11lbs, for $11 in 2011. Everyone who participates, chips in $11 into a pot. The goal is the first person to loose 11lbs and keep it off for 2 weeks, wins the pot. Now, there are a few rules.

1. No extreme dieting. I consider medifast, atkins, etc, extreme diets. I'm looking for friends who are trying to make healthy, well balanced choices with thier food, including all food groups and a normal range of calorie intake.

2. Weekly weigh in on Mondays. You don't have to post your weight, but you do have to post your weight lost (or gained if needed over the weeks to come). I am going to suck it up and post my actual weight on Monday (gulp), and I encourage you to do the same...no judgement.  I'm providing a linky button at the bottom of this post for our 11-$11-11 crew, and you can post your check in on your own blog, and then add the link to the bottom of your own post, and it should link you up here  for our group to follow.

3.  It's an HONOR SYSTEM.
1-I'm going to set up a paypal account, just for this. (link on the right to chip in) You'll need to trust me with your $11...and I PROMISE, I'm not going spend it on some new running shoes :) As soon as our winner hits their goal and keeps it off for two weeks, I'll send the big pot o' cash to them via paypal.
2-Since it's all by cyber accountability, there's no way other than honesty to keep it real. PLEASE don't let your inner competitor get the best of you and cheat. We have no way of knowing, but please be honest about your weight loss. Otherwise, when you spend your load of cash winnings, you'll be racked with guilt everytime you wear your new pair of skinny jeans you bought with the money :)

We start Monday with our first weigh in!! If you're in, email me at 11lbsfor11in2011 at gmail dot com and I'll be sure to include you in the reminder emails to link up! You can also make a blogpost about it, and link up here to let me know you're in.

:)

My hubby agreed to the gym membership :) yay! We did have to compromise that I'd wait about 2 weeks until he gets a reimbursement he's waiting for from his work. BUT the great news is, I found this 14 day free trial pass to use in the mean time! wahoo!! Thank you 24 hour fitness!

Feeling more hopeful about making my goal mileage this week of 20 miles. I know many of you have already blown that out of the water this week...but I'm ready to tackle my 20! Hubs agreed to be home by 3:15 tomorrow so I can get in a daylight run, have another 5 scheduled with my buddy Heidi on Wednesday morning, and hopefully a longer run on Saturday with Selene, and I'm trying to find a way to squeeze one more in there this week too.

Feels great to have a plan!

ho-hum.

I'm sat last night and mapped out my calendar for my marathon training plan. I'm actually thankful that my training falls in the summer months, and my hubby happens to be a teacher, so he'll be home for the summer months, which makes it alot easier to schedule those runs! It got me all excited. To see my weekly mileage schedule be right where I want to be...and peak at 36 miles...wow. Never thought I'd see the day I'd even WISH for that.

However.
The long dark days in a not so safe neighborhood mean no early morning runs, or even evening runs for me alone. I'm hitting only 1-2 runs per week right now...which is NOT going to add up to 1000 miles in 2011. They hubby and I are in "negotiations" about the smoking deal at Costco right now, for a 2 year 24 hour fitness membership for just $299 (yes, that comes out to $12.49 per month! Can't beat that!). Being the amazing and wonderful husband he is, he is in support of me getting it. I think he's thinking I could do it when we get our tax return, and I'm thinking, I don't want to wait that long to get crackin'! That will likely be in late February, and I want to be plugging away at my Tall Mom 1,000 miles THIS month. :) He promised we'll discuss it tomorrow, so we shall see.

Life is feeling a little Ho-Hum right now. 3 out of 5 of us have been under the weather this past week. Since we brought our little Miss Lucy home from Ethiopia this summer, it has been a s-t-r-e-t-c-h of illness in this household. Nothing terrible, but constant nasal drip and nagging coughs. I am so SICK of sickness. It's really exhausting when there is constantly an under the weather irritable family member. I'm TIRED of the weekly trips to the dr office. Not excited about being THAT mom, who calls the dr's assistant all the time, so they know me by name. Trying to figure out my 2 littlest ones health issues is getting old...but they of course are more than worth it :)

On the other hand, it's forced us to stay home more. I'm not a super duper home body. I like to GO. Our level of out of the home commitments has dramatically changed this year, and I must admit, I'm kind of liking it. At times, I feel like I'm going to crawl out of a window and run away just to get some fresh air...and other times, I'm enjoying that I CAN snuggle up on the couch with my little ones because we just have no place we have to be.

So, I am feeling a little stuck in ho-hum land right now. No real change in sight. Wondering what God is trying to teach me and prepare me for in the new year. Wanting to be open to that. Trying to just settle into the blessings I have .

2011....

Been mulling over my goals for running in 2011....2010 running caught me by surprise.

I didn't set out to start running. I just wanted a little alone time, and accidentally found myself running in a half marathon! I fell in love with it!


I'm so excited to solidify myself as a runner this year. Here's so far, I have two races on my radar.

The Eugene Half Marathon in May with my running buddy Selene. Then I'll roll right into my training for the Portland Marathon in October with Selene, and hopefully others who want to help out the orphanage in Ethiopia with us and Courts for Kids!

The Vancouver Girlfriends Half was SO much fun last year, I'm a little bummed about not doing it this year...but I had a group of girlfriends last year who had a girls weekend in September in Eugene for the Women's Half...so maybe I'll do that one as a ramp up for Portland in October. I just don't know if I could get my legs moving for Girlfriends so close after Portland.

I'd love to do a few smaller races too, but don't know what yet. Any suggestions for local Portland area races? maybe 10K's? I have never done one...but would love to. I think I need to convince my hubby to let me add a "racing" line to our monthly budget :)

I am also thinking about joining Tall Mom's 1,000 mile club. I didn't start tracking my miles until later in the summer this year, and I wasn't totally hard core about tracking. But, I think I clocked around 450 miles, and I only ran about half the year....so, I think I could do it. It would be good to have a goal to hit about 20 miles per week.

Looking forward to feeling better this week, and getting in some mileage with my friend this weekend!