It's been a while since my last post

I have been finding it very hard to find time to post but I have been back to running and lifting. I have started using the Afterburn training program and I really like it! Unfortunately, I think I strained an abdominal muscle so I took a couple of days from lifting. I'm hoping to get back to 3 days of lifting and 5 days of running (yes I know that makes 8 days - Wednesday is a double day).

This week I've only lifted once but I was able to run 5 days with a total mileage of 34.9. The funny thing is that not too long ago I would have cringed at that type of mileage. Well it is time to get the kids ready for bed.

Until next time!

It's Time!

....to get moving again!

I'm starting my new fitness program this morning and so far it's going well. I got up and lifted this morning for the first time in............a very long time. I stopped lifting a while back because of some tendinitis in my arm and then the marathon training kicked into high gear and I didn't want to risk injury so I just left it out of the program. I have been really missing it and I know my abs have suffered so back into the program it goes!

I'm going to use the Afterburn program. I looks nice and easy and then you actually do one of the sessions and realize just how hard it is!!! It called for 3 sets and I could only do 2 and I'm so shaky right now that I have to keep going back to fix my typing mistakes. I am going to be so sore and love every minute of it.

I'm also going to be watching my eating much more closely and get back to logging on LL. I have strayed so far off the healthy eating process that it is really sad. For the most part, I've maintained my weight because of all the running I was doing. However, this past week (while I've been giving my body a much needed rest) I've maintained the poor eating and not had any exercising to burn it off and I can really feel the decline.

In addition to the lifting, I am going to add some running back into the routine. I think my body is sufficiently recovered and I REALLY missing running with the group. My plan is to lift 3 times per week and try to run 3-4 times. If I run 4 times I will probably end up running and lifting on Wednesday which means running in the am and lifting after work. I know it will be a challenge but I really want to get back into the groove.

Off to the shower!

Marathon Report!

It's Official!

I'm a Marathoner!!!!

I have to tell you that this is quite long so if you stick with it - thanks!


The day started with a Very loud alarm at 4:40 am. Everything was all laid out so, I just put on all my clothes and filled up my Camelback. Then we were off to Lori's hotel in Crystal City. That is where the first trial began. Bill and I ended up in the HOV lane and couldn't get to our exit. Thank goodness we had a GPS and we were able to get ourselves back to where we needed to be.



Once at the hotel, I felt much more at ease although I was still a bit nervous. Just being with "the group" offered a level of comfort that I know I wouldn't have felt it I had been alone. From the hotel, it was a very easy Metro ride to the Pentagon where we got off and had a pretty fair distance to walk to get to the staging area. It was here that my nerves started to kick in again. As we sat and waited for the start, there was quite a breeze and my ears don't like wind - I get headaches - and I hadn't brought anything to protect my ears.


Anyway, time moved pretty quickly and before I knew it we were headed up to the start area. As we walked across this big parking lot, I saw something I don't think I've ever seen before - hundreds and hundreds of Porta-pots. There were so many of them that there were actually no lines at many of them. I've often thought, at races, that the organizers really need more places for people to go to the bathroom. Well, leave it to the Marines to follow through - I really think that they thought of just about everything. Back to the race report - we then made it up to the starting area where they had areas roped off according to finishing times (and yes there were still more Porta-pots here at the starting area). We settled into the 4:10-4:30 area and waited for the start.



The weather was beautiful! The rain that had blanketed our area the prior 3 days was gone and beautiful skies and cool temperatures took its place. I don't think we could have asked for better weather. Like I said earlier, there was a bit of a breeze but nothing unbearable. I think the high temps stayed in the low to mid 60's.

So there we are in the nice cool weather and at 8 am the gun goes off and the race begins. Of course with 25 to 30 thousand runners, we didn't move for a while. It took us about 15 minutes to get to the starting line. I was feeling great and excited to be under way. The number of spectators was amazing. It was an awesome feeling to be running down the street with people lined up on both sides of the street. Unfortunately, within the first mile I had to stop and fix my sock - it felt like it was bunching up under my big toe. This was not how I pictured the race starting. I was afraid I was going to have to run the entire race by myself. Thankfully, Helenann stopped with me! I wasn't sure if we would be able to find the other but we were going to five it a try. Sure enough we were able to hook back up with Jim and Lori!!

The 4 of us ran together for a while. There were a couple of times that we lost and then found Lori. I'm not exactly sure at what point we lost contact with Lori but I will admit that I was sad that the four of us couldn't stay together the entire race. We ran so many training runs together - deep down I had this hope (although I knew it was improbable) that the 4 of us would be able to cross the finish line together.

So our group was now down to Jim, Helenann and I and we were running quite well together. We did a pretty good job of working together and keeping our pace pretty steady. I have realized something though - I was so focused on maintaining that steady pace that I think I actually missed a fair amount of the "stuff" going on around me. To some extent, I don't remember many of the specific details of the day. It may also have something to do with the fact that there was so much going on that it was hard to take everything in. I was just in awe that I was actually running in a marathon.

Back to the race. My family (Mom, Dad, Bill, Ally & Will) was planning to be on the Mall so as we approached the monument area, I started trying to scan the crowd. It was really hard to look at so many people and find a familiar face. But there they were at about mile 12. I saw my parents first and then I heard Bill's voice and saw him and the kids. It was such a lift - it almost brought tears to my eyes. I was also able to find them at about mile 14 which was pretty cool! Jim was also able to find some family in that area. Two of us had now found our support people and I was really hoping that Helenann would also be able to find her family! And then it happened - somewhere between miles 16 and 19 - Helenann found her husband and her daughter. I know it made her feel good but I also got a lift because we had all found those special people in our lives - AWESOME!

I guess it was around mile 19 that we lost contact with Jim. Now it was only Helenann and I running together. I can't tell you how much comfort I felt just by having her with me. Neither one of us had ever done this before so it really kept us going. As we approached mile 20 we started going up a highway ramp. The hill was pretty tough but the crowd was awesome! They were almost on top of us cheering the whole time. However, mixed in with these awesome feeling was a bit of fear. Neither of us had ever gone farther than 20 miles and I know we were both nervous about those last 6.2 miles.

After climbing that ramp and passing mile 20, we entered Crystal City. What a lift! People were everywhere. It was an out and back section so there were also runners on both sides of the street. To top it off there was also an awesome band playing. I really can't express just how impressed I was with the whole event - from the crowd support to the race organization, it was a great experience!

As we left the Crystal City area, it became gut check time. We were now between miles 23 and 24 and Helenann said her knees and hips felt like they were going to explode. She slowed down and told me to keep going. I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it if I slowed down so I kept the legs moving as best I could. I just concentrated on putting 1 foot in front of the other. As I neared the finishing area, about mile 25, the crowds really picked up again. However, I wasn't getting much lift from it anymore. I was tired and sore and really just wanted it to be over! My body was screaming at me to stop but I really wanted to be able to say that I ran the entire race. I just kept telling myself to put 1 foot in front of the other. I also dept thinking about Tim and how he never gave up or played the "Why Me!" game. He stayed strong and now it was my turn!

The last 1.2 miles of the race was up hill. The marines put tape on the street, I'd guess every 100 feet or so, that said "Beat the Hill". That saying got me up the hill. The only bad part about a race like this one is that you can't share your joy with your friends and family immediately. Even with my cell phone it probably took 15 minutes before I found Bill. There were so many people trying to get out one section of fence (it was the only way out) that things pretty much came to a standstill. Overall though it was a wonderful experience and one that I will probably repeat.

I need to send out a huge thanks to my running partners! Lori, Jim, Pat, Helenann, Leanne and Lynda. They are great people and great friends. I look forward to many more running sessions and races!

Some interesting stats: based on Gun Time

I placed 9847 overall

I was the 2916th woman

I was 513th in my age group

I was the 55th DE finisher (men and women combined)

I was the 16th female DE finisher

I was the 3rd female DE finisher in my age group

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Here's to the next race - where ever that may be!

Delaware Distance Classic 15K Results

What a day! For the first time, I actually ran this race knowing other people in the race. I actually went to the race with Helenann (one of my early morning running buddies) and her son Shane. Shane is 15 and just started running cross country this year. He is doing great! It was a lot of fun to actually have people to pal around with before and after the race!

It was a very warm day today. It was 80 degrees when the race started at 8:30 this morning and just got hotter as the day went on. In contrast, the temperature at last years start was 50 degrees.

The gun went off and we all moved forward with the pack. I was aiming at 8 minute miles or about 1:14:00 for the race. As we moved forward we settled into a pace of about 8:30 which was a touch slower than I wanted but faster than Helenann and Shane were expecting to go. They knew that I was shooting for a faster time so at about the 2 mile marker, I started to pick it up a bit. I started to put a bit of distance between myself, Helenann and Shane. I found out after the race, that Shane started to pick it up at about mile 3.

It was a hard race because of the heat but I felt good for most of the race. One portion of the race that consists of a couple of loops and then the second section is an out and back. The loops make up about 3 miles of the race and the out and back make up the other 6.3 miles. The out and back section is pretty hard because there isn't much shade and you are running near the river for a large portion of it. The sun was really hitting off the water which made it feel even hotter. I started to really feel it shortly after the turn around point. However, there was a great pick me up when I saw just how well Shane and Helenann were doing. Shane was making great progress and closing the gap between the two of us!

I really started using my pick-off technique (I pick someone in front of me - preferably women - and try to catch them). It was working really well and I was moving up in the field. The was one man that really didn't want me to pass him. Every time I would pull up even with him he would put on a bit of a surge so that he was a stride or two in front of me. I was happy with my pace so I just tried to maintain my pace. After a few minutes, I was actually able to get past him and stay in front of him for the rest of the race.

I kept a pretty steady pace throughout the race. My slowest split was in mile 2 which clocked in at 8:16/mile and my fastest split was in mile 8 which clocked in at 6:25/mile. No wonder I thought I was going to die during that last 1.3 miles! I need to say thank you to a man named Ed Maher, I don't know him but he really helped me get through those last 2 miles or so. The heat was really starting to take it's toll on me but I just kept Ed right in front of me and it got me through to the end. I was able to enter the finishing gait a second or 2 in front of him but I don't know if I would have made it the entire distance without his help!

As Ed and I rounded that last turn, I looked up and saw that the clock was in the 1:13s so I tried to put on one last push and was able to finish the race in 1:13:22 which breaks down into a pace of about 7:45m/m and 3rd in my age group. Considering how hot it was, I'm absolutely thrilled with the time! Shane ended up with a time of 1:13:32 (first in his age group) and Helenann finished 1:21:04 (4th in her age group). Overall an excellent day for all of us!

The really funny part is that over the past 3 years I have finished 3rd in my age group every year but by average paces have been 8:25m/m; 7:30m/m and 7:45m/m respectively. I just find it funny that my times have been pretty different each year but that I've still finished third each year. Hopefully next year I will be able to move up a place or two (I'll move up an age group so I become the young one on the block)!

Here's to next year! Keep on runnin'!!

I've been swimming upstream......

....and not making much headway!

As you can see from the dates, I have not been doing much posting. I have been absolutely slammed by "stuff". I just finished writing an apology to a dear friend because I pretty much dropped out of a Bible study we were doing and that she was putting her heart and soul into.

I feel like it is just an excuse but in the past month I have started a new school year, have started taking a class of my own, the kids have started school, the kids have started soccer (with 3 practices and 2 games every week) as well as my marathon training and fundraising. It feels like I have been trying to play catch-up for the last month and not doing very well!

The marathon is in less than 1 month - I can't believe it is almost here! I hope that once the race is over and I settle into work a bit more that things will get better. I also didn't help that I had a weekend fro HELL the other week. I had an awful experience at work one Friday. My co-worker dropped a load of crap in my lap. The worst part was that it was the same crap we went through last year and I thought we had gotten past it. I have been trying so hard to keep the communication lines open, share ideas and not step on toes. Yet, she still seems to be unable to talk to me as a civil adult. She either doesn't say anything (keeps it bottled up) and then explodes or says something in a totally "bitchy" way. The part that pisses me off the most though is that I'm letting it affect me at work. I'm constantly thinking about how things will look to her so that I don't have to go through the emotional roller coaster again (did I mention it brought me to tears for the entire length of the meeting and then brought me to tears for the rest of the weekend - whenever I thought about it). I honestly feel that I have good instincts when it comes to my job. Did I do everything right? Of course not but I did not desire what I got!

Then to make that weekend even better, my Mom was admitted to the hospital because she was having trouble breathing (she's out now but still not completely recovered) and our washer broke (in the middle of a cycle of course). I have to admit it was a "perfect" ending to a "perfect" weekend!

It's late and I need to go get ready for tomorrow. Here's to hoping things get better!

I Completed my first 20 Miler!

I ran my first 20 mile training run last weekend and it went really well! I didn't get nearly as sore as I thought I would. My biggest problem is that the run coincide with the start of school and all the germs that come along with that. Ally started at a new school and Will and I started back up with out classes so I've caught a bug and can't seem to shake it. Luckily, I don't feel bad I'm just really congested and the dripping is driving me nuts. I feel like I have a constant tickle in the back of my throat. Because of the long run and the cold I actually took a number of days off so that my body would be better able to fight off the cold - that's my hope anyway!

I've also been finding it very hard to keep up with all my computer duties. I know I'm falling behind on my Bible study and I really need to get my answers typed into our other blog. Julie - I haven't forgotten you I'm just finding it difficult to juggle all the new responsibilities. I've also started taking a night class (I need it for work) and it will become 2 nights a week very shortly.

The kids have started their soccer season. They both played their first games last Saturday and both had a really good time. Ally told me after her game that she felt very lost (they only had 1 practice before their first game) but had a great time! She is on an 8 and under team and they used officials, throw-ins and corner kicks but it was on a small field. These were all things that were not covered in their one and only practice so I wasn't surprised she had no idea what was going on. As long as she has fun though I don't care. I didn't get to see much of Will's game because I took Ally down to her field while he was still playing but he also said he had fun. I think we made a good decision signing them up with Kirkwood Soccer. Everyone we have met seems to be great with the kids and really seem to care about the kids learning about the game and having fun. They are not focused on whether they win or lose and that is what I want for my kids at this age.

Time to go get Ally from the bus. Keep on runnin'!

First Week of School and Other Stuff

Ally started 1st grade this week. She was really excited about going to a new school and riding on the bus. Honestly though, when it came to getting on the bus I wasn't sure how excited she would actually be. I found out really quickly that she was REALLY excited. She left me standing there on the corner with no kiss, hug or good-bye given. She left so quickly that all I was able to get was that blurry bus picture. Not that anyone would know it but Ally is actually waving from behind the second window.

She had a great time this week! By Thursday she was wiped out though. I was really glad that everyone was off on Friday because she was able to get a great night sleep and it made a world of difference!

Will had his first soccer practice on Wednesday and it went GREAT! I really like the coach - he was great with the kids and he realizes that much past 30 minutes and the kids are toast so he stops his practices at 30 minutes. We will be having practices for him on Fridays and then the games on Saturdays. We were also able to pick up Will's uniform and he wore it for 2 straight days. He actually put on the whole uniform and went out in the back yard to play soccer - it was really cute! We haven't heard anything from Ally's coach and I hope we do soon because she is chomping at the bit to get going.

I've had a really good week running too. We ran a nice paced 8 miler on Tuesday (9:24 m/m) and then today we ran an awesome 17 miler (10:15 m/m). We couldn't believe we did so well this morning, it really felt like we were flying considering we were running 17 miles! Tomorrow I'll be running the trails with Lori for a nice hard 7 miles. The trails have been an awesome addition to my training! The surroundings make the run very interesting (especially looking for deer out in the open fields) and the hills give us an awesome workout.

We had to put our van in the shop again for a window problem. This is the 5th time we've had it in for the same problem. They can't seem to figure out what the actually problem is. The last time it was "fixed" it worked for about a week and then stopped again. The "good" part (at least for the kids) is that they gave us a loner truck for the weekend. It is an F250 Super Duty and handles pretty well. The kids have already been crawling all around in it!

Well, I guess that's it for now. Have a great weekend and Keep on Runnin'!

Thursday 8/23/07

What a week I've had!

This past Saturday I ran 16.5 miles and then went down to a family reunion in Bozman, MD (just south of St. Michaels). We had an awesome time but it really wiped me out!! I didn't have any energy for 2-3 days so I didn't really do much exercising ( the 3 straight days of rain didn't help). I was able to jump back in yesterday with a 7 mile run and then another 4 this morning. I think the break did me some good!

Then the beginning of this week was taken up with getting Ally set at school. We had to fix her bus assignment and then I found out that she also needed some other paperwork filled out and then we had her open house last night. We got to meet her teacher and find her classroom. I'm hoping it will put her at ease about starting on Monday.

I will admit that I'm feeling really uninformed about her situation. I guess a lot of that stems from the fact that we have been working/attending the same school for the past couple of years now. I've always known what was coming up and what to expect and I don't have that with her now. I hope that once the school year starts that the communication will flow a bit better so that I can get a better handle on what is going on.

I've also signed the kids up to play soccer. Ally especially wants to play but I'm not so sure about Will. I'm hoping they both give it a legitimate shot and have fun!

Have a great day and keep on runnin'!

Monday 8/13/07

Boy are we going to have fun over the next couple of days! We are off for the next 2.5 days and are taking the kids to Sesame Place. We took the kids there once before but Will was an infant - he spent almost the entire day in his stroller asleep. We have also decided to stay over and go to the park on 2 days. We haven't told the kids yet but they are going to explode when we surprise them with that little tidbit!!

Workouts have been going well! Yesterday was a 7 mile run and I was able to run it in 1:06 which gives me a pace of 9:31m/m. My legs were a bit tight after Saturday's run but overall I have been quite pleased with the way my legs have responded the day after my long run. I'm definitely ready for some cross-training come Monday morning but they still continue to feel good. I need to do more stretching though - I can start to feel my calves and Achilles tendon area start to get tighter and tighter. I don't think it is serious but I do need to create a more well-rounded program.

Off to get the day started - keep on runnin'!

Saturday 8/11/07

I now have a new all-time high for my longest run! It was supposed to be 14 miles today, which would have been a new high for me. However, I made 1 wrong turn on the trails and we ended up doing 15 miles instead. I have a feeling our distance was actually even a little higher because we sometimes lose our satellite links while running on the trails.

I'm really pleased with how the day went. My ankles/Achilles tendon area is a bit sore but overall I'm feeling good about how the session went. I was running with one other person and I think we are a pretty good fit for personality, conditioning and ability. She may be considering running in a new marathon here in DE the weekend after the MCM. That would also put us on pretty much the same training plan. That would be the answer to a prayer because I was really at a loss as to what I was going to do on my long runs while the other were running their multiple marathons in Sept./Oct.

Time to sign-off for now. Keep runnin'!

Scary!

I found this on Meghan Timney's blog and she's right it is scary. I've actually seen things like this before but it never fails to make my jaw drop to the floor!

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/fit.nation/obesity.map/

She also had a funny cartoon that I'm stealing as well:

Friday 8/10/07

I'm not sure if you can see it in the picture but this is what I think about the Ford Motor Company right now! I'm writing this in red and bold because I'm so angry with them! I own a 2002 Ford Windstar and boy does it seem to have a lot of trouble. I bought the van new and in the past 5 years I have had to spend thousands of dollars to fix all sorts of different problems. Last night I took the car over to the dealership to have a part replaced (this was my 4th visit for this particular problem). I was told that the part replacement would take about an hour - over 3 hours later I left the dealership. Then to top it all off all the problems still aren't fixed!

This might make more sense if I told you what the problem was. I took it in because the driver side power window wouldn't go down. It took so many trips to the dealership because they first thought it was the motor and it wasn't and then they thought it was a module but it was actually a wiring problem. Last night when they were working on the driver's window they found out that the back window (the one that wings out) wasn't working either. I hadn't even noticed that one wasn't opening - it has been too hot to open the windows anyway! After the 3 hour wait I was told that everything was working great - well, guess what! The back one still doesn't open!! After spending so much money in the first place I don't think I'm taking it back but boy am I pissed!!! A vehicle that is only 5 years old (it only has 50,000 miles on it so I don't drive it into the ground) should not have all of these problems. We take care of our cars so it isn't from neglect either.

I'm writing a letter to the Ford company. I don't think is will really get me much but it's the only thing I can think of to at least vent some of the anger. My husband's Ford truck is 7 years old and hasn't had nearly as many problems. RRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Today is a rest day for exercise because tomorrow is my long run. I'm going 14 miles tomorrow and it is the farthest I have ever run. I know that I can do it but it is still a bit nerve racking because it is having me venture into uncharted territory. I'm just thankful that the weather seems to be breaking a bit and it isn't supposed to be as humid tomorrow.

Keep on runnin'!

My Studly Little Man

I'm not sure why he decided that he wanted a tie and dress shirt but I think it work for him. I'm not sure if you can tell but it is a camo tie which fits his personality perfectly!

Wednesday 8/8/07

I have no idea who this guy is but this is how I felt after my runs both yesterday and today. To top it off it was raining with a bit of thunder and lightning this morning. It was really hard to run this morning - I'm really glad I was running with Jim and Pat because I don't think I would have done the run if I hadn't been meeting up with them this morning. We went 7 miles in a little over 1:05 which gave us a pace of 9:40 m/m. considering how humid it was this was a great time. Pat was having a hard time this morning because of the humidity but I give him credit for sticking with it and completing the workout.

The change of focus in my workouts has been going well. I am experiencing some nice DOMS. In fact the start of my run this morning was a bit hard because my chest and triceps are pretty sore. I think shoulders are on tap for later today. I want to give myself some time in between my run and RT session since it was a hard run this morning. On the shorter runs I like to do my lifting right after the run and have the whole thing out of the way. If I wait too long I have a tendency to not get the second session completed.

Off to do some work around the house - keep on runnin'!

Monday 8/6/07

I decided something today - I've decided to go back to my POF lifting routine. With this routine, I will be lifting every day but the lifting sessions will probably last only 15-25 minutes. I made this decision because I'm not happy with the way my body is reacting to the heavily skewed aerobic component to my workouts. This goes hand in hand with my eating being less than stellar but I will stop the trend and try to shift my thinking.

I've also been having a bit of tightness/pain in my lower right leg. It isn't anything severe but I want to try and relieve it before it gets worse. The weird part is that the discomfort is more on the side of my leg instead of the front or back. I believe, that calf strains would be felt more in the back and something like shin splints will be felt more in the front but I'm not really feeling anything there. I'm hoping a bit of massage will help relieve it and I will be able to progress from there.

Today's workout was cross-training. I did 30 minutes on the bike (thought it might be better to give my leg a different type of motion) and 20 minutes of lifting. I worked chest and I'm expecting to be really sore tomorrow. I'm actually looking forward to that though. It has been a really long time since I've lifted to the point of having DOMS.

Fundraising efforts have picked up and I'm a bit over $400 at this point. I'm pleased with it as a start but I'm really hoping to be able to kick it up a notch. When Father Bob gets back from vacation, I want to talk to him about approaching the congregation. I have a long way to go if I want to reach my $3000 goal.

That's all for now - Keep on runnin'!

Wednesday 8/1/07

Here is a recent picture of my 2 cuties! They are growing up so fast. The picture was taken at a Wilmington Blue Rocks game. The kids' Tball team went to the game and even got to run out onto the field with the starters for the National Anthem. It was a really fun evening!

Well, it has obviously been quite some time since I've written. I took a week off from most of my normal computer activities. The kids were spending some time with my parents and I took the opportunity to have some ME time and do things that I don't normally get to do. It was a great week! I'm so thankful that my parents are healthy enough and willing to spend time with the kids like they do. I know it makes all 4 of them so happy to spend time together. The kids always spend days talking about all the things they did with Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop! This past week included fishing, swimming and Bible camp just to name a few.

But I'm now back in the swing of things. I've gotten caught up on most of my computer activities but still have a few remaining - my Bible study being the most important one. I promise I will catch up shortly Julie!!!

I had a really tough long run on Saturday. We ran 13 miles and did it at a very manageable pace but boy did I get sore! The soreness started during the run and then continued through Sunday. I was able to get my Sunday run finished but it was a bit of a struggle. It didn't help that I decided to do it in the afternoon and it was really humid. On Monday, I did some crosstraining on my rollerblades and my butt was still a bit sore but everything else felt good. Then yesterday I got a neck spasm while playing with the kids at the pool. I was afraid that it would not allow me to get my 6 mile run in this morning. But, I got it under control pretty quickly and I think the run helped me to loosen up even more. It turned out to be a good run. We did the 6 miles in just under and hour (the pace was 9:38 m/m) and the route included some "nice" hills.

This week's long run is only 9 miles because it is a step-back week but I think the plan is to run the hilly trails this weekend. That will still keep the intensity of the workout pretty high. I always look forward to those trail runs - being on the trails make the miles go by faster as does running with other people. We have an awesome group that meets on the weekend and it has made this training much more fun!

Fundraising update: things are really starting to move forward. I have now raised enough to actually get an account opened. I'm hopeful that things will really start to pick up speed and that I'll have a nice check at the end to give to Tim.

Well that's all for now - Keep runnin'!

Saturday 7/21/07

I am so thankful this morning! First, I got my first response about my sponsor letters. I sent them out earlier this week and I've already gotten a response saying she will send a check - Thank you Cheryl! Then, this morning I went out for a 6 mile run. The weather was absolutely beautiful - nice and cool (bit of a breeze though) and the sunrise was spectacular. I did the run alone because Bill had to go into work today so I had to do a shorter run (my scheduled Sunday run) but I will be meeting up with "the group" tomorrow for a 12 miler.

This all made for an excellent start to the day!

I'm hoping now that the majority of the sponsor letters are out, I will be able to catch up on some of my other interests. I haven't looked at my Bible study book (It's Not About Me) in about a week and Julie has already posted the next chapters questions. I am really enjoying the book - it is easy to read but contains a lot of interesting points. I will also be receiving my copy of the next Harry Potter book - OK that's really weird, just as I finished writing the name Harry Potter, the UPS truck stopped at the house and delivered the book. We usually don't get our UPS deliveries until the afternoon! So, as I was saying, I'm really looking forward to getting into those 2 books. Then, of course, there is all that lovely housework that needs to be done - something I'm NOT looking forward too especially since I've let it go for a while. Finally, I also want to get a jump on planning for the upcoming school year. I at least want to get a month or 2 worth of gym classes planned so that it will be an easier transition into the start of the school year.

OK, I've waited a good 5 minutes - time to take a look at the new Harry Potter book. Later! Keep on runnin'!

It has been a while - 7/20/07

Things have been pretty busy around here. I've started my big fundraising push and have been spending a lot of time getting letters made up, envelopes stuffed and mailed. It actually took a lot more time than I originally thought it would. But the majority of the letters have gone out and I'm really hoping I will get a lot of positive responses!

My training has been going well. Although I have been feeling pretty tired this week which has resulted in some switching around of workouts. I think I will still end the week with the proper amount of total mileage though so I'm feeling good about it. Eating has not been as good as it should be so my weight loss has stalled a bit. I am making water consumption a priority because that has been lacking lately. I'm hoping that will also help curb the munching aspect of my nutrition plan.

Other than that the only other thing that has happened this week was my evaluation meeting with Saralee. It was very positive and I am happy that I will again be working with the three year olds and will be co-teaching with Jeanette. I'm looking forward to the upcoming year - both Jeanette and I will have a year under our belts plus Saralee wants all of us to sit down and come up with a plan for the year. This will help ensure that the kids are progressing at an appropriate level but I think it will also help Jeanette and I stay on the same page. Since we are both in and out of the classroom throughout the week it can be hard to keep up with each others plans and ideas.

Gotta go - keep runnin'

Thursday 7/12/07

I've had some really good runs this week! Tuesday and Wednesday were runs with Pat and Lori. I finally got a chance to meet Pat who was the person who directed me to this running group in the first place. It was great to finally meet him - he is a triathlete as well as a distance runner. He just ran in a 1/2 Ironman triathlon.

I ran on my own today (3 miles) so I decided to really try and push the pace today. I've really enjoyed running with the group but it has also been significantly slower than I was running before. Overall I think that is a good thing especially now that the miles are going to start to add up. However, I also want to make sure I get in 1 or 2 runs a week at a quicker pace. I still have my eye on doing well in my age group for the Delaware Distance Classic so I want to make sure I get in at least a bit of faster paced running.

OK, back to today's run. Like I said, I went into it with the goal of pushing the pace. I didn't have specific pace in mind but I was hoping for between 7:30 and 8 min/mile. It was also nice and cool, finally so off I went. I did the first mile in 7:24, the 2nd mile I did in 7:03 and I was still feeling pretty good so I kept on pushing and finished the 3rd mile in 6:17. The average pace ended up being 6:58 min/mile. Needless to say I was thrilled with the effort and the results - I also didn't have much left at the end which I also consider a good thing!

I still have a few more weeks where my shorter runs are 3 miles long and I will continue to do 1 or 2 fast paced runs. Once the runs get longer I may just run a portion of the distance faster.

Gotta go - Keep on Running!

Monday 6/9/07

No that's not me - LOL!

I finally got out for a great rollerblading workout this morning. I've wanted to get out the past 2 weeks but it just didn't work out. Today was hot, but because I was out really early and because there is a great wind as you skate down the road, but it really felt good. I went 5.5 miles in a little over 30 minutes. I finished up the workout with about 35 minutes of resistance training.

A bit later in the day I took the kids and Boomer to the trail that I've been running on. It is so hot out today that I decided to get the kids out in a place that I knew there would be lots of shade. I didn't want to take them to the pool in this awful heat so we'll do that tonight after dinner. We all had a great time - Will was a bit upset that we weren't going to see any water but was quite happy when we found a bird watching perch. The kids had a great time climbing up the ladder and then sitting up on the standing looking all around. I think Boomer and the kids are quite tired right now so I feel like I did my job - LOL!

I'm looking forward to some great runs this week. My mileage this week should be around 27 miles with a long run of 11. I'm gradually adding up those miles and it is awesome to have friends to run with. One of my new training partners is also planning on running the MCM so I'm hoping to be able to run it together!

Keep on runnin'!