Happy New Year

I'm picking back up my blog so this is just an opportunity to say Happy New Year to Everyone.

Thanks J~Mom

I want to say to J~Mom thanks so much for your transparency. You are a true motivator. I need to change my food life style. Sugar is my weakness, and I know just cutting out the sugar will make huge results. Also I've gone back to my couch potato ways and that needs to change pronto.

So, I am just going to keep quiet and let my actions speak louder than my words.

Thanks for stopping by.

Congrats To Wes, Dee Dee, and J~Mom

Just wanted to give a shout out to Wes, Dee Dee and J~Mom for finishing their first HMs.

The last few months have been focusing on our family vacation. We took the family here for two weeks and spent time with DH's family.

It was a great time and required some planning our our parts as well as scrambling to get graduate work done in time to skip the last week of class.

Our trip coincided with Ghana's 50th Anniversary of Independence. Here is a picture that my DH got from the parade.


It was a good time. I did not take my running shoes, but I did run on the beach if that counts chasing the kiddos.

We are just getting over the jet lag and back in the Western Swing...

Here are a few pix. Enjoy. The goal is still to do the STL 5K on the 15th.

There's something to be said for endurance athletes...

And I'll let you decide. This is inspiring and sorta insane. Wow...



3 ultra-athletes endure sand, heat to run across Sahara Desert

My plan...

Looks like I have a little plan. My husband and I are kicking around the Chicago Distance Classic. It's a HM and the course is actually cool as it takes you along Lakeshore Drive. So that's the plan. Once it warms up, I can hit the roads again. If we can't swing Chicago, there's a HM here in September. Either way, I'm training for something.

It's balmy here at around 60 today. Sun is out out. Snow didn't stand a chance in surviving.

Still shooting for the 5K in April. If nothing else that will serve as a good short term goal to stay motivated.

Thanks so much for the kind words, you all are great.

I'm in the book...

We received our official finisher's certificates and books last week for Chicago. I'm in print!! Way cool. I got it the same day that I posted that I was not going to do the HM. But I haven't changed my mind.

My friend and I are going to do the 5K the Saturday before the HM/Marathon. So that is a good goal to shoot for.

Hugs to you all and thanks for stopping by today.

A Decision has been made...

Hello everyone.

There are 10 weeks left until the St. Louis HM. I have not started and two of those weeks are committed to other things.

So.

I
Am
Not
Going
To
Register
For this
HM.

Does not mean that I am not going to do another one this year, just not STL. We have a lot going on right now and to say that I can be all and do all is absolutely prideful and unrealistic.

There. I said it. That was for me.

So I will live the HMs of the spring and being a virtual cheerleader for everyone. I'm still online and don't plan on going anywhere.

So that's what's going on with me. I know you all understand.

Hey Now..

First off, I have not had time to train. Better put, I have chosen not to make time to train. That's better. I have chosen to give The Man my time on this job. My kids time by spending time with them. My School Time. My hubby time. Sneaking in time with God (which should be first, and that's another topic in itself). But me?

Well, I'm looking at my calendar and it's week 12 in the countdown for the HM. We have a 2 week trip planned during that time frame too. But I am still determined. Not registered, but determined. If I choke, please don't blame me. The last couple of weeks have been crazy and I am seriously reassessing my priorities at this time and contemplating the 5K versus the HM while following the Couch to 5K plan. Options. Sometimes I hate them.

Props to J-Mom and WannaB. You girls Rock!

Holding Pattern

No running for the last 6 days. Huge deadline at work which means no treadmill time. So we'll get there. Thanks for the encouraging words everyone. Sorry so short.

The training starts....

NOW!

Last week, I started the 14 week countdown towards the STL HM, and I realized something. I need to start this week. As of tomorrow... Yikes.

Soooo, I am off. I did the dreadmill on last Thursday for about 20 minutes to get the soreness out and I've done nothing since then. Over the weekend some personal matters have come up, so training next week may not be as productive as I would like. HOWEVER, I am not giving up hope. In "Marathoning for Mortals", John Bingham says, if you miss a day of training, don't try to make it up, just keep going. And that' s the attitude that I am going to take. One day at a time.

So, that's it for now.

ORN: None today. Did 20 minutes on Thursday. Did not track distance.

Happy New Year

To Everyone, I hope that 2007 will be a year of health, peace, and happiness. I've been on vacation, catching up with family and friends. I've also finished a great book, "Marathoning for Mortals". This book has inspired me so much that me and my hubby are definitely registering for the St. Louis HM. It also give a great game plan that fits in with my lifestyle. I just ask that Team HM Express will help me with the accoutability component that I need. Thanks to everyone for your comments and kind words. Between the 16th and today, my weight is the same, so that's good.

To start off the new year, I will also post a ORN as well. Got that from Wes, who got it from the Penguin. :)

Today, I exercised and felt like I was starting from scratch. Yet I wasn't. Last year, I couldn't go 30 seconds. Today, I lasted around 14 minutes before taking my first walk break. Since I haven't done anything in 2 months, it's just a matter of time to wake my body up.

ORN: Ran/Walked 2 miles. Will not post time yet... Just glad I got out there.

Oh NOOO

I am in a quandry. I've gained 8 of my marathon pounds back in less than 2 months. I am not looking for sympathy, I am just looking for a place to just put it out there so I can get back on track. I have not run since November, and that's part of it. As my friend pointed out, my lifestyle is active, but not in the form of aerobic activity. Sooo I am committing to doing something, and I need this blog to help me do so.

Also, I am Hemming and Hawing about the HM in April. I need it for the fitness but I am looking at school and other things that we have going on. Training for 13 miles should not be that bad if my goal is simply to finish. My original goal is to improve and that is what I want to do. Ok, if you are reading this and shaking your heads now, I don't blame you. I'll keep you posted on whether or not I register. The price goes up after 1 January.

The Lights are On!!

Just so you know, we have electricity again!!! Thanks so much for the warm thoughts. This storm did leave an aftermath. Several were hospitialized for carbon monoxide poisoning. :(

Also two died from carbon monoxide poisoning while trying to keep warm by using charcoal in a wok. This is so sad.

So tonight I'll have my own internet again. No guarantee on running though.

Hugs!
Boatgirl

Be Thankful

If you are sitting in your home and have heat be thankful. Our family survived one of the worst ice storms in the midwest history, and we are without power. It has been 4 days now, but without complaints. I am just in awe of the people that God has place in my life and the life of my family. He really does take care of us and I do not take it for granted. Our friends have taken us in and let us feel the warmth of their hearts and their homes. For that I am blessed.

So no running for me. I haven't ran in almost a month, and I am gaining my weight back, particularly in the middle. That seems to be my spot. So I need to get on the WannaBe5Ker plan. She is rockin' it. :)

Hugs and Stay Warm...

Crunch, Crunch, Crunch

Today was DH's day to take the boys to preschool. I admit that I've done nothing related to running since the marathon. So after almost 3 weeks of rest, I laced up and headed for the park. My goal was to run 30 minutes straight through. I was not concerned about distance.

I arrived at the part at 6:50 am. The weather was perfect. The crunch of the leaves under my feet were so refreshing. And I ran. But I felt tired. My body was saying, "Are we doing this again?" But I was determined to not give in.

After the 2nd mile, I had about 4:30 minutes to go, and I decided to stop. That was because I was running late for work and needed to head back home. But when I finished I didn't feel too labored. I was relaxed. I talked to a neighbor along the course. I was feeling strong.

I'm convinced that my goal of running the 13.1 straight through is not unrealistic.

So I did 2 miles with an estimated pace of 13:15 minutes/mile.

Feeling good too.

Back To Reality

Happy November! Let the festivities begin. Thanksgiving, Christmas,Chanukah, Boxing Day... I think you get my point.

Even though the holiday season is in full swing, which means rich foods and sinful desserts, I am committed to train for the St. Louis Half Marathon in April 2007. My Dear Friend R is also pumped up. She was my cheerleader who got me out of the house in February and now we are cheering each other on to doing the 13.1.

You may say that since I finished Chicago, the Half is going to be a piece of cake. Well that's not true at all. I still have to maintain and my goal this time is to run 13.1 straight through. So I have to learn how to run, which I didn't do for Chicago.

The run/walk was great. I'm in the best shape that I've been in years. My clothes fit great. I lost some weight. But I still don't know how to run. I've been lurking at this particular blog by Jeanne (Not Born to Run) and her journey is amazing. Check it out. She did a run/walk back in 2005 and then a full run last week. She shaved almost one hour off her previous finishing time.

So my goal for now is to shave off at least 15 minutes from my Half split for Chicago. That, by the way, was 3:02. I will be very happy with 2:45, but overjoyed with 2:30.

I still haven't posted my reflections. There are so many until I need to just take a few moments to really capture how I feel. I can tell you this though.

Life does not change in the ATM glow. (After the Marathon) I still had a pile of laundry to do. Kids were still being themselves. No one gave me a day off at work. To everyone else, life was normal. No special treatment. But for me, I will never trade this experience. And now, it has provoked me to reach for goals that I thought I could never obtain. Now nothing seems too hard without faith, hard work and the Grace of God.

So today I hit the treadmill after work and take one step at a time. Stay tuned...

Can You Say Twenty -Six Point Two?!?!

It's in the books. I am officially a marathon finisher!!! I was not first (Male 2:07/Female 2:22 and that alone is unreal) Nor was I last (total 33, 633 finishers). But I was keeping up the rear strong. :)

First off, the whole day was incredible. The city of Chicago knows how to put on a marathon. With less than conducive conditions (High low 40s, 40% chance rain) and Chicago living up to it's name of being the Windy City, it was brutal. We prayed that it wouldn't rain, and God honored our prayers big time. Our team fared well. Several finished in under 6 hours. Not bad for people who never ran before March. Lesson learned, follow the instructions given and you can do it.

I did not keep track of my mile splits. I just wanted to kinda be a part of the moment. They had mile markers with clocks throughout, so I could kinda guage where I was. I did a 4/1 (run/walk) up to the first 13.1 miles. Then I went to a 3/1 on the second half, and I am glad that I did. I may have been able to hold the 4/1, but I would have been doing more walking anyway. I was surrounded by run/walkers along the course and that was soooo encouraging. I always said, I may be towards the bottom of my training group, but I knew that on marathon day, there were going to be people around me. So when DH said that he was going to leave me due to his knees, I was a little nervous, but at the same time I knew I would not be alone.

I met people from Toronto, Jackson, MS, Seattle, Indiana, and Chicago just to name a few. Everyone was go nice. And the spectators were unreal. They have inspired me to be a cheerleader for any race out there.

But what was the most encouraging for me was me trying to beat the pace van. I was literally running in front of the Official End Vehicle. That's the van that picks up all of the signs as the route is closing and opens traffic back. I saw this at Mile 24 and I was determined to not let this van beat me. But when I asked one of the coaches from a Team in Training group about the van, she and I both agreed that if the van was in view, then we should be ok. The offical course is closed after 6:30. And to be listed in the official books your time has to be 6:30. I was bound and determined to get to that line. And by God's grace, here is the number.
6:28:01 (14:47 min/mile pace)

I barely made the cut off by 1 minute 59 seconds. And to top it off, DH was just 7 minutes in front of me. I thought he was long gone and waiting in the meeting spot, but he had trouble at mile 18 with his knees. He did amazingly well under the circumstances, and I am so proud of him. We are just thankful to have gone through this journey and thanks for following along.

I'll post more later. I'm really inspired. We are strongly considering the STL 0.5 marathon in April 2007 to maintain. I don't think anymore full marathons are in our future with DHs knees and all. I'm fine with this one. The goal was that I finish by 6:30. So wannaB5Ker, you can do it girl, if you really want to. A 1/2 is a great goal to have.

6 More days to go...

Hey everyone. Thanks for stopping by. Only 6 more days for the last long run. We did 6 miles this Saturday, and I was surprised to run about 4 of them straight through. We were just talking so that I kind forgot to walk. That made me feel good. So now just need to carb up, the right way. Coach says this week 65% of our intake should be from carbs. But you have to be careful.

You can't cram for a marathon, so all that is there has to be there on that day. We all are just ready to get it done.

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and prayers.

20 More days to go...

Well first off, thanks to everyone who has given me words of encouragement and exhortations to keep going. The key is to endure to the end.

We finished the 20 miler on Saturday. Two seconds were shaved off from the 18 miler two weeks ago. Two seconds means a lot to me. I'll take what I can get.

We finished in just under 5 hours. Doing the marathon tortoise style. My DH said that it hurts his knees when we do the run/walk. It's better for him to just keep going and stop at the end. He can do it too. So I'll keep him in my view. Don't want to hold him back.

I'm sorry I don't have more, but I'm just in awe that I typed that I ran/walked 20 miles. I won't lie. It was not fun. But in 20 more days, we'll do our last big long run.

Now we start the taper. Stay tuned...

Stepback week

First off, thanks to javamom and wb5ker for the words of concern. I haven't even met you all and you are sending me such kind words. Thanks so much.

I'm going through "I don't want to run anymore" syndrome, and it showed. We were suppose to do 11 miles this week. Saturday was cloudy, cold, misty. I didn't not want my feet to touch the ground, and they didn't until it was time to go grocery shopping and to an absolutely fabulous bridal shower that evening.

So Sunday, I was determined to do as much as I could after church before it got dark. So I did 6 miles, but was feeling kinda nauseous. You shouldn't eat leftover Mongolian Beef and then go out for a run/walk. That is not good.

So that's all. This week is the 20 miler. Keep you posted.