Why I Run

Hiking and Biking and Lessons Learned

2012-01-17T11:39:00.001-07:00

The mountain behind my house has been my place of refuge lately. My husband grew up just around the corner from where we live now and the mountain was his hide out as well. He played there all the time, went there when he was mad, and generally just spent a lot of his childhood up there. Not running is hard. I know that most of you have been there. It's like wanting chocolate cake and someone telling you that you can have other flavors of cake, but no chocolate. Vanilla and lemon cake just aren't the same. I have been filling my need of the outdoors (especially in winter time, my favorite season to run) with hiking. While it's not running, it's still o.k. It gets my heart rate up, provides me with a sense of accomplishment, and gets me out in the cold, crisp, winter air.

Last time we hiked to the top of the mountain we decided to come straight down the face of the mountain. Not so smart. This picture does not do it justice. It was really really hard mostly because of the rocks. They weren't small enough to ski down on, they weren't big enough that they didn't move, and there was the constant danger of falling or getting your foot squashed by a moving rock. We moved strategically apart from each other so that our slides didn't cause problems for the other person. And when we weren't on the rocks we were climbing through trees and maneuvering around cliffs. I will admit that I got pretty frustrated after about two hours of this. We did get down though and to a trail with help from my son at home and his binoculars and it was a great trip. At the very least it was certainly an adventure!

I've perfected a little 3.5 mile loop that takes me about an hour to do. It has about 1000 feet elevation gain in just over a mile and then I take the long way home.

It's hard to believe this is January in Utah.

Now that's a little more like it. A week ago Saturday we got a little snow. I had gotten some super cute new snow boots that I tried out on the mountain. We did the 3.5 mile loop and had so much fun.

Gorgeous.

This wasn't even staged. Promise. Why is it so much fun making tracks where you know no one has previously been that day?

Those super cute warm boots that I wore gave me some silver dollar sized blisters on each heel. That wasn't so fun. I'm still recovering from those suckers. And it didn't help that the skin peeled off when I took my socks off. I knew they were going to be bad, but didn't realize how bad. Don't worry, I spared you the pictures of those.

Gotta love it when the sun hits new snow and makes it sparkle.

I went up the next Monday and was chastised by my husband for hiking again before my blisters healed. Bandaids and socks should be o.k., right?

We made the 3000 ft. ascent to the top of our mountain again this Saturday to retrieve a nice water bottle that we left there last time. It's a little over 3 miles up to the summit. We came down the trail this time instead of down the face and made it back in half the time. It ended up being over 7.5 miles and a really good day. Last time we did the ascent my quads were sore for about 5 days afterwards. It was reminiscent of downhill marathon recoveries. This time was minimal. I can't wait to go up again. I am not allowed to go clear up to the top by myself though...(can you say mountain lions?) so any takers?

It was really cold and windy up at the top so my man, dug into his primal need to make fire, and made one with flint and steel to impress and warm his woman. I will admit that it was nice.

We were down in a little valley out of the wind and we took a break and ate a little lunch. Coming down was not nearly so frustrating this time. Note to self: always stay on the trail.

I went and did the 3.5 mile loop again yesterday. It had snowed again and made the footing a bit tricky. Ice underneath and powder on top. Makes for an interesting climb.

Again, I love it when my footprints are the only ones up there.

I really don't know if it gets better than this. Oh wait, yes it does. I could be running it.

This herd of deer are my friends. I've seen them often. Unfortunately they don't want to get too close.

I've been going to the gym for a weight class twice a week and to a spin class twice a week as well. I've also been able to use my trainer in the basement for a ride once or twice a week. That little purchase was really good timing. Thank you all for your TV suggestions. I'm trying to keep myself busy and my cardio up. I've done some stupid things in weight class that have not helped my ankle (pulsing step ups and backward lunges) but for the most part I've been pain free for a week and a half (even hopping on one foot!). The countdown is on. Around 3 weeks left.

I'm finding that I'm grateful for this time to focus on something different. I usually avoid the mountain because it's so hard, but I'm really enjoying my time spent up there and the beauty that I usually don't see.

I'm learning to trust myself more. I think I knew deep down that this was a bone issue and not just a tendon problem. But when someone is telling you that it's not, you want to believe so that you can still accomplish your goals. I'm finally the one who took charge and said that I was going to get an x-ray to make sure. I'm glad I did. I only wish I would have done it sooner. I need to trust my body more. Speaking of which, I need to listen to my body more as well. I was running in 2 days what I used to run in a week. I just ramped up the miles too fast and am paying for it. Lesson learned.

I'm also finding alternative ways, other than running, to make me happy. Sometimes I find it's hard reading about and talking to people who get to eat chocolate cake right now when I can't. It's even hard seeing those happy runners out on the street. But I'm realizing that life does go on. This isn't permanent. I'm one of the lucky ones. But what if I couldn't ever run again? Could I find other things to fill that void? Could I really be happy again? I'm not sure if I'm in a zen enough state to answer to the affirmative on that yet. Thank goodness I don't have to. But it does make one think.

I finished reading Matt Long's book "The Long Run" yesterday. As the tears were streaming down my face multiple times throughout the book, I wondered these questions, "could I ever be truly happy without running ever again?" "Would I feel like the same person if I couldn't run again?" If you haven't read this book yet, it's worth it. Life altering, changing your thinking kind of book.

If you have read it, did it make you ponder the same questions too?

What do you think your honest answers would be?

Embracing the Suck...again

2012-01-03T15:00:00.001-07:00

"A life without problems, limitations, or challenges; life without opposition in all things, as Lehi phrased it, would paradoxically, but in very fact, be less rewarding and less ennobling than one which confronts, even frequently confronts difficulty, disappointment and sorrow."

-Jeffrey R. Holland

Back when my youngest went to kindergarten this fall, I worried about being alone or wasting time while he was gone. One of my goals to rectify that situation was to try to memorize a quote or scripture a week. While it hasn't ended up being exactly one a week, those that I have committed to memory have been implanted in my heart. And the great thing about having them there in my mind and heart is that when I least expect it but when I need them the most, they are there when I need them. And this quote came to my mind in just one of those moments.

Giving up this goal of mine and coming to grips with a stress fracture is not easy. Not only is it frustrating to put so much time and effort into a goal that's not realized, my mind can't help go to the place that says that I'm not cut out to run. Feeling sorry for myself is not something I like to do nor is it something that is fun to live with, so after having a little cry to a best friend and then a little cry to my husband in bed after a day of putting a smile on my face, I decided to make the best of it. I had a funny little chat with myself about a post that I wrote a while ago where I said how I was looking for the lows in running instead of the highs to learn and to grow. I told myself that this was a definite low and in a weird way I had found what I was looking for. The next day I got this comment from Mike. It said what I was thinking more eloquently. "This is one of those moments where all we can do is embrace the suck. Several posts ago you spoke of searching for the lows -not the highs- in running for this is where we find the truths about ourselves. I absolutely love this concept and the frame of mind that understands and accepts this as wisdom. This is a low for you. Embrace it for, in a weird sort of a way, it'll make you tougher than you already are, and you are one tough girl. It's a good day to be alive, but it sucks, eh? And that's ok."

So I'm embracing the suck once again in a different way than I had planned. I am truly lucky. I am not in a boot. No crutches. Just no running for 6 weeks. I can still bike, walk, do yoga, even hike if I'm careful. I could even swim if I was desperate enough. My husband bought me a really nice bike trainer for Christmas to use during the winter. It was a perfect gift, even before I knew about my little setback. It's set up in front of the TV. Now I just need something good to watch. (Suggestions please...) I got to ride it 3 times last week and then went for a hike on Saturday. It was a great week even without running.

And yesterday my husband and I hiked to the top of the mountain behind our house. It was hard and good. A great way to start the new year.

And though it was really windy, I was even able to do a little yoga on top of the mountain. Doesn't that just seem like something you should do when feeling like you're on top of the world?

It was awesome and I'm embracing this time to recover and come back stronger than before.

That 37 mile run is still going to happen. And that song still rings in my mind..." lock me up, that's what you'll have to do if you're gonna stop me from getting where I'm going to. Or try to keep the sun from coming up or the tide from rolling in now that I know what I'm capable of. Cause every time I wanted to stop I kept running and every time I hit a wall I climbed. I'm breaking the bands of my self limitations going go into line... going past the point, beyond the mark further than I ever thought I could, out of the dark into the light just like He always knew I could. And when heaven tells me I can I believe it."

It's not gonna happen

2011-12-29T09:15:00.002-07:00

I've waited until the very last minute and it's been decided for me that I will not be running my birthday run. I've got a stress fracture in my left fibula. After being quite patient and waiting until it didn't hurt to hop on one foot, I took off for a run. Within 15 steps I could feel the pain coming back. So after waiting some more, I decided to have an x-ray taken to rule out a stress fracture. And if it came back with everything looking good, my plan was just to have it taped up and then go for it. However, even after a normal looking image, my doctor wanted me to have a bone scan just to make sure. And that image clearly showed it. So I will be stuffing my face with cake instead of getting my sweat on tomorrow. I am simply devastated.

Life goes on. I have so much to be grateful for. It's still a good day to be alive.

Vega Sport Performance Protein

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago Vega Sport contacted me about trying out some of their product. It was great timing as I was getting into the thick of my training. I have really experimented with a lot of products in the past because of my sensitive stomach and have found some things that work for me and some definite things that do not. So I was curious about how my stomach would deal with this nutrition. After investigating the company a little I was more than excited. Though I am not a vegan or vegetarian, I completely believe in the power of plants and how essential they are for our bodies to work properly. I am always intrigued by superstar athletes like Brendan Brazier that manage to eat this way and thrive on it. The biggest thing that peaked my interest was the ability for the body to recover quicker and be ready for the next work out. With back to back long runs, I knew my body was going to get run down and needed good nutrition to be able to recover well.

The package arrived and was more than I was expecting.

There was a wide variety of products for each stage of activity. Prepare, sustain, and recover.

To be honest, I didn't try the prepare drink mix. Because of religious reasons I do not partake of tea or coffee and it included tea in the mix. I typically do not eat or drink a ton before a long run because of my stomach issues. But lately, I've been able to eat a bit of banana or even an apple in the mornings. And once I get going into the run, I am drinking and refueling well.

The sustain portion was the part I couldn't wait to try. There are 3 products. First the electrolyte drink mix that has no sugar or artificial sweeteners and antioxidant protection with 0 calories. I personally can not do Gatorade or Powerade or anything that has sugar in it. It irritates my stomach the more I drink it and the more the miles pass. I get sick of all the sugary taste in my mouth as well and long for real water. I enjoyed the drink mix. It was not sweet at all, in fact I found it refreshing and I had no cramping on the run. There was also a bar that I consumed that surprisingly didn't bother my stomach at all. I always worry about real food that won't be digested but this seemed to be just perfect. There is also a gel which I was not crazy about. The taste was not good but we've all just sucked down a gel before because we know it's we need it, right. Well, this one has a gritty, sand texture that was really hard to swallow. It's the only product that I didn't enjoy and haven't even had the guts to open the second flavor.

I have known for years the importance of refueling after a tough workout so that the body can repair itself and be ready for the next day. So I was pleased to find so many options to try. There were a couple of protein bars and they both tasted good. My favorite was the chocolate coconut. There is an aftertaste that seems to accompany all protein bars but it was minimal and the flavor made up for it. I also enjoyed the recovery accelerator drink mix. I really like that it not only has protein in it for muscle repairs but also has ingredients to suppress inflammation in the joints and muscles and supports the immune system. The performance protein drink was also really tasty. The thing that I really like about this was the included ingredient of glutamine. I usually take some glutamine after a hard workout and I like that it was already included.

My overall impression of the company and it's products is extremely positive. It's been researched and developed by someone who was looking to improve his own performance and then wants to help the average Joe or Jen improve their performance as well. It's a labor of love. I respect it.

Lastly, the company is sponsoring a HUGE sweepstakes coming up in January offering more than $30,000 in prizes. So be sure to go enter for your chance to win! Here's all the info!

Vega Sport Sweepstakes

Enter to win the Vega Sport Sweepstakes with over $30,000 in prizes!

Sweepstakes Entry Period: January 3^rd - March 31, 2012

Enter @ www.vegasport.com/sweepstakes

One Grand Prize

Vega Sport Adventure Trip for 2:

Cycle, raft and explore your way through Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama for 15 days

$5,000 in Vega Sport product

($15,000 value)

Ten Runner Up Prizes

$1000 in Vega Sport products

Twenty Finalist Prizes

$200 in Vega Sport products

Five Weekly Prizes (per week for 11 weeks)

1 Vega Sport product

Weekly prize winners will be announced weekly via social media!

Find us on Twitter & Facebook to find out if you are the lucky winner of our Weekly Prizes.

A Winner and a Baby!

2011-12-16T07:50:00.002-07:00

It's been kind of crazy around here this week! Christmas programs and just Christmas stuff in general has been keeping me quite busy. Although with a kindergartener I am able to wrap things during the day. That has been nice. And also, my runner partner Heather had her baby last night 5 weeks early. Mom and baby are doing well. Go here to wish her congratulations!

Jerilee is the winner of the Zip Fizz! Congrats! I can't wait to hear how you like it! Shoot me an e-mail and I'll get it shipped out to you right away!

When I'm not running...

2011-12-12T21:11:00.002-07:00

I bake. Oh, I've been to 5 spin classes, done full body weights 6 times, and yoga 6 times. But with all this free time I've found some new recipes and have been baking. And with Christmas right around the corner you would think that it would be sweet things too, but I'd almost rather eat this other stuff. Almost.

Herbed Focaccia Bread. I got to use my fresh rosemary plant for this one. I LOVE focaccia bread and will gladly pay the $3 a loaf at my local grocery store. But I was too lazy to go to the store and wanted to try to make it. Let's just say that I'll never be buying it again. This was SO yummy and really easy to make. I made some chicken salad to go with it. It didn't last long. I'll have to elaborate on that chicken salad some other time.

The next night I made homemade soft wrap bread.

We had chicken tacos with it and as you can see, there were plenty of leftovers for personal pizzas. I even froze a dozen of them for later. Again, delicious and easy to make.

I made Mel's chicken corn chowder tonight. It did not disappoint! I better be able to get to running again soon or else all this yummy food is going to catch up with me!

An Update and a Giveaway

2011-12-09T07:49:00.003-07:00

First a quick update: I knew deep down that taking time off from running was really what I needed to get this ankle thing under control. However, it is hard to do that when you've been logging miles and it becomes a regular part of your day. Thank you so much for all your comments and encouragement and advice. For some reason I was having a really tough day and you all made it so much better. I am pleased to say that my ankle is doing so much better. I did jump squats yesterday and didn't feel it one bit. I still can't jog in place without some pain so I'm not going to run quite yet. But I am confident that it's going to heal in time for my run. Which by the way, is December 30th. If you are remotely close to the Northern Utah area and want to run part of my 37 miles with me, send me an email and we'll hook up.

Second: A giveaway! I was contacted by ZipFizz to try some of their drink mixes. It is a healthy alternative to sports and energy drinks.

I'm not a big caffeine drinker (I do have the occasional diet coke on the weekends) so the company has offered to give it to one of my readers. You will receive 6 different flavors and a nice water bottle along with a thumb drive with information on their product. Also, you must be a blogger who is willing to do a review on your blog after you've tried it out. Leave me a comment and I'll pick a winner on Thursday December 15th.

Training Update

2011-12-06T11:28:00.001-07:00

I have nothing clever to say. I try not to write when I feel like this, but it's been far too long so maybe it will get better as I go. Training for this birthday run has been all sorts of things. It's been fun, tiring, challenging, inspiring, amazing, and lonely. I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer but in reality 24 miles with myself is a lot. I just plain run out of things to say to myself. I've gotten up at the wee hour of 5 for these long runs and they take me a while. I've done them on Mondays for two reasons. First: in order to do back to back long runs I can't do it on Saturday because I rest on Sundays. Second: there are some pretty fun races this time of year and they are all on Saturdays so I wanted them free so that I can do them. The problem with that kind of thinking is that by the time the weekend comes, I'm bushed. So I haven't really pushed myself during them and just physically can't and knowing that I have another long run coming in two days mentally makes it so that I just can't push it to the hurting point.

Winter is still my favorite running season though even if it has been bitterly cold here lately. What is the weather like where you live?

Winter seems to produce some incredible sunrises. And they don't last long.

Thanksgiving day was nice and so we went for a little mountain bike ride after dinner. It was muddy and hard. Just the thing I needed before stuffing my face with pie.

My dad, me and my hubby.

Me and Jodi right after the Turkey Trot. I ran it 1 minute faster than last year but 1 minute slower than I thought I would. I did come away with a pumpkin pie for 3rd place though.

I only have one more long run before the taper starts and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do it. I've done the following runs the last couple of weeks: 18, 20, 22, 22, 24 miles all followed the next day by 10 mile runs. The second to the last 22 miler I felt SO good. I wanted to go further but kept myself reigned in. It was also my first 50 mile week ever. I was pretty excited. I stepped on the treadmill the next week to start my 24 miler and from the first step my ankle felt off. It didn't hurt, it just felt like it was tweaked. Well, with no other warning, I just kept going thinking it would work itself out. It did not. The 10 miler the next day was torture. It did hurt by then. Why I kept going I can not say. But I haven't run for almost a week now and it's getting better. I've been to see the chiropractor to make sure nothing was torn or broken and it looks good so now it's just the waiting game. I've been going to spin class as often as possible and lifting weights and doing yoga. I hope that if I can't do that 26 miler that things will still be o.k. for my birthday run. I'm trying to be patient but anyone who know's me knows that it's not my strong suite. However, I was very proud of myself because I was a very good girl and had my first DNS. It was only a 5K, but it's a fun one and I sat it out. I now have a really cute $20 pajama shirt. First race I've paid for and not run. Guess there's a first time for everything, right!

Tell me things will be o.k. for my run. (Lie if you have to!)

What is your favorite season in which to run?

What holiday plans do you have?

Garden Love

2011-11-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

Now that there's snow on the ground I am really missing our garden. Not the weeding or the work, but the fresh tomatoes. Store bought ones just do not taste good. And we're a good 7-8 months away from that luxury again. My husband is the visionary in our house. He killed half our back lawn in order to put in a big garden. And while I was the skeptic, I love it just as much as he does. Our kids really enjoy it as well. Not so much the weeding, but all the great produce. And they like running up and down the rows playing games.

We had quite a few lover carrots this year. And even a three some. It was fun pulling them all out before it got real cold and seeing all the different sizes and shapes. We need to do better about thinning them next year.

I peeled them all, diced them, blanched them, and then froze them for the winter use.

We got 32 quart sized bags full. They're great to throw in soups or just to eat. And they taste so much better than store bought.

This picture does not really do justice to the size of this bowl. These were what were left over after making spaghetti sauce and salsa. I chopped them up as well and threw them in the freezer. They're great added to eggs or soups as well.

My awesome neighbor gave us some grapes last week for juicing.

He let me borrow one of his juicers so it went twice as fast!

There is nothing like fresh grape juice. My favorite after workout snack is grape juice mixed with 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder. So good!

We also grew an abnormal amount of basil so I could make pesto sauce. It really doesn't take as much as I thought it would. And toasting and peeling pine nuts sucks.

But the efforts were so good on homemade pizza!

It was my husband's idea to get chickens as well a couple of years ago. It was so nice to be able to go out back and get breakfast.

Spaghetti sauce. I think we're stocked up for the winter.

My favorite way to eat tomatoes is bacon and tomato sandwiches. We grew a lot of different kinds of heirloom tomatoes as well. The yellow ones were so sweet!

And that sweet corn on the cob was delicious! Unfortunately we ate all of it and didn't get to freeze any this year!

Peaches from our tree

More spaghetti sauce. So good with lots of garlic and basil.

These little cherry tomatoes were better than candy. So sweet and everyone's favorite snack!

And beans. Truthfully, I let these go to waste more than I should have. If you keep picking them, they will keep growing. I let some go too long and the plants died at the end of the summer. Next year I will keep on top of them and try to freeze them once a week. We did eat a lot of them during the summer. I just didn't put much away for the winter.

And it's nice that the kids will help too.

Do you garden?

What is your favorite vegetable?

Why do we keep running?

2011-11-11T16:45:00.001-07:00

What does running do for you? Why do we all keep running? We don't make excuses (well, maybe sometimes we do) but rain or shine and even wind, on treadmills, or roads, or trails, we run.

We all run for varied reasons. We run to improve our health and to be a good example to our families. We run so that we can eat whatever we want. We run to clear our minds and to have a mental release. We run for the sense of accomplishment. We run for time alone or time to be with friends.

In the relatively short time that I have been running, I have run for each of these reasons. Some have taken priority over others because of what's going on in my life. But there's something that has been the main reason why I run.

I didn't know it when I first started but it's always been there in the background, if no where else, giving a constant beat to every other reason. I learn life lessons through running. But it goes deeper than that. It's a spiritual connection to God. Lessons about who I am and what I am capable of doing with His help. I learn that we make self imposed limitations but through God nothing is impossible. Running has taught me that. And I don't know if I would have ever learned that lesson any other way.

I was not athletic growing up. I was more interested in boys and dancing with boys. I was NOT an athlete. I still don't consider myself an athlete, but what I have accomplished is more than I could have ever conjured up.

Things changed when I decided to run a marathon. Even when I was running consistently, this seemed so far out of my reach. But once I made the commitment and started training, I was surprised each week as I was able to do more than I thought was possible. I also had an ulterior motive. I needed to change something about myself. I didn't like who I was. But I was scared. I thought it was going to be too hard. So I bargained with God and told him that if I could run this marathon that I would change and be better. As the weeks leading up to that starting line got closer, I was nervous for the race, but was increasing worried that I'd actually be able to do it and then I really would have to uphold my end of the bargain. In fact, I KNEW that I was going to be able to finish because He wanted me to finish so that I'd change. Sure enough, I finished, felt like I could do anything, and then I upheld my part of the deal. I was able to do something that was harder than I thought possible. And the rewards have been far greater than I thought were possible as well.

Since that time, each marathon has been a race to beat that time. And it has not happened. I have not been faster than my very first marathon. Do I think it will happen someday? Yes. Otherwise I might have given up a long time ago. But all 6 marathons following that first one have taught me valuable lessons about gratitude, faith, trials, patience, friendship, courage, strength to overcome and enduring to the end that I don't think I could have tangibly have learned any other way. In fact, I don't look for that runner's high anymore. I know it will be there eventually. You run long enough and you'll find it. Nope, I'm looking for that runner's low. We've all been there too. That point where you don't feel like you can take another step... and then you do. The power to overcome. To do what you didn't believe was possible. To break those bands of self limitations.

The last several weeks have not been easy. I don't know if I would have believed that I could run a 20 miler followed the next day by a 10 miler. And this week's 22 miler was tough. Really tough. It never felt like my calves recovered from the week before. The last 4 miles were a death march. It felt every bit as hard as a marathon. But the 11 miler the next day was again surprisingly good. Next week is a step down week and I may take the whole week off. My calves are tight. One of my shins is slightly sore. But do I think I can still do it? Yes. Because I'm going to learn a whole new set of lessons from this experience. And by doing so, it will help with life in general. Hopefully I'll know how to deal with tough situations from what I learn while running. Most of all, I know that there's strength beyond my own that will get me through whatever I face.

A couple of weeks ago I was laying in bed dreading my run. It was the day after my 18 miler. I was tired and that run didn't go well. I knelt to say my prayers and after I had finished the first thought I had was that one of my favorite artists (Hilary Weeks) had a new CD that was to be released that day. I went and plugged in my iPhone and found it had downloaded (as I had prepaid for it) and went down to the treadmill. I listened to it during that 10 miler and listened to several songs repeatedly. That run was so good. And I've come away with a couple of new favorite songs. Some would say that it was a coincidence that I remembered it was the day of the release. I know better. I know that it was a tender mercy, help for me to get through what I thought would be a tough run. Because He cares about what I do. He cares that I succeed. It was another lesson that I needed to remember.

Here's some of the lyrics to "Past the Point" and you'll see why it's one my new favorites:

Lock me up, that's what you'll have to do

If you're gonna stop me from getting where I'm going to.

Or try to keep the sun from coming up

Or the tide from rolling in

Now that I know what I'm capable of.

'Cause every time I wanted to stop I kept running

And every time I hit a wall I climbed

I've broken the bands of my self limitations

Gonna go into line

Going past the point, beyond the mark

Further than I ever thought I could

Out of the dark, into the light

Just like He always knew I would

And when Heaven tells me I can,

I believe it.

No more storms

No wave of fear or doubt

No chains of disappointment could ever hold me back now

'Cause every time I wanna stop I'll keep running

And every time I hit a wall I'll climb

I'm breaking the bands of my self limitations

Gonna go into line

Going past the point, beyond the mark

Further than I ever thought I could

Out of the dark, into the light

Just like He always knew I would

And when Heaven tells me I can,

I believe it.

There it is right in front me just a few more steps, just a few more breaths and I'll get

Past the point, beyond the mark...

Go give it a listen here:

and while you're there give a listen to "That's who I am" and "Living Proof" as well.

Then go check out her music video for "Beautiful Heartbreak". You might see some familiar faces!

What are your reasons to keep running?

What life lessons have you learned?

Mantua Spooktacular and this really did sounded like a good idea 4 months ago...

2011-11-02T12:06:00.003-06:00

Fall is my favorite season. Not just to run during, but just to enjoy. It's as if the world takes a big sigh of relief from the hot summer and celebrates by changing all the leaves to brilliant colors. I love the cool mornings and evenings and the sunny warm days. I like the occasional rain and snow storms that remind me that winter is coming. I love the smell of damp leaves. That shouldn't be a good smell, but it is. I like kicking the leaves on my runs and hearing them crunch underfoot. I love how it is soup and hot chocolate season. I love that the garden is done. I just really love fall.

Heather and I took my day off and walked the trail. It was simply gorgeous. And I really noticed a lot more things just walking rather than running. It was fun. We parked a car at the top and the bottom to make it a little easier. Heather has been told to take it easy these last 2 1/2 months of her pregnancy. Unfortunately, we left the keys for the bottom vehicle in the top car so we walked back up the canyon to get them. We like to make things exciting.

Last Saturday we both ran the Mantua Spooktacular 5K. The shirts were awesome!

The course was difficult. I still don't know my official time finish but it was 28 something. I was a little disappointed after that great PR a couple of weeks ago, but knew that I wasn't running at top condition. And it really was a more difficult course. But we all had fun!

I was really disappointed that there were very few who dressed up for a Halloween run. I thought that having 8 legs would make me run faster. Ha ha! And I wished I'd had a photographer for this run. I bet all those legs looked cool while I was running. Of course that may just be how I thought it would look in my mind. I probably just looked like a spastic spider.

Have you seen that sign during a marathon that says something like, "This sounded like a good idea 4 months ago!"? I always liked that one. And now I'm starting to think that on a weekly basis. Back in July (when I wasn't training seriously for anything and was reading too many books), I came up with a great challenge for myself. I've always wanted to do a winter marathon. They just don't exist. At least around here. And I don't want to go to Arizona during the winter. I want a cold weather marathon.

So I decided that it would be really "fun" to run 37 miles on my upcoming 37th birthday in December. People could run miles with me instead of buying me presents. I could do all my favorite loops. My husband agreed to be my water boy and aid stations. I found a couple of ultra training plans and tweaked them to fit my date and goal. It basically consists of two long runs back to back working up to 26/10 miles and then 3 other runs during the week that work up to 10 miles.

I've really been surprised at how well it's been going. I was mostly worried about the second longer run immediately after the first one. But so far, that's ended up being the best run of the week. I really haven't been too sore either and have really enjoyed the step back weeks that have occurred every fourth week. Last week and this week however have proved challenging and the 5 weeks coming up will tell me if I can really do this thing or not. Last week's 18 miler was really hard to get through. My stomach was not doing well and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I woke up the next day DREADING my second long run. But that 10 miler was great.

So Monday, in my best RUNNERD fashion, I busted out 20 miles on the treadmill. That's a new record for me by a long shot. It kept my pace in check for the first half and the plan was to go outside after a while and try to keep the pace the same. But after I had finished 12 and could go outside, I didn't want to have to change clothes, so I just kept going and finished it out.

And if that wasn't enough for one day, we still had Halloween that night.

Which meant I still had to be "on" for a doctor's appointment, for our spooky dinner...

And trick or treating. Good thing we only walked about a mile or so. And it was a really great night. Perfect weather and everything!

No downtime at all, no nap (obviously) and I felt o.k. I wasn't until after my 10 miler yesterday day that the calves really started hurting. I sure am glad today is a rest day!

Fabulous Fall

2011-10-10T15:39:00.000-06:00

It feels like fall has finally arrived. We had a nice Indian summer all September with temperatures in the high 80's. Then last week we dropped 50 degrees and had our highs in the low 40's. It rained and even snowed but things are finally just right. While I love winter and colder temperatures, it was a pretty big shock to have to dig out the gloves. I still have a pile of mittens and hats that need to be sorted sitting on my front room floor.

Rain always creates some great pictures though.

It was still warm on this Tuesday morning. That was the last nice day last week. That and a 6 mile tempo run explains why I'm glowing.

Have you ever noticed how beautiful sagebrush in bloom is?

A few random things:

*My youngest child went to kindergarten this year. I was really worried about being alone. Turns out it's o.k. 2 1/2 hours really isn't that much time and I enjoy the quiet. I also enjoy helping in his class and seeing him interact with the other kids. And I still enjoy when he comes home and we have plenty of time to talk and hang out.

*I have been a complete slacker on my bike and haven't been on it or been to a spin class in about 2 months. I need to get my rear in gear. The night classes are starting up again this month and my goal is to get there at least once a week.

*I have been a slacker about my weights as well and am only getting it in once a week. I need to find another day to sneak it in.

*I have gained 5 lbs. slowly over the course of the summer and now the fall. I'm just about at the freak out point. So much for that 8 lbs. that I lost last winter over the holidays. I know the problem. It's my eating. My willpower is just gone and though I want to do something about it, at the same time, I don't.

*We got rid of our TV last month. It's been harder on my husband and I than it has been the kids. We still have Hulu and Netflixs but it's just not the same at night when the kids are all tucked in and there's no Food Network to watch to put me to sleep. I'm sure we'll get used to it. But I'm surprised how hard it has been.

*My running partner, Heather is pregnant. I can't wait to go over and hold her little guy and pretend that I was brave enough to do that again. She's still running a couple of times a week. She's been doing part of my long runs with me and I can't say how much I love it. It breaks up the time and we get to catch up with what's going on in our lives.

And now here's a few pictures from my 16 mile run this morning that included my favorite little trail down the canyon. And just for your info, I don't carry a camera with me, it's just my i phone. But it does such a good job that I never replaced the last one that I ruined.

Oh, how I love fall.

Chiropractic 5K

2011-09-26T06:06:00.000-06:00

I hate 5k's. They are so hard. There's no easing into things. There's no warm up time. It's just balls to the wall (as Janz's grandpa puts it!) from the very beginning. I don't know how to pace myself really well and as a result I usually either go out too fast or too slow. But I have told myself that I need to do more of these smaller races to gain experience, use them as a sort of speed work, and overcome my fears. Truthfully, before last December, I had only run 1 5k in my life. And it was for a dear friend who had lost her son. He had been an organ donor and we did it in his honor. I was injured and my time was not great (31 something...) and I had no desire to do another. Well I guess I did a Santa Run 5k but that was just for the pictures and the cookies and milk. And we finished that in 31:49.

This year I've done 3 now. (26:40, 28:36 (barefoot), 27:25) And this one was the one that I felt the most pressure behind it. The chiropractor that I've gone to in the past to help with my IT band issues was putting on a 5k. They do it to raise funds for the pregnancy center in our town. I've had a really good relationship with my chiropractor. He's been so good to help with my issues. But he's not sold on the barefoot running thing so I felt like I had something to prove. Pretty silly, I know. So I showed up in my running sandals ready to go. Truthfully, I didn't know how it was going to go. You just never know what kind of running day it's going to be.

The "before" picture. Me, Jodi, and Robyn

I started off at a comfortable fast pace. There were a couple of times in the first mile that I wanted to go faster but wasn't sure if I could sustain it or not so I backed off. But after the mile and a half marker I just let it go. There were some good uphills as well as downhills, nothing too major, just slight inclines. And on the last 1/2 mile uphill I pushed it. I'm a little better on the inclines than the declines. I was coming up on a girl I knew was in my age group who I never thought I'd ever be able to keep up with. I was feeling the need to puke because I was pushing it so hard. I contemplated backing off. But just decided to keep going. I was on a crazy mission to see what I could do, what I could physically and mentally push through. So I began dry heaving while I was running. Not a pretty picture I'm sure. I caught up to her, said hi, and passed slowly. She caught up to me and passed me. Now I am not a competitive person, but I wasn't in the mood to be passed at this point in the race. So I picked it up and passed her. Another girl caught up. Pretty soon we were in a 3 way sprint to the finish. I came in second in that little fight but ahead of the girl in my age group. It was a pretty exciting finish! I didn't even hear my time but I filled out my card and went over to get a drink. It wasn't until about 15 minutes later that I found my time card and discovered that I'd won 3rd in my age group and scored a new PR of 24:50. Shocked doesn't even begin to explain what I was thinking. And really worry because I don't know if I'll ever beat that!

Jodi and I both took 3rd in our age groups!

I had a nice chat with my Dr. and it was good to catch up. I don't know how he feels about barefoot running, but he said it was obviously doing good things for me. I passed my year mark of barefoot and minimalist running a couple of weeks ago and I still need to do a post on that.

After the awards Jodi and I downed some chocolate milk and headed over to the bike/hiking trail that I've been building. It was the city's grand opening of the trail now that we have over a 2 mile loop completed. We ran it and though my legs were feeling a bit sluggish, we enjoyed the views and the conversation. It was a long day and by the end I was exhausted. Who knew a 5k could take so much out of you!

How do you feel about shorter races?

Love them or do you long for distance? I have to say that I long for distance but there was a definite feeling of accomplishment after this exciting finish!

Top of Utah 1/2 Marathon, Man Vs. Mud 5K, and Peach Days 10K

2011-09-16T17:45:00.000-06:00

To say that life has been crazy lately would be an understatement. And until I get to a catch up post, here's a catch up race post! Each race really deserves it's own but since I've been such a slacker they're gonna get lumped all together. Which is fitting because that's how my life feels right now.

The Top of Utah Half: this really is such a great course. It's the sweet part of the marathon between miles 7 and 20 and is so beautiful. It's the canyon that I spent most of my dating dates with my husband so I love to reminisce as we run down it. I can pick out certain fishing spots and a certain place where we fogged up his windows one night. And I've run it the last 3 years so I knew that no matter what shape I was in that I was going to have to run it again.

It's a perfect end of summer event. I felt so good for most of the race. The last couple of miles were tough but only because I was having some shoe issues. I've really been lucky (code word for blessed) because I was offered a chance to try some Invisible Shoe huarache style sandals. I will be doing a full review on them later but the bottom line is that I LOVE them. However, I found during a test run in the 4mm thin style that I could feel the knot after about 8 miles. I wound up having to wear these ones during the half and the last 6 miles felt like I was stepping on a rock with every step. Not comfy. I'm not sure yet if I'll just get used to it or if the 6mm ones are going to have to be my choice for over a certain mileage. Time will tell.

Tough or not, I finished in 2:04 and was pleased. Not a PR but it was a good day none the less.

The next weekend me and 5 of my friends battled the Man Vs. Mud 5K. It had 27 obstacles and I really didn't think we'd be doing much running at all. I was surprised that it really did have some good stretches in between challenges.

The Hot Mudders!

There were 4 HUGE slip and slides with the last one ending in a giant mud puddle.

My favorite challenges were the very long mud trough, the mud pit at the end, and the army crawl through the mud. Our team was the Hot Mudders and we all had such a great time. It was my most favorite run to date. I don't mind getting dirty normally but this was extreme and it was a blast!

I've never been so dirty or had so much fun in all my life.

I stood in the shower with my clothes on and then proceeded to strip. I didn't ever think the water would be clear again or that I'd get the mud out of my nose, ears, and hair. What a blast!

The next weekend was Peach Days. They have one of the oldest races (started in 1974) in Utah and also one of the toughest. This was the first race I ever ran. But I have become very picky when it comes to running it. If the weather is bad I just won't do it. A couple of people have died doing this race. This year it was nice, so the night before I decided to run it.

Fresh peaches at the finish.

I had been having a crappy running week. I tripped on the Wednesday before while running around the block barefoot with my son. I had my glasses on and misjudged the distance while stepping up a curb. I tweaked my ankle and limped a little but thought everything was fine. After the 10K I realized that it was not completely back to normal yet and that maybe I shouldn't have run on it. However, I did manage a 6 minute PR from the last time I ran it 3 years ago and finished with a time of 55:26. Some said the timer was off by a minute but I'm not sure so I'll just go with what they gave me. It was still a pretty great day! And I promise that I'm going to get caught up with all of you!

Barefoot Running Successes and Setbacks and a Photo Shoot

2011-08-11T06:50:00.002-06:00

A couple of months ago I won a unique and really cool giveaway. It was for a photo session and some pictures of me running from Niki Martins Photography. Now I'm not a big fan of of my race pictures, you know what it's like... sweaty, looking like you want to die pictures... So this was going to be cool. I've wanted to spruce up the old blog here for a while too, but didn't really know what I wanted to do for the header. Now I do.

To be totally honest, I was really nervous. When I first found out that I had won, I thought to myself that I better lose 10 lbs. and find a cute outfit. I did the latter. And the day of the shoot, I was really nervous again, not knowing what to expect. But Niki put me right at ease and told me how artistic it would look. The angles and the background were going to make it look cool. No scary close ups of my face while running. And she did not disappoint.

We had a lot of fun shooting. Niki had picked a beautiful place close to her home and to be honest, the weather was perfect. We had some rainstorms that afternoon and the clouds made for a beautiful backdrop. Niki was so easy to talk to and was willing to do whatever I wanted. It's just a good thing she came prepared with some ideas of her own.

I love the clean lines that she was able to create. She really has an eye for these things.

And now my feet. My little monkey shoes (Gist) have worn out. I could tell it was happening because I could feel the sole getting thinner and thinner. But after I got some pretty bad stone bruising on a rocky mountain trail and my little toe got eaten up on a rough gravel road, I knew it was time to throw them away. And my running store doesn't sell them anymore. Hello... not a good sign. Too bad they are the only thing that really works on my foot because I'm sure that real Vibrams would not have worn out on the soles.

This is not the close up I had hoped for on my feet. Here's the back story. I had managed a couple of 7 milers barefoot a week apart. The next week I did a 7 miler where I got some pretty serious stone bruising under my big toe. I managed an 8 miler barefoot and the next day a 10 miler in my monkey feet. During that 10 miler the stone bruising that occurred earlier in the week started hurting towards the end of the run. When I got home and took off my shoes, I found this little gem of a blood blister. How's that for contrasting pictures?!

I drained it and bandaged it up for the weekend and then was fine to run on it. I did a 9 miler barefoot (a new record!) and now the skin has peeled off and is baby tender. Like I said, not the ideal barefoot picture.

This little photo shoot has inspired me. At first I wasn't sure what to think about it. Was it just an egomaniac thing to do? Now I have decided that I SHOULD have pictures of what I'm passionate about. And good ones too. Not just the sweaty race ones. It's part of documenting my life. This won't be the last photo shoot either. I really would like one done in the trails by my home, where I really spend my time. It's something all of us should consider! And if you live in Utah County, give Niki a call!

Mantua Dam Race 2011 and other Miscellaneous Stuff

2011-07-27T16:52:00.002-06:00

The only reason I run this race year after year is because I get a t-shirt that says, "I survived the Dam race". Well, that and it's really fun to talk about the dam race. My kids really like asking me about the dam race. It's become a big hit and we had a lot of participants from my little neighborhood. They also had a record number of people with more than 325.

I got 3rd in my age group and finished with a time of 44:24. That just means that all the fast runners stayed home that day. It's 5 miles around a lake all on a rocky dirt road. I was pleased with my time with it being almost 2 minutes faster than last year. Plus it was just fun having so many people there that I knew.

Phil, Tori Shannon, Heidi, me, Jodi, Heather and Rob.

Catching up with those we didn't get in the first picture...

Phil, Heidi, Tori, Shannon, Robyn, me, Shandra, Julie, Audry, Jodi, and Shawna.

I bagged my long run because I wasn't in the mood and did a long ride instead. I actually didn't plan it very well and didn't wear my padded shorts or bring enough water. I ended up having to detour and stop at a park to refill my bottle. It ended up being over 31 miles and my rear end was really happy when we were done.

I took my ride out to our local Bird Refuge. It's my new favorite destination. There is so much beauty there and so many birds. I feel like an old person getting all excited about birds, but it really was thrilling watching an enormous pelican spread its wings and land gracefully on the water without so much as a splash. Or watch the long legged stilts birds walk along and dip their heads in the water to catch fish. I also saw birds dive bombing into the water. And there were huge flocks of brightly colored finches dancing in their synchronized way above me in the sky. Seriously, a really cool place to ride and the perfect way to experience it.

I've been trying to get in one trail run a week, one longish barefoot run, and a 20ish mile bike ride every week. Then I can just fill in the rest with whatever I feel like as long as I'm getting in at least two days of weight training. While it's not a full workout, I am really digging this quick yoga routine after my runs as of late.

This trail run turned into a mostly hike until the top of the canyon. I ran the hills until it just got too steep and my heart rate wouldn't settle down. So I hiked until it I felt like I could run again, which was almost to the top. I had some good 18-20 minute miles in there. It was also hot. You can see my "glow" (which translated is the lady word for sweaty as a pig). But once I reached the other side of the mountain, the sun went behind the clouds, a slight breeze picked up and it was bearable.

The rocky, sagebrush filled area turned into more forest like conditions on the other side of the mountain. Simply beautiful.

I live in a really beautiful place. Don't you wan to come run with me?

There are definite advantages to not planning my runs or having a training plan. But long runs in the summer in the mountains probably need to be better planned. I finally ran out of my little water supply and called for a ride home. 7.5 miles and 2 sweaty hours later I was really craving a cold bath.

** What have you been up to?

** Are you following a plan right now or just winging it?

** What's your next big race?

Randomness and food

2011-07-14T12:03:00.001-06:00

I don't have much to say that's on a specific topic so you get the randomness that is my life lately.

* I did a new long run record of 7 miles barefoot. I picked the streets carefully and used the sidewalks at points, but I am still counting it. I don't think I'm going to be able to do the Top of Utah half barefoot, but I think I need to find a 10K because I'm pretty sure I could do that before the end of the summer.

*My hair and nails are growing at a much rapider rate since I've stopped training so hard. I think my body has finally recovered.

*I have been eating like I'm still training hard and it is not good.

*I forgot to post this awesome triple chocolate cheesecake that my husband made me after the second marathon. It was so rich that a tiny slice was sufficient and it lasted forever even sharing it with lots of people.

*I did a trail run that went wrong. I took a wrong turn and the trail ended several hundred feet above where I was supposed to be. I made my own switchbacks until it was just too steep and then skied down on the shale rock trying not to create a land slide. It wasn't until I got home after that 10 mile run that I realized that I had created a HUGE (softball sized) hole in my tights right around my hip/butt area. I was on trails for the most part but ran at least 2.5 miles down the canyon and on busy streets until home. I was mortified.

Other than that, it was a great trail run.

That ended with a beautiful sunset.

*The garden is doing awesome.

We've eaten broccoli and peas and lots of lettuce. There is an orange tomato out there and the peppers are getting big. We've also enjoyed our cilantro. It's an organic garden so far. We've let the chickens out to eat the grasshoppers and everything seems to be going well. Sometimes when I look at it all I can see is work. The weeds seem to be never ending. But I really do enjoy having all that fresh produce right out the back door.

Salmon salad. Yum.

Black bean tortilla pizza with cilantro and avocado.

Jenni-O turkey kielbasa with broccoli and peas.

***What have you been up to?

Just to catch up...

2011-07-06T09:36:00.001-06:00

Summer has made my life crazy. I thought May and December were bad, but this summer is kicking my butt. And I haven't had time to get on the computer like I used to. I need to find a time when I don't feel guilty sitting here while the kids are around. We have a no TV rule during the summer until after dinner. So it means that we're doing other things to keep them busy and happy. It's a good thing, but it means I feel guilty if I'm just sitting there on the computer. I have missed keeping up with my good friends and am going to catch up with you all. I've been looking forward to not having a schedule and sleeping in and staying up late and eating popsicles with the kids, but this crazy life is just about doing me in. My daughters still had ballet until the 3rd week of June when they had their performance. It was a masterpiece and even my husband and dad went away loving it.

My husband said he'd deny it if he was ever confronted, but he even teared up a few times. If you know my husband, you'd know that this must really have been some ballet. I loved it because my daughters were on stage genuinely smiling because they were doing what they loved. It wasn't until that was over that it felt like summer.

I got my own fly fishing rod this year and have been totally enjoying myself with my husband fishing. We're a catch and release couple and just have fun being out there. It really is funny how excited I can get about casting my fly right where I want it, see my fly sitting there on the water and watching a fish come up to the surface to get it. Really, really fun. Plus it's time with my husband sharing something he loves to do.

I've been really taking it easy and just enjoying myself. And I might mention that I am not injured. My IT band hurt 3 days after the marathon on a little 2 mile run but I've had zero issues since. Yay! Almost every run has been completely barefoot with the exception of a run that I did back to back and my feet were not having it and a Freedom 5K that had a reputation for all sorts of different, harsh terrain. Did not disappoint. We ran on rough gravel roads, in farmer's fields, on corn stubble, over hay bales blocking the trail, and through 20 yards of shin deep mud and gush. It was so much fun!

My time was 27:25. The only frustration that I had was not knowing at what point in the race we were at. No mile markers and of course no watch. So when I came upon a drink station, I took a sip and walked to throw it away. It mush have been at mile 2.5 because before I knew it we were done. If I had known, I don't think I would have stopped. Oh well.

Friends in the neighborhood that ran the race.

Heidi, me, Jodi, and Mont

Pancake breakfast from the fire department. YUM!

None of my runs have been over 6 miles and I've been ok with that. This week it needs to change though as I have a 1/2 marathon at the end of August. I had wanted to do it barefoot, but don't know yet if that will be possible or not. I seem to be stuck at 6 miles. I'll just have to wait and see.

I have gone on three 20 mile bike rides, gone to 1 cycling class (darn those early mornings!), and lifted weights 3 days a week since the marathon. I have also had an infected tooth that knocked me out for a weekend and then flu like symptoms from the antibiotic that I took because of the infected tooth. Still working on that one.

I've also been able to attend a part of both my son's and my daughter's religious camps that they attended. Both were great.

During my son's camp they did several service projects. One of them was working on the new mountain biking trail that I've been co in charge of as part of our city's biking committee.

It was great to have about 50 boys and 20 leaders cutting new trail that day. There's about a mile and a half of rideable trail now and it is going to be awesome in the next couple of years. It's a big piece of property with huge potential.

Of course my interest is running it, but hey, you never know. I may get brave and even try to ride it as well.

Barefoot Running and My Vain Little Foot Secret

2011-06-16T11:48:00.003-06:00

I have to admit that I was really discouraged about the marathon and my IT band acting up. Thank you for all your comments. They really lifted my spirits more than you know. I was really mostly down about the injury. I turned to barefoot running to heal my body and to run more efficiently. It was, in my mind, a last resort, a drastic move. I've endured a lot of comments and criticism along the way. I was really insecure at first, I didn't want anyone to see me. But now, I just don't care. I've been gawked at, whispered about, talked about very loudly right behind me, and offered rides from concerned people. I've had my neighbor ask me if I was doing poor financially and offer to buy me shoes. I've had things shouted at me like, "shoes are for feet, not hands." I've had people stop me in the halls at church and ask me why I'm doing it. I really have not been offended or hurt by any of the comments even when people tell me I'm crazy or stupid (and they have). I've considered myself the first exposure that they have to barefoot running. I've tried to be as positive about everything as I could possibly be. But after my IT band started hurting, I started doubting everything I had told myself and others such as, "my body feels better than it ever has before" and "my knees and hips don't hurt anymore".

But after a few days have passed and my mind has been cleared, I can still look back at my time barefoot and minimalist running and say with confidence that my body really has never felt better. Long runs don't hurt like they used to and the recovery time is almost nothing. Even though I may have this little setback, it's not going to stop me from continuing on in my journey to be a barefoot runner. I'm going to be more consistent with my weight routine. After the first taper from the Ogden marathon I really slacked on my weights. So that makes about 4 weeks that I didn't strengthen my hips and butt or any of my lower body. I wasn't stretching consistently either. And I need to realize that JUST barefoot running is not the cure all to every problem with my body. It is a part, but it is not the whole. Plus, when I look at this video clip, I can't help but marvel at the beauty that is barefoot running. Amanda from Miss Zippy and Don from Running and Rambling have both posted it, but it should be shared again and often. It's what I want to look like someday. Maybe it's the magical music or the serene surroundings, but it's absolutely mesmerizing.

Now to my foot secrets! First, when my feet are tired and achey or if I've overdone it a bit and the tops of my feet hurt, Nora from Tri-Living Together (formerly known as Barefoot Running Mama) told me about a little trick. It was one of those simple things that you would think would be too easy to really work. She said to get those toe separators that people use when they paint their toenails and wear those around. Finally, after the first marathon I got some and tried them out. My feet kept squishing the foam together and it didn't work super well.

So this last weekend I bought some soft rubbery ones and I can't believe how well it worked. The tops of my feet were sore for probably 2 1/2 weeks after the first marathon. After just 3 days of wearing them my feet are completely pain free. I can jump without hurting! I'm really so very excited about this!

My next foot secret is a purely vain secret. I get lots of compliments on my toenails. And I usually just say thanks and move on. But all my good friends know my secret and since you all are my good friends I might as well share it with you as well. My toenails are fake. They are acrylic. Like you would get on your fingernails. Only these are way better in my estimation. I started getting them 6 years ago when I was pregnant with my last little child. I decided that if I was going to be huge during the summer that I was at least going to have cute toenails. (Even my midwife complimented me on them in the delivery room!) And I loved them. They are no maintenance and last for 5-6 weeks.

Then after I ran my first marathon and lost 2 toenails during the training and another 2 during the marathon I went back in and asked her if she could do anything about it. She just molded me some toenails on top of what was left. I was so pleased and haven't quit since.

Sometimes I do a french tip.

But when my toenails underneath aren't looking so good, I just do a solid color on top. No painting, no fuss for 5 weeks. My lady only charges $20 bucks so I don't feel like I'm breaking the bank either when I do it. I call it my guilty splurge and I love how they look.

I'm not saying it's for everyone, but I thought I might as well clear my conscience and quit accepting compliments for what is not really natural!

Utah Valley Marathon 2011- #7 It is what it is.

2011-06-13T00:17:00.000-06:00

Well marathon #7 is in the books. It certainly wasn't my best race. But what was I expecting? I knew this one wasn't going to be a PR and it was more about adding one more number to my list of marathons rather than the time. But sometimes false hope creeps in and sets you up for disappointment. Besides the fact that I ran a marathon 3 weeks ago and wasn't trained properly for that one. So am I disappointed? Yes. But not in my effort. Or in my time, even though it's a far cry from what I believe I am capable of. I am really disappointed because I think I have a new injury. And it's the same old on and off injury that I've been trying to escape from for 7 years now. The dreaded IT band. What is really discouraging is that this injury is what led me to barefoot and minimalist running. I was so sick of hurting while running. I knew that it was something I was doing wrong and have been determined to fix what it is so that I could continue doing what I love. So I must still be doing something wrong. I really wish that there was a pro barefoot runner around here so that I could get some coaching or something. I should be able to figure it out myself, but I guess I can't.

Thursday I was reviewing some of the race details and realized that I was going to have to leave my mom's house at around 3:00 in the morning to catch the busses. On a whim, I called the host hotel to see if they were still giving out the marathon discount. They had one room left and I booked it. I then called Heather to see if she could get away for the weekend and come with me. Her saint of a husband agreed and so Friday we were off for a girl's weekend!

We met up with the other blogger girls at yogurt land and then had fun shopping and eating.

Rachelle, Chris, me, Ashley, and Julia

I didn't really sleep much. My stomach was in knots and I just couldn't settle down. Finally it was time to load the busses and I met up with Julia and Ashley. It always seems like such a long ride up to the start. I still had pretty bad nerves.

But it wasn't long before the cannon went off and it was time to start. I did the same plan that I used 3 weeks ago in Ogden and carried my water bottle and Nuun. I ran with Julia for the first 5 miles. It settled my nerves and I was really excited for her to be running her first marathon. I stopped at the water station to fill my bottle and saw her a ways ahead of me. I could have caught up, but I knew that I was not going to be able to keep up with her the whole time and needed to settle into my own rhythm. I just didn't feel fresh like I did before Ogden.

It was beautiful scenery and perfect weather. This was touted as a downhill marathon but everyone had failed to mention the uphills. It was actually nice to have some variety. There was quite a large hill at around mile 7 that I loved. I took it nice and steady and cruised up it. I didn't even feel out of breath at the top. It was around this time that I had a conversation with a nice man from Arizona who was wearing Vibrams. We chatted for a bit about the transitional time because a woman was asking me about them just before I saw him. He started barefoot as well and got up to 18 miles. I picked his brain about downhill running a little and then told him I was going to just hang behind him and just watch him for a while. We hit the first real downhill into the canyon and I tried to mimic what he was doing. Quick turnover and man, he flew down that hill. It was pretty steep and I felt a little out of control and slowed down. There were several rolling hills and at about mile 10 I felt my IT band hurt. It wasn't just tightness. It was pain. I was unprepared because I haven't felt that pain for about a year and a half. And here I had just been telling him how great barefoot running has been for my body. I was good on all the uphills and the gentle downhills but every time we hit a steep downhill that pain would flare up and I'd have to slow down. I tried stretching it but it just wasn't working. I finally reached just the bathrooms right before the halfway point at 2:15 and took about a 5 minute bathroom, fill water bottle, and stretch break then headed on out. It felt like those first 13 miles had taken forever. So I stuck a smile on my face and tried to enjoy the scenery and soak in the race vibes around me. It was around this point that I stuck my music on. I also chatted with several people along the way. I reminded myself to embrace the suck. It was fitting that the race's motto is "Pain that you enjoy". So it wasn't a perfect scenario. So it was going to be a long day. I refused to let myself be discouraged at that point. I reminded myself that I was lucky to just be out there on the course that day. Pain or not, I was lucky to be running.

The calf cramps started around mile 16 or so. I had one salt packet which I took and it held them off for a while. I didn't have any cramping in Ogden and didn't take any salt and I think I fueled about the same so I'm not sure what was going on. I even had my fancy calf sleeves on. I'd stop and walk to get rid of them and then start running again. It was getting hard to keep the negative thoughts out. So I started naming things in my mind that I was thankful for. That helped distract me and got me back in a good mood. Through the rolling hills, I would pass people on the uphills and then as soon as the downhill started I'd have to slow down because of the pain. That was pretty sucky. You're supposed to be able to make up time on the downhills!

Mile 21 hit and I got to see Heather. It was SO great! What a mental lift that was. I stopped and complained to her about all my ailments and then started back up again. Those last couple of miles were long. I made sure to thank every police man directing traffic for my safety. After thanking one of them, he told me that I was a better woman that he was. My first response was to tell him, no, that anyone can do this, then I said, "wait! I AM a better WOMAN than you are!" He laughed and said, "I was just checking to see if you were still mentally there!"

Mile 25 and I see Doran and Jody. They're my neighbors and Jody is such a great support to me. She's always sending me good luck texts before each race and is always checking up on me. Doran ran the half and decided to be gracious enough to run me in the last mile. It was so great having company and support! It really was kind of a lonely race. The last two blocks my calves were in a permanent lock but I was not going to stop and walk the last two blocks. However after crossing the finish line and stopping, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to walk again.

5:09:20

Another big surprise was my dad at the finish line. My mom has been to almost every finish line but my dad has never been able to come. It was great to have them both there.

And then there was Heather. I don't think there are words that really express how grateful I was to have her there. I don't know many people that would sacrifice to come and be my race photographer when she really should be running the race with me. She has handled her injury with such grace. I am so grateful for her in my life. She is so unselfish and is truly happy for me even when I know it's not easy to hear or see others running when you can't. I love her and I couldn't ask for a better and truer friend. And I didn't even get a picture with her.

Now that I've had a day to think about things, I am more discouraged than before. It's a good thing the negative thoughts I've been having now didn't creep in during the marathon. I may not have even finished. I'm kind of baffled. I've gone and looked at my photos. It looks like I'm landing correctly. I've only gotten blisters from barefoot running on a smooth hot asphalt road and even then the blisters were on the outsides of the middle of my feet. Maybe it was just the two marathons too close together. Maybe my body can't handle that. Maybe my body just can't handle the distance. Maybe trying to mimic that guy threw off my normal stride and I screwed something up. Maybe that brutal trail run I did a week ago did it. I got a massage on Tuesday where I knew my quads were sore but as we got into the massage I realized that my IT bands were sore too. So she really worked them so much that I still have the bruises from it. Maybe it was too close to the marathon to have that done. I may never know. I've done 7 marathons now and 2 of them have been good and positive experiences. Why do I keep coming back? I ask myself that a lot. As does my husband. I've tried to be really positive at home. I've let these things really bother me before and it doesn't do anything good for me or my family. And that's not worth it. So you all will have to listen to my whining. I keep coming back because I believe that someday I will feel like I've done my best and reached my potential. And until that happens, I'll be back. It just may not be for a while.

A Winner and A Blogger Meet Up

2011-06-09T08:41:00.000-06:00

First things first: Chris is the winner of the race entry! Congrats Chris! Shoot me an e-mail and I'll get you all hooked up to run this weekend! I really hope you enjoy that pancake breakfast! (That's the part that got me all excited!)

Now on to the other important stuff: There are 2 sleeps to go until the Utah Valley Marathon. I am more nervous about this one than Ogden for some reason. I need to talk to myself and get rid of these nerves. At least I have plenty to do before the big day. I have mounds of laundry, church stuff to get ready for, mountain bike trails to mark, lots of ballet car pools to run, and there's always cleaning of some sort. Plus I'd like to get a new playlist going, I need to buy gels, pack to sleep at my parents, and grocery shop so my family has something to eat while I'm gone. This will be the second marathon that my family will miss because of dance. My mom will be at the finish line though and I'm excited about that.

There is going to be a meet up Friday for any bloggers out there that want to come. It will be at Yogurtland in Orem at 5:00. I can't wait to see my blogger buddies and hopefully meet some new faces!

Do you have music suggestions for me?

Are you coming to the meet up?

Any last minute advice?

Savoring the here and now

2011-06-07T08:07:00.001-06:00

Because of this sweet girl, I started reading this book. I'm only a couple of chapters in, but I like it. It's the way I try to live my life now and it's broadening my vision. I'm sure many of you have read it and if you have, I'm sure it's been life changing. You can't help but be changed by this book. And though it doesn't talk about running at all, I couldn't help but think about running while reading it.

Running has been many things to me over the last 9 years. And as my needs have changed, so has my reason to run. I initially started running to lose weight. Then it changed as a time to get out and be by myself. Truthfully, it still is a lot of times. I love being free from responsibility for an hour or so. There have been times when I've had consistent running partners and running has filled a social need. And there have been times when running has been a connection to God. It's been my solitary prayer time. My thankful time. Time to ponder questions and get answers.

Lately though, running has just been fun time for me. I've enjoyed just being out there. Experiencing and appreciating the now. Not looking forward to something in the future, even a finish line. Just loving the current moment. It has come about partially because of barefoot running and how it forces you to slow down and be in the moment. It is like being a kid again. For example: my 5 year old son and I went on a barefoot run. I let him lead. We ran when he wanted to. And it wasn't slow. We stopped and walked when he was out of breath. We walked along balancing on the curb. Then we ran balancing on the curb. We climbed rocks and crawled under bushes. We jumped over pinecones. We rolled down a grassy hill. And we went over 2 miles. It was one of the most fun runs I've done in a long time. Children can be great tutors.

But I also think this attitude shift that's happened is because of the season of my life that I'm in right now. My oldest child will be a senior next year and my youngest a kindergartener. My life is about to change drastically in the coming years. And I want to savor every minute that I have with my family how it is right now. It's not like I don't think the future will have happy times too. I'm not dreading a college student or even being alone during the day. I just know that it's going to be different than what I have now. Our family vacations are not going to be the same. We're going to have in laws join our family and someday I'm going to become a grandma. (O.k. Now that thought freaks me out a little.) I guess my point is that I want to really enjoy life right now. I don't want to wish or waste away time. Things sure have changed from when I was a first time mom and couldn't wait to hear their first words or have my little baby walk for the first time. Maybe a little wisdom and maturity have occurred and I am learning to love where I am right now. Somehow it's translated over to my running. Times don't seem to matter as much anymore. Even distances are a mere number and though I long to go further and faster, it doesn't consume me. I am happy in the here and now.

This is how Saturday's run was. The last "long" run before my next marathon. I decided to do it on trails again because that's where I really enjoy myself. From difficult downhills to lots of mud and water, I tried to savor every minute. Here's a few snapshots from what I saw on the trail.

I'm not alone in this shift of thinking. Mike has adopted this philosophy with his running. And Katie noticed that smiles were the "in" thing nowadays. She and some other bloggers have started a collective blog that embodies the run smiley thinking. Go and read a few entries. You wont' be able to stop the smile from spreading across your face. Krista made some awesome logos for it. Go check it out and then try it on a run yourself. Leave the watch at home, bring the camera or phone along, and run for fun. Notice things around you. How the sun feels on your skin. How the wind moves even the hairs on your arms. How the sunlight dances through the shadows. Then come tell me about it!

Run :)

Race Entry Giveaway!

2011-06-06T08:09:00.003-06:00

There's no shortages of charities out there. And I find myself drawn to races that have a charity behind them. There's no better motivation than thinking of someone struggling to survive on a daily basis rather than my pale in comparison struggle to finish a race that I signed up for voluntarily. I've run a few races in my day for good causes. And I've donated to some really great causes. And the optimistic side of me feels so good about what I'm doing and the money I spent. I hope in a small way that it makes a difference. But the skeptical side of me can't help but wonder how much of the proceeds really goes towards the charity. I wonder about the shirts and the food and the prizes and hope that they were all donated so that the money can be utilized best.

This Saturday, June 11th, the Anne Stirba Cancer Foundation is sponsoring a 5K race. This is no ordinary race. 100-percent of the registration proceeds will go directly to the Huntsman Cancer Institute for the continued fight against breast cancer. It seems that cancer literally touches all of our lives. Either it's affected someone in our families or someone that we're close to. It starts at 8:00 at Highland High School at the corner of 21st South and 17th East in Sugarhouse and will end at the Wasatch Presbyterian Church on the corner of 1626 S. 1700 E. It is a chip timed race but is also welcomes strollers and dogs. And if you are a breast cancer survivor, you can run for free. Plus, it features a pancake breakfast afterwards. If that wasn't enough...in addition there are awesome door prizes including a gift certificate for 4 people to try out scuba diving, Great Harvest Bread gift basket, Sizzler gift certificates, along with much more. They have also donated one entry fee that you can win! And then even if you don't win, get your friends together and sign up for a good cause and a fun time this weekend.

To enter:

You have until Wed. night:

*Leave me a comment saying why you'd like an entry.

That's it folks!

Go check out their website and help spread the word!

Recovery is hard work

2011-06-01T09:15:00.003-06:00

Usually I love the week after a marathon. You have a legitimate reason to lay around and order people to rub your legs and feet. How well this works depends on what time of day it is, who is home, and how much bribery chocolate I have left. This time around I just feel like a slug. I have recovered really well from the marathon. My big toe has somehow been fixed by running 26 miles. I've only felt a few little twinges of pain from it. My right foot still has some soreness on the top of my foot. But other than that, my body has felt great. And it felt that way about 3 days after the marathon. Not wanting to make a mistake and do too much too soon, on Wednesday I took my body out for a little run. It was just a two mile barefoot run but it felt great. The tops of my feet still hurt. I came home and iced them. On Friday I did a 3 mile barefoot run. It felt even better. And the tops of my feet felt better. So on Saturday I headed out for an 8 mile run. 5 of it was barefoot until the rain got to be too much and my feet started feeling tender. Come to find out I had gotten a blister. I stuck on my monkey feet and finished it out. I didn't dare lift weights yet so I just did push ups to make sure that I could still do them. 3 sets of 40 Tuesday and 3 sets of 50 Thursday. I'll have to start back up on the push up challenge after the next marathon.

This week has been about the same. I feel like a slug. The holiday weekend didn't help. My teenager was driving me crazy and I felt emotionally spent. We had company and I feel like I'm still recovering from the weekend. I feel like I need a nap every day. I did 3 sets of pushups again yesterday. 40 apiece. I did a 6.5 mile barefoot run and got blisters of the heat. I waited until the middle of the day and the asphalt was hot. Well, relatively hot. Utah's weather is really messed up lately. We had snow this weekend with our highs in the 50's and then it was 39 degrees yesterday morning but 75 by the afternoon. I really hope that my feet adjust and that summer weather and the heat won't always make blisters. I've really been looking forward to summer and more barefoot running. That has been the upside of all this downtime. I've been able to do every run barefoot. I get to finish out this week and then start tapering again for next week's marathon. I don't really know what kind of mileage I'm even going to run. Like I said, I feel like a slug.

I tried to go for a bike ride last night. It resulted in my first crash of the season. And it was less than a block from my house. Stupid stop signs and stupid clips. My hip and right hand and arm still feel banged up this morning. And my pride is bruised. Right in front of 3 guys hanging out on their front porch. All got up to make sure I was o.k. Why, oh why can't I ever fall when no one is watching? Heather and I went for ice cream to celebrate her getting her boot off! Yay!

Meet White Wilma and Blue Betty! (Our bikes!)

I'm also feeling really nervous for this upcoming marathon. I had such a good experience with Ogden and I felt really mentally prepared. What if it doesn't work this time? What if....? I have a million different answers to fill that in that space. I guess that's the beauty of the marathon. You never know what to expect.

In the meantime, I'll be keeping myself busy with last week of school events, getting ready for a ballet performance, working in the yard, and working out our new summer schedule. I really do love summer and having the kids home. I love the freedom that it brings and the fun things we get to do.

Do you have big plans for the summer? Please tell me about them so I can live vicariously through you.

Ogden Marathon 2011 - Embrace the Suck

2011-05-22T23:21:00.001-06:00

I did it. I finished. And it was a great day. Not a PR day, but it felt just as good.

Finish time: 4:56:07. I'm a really happy girl.

It really started the night before with dinner and carb loading with Ashley and her crew. We met at a little restaurant and after we had waited about 20 minutes of the hour wait we decided to get take out instead. I ate a really yummy turkey, bacon, and avocado sandwich. The bread was to die for and I already plan on going back there sometime soon.

Brittany, girlfriend to Ash's brother, Ashley's mom, Ashley, me, and Heather

I got 4 hours of sleep but slept a good 8 the night before that so I wasn't too worried. I had a bath, shaved my legs, took my time getting dressed and ate a waffle with peanut butter and jelly. I usually don't eat before a long run but this was 3:30 a.m. and we were running at 7:00. I figured I was going to need something. I got all my gear and headed out the door. But not before finding a sweet note from my hubby.

I picked up Mel and we met her running group at 4:30 to get our bus ride to the start line. Heaven knows why we had to be there that early because we waited 1 hour and 20 minutes for the start. The field where we waited had fires but was a big muddy mess. It was pretty cold. I did get to use the long line of porta potties twice before the start. My feet were freezing though. Mel kindly let me wrap them in her sweatshirt for a while. I wore my gorilla feet and they just don't keep you that warm while you're standing still or are wet.

The race finally got started and we were off! I felt like it took me a while to get warmed up and comfortable but after the first mile I felt good. I didn't feel like I was pushing the pace and just felt good. I ran into Brittany from dinner the night before and we ran together for quite a while. I didn't listen to music until we parted ways at mile 17 or so. I just listened to the race atmosphere and everyone's conversations. People are interesting. The scenery was beautiful as well. I could kick myself for not taking a few photos along the way because we passed old barns set in fields of bright green dotted with yellow flowers against the backdrops of tall, snow-crested mountains. The opposite side of the road was the reservoir, a nice biking trail, and fields of horses that were curious about what was going on. The spectators were awesome, the volunteers amazing. I was drinking in the experience and loving every minute of it.

I felt so good. Like really, really good. And I did until about mile 19 or so when I entered the second canyon. Things were starting to get a little tight and started to suck a bit. It felt like a long run. From miles 19 to 23 I smiled. Things were to that sucking phase and I was going to embrace it and love it. I reminded myself that if I was hurting it was because I was alive. Alive and running a marathon. I used my mantras a little more and focussed on good form. I stopped and stretched a few times. My hip flexors were what was starting to bug me a little. My calves were getting tight and my feet were starting to ache. Just tired though, no pain.

Mile 23

Just before mile 23 I got out of the canyon and there was Heather cheering for me. It was a really good mental boost and I knew that there were only 3 miles left. Those last 3 miles were sucktaculous. I took that little boost that Heather gave me and ran those last 3 miles really well. I hurt, but I had a smile on my face and felt good. Really, really good. I knew I wasn't going to PR but didn't care. It was a great day.

One more block!

Heather and I. She was my support crew. During more than just this one marathon.

Heather, me and Jodi (she ran the half and stuck around to cheer me on!)

Ashley and me. This girl is amazing!

This race was a big experiment. Experimenting with shoes. Experimenting with form. Experimenting with mental exercises. Experimenting with fueling. Experimenting with carrying a water bottle for 26.2 miles. And I'm so pleased to say that all that experimenting went well.

I had a Hammer gel right before the race started and then at miles 5, 10, 15, and 20 as Angie Bee suggested. I also used Nuun in my water bottle. I liked being able to drink whenever I wanted and gu whenever without waiting for an aid station. I also think I got more fluid in me than I normally do. I refilled 3 times. I practiced in training and I think all those push ups made it so that my shoulders didn't even get sore. I worried about that and switched hands every couple of miles. I had no stomach issues whatsoever which is a first. I think I have that part figured out for me. I also took my peppermint/ginger oil before the race thanks to MissZippy and I think that's another reason why my stomach did so well. Plus when I weighted myself as I got in the shower, I weighed the same as the morning. I hydrated well and was pleased about that.

I had a tinge of calf cramping but came upon an aid station that had bananas. I ate one and made an effort to drink a little more and didn't have any other problems.

One thing I do need to work on is proper running form while going downhill. That's hard to do and I find that I take it slower than I normally would. I just can't cruise down like I used to be able to do in normal running shoes. That being said, my quads are not sore at all. The last two times I've run this marathon I've had to go down the stairs backwards for 3 days. I think my new running style has something to do with this.

Mentally, this was my best marathon. I was happy the whole time. I never went to a dark place in my mind. I smiled the whole way. I used my finger rubbing technique whenever I felt tightness or felt tired. I thought about each child in my church group that I have charge over. I thought about Janae. I thought about Nora. I thought about all of you that support me. Miles 7-17 were dedicated to Heather. She knows why. Paying it forward, baby. Miles 18-23 were for Mike. I embraced the suck for you. Miles 23-26 were for myself and my family. I needed to know that I could finish, and finish strong and finish happy. My poor husband has really been there for me when I've struggled. He's worried about my health. Sometimes more my mental health. He's always been my best cheerleader. He couldn't be to this finish line. It was the first time. He was taking care of running the kids around. And it was hard for him not to be there. And my kids think I'm pretty awesome for simply doing it.

"It was a great day to be alive."

I took a walk last night when things started getting stiff. Today was a much better day. I'm walking pretty normally. My list of things that hurt are: my calves, but not unless I flex, my hip flexors, the tops of both feet are tender right above the big toe, and my achilles tendon on the right side is tight. Not too shabby and nothing feels injured. Just sore. I'll be icing and rolling and trying to decide whether or not I'll be doing this again in less than 3 weeks time.

Thanks so much to all of your for your thoughtful comments, e-mails, and texts. Running a marathon really shows you that you are loved. It's one of the things I love the most about running.

Taper Madness... I think not.

2011-05-19T20:46:00.003-06:00

Usually during the final week of the dreaded taper I am going crazy. I have cleaned my house from top to bottom, done yard work, planned everything to the last detail and have basically driven everyone around me crazy. It's a little like nesting in those last few days of pregnancy. This go around is different. Sunday gave me the first taste of nerves. You know that butterfly excitement feeling you get that is also accompanied by that pit in your stomach that is associated with a feeling of dread? You know, that one? Well it hit me when I realized that my quads were sore. Very sore. As in after a hard 1/2 marathon downhill sore. Even tonight I can touch my quads and they hurt. Add that to my calves which also took a beating during that trail run and you can see why that pit arrived in the bottom of my stomach. But you know, this time around that pit only lasted Sunday. Amid the training that has not gone as planned, running through yet another stupid injury, and now soreness before I even run the dang marathon, I finally just let go of everything. No more pit in my stomach for me. I've given in. Que sara, sara. Whatever will be will be. So I've had a couple of naps this week. I've watched a chic flic with Heather during the day while the kids were at school. I've eaten more chocolate than I should have. And I got a massage on Tuesday. One hour solely on my calves and feet. It was torturous heaven, if that makes sense. Good hurt. This taper thing, hey it isn't so bad after all.

I thought I had planned what I was going to wear Saturday, but I wore some old capris this morning and wondered why I wasn't wearing them on Saturday. And I still don't know what I'm going to wear on my feet. I could wear my Evo's. But I've only worn them up to 16 miles. And my Sahara desert feet sweat in them. I could wear my gorilla feet (Gist brand five fingers) but that's what I wore on my 20 miler when my toe started hurting. My doc says the shoes didn't cause it, but they have me leery. So I've got about 32 hours to figure that out. I have my shirt picked out at least. And I read through my last Ogden report and remembered that I wished I had brought gloves. So I will this year. And the weather looks decent. 65 degrees and sunny.

Now more than ever I've decided to make my mantra for the last few miles (or many many miles) of this marathon be "embrace the suck". Mike from Canada has been a follower since the beginning. Like 3 years or so. He's seen it all through my short little running stint. And he's offered words of encouragement and wisdom along the way. I was pretty excited because he and I were running marathons on the same day. Until he rolled his ankle this week and is out. Go over and send him some good vibes. I'll be thinking about the suck factor for him, for Heather my running partner, for Janae and for anyone else who doesn't get the privilege of running a marathon this week. Not that everyone one wants to. But for those who do and can't, it sucks. And embracing the suck isn't always easy or what we planned on doing.

Some may call us runners crazy, and they might be right. But it's like we know this little secret that can't be explained through words. Telling someone how running feels doesn't work. It's something so individualized and something that gets planted so deep inside you that it's hard to put into words. I guess that's why this blogging/running community is so great. You don't have to try and explain the madness because everyone just gets it.

As Mike would say, "it's a great day to be alive." Now go out there and act like it!

Just so you know...

2011-05-16T09:41:00.001-06:00

1. I love my regular doctor. I may have made it sound like I didn't in my last post but that simply is not the case. We just don't agree on this barefooting thing and I don't want to fight about it because I've already made up my mind on the whole thing. My doctor is one of a kind. He does house calls. He's come over on weekends, late nights, you name it. He is so willing to do anything to make us better. He genuinely cares about us. Plus he has an awesome garden and brings me fresh produce all summer long. We're good friends, we double date, he lives around the corner and his wife is also a really good friend. My kids all love him too. He brings them treats when he visits and makes sure that he's never the one to give shots. He is awesome and we are so lucky to have him in our lives. So now that we're clear on that one...

2. Push ups: I completed the 6 week program last week. It was hard. I'm sure I'll be going back to it after the marathon's over. The last set on Friday went something like this: 26, 26, 33, 33, 26, 26, 22, 22, 53. And that 53 was HARD. I was supposed to be able to do 60 but just couldn't squeak it out. I'm planning on doing my test for 100 in a row tomorrow. It should be far enough away from the marathon to affect me. It should be interesting!

3. I am feeling so unprepared for the marathon. My 20 miler was 7 weeks ago with an 18 miler 5 weeks ago. As a result I did a split run on Monday to try to simulate fatigue. I know I shouldn't wear my body out this close but needed a little mental training. After running that 5K last Saturday and then another 5 that night at tempo pace, I ran Monday morning 5.5 miles at a hard tempo pace. Then I was going for an 8-10 miler that evening. When I started my legs felt so stiff. My calves were so stiff it hurt to just walk. I considered turning back at mile 2. But I kept going because I had previously decided that I was out there for mental training. Embracing the suck as Mike says. So that was my mantra the whole run. I kept telling myself that this was really sucking. Everything was sore and hurting. But I stuck a fake smile on my face and embraced the suck. I turned on some good music and that fake smile turned into a real one. I was liking the hurt. I was really embracing and loving the suck. By mile 5 everything had loosened up a bit and though it still hurt, it wasn't torture anymore. The last 2 were hard but I just kept thinking about how the last part of the marathon was going to hurt and this was training for that. So although it wasn't a 20 mile run, those 10.5 miles were very hard and it hurt like a 20 miler and it was really good mental training. I was able to practice my own mantras and crazy finger touching techniques and I felt better prepared after that run. I needed that little mental boost.

4. I completed my last long run on Saturday and have begun the real taper week along with the obsessive weather checking for Saturday. Right now it says a high of 65 degrees and showers. I'm sure it will change 5 more times before the real day but if it ends up being that, I can handle it. The last two times I've run this marathon, the finish line was around 90 degrees. It's hard to train all winter and then go right to summer weather.

5. Toe update: Today is not so good. I didn't get retaped last week because of time constraints and after my Saturday trail run it is not doing good. There is no top of foot pain though and I'm getting taped tonight. And I'll be taped for the marathon so I'll just have to see what happens.

Lastly: some pictures of my gorgeous and hard trail run on Saturday. 8 of the hardest miles I've ever done. I ran a new trail that had some serious uphills and downhills that I wasn't really prepared for. My quads are still very sore today. I'll be rolling and resting and rolling all week long. I know. I'm so smart to do that right before the marathon.

Monday: 5.5 mile run in gorilla feet, push ups week 6, 10.5 mile run in Evo's

Wednesday: push ups week 6, fully body weights, 5 mile run (4 miles barefoot, 1 mile in gorilla feet)

Thursday: 5 mile run in VFF's

Friday: 2 mile run barefoot, push ups week 6, yoga

Saturday: 8 mile trail run in Evo's

Good News and a Barefoot 5K

2011-05-09T09:48:00.000-06:00

*First I need to say thanks to everyone for your support, prayers, and thoughtfulness. I've really felt the love and once again am thankful for my support system full of friends and people I've never met yet are friends just the same!

*I decided last Tuesday to go see someone about my foot. This has not been an easy decision for a few really stupid prideful reasons. My regular doc knows about my barefoot and minimalist running and thinks I'm crazy. He thinks I'm trading my knee and hip injuries for stress fractures in my feet. So I really didn't want to confirm what he thought. I REALLY believe that this is the best option for me and it's not something that I'm going to be talked out of. I'm also really stubborn if you didn't already gather that. The chiropractor that I go to doesn't know much about it and is skeptical. I found a doctor of orthopedics who is a barefoot running advocate. He also works in an office with a podiatrist and an orthopedic surgeon. He actually lives in my city but works about 40 minutes away. I made my appointment and then started to feel better. I considered canceling but knew that if I did a long run I'd be right back in the same place so I kept it.

*Wednesday my foot was feeling o.k. and I worried that I might not be able to tell him exactly where it hurt. So being the smart person that I am I went for a run to bring it all up. I didn't go until night. I was barefoot. I figured I'd just go until my skin or my foot said to go back. I went out to that smooth piece of asphalt west of town and by the time I got there the sun was going down, the temperature was perfect, and I was feeling SO good. My foot had loosened up and everything felt good. What I really wanted to do was raise my arms up in the air and let out a big WAAAA WHOOOOOO! But there are still houses out there and I didn't want to scare anyone. But the feeling was awesome and oh how I wanted that to last! I got home after 5 miles that ended in complete darkness. People always ask me about stepping on glass. My response is that I just watch where I'm going and step over or go around things I don't want to step on. So here I was in the dark with only the occasional car headlights to light up the road. I was worried about stepping on something that I couldn't see but had good luck. Even the little pebbles didn't bother me as much as normal in the dark. Weird. Bottom line: best barefoot run to date. Everything was just working. And not much top of the foot pain afterwards.

*Thursday and my doctor's appointment. He had me bring my shoes and my training log. He spent an hour with me. He watched me run. He had me stand on one leg with my eyes closed. He said I had excellent balance. I told him I practiced that one at home. He measure my flexibility in my calves and ankles. He manipulated my feet all over. He compared the two and was so thorough. We had a good chat about barefoot running. Bottom line: he said that he didn't even suspect a stress fracture. My big toe and the toe next to it have been overextended so that during the liftoff phase of running my toe stays on the ground longer than it should and puts extra stress on my arch. The top of the foot pain that I feel after the run is a result of that extra stress that being put on my foot. He believes I can still run the marathon. He taped my arch up a little to help give support for that big toe. He wanted me to walk around on it that day and then give running a try on Friday. He said he'd then tape me again Saturday before my run if it helped. There are other ways to tape it but this was the easiest and quickest fix. He also said that my transition to barefoot running was good and that he didn't believe that it or my shoes caused this injury. He said it's not an acute injury but that it's one that happens over a lot of time. It can be as simple as the slope of the road that caused it. We're going to try to get me through the marathon and then work on a permanent fix.

*The taping was awesome. My foot felt better just walking around. Friday I went for a nice 5 mile run in the afternoon. It was a good run and I pushed it a little and things were good. I was pretty excited about the progress and the lack of pain after the run. I still could feel it during the run, but it never got any worse and the after effects were not there like they have been.

*Saturday my plan was to run 8 in the morning and then 8 in the afternoon. That was a fail. But it worked out o.k. I decided to participate in a charity 5K for a little 10 year old that has an inoperable brain tumor. I am good friends with his family and wanted to support them. As I was getting ready to go to the run, I debated what to wear on my feet. I brought both pairs of my shoes and my socks. I wanted to run it barefoot but was nervous. It was in another city. I didn't know what the roads were like. I didn't know the course at all. And to be honest, although I run barefoot around town, I've never done it in a big group and was slightly nervous. But after I registered and found two of my friends I made the decision to just do it. I scanned the masses of people and saw a sea of shoes. No minimalist shoes to be seen. And before I knew it we were off. There was a mix of road friendliness. Nothing really run to run on, but nothing too bad either. There was a huge 1/2 mile hill that sucked. I dry heaved a little before slowing down to walk for a minute. I jumped on the sidewalk after a particularly bad section of chipped asphalt but finished it strong. My time was 28:36 I think. They just called out your times as you crossed and I'm not sure on the seconds. I was pretty danged excited. I did get to talk to a guy and his daughter along the way. He had pointed me out to his daughter and we struck up a conversation. He has been working his way down to a minimalist shoe and was in a zero drop shoe from K Swiss. I'm assuming they're like Newton's. And after the race I found a guy who was barefoot. We went over to talk to him and found out that he ran in his Vibrams. It was fun to talk to a few people about it and I got a positive response from everyone. I'm sure it will not be my last barefoot race.

* My family came into town and I got to see my new niece and go out to dinner with everyone. This put my next run at 9:30 at night. I only went 5 miles but it was good. Not the long run I had planned, but oh well. Not much has gone as planned lately. And that's o.k. I'm learning to be flexible and being able to just roll with the punches. Maybe this is part of what I'm supposed to be learning from all this!

Ready to run!

Julie, Jodi, and me

After the race

Julie, Jodi, and me

Last week's workouts:

Push up challenge week 5

Monday: push ups, full body weights, 20 mile bike ride

Wednesday: push ups, full body weights, 5 mile run barefoot

Friday: push ups, 5.25 mile run in gorilla feet

Saturday: 5K race (barefoot), 5 mile run in Evo's

The tightrope walk

2011-05-03T10:18:00.001-06:00

It's a fine line that we all run. It's a constant challenge to find a way to balance our lives. There's family, work, school, service in church, service in the community, extra activities, your kid's extra activities, and exercise. We try to create balance in our thoughts. Not obsessing about one particular thing. Putting proper priorities first. And then there's the fine line between soreness pain and injury pain. Knowing when we can push and when we need to back off. Lately I've felt like I'm on a tightrope. The line seems very thin. And so far I've been able to keep my balance up there. But with the marathon just a few weeks away I've been in panic mode a little bit more around here. Trying to figure out how to get back into things without re injury.

Last week was shaping up to be very nice. My foot was feeling good. Running actually helped loosen everything up and I felt better after running than I did before. I even had a couple of days where I was completely pain free. It was great. I had hope. I was pretty sure that I could run that marathon, slowly, but still finish. My week was also really busy and I had something going on every single night so that I didn't attend my cycling class or visit the swimming pool.

I did get to meet up with these sweet ladies though!

Heather, Ashley, Janae, and me

The weather sucked so I didn't bike outside either. I just ran. Well, and lifted weights and did the push up challenge. But probably not the smartest thing to do just coming off an injury. I was good until I had a little soreness after Friday's run.

Saturday was a scheduled 20 miler. I already knew I wasn't going to attempt that. It's that tightrope act again where I was trying to balance coming off an injury and still "train" for the marathon. I had planned to do an 8-10 miler and then try for a longer run broken in two the week after and then just do a 2 week taper.

It was a good run. It was a hard run. I chose to do it mostly uphill and ran the mountain by our house and around until I had gone up the canyon and got a ride home.

It was beautiful.

The sun kept coming out from behind the clouds and then back behind. So my gloves kept coming off and going back on.

The pain in my foot had moved upwards and felt different. It never got any worse, but didn't feel like it got loose like before. It wasn't until Sunday night that I was fully paying attention to it and realizing that it felt pretty bad. Different than before and it has me worried. I am not limping. I can not press down on a certain spot and have it hurt. It just hurts to walk on it. I am again taking it easy and will see what happens, but that marathon seems further out of reach. It was a long shot anyway. But that isn't making this any easier. I feel like I'm slipping off that tightrope. It's a fine line. And sometimes you just have to take it one day at a time.

last week:

Week 4 push up challenge

Monday: 3 mile run (1.5 miles barefoot), full body weights, week 4 push ups

Wednesday: 4.5 mile run in socks, full body weights, week 4 push ups

Friday: 5 mile run in socks, week 4 push ups

Saturday: 9 mile run (7 miles trail) in Evo's

I am injured therefore I am insane.

2011-04-26T10:33:00.003-06:00

If you've had an injury before, you understand what a neurotic mess you turn into. And if you've haven't, I hate you.

First:

*you analyze every training run previous to the injury down to the shoes, speed, and incline.

This is not something you want to repeat therefore finding the root cause is essential in making sure it doesn't happen again. Then, calling yourself an idiot for not seeing it previous is helpful in this process.

*you make immediate plans to keep your cardiovascular shape intact for the glorious day when you can run again. This means you are willing to stuff yourself into a swimming suit, subject yourself to inhumane amounts of chlorine, and shave yourself all over even when it's not summer. It also means you will sit on a hard, triangle shaped torture devise for miles upon miles clipped in and strapped to a fast moving two wheeled contraption while the panic of being hit by a passing car is surpassed by the drive to get your heart pumping and legs moving.

*you start to wonder whether "other activities" are cardiovascular and therefore have additional value. You husband tells you they are. You consider wearing a heart rate monitor and setting your interval timer but decide that would ultimately ruin the mood.

*If you are a woman you worry about your pant size expanding in the weeks that you will go without running. Swimming, weights, and biking do not equal the happiness that running provides and therefore do not burn as many calories.

*You are on an emotional roller coaster that consists of the grieving stages. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Only it doesn't end with acceptance. It just continues to circle around and around. Your family and spouse will suffer right along with you. They may consider institutionalization.

*And finally, when your pain is gone and you are ready to move on... the fear of repeat pain and injury is right around the corner, waiting. Like some horrible creature lurking in the darkness, ready to pounce on you again and laugh at you in some cruel fashion.

*Surely you have something to add to my list, right?

The past few weeks might have been slightly better than I've described, but only just on the outside. On the inside, in the deep recesses of my mind, I have been insane. During the week, I have been able to remain very positive. I am excited to do other activities and keep my cardio up and the push up challenge has been fun and hard. I am excited at the improvements I am seeing. I have found ways to push myself in the pool and on the bike. But it's just not the same as running.

Thursday I woke up and gingerly stepped out of bed. I was surprised to find that I had zero pain. It was glorious. I wanted to dance around the house. But I was cautious. I had only a few twinges of pain that whole day. I had hopes of running on Saturday. It also happened to be the day that my best friend and running partner, Heather found out that she has a stress fracture in her foot. She's been in pain for 8 weeks now. She did get an x-ray earlier that didn't show it. She then was told that it was tendonitis only to have it worked on for 4 weeks and have little improvement. So this was a big blow. She has 3 weeks in a boot and on crutches and then probably another 3 weeks just in the boot. And if that isn't bad enough, her other foot hurts too, but doesn't show a stress fracture, yet. I was really getting ready to go get my foot x-rayed too, just to make sure. And then I had a really good day. Until I went to spinning and it hurt afterwards. Friday was o.k. Slight pain again.

And then Saturday came. I am alway so positive through the week until Saturday comes. I think I figured out why. For the last 2 years I have woken up on Saturday morning and have gone on a long run. Sometimes it's the earliest I wake up all week long. Usually no one else in my house is awake. I run and recharge and when I come home, everyone has done their chores (thanks to my husband) and the rest of the day is just waiting. Now, I eat breakfast and wander around the house wondering what I'm going to do with my day. Sure I could do laundry or clean...but really? So after moping around all day long, my husband MADE me go on a run. I cried. I told him I didn't want to hurt myself further. I cried about not knowing what to do, worrying that it's a stress fracture, it not showing up on an x-ray, and just not knowing what it is or who to go to. He told me to go get dressed and to go on a just a little run to test things out. That way I would know for sure what to do. I did and then had the dilemma of what to wear on my feet. My husband thinks it's the monkey feet causing the problem. He thinks that our feet are not meant to be spread apart like that. And he might be right. So I decided that I would be the lightest and most careful just in my bare feet. It would keep me from going too far. And as crazy as it seems, the harder the surface and the less you have on your feet, the softer you will land. So I took off with my Evo's in hand and went really slow. It was amazing. The slight pain in my foot went away after a little bit and everything loosened up. I've been so worried about my feet getting all soft from that stupid pool, but they actually felt pretty good.

One of my favorite parts about running barefoot is feeling all the different textures and temperatures. I like running through shady parts and feeling the difference from the warm asphalt to the cooler parts. I like the sidewalks and smooth asphalt and pebbly roads and hate, hate, hate the chipped asphalt. I only wore my shoes to cross a busy street and enjoyed the rest of the run barefoot. I did 5 miles and though it was slow, it was like medicine to my soul. It felt easy and relaxed. My foot felt better when I was done than when I set out. My foot did hurt again the next day a little, but not bad. And the last two days have been even better.

Now I have to figure out how to get back into running without hurting myself again and I need to make decisions on upcoming marathons. I still have a road ahead of me and I'm not sure I'm better. I still have a little bit of pain. But at least the neurotic part of my brain was cleared out for a few minutes. And if you ask my husband, I really needed it.

We had spring break this weekend and everyone was home. It was wonderful. I'm so behind on your lives, but I'm going to get caught up now!

Monday: week 3 push ups, 60 minutes pool running

Tuesday: 60 minute spin class

Wednesday: week 3 push ups, upper body weights and abs, 60 minutes pool running

Thursday: 60 minute spin class

Friday: week 3 push ups, upper body weights and abs

Saturday: 5 mile barefoot run

A New Perspective

2011-04-19T14:01:00.000-06:00

I've tried to be really positive about my injury. And yes, I'm actually calling it an injury. I haven't even wanted to do that for reasons I'll discuss later. But when Saturday came and it was officially two weeks since I had ran, and it still hurt, any progress that I had made was gone from my mind. And I just focussed on the pain that remained there. I had a really bad attitude. I didn't want to go to the pool. I didn't want to wait until the day was half over to get my exercising done. (Our pool doesn't open until one on Saturdays. Don't even get me started on that one!) It was raining and I didn't feel like riding my bike in the rain even though I really could have. It was warmish. I really just wanted to run. I talked with my workout buddy, Heather and she thought she might go on a walk and maybe even a short run. I really wanted to do the same but knew that I'd regret it later. So I sulked. It stopped raining and my husband said he'd ride his bike with me. So we did a 7 mile loop and though I had planned to go back out, I was done. I sulked some more. There were even a few tears.

I texted with a good friend (you know who you are) and had her talk me out of running on my hurt foot. I promised her and myself that I would not run until I have no pain plus one day. Then I went and saw a movie with my daughter that changed my whole day. And there were more tears. Soul Surfer is a true story about a 16 year old girl who lives in Hawaii. She was born to surf. It was her whole life. She had a fantastic future ahead of her. And then there was a shark attack that took her arm. Her recovery and what she continued to do with her life after the attack is simply inspiring. There's one part in the movie where her religious leader is teaching the youth through an object lesson. She shows them pictures of things magnified and has them try to identify them. She then points out that it's hard to see things clearly when you're too close. Sometimes you need a new perspective. And that's what I came away out of that movie theater with. Some perspective. And it came during my 26 mile bike ride that I did as soon as I got home.

The whole thing that started my freak out session was seeing a countdown until the Ogden Marathon. It said 35 days. If you take into account a good taper period, there's only a few weeks of real training left. And though I've had some really great training runs, I don't feel ready. And I really don't want to run through pain and cause further damage. I've done that before and hope that I've learned my lesson. The thought of NOT running that marathon is devastating to me. For so many reasons. But it all boils down to pride. I have something to prove, if to no one but myself, and not being able to do it seems like a failure, yet again.

But with my new perspective and the big picture, it's not all about the marathon. Simple running is what I love. Yes, I love the challenge of the marathon. I love seeing improvement in myself and my abilities. And I love the life lessons I learn each time I run a marathon. But it's not the only thing I love about running. In fact it's just a tiny portion of why I run. And I get caught up in the little things and they can ruin it for the big picture. I love having my body be in motion. I love the feel of movement against something. It feels like progress. Whether it's the treadmill or a hill or my favorite dirt road. Movement frees my mind and allows me to think clearly. Sometimes it's about nothing at all, which I love. I love that no one is asking me to do something for them. There's no, "mom! I need..." While I LOVE being a mom, I also love my time when I'm out in nature, free for an hour from responsibility. Free to be myself. I love running with friends and letting the miles erase worries of the day. It's therapy. I love running by myself. I feel like an athlete when I run and I've never considered myself an athlete at any other time in my life. And running barefoot has only enhanced that love. I love feeling what's beneath my feet. It's pure joy.

For now, my foot feels better than it ever has. This weekend was a turning point. I'll still be good and wait until there's no pain plus a day. But there is some hope there. If this injury ends up ruining my marathon plans for this year...I will be disappointed. I won't lie. But it won't be the end of the world. I will have time to run in the future. I have years and years. And I'm going to follow my heart and see where it leads.

Push up challenge week 2!

Monday: full body weights, 65 minutes pool running

Wednesday: 16 mile bike ride outside with trailer, full body weights

Thursday: 60 min spin class

Friday: upper body weights, abs

Saturday: 35 mile bike ride

Winners!

2011-04-18T07:50:00.000-06:00

According to Random.Org the winners are:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

61 32 98

Timestamp: 2011-04-18 13:26:52 UTC

#61 Hungry Runner Girl- You win the shirt!

#32 Karl- You win the Garmin!

#98 Lexi- You win the Spibelt!

Congrats to the winners! E-mail me your information and I'll get them sent right out!

Thanks to everyone who entered! I'm still going through your blogs and loving every minute of it! And I really loved what each and every person said about why they loved running and blogging. I could really relate to all your reasons for both. This running/blogging community is so supportive. I'm always touched when someone I've never met is willing to give me advice, encourage me, or just tell me I've done a great job. It's a really unique thing in this world today and I love it! It shows me the good side of humanity and gives me hope. Who knew that simple words could do so much?

An Update of Sorts

2011-04-15T13:59:00.001-06:00

I guess this will be an updating post. Kind of boring. Oh well. I've stuck in a poor quality home video at the end that will make up for it.

First: I am completely BLOWN AWAY by the response to the giveaway. Utterly. It has been so much fun to me to read what you all love about running and blogging. I have read each and every one and can relate to every single one. I have been reading your blogs but it is taking me a while. I am so excited to find some new blogs to read and friends to make. Blogging is such a great outlet for our enthusiasm for this sport that we don't want to bug our "normal" friends with. The running community never ceases to amaze me. I'm excited to draw a few winners and just wish I had more to go around!

Second: a foot update. It feels a little better each day. I can stretch out my toes without the tightness or the pain that I had before so I know it's getting better. It just seems slow. The pain moves from my toes to the top of my foot and back to my toes. But there are times in the day that I forget all about it and it doesn't hurt at all. In fact I've kind of slacked on the icing thing and I should be better about that. I'm sure it helps. I've been waiting for the pain to be gone completely before I run again.

I think I've been pretty positive about this whole thing. I've tried to distract myself with other things but it's almost to the point where I'm starting to get worried. My first marathon of the season is 5 weeks away. I will admit that panic might set in the next week if it doesn't completely go away.

Third: and related to the stinking foot: I am so done with pool running. The only reason I've been able to do so much is because my running partner, Heather went with me for all but one of the times. And even though it was torture, it was bearable with her there. We talked and caught up like the good old days out on the road. However, it really messes with my shower schedule, evening routines, and life in general. I really hope I don't have to go back again on Saturday but I might have to. YUCK.

It was warm enough this week to get my bike out. Blue Betty and I went for a nice 16 miler. It would have been even nicer but I had to pull the 5 year old in the trailer. Needless to say after my spin class the next day my legs were feeling it! The only consolation I have is that it was good for my legs. And they need it right now!

Week 2 of the push up challenge is complete. It's funny how when you look ahead at things they seem like they'll be too much. Like marathon training for instance. You look at those 20 mile runs and everything in between and it seems so hard. But taking them one day at a time makes them do able. It's the same with this challenge. I look ahead to the coming weeks or even days and start thinking I'll never be able to do it. But just one day at a time and sometimes just one set at a time and I'm able to do it. Bring on week 3!

I have myself a little weight training buddy. My 5 year old little boy watches me quite frequently do my exercises and asks to participate. But the last two weeks have had him joining me for almost the entire time. It all started with Megan's lung/squat routine that I did last week a couple of days. As I was doing the sets of walking lunges and squats, he was watching me. And when I did the squat he busted out laughing. He said that he could see my buns and when I had to do 8-10 of them in a row he was on the floor rolling. At least my form was probably good if my rear end was sticking out! So then this week when he wanted to participate, I got a good look at what I must have looked like in his eyes. And it was my turn to laugh. I apologize for the poor quality. My phone is having trouble uploading so I e-mailed it to myself and it didn't come over as good.

Sidenote: my 5 year old son ran more miles than I did this week. sigh.

Giveaway!

2011-04-12T12:33:00.000-06:00

Without being too gushy and telling you all how much your positive comments mean to me and how runners really are the most kind and generous people and how much I enjoy being a part of your lives in a weird but not creepy internet sort of way... I want to give back to you and do a giveaway. I don't have any sweet hook ups with cool companies. But I have skills people. O.k. maybe not even skills, but maybe someone can benefit from my mistaken purchases.

This is my Garmin that I have used probably 20 times total in the last 3 years. It has all the cords and even the heart rate monitor. It has the CD for the computer but I do not know where the instruction manual is. You will have to find it online or have a good friend who knows how to use it. I have just found that I get myself all worked up while using it and it's just not for me. I know someone will love it though. It's spring cleaning time!

This is a spibelt that has been used once. I just didn't like it although I know there are a lot of you out there that really do. I found an iFitness one that I like more and can't see myself ever using this one again. Here again, I know someone will enjoy it and use it. It's just been sitting in my cupboard for a while.

Finally, this is my homespun crafty shirt. I made one a year ago when we were thinking of team names for the Wastach Back Ragnar Relay. Our name was Lips, Hips, and Asphalt but we were having a hard time coming up with costumes. So I thought maybe we should change our name to Bake, Eat, Run, Repeat. We could wear wooden spoons in our hair and wear aprons and serve cupcakes at all the exchanges. We stuck with our original name and loved it. But I had made up this shirt to see what we could have professionally made. Since then, I've worn it around town and I love it. I will make one for you in the colors you like and shirt size or your choice. Keep in mind that this is not really made for running in though.

To enter:

***Leave me a comment about what you love the most about running and blogging. Also tell me which one you'd like to win. I'll be drawing 3 winners. I'd love it if you follow me, but just so that I can make new friends and check out more blogs. Don't feel obligated to follow me unless you like reading my mindless dribble.

***Extra entry if you post this giveaway on your blog! Leave me a comment saying that you've done so!

Will end on Sunday April 17th and I'll announce the winners on Monday.

Strong and Healthy Feet

2011-04-11T13:10:00.000-06:00

At some point I'll be able to say that I have strong and healthy feet. The pain is leaving but it seems like it's just a slow process. It's actually feeling really good compared to last week, so good that sometimes I forget that it's even there. And the old me would have taken them out for a test run but the new me is going to wait until the pain is completely gone. At least that's what I'm saying today. The sun is out and that always makes it hard to stay inside. Especially when I want to be working on my barefooting. All the progress that I seemed to make last month with my feet is gone. The pool has just destroyed my feet. I hope I won't have to do it much longer.

Back to strong and healthy feet. There are several exercises that I used a lot in the beginning to strengthen my feet. And I think it really helped. But I had gotten over confident and quit doing them regularly. So I'm back to being a good girl and Julia asked if I would share some of the exercises that I do. Keep in mind that these are good for any runner and not just barefoot runners. And go check out Julia's giveaway while you're at it. She's a super strong runner and although she's just recovering from a stress fracture, she is doing amazing! She'll be at the Utah Valley Marathon with me and I can't wait to see her in person again!

My photographer is my 5 year old boy. Be patient with me. These aren't the best!

My chiropractor taught me this exercise years ago when I was dealing with IT band problems. It is deceptively simple yet pretty hard to do. All you do is stand on one foot, like a stork. You will feel all the little muscles in your feet and legs immediately engage and start to work to stabilize your foot and keep you from toppling over.

When you can do that easily for 30 seconds, do the same thing with your eyes closed. It's much harder.

When you can do that for 30 seconds, stand on something unstable like a big fluffy pillow. I use my sand filled medicine ball. Again, once you can do it for 30 seconds, try it with your eyes closed. I like to mess around and try ballet poses or yoga poses while doing it. Just be safe and do it where you won't get hurt when you fall. It's a great thing to do while doing dishes or blow drying your hair. But it can be done anywhere. Like when you're standing in line or watching your kids play soccer. One more tip, it's best done barefoot so that all those muscles can work.

The next one I found in Runner's World a couple of months ago under a preventing injuries article. This one was specific for plantar fasciitis. While putting equal pressure on your toes and heel, lift your arch. Imagine a string pulling it up and hold it for a couple of seconds, release, and then repeat.

Lift only your big toe and push the other toes to the ground.

Do the opposite and push your big toe to the ground while lifting all the other toes.

Spread your toes out as far apart from each other as you can get.

I'm not super good at this one. But interestingly, my 2nd toe on my left (gimpy) side was frozen and wouldn't move until I physically moved it with my fingers. I discovered this 3 weeks ago. I think that's it's been part of my problem. I can now move it without extra help.

Try tapping your toes individually on the ground like you were playing the piano. I still can't do this one with all of my toes.

The last one is really fun. Try picking up objects and moving them with your toes. Like marbles or sticks or your kid's toys. Anything that causes your toes to grasp things will help with strength.

If your feet are strong, it will translate upwards to the rest of your legs. Your feet are what stabilizes your whole body! Make them strong!

When you are done, stretching the toes and feet feels really good. I have a wooden foot roller that I roll the bottoms of my foot with, although like many of you suggested a tennis ball or golf ball would work well too! I have also heard of a frozen water bottle.

I have also loved my mailman as of late. He brought me a couple of new barefooting shirts from Krista. I love them because I don't feel nearly so self conscious in my bare feet running through town as long as I have on one of her shirts "telling" them that I didn't forget my shoes, I'm just a barefoot runner.

He brought me my shirt from EMZ. Go check her out and donate if you can, to her cause. She'll be running for 24 hours on a treadmill for her charity. She is a machine. She is awesome.

I also won some blister care stuff from Candice's blog and I can't wait to use it. And Lauren sent me a USB with a ton of great new music that's kind of like the traveling pants and is headed to Boston next. And just yesterday I won some music and a circuit timer and jump rope from Megan. I'm so excited! I can't say how much I love the running blogging community. I've met such great supportive people. People who get me and my insanity. Friends that I love. O.k. I'm done being all mushy but I am a girl after all!

Monday: full body weights, 45 minutes pool running

Tuesday: 60 minute spin class

Wednesday: full body weights, 60 minutes pool running

Friday: full body weights

Saturday: 120 minutes of pool running

While I'm Not Running...

2011-04-08T08:07:00.005-06:00

I'm still not calling myself injured. It's just a little setback. Or a little break from running because my toes hurt. It's back to just pain in my toes and I'm working really hard on stretching my calves and my feet. I'm icing and heating and stretching and strengthening and hoping. And if I don't call it the "I" word then maybe I'll get better super fast.

Anyways.... while I'm not running on the roads (just the pool for me), I decided that I needed something else to occupy my time and brain power. My house is clean and laundry has never been so caught up. So after reading about the 100 push up challenge from my sister in law JaNae and Jess over at Blond Ponytail, I decided that this would be the perfect distraction for me. It sounds impossible and I like that! Go here to get the plan for yourself. I do push ups regularly, two sets of 20, but never really do them to my max. And while I didn't do the initial test, I just started from the highest level beginning point. I've completed week one and it hasn't been too bad. And the timing will be perfect. By the time I finish this program, there will only be one week before the Ogden Marathon. And how cool will it be to say that I did 100 push ups consecutively? Very.

Megan over at Muncher Cruncher also posted a lunge squat pyramid routine that I did on Wednesday and today. Talk about hard. When I reached number 8 I thought to myself that there was no way I was going to be able to finish it. But I did. And I did a second set. I did it holding a 10 lb. weight in front of me and I did not do the jump squats due to my foot, but it was a killer anyway.

If you are looking for a good challenge, either of these are good! Who's in?

I'm also working on a project while I have extra time for a giveaway! Look for that next week!

Then and now

2011-04-06T08:18:00.000-06:00

Last year in anticipation of the Salt Lake City Marathon I wrote this post on monster month.

I've been dreading and worrying about this month ever since I typed up our marathon training schedule into a calendar. Monster marathon month. On paper it looked intimidating. Especially the 10 x 800M Yasso's that we were scheduled to do after the 20 miler. They were tough, but I did it. Actually, doing it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I need to remember to just take things one day at a time. You'd have thought running would have taught me that lesson by now. Anyway, this is what monster month looked like for me:

132 total miles.

of that 36 were speed work miles,

64 were long run miles,

8 miles ended up being a tempo run to make sure I wasn't injured,

and the rest would be recovery miles or junk miles.

I went to 3 spinning classes, did my kick boxing video 4 times, lifted weights 5 times, and lost 0 pounds. On the up side, I only woke up during the middle of the night hungry once and that was after the 20 mile run.

I doubt I will have another month like this the rest of this year. But I guess you never know.

The good news is that I'm feeling good. Really, really good. I'm more excited for the marathon than nervous. And that may be a first. I guess in a little more than 2 weeks I'll find out!

It was a lot of fun looking back at the month and what I had accomplished. Then I got a comment from Marathon Man that said this, "I doubt I will have another month like this the rest of this year." Why not?! You can do it again. The second time will be that much easier. So, when exactly is the marathon? May 15th??" That comment really got me thinking. In fact, I replied to him that I was only running one marathon that year and that I just wasn't made to run high mileage weeks. I remember thinking to myself that I'd never be able to run more than 3 or 4 days a week and 100 miles a month MAX without getting injured and that I was pushing the limits of what my body could do. But that comment stayed in the back of my mind. And it wasn't too long after he made that comment that he passed away suddenly. It was a somber moment. I hadn't followed him for long at all, but he had made an impact on me. Through a simple comment. It's amazing to me how someone can touch your life in such an unexpected way.

Fast forward to November of that same year. I had discovered barefoot running and minimalist running and by the week of Thanksgiving had given up my normal shoes and switched over completely. November's totals were 125.5 miles and December's were 159 miles. I was truly in shock. I wasn't even training for anything. I was just out there having fun. I thought of his comment again and knew that if he could see those totals, he would smile and tell me, "I told you so!"

It's funny how time changes things. Truly, it's the only thing you can depend on. From running to just life in general. I may not have a high mileage month this month, but I know that I will again this year and many more to come.

I love how I can get caught in a time warp looking at pictures of my kids from years ago and remembering how things were.

Here's a few of my favorite then and now pictures.

My two little girls then...

My two girls now. They're still the best of friends.

Then... Our engagement photos.

Us now-ish.

Then...my first baby when he was about 15 months old. And yes, I've had short hair for most of my life.

My baby when he turned 15. sigh.

Our kitchen before....

during...we moved a window, redid the electrical, plumbing, and everything! I'm pretty proud to say that I installed and wired the recessed lighting myself.

Today! My husband built our cabinets in our garage. Seriously, the guy can do anything he puts his mind to.

Baby number four with his curly hair then...

My baby boy now looking so grown up. sniff.

Our kids at Disneyland in 2006...

Our kids at Disneyland in 2010. Can't you see how happy the teenager is to be in Toon Town?

I may have gotten carried away with the pictures but it's so fun to see what changes with time.

Now you must do a post of your own then and now pictures!

A setback and hope

2011-04-04T09:47:00.000-06:00

I was such a good girl all week long and stuck to water jogging and biking and lifting. Even though the weather was GORGEOUS toward the end of the week and I really wanted to be out there running in it. I was a good girl and tortured myself in the pool. I had Heather for company on Wednesday and it made for not so boring of a time. And it was fun to catch up with her like we used to do on our runs. I could really complain about our pool and their policies, but I'm trying to stay positive, so I won't. I won't tell you that I had to beg to be in the deep end and that they were really annoyed with me. I won't tell you that their hours suck and our city needs to get on the ball and build a community center. And I definitely won't tell you that they use so much chorine that my quality Athleta swimming suit is already affected.

So after I had been a good girl all week my foot really was feeling so much better. In fact by Thursday the only thing that still hurt was my big toe. And it felt like it was just in the joint. It almost felt like it needed to be popped. Like it was stiff. I was very excited. Friday I took my feet for a little test run of 3.5 miles with just that slight pain in the toe. It never got worse and by the end of the day still felt the same. I did go hiking Friday night, which may have been a mistake, but it was with my hubby on our date and we did get to watch the sun set which was so beautiful.

I had decided that if it was o.k. Friday then I would attempt my long run on Saturday and call my husband to come get me if it started hurting. Saturday was a beautiful day. I was up early enough to see the sun rise and enjoy the quiet of the morning. I did a 4 mile loop to make sure it was o.k. And it was.

I then headed up the canyon with my friend Jodi to run down it. It was windy but very warm and my jacket didn't stay on for very long. There is a really long never ending uphill that I've never been able to run up all the way without a walking break. Well even with the wind, I relaxed everything and didn't fight the hill or the wind and just cruised up that hill. I was pretty dang excited when we reached the top and I didn't have to stop! We ran downhill the rest of the way to my little city and ran over to her inlaws house where I filled up my water bottle to make my way home. By that time my second toe was aching, but my big toe and the rest of my foot was good. I wound my way home to finish 18.5 miles. Once home I stretched out that toe the best I could and then iced my whole foot.

It was a busy day. My 3rd child, Caroline had her 10th birthday, we listened to Conference, went to Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2, and had a little party at night. By the end of the day, the top of my foot was in pain again. The toes were fine, the pain just moved up. And thus began my weekend of self pity and ice. I know I just need to rest more. And I found this article that I think describes the root of my problem. Tight calves. I had assumed that since I'd gotten over the initial shock to my calves and hadn't been sore for months, that my calves had gotten used to the stress that barefoot and minimalist running puts on them. As I think about how tight my calves feel in spin class while standing with high resistance or how tight they are at the beginning of a run, I have concluded that they might be a more used to it, but that they are chronically tight. I have GOT to be more diligent on stretching them and rolling them. I think this is the root of my foot problem.

I am hopeful today. Sunday I was listening to Conference again and this talk spoke to me. He talked about tribulations and trials in our lives and as I sat there feeling sorry for myself with ice on my foot, everything he said related to running to me. I know it probably shouldn't have, but it did. He talked about how we often see marvelous blessings on the heels of great tribulations. He talked about having to put in the effort to see results. I truly believe that. As marathons have come and gone and I've been disappointed, I have KNOWN deep down that they were just stepping stones. Someday I am going to feel accomplished and satisfied with my result. And it will be because I didn't quit. I kept going even though at times it seemed like a waste of time. I really believe that this is just a small setback in learning how to run right. I have some tweaking to do. And I am encouraged as it feels so much better today than yesterday. And I have a plan for getting completely better. It includes a lot of cross training and a lot of stretching.

Monday: full body weights, 70 minutes pool running

Tuesday: abs, 60 minute spin class

Wednesday: 70 minutes pool running

Thursday: 60 minute spin class

Friday: 3.5 mile run outside in gorilla feet, full body weights

Saturday: 18.5 mile run outside in gorilla feet

Small Town Blues

2011-03-30T13:55:00.000-06:00

I love living in a small town. I love the traffic, or lack thereof. I love the fields and animals that are so close. I love the small town newspaper. I love the schools (for the most part) and I love that I know so many people. Although I am not naive, I like feeling safe here. However, by choosing to live in a small town, I give up some things. We have about 3 good restaurants in town. Shopping is limited. I have to drive 30-45 minutes for real shopping. And the gym selection sucks. There's just no sugar coating that one. There's not really a good option and the only reason I am at the gym I am at, is because of my friend, Holly who's an instructor there. And none of the gyms in town have a pool. And our city only has an outdoor pool. So if you want to go swimming in the winter, spring or fall you have to work around the swim team, swimming lessons, and swim meets at our high school pool. It really is annoying.

My Saturday was going to be a busy one. I had planned on pool running for a couple of hours before it began, but was sorely disappointed to discover that the swim team was having a meeting and the pool wouldn't be opened until 1:00. That was going to be too late for me. I was already a little ornery about having to be in the pool anyway and the preparation that goes into getting into a swimming suit. This didn't help my mood. I went home and changed and headed to the gym to find that it was locked and I left my key faub at home thinking they would be open. I sat in the car for 10 minutes until they officially opened and then headed up to the bikes. A class was just ending (sigh) and there was a new sign on the door that said that the room would be locked unless a class was going on due to some abuse to the bikes. Seriously? I got on the elliptical and hated every minute of it. My calves were tight and they wouldn't loosen up. I did 60 minutes in pain. I know, smart. Then I went to the weight room and pounded out another 45 minutes getting it all my frustration out.

I guess I should back up and explain why I needed the pool. Ever since my glorious 20 miler my toes that felt tired at the end of the run were now sore. I'd wake up in the morning feeling good, run, and then have them ache for the rest of the day. Then the top of my foot started hurting. I started icing but kept running. Then by Thursday night the whole top of my foot was hurting. It even hurt during spin class Thursday. That's when I decided that I needed to take a break and see if I could get it feeling totally better.

So here it is almost a week later and it's finally almost completely better. I did make it to the pool on Monday night for a good 70 minute run. I've tried the floatation devises before but can't get my heart rate up very well so I just ran in the deep end from one end to the other. It was boring, I did it in 10 minute segments with a drink break in between until the time was over.

My plan is to give it a complete week off, take a test run on Friday and decide from there if I should long run on Saturday or not. I just don't want that pain to come back! I CAN NOT get injured at this point in the game. I also signed up for Utah Valley Marathon 3 weeks after Ogden and signed up for the Top of Utah Half Marathon at the end of August. It was filling up fast and I've run it the last 3 years so I couldn't miss out! If any of you Utah bloggers or anyone else for that matter, are thinking about that one... DO IT!

Monday: 1 mile run barefoot on treadmill, full body weights, yoga

Tuesday: 5 mile run in Evo's outside

Wednesday: 7 mile run barefoot on treadmill (6 hill repeats), upper body weights and abs

Thursday: 5.5 mile run in VFF's outside, 60 minute spin class

Saturday: 60 min elliptical, full body weights

Pavlov's Dog Conditioning Theory for Runners

2011-03-23T11:43:00.001-06:00

I am by nature a skeptic. I doubt a lot of what people tell me. I think that advertisers are liars just trying to make a buck. I spent a good portion of my teen age years bucking the system and testing things out for myself. I tend to learn best by my own knowledge. This is not always the best way to learn. I was kicked out of my parents house at 17 when they just couldn't take it anymore. I have a lot of regrets about choices I've made and hopefully I have grown up a lot since then. And I really try to learn from other people's mistakes. How does this relate to running? Well after the traditional ways of running led to injury after injury for me, I found myself on the barefoot and minimalist path. It's been a really great thing and while I'm still learning all the time, I find that even in this community I am still a skeptic and roll my eyes a lot.

For instance: In Michael Sandler's barefoot running book he talks about being in sync with the earth's frequency, or heartbeat. Did you know that the earth has a heartbeat? Apparently it does. It's called the Schumann Resonance. Google it. Our brains use the same frequency to survive and thrive. We are in sync with the earth's heartbeat. And our cell phones and other electronic devices and shoes interfere with our ability to connect with the earth. And it's not just weirdos that believe it either. Nasa created a machine to help the astronauts stay in sync when they leave the earth's resonance behind. Lance Armstrong's crew slept on these blankets that plugged them into the earth to help them recover faster and have decreased inflammation. So while my eye rolling had started, I wasn't sure what to believe or not.

He also talks briefly about running with meditation beads. He uses them to be present during the run. He rubs his fingers over them and repeats a mantra. He also watches to see how much they are bouncing and tries to be smooth and run softly. He also says it reminds him to have his arms relaxed. Running his fingers over those beads helps him be in a meditative state while being aware of what his body is doing. Truthfully, when I first read this I thought to myself that maybe I was reading the wrong book. This was just kind of weird. I am one of those people who at the end of a yoga class, when everyone else is quietly relaxing in corpse pose, am fidgeting and wondering how much longer we have to lie there in silence. Don't get me wrong, I like silence. I just can't lay there with a bunch of other people when I know class is over and there are things to be done next. It's a problem, I admit. I have trouble completely relaxing my mind and body.

But lately, while running, things have been different. I am able to relax and think clearly. This thinking clearly thing is not new. I often get my best ideas while running and solve problems that are weighing on my mind. But I really like the idea of relaxing while doing something as physically demanding as running. That's more my style of relaxation.

One day, after seeing an episode of the Office, I got an idea. Kind of Pavlov's Dog Conditioning Theory for Runners. Check out this clip and then I'll explain my new combination of meditation conditioning.

"http://www.spike.com/video-clips/0jnov0/the-office-the-jim-trains-dwight">The Office - The Jim Trains Dwight
Tags: The Office - The Jim Trains Dwight

I starting thinking about the mantra that I use to remind myself of correct form during a run and wondered if I could trick my brain into doing a sort of self correction. It's kind of like combining the meditation bead theory and the Pavlov theory. So for the past month I've been using it for a certain period of time during each and every run. I really used it during my long run last Saturday and it came in very useful, especially towards the end.

Instead of beads I just lightly rub my fingers together. I have five words that I use as cues. They are: soft, relaxed, smooth, fast, strong. I picked a point low on my pointer finger that I rub the tip of my thumb on for "soft". While I rub the side of my pointer finger with my thumb, I think of things that remind me of the word soft. Like big snowflakes lightly falling on the ground. I try to make my footfalls as light as snow. I try to run as quietly as possible.

Then I rub the tip of my thumb and pointer finger together. This is the cue for "relaxed". I think of my legs and arms as spaghetti noodles. I focus on my breathing being relaxed and when I exhale all the tension flows out of me. I make sure that I'm not tensing any part of my body. My shoulders are relaxed and loose. Think Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

The tip of the bird finger and thumb are the cue for "smooth". I think of my feet being clipped into the bike and they're moving smooth. Like the wheels on a train or the road runner. I pick a sign or something in the distance and see if I can get it to not bounce in front of me.

Then I move to my ring finger and the tip of my thumb for "fast". I think of running on hot coals and having my feet move quickly. The turnover is fast. It helps me pick up my cadence.

My pinky finger is the cue for "strong". I check to see that my abs are engaged. I lift my head up by the base in the back to allow my chest to inflate and let in the maximum amount of oxygen needed. I feel confident and strong. I see myself being strong at the finish line.

So while this may sound like it will take a lot of time and is kind of goofy, yeah, I admit, it might be. But my hope and theory is that before long, after practice, I should be able to touch the tip of my pointer finger with my thumb and have my body automatically relax. I should be able to make my movements smooth by simply touching my birdy finger. And while it might take time for my brain to do it automatically, I have got lots of time and roads ahead of me. I even practiced the relaxing one in the dentist's chair and it worked. In fact, I was so surprised at how much tension I was holding until I touched the tip of my pointer finger and everything relaxed.

Call me crazy, but I'll pretty much do anything that will help me with my running.

What do you think? Am I off my rocker and out in the deep end?

Wanna try it?

Tell me your mantras and physical cues that you want to try and lets see if it works!

Marathon shoes: Decided!

2011-03-21T16:28:00.000-06:00

Our computer crashed last week during an upgrade and I almost cried. I thought of all my thousands of pictures, music, e-mails, and files that were all on that computer. And then the reality of how addicted I am to this little machine set in. I love reading about all my friends and receiving inspiration and comments from you guys. And I have been without it for 5 LONG days. Luckily, I have a computer genius for a husband and he assured me that he would be able to fix everything and bring it all back. We've been wanting to get another disk drive to automatically back up the computer, but just hadn't done it yet. We do now. Still, my husband has been able to save everything. My music is copying as we speak and at some point I will get caught back up on all your lives. I sound a bit pathetic, don't I?

On the running front I had a big happy face this weekend! On Thursday I ran to the gym in the evening to my cycling class. And I ran the whole way barefoot. It was only 2 1/2 miles and I've run farther, but it fun running barefoot to a destination. The only hard part was carrying my shoes and water bottle.

Friday night I was up late. We had been out with friends and had a great time. But on the drive home from the restaurant, I started to dread my run the next morning. DREAD. I am sick of my music and couldn't do any changing because of the computer situation. I wanted someone to run with. That wasn't going to happen. I am sick of the places that I run. It seems like I have run everywhere in my little city and I need new scenery. But with no one to go with the hubby was not going to let me run the canyon or somewhere like that alone. I really just didn't want to do it. I whined to my husband.

I woke up Saturday morning still filled with that dread. I finally got a grip and told myself that it really was going to be a sucky run if I kept that attitude. So I pulled up my bootstraps and sucked it up and got dressed. I took my peppermint oil for my stomach issues (thanks toMisszippy!) and packed up my Hammer gels (montana huckleberry) and headed out the door in the hurricane style winds. I told myself that I would do 3 x 5 mile loops and then stick 3 miles on the end. After the first 3 miles in the wind, I told myself that if it didn't let up that I would go home and finish it on the treadmill.

In the middle of that first lap I got a text from my slightly injured running partner Heather, asking me if I wanted some company on my run. She was volunteering to ride her bike next to me. That my friends, is the sign of a true friend. She knew I was dreading that run and was going to help me out. Unfortunately she had a flat. She got the o.k. from the chiropractor to try her foot out this weekend so her husband drove her to me and she ran 2.5 miles with me to finish out loop #2. It was SO nice to have some company. The wind had let up a little and her company totally cheered me up. It also ended up being a really great running day. My body felt good. Really good. We grabbed my husband's bike for the 3rd loop and she rode next to me. So fabulous. She left me to finish out the remaining 3 miles and I knew I could do it.

I was trying to decide where 3 miles would be and finally just made the decision that I was feeling so good I would just make it 20 miles even. I finished out those last 2 miles a little faster and couldn't believe how good I felt. The only thing that was even hurting was my toes and the top of my left foot again. I was to the point where I wasn't feeling it much at all during the week but I guess 20 miles will bring any little aches to the surface. My hip flexors were a little tight, but as soon as I stopped they were fine. I could have kept going but decided to stop and save a little for another day. It was a mileage PR in my monkey feet and I think they are going to be my marathon shoes.

This was just the little boost I needed. My recent long runs were not what I wanted them to be. This run was how I want marathon day to feel like. My stomach was great. I gelled at mile 6,11, and 16. 3 gels. No stomach problems whatsoever! Since I had success with the Hammer electrolyte tabs, I tried Nuun this week and LOVED it. That will be my new drink of choice. What I really love about both products is that there's not a lot of sugar. I can drink it with my gels. No more carrying gatorade and water on long runs. Yahoo! I felt great the rest of the day and absolutely no soreness the next day. Not even in my calves. I expected that I would with a mileage increase. I kept wondering if I counted the loops right. I still almost couldn't believe that I had done it. It's almost like I'm training for my first marathon all over again. I'm quite excited about all of this and can't wait to share another little mind game that I've been working on. If you didn't think I was weird before, you will after that post!

We also got the garden started Saturday. After hauling in 2 truckloads of compost last weekend, my husband tilled and got the rows ready for planting while I was on my run. We have peas and spinach planted and will do broccoli, cauliflower, chard, arugela, cabbage, carrots, and onions sometime this week. I can't wait until we have fresh tomatoes and peppers again. That's by far my favorite.

Do you have a garden?

What fresh veggies are you looking forward to this summer?

What's your best long run tip?

Monday: 5.5 mile run in gorilla feet with strides outside

Tuesday: core work, 60 min spin class

Wednesday: 6.26 mile run barefoot on treadmill, upper body weights and abs

Thursday: 4.5 mile run in VFF's outside, 2.5 mile run barefoot outside, 60 min spin class
Friday: 4 mile run barefoot on treadmill, upper body weights and abs
Saturday: 20 mile run!!! In gorilla feet outside

Why I love my Spin Class

2011-03-16T10:55:00.001-06:00

I love my spin class. And so do a lot of other people. Starting in January (new year folks) it has been full every week. I had to start going 45 minutes early just to get a bike. It got to be that we started the class early every week because we were full. Yesterday was the first time that it hasn't been completely full. But you better believe that I'll still be there early next week just in case. Part of the popularity is because of our awesome instructor!

She is a personal trainer and has been one of my best friends for 12 years or so. She's the only reason I've stayed at that gym. She has good music and knows how to motivate you to work your hardest. I've gone into the class thinking that I'd take it easy. Yeah, that never happens. You just can't help it!

Aren't those purple walls the best! You should see the lime green paint in the rest of the gym. Insert sarcasm here. I pretty much just sit and stare at her arms the whole time and wish I was good enough to eat like her so that I look like her.

You wouldn't think that spin class would relate to running much, but I have found that it has helped me in unsuspecting ways.

The first thing it's done for me is teach me that I don't have to stay with the beat of the music. I used to have a real issue with running to the beat. So I would try to start with a medium tempo progressing to a faster tempo towards the end of the playlist. But because of spinning and having to pick up my cadence during parts of a song and no longer follow the beat, I have translated that over to my running. When I find that I am running to the beat and maybe have slowed down, I tell myself to pick up the cadence and I can.

Spinning has also taught me to have a smooth motion in my feet. It's easy to pound down on the pedals to get yourself going but that makes for a jarring ride that's not good for the joints. It's better to have a smooth 3 to 9 position with the pedals constantly pushing through with the quads, pulling with the hamstrings and calves. Even while standing it's better to try and isolate and make it smooth than to pound it out bouncing up and down or even swaying back and forth. Feet are in a straight position, no pointing of the toes. So how does this translate to running? I try to picture my feet while I'm running as being clipped in to that bike. No heel striking or pointing of the toes. Just landing and lifting up and repeating. I think about my motion being smooth, soft and light and kind of looking like the roadrunner with that circular motion in the legs, all the while his upper body is standing still. Kind of makes you want to let out a "meep, meep" huh. Maybe I should try it. It might make me faster!

Spinning has taught me that engaging your abs helps keep everything aligned. Bending at the waist (like a Barbie), keeping a flat back, and engaging the core is the proper form while riding. Now obviously while running you're not going to be bending your waist, but engaging the core is something that helps support your lower back and consequently everything that is connected below that. This is something that I really need to work on.

Since I decided that I wasn't going to do speed work this time around, I am using my spin class as modified speed work. I really pound it out while I am there and those intervals really get me going. And I am dripping wet by the time I am done!

What is your favorite cross training activity?

Do you think it helps with your running?

Weekend Madness!

2011-03-14T14:04:00.002-06:00

First: Thanks for all your ideas on fueling! I'm going to try several of them and let you know what works best. It seems that stomach issues are kind of a big deal for a lot of people. I'm glad I'm not the only one! It never ceases to amaze me how great the blogging/running community is. I love that everyone is willing to share their tricks and that even the elites are willing to share their "secrets" to help the average joe runner become better. Awesome!

Second: I may have the best husband in the world. We had a really busy weekend planned. My brother was in state from Alabama with his wife and new daughter. They were blessing her while they were here with family and we were traveling down south to be with them. (She is a doll by the way! I almost stole her and took her home.)

But as such, we were leaving early on Saturday morning when I would normally be running. I jokingly told my husband that he should take Friday off so that I could do my long run then instead of being stuck on the treadmill for 15 miles. I didn't think much more of it until he came home from work 2 days later and told me he took it off. What a sweetie!

My long run can be summed up in one word: windy. YUCK. There is pretty much nothing more than I hate than running in the wind. Give me rain, snow, sleet, hail... but keep the wind! I feel like a big whiner most of the time when I talk about my long runs. So why would this week be any different, right? The muscles all around my ankles feel tight lately and it took about 5 miles before they felt loose and good. The top of my foot hurts right above my big toe, but it never got any worse during the run. I wore my VFF's with bandaids over the blister residue and socks. I still don't really like them. I think my off brand (Gist) work better on my foot. The VFF's just feel so tight around the top of my foot and a little too loose in the toe area. But the size down felt too tight all around. Argggg. I'll still give them another go before I make up my mind. I tried GU Chomps as fuel and got nauseous towards the end. I'll try Hammer gels again next week and see if it was a fluke that they worked for me last week or if they're a keeper.

Saturday, in the middle of family activities, I got to meet up with my elite runner friend, Janae. It was great talking with her about running and life in general. I love that girl. She is so sweet and really cares about people. If you are one of the few people on the planet that doesn't read her blog yet, you should. The only complaint I have about our meeting is that it just wasn't long enough!

Sunday we spent the day at church and then with my husband's side of the family celebrating my mother in law's birthday. So much fun! Especially since the weather was springlike! My favorite part of the night was having races with the kids across the grass. We did skipping, gallops, sprints, running backwards, wheelbarrow races, and combinations of them all. It was great and was the biggest reminder that spring really is coming!

Yes, that's me in the white dress. It was getting dark so they're all blurry!

And yes, I'm coming in 2nd. In my defense I was dodging kids. But I still beat my daughter so everything was good!

I missed all of my spin classes last week due to a charter school meeting (we are working on getting one going for the 2012 school year. It will be the first one in our area!) and a church meeting and I can't wait to get back at it again this week!

What did you do fun this weekend?

What work outs are you looking forward to this week?

Monday: 4 mile run outside in Evo's, upper body weights and abs

Tuesday: 6 mile run outside in Evo's (4 hills), lower body weights and abs

Wednesday: 6.25 mile run barefoot on treadmill, upper body weights and abs

Thursday: 2 mile hike (.5 barefoot)

Friday: 15.5 mile run in VFF's

Saturday: 5 miler run in Evo's

Quantity vs. Quality

2011-03-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

I tend to get carried away fairly easily. With mostly warm spring like weather last week, it was an easy decision to run in the afternoon when things were at their warmest so that I could start toughening up my feet again. Friday's run I was able to go 3.75 miles completely barefoot. I was pretty excited. Yeah, my feet were feeling a little raw but I was glad. Up until this point I have felt like I could have gone farther. Not this day. They were at the point where they couldn't go on that chipped asphalt anymore. Cool. I inspected my feet. No blisters or hot spots. They just felt raw. I slipped my gorilla feet on and finished out my run.

It just so happened that last week the kids had early out Wednesday and no school on Friday. I had much more time to run and so I did. Saturday is when it came back to bite me. I started adding up my miles for the week and knew that I'd overdone it. If I did my planned 16 miler, I'd be doing 47 miles in a week. That would be a new distance record for me ever. And with all the barefooting I had done, it wasn't going to be the smartest idea. So I set out just to see how it would go and I'd make the decision based on how I felt while I was out there.

It was a great day. 41 degrees and overcast. The first mile was torture. I don't know why. I just wasn't feeling it. But after a couple more miles I was settling in to a nice easy pace and enjoying myself. I ran out west by the grandma house that I want to own someday. My feet were starting to get tired. As I got closer to town they really started to ache. All over, but mostly in my toes. I called the husband at mile 14 and he came and got me. My feet ached all Sunday too. So I'm glad I called it in. Still, 44.5 miles last week. But I don't feel like they were quality miles as far as marathon training goes. Yes, I did do hills and I did run longish. But most of it was spent having fun barefooting, trying out new shoes, and just having more time than I usually do. I feel like I keep losing my focus. While I'm loosely following a plan, my heart just isn't into this marathon like I wish it was.

On the fueling front: I went to my running store and talked with the owner about different options. I decided to try Hammer gels because they don't have any refined sugar in them. I really think that all the sugar that I consume during the race makes my stomach upset. Between the sweet gatorade and then the gels, my stomach just doesn't do it well. It may be something else, but that's what I've come up with for now. I tried the apple cinnamon kind and it tasted good and I had no stomach issues. I also tried their electrolyte fizz that I added to my water. It was refreshing and not sweet at all. I'll keep trying this new concoction on longer runs and see if it continues to work for me. The only issue then is packing my own nutrition to the race instead of just being able to use what they have.

Anyone else have stomach issues?

What do you do when you lose focus?

How do you get it back?

Monday: 9.5 miles outside in gorilla feet (2.5 barefoot, 3 hills)

Tuesday: full body weights, 60 min spin class

Wednesday: 9.5 miles outside in VFF's (1.5 barefoot)

Thursday: 4 mile run outside in Evo's (1.5 trail), 60 min spin class

Friday: 7.5 mile run outside in gorilla feet (3.75 barefoot)

Saturday: 14 mile run outside in gorilla feet

I'm back, baby!

2011-03-04T12:03:00.002-07:00

Let me start this post by saying that I probably didn't make it clear in my last post that I am not a shoe wearer hater. Or even a shoe hater. In fact, I love shoes. And if shoes are working for you, I think that's great. We're all just trying to be healthy and do what we love. I'm just sharing what has worked for me. Reference this post to get my real feelings on how runner's should behave towards one another.

Now... I didn't realize how badly I was feeling with that head cold of mine until Monday when it was almost gone. Monday's run was euphoric because I felt so good. It could have been that I waited until the afternoon when the sun was out and I was able to do 2.5 miles of it barefoot. (I got to go on that smooth asphalt west of town! And I had no blisters or hot spots. I probably could have gone longer.) It could have been because my daughter ran a mile of it with me or that I tacked a killer hill for 3 repeats. Or it could have been everything combined. But I was able to really push it clear until the end when I looked at the time and found it was almost time for me to drive a dance carpool. I was surprised to find out that I had gone 9.5 miles and didn't even realize it.

Wednesday's run was similar except for one small issue. After my scary trail run incident, I got the o.k. to get some real Vibrams with some traction. I've been running in my gorilla feet that are kind of a knock off brand called Gist. I've liked them a lot but when I tried on some real Vibrams last month, there was a noticeable difference in the quality and feel. I've wanted some ever since. So with the hubby's o.k. to purchase more shoes in my quest to run barefoot (ha! ha!) I got a pair of Bilkilas. I am right in between the sizes and ended up getting the larger because I felt like the smaller ones wouldn't work well in the heat or longer distances because my feet tend to swell. My toes were right at the end and they felt very snug. So I figured larger would be better. However, after about 3 miles I could feel some rubbing going on. I adjusted the straps to looser then tighter but it just kept getting worse. I ended up just taking them off and going barefoot as long as possible. It was wet and not very warm so it wasn't as pleasant of an experience. I only lasted 1.5 miles. And my feet felt more raw than Monday's 2.5 miles. I attribute it to the wet streets. It was a toss up as to which was going to hurt more. I put them back on and headed home doing another 9.5 miles. I don't know what to do with them. I obviously have to wait until these blisters heal before I can try it again. I don't know if I had them too loose so they rubbed or if they are just too tight overall. I don't even know if the store will take them back. I'm not to thrilled about that. Everything else was great though. No top of the foot pain or any pain other than those darn blisters! Urrgggggg.

Thursday I got to run on the mountain for a little bit. It was a rainy morning that was beautiful. I really need to get on that mountain right behind my house more often. It's not really beautiful, unless you think sagebrush is beautiful but the hills are a killer.

It's been in the 40's almost all week so my run for today is planned for outside as well. The kid's have the day off from school so I can go whenever. Really, I'm so excited for spring and summer!

Why I Chose to Run Barefoot

2011-03-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

It seems funny to say that because for the last several months I really haven't been able to run barefoot. But even in minimal shoes these last couple of months have been the most rewarding period of running. I've run more days per week and more miles than I ever have been able to do before and felt better doing it than ever before. And let me preface this with the fact that I am still a beginner. I don't have all the answers. I still have questions. I'm still working on my form. I'm a newbie. But I love it and want to share it with whoever wants to listen.

It really has evolved, as most things do, from years of little things that culminated in the final decision. I am one of those chronically injured runners. My IT bands were almost always the culprit. But I've had a TFL injury, piraformis issues, and calf problems. I always thought that it was because I would increase my mileage to soon, run too many hills, or try to go too fast. And that may well be part of it. But after a lot of research on the internet (I love you, google) and talking with my chiropractor last summer, I came to the conclusion that running wasn't hurting me, I just wasn't running correctly. I really believe that if we run properly, and coincidentally, efficiently, that we should be able to run pain free for years and years. And I'm not thinking 20 or so years. I'm thinking until I die type of years. And by running efficiently I should be able to feel good while running more miles. I'm not looking to break any world records, or even place at events. I just want to run pain free for life. This is where I really started focussing on a mid foot strike. All the research I had done pointed me in this direction. When you strike the ground with your heel first a lot of things happen. First you land in front of your body with your leg mostly straight. Your heel comes in contact with the ground and because it's in front of you, it has a braking effect. All the force from the contact with the ground then radiates up your legs to your knees,hips and back. When you land mid foot with your leg mostly under your body and your center of gravity, your arch, ankles, and knees all act as shock absorbers. You aren't braking either and when you lift your foot you are continuing in a constant moving motion rather than the stopping and starting associated with heel striking. I combed through years of past running photos and found that I was a heel striker. So I started practicing landing mid foot. But I found that even when I thought I was watching my form and trying to land under my body, I was still heel striking. And trying to force myself to run on my mid foot was almost exhausting. It was hard work. That's when my research led me to barefoot running. I read that by taking off the shoes you would automatically start to run properly. It's not fun to land on your heel without all that cushioning. It's painful. So your body compensates and helps you to land correctly. I decided that I would give it a try and just learn to run properly so that I could run in shoes the right way.

Last September I ran my first mile barefoot. Actually it was 2 miles on a treadmill and I couldn't walk the next day because my calves were so sore. And we did Disneyland that day. I hadn't done all the research that I should have and though I knew I should start out small, I didn't realize how small, small really should be. Like as in around the block kind of small. I gradually started replacing my miles with barefoot miles or miles in socks. And my form improved. Somewhere along the way I found that it was just plain fun. I had a smile on my face while running. My body didn't hurt anymore. I started running more frequently with great results. While my original plan was to just run properly, I found that I didn't want to put the shoes back on. Unfortunately it got cold really quickly and before long I didn't have a choice. Running with numb feet isn't fun and really doesn't do you much good because you don't get good feedback. However, I found some good minimalist shoes that allow me to have good form along with protection from the snow.

If you are interested in learning about barefoot running and proper form I would suggest a couple of videos from Jason Robillard founder of Barefoot Running University. And of course check out his website. I have found it invaluable information that I refer to often.

Videos: Barefoot Running Clinic part 1 and Barefoot Running Clinic part 2

Here's a few things that I have learned along the way:

*Take it slow. Slower than you would think. The muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones are not used to this. They've been confined in shoes for a long time. But they will become stronger and work as they were intended. But if you go too soon, too fast, you will end up injured. Barefoot running is not a cure all for injuries.

*Be prepared for some sore calves. And sore feet. Every single time you up the mileage or the speed. But know that it won't last forever and you're only getting stronger.

*Listen to your body. Your feet will tell you everything you need to know. Blisters and hot spots and where they are located on your feet will tell you that you are not doing something right.

*Relax. Envision your legs and arms are wet noodles.

*Think light and easy. Imagine the back of your head is being pulled up by an invisible thin thread. Your posture will improve immediately. Your lungs will be able to take in more oxygen.

*Short quick steps help the process. Aim for 180 steps or more per minute.

*Lift your feet. If you concentrate on the lifting motion, your landing will take care of itself.

*Run on ice. There is no better form check. You simply can not push off and stay upright.

*Start on hard surfaces. Grass can hide small objects and won't give you the feedback you need.

*Smile. This one takes care of itself. It's fun being connected with the earth. It's fun feeling the different textures beneath your feet.

I have loved my experience with barefoot and minimalist running. It has been a joy! I can't wait for some warmer weather so that I can enjoy it even more.

Have you ever thought about trying barefoot running?

Do you think it's a fad or the next big thing?

See What I Would Have Missed...

2011-02-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

Friday night we got a whole lot of snow. We were out for ice cream with some friends and in the 3 hours we spent in the restaurant, it snowed about a foot. It was beautiful, but I was so bummed inside because I knew that I had a 14-16 miler the next morning. Ever since we got that little taste of spring I haven't enjoyed winter much anymore. It's almost like a second winter and it's been a little depressing. I love running in the winter. I like it so much better than the summer. I just do better in the cold than in the heat. But I was so looking forward to shedding my feet of shoes and now I'm stuck back in them. I kept reminding myself that it is still February and it should be expected to snow around here for at least another month.

Anyhow... when I woke up Saturday morning the plows hadn't been around yet and I didn't feel like slushing through a foot of snow to avoid cars so I mentally prepared myself for the treadmill. I grabbed my water and did 8 miles without too much effort and prepared to do the rest when I got a phone call. I had to jump off and when I came up the stairs I was greeted with a totally different scene outside. It was a sunny day. The plows had come by and the roads were clear and even beginning to melt. I quickly changed into long pants, threw on a jacket and hat and headed out. I'm so glad that I did.

In the sun the roads were steaming. It was a cool sight to see the steam swirl on the road ahead of me in the slight breeze. It was almost mystical looking. Almost like a dance. While I couldn't get a picture of that, I did try to capture the beauty of the morning.

This is the lane that leads to some killer hills. I need to start doing those again.

I love this little stretch of road. And I can't wait for spring and summer for this road. It's beautifully smooth asphalt. It will be a great barefoot running road. Plus it's got a little stream that runs along the edge.

These are my mountains. I live at the foot of them and love to see them from far away. I love picking out places that I've hiked to and remembering good times from the past.

Towards the end of this run, I felt tired. I think it was because I woke up later than normal and since I didn't fuel during the run it was about noon before I finished. I saw a couple of bald eagles swooping in the sky at the end of my run. I was watching them and realized that I was wandering out in the road. I quickly got on the sidewalk and realized that I was a little delirious. I have decided it's time for me to start trying things to fuel with during long runs. I've been lucky up until now that I haven't really needed anything but water. I haven't had good success with fueling in the past. Everything seems to upset my stomach. I just hate GU's. I have trouble chewing up beans with the same stomach issues. I've tried raisins but even they've upset me. I've never tried chomps, so I think I'll try that next Saturday. Anyone else have any suggestions? I wonder if it's the sugar or sweetness that I can't do well. This is one thing I need to get figured out before the marathon.

I gave myself a snow bath afterwards. I used my phone and called inside for someone to make me some hot chocolate. My husband came out as cars were driving by and looking at me as though I was weird. He said, "You really have no shame do you?" I guess I don't. It was a beautiful day and a good run. And to think I would have missed it all if I hadn't gotten that phone call.

Monday: 8 mile run outside in gorilla feet

Tuesday: full body weights, 60 minute spin class

Wednesday: 8 mile run outside in Evo's

Thursday: 4 mile run outside in Evo's

Friday: 5 mile barefoot run on treadmill, full body weights

Saturday: 16 mile run in Evo's (8 on treadmill, 8 on roads)

Books, Books, and more Books

2011-02-24T14:12:00.001-07:00

I've haven't been a big reader for a number of years. I like to read. It just takes time and I get really disappointed if the book turns out to be a dud. I just don't have time to waste on that. I could be eating, running, watching a movie, or even cleaning my house (gasp) during that time. Combine that with becoming a mom 16 1/2 years ago, and my book repertoire has been concentrated in the children's section. Now don't get me wrong... I love "Suddenly Alligator", "The Giving Tree", "I Love You This Much" and "Go, Dog Go" but I have had a returning longing for a little grown up reading. I made a resolution last year to read at least one book a month. I got a list of suggestions from my cousin who works in a library so I wouldn't be wasting my time. And I loved every single book that I read. Yes, most of them were young adult fiction, but they were still books! I even branched out on my own and found a few keepers all by myself.

Even before this year of reading, I have managed to find time in the past years to read some running books. However, I have found that many of them are like a "how to" book that isn't super fun to read. I need to be entertained. It's sad commentary on myself but so true. And many of them I was just slogging through. I bought "Chi Running" back in 2008 and got stuck with all the spiritual mumbo jumbo and never finished it. I did gain knowledge from it though about running form and still think about aspects of it to this day. I bought "Brain Training for Runners" and got stuck with some of the physiological break downs and never finished it. I think I really need that one and may pick it back up.

I also read "Performance Nutrition for Runners". That was a really worthwhile book and while I don't follow every principal it contained so much useful information from supplements to special diets. It's one I would recommend and will mail to anyone who wants to borrow it. But none of these were entertaining books.

Then last year I read "Born to Run". While it was an extremely informative book, it was a novel. A story. And a really entertaining one at that. I couldn't put it down. I will admit to taking it on a date once to the raised eyebrows of my husband. It was only for the car ride there. I put it away after that. But it seems that since that time I have read some really informative, yet thrilling books on runners. And I think that's the difference. It's about the people. People doing incredible, unimaginable, seemingly impossible things. And I like that. It's inspiring. It makes me wonder what is possible.

So here's a few of the books that I've read that I think you all would really like. And you may have already read them. Tell me if you have and what you thought about them.

"The Barefoot Running Book Second Edition" by Jason Robillard.

While this is a "how to" book, it is extremely interesting. I wish I had found this book when I first started thinking about barefoot running. It takes the reader from "the why" behind barefoot running, to drills that prepare your feet and awaken those unused muscles. It then has a beginner, intermediate, and advanced barefoot runner sections. It also has a great section on minimalist footwear and what to look for. It has concepts, issues, and activities for getting you on the right road to barefoot running without injury. And at the end it has his incredible story of running the Hallucination 100 mile race. Those races enthrall my mind and spirit because they seem so impossible. I love stories about people doing incredible things. I have to remind myself though that once I thought a marathon was impossible. That gives me great hope that possibly someday I might be able to do something like that. Totally inspiring!

"Barefoot Running" by Michael Sandler.

Michael starts his book by telling while training for a 4000 mile coast to coast skate to help children with learning disabilities, he is in an accident that leaves him with a titanium hip and femur. He was told he'd never run again and be lucky to walk. He was lucky to be alive. But he went from crutching, to walking, and then through barefoot running was able to run again. He typically run 10-20 miles a day now. His book is more in depth and offers a slightly different view on barefoot running technique. He also has drills and exercises and talks about nutrition. But he talks about landing on the forefoot which I found caused extra stress to my calves and achilles. Jason talks about landing midfoot with your heel lightly touching the ground the same time as your toes. He also is very specific when it comes your your arms and I found that when I concentrated on the specific angles, that I couldn't relax, which has been the single most important thing that has helped me with my running. Michael overcomes great obstacles including not having an ACL and 10 knee operations. His story is truly inspiring.

"Ultra Marathon Man" by Dean Karnaz.

You simply can not read this story without being amazed and inspired and even a little bit teary. It is the story of how Dean got started in running and eventually in ultra marathons. He describes himself as an ordinary man, but soon into the story (and it is a great story) you realize that his will to do the extraordinary is amazing. It follows his Junior High career, the loss of his little sister, his 15 year break from running and climbing the corporate ladder, and his eventual return to running. The story follows his first ultra, his DNF through Death Valley's Badwater 135 mile race, and his conquering everything in his path. It follows him through a 199 mile relay race as a team of one. Everything about this book is thrilling and inspiring. But what I really love about Dean is his down to earth manner, how humble he is, and what a great dad and husband he seems to be. But the more you get to know about ultra endurance athletes, I think this is a common characteristic.

"50/50" by Dean Karnaz.

A follow up book that gives the mere mortal Dean's lesson he learned while running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. Another example of his giving nature to share his secrets with the rest of the world. I read this through the first time as a pleasurable experience, enjoying each race across the U.S. I loved the people he met and the hardships that he overcame. I am now reading it again, highlighting all the tips. The biggest thing that jumped out at me was a cure for nausea while running. He suggests ginger. Either candied or just straight up ginger. Why didn't I think of this before? It's supposed to help with morning sickness while pregnant. But I didn't think about that connection. This is something I will be carrying with me and trying. I loved every minute of this book.

"Into Thin Air" by John Krakauer

While this is not a running book it is certainly about people doing extraordinary things. It is about a tragic climb to Mount Everest. If you think runner's are crazy... we've got nothing on these idiots. Even after reading it and "experiencing" the summit (for 5 minutes before going back down), I don't get it. It seems like a cold torture that last a couple of weeks and maybe months. But the will to survive and do something that seems impossible is gripping and exciting to read about.

What have you read lately that you can recommend?

I just started "The Running Life" by Donald Buraglio and Michael Dove. I will let you know how that one is when I'm done!

Long Run = DNF

2011-02-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever I quit a long run. And as disappointed as I was, I think it was the right thing to do. I had a nice head cold, didn't dress appropriately for the weather, and just plain didn't feel good. I set out hoping for a 12-14 miler. But after the sun disappeared and the cold rain and wind started up, not wearing a hat or gloves or socks took it's toll. I stopped at one point to decided whether I should tough it out and found that I couldn't move my forehead or mouth very well. I also was feeling slightly dizzy. I decided to call it quits. I called my mother in law and she drove out and got me. I sat in the warm tub for a long time sulking. When you feel crappy, it's hard to imagine feeling good. It's hard to remember why I think I can do these things. And it's easier to understand why people quit. I don't like to think of myself as a quitter, which is why it was hard to stop running even though it was hard. I like to think that I am able to push through pain. But on that day, I just didn't feel like punishing my body.

Monday I set out feeling much better and did 8 miles like it was nothing. I know that the mind has a lot of control over the body. But sometimes, listening to what the body is trying to tell us isn't always a bad thing. At least in a training run, right? Hopefully this week turns out much better.

I should wear a hat just to cover up those scrawny bangs. But boy, it was a gorgeous morning.

Now I'll leave you with two of my favorite dishes.

Leftover salmon with orzo pasta, broccoli, Italian dressing, and tomatoes. Seriously, I could eat this every day.

Eggs, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, and wheat tortillas. YUM!

How do you handle bad running days?

What is a favorite thing that you are eating lately?

Monday: 5.5 mile run outside in socks, .5 miles barefoot

Tuesday: 5.5 mile run outside in socks, full body weights, 60 spin class

Wednesday: 5 mile run outside (.5 barefoot the rest in gorilla feet)

Thursday: full body weights, 60 spin class

Friday: 4.5 mile run outside in gorilla feet

Saturday: 9 mile run outside in gorilla feet

It's a Heat Wave!

2011-02-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

With temperatures "soaring" at 50 degrees on Monday afternoon, I had been planning all day to do a very short barefoot run. I had already done a 5.5 miler in the morning in my socks but want to start the toughening up process of my feet again. I was giddy. Unfortunately, I ended up taking daughter #2 to the doctor to cast a broken finger after school and then dance car pools started and then dinner and the sun going down was fast approaching. However, I was able to go 1/2 mile in my bare feet and it was awesome. It felt good to feel the asphalt beneath my feet. It even felt good to do feel the rocks under my feet. I went until my feet felt a little raw and then stopped. I wanted to go more, but spring is coming, right? I inspected my feet when I got home and they were no worse for the wear. And by the end of the night they felt back to normal. I kind of wished I had gone farther.

And yes, I did run in my jeans. And no, they're not pajama jeans. I just figured it was going to be short so why change!

Apparently I can't smile very well.

This morning was 45 degrees. I think that 45 degrees morning is different than 45 degrees afternoon when the street has seen the sun for the better part of the day. I barefooted it for another 1/2 mile and finished out the rest of the 5 in my gorilla feet. I think I would have made it farther if it had been a little warmer. I am glad to say that I have no more top of the foot pain. I focussed on easy and light and things went well. I passed my neighbor when I was first starting out as she was taking her son to school. The look she gave me was good. There's nothing like a jaw hanging open and for me to smile and wave in return. You'd think I'd been carrying a bloody animal or something other than just my shoes. I'm sure I'll hear about that later.

Which has gotten me thinking about what I'm going to tell people when they ask me why I'm going barefoot. And maybe some of you are wondering the same thing. I need to remind myself sometimes. I plan on answering that in greater detail in coming posts.

Snow is forecasted for tomorrow. I'm glad for the little reprieve though and it makes me excited for spring.

Top of Foot Pain, Speed Work, and my Real Reason to Run

2011-02-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you're torn between two different ways of thinking and you just end up trying to mesh the two together? It doesn't always work very well. It's not like peanut butter and chocolate which are separately good BUT together are even better. I have been back and forth this last week over two schools of thought. One is running for enjoyment, being able to feel relaxed, and easy and light. The other is working on increasing my speed through speed and tempo workouts. I am conflicted in how I want to approach this upcoming marathon. With the training officially started, I've gotten pumped and excited to be on a journey to another finish line. I'm convinced this one will have a much different ending, a good one. One that I can feel some sense of satisfaction and achievement. And I thought I knew how to get there. I had decided to just try and be relaxed and enjoy myself and see what happened. No time goals. Just finish and feel decent.

But then I start reading. I've been so inspired by all of the bloggers out there who are challenging themselves and reaching for new heights. Whether it's in running 3 miles for the first time, completing a hard speed workout, qualifying for Boston or training for their first ultra, it seems everyone is reaching higher. I think that's natural for runners. We're not content with the status quo. We want more. We want to be better than we previously were. I truly believe, and more so each day, that there really aren't limits to what this amazing human body can do.

With that being said, there are some limits to what my body can do without being injured. It's part of running smart so that I can run for a lifetime. And I ignored what I have learned time and time again through bitter heartache. I ran through pain. Thankfully, I'm learning a bit faster and no permanent damage was done. But it was a wake up call to me- again. Two weeks ago I ran my first speed workout in about a year. It felt great. I didn't really know how fast I could go or how long I could sustain it. I did mile repeats and it felt great. However, the next day I noticed some pain in the top of my foot. It wasn't bad though. It ached through my tempo workout on Thursday and some during my 16 miler. Last Tuesday during my next speed workout, it hurt. I had done 2 x 800 meter repeats when I finally listened to my body, kicked off my gorilla feet and just slowed it down and finished out the miles barefoot at an easy pace. But it ached all the rest of the day and through the night. I didn't do anything Wed. In fact, I was a bit scared and slightly bummed that I had been so careless. A stress fracture is the last thing I need. But by Thursday it felt much better. I ran in place cautiously and decided it was good. So I put on my socks and went outside and took it easy. Friday I felt good. So like an idiot, I looked at the training program again and decided to try my scheduled tempo workout. I ran in my socks on the treadmill in case it started hurting, but it was much better. And I nailed that tempo workout. It felt good to hold a pace that was hard. Friday night the foot pain was there. Not bad, but there. Now I never said I was the brightest in the bunch so you can see why I still did my long run on Saturday. And I took my Garmin for the first time since last June. I had looked at the training program and saw the pace and wanted to see if I could do it. My route was not easy. It consisted of 7 x 1.15 miles of uphills and the same downhills. I was focussed on my speed, my arms pumping to the back, and my feet landing properly. I was able to maintain a good pace but it wasn't super easy. During the 5th downhill the top of my foot hurt. I stopped immediately and walked. I started up again slowly and it was o.k. By the 6th uphill portion I was fading. My body felt like it was on a long run. My shoulders, calves, hamstrings, and butt felt tired. I was having to talk myself into finishing strong. But when I got to the last uphill portion something clicked in my brain. I started remembering how good I had felt on a couple of previous long runs. These were runs that I wasn't focussed on speed, where I was concentrating on relaxing everything. These were super enjoyable runs where my body didn't feel tired. Running was fun. So I told myself to stop worrying about speed for this last uphill. I relaxed everything. I tried to pretend I was barefoot. I enjoyed the sun that was out and shining. I tried to smell what was around me- the dirt and almost spring smell that was in the air. Even my breathing relaxed and suddenly everything was better. Just for fun I glanced at my watch and my pace was exactly the same as it had been before.

I really thought about it yesterday. I talked with my good friend, Heather. I have come to the conclusion that I have gotten away from what I originally set out to do. It's not that I don't enjoy challenging my body. Because I do. I liked seeing those numbers. But I am injury prone. I am tired of starting over because I have to take months off. I am learning to run a different way. It's not about speed. It's about enjoying the run. It's about relaxing my body so that I don't injure it. It's about being able to run for the rest of my life. This may not be my fastest marathon. And I will be o.k. with that. I'm not running with my watch anymore. I'm going to run according to how I feel. The speed will come. I know it will. I keep forgetting what I loved about the book Born to Run. Start with easy. Then make it light. Practice making it smooth and by the time you master those, you won't have to worry about speed because it will already be there. That is my new master plan.

Monday: 5 mile run outside in Evo's

Tuesday: 5 mile run on treadmill (3 miles in gorilla feet, 2 miles barefoot), full body weights, cycling class

Thursday: 5 mile run outside(4 miles in socks, 1 mile in gorilla feet), cycling class

Friday: 7 mile run in socks on treadmill, full body weights

Saturday: 15 mile run outside in Evo's

Barefoot Running Shirt=Very Cool

2011-02-10T10:53:00.002-07:00

Krista at Running Naked on Sharp Pointy Stuff is an awesome graphic designer. She is also a barefoot runner. She designed these awesome t-shirts and I knew when I didn't win one that I still had to have one. I got the bamboo kind and I want to wear it non stop. It is so comfy. It is soft and I can already tell it's going to be one of my favorite shirts. Now if they just came in red. I've already put in my request for that!

Ignore the bad picture and focus on the awesome shirt.

I will tell you the only problem that I see wearing this shirt. I feel like to be true to the shirt that I have to be completely barefoot while wearing it. No minimal shoes... no gorilla feet. So until spring comes, I'll be wearing it on my treadmill and to cycling classes. No, I don't cycle barefoot. It's just there's no choice there. Now, if only it could be my marathon shirt. Big sigh. I wish. Thanks, Krista! I can't wait for your future designs. You are so talented!