It's been....well, forever.

Yeah well, I haven't had much to blog about along the lines of running. I think the last time I blogged was prolly the last time I ran. Sad, I know. I want to get back out there and run again. I need motivation. Maybe I'll sign up for a 5k again. Anywhoo...since the last time I posted Madison started kingergarten and Riley turned 2.

Well, thats all for now. C ya!

Lesson Learned

Yesterday morning I learned a lesson. Don't go running until you've had breakfast. We woke up late and I didnt want to eat and then wait to go run so we just went out the door sans breakfast or even a beverage. About halfway into our course I felt dizzy and nauseous. I had to walk to the rest of the way home. So now I know that I need to eat in the morning before I try to run. Low blood sugar = a strange floating feeling and nauseousness....not good for trying to run.

Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come again some other day....

like when I'm not scheduled to run!!! So since my last blog I've run 5.25 miles. 2 on saturday, 2.25 on Monday (at 9:30am and boy was it HOT), and a measley 1 mile today. It's pretty much been raning since Tuesday afternoon so we've been stuck inside. Tonight there was enough break in the rain for me to get out for a short run. I only did one mile but I ran it faster than I would normally run (I hear you're supposed to do this to increase your speed - which I need). It felt good, the temp was nice because of the rain and it gave me some time to myself which I needed bad. Hopefully the rain will stay away this weekend and we can get out long run (3.14 miles) in. Our next 5k is one week from saturday. I love my husband. He's the greatest. The End.

P.S. Don't you like Riley's Scott Spezio ketchup patch? Go Cards! :)

Knee Pain = Short Run & BIke Ride

Well Mike's knee has still been acting up. We went to go out for a run on Monday and we barely made it off our street and it hurt so bad that he had to go back home. I pressed on, but cut my run short (only 2 miiles instead of 3). I am really beginning to not like running by myself. It is really more motivating when you have some one there suffering with you. So as to not irratate his knee anymore, we went for a 4 mile bike ride on wednesday instead of running. It was really nice to do something different for a change. The funny thing is, the bike ride hurt MY knees...lol. It only hurt when we were going up hills though. Anywhoo...that night we took a trip over to Fleet Feet and got Mike some new shoes. Hopefully that will solve the knee problem and I won't be losing my running partner. We're going to give it a try for a run together tomorrow morning. I hope it goes well. Our next 5k is 2 weeks from tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. :)

A Sunny, Windy Run

Well we got another run under our belt today. We decided to venture out to Creve Couer Park for a run. They have a 2.8 mile course and a 3.7 mile one. We opted for the 2.8 miler. It was a nice course but today has been the hottest day we've had so far and it was also windy. Going at 12 noon was probably not the smartest idea on our part due to the heat. Oh well, we did it anyway. At least we got a good sweat out of it. :) This week we need to up our running minutes to running 7, walking 3. Only 3 weeks left until our next 5k. We're going to run again tomorrow since we didn't run yesterday. Hopefully it will go well. Maybe we can get our neighbor to watch the girls so we don't have to push the torture device. :)
After we went to Creve Couer park we headed to Walplehorest park for a picnic lunch, a little kite flying and some playground playing. Then on to Culver's for some much needed ice cream. :) Over all it was a nice day to be together with the family. I am so blessed to have such a great husband and beautiful girls. The Lord is good! :)

First time on new course

Well we did the 3.14 miile course today. It took us 47ish minutes. Obivously we didn't run the whole thing. We ran 5 walked 5 to the 2.7 mile mark and then Mike's knee was hurting him again so we just walked the rest of the way home. I'm looking forward to the day when we can run the whole thing with out stopping and at a good pace. I put our time and distance (34 minutes at 2.7 miles) in my account at FavoriteRun.com and it figured our pace at 12:32/mile. Which is only 10 seconds faster than my pace at our last 5k. Our new course is also kinda hilly in spots which makes for more work and we are pushing the jogging stroller (or "torture device" as Suzy likes to call it) so that does slow us down a bit. All in all it wasn't too bad of a run, I'm pretty tired now but looking forward to doing it again. I'm so thankful for the nice weather! :)

Me and Riley in Jail at the Botanical Gardens. :) Riley says "I didn't do it! I promise!"

Back again but dissapointed....

Well, after 2 weeks of not running, I finally got back out there today - Only to be sent home early with a terrible side ache. I had only been running for about 5 mintues when I started feeling an ache in my side. I've had them before but this was unlike any other I have had. I decided to walk for a few minutes which made it feel better, but when I started running agian it hurt so bad that I almost doubled over in pain. So I decided to walk a few more mintues, my side felt better but the same happened again once i started running. It was like when i started running someone was stabbing my side with a dull knife. So unfortunately I had to just walk home. Has anyone else had this happen? I don't know if I drank too much water before or what. Needless to say, I was very dissapointed. I was really looking forward to getting a run in. Oh well, we'll try again Wednesday. Only 26 days until my next 5k (May 12).

A Million and One Excuses

Well it's been a week and a half since race day and I haven't ran a day since then. Here are my excuses:
1) I needed a day or two to rest
2) Mike hurt his knee
3) My allergies turned into a sinus infection that turned into a chest cold
4) Busy weekend with Madison's birthday and Easter
5) I hurt my neck
6) I am lazy
Anyway, I really want to get back to running though. We want to run another 5k May 12th and I really would like to be able to run the whole thing this time. I"ve got a little over 4 weeks until then so that should be an attainable goal. Hopefully I won't come up with anymore excuses and the weather will get nicer between now and then. Until next time....

Race Day Wrap Up - I finished at least....

Well yesterday was race day. We got up bright and early and made our way to the course. It was sunny but a little chilly. There were 8 of us from Liberty that ran so that made it a lot of fun. So at 8 am the race gun went off and we were off and running in our first 5k. The first mile went great. I felt great and felt like "Ok I can do this." I was toward the back of the pack but fine with taking it slow. Mike went off with out me so I ran with Jen and Chelsea. Once we hit the half way point I was starting to feel it. So we walked for a little while. The rest of the race was definately much harder. My legs were tightening up and it was also a windy day and we were running into the wind. To make a long story short, I was not able to run the whole thing, which I knew but 3.1 miles is farther than I thought! :) So I finished in 38 min 27 sec. I did not look and feel glorious as the woman in the picture in my last post. I was dead. I am not at all happy with my time. This race was a good gauge to tell me where I'm at though. I am a lot slower than I thought and still have a long way to go to be able to run the full 3.1 miles. There is another race coming up in 6 weeks that I think we're going to do and I hoping to be able to run the whole thing and much improve on my time. In the end, regardless of my time, and deadness, it was lot of fun. It was great to run with friends even though we were all at different fitness levels. The comradere before and afer the race definately made it more enjoyable. And not to mention that afterward there was a raffel and Mike and I both won gift certificates! :) It was a good day. Anyway, I've got lots of work to do! :)

That is what I looked like after crossing the finish line!

What should I eat for breakfast?

Only 2 days left until race day....I'm getting exited and a little nervous for race day. I know that I won't be able to run the full 3.1 miles but I am ok with that. For now. I think I should be able to run at least half - probably more if I push myself. Hopefully, I'll get a good nights rest and wake up feeling ready to go. I was able to get 2 runs in this week so I'm pretty happy about that. I think tomorrow (weather permitting) I'm going to just go for a long walk since we're running on sunday. Sunday is also opening day for the Cardinals which we're pretty exited about too. We've just got to figure out where to go to watch the game since we don't have ESPN. Ok it's time for me to go now cuz I could just ramble on for ever. Wish us luck on Sunday! :)

Hopefully that's what I will look like on sunday! lol :)

T Minus 6 days and counting....

6 days till 5k day. Our running miles for the last week and a half have been non existent. Between having family here and Riley being in the hospital it just didn't happen. So I'm pretty sure that we will be running/walking on sunday. But at the same time it gives us motivation to keep at the training so that eventually we will be able to run the entire 3.1 miles. There is another 5k at the end of May that I think we are going to do and HOPEFULLY we'll be ready to run all of that one.
I love the warm weather we've been having. I love that everything is becoming new again. The flowers are blooming, trees are showing first signs of leaves and the grass is green. I don't like the allergies that come along with that but I guess that's just part of it. Anywhoo...I hope to get at least 2 runs in this week before the 5k on sunday. Let's just pray no one else gets sick an the weather stays nice! :)

A runless weekend :(

Well the weekend came and went and no runs for us. Boo. :( It was crazy busy and we stayed up super late all weekend and were too tired to go running anyway. But I am bummed none the less because it means that we are that much farther from being able to run the entire 3.1 miles on April 1. This week isn't looking too promising either weather wise. Hopefully we'll get breaks from the rain and we can get out there. But the time with the family has been good. Grandma's suprise party was great. It went by too fast. It was really good to see everyone though even if it was only for a short time. 13 days till race day....

Run, run as fast as you can..

My week has definately been busy as predicted. But it has also been very productive which is great. We got another run in yesterday. I've decided that running before dinner is difficult because I am hungry and all I want to do is get it over with so I can go home and eat. So we have yet to run our new longer route because of that. But I don't know when else we could run since Mike and I are running together. Maybe we can save the longer route for weekends. Yesterday's run started out good but the more we ran the more tired I got and I didn't even think I could finish out our time. But we did. Gotta keep pressing on...only 18 days left till the race. :)

A busy week ahead...

I've got a busy week ahead of me. Mike's family - Mom, Dad, Grandma, Brother & Wife & Kids are coming into town on Friday. So I've got lots to do around the house. Not only do I have the typical cleaning that is involved but I also am trying to get Madison & Riley's room organized. They need it bad. So there's lots to do. Not to mention I am not so motivated to do it since the weather is so nice. I just want to be outside! :)
Today I went and figured out a new course for us to run. It's about 3.5 miles. We were going to run/walk it today but we were running short on time so we just did our 2.5 mile route. It went well, my legs were tired even starting out. So my pace was a little slow today. But after we got home I was glad we went. I felt good. Hopefully we'll be able to get our 3 runs in this week. The 5k is only 3 weeks away.
In other news my compy has been doing some crazy things. Maybe because I dropped it last weekend....hummm.... So Mike is working on putting a new hard drive in it tonight. I pray that goes well and that was the problem. Otherwise we're in trouble. Well, I guess it's really me who's in trouble....

Productivity and nice weather make for a great day! Today was a great day. We spent most of the day outside playing, finishing staining a dresser that has been in our garage 3/4 of the way done since summer, cleaning the garage, and I also got to go for a run. I almost didn't go but it was so nice out that I felt like I couldn't let the opportunity slip away. Today was the first time I have gone on a run by myself. It was nice. I took the IPod and listened to Grits (a christian rap/R&B group) as I ran. It was great running music. It's fun to run to a beat. This was the longest run I have done yet and it felt great. Today I felt like the 5k is actually an attainable goal. Hopefully we'll get many more days like today which will make running more enjoyable. In a nutshell it was a good day - and it's not even over yet! :) Love, peace and hair grease.

I guess this blog of mine has kinda turned into a running journal of sorts. I'm sure I'll talk about other stuff now and then but right now this is the only half way exciting - well that's probably not the right word, thing that is going on in my life right now. So today we went for a run. It was a rough day. I read Diane's blog about how sometimes running is painful and other times its a pleasure. Well, today it was a painful one. It started out feeling pretty good but as we kept going it got harder and harder. I just know we've got to keep pressing on. I'm getting excited and nervous about the 5k. I hope we will be able to be consistent in our running until then. I don't mean to sound so down. I really am enjoying getting excercise and espically since I get to do it with Mike. It's always nice to have a running buddy. :) So thanks for being my running buddy babe! :)

Yeah....we're hot. ;)

Back in the saddle again....
Thanks to the awesome weather, we've been able to get some runs in this week. And planning for another tomorrow. It's so much more motivating to get out and run when the weather is as nice as it is as compared to last week when it was freezing cold with snow on the ground. I'm hoping this nice weather sticks around for a while. There are only a little over 5 weeks left till the 5k. I hope we'll be ready. I think we will be. In other news....what is going on with Britney Spears? Is she on crack? Probably. Why would you shave your head?! Being on crack is the only reason I could think of. She needs help - and the Lord. I hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather!

Well, running is not going so good these days. The last time we really ran was 2 weeks ago. We did take a walk to the park on sunday and ran for like 3 minutes. Whoo hoo. It's been cold and we've been sick. I'm ready for health and warm weather or a treadmill. Which ever comes first. I'm afraid that we won't be ready for our April 1st 5k. Hopefully, next week we'll all be well and the weather will be nicer so we can get out there and get back to running. So we dont look like dorks for our 5k.

Running Update....
Well it's going pretty good. The only problem has been the weather. It has been stinkin' cold here! Let me preface that by saying, it is cold here for St. Louis. It is not cold compared to Wisconsin, Kansas, or Antarica. We are going to run again tomorrow and the high is only supposed to be 20. Guess we'll just have to bundle up. A friend of mine wants me to run in a 3 mile race next Saturday. I don't know if I should because so far I've only run for 9 minutes and that is not without stopping. I could do it because there is nothing against walking but I am afraid I will push myself too hard and then be all sore for days afterward, which in turn will make me not want to keep up with my running regimen. And besides all that there is no free t shirt involved with this one. :( Boo. I mean that's why I'm doing this, to for the free shirts. :)

Just a quick update. Lets see...Madison is all registered for 1/2 day kindergarten in the fall and started Ballet & Tap lessons. She loves going to dance class. It is right up her ally. Riley's new favorite word is "No". She says it all the time. Do you want to go to bed? "No". Do you want a cookie? "No." Do you want to go to Disney World? "No." She's a funny girl. She is growing like crazy and is almost running except that she gets her feet going to fast and falls. She'll get it soon enough I'm sure. Mike is in another semester of school. Only 3 semesters left (including this one)! He studied really hard all last week for his big CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Assistant) Exam. He took it on Saturday and he passed! He was super relieved and excited. It will be a good thing to have on his resume. Me, well, I'm just doing the mom thing. Not too much to report here. I (we) started training for a 5k (3.1 Miles) race that we're gonna do with some friends on April 1st. We're doing a 10 week program. It starts out slow, which is nice, walking 9 minutes - running 1 minute. You do that 3 times for a total of 30 min. Then the next week it goes up to walking 8 minutes - running 2 minutes and each week it goes up from there. We're on our second week and it's amazing how long 2 minutes of running can seem when you're so out of shape. Hopefully we'll be ready by April 1st. I'm not going for great speed I just want to finish in under 30 minutes. I really don't like or enjoy running so hopefully I won't get discouraged or bored with it. I've heard that after the first 2-3 weeks its a lot better but we'll see. Running a 5k is just something I've wanted to do for a while and I thought it would be a good goal to try to work towards. Plus Mike is doing it too and that is fun to get to do something like that with him. Anyway, I'm rambling. Until next time...wish us luck on the running.