Blood, Sweat and Tears

So I've made it almost 40 years without a cast of any kind or crutches...and I'm a total klutz!  Well I start training for a marathon and BAM!  1/2 a mile into my 7 mile training run, I'm taken out by storm debry!  By storm debry I mean a twig the size of a hot dog.  Luckily  (???)  a very nice county worker saw me and stopped to ask to help.  He drove me back to my house where I hopped on one foot up my steps and into the shower.  Yes I needed to shower before I went into the ER.  ;) 

After my shower, I went to the ER where I had to hop around the entire parking lot because of the curbs and the design was not intended for gimps that are alone seeking medical help.  lol  My one leg should look like iron after all of this hopping.  Anyway, after waiting for around 2.5 hrs. I was finally able to be seen by a doctor and was given some ibuprofen.

As I sat waiting for xrays, I started crying. That's not something I do often.  I'm still not sure if the tears were because of the pain or because I had been training for so long and just the thought that I couldn't run my full marathon was too much to handle.  I'm sure it was a little of both. 

I did get some great news!  My ankle wasn't broken it was just a bad sprain and I would be able to run my marathon.  Of course every doctor, nurse, cleaning person I came in contact with knew about my marathon and wished me luck as I used my crutches to get to my car.  Thankfully it wasn't my driving ankle. 

It's been a week and my ankle is much stronger and I'm able to put weight on it.  BUT I'm still crying each time I see a runner as I'm driving by...or looking out of my home windows, or see a post on Facebook about a run.  I am a runner!!!

Thanks for checking me out and I'll see you at the races!!! 

New Shoes! New Shoes! New Shoes!

I honestly never thought I'd stray from my long time love affair with Asics, but when my feet slipped into these Newtons, it was LOVE!  They feel like I'm wearing socks...but with support!  It's amazing!  And the more obnoxious the color on my running shoes, the better, so I'm elated that Newton only makes bright wonderful colors. 

I ran 5 miles this morning in the new kicks and my feet feel great!  The Newtons are a bit different than the Asics, but both are meant for my neutral gait.  The Newtons are "hopefully" going to help get me away from the heel strikes I have a habit of doing while running.  Only time will tell if that happens and I'm not trying to re-invent my running style, totally, while training for my first full marathon. 

So yesterday while I was talking to the very knowledgeable sale man and FitNiche about my shoes, he told me that the only other thing more challenging I could do to prepare for 26.2 in Savannah, was to run just after a rain here in Florida.  Well this morning I thought my run would have to be on the treadmill because a rainstorm came in with a vengeance.  It was short lived, BUT when I started running, I could see the steam coming up from the roads and thought "This is going to SUCK!"  and it was difficult.  I'm still not familiar with the new hood so I had to make up my route as I ran, which isn't ideal for me, but it somehow worked out pretty perfect. 

I finished and feel great about the run!  My daughter wanted to "train" like me when we got home.  She put on her new Reebok school shoes and put her best buddy in his stroller and ran around the house.  How cute is that?  Before we left the house she told me that she didn't want to go for a run.  I told her I didn't either, but I had to because I committed to run the race, so I have to train for it.  I think it might have sunk in...at least I hope! 

Have a great day and I'll see you at the races!

Raganr Ready!!!

Hello and Happy Tuesday!  Today's run was GREAT!  I couldn't believe how good I felt in the heat pushing my daughter.  I didn't run a long run or a fast run, but I ran feeling amazing!  I'm not sure what happens to me, as a runner, when I can't or just don't run for an extended period of time, but when I do get back on the road, I get HIGH!  I guess it's endorphins or something.  Whatever it is, I LOVE IT!! 

I am lucky enough to be on a Ragnar team for the Miami to Key West Relay Race in Jan. 2013, thanks to my awesome friend  Jenny.  We are Team Catchin' a Buzz.  Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law for sponsoring the team with their fishing company.  http://catchinabuzz.com/   In case you haven't heard of the race, I hadn't until the crazy idea was put on plate, and of course I JUMPED on it.  Here is where you can read about it.  Ragnar Relay 

In a nutshell it's a relay race that is split between 12 people over 48 hours.  In our case it's 12 women.  Because the team is spread out, New York, (Arizona), Jacksonville, Orlando, and  The Tampa Area I hosted a meet and greet on Saturday.  I have to say, I am even luckier than I knew.  The team is AMAZING!  We were missing a couple of the ladies, but all that were able to make it are FABULOUS!  I learned so much in such a short time about each girl and running.  I'm really looking forward to seeing them all again, whenever we can.  WOW what a sisterhood this is going to be!

I tried to implement something I learned from my new friend Cassie during my run.  I really want to get my form better, mostly to stop hurting my feet.  I tried landing on my toes and not my heels this morning.  That's going to take some practice, however, it's much easier to do while pushing a stroller. 

I'm off to get new inserts (every time I say that I feel 1000 years old) and possibly new running shoes today.  Until next time, I'll see you at the races!!!

Oh Where Does the Time Go?!



This morning felt GREAT!  I got up and didn't let the hundreds of excuses keep me at home.  I have been finding literally hundreds, even if legitimate, excuses to NOT run.  I even tried this morning to put myself on the back burner, but I failed.  And I'm okay with that. 

It felt great to be sweating in the Florida July heat!  I so needed the time to myself to get ready for...life.  So YAY me for not listening to ANY of the reasons why I can't, and instead listening to only why I CAN...because I LOVE TO RUN!

So in the mean time, I have been super busy with visitors, birthday parties and getting my baby ready for kindergarten!  WOW how bitter-sweet kindergarten is turning out to be.  I have so looked forward to going shopping for school clothes...since I became a mommy.  However, that dream turned into telling a salesgirl the right size and having her find it and then checking out.  :(  That is even bitter-sweet!  I miss out on the actual shopping BUT I am lucky she was accepted into a charter school even if she has to wear (super cute) uniforms. 

I am going to share my daughter's Hawaiian Luau Penguin birthday cake.  I made it myself and am quite proud!  Only my daughter would want a penguin luau.  lol  Thank you Pinterest!!!

Tonight I am hosting our Ragnar team's, Team Catchin' a Buzz's first meet-up.  I am super excited to see a few familiar faces and meet for the first time a few of the girls I'm going to spend 200 miles from Miami to Key West with in January 2013!  YAY!!!

That's all I've got for now.  Make it magical and I'll see you at the races!!!

On the Road Again!!!

So this is the view from my driveway as I head out for my first long run, 6  miles, of my official MARATHON TRAINING!  It was beautiful!  Since the move, I've been very un-motivated, to say the least, to run.  It's been such a whirlwind and finding making time has not been a priority of mine (I say as I hang my head in shame.)  BUT, I can't put it off any longer or when November gets here, I will be in a world of hurt...or October for that matter.  I have my first half marathon, in a pack of 4 with the  Florida Halloween-Half  That's ALOT of running this year and into early 2013.  But I'm really looking forward to the races. 

Running in my new hood is not nearly as fun as running in the old hood.  I don't have the beautiful beaches to keep me entertained, and I don't have all of the other runners and bikers to give the much needed, nod of the head or good morning, or even keep it up.  Instead I have dogs running beside me as I pass their chainlink fences.  Not the friendly kinda dogs.  The HUGE growling and barking like they want to eat me kinda dogs.  I miss my aligators!

However, as I was running I heard an odd noise.  As I look over, I see a beautiful swan in her private lake.  My how gorgeous she was.  I had to stop to take a picture, but it didn't turn out very good.  Here it is so you ca get an idea.

So I finished my 6 miler in just over an hour, with more walking than I wanted, but less than I expected,  I'm calling it a SUCCESS!   I did run into an old face.  I used to chase her at the beach...until I caught her.  Now I'm chasing her again...until I catch and pass her.  :)

Feeling strong and nothing's wrong.  Have a GREAT weekend and I'll see you at the races!!!

The day finally arrived!  We moved into our new house!!!  We are still trying to weed through the boxes and find places for everything, but I don't feel like I'm staying in a hotel anymore.  Although building a home and moving is full of challenges on many levels, getting our townhouse ready for the renters, was harder than I EVER imagined it would be. 

Of course things just couldn't go smoothly for me. Don't get me wrong, finding renters was fairly easy.  With a listing on Craigslist, we had it rented within 2 weeks.  However, with the cost of having it professionally cleaned being around $600, I decided to clean it myself.  After all it was our dirt and I have cleaned that too many times to count, so why pay someone to clean it now?  Right?  The jury is still out on that. 

My husband and I split the house and I took the upstairs and he took the down.  Sounds fair.  Not really.  For some reason the upstairs bedrooms and baths ALWAYS take longer than the kitchen and living areas.  Not sure why, but we finished it.  All of it except the trash.  We had 12 bags of trash to set out and in our community, unless it fits into the actual trash can, it doesn't get picked up.  Sooooo, I had about 8 bags of trash to set out, after I called and asked the county to pick them up, which they agreed to. 

The bad part of that was that the electric was shut off a day early...one day before the renters were to take the keys.  Doesn't sound like a big deal, right?  Wrong!  I had a few friends over to swim in our new pool on Thursday morning and got a phone call from my old neighbors letting me know that our alarms were going off.  I know that they weren't set because that was a "discussion" with my husband and I the night before.  When I got to the house I called the alarm company, and they determined it was the fire alarms going off because the electric went off and they automatically went to back-up battery mode...which just meant I couldn't turn them off, unless I removed the batteries from them all.  You can imagine my problem being 5 ft. tall with no ladder, no chair, no...anything in the house.  Unfortunately, the alarm kept sounding until the batteries died.  Luckily you couldn't really hear the alarm from the outside of the house. 

As if that wasn't enough, I had some touch-up painting to do AND I had to set the 8 bags of trash out.  Because I didn't know the electric was off, I wasn't prepared.  I wouldn't have been able to get the garage door back down if I'd manually opened the door, so I had to literally feel my way through a VERY dark garage and drag the BIG black trash bags through my house and around the yard to the driveway in the back of the house.  Not an easy job!  I was able to patch the nail holes in the walls but the paint was in the garage and I had no idea where my husband had left it, so that would have to wait until the next day.  The day the renters were moving in.  UGH!!!

Anyway, it all worked out!  Thank you Lord!!!  BUT after that whole thing and the clogged pipe in our new house the night before, and...well I could go on and on about this experience...I WAS READY TO RUN!!!! 

So I ran on the following Saturday morning!  It felt GREAT!!!  The new Hood is not the beaches, and I don't have the friendly familiar faces running along with me, but I'm sure I was able to find some of my sanity along the way.  I rested on Sunday and Monday...well I didn't run. Today I hit the pavement pushing 60 lbs. of daughter and stroller.  I ran the 3 miles Hal has set up in his training and felt really good.  

After a way too long vacation from running, I have officially started my MARATHON TRAINING!  Did I really just say that?!  Of course I did!  I'm super excited to take this journey!  Thanks for joining the party!!!  See you at the races!!! 



Hollywood Sunglasses + Running = Not So Great

Today was the perfect day to run my favorite causeway.  It was overcast and 75 degrees.  There was a wind, but only on half of the run...In fact I was enjoying the morning so much that I honestly got caught up in my thoughts and the views that I didn't worry about my pace or the fact that I was walking...much more than normal.  I guess when I forget that I'm training and use the time for relaxing and fun, because I live in such a beautiful place, it's easy to do.  With that said, I wish I could blame my fun run for the time I actually finished with, but I just can't.  I ran!  That's all I've got.

About halfway through the run I realized that I forgot to put on my running sunglasses and was running in my huge "Hollywood" sunglasses.  I'm sure I looked silly to the other runners on the bridge this morning.  Appearance is one thing, but these giant glasses caused my face to sweat so much more than normal.  So I definitely recommend investing in a good pair of running glasses. 

One last thing...Does this count as cross-training or upper body strength training?  Just asking...



See you at the races!!!

OMG! Florida Summer Training!!!

I can only hope that I feel this way ALL summer!

So as I'm running my "I have to run a 5k this morning" run, I realized that I was getting a very small taste of what training in Florida for a Fall marathon will be like.  IT WAS 80 DEGREES AT 9:00AM!!!  What was I thinking?!

Oh yeah!  I remember that "before I turn 40" list.  Why is turning 40 such a big deal?  I understand 18, 21, 25, and possibly 30, but 40?  Really? Come on!  Isn't it just another number?  To me it's a reason to celebrate life!  I have LIVED 40 yrs. and feel better and stronger than I have EVER felt before!  I am embracing 40 with all that I have!  50?  Now that might be a different story.  ;) 

BTW, You should all check out my new friends https://realmomsathletics.com/catalog/  It's very cute apparel for all of us running moms.  AND the moms that started it are super sweet!  Support them by going to their Facebook page and liking them or just go shopping at the website.  Either way, it's worth a look!

https://www.facebook.com/RealMomsAthletics

Until next time...I'll see you at the races!!!

Why did I stop running???

  I've been trying to find my inner Runner Girl since November 2011 after the Savannah Rock-n-Roll 1/2 marathon, but I have actually had some legitimate...not good... reasons why I've been MIA from the running world.

Last October 30th my husband and I decided to build our dream home, and I had NO idea how much work that was/is.   So after the RnR "injury" came the holidays.  Of course I needed the extra time to heal because who really trains through the holidays?  Right?!  Plus, we had to get our house designed and pick out of the pretty granite, cabinets, flooring, tiles, colors, etc...

 So January was here before I knew it and we broke ground!  This adventure was getting so exciting as each day something new was happening with our new home.  On the other end of this was that we had to sell our current home.  YUCK!!!  This is definitely not the time to sell, especially if you bought 5 years ago, just before the market started going down.  So after many insulting offers on a home that we had priced low enough to lose our shirts on, we decided that renting it would be a much better plan for us right now.  That worked out MUCH better. 

We had our home rented within 3 days of a Craigslist ad.  Unfortunately, it didn't work out in the end.  BUT we rented it again within 2 weeks from the same ad.  We were truly relieved and could finally breathe again.  So we are so happy to finally have that chapter closed and ready to move in May.  OMG!  That's next month!!!

So now I'm packing and cleaning and making arrangements, the best I can, for things to be transferred and turned on.  WOW!  There's just one big BUT in the equation this time.  I promised myself that I would use the Iron Girl race to be my kick-off to push my Inner Runner-Girl out and truly start running and training again.

I'm still enjoying my runner's high from yesterday and I'm REALLY looking forward to my run tomorrow.  I haven't decided if I'm going to tackle the causeway just yet or run my favorite, peaceful, and much easier route, but either way, I'M RUNNING!

Thanks for joining me and I'll see you at the races!!!

Team To The Moon and Back

So today was the day that my "baby" officially became an Iron Girl.  Today my beautiful, smart, determined, and mostly competitive 4 and 3/4 yr. old little girl finished her first 5k.  She told me a few months ago that she wanted a "big girl" medal, so I signed her up for the Clearwater Beach Iron Girl 5k.  I wasn't sure what to expect other than to finish a fun run with my best girl.

The weather was terrible.  Quite literally, severe for the hours leading up to race day. I was up most of the night watching the weather as it jumped from tornado wacthes to tornado warnings.  The tornado watch expired at 7:00 am, which was good because our race started at 7:30 am.  By the time we got to the starting line, the weather was chilly, 70 degrees for Florida, and overcast.  As all runners know that equals PERFECT running weather.  We stayed to the back of the line because I knew we would be slower than most and I didn't want Sarah to be trampled by the PR driven runners. 

The announcer said go and we were off.  What a GREAT feeling to be sharing this experience with my only baby.  It was almost hard to hold back the tears as she naturally just took off running. 

As we were running through the streets of Clearwater, I reminded Sarah that if she ran up on someone that was going slower than her, she could go safely around them.  This was something that caused a collision for her and another little boy in the Creaky Bones race in October last year.  She did great.  She was weaving in and out of the runners like she had done it before.  And then we got to the Memorial Causeway.  Causeways are Florida's version of hills.  We decided to walk up.

After enjoying our view from the top we decided to run down.  Sarah had become VERY tired by this point and really wanted a drink.  I guess the sugary, gummy snacks I fed her on the way up didn't do anything for her thirst.  Thankfully the water station was at the bottom of the causeway so I used that as motivation and it worked.  :) 
We took our water break and pushed forward.  She decided that she wanted to sit for a bit, but I reminded her of the "turtle and the rabbit" and that we had to keep moving.  So, once again, my mom mind kicked in and challenged her to a "race" to the nearest sign or palm tree.  That kept her fairly focused...until it didn't and then we played tag.  She was ready to see the finish by mile 2, but still in good spirits.  I credit that to the many amazing women running/walking along with us that thought she was cute and kept cheering her on.  I can't thank them enough!

After mile 2, we were practically at the finish and we could hear the cheering and the music.  Once I told Sarah that the finish line was around the corner, she pulled all of her runner girl power out and RAN!!!  I was happy to keep up with her, especially after being sick for a week and still recovering from the cough, but somehow I managed.  We finished our race, her first real race, TOGETHER and it was amazing!!! 
I don't like to brag, BUT I'm so proud of Team To the Moon and Back's time, I just can't help myself.  We finished in 53:16!!! WAHOO!!!!  I was just so happy to share that "nice little run" with my daughter and then something hit me...pretty hard.  Four and a half years ago, when I ran my first 5k, I ran it in about 51 minutes.  I truly thought I was running and I was; just as fast as I could go. 

It appears that I have a runner!  Sarah truly is amazing and I am such a blessed mommy to have such a special little girl to call my own.  I'm looking forward to seeing her grow into her own runner girl. 
Thanks for reading and I'll see you at the races!!!

Running Partner Needed...

Just to remind everyone, my running partner for my "Gator Lake" runs was a 12 ft. alligator.  She was always "somewhere" lurking in the waters around my favorite lake, and sometimes on the shore.  My daughter and I named her Ali, mostly because I'm not that creative. 

Well I learned today that Ali, was taking a walk around the lake when she became curious and decided to cross the street.  As she was crossing the street at 2:30-ish A.M., she was hit by a car.  The driver of the car had no idea what she had hit until she got out of the car and found Ali, who was actually a 10 ft. 8 inch gator, stuck under the car with her head peaking out from under the passenger's side.

Although the car did not kill Ali, when the trapper came to get her, he put her down.  :(   I'm sure what was done was the right thing to do.  I mean, who wants an 11ft. gator showing up at their front door, or making "friends" with the family dog...or worse?  However, after 5 years of having so much fun driving/running/walking by the lake and looking for her, I'm sad that she's gone. 

So this is my official "See you later Ali-Gator!"  We will miss you!!!

Confessions of a Marathon Drop-Out

Hi all!  It's been WAY to long and I don't have any "real" excuse other than being lazy and mostly embarrassed.  I, obviously, didn't run the full marathon I was training for and am so disappointed and upset with myself.  Although there were legitimate reasons why I didn't actually reach my goal, there aren't any reasons why I have lost touch with my inner runner girl.  So here I am, once again, with my marathon goal in front of me, but this time it's a bit different.  Welcome to the party, once again...

 I ran the Savannah Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon in November 2011.  Although it was an awesome race, and I PR'ed, I also learned a very valuable lesson.  ALWAYS use Glide on the inside of your thighs.  The friction, after 13.1 miles, was more than enough to leave me raw and bloody at the end of the race and not able to walk "normally" for almost a month.  I know, YUCK!  The good news is that because the temperature was around 50 degrees, my body was numb and I didn't feel anything, well much, until my post-race bath.  AND I did PR with 2:19!  I "shaved" (no pun intended) nearly 20 minutes off of my last half marathon time. So no pain, no gain, was never more true for me.

This race was also my husband's first 1/2 marathon and we ran it together...for the first 10 miles.  At mile 10, I told Chris, my natural runner husband, to finish as strong as he could.  He finished with a 2:14, and I couldn't have been more proud.  He said he wouldn't run another race over a 5k, but after the runner's high from the 1/2, he has changed his mind and will be running the Savannah Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon again in 2012.

Speaking of the Savannah Rock-n-Roll race, it will be my first full marathon.  I have already signed up, unlike the last time I said I was going to run a full, so I am truly committed to running a FULL MARATHON before I turn the BIG 40 in November! 

There are MANY fun and exciting things on the horizon for me, so stay tuned and I'll let you know all about them. Until then, I'll see you at the races!!!