Speedwork...legs hurt

We were supposed to run a warm up 10 minutes, than increase our speed every 5 minutes until the last 5 minutes were at 5k pace. Instead I went from my car to the start of our speedwork without warming up and ran the first mile at 8:49 (my 5k pace) the second mile at 8:55, and the third mile at 8:49. So I ran fast the whole time and didn't really pick it up that fast in the end. We were supposed to run for 30 minutes and I really kicked it in the last minute to get to 3.29 miles in 30 minutes (8:57 pace). Not bad but not great. I like seeing that 8 though instead of 9 minute pace. I have a few runners that are close to my pace and we seem to really treat each group run like a race which helps me move faster than I would on my own. I keep looking over my shoulder to see if anyone is trying to pass me.

But now my left chin and right knee hurt because I think I did all that with shoes that were just too worn out for me. I'm trying to decide whether or not to run the 5 miles I'm supposed to run tomorrow before my long run on Saturday. Perhaps I could cut that run short too to let my legs recover (or I could cross train at the gym now that I once again have a membership)! They say 50 minutes of hard biking does the same good for maintaining your cardio endurance as does running the same amount of time. I think I'll try to run, and if my legs hurt at all, I'll go bike at the gym. That way I'll still have the legs to do another 7 miles this Saturday and hopefully beat last weeks time of 66:30.

Improvement

"A not-bad rule of thumb is that half as much year-to-year improvement is the best you can expect. So if you improved 9 minutes for 10K in 2009, improving by another 4.5 minutes would be maximal improvement in 2010.
That's the MAX, not the average. If you can get under 27 for 5K, under
56 for 10K, and under 2:05 for half marathon, you'll have had a great year."

My brother-in-law is a great wealth of training information and has helped me set more realistic speed improvement goals for this upcoming year. Right now I'm training for the half-marathon improvement (which sort of feels like working backwards). Should I just start the year trying to get faster in my 5k, then move on to the longer distances afterwords? Oh well, too late now.

I ran 7 miles at 2:04 half marathon pace yesterday. Now if only I could maintain that pace for 13.1 I would meet the half marathon goal no problem.

My back is hurting which is the first time I've had this problem so I think I might have to go see a chiropractor for an adjustment. Perhaps I am pushing myself too hard lifting kids all day long on one hip and then rushing out the door for a run. Today I'll rest and hopefully get an appointment scheduled with the chiropracter for Monday sometime.

Running Away from Questions

I know my life is easy.
I know that I'm spoiled getting to worry about losing weight...not gaining it in order to survive.

With the Haiti earthquake, I'm spoiled sitting here in my comfy house with the time, energy, food, comfort, roof over my head, and Internet in order to type this nonsense about my fitness routine. My selfishness sickens me.

Today I'll go running and pray for my friends the Clays and their many street children they loved and cared for who are in Port Au Prince. I pray they will find food, shelter, and safety. Visit to donate.

I will also be running away from my three-year-old sons questions.
"Why do we live on this ball that wiggles and makes houses fall down?"
"Will our house fall down?"
"Where is Jesus when the houses fall down?"
"When you type on the computer will no more houses fall down?"
"Can the orphans come to our house so that they can have food?"

Good questions son. I can't answer them. All I can say is that I love you and we will do all we can to help the children in Haiti together. And I'll go running to just blow off a fraction of my feelings (which are nothing compared to what Haitians are feeling.

Training Team for early Spring Half

So I've joined a training team in order to train for the Shamrockin' Half Marathon here in Sacramento. The trainers are a couple who own the running store in town. At the orientations all the questions that were asked were ones I could have answered. I think it left me going...oh...I know how to train myself. But I really signed up for the comraderie and am now trying to recruit my Mom to join me.

This Saturday our first long run as a training group of around 50 people is a 4-6 mile long run. Our trainers want us all to run slow and easy. I think I will run 6 miles as fast as I can! I won't get injured doing this since that distance isn't that long for me. And if I'm going to really train for this Half Marathon I want to train my long runs at the pace I hope to accomplish, which is under 10 minute miles.

I know right now I can already run 7 miles at a 9:20 pace.
If I could maintain that for 13.1 miles that would be a 2:02 half marathon, or a 122 minute. For now I'll just say around 2:10 (which is less than a 10 minute mile).
Therefore, on Saturday long runs, with my training team I plan to run sub 10 minute miles. At least that is my plan.

someday I'd love to run a sub 2 hour half marathon (which would require a sub 9:10 per mile pace). That will be a long range goal. When left to just enjoy a run I like to run 9:30 pace right now. I only push it faster when I'm running a quick 2 miles. I could probably run 2 miles in around 8:40 pace.

Sorry to ramble numbers. But when I have a goal ahead of me I am much more motivated to run. I also need to decide on my pace ahead of time if I want to be growing.

Relay Results

Hello “Frutchey Clan” team and friends:



We did great this morning running a family team relay in Sacramento freezing weather (it might snow tonight)!

We had lots of fun developing a unique team strategy for finding each other at the relay exchanges (Eddie invented a bird call). We also had a great time cheering on all those fast marathoners, some who were trying to qualify for Boston by running our local marathon (which has lots of down hill).



Meanwhile, together we ran 26.2 miles in a final chip time of 4:31:50!

Our pace was 10:22 per mile.

“Frutchey Clan” finished 55th out of 90 teams in the Family Team Division (in the top 61%).

177th out of 249 Overall Coed teams (71%).

And out of all teams we were 611th out of 910 (67%)



And we beat ALL TEAMS that didn’t even show up for the race at all!



Our handoffs and approximated individual accomplishments were as follows:

Karen ran the first 6 in 78:12 (12:35 per mile)

Eddie then ran from mile 6 to around 13.5 in 63:18 (8:20 per mile)

Sarah then ran from 13.5 to around 20.5 in 67 (9:22 per mile)

Betsey ran the final 5.7 in 61:50 (10:51 per mile)



Thank you for running with me friends and family. If it wasn’t so cold I’d definitely say lets run this one again next year. For now, let’s just defrost and perhaps keep our eyes peeled for other relay opportunities in our area in the future.

Cold CIM Relay

Just ran a new Personal Record for the 10k at 57:45 (9:16 per mile pace).

I ran a 7 mile leg of the CIM Relay this morning with the following teammates:

Karen, Eddie, myself, Betsy

It took us 4:35:00 or so to go the entire 26.2 miles. More details are forthcoming on how we placed but if you want to look us up the results will be at this link:



Look up the "Frutchey Clan" team under the family relay teams as well as the women's relay teams!

Time to nap!

Thanksgiving 5k

It was 32 degrees here in Overland Park, Kansas as I ran a new PR for the 5k over moderate hills, windy weather and with 5,000 others crowded next to me on narrow streets. While this is my fastest 5k yet, I wouldn't say it was the funnest, especially since I had no one to share it with. I think this is one of the first official 5ks I've gone to completely alone and it really did lack a sense of shared community for me. But in the end it did give me a nicer than expected time.

9:10 - Mile One
8:57 - Mile Two
8:12 - Mile Three
1:32 - last kick

27:22 - Total Time (8:48 per mile pace)
32:13 - my Thanksgiving 5k 6 years ago (age 25)
28:32 - my previous PR

The last mile I felt like I was going so slow and was so cold I couldn't feel my limbs. I was surprised at my time that mile, but really I just wanted to be done and go back to a warm house with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving...now when will that turkey be done?

Did you know I LOVE to run?

I went for another 30 minute run-while-the-kids-are-happy-and-before-things-get-crazy-while-Nate-is-watching-them, late last night from 5:30 to 6pm. I think I ran around a 9 minute mile and snuck in 3 miles. It was a little creepy running on the creek trail with the sun already completely gone. I made sure to only listen to one ear plug of my Ipod so I could hear people around me.

When I do get away to run like this I ask myself why it is something I enjoy so much. Humans don't usually do something regularly if they don't enjoy it, and since my friends and family have come to see me as a runner (since I run 3 or more times a week) I am starting to realize in hindsight that I do like running. Do I run for just weight loss or fitness or as an excuse to get away from children (thankfully they can't run as fast as me yet)? I guess I take running for granted and think everyone enjoys doing it and does it often, until folks refer to me as one of those "odd runner types". Then I look around myself and realize that running is something I don't have to do regularly, instead it is something I CHOOSE to do, and other CHOOSE NOT to do.

So why do I CHOOSE to run?...seems to be the pressing question which non-runners keep asking me.

I think the answer to this question is:
I Love to Run

Why? (as Lincoln would press the question further)

The answer to this goes back to when I started to run.
When I was 15 I moved to Oregon on my own to live with my grandparents on a farm.
My parents were going through a rough time.
And I was like Forest Gump, I would go and just run out in the country roads and fields.

Why?
I loved it.

Why?
Running made me feel young and fit. It gave me some quiet time to process my feelings. A run out in the field made me feel close to God and nature (I often had to play head butting games with our goats).

So why do I still run?
For many of the same reason. Quiet. Closeness to God. Nature (the stars were out last night). A calming effect on my soul. It is one of my life's constant stress release mechanisms.

Running has helped me get through many periods of my adult life (just like the title of my blog states).
I ran throughout college. I ran throughout my rockin' 20s (although I ate and drank and was merry throughout that time as well - leading to more weight gain).I ran while pregnant. I have run injured. I ran a marathon while grieving the death of my father. I ran during my first cooperate job. I ran through the darkest years of my marriage. I am now running through being a Mother of two and childcare provider of 4 and a wife of one great guy (who works long hours). I've run in California, then Oregon, than Washington, then California, then Kansas, then Missouri, and now California again. I've had lots of running partners too; from my high school basketball teammates, to Cara in college, Trish in grad school, Lisa in Kansas, Nate off and on where ever, My brother-in-law Will, My father-in-law Bill, Betsy here in Elk Grove, Eddie my brother here in Elk Grove, and my dog Edgar in Missouri (my props go out to you all, especially that poor beagle that I drug along behind me after 1 mile).


I must confess, looking back, I've run a lot!
I guess I must really LOVE to run.

Half Mararthon Personal Record

Despite a gut ache that has lasted all last week, keeping me from running, I successfully completed a half marathon yesterday morning. I had signed up for this race to just keep up my fitness after the relay in August (where I ran 14 miles over 24 hours). So now I was attempting to run 13.1 miles without stopping to walk or rest.

I got to the start line a little too late to wait in line at the porty potties and therefore had to get in line for the race. In hindsight, perhaps I should have stayed in line and just taken my potty break, since I had a chip timer on my shoe and I could have started a little late and had my start still count. Instead I started with a pace team that was carrying a sign for 2:25 and struck up conversations for the first 10 miles with this group. It really helped the miles tick by to actually have a group running my pace. I also felt like a real runner finally being fast enough to run with a pacing team.

My main fans were Nate and the kids in a double stroller which he rushed around town to see me at mile 1 (took my sweats), mile 3 (gave me a hat), mile 5, mile 12("Go Mommy!") and the finish! I was amazed at how often I saw them cheering me on. It really helped me.

After my potty break at mile 10 which I think took me 4 or 5 minutes I ran three 10 minute miles to catch up and pass the last pacing team (2:30), and kick nit home the last 1/4 mile at 9 minute pace. My chip time was 2:27:44 (11:17 pace). I remember the day when that was my pace on a 5k race! The last half marathon I ran was in 2005 before I had had children. I weighed 25 pounds more than I do now and ran it in 2:47. If I hadn't stopped for that much needed potty break (waiting in that potty line) I think I could have even beaten 2:25 (and had a pace in the 10 minute per mile range).

Races like this one are a blast. They make you feel fit and happy to be alive. At the finish we were given medals that were cowbells on ribbons, since this is the Cowtown Half. If I run it again next year I'll have to dress up more like a cow.

For now I need to focus on beating this stomach ache and getting ready for the Fun Run 5k on Dec 5th and our Marathon relay as a family on Dec 6th.

The Apparent Project Blog: All kinds of fasting....

The Apparent Project Blog: All kinds of fasting....

I am ending my beloved gym membership to fast and in some way help this ministry...join me.

I'm Haunted

I could write here about my most recent run that felt great and safe and made me feel free from adulthood. But instead I am haunted by the stories of my dear friends the Clay's who are working with orphans in Haiti. "Almost every day I am forced with the decision of whether to send a street kid home to no food so that I can have dinner with my family, or whether to let him stay and not know whether there will be enough food for our household of 10 this month." These words from Shelley haunted me as I ran tonight. They should haunt me. They should haunt us all.

Then another friend sent me an email just randomly..."I command you - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9" and our preacher just preached on "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted." Are we to go to Haiti and help the helpless too? For how long? Would it really comfort? I feel like someone I loved has died. How self serving this American world his with its gym memberships and running clubs and TVs and fast food while orphans are abandoned to die at trash heaps in Haiti.

Visit: This website to help!

Celebrate Good Times Come On!

I am done with around 22 weeks of steady focus on weight loss. During this time I've lost 47 pounds of weight (2 pounds a week). The first 25 pounds were the remaining weight from my pregnancy and came off fairly rapidly. The last 19 pounds were harder to remove and I used an 8 week weight loss challenge at my gym to motivate me to keep pushing. I've carried that extra weight since my early 20s so it was harder to get rid of.

After an especially hard week of dieting and working out I weighted in at the gym yesterday morning weighing 137 pounds. I had lost 12.2% of my body weight since 8 weeks ago, and 25% of my body weight since early April (5 months ago). Loosing 1/4 of myself in 5 months has made me feel very strong and fast and lean. I also feel really excited about the future. I am very blessed to have the money and time for a gym membership and a support system of friends and family to help me meet this goal. At my weigh-in I had my brother Eddie who has been on his own weight loss journey for several years now and is always motivating me to eat better and meet him at the gym for early morning workouts. I also had my sister-in-law Karen who is a supportive friend when it comes to balancing our roles as mothers and athletes and breastfeeding mothers. I appreciate how she and my Mom were flexible with me when I brought her children or mine to the gym with me for workouts. My Mom was also at my weigh-in and she was my partner in this the whole way, even participating in a Spring weight loss challenge with me (doing push ups and sit ups which she hadn't done since college). Nate was at work but was there in spirit since he modified my diet and helped me track calories as well as watched the kids lots when I had to go to the gym. My brother Peter also watched the kids at home if they were napping and I had to make a training session, so thanks go out to him as well.

To celebrate we all met for sushi and Japanese beer at a fun local spot. We ate LOTS of sushi and I loved eating all that rice so late in the evening, along with the soy sauce. Thank you all for your support through this. Love you all. Sarah

Hood To Coast Results

Here is a photo of me at the near top of Mt. Hood, awaiting our 11:45am gun time to start the Hood to Coast relay. I ran the first leg and had the honor of starting the relay for my team of 12 fellow runners. Relay races are lots of fun but I only had a vague concept at this point what we were all in for, as we had never run the Hood to Coast relay before (preferring slight smaller and shorter relays in the past).

At the start I was greeted with enthusiasm not only by my teammates but also by a loud commentator shouting out our team names as we left the starting gate, and also the American Cancer Society folks who were happy to meet us after our fund raising efforts.

I began my decent down the steep Leg One at 11:45am on a Friday morning (we had left Seattle at around 5am so I was already a bit sleepy). My adrenaline was pumping with the rock music and caffeinated gu blocks from the race start and I had to keep telling myself to take it easy and not run my fastest first mile ever. One glitch in my plan was that I left my Garmin at home so I didn't really know my pace. I kept passing runners and asking politely, so what is your pace? They kept saying they were 9 - 10 minute milers and I thought, I'm out of my league here. Why am I passing these folks. I guess its the downhill (I shrugged and kept with the pace that felt good). I realized at one point that I ran one mile in 8:20 pace (since I had a Timex I'd borrowed and could set a split between the state road mile markers). 8:20!!!! I hadn't run that mile pace since MAYBE high school JV basketball try outs, age 15. I tried to slow down but found the pounding on my knees hurt more and my lungs and heart rate were so slow that I wasn't out of breath at all. I decided to just run as fast as I could (this is a race afterall) and I finished the 5.65 mile downhill in 49:35 (around a 8:44 pace).

Running 5 miles normally doesn't fatigue my legs that much. I'd been training with three such runs of this length a week or longer. So the quick inflammation of every part of my legs after this run from calves, to quads, to ankles, to hamstrings was a bit surprising. Only an hour after this run, despite my attempts at stretching, icing and biofreezing, I was hobbling whenever I tried to stand up and walk. I made an effort to get out of the van at EVERY exchange to walk, and still I was just getting stiffer and stiffer. I was slowly turning into a Tinman without oil and still had to more legs of the race to run (the next one approaching at 8pm that Friday evening).

Once my other 5 teammates ran their first legs (with lots of hand slapping and team espirit) our team van was off duty and needed to drive to Portland for a major exchange where we thought we could sleep and eat. After fighting through Portland rushhour traffic we sat in a barren industrial parking lot thinking where is the food and how can we sleep here. It was a major let down. No nap. No food. So we set out doing what any runner would do, and walked about 2 miles looking for food (to only find a Burger King). After eating my BK salad and a kid Whopper and a small shake (yuck) I prepped for my next run as my teammates tried to get a nap. The sun was setting and the rain was drizzling. The exchange points was chaotic, the theme at this point was already in our heads, this race has too many teams in it! I walked a bit away from the crowded exchange to stretch when I saw my Dad (father-in-law) running quickly to the exchange. He didn't see me and I just barely saw him coming. I stepped in, said "I'm here!", he handed me our bracelet baton and I was off.

"Off!" Yes, I was off. At a distinct walk hobble jog. It was an interesting gait. And soon after starting I had to run up stairs to get to the Portland bridge that crossed the Columbia River. I cranked up my Ipod (first time I'd worn it) to push through the initial pain. I passed some other hobbled Leg One runners, and that fueled me. I picked up the pace and my legs loosened up. I ran this leg through the oncoming darkness down an industrial Portland road on the broken sidewalk. It was 4.75 miles, at a time of 48:35 (10:10 pace); not bad for my legs feelings so stiff and tired.
ed
After this leg I was in great need of a nap. But now our van was on a mission to make it through the ridiculous traffic of 2000 other vans careening toward the same exchange points in time to get our next runner to the next stop. At 2am we were off duty again and trying to get to the next major exchange for that long awaited nap (I'd been up for 22 hours straight and run 10 miles). The windy back road took us 2 hours instead of 1/2 hour to navigate. We laid down in our sleeping bags on the floor at 2:35am...my eyes finally closed at 3:30am...my clock alarm awoke me at 4am...I started running my last leg at 4:30am.

At this point I looked at my brother-in-law as he helped me hobble to the exchange with my headlamp and sweatshirt in the slight rain and said, "I think this might be the hardest thing I've ever done." I have birthed out two huge babies so i was feeling some discomfort at this point to say that. I ran very slowly at first and once again passed my first runner and then more it was crazy how bad everyone looked at this point. My mind was so tired it played tricks on me. I thought any shadows in the street that moved were either animals or puddles. I had to keep working through that each time a shadow moved. I pumped my arms the entire run to keep moving. I could hardly stand or walk when I got out of my sleeping bag...so I was surprised that I was running. Black clouds floated over my head and i was on a back country road. I would have enjoyed the run more however it was 4:30am in the morning and I had slept in 24 hours, so I was in survival mode. I could see reflective vests dancing in front of me; they were mesmerizing. I decided to think of all the people who had died from cancer that folks had ask us to run for.


Each name came to mind and I was reminded how hard it is to watch someone you love struggle to breathe, to sit up, or to stand. "I'm blessed." I kept saying this in my head. "For my kids." I said this too. I want to stay healthy and alive for my kids, unlike my Dad was able to. "For my Dad." I almost heard his voice out there. "For my friend." I thought about my friend Emily who just lost her Mom to cancer. And I was somehow moving forward, and passing people. I got passed to, but not as often. This leg felt the longest, but it was the shortest. I ran 3.75 miles in 38:30 minutes or so (another 10:10 pace).

Last year I ran at an overall 11:10 pace or so. My fastest leg last year was 11:06 and I ran it weighting 168 pounds and 2 months pregnant. This year my overall pace was closer to 9:40 and I weighed 141 pounds. I set a goal 10 months ago to run sub 10 minute pace and to weight in my 150s for this race. I met both goals. I also set a goal to raise $1000 for American Cancer Society and with your help I raised $1107.

It feels great to set a goal and meet it on so many levels. Thank you to everyone who supported me along the way. Nate says i called him after my last leg a bit drunk on lack of sleep and misery. He joked if he recorded the conversation I might never sign up for a relay race again. But even though I was sleep deprived and sore to the point of hardly walking for days, I'm ready for another one! I think it is because when you do an endurance event you discover what your real limits are. Now a 5am run seems easy (especially after a few hours of sleep), since I've done one at 4:30am with no sleep!


I encourage you to find a hard goal and go for it. It truly makes you realize how strong you really are.

Packing for Relay

I've confronted a cold bug with a death stare the last few days saying,"You will not make me sick for this race!" Trying to balance being a full-time Mom of two under age 3 and daycare provider for 2 more during the day, and tapering for this race, and getting better for this race has been a challenge.

But so far, my head is somewhat still clear. I hope to get three nights in row as of tonight of good sleep. I've rested from exercise for several days. And now I'm attempting to pack for my flight to Seattle tomorrow morning while my 6 month old squirms on the floor and wants to be talked to.

I'll be traveling with:
1) Two kids and no Dad (he has to stay home and work)
2) Two carseats
3) One suitcase
4) One breastpump
5) Lots of running gear (three outfits), first aid kid, Garmin, headlamp, fuel etc.
6) 60oz of frozen breastmilk for Grandma Tina to use while watching Zoe.
7) and NO Cold Bug!

Wish me luck!

Sympathy Weight

My husband has displayed sympathy weight recently. We both think he gained a bit during this pregnancy and then last night he showed some "sympathy weight" by going to the gym with me and lifting weights (which is not his cup of tea) and then we weighed him. While I've lost 40 pounds since Zoe came home from the hospital, Nate has lost 15 pounds. Not only has he lost weight with me without even realizing it he has sympathized with my weight loss goals with all the support he has given me. Let me count the ways!

1) Invented new recipes to stay within my diet.
2) Asked me if I could eat a dessert and stay within my calorie count for the day. If I can't he doesn't make it for himself either.
3) Watched the kids before work in the mornings so that I can get in a quick daily run.
4) Given me training tips, since he ran cross country in high school.
5) Bought me skinny clothes to help me celebrate my success.
6) Reassured me that I look great and not to get to down on myself on an off week.
7) Massage my tired muscles.
8) Make me an ice bath.
9) Push the kids in strollers while I ran a 5k.
10) Babysit the kids with grandparents helping during a 10k.
11) Buying me a gym membership and new running gear without complaint.
12) Reading my blog and chatting with me about it.

Having a spouse or friend cheer you on through a goal like this is essential. I am so glad that Nate has been there with me to gain and loose the sympathy weight and provide me with the sympathy I needed to keep pushing towards my goal.
I couldn't have been as successful without him.

Official 5k PR

28:35 (9:12 pace)

I crushed my last 5k time by 4 minutes.
And I broke my last PR from 2003 by 2 minutes.

Feels good.
I had fun passing 6 people in the last mile.
I think I was in the top 3 in my age group too but I'll have to verify that.

Attempting a Fast 5k

Tomorrow morning is another $5 5k at the local running store.
I haven't beaten 32 minutes in a 5k in a long time, so that will be goal number one.
Secondly, I'd love to set a new 5k PR, which would take me running at a 9:50 pace.

I'll try my best and will hopefully achieve these goals no problem.

I am running 15 pounds lighter than the last 5k in May.
So that should definitely help. Also, last time I went running I was able to run 3 miles in 29:27, right on pace to beat my 5k PR of 30:39.

Root me on.

I Need a Heroine...cue the music

And I don't have to look far.
There are plenty of AMAZING female athletes I can look to to get inspiration when I'm worn down in my own training.

Deana Kastor (female bronze Olympic marathoner in 2004 and American Record Holder)
-I like how her husband can only keep up with her running pace by riding next to her on a racing bike.
-She also does lunges in this one documentary while prepping for her 2006 win of the Chicago marathon, in such blistering speed and for such a long time that my jaw dropped to the floor.
This video shows her winning her Olympic medal.

Cheryl Hayworth (bronze Olympic medalist in female weightlifting)
-She has made the Olympic team three times
-Her highest weight lift over her head is 285 kg (628 pounds) in two events, and American Record.
This video shows her setting new records.

Dara Torres (silver medalist in 50m Olympic swim in 2004)
She's 42 and just swam in the finals of the World Championships
She has a 3 year old to take care of too.
Nuff said...here is an article that says the same.

Joan Benoit Samuelson (Olympic Gold medalist 1984 in the marathon)
Oh yeah, and she ran in the trails again last year at age 50.
I met her and shook her hand and talked to her about how awesome she is. She told me I was awesome for running to raise money for cancer research. I replied I guess we are both awesome!

After watching this video I think I can go out and push myself a little harder.
These women are so inspiring.

You Succeed

This morning I awoke to run a long run with my friend Betsy but she had to sleep in.
So I desperately searched for my Garmin because I'm a bit addicted to using it whenever I run outdoors. It took me 30 minutes to find, right where I left it on the porch. I need to get better about laying out all my gear the night before so that I don't waste time in the morning. Right now I think I own 6 pairs of running shoes by the way, so it shouldn't be hard to find a pair of those at least.

So with less time to run before Nate had to leave for a meeting at 8am, i was out the door by 6:45am trying to get him in less than an hour. I wanted to run at least 4 miles. So I started sort of slow and then sped up with each mile after that. Here are my splits.

Mile One: 11:29
Mile Two: 10:47
Mile Three: 8:56
Mile Four: 9:44

Total Time: 40:58 (Pace per mile 10:14)

Last three miles my pace was 29:27 (pace was 9:49)

This is a huge accomplishment for me. I could hardly believe it. But sometimes when you push yourself and dream the impossible, on a standard every day morning, you succeed.

I can't believe this

I just put on some jeans that are size 8. I'm not joking. This is crazy. I guess I could have put this on facebook as a status but I don't want to sound to cocky.

I'm just surprised. I guess you work hard and it pays off. Yippee.