This Week's Runs!

I want to thank all of the great people following my blog, the new and the old. It's nice to be able to share my accomplishments with each of you. You inspire me with all of the kind words every day. Thank you!

This week's runs...

Monday: 4 easy miles

Tuesday: 5

Wednesday: 8 with 4 x .5 mile at 9:15 pace (.5 mile recovery)

Thursday: 4

Friday: 3

Saturday: Run for Red 5k + 4 miles = 7 total

Sunday: OFF

So, at first I was thinking this week was going to be rough, but after looking at it, I'm having second thoughts. It's gonna be easier then I think, I just gotta take it one day at a time.

My goals this week are to go to bed before 10:30 and wake up around 5-5:30 to go run every day. Things change and life happens, but I think this week will be a good one. My other goal...run this 5k in less than 30 minutes! I was 1 minute shy at my last 5k, but I think I will do it this time. Oh, and another goal...less time on the computer and more time with my kiddos. The weather's getting better and the playgrounds are calling!

(Yesterday's food)

(Today's food!)

That's the other goal I have....EAT MORE VEGGIES and LESS JUNK!

12 miles + Weight Loss + Over 200 Miles Run This Year= GIVEAWAY!

Today's 12 miler went really well! It probably wasn't the best time to try out new shoes, but that's what I did. My right butt cheek hurt towards the end and also the back of my thigh, not sure if it was the shoes or not, but we'll see next time. I got up at 5 and ran and ran and ran until the sun came up and then ran some more. :) I took a water bottle with me and put it at my 4 mile marker. I was planning on doing laps around the neighborhood so each time I hit 4 miles I'd get a drink. It was pretty nice having that set out like that. I ran the 12 miles without walking and only stopped for a water break for about a minute. I ran the 12 miles in 2.17.31! GO ME! It feels good! I'm a little sore, but nothing I can't manage.

So, I weighed in right after my 12 miler and lost 1.4 lbs. I'm only 6.6 from my goal! I really think my sprints this week helped me out. You should check out Runner Dudes blog, he has some good posts about running and weight loss.

I have officially run 213.76 miles so far this year!! How awesome is that?! I would have never thought last year that I could run that much in just 2 months. I am well on my way to run 1010 in 2010! :)

Ok, so now onto the really fun stuff!

THE GIVEAWAY!

Since there's so many things to be thankful for today I thought I'd thank all of you out there who read my blog and follow me along on this journey.

The awesome people over at Road ID have donated a Road ID for my first giveaway!

Here's a little something about Road ID: "Our mission is two fold: One, to educate outdoor enthusiasts (runners, cyclists, triathletes, skiers, snow boarders, kayakers, walkers, and anyone that doesn’t spend all of their time on the couch) about the importance of wearing ID. Two, to provide these athletes with innovative identification products that they will want to include as part of their gear."

They're an awesome company that's privately owned and are committed to serve and support their community.

I have a Wrist ID Elite in the bone color!

So, here's how you enter:

(Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry!)

Go to RoadID.com and tell me which one you would choose if you won.

Link this giveaway on your blog, Facebook page, or tweet about it.

Join Road ID's fan page on Facebook.

Follow my blog or let me know if you already do.

Tell me how a Road ID would benefit you in your running/jogging/biking endeavors.

If you tweet follow Road ID on Twitter!


(The winner will be announced next Saturday after my race.)

So, there ya go! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and be careful out there on all of your runs and races!!!

Yeah....

So, these probably aren't the best "day before a 12 mile run" meals, but it's what I ate.

It was kinda weird having the day off on running today. But, I totally needed it. I can't wait for tomorrow! 12 miles!! The only thing I have to be careful of is not to binge eat when I get done with it just cause I ran, ya know?

Oh, so I have something special for after tomorrow's run, so watch out! :)

Feelin' good!

I had to snap a picture cause today I was feeling awesome. I'm getting to the point in my weight loss journey that I actually feel like I look. I feel like I've lost those 50 lbs. Today I felt really fit and healthy. I even ran in my marathon shirt. I LOVE it. :)

Today was 4 miles with 4x100s. When I was sprinting I felt SOO fast! You know how sometimes when you sprint you feel like you can't give it anymore juice, well today wasn't  like that...I felt so fast and it felt so easy! I love when it's like that.

So, I thought I'd start posting my food again. I  was looking back on some of my food posts and its a nice way for me to see what it is that I've been eating. Plus, if there's a week that I drop a ton I can see if eating made a difference.

So...here's today's food:

One thing I love about training for a marathon is being able to eat a burger and not feel guilty. I didn't eat all the fries, I maybe had one or two and the mozz. sticks I only had 3 of. But, YUM! I love food. :)

Just one of those days...

I didn't want anything to do with running today. I slept in and put off running until about 5 tonight. It was SOOO hard to get out and run. It was the last thing I wanted to do. But, I got out and did it.

7 miles, my fastest yet at 1.19.34. My legs are so sore from sprints yesterday, but it's all good. I'm planning on running in the early AM tomorrow so I can have almost 2 full days to rest before Saturday. I love when my Garmin counts down the miles, it makes it go by so much faster.

Ooh, and guess what...my hair looks way cute all curly too. :) I'm really liking this new haircut!

Anyway...this post is all random, but it was a rough day and I am TIRED!

Another early morning run....

So, today's my second day getting up at 5 to run. I even went to bed before 10:30 last night! Go me! I was able to put my hair in piggies this morning, they stick straight  out and look a little silly, but hey, it works. It's so nice not to have 2-3 lbs of hair bouncing off your head while you run! It'll be nice when spring comes cause then I'll be able to wear just the bondiband and no more ear warmers. I felt slow again this morning, but I felt really fresh and fast when I did 4x100s. My 3 miler ended up being a 3.7 miler, which rarely happens. I'm hoping to feel much stronger and faster for tomorrows 7 miler. I've even thought about going later in the day, but I kinda like having it done early when every one's sleeping.

How many of you guys out there do a walking warm up before you run? I don't, but I've thought about it a couple times. I wonder if it would really help?

Here's a YUMMY smoothie, the only thing it's missing is some protein powder or something. I dunno...

Vanilla Berry Smoothie

1/2C-1C fat free vanilla ice cream

1/2C blue berries

1C frozen strawberries

1/2 can slimfast/protein shake

Blend it all up and YUM!!! :)

Slow run + a new do + a future runner.

I got up at 5 this morning and ran my 4 miler. I was really slow...like really slow. But, I consider it a recovery run, so I'm not worried. Tomorrow I'm doing 4x100s. That'll be fun. I felt good during today's run. I could have gone faster, but it's all good.

Guess what I did...I got my hair cut!

It's a little short, but I really like it. I chopped off about 6+ inches, thinned it out, and got it highlighted. I was wanting it long enough to put into two little pigtails for when I run, but I think it's just a little too short for that. Boy, am I glad I got some bondibands from Kayte cause I think they're gonna work perfect to keep my hair outta my face while I run.

Ooh, and guess what...on Thursday I will have run 200 miles so far this year! How cool is that?! I don't think I've run 200 miles ever before in my life, let alone in 2 months.

My future runner! :)

This weeks Runs.

Monday: 4
Tuesday: 3
Wednesday: 7
Thursday: 4
Friday: OFF
Saturday: 12!!! My longest yet! Exciting!
Sunday: OFF

This week will be fun. My goals are to go run early in the morning before anyone gets up. I also want to start getting some strength training of some sort in there I'm thinking it'll help with running and losing weight. Since I won't have much time to go to the gym I'm going to do Wii Fit when I get home from running, everyone should still be asleep so it should work out perfect. The other thing I'm going to do is go to bed before 10 every night. It may be a tough week, but I think I can do it. I've got a 12 miler on Saturday and I want to be fully rested for it.

The Wild Goose Chase!

Here's Delta, UT. It's a nice little town, it makes me think of my gma Cook's town in Montana. The trip out there was a little crazy, it wasn't snowing until we hit a little mountain pass and then it was so bad with snow and fog that we couldn't see 6 feet in front of us. But, then when we got through the mountain it was all sunny with some clouds. You could tell that it snowed the night before on the race route cause there was lots of mud and snow that was still melting.

I met a new friend today. :) I was going to the port-a-potty before the race and I heard "Hey! Are you Cathy Twitchell?" This really cool woman named Sue Peterson got an email from one of her friends telling her about my blog and that I was going to be racing in the Wild Goose Chase. I didn't think there were very many people out there that even read my blog so I thought it was awesome that I was spotted at one of my races. The other cool thing, we both ran in 5 of the same races last year and didn't even know it. Cool, huh?! She won first place in the 5k and when I crossed the finish she was there to see if I reached my goal of running the 10k in under an hour.

(Warning! I don't take good race pictures! LOL!)

Well....I ran 6 of the miles in under an hour. LOL! But, the 10k I  ran it in 1.02.04. I almost had it. I didn't place, but I wasn't really expecting to. I'm more concerned with beating myself each time.

I tried out some new socks today. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my drymax socks! They are SOO comfy. You know how when you run in some socks you can totally feel them the whole time you're running, these ones are so awesome you can't even feel them. I can't wait to use them on my long run next Saturday.

The picture doesn't do it much justice, but holy cow, it was muddy! The back of my legs had splatters all over them. It was a fun race. I kept it under 10 the whole time. Go me! When I turned the corner to start the 2nd half of the 10k there was a field of cows mooing and it totally sounded like they were mooing "Go, Go, Go!" Then at the end of the race there was this one chick who totally helped me out, if it wasn't for her I would have dropped my pace that last mile, but I wanted to stick with her and that's what I did. So, thanks chick for helping me out that last mile! :) I was going to tell her thanks for letting me stick with her, but I couldn't find her after I finished.

After our two hour drive home I came home to 3 packages! I got my marathon shirts, my bondibands, and my Nike rain coat! I had to try on the coat and a bondiband so, I thought why not go finish out my last 2 miles for the day. :) The coat is nice and light and the bondiband felt really good and stayed in place.

Today was a fun day! I enjoy going out to Delta every year for this race. :)

4 miles and a weigh in

I got up and ran my 4 miles. I noticed today that I don't hit my stride and I'm not completely warmed up until about 2.5 miles into my short runs. Maybe I need to warm up more before my runs, I dunno. I felt pretty good once I was all warmed up, my thighs are a little sore, but it's all good. The weather was kinda interestinng. It was snowing, but it was warm at the same time. Weird!

I went and weighed in today since my race is early tomorrow morning and I lost another .2. Urgh! It'd be nice if it was 2 whole pounds rather than .2, but it's all good. I'm thinking I gotta eat more and get in more protein. The only thing is when I think of protein I think of chicken. Do you guys have any good recipes that would help me get my protein in?

Oooh! I found a jacket to run in, it should be coming today or tomorrow. Yay! I love getting packages. :)

Oh yeah, my splits...
Mile 1: 11.20
Mile 2: 11.13
Mile 3: 10.53
Mile 4: 10.28
Total: 43.55 min

There's a lot of great giveaways going on right now, check them out on the sidebar------>

Why I Run Alone....

I am once again reminded why I run alone. Today I attempted to run while my kids were playing at the school playground. I figured it was all fenced in and the distance around the baseball field and playground was a little more than a quarter mile so I could just do my 4 miles right there. Boy, was I wrong! Each time I'd circle around by the slides both kids would run up right in front of me and yell, "Mom! MOM! Push me on the swings! Help me climb this! Help me do that!" Yeah, it makes running SOO much more stressful. When I run alone the only person I have to worry about is myself. Sure, I fight with myself sometimes, but I can also tell myself to shut up and I'll listen. LOL!

Anyway, my run was pretty good. I didn't really get into a groove until 2.5 miles into it. I tried keeping my head up and looking forward instead of down, but it's SOOO hard! I kept looking down without knowing it. But, the interesting thing was whenever I'd look up my shoulders would automatically drop and relax. The other thing I noticed was whenever I pass by someone on a trail my posture and pace fall right into place and I start running and I feel comfortable. I wish I would do that without having to pass by people.

My splits:
Mile 1: 11.33
Mile 2: 12.25
Mile 3: 11.51
Mile 4: 10.22

Not bad, not bad...

The weather's getting nicer. When the wind would stop blowing the sun would come out and it felt SOO nice! I can't wait to get my Bondibands, my fleece ear warmers are starting to get a little hot. :)

Tomorrow's another 4 miles and then my 10k!!! Cross your fingers, I really want to run it under an hour! :)

Running with a numb face.

So, today I ran with a numb face. I put off running and ended up having to run after the dentist. They put in my permanent crown today. Fun stuff....

There's one good thing about running with a numb face, you can't tell when your face gets cold. It was weird cause one side of my face was numb and the other wasn't so I couldn't tell if my face was really cold or not. Haha! I totally didn't want to go run today. I was insanely tired and all I wanted to do was sleep. I didn't want to go 7.5 miles and I really didn't want to run 2 of those miles at a 9:30 pace. But, guess what...I got dressed and got my butt moving right after getting home from the dentist, numb face and all. I started out trying out the whole run a mile walk a minute thing, but then I felt like I was cheating so I ran the rest of the time. After the first 9:30 mile I wanted to stop and walk, but I made myself keep on running. I'm glad I did. I always feel better and proud of myself when I run the whole time. Plus, I feel like I can't say I ran the whole thing when I walk sometimes. I know there's people out there that do the run, walk, run, walk thing...but I can't.

Here are my times:
Mile 1: 12.55
Mile 2: 12.12
Mile 3: 11.23
Mile 4: 9.31
Mile 5: 11.16
Mile 6: 9.21
Mile 7: 11.27
Mile 7.5: 5.32

I finished in 1.23.40! My fastest yet! :) I can't wait to be able to run all my miles under 10 minutes. I bet by June I'll be there. I actually felt pretty comfortable running at a 9:30 pace. I've found that I look at the ground WAAAAY too much when I run and when I'm running at a faster pace I get all tense in my shoulders. I tried hard today to relax when I found myself getting tense. It makes a difference when you're loose.

A little SUNSHINE!

Aww, thanks Kayte for the sunshine! :)

I'm gonna give a little sunshine to....

• 
  
  My Daily Discovery
• 
  
  Racing With Babies
• 
  
  Asthma and The Gift of Running
• 
  
  That Girl's a Running Fool
• 
  
  Finishing is Winning
• 
  
  Running Barefoot
• 
  
  Tall Mom on the Run
• 
  
  Endurance Isn't Only Physical
• 
  
  The Happy Runner
• 
  
  Mom vs. Marathon
• 
  
  One Foot in Front of The Other
• 
  
  Adventures in Running

It was a misty, moisty, morning.

It was weird, I started out my 3 miler and it looked like this, the sun was just coming up and the weather was perfect, not too cold, just right. Well, during the last mile the fog set in.

The picture doesn't do it much justice, but it was pretty thick. It was really nice to run in. I went slow and took my time. I kept around a 12 minute pace. I'm still a little sore from the 10 miler, but nothing I can't work with. My toes are kinda sore. I think I need to do better at stretching after runs.

What do you guys do to stretch after long runs? Do you stretch after each run, or just long runs, or not at all?

A little color

It was a little rainy and blah outside so I thought I'd go find a shirt that was different than my usual black or white. I ended up with a pink champion shirt that I found at Target on the sale rack.

I like it! I still can't get over the fact that I can wear a medium shirt. It's nuts! Last year I was trying to fit into an X-Large. I love that I can put one on and not have rolls showing through. Granted, I still have some rolls, you just can't see them as well through the shirt.  Hahaha!

I love that my arms aren't huge in them either. I can bend my arms without it feeling like I'm cutting off circulation.

It was pretty wet and rainy outside. I've never really ran in the rain before and I don't know if you'd count this as rain cause it was more of a light drizzle, but it was pretty nice. I can't wait until its warm outside and raining it'll be fun to run in that. Let's just hope it's not raining during the marathon in June.

I was looking at the weather this week in Delta, UT where my race is on Saturday and all week it's sunny and then on Saturday they they're forecasting rain! Rain! Can you believe it...rain on Saturday and then for the next 5 days more sun. What's up with that? They'd better be wrong, I want a nice sunny run on Saturday!

Today's run was nice. I started out running, but then I was feeling really sore right below my shins, so I walked quick for about 5 minutes and then picked back up the pace and finished feeling good. My thighs are a little sore, but nothing to complain about.

I'm going to bed early and waking up early to do my 3 miles. So far so good this week!

So, something I noticed when I ran today....I noticed that I have a better feeling towards running when I get it done early in the morning, but when I wait to do it later in the day I get so frustrated with running. You'd think I'd get out there and go in the morning knowing that I love running when I do it early. lol

OH! I forgot....I'm looking for a good jacket that would work well for running in the rain. You guys have any ideas?

Negative Splits + Next Weeks Schedule

Boy are my thighs sore! There not as sore as I would think they would be after running 10 miles, but they're pretty achy when I go up and down the stairs. I don't think it's really sunk in yet that I ran 10 miles. I don't have a feeling like I just accomplished this unbelievable distance. Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe its better for me not to think that, but rather think of it as nothing so I won't freak out when I get further up in the distances, ya know?

I guess I never knew what negative splits really were. I thought it was when you ran every mile faster than the last, but nope. Go here to read about what a negative split really is.

Yesterday I DID run a negative split! Thanks Adam for pointing it out! I ran the second half almost 6 minutes faster than the first! I think that's one thing I'm good at with running. I do good at keeping a consistent pace and not wearing myself out the first few miles. I may be slow sometimes, but I'm consistent.

So, this weeks runs...
Monday: 4
Tuesday: 3
Wednesday: 7.5
Thursday: 4
Friday: 4
Saturday: Wild Goose Chase 10k! 1 mile warm up, 1 mile cool down or double day. Total miles 8
Sunday: Off

My goal this week is to get my runs in early and go to bed early. I'm feeling so much better now that I've been going to bed before 10 every night. Sleep really makes a difference. I also need to lay off the salt, I can really feel myself getting bloated from all the pizza and junk I've been eating. I need more lean meats with fruits and veggies. I gotta eat right!

Saturday's Jason's birthday and my race is 2.5 hours away in the middle of no where Utah. But, it'll be fun we're going to make a fun day out of it. I am hoping to make this my fastest 10k! I'd love for it to be under an hour. If I take my other runs easy this week and get the sleep and food I need I totally think I can do it. This course is pretty flat, I'm not too worried about that. Let's hope the weather stays as nice as it has been cause that would make it that much easier.

10 miles!!

I ran 10 miles!!!!

I have entered into the double digit miles. It's so crazy to think I'm running that far. I would have NEVER thought last year that I could  run 10 miles without stopping. It was hard enough running a 5k in under 45 minutes, but today I ran 10 miles in 1.57.50!! I even ran it without my ipod.

I got up at 4 when the alarm went off, got dressed, and got myself out the door. It was such a peaceful morning I thought it would be a good day to run without music, so that's what I did. I ate a GU before and another 1/2 way though. It seemed to help. I felt really good. There were no sore muscles or joints. I felt like I had lots of energy. At one point I even thought about going 3 more miles so I could say I ran a 1/2, but I decided not to push myself.

I feel soo good! What a great run!

I weighed in and lost .4. I wish it was more, but whatever. I'm doing good training and my clothes are fitting great so that's all that matters. I'm getting to the end of my weight loss and the last few pounds are the hardest to lose. It'll come off and I'll be way past my goal before the marathon for sure.

Oh, my splits:
1. 13.37
2. 12.45
3. 12.09
4. 11.39
5. 11.22
6. 10.58
7. 11.20
8. 11.18
9. 11.17
10. 11.21

Not too bad, not negitive splits, but that's ok. I was going for a comfortable pace and that's what I did. :)

Quick One.

It was so weird having a day off and it not being a missed run. But, since I skipped yesterdays run I did a quick 20 min run around the block. I felt good. I did 1.72 miles, not bad... I think getting 10 hours of sleep last night really helped. I woke up this morning and felt awesome. I think I just needed a great night's sleep.

I'm gonna make this quick cause I gotta get to bed. The alarms set for 4 for my 10 miler before WW. I'm so excited, this run is gonna be good!

Ok, so...yeah....

Staying up until 1:45 and then being only 1/2 asleep cause the little one's not feeling good, then getting up at 7 to take Uncle Jon to school and then not feeling 100% cause I'm catching whatever little Annabelle's got...not the greatest idea.

So, I'm taking today off cause I want to feel 100% for Saturday's 10 miler. I'm going to bed before 10 for sure today...I gotta sleep. Jason's home so it'll be easier to sleep. It's always easier to sleep through the night when he's home.

I hate when I have that internal conflict...Do I run? Do I rest? What should I do?? I usually choose to push through it and run, but today I'm going with rest. I'm thinking it'll be better for me in the long run and I don't want to burn myself out, ya know?

Our Race Shirts!

My mom and I thought it would be fun to make some shirts to wear when we run our marathons. It's always been a theme in our family that we can do hard things, so we had to make it a part of the shirt.

Here's my shirt. I really like it! Orange is my favorite color so I had to include it in there some where. The little words at the bottom are me thanking everyone for helping me along my journey.

Here's Jason's shirt! I thought it was funny. I'm really excited to see him in it!

Here's my momma's shirt! As you can tell and in case you didn't know, I was named after my mom which makes this race/shirt even cooler. :) I'm so excited to do this with her. She's going to do the 1/2 marathon and I'm doing the whole. Technically we won't even be running together cause she starts at the 1/2 way point and she will finish about 2.5 hours before me, but it's still awesome to be able to do this together.

My dad's shirt! I can totally see my dad wearing this one. :) The little words say Sierra Leone Freetown South Africa Mission 2010-2113 We can do hard things! He's gotta represent! lol!

I'm SOOOO excited for my marathon! It's going to be AMAZING!
The shirts will be coming in the next couple weeks! Yay!!

Oh, I forgot!!! I had been looking EVERWHERE for a place to do our shirts, but they were all wanting $47+ for shirts plus shipping and they weren't even that cool, but last night I saw Long Legs on the Loose's post and saw her cool sports bra. customizedgirl.com  has GREAT athletic/wicking shirts and they're great priced too! Oh, and you can find coupons for 20% off here.

I wonder...

(the start of my route)

...what's been causing me to feel like my legs are filled with lead. It's so weird. I'm going faster than normal, but I feel like I'm going insanely slow and it feels like it's taking SOOO much effort. The good thing though, I'm getting out there and running. I wonder if I'm not getting enough nutrition. More protein maybe? It's weird cause I'm drinking a ton and eating healthy. I've taken out candies and cookies. I'm not hungry...I'll try more protein tomorrow.

Anyway! This morning I woke up to my alarm, but I decided it would be better for me to wait to do my run when the kids were down for naps. I was going to do 7 miles and taking a new route, so I wanted to make sure I knew where I was going. It was nice to get 3 more hours of sleep. :)

So, I started out feeling awesome.The weather was sooo nice! I started out with all my usual layers, but before the first mile was over I ditched my gloves and my scarf. I did my 3rd mile in 8.56! I don't remember the last time I ran a mile that fast....elementary school maybe? Hahaha! After running that mile (it was mostly down hill) I was pretty worn out, so I walked for a little bit and took off my jacket and wrapped it around my waist. I'm not a big fan of carrying things while I run. That's why I never bring water with me, I don't like the feeling of holding it. I don't think I'd like the water belt either cause the jacket was annoying enough. Maybe I'll try out my camel-back. Anyway, I picked up the pace and ran the next 2 miles back up hill. After that the last 2 miles took FOREVER! I felt so slow and I felt like the run was taking SOOO much energy. It's really going to be important for me to plan out a flatter route for Saturday's 10 miler. Towards the end of my run I kept thinking that I need to bring water. The water at the lake looked SOOO good! lol I'm gonna experiment and figure out what method works best for me, holding a bottle, a belt, or a camel-back...we'll see what works.

Here's my splits:
1. 11.17 (flat)
2. 11.00 (flat)
3. 8.56 (down hill)
4. 12.53 (up hill)
5. 12.39 (up hill)
6. 12.42 (up hill)
7. 12.10 (flat)

Not too bad. :) Tomorrow is an easy 4 miles. I'm planning on getting up early and going. Tomorrow's another busy day!

My Gear

Every morning (even when I don't run) my alarm goes off at 5:27 (weird, I know.) My alarm is 5-10 minutes fast, I forget which one. I set it for 5:27 because then I'm getting up before 5:30 which gives me a couple more minutes just in case I sleep in. If I set it for 5:30 and then sleep in a couple minutes I convince myself it's ok and I can sleep in a little longer. But, with the kids waking up around 7 and with my running taking more time, I have to get up and go by 5:30. So, with the 5-10 minutes and the 2 extra I have enough time to get out and go before 5:30. Like I said, I'm weird. I don't know if that made much sense at all, but it works for me! :) lol

Every day I run I put on the same thing. The only time it changes is when the weather's different.

• 
  
  I got my sports bra I got from Walmart. I'd like to get one of those fancy CW-X ones, but I don't know if it's worth the cost.
• 
  
  I got my bella band. I know, it's for pregos, but I have found that even with all the layers I wear my tummy still gets cold early in the morning, so rather than wear another shirt I put on the bella band and it gives me the right amount of warmth.
• 
  
  I've got my running tights. They've got some wind resistance to them, but not enough for when it's under 30° outside.
• 
  
  I've got some old fleece pants that are getting too big that I wear on top of my tights when it's chilly outside.
• 
  
  I've got a tech race shirt from one of my races.
• 
  
  I've got a thin long sleeve tech 1/2 zip shirt that's on top of  the race shirt.
• 
  
  I've got a wind resistant jacket on top of that.
• 
  
  I've got my Garmin 305 with Heart Rate Monitor. LOVE IT!
• 
  
  I've got my cell phone. You gotta be safe, you never know when/if you'll need it.
• 
  
  I've got my ear warmers. Another thing I got a Walmart for like a buck or something.
• 
  
  I've got my $1 gloves from Walmart.
• 
  
   I've got my daughter's ear warmer that Velcros. It makes the perfect scarf. lol
• 
  
  Last but not least, my shoes and socks!

I can't wait until it's warmer. I wonder if I'll run faster without all the layers. Haha!

This morning's run went well. My average pace was 11:58, but I felt like I might as well have been walking. It totally felt like lead weights were tied to my legs the whole time. It probably didn't help that I went to bed at 12:45. Tonight I'd better get to bed early cause I've got 7 miles to do in the morning.

Woot! Woot!

So, the getting to bed early thing didn't work out too well, I didn't get to bed until about 11:45, but I set the alarm for 5:27 anyway. Caleb got up around 1 and Annabelle got up around 3, but when the alarm went off I got up without thinking and went to the bathroom. I'm so glad I put all my running stuff in the bathroom cause I looked at it when I went in there and thought, "Awe, Jason's home, I don't have to go this early...." and before I could finish the thought I changed my mind and got dressed and went for my run.

I felt good! It was a little chilly outside, somewhere around 25°. I probably should have worn another pair of pants, but oh well. Tomorrow I'll make sure to wear some. I kept around a 12 min pace. Which isn't too bad. I thought about sprinting my last mile to see how fast I could do it in, but I think I'll save that for my next 4 miler or maybe tomorrow's 3 miler.

I don't know what it is, maybe I've watched too many scary movies, but I get so paranoid when I run early in the mornings. There's a lot of construction going on around our neighborhood and I always run faster when I pass by a port-a-potty. Hahaha! It's like I think some one's going to jump out and get me or something. It's so funny cause there's never been anything to justify me being paranoid. And when I first started running I did it early in the morning all the time and didn't worry at all. Oh, well I'm weird. :)

You wanna know something that makes me happy? When ever I see someone running that is in the same place I was a year ago. I cheer for them in my head, "Go, go, go! Keep it up!" I wonder if it would be motivating if I actually said it out loud so they could hear. Maybe one day....

I just took Brianna to school and I was thinking about how nice it was that I had my run done. It makes running so much easier knowing that I got it in. Kinda like a weight is off my shoulders. I love running, don't get me wrong...it's just SOOO much more enjoyable when you don't keep putting it off. :)

Today's a good day!

A new week....

I'm excited for this week's runs! I am so excited to run 10 miles. I have NEVER run that far, I've never THOUGHT to run that far, and I KNOW I can run that far.

My goal is to run every morning this week before the kids wake up. I think I can do that. :) I think the hardest part will be going to bed early so I can wake up so early. But, I can do it!!!

I can do hard things.

9 miles + Negitive Splits!!!

This morning I got up at 4:20 got dressed and went for my run! I felt really great. I thought a couple times towards the end of my run about how I could run it 2 more times. I did my run today at a consistent pace and did it without stopping. At this point in time I'd have to stop and walk a couple times, but I'm thinking by June I won't need to walk at all. I think I'll have to figure out ways to not get bored while I run for such a long distance. I got done in 1.42.50! I love when I run negative splits.

Here they are:
Mile 1: 12.36
Mile 2: 11.53
Mile 3: 11.51
Mile 4: 11.36
Mile 5: 11.15
Mile 6: 11.06
Mile 7: 11.01
Mile 8: 10.49
Mile 9: 10.40

I think it's so cool when I run negative splits on such a long run. You'd think it would be the other way around where I'd go slower towards the end cause of how far I'm going, but nope. :) I feel really good about my run!!

So, I weighed in at WW and I maintained again for the 3rd week in a row. I'm still 168.6. I haven't been tracking for a while, so this week my goal is to track all my food and eat lots of protein. That means lots of buffalo chicken wraps and rotisserie chicken salads. YUM!

I also want to try hard to get out and run early in the morning. I feel so much better when I run early.

TIME FOR LUNCH! :)

Runnin' without music.

I got my 3 miler in today. I was putting it off until about 1:30 when I started crashing. The past couple of days at around noon I start to crash and feel REALLY tired. I really gotta change my diet around. I think I'm eating too much sugar and not enough protein. Yeah, I don't think 2 cookies and a Reese's heart was a great lunch. I crashed hard. But, rather than take a nap I got all ready and went for a run.

I tried out my new running skirt. It's still too cold to run in just the skirt and I'm still not 100% comfortable with just the skirt, so I wore my capri length tights too. It kept me pretty warm. It was in the low 40s this afternoon, but the wind was blowing pretty good so it was nice to have an extra little layer.  My ipod was dead so I ran without music, which kinda sucked, but not too bad. I felt SOOO slow, but I was actually going faster than I thought. I was running around an 11min mile the whole time.

Tomorrow is the big 9 miler! I can do this!!! I've gotta get myself to bed cause the alarm's going off at 4:30 so I have LOTS of time to run before my 7:00 weigh in. I'm so excited to run it and then weigh in at WW.

 I don't think I'll lose this week, but oh well. This next week I'm going to do MUCH better with tracking my food and eating healthy. With all the running I'm doing I really need to eat better. I need more protein and more veggies.

Tomorrow's going to be a good day! :)

I'm being a sissy....

I got dressed to go for my run this morning, but life happened and I ended up not going for my run. I'm blaming it on my itchy gums. :)

Hale Freezes Over Comparison

Check out the difference!

Hale Freezes Over 2009 Hale Freezes Over 2010

Wow! It's amazing what a years worth of exercise can do for ya. I'm pretty proud. :)

At last years race I remember running the 5k and it being the hardest thing EVER. I pushed my hardest and did it without stopping and it took me 45 minutes to run it.

This year I ran the 10k, pushed hard, did it without stopping, but I didn't feel like it was THAT hard. It took my 1.03 to run it. Crazy, huh?

Life is good!

It hurts! It hurts!

Boy am I glad I ran before the dentist! Cause there is NO WAY I would want to run right now. My jaw is no longer numb and it hurts SOOO bad. Urgh..... I'm glad I still have some 800mg ibuprofen cause this is no fun. Brush your teeth, kids....you don't want to be like me....urgggh....

At about 9:30 I went for my run. I was getting a little bored with my route so I ran a new one. This one was out on 118th South. It's a lone road that takes you out west and curves around to take you to Herriman. I'm thinking I'll run it when I have the REALLY long runs coming up. Anyway, it was fun to change up my route. It made my run less boring. I did good though, 6 miles in 1.08. I love when I plug in my Garmin and see that I kept a really constant pace. I stayed at an 11:24 pace the whole time. The only time I went up and down was when I crossed streets and stuff.

I got home around 11, showered, and got ready for the dentist at 12:30. I was tired when I got there and almost fell asleep while they were drilling a couple times. LOL I wonder if they've ever had someone fall asleep like that... It took about 2.5 hours to fix the damage.

Tomorrow's 4 miles. We'll see if I'm up for it. Maybe I'll feel a lot better around lunch time or something.

Shoulda, would, coulda...

I got up this morning at 6 for a family video conference call. My parents got their official mission president call....BUT I can't say where until the 10th. lol It's a crazy cool place though!

I shoulda gone for my run.......


*******We interrupt this program for a good KICK IN THE BUTT!*********

So, while writing that I should have gone on my run this morning after the conference call and that I ended up missing my run today, I decided to give myself a good kick in the butt and get myself out the door. Sure, it was 9 at night and it was dark and I really wanted to just go to sleep, but I got myself off the couch, got dressed, and went for my run.

Sometimes you just have to kick yourself and say, "Self, you're better than this whole being lazy thing. You need this run and you know you'll be a better person if you do it." That's what I did. I got up, told myself I had to do this and that even though it's "just 3 miles" it's part of my training and I can't skip out on it.

I feel so much better now that I did my run for today. I know it would have been more beneficial for me with all the "fun" events that happened today if I would have done it this morning when I was dressed and ready. But, I did it, I got it in. I beat that negative self talk.

I've found that running is a MAJOR mental thing. Sure, it takes a lot of effort physically, but I think it's more of a mental thing. There's a lot of self talk involved in running. A lot of kicking out the negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones. Some days you REALLY don't want to run and it's the hardest thing in the world to get out the door and get moving, but 99% of the time when you're out there and almost done with your run you realize that it was totally worth it.

Today Brianna and Caleb thought it would be fun to draw all over the walls in their room with crayons.... Yeah, a run this morning would have made a big difference in my attitude towards that situation.... I am a LOT more patient with the kids when I run early. I just gotta get myself to bed early so I'm not so tired in the morning.

Tomorrow I have 6 miles to run, a room to paint, and a FUN dentist appointment where I'm going to get a crown and 2 fillings done. Sounds like a fun eventful day. I'm REALLY going to have to get up early and run because I KNOW I'm not going to want to run after the dentist.

Lets pray I get up and go cause right now, I'm not feeling it. lol

Early Morning Run

I love when things work out.

This morning Jason and I got up at 5:00 so we could take him to the airport, but at the last minute his plans changed and he ended up staying home. It worked out perfect for me. I had a VERY busy day planned and it helped to have an extra set of hands. So, since we weren't going to the airport, I went for my run.

I took my time and didn't look at my watch. I felt really good. I felt fast, but not too fast. I felt comfortable. The time went by fast and before I knew it I was home. I did 4 miles in 50 min. Like I said, I took my time. :) My heart rate was under 160 the whole time. When I got home I did 50 crunches and 15 girly push ups.

So, tomorrow's going to be an early morning. My mom and dad are opening their mission call at 6AM Utah time. Exciting!!! I'm debating on if I should run before or after. I think I'll do it before, but if I do I'll have to go to bed now so I get lots of sleep.

I like getting my runs done early in the morning cause it's done and I can enjoy the rest of the day and not have to try to figure out when to get my run in. Plus, Jason says I'm a happier woman when I get my run done early. :) The only thing is in the winter time it's SOO hard to get up early and run. I can't wait to run in the spring and summer. I wonder what season will hold the perfect temp at 5:30AM.