Well, I ran today, but was so stressed over something I didn't pay much attention to what blared through my headphones. Add that to the fact that due to weather I have to tough it out on a treadmill. Ick! It wasn't a pleasant run. However, I can actually recall a few key songs that played which actually goes hand in hand with what I was going to talk about today - getting high.
This came to me last Sunday while I was at church. Now I love the preaching, but my favorite part is the time of worship with singing. I've said before that I listen & sing to music every. single. day. Similar to running I would not be complete without it. So during this time of singing we had some great songs that really moved me. My hands were lifted, body was moving & I was singing praises to the Lord! Can I hear a HALLELUIAH AMEN?!?! Oh, sorry. Caught up in the moment again. Anyway, when it was done I had the biggest high. I was in my favorite worship position with my hands up & face lifted toward heaven. I could have stayed there forever in God's presence. It's such an awesome feeling.
I also get this same high when I run. Not always. Not every time. Sometimes it comes in the middle of the run, sometimes at the end. It can happen once, it can happen several times during a run. It's the best feeling in the world! To me, both are God given. Both are vital to who I am. What can be very comical is when the two happen at the same time. Running down the road or on a treadmill and my running high hits during a song (which isn't always a "church" song) that brings me that same high. Yeah, I'll be jamming along with hands lifted, maybe some clapping, a huge smile while I lift my face toward the sky. I'm sure I look ridiculous, but I really don't care. I'm in the moment. I'm getting high. I'm being who & how God created me.
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Firework - Katy Perry
Prrrum (Remix) - Cosculluela & Wisin y Yandel
In the Garden - Don Marsh
CSI - TV Theme Song
Fly on the Wall - Myley Cyrus
Greatest American Hero - TV Theme Song
This is the Day that the Lords Hath Made - Gaither Trio
Every Breath You Take - The Police
More than Words/Heaven - Rock of Ages Soundtrack
Our God - Chris Tomlin
Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson
Hold Me - Jamie Grace feat. tobyMac
At Your Name - Phil Wickham
Forever - Chris Brown
Jai Ho! (You are my Destiny) - A.R. Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Vloggin' Wednesday - Let's talk politics
I typically try to stick to video only for Vloggin' Wednesday. However because my videos are not scripted & I just run my mouth I sometimes have hindsight that I wish I had included in the video. Often what that comes down to is that I'm a people pleaser (big time) and I tend to think "oh, I should've said it this way or that way...just to be sure I don't offend anyone." While I work hard to stick to my beliefs & get over my people pleasing tendencies (because I know I can't please everyone & not everyone needs to be pleased by me) I don't use that as an excuse to be insistent, rude or having a "my way is right" point of view.
As seen below (I talk about that in my video) I had a completely unexpected moment to meet President Obama 2 years ago. I highly cherish this moment. Not because I'm an Obama supporter. Quite the opposite. I'm sure if I had the chance to speak in depth with President Obama we'd see that we have very different points of views of just about every subject out there. That doesn't mean that I can't respect him as a human being or more importantly as the President of the United States.
If you have a different point of view, well, that is your point of view. However, please.....PLEASE don't go on a rampage either on here or my facebook about it. I'm not looking for a challenge or debate on the topic. Good conversation, tasteful comments, I'm all for those & even highly encourage them.
For my local peeps: If you are going to see President Obama today, that's great. Enjoy your time. If you are not, that's great. Enjoy your time. I'm perfectly ok with staying away from it all. I might meander down a half block to the suspected motorcade route since it's so close to my house. I'm not expecting to see much, but we'll see. Anyway, enjoy the video:
As seen below (I talk about that in my video) I had a completely unexpected moment to meet President Obama 2 years ago. I highly cherish this moment. Not because I'm an Obama supporter. Quite the opposite. I'm sure if I had the chance to speak in depth with President Obama we'd see that we have very different points of views of just about every subject out there. That doesn't mean that I can't respect him as a human being or more importantly as the President of the United States.
If you have a different point of view, well, that is your point of view. However, please.....PLEASE don't go on a rampage either on here or my facebook about it. I'm not looking for a challenge or debate on the topic. Good conversation, tasteful comments, I'm all for those & even highly encourage them.
For my local peeps: If you are going to see President Obama today, that's great. Enjoy your time. If you are not, that's great. Enjoy your time. I'm perfectly ok with staying away from it all. I might meander down a half block to the suspected motorcade route since it's so close to my house. I'm not expecting to see much, but we'll see. Anyway, enjoy the video:
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Tuesday's Tunes - 15 years
Today marks 15 years since I gave birth to our 2nd child & daughter Mandy.
Come on, admit it, you just thought 'wow, she was huge!' It's ok, I completely agree. Trust me, I know I was. That girl was a chunky baby, weighing in at 8 lbs. 13 oz. For this little momma, that is one big baby.
I'll spare you the details, but there were a lot of complications with her delivery. We are very fortunate that she even survived what happened & that she had full, complete & normal use of her body. Once they got her breathing, all I got was a look at her from across the room & they whisked her away for hours.
Finally, I was able to hold my precious baby girl.
It's been a crazy, yet wonderful 15 years. In hindsight you can't help but love every God given moment that we get with our children. Probably easy to say when times are good, but it's true even with the bad. I often say: it can't always be rainbows & sunshine. True that! But no one ever said it would be easy, but it's definitely worth it!
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I was suppose to run this morning with my girlfriend Julia. She bailed on me because she had a headache. What a weenie! (I'm totally kidding. Just giving her grief since I know she reads my blog. Hey Julia!) Since I didn't run with her I cancelled my original run plans. Mandy saw me getting ready to go & asked if I was going to run 15 miles. I gave her a weird look. She said "ya know, one for each year I've been alive". Ahhh, good idea. Except I wasn't prepared for that. Maybe it's a tradition I'll start for next year. Something fun to do. (yes, that is my idea of fun)
After a brief lack of motivation I headed out the door & managed a good 8 mile run. These are the tunes I listened to:
Miss Independent - Kelly Clarkson
Drama Queen (That Girl) - Lindsay Lohan
I'll Make Love to You - Boyz to Men
We Belong Together - Los Lobos
When - Shania Twain
Piano Man - Billy Joel
If Ever You're In My Arms Again - Peobo Bryson
More Beautiful You - Jonny Diaz
White Flag - Passion Feat Chris Tomlin
Elenor Rigby - The Beatles
Glory to God - Live Eleven22 Worship
Go Cubs Go! - Steve Goodman
Love Addict - Family Force 5
How Beautiful - Twyla Paris
Jai Ho! - A. R. Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls
Wild Wild West - The Escape Club
I Am a Promise - Bill Gaither Trio
Shout to the Lord - Joel Engle
(Sorry, no time to link each song like I usually do)
*Do you have kids?
*Do you something special to celebrate their birthday?
I'll spare you the details, but there were a lot of complications with her delivery. We are very fortunate that she even survived what happened & that she had full, complete & normal use of her body. Once they got her breathing, all I got was a look at her from across the room & they whisked her away for hours.
Finally, I was able to hold my precious baby girl.
It's been a crazy, yet wonderful 15 years. In hindsight you can't help but love every God given moment that we get with our children. Probably easy to say when times are good, but it's true even with the bad. I often say: it can't always be rainbows & sunshine. True that! But no one ever said it would be easy, but it's definitely worth it!
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I was suppose to run this morning with my girlfriend Julia. She bailed on me because she had a headache. What a weenie! (I'm totally kidding. Just giving her grief since I know she reads my blog. Hey Julia!) Since I didn't run with her I cancelled my original run plans. Mandy saw me getting ready to go & asked if I was going to run 15 miles. I gave her a weird look. She said "ya know, one for each year I've been alive". Ahhh, good idea. Except I wasn't prepared for that. Maybe it's a tradition I'll start for next year. Something fun to do. (yes, that is my idea of fun)
After a brief lack of motivation I headed out the door & managed a good 8 mile run. These are the tunes I listened to:
Miss Independent - Kelly Clarkson
Drama Queen (That Girl) - Lindsay Lohan
I'll Make Love to You - Boyz to Men
We Belong Together - Los Lobos
When - Shania Twain
Piano Man - Billy Joel
If Ever You're In My Arms Again - Peobo Bryson
More Beautiful You - Jonny Diaz
White Flag - Passion Feat Chris Tomlin
Elenor Rigby - The Beatles
Glory to God - Live Eleven22 Worship
Go Cubs Go! - Steve Goodman
Love Addict - Family Force 5
How Beautiful - Twyla Paris
Jai Ho! - A. R. Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls
Wild Wild West - The Escape Club
I Am a Promise - Bill Gaither Trio
Shout to the Lord - Joel Engle
(Sorry, no time to link each song like I usually do)
*Do you have kids?
*Do you something special to celebrate their birthday?
Monday, July 22, 2013
Half way there - 1,006.5
Today I reached my half way goal of running 2,013 miles in 2013. I knew I was close to this mark, but hadn't calculated in a few days so it happened mid run unbeknownst to me. Ack, I would have stopped and at least picturized (totally not a word) the moment. Now after calculating I know exactly where I was when I ran that 1,006.5 mile.
I was asked to drive a church van out to the church camp this morning. The camp is way out in the boonies. So I came up with the grand idea to run while I was out there. Why, not? I'm familiar with the roads & I know they are filled with long stretches of country, some twist & turns & definitely some hills. *cue dramatic music* I used to hate hills with a passion & now I love them. I may not love them per say in the moment as I'm working up them. I've seen first hand where they've made a huge difference in my running so if you can't beat them, join them!! Since I need to get a few more longer runs in I figured I had better take advantage of this opportunity.
As you can see, I didn't start until almost mid morning. The temps are down a little bit (thank goodness), but the sun was hot & blazing. There was very little shade along this route. I did eat a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast about 2 hours prior, otherwise I had no fuel for this run. I did take a my small handheld water bottle along & also dropped a water bottle a little more than 1 mile from my start/stop point.
I've been following a few bloggers where they use #nofuel on their runs. Like upward of 15-18 miles with no fuel & even no water. And they are speedy too. Running negative splits, finishing with their rock hard abs & glowing faces. Maaaan, I *hate* them. Ok, not really. Meh, who am I kidding, maybe just a little. I've tried to wrap my mind around this #nofuel that they do. Obviously they can, I can't. We all know that works for some doesn't work for all. While I could have used a teeny bit of fuel, Gu or something, it's not what made a difference in my run. It was the fluids. Thank goodness I did have the water that I did. I actually needed more, but managed ok.
By the end of the run I was toast. The temps raised about 10 degrees and I had had enough. I should have worn a hat, they really make a difference! I should have had ice cold water (I had hurriedly filled them with tap water) & maybe even something to help with the electrolytes. I am a super heavy sweater. Seriously didn't have a dry spot on my shirt, it was soaked!
I'm actually really glad to have finished this run. My body needs to be used to this so that when I run Howl at the Moon in 19 days (eek!) I'm ready for it. Of course, at Howl I will have many other things to aid my running. This was kind of a bare minimum run in terms of fluids & no fuel. It's preparing me for worse case scenario, but not how I'll fare on race day.
Right about my turn around spot while running over I-74, is when I ran my half way mark for 2013. I'm a few weeks behind schedule, but not worried. Plenty of days & plenty of miles are in my future to reach this goal!
Do you have a running goal for 2013? How are you doing on that?
Do you run in the heat?
Hills? Love them or hate them?
*I used the term hate loosely in this post with humorous jest. God commands us not to hate one another & I take that to heart. Who am I kidding, though, I'm human and jealously gets the best of me. Rock hard abs.....meh, they are highly over rated ;)
I was asked to drive a church van out to the church camp this morning. The camp is way out in the boonies. So I came up with the grand idea to run while I was out there. Why, not? I'm familiar with the roads & I know they are filled with long stretches of country, some twist & turns & definitely some hills. *cue dramatic music* I used to hate hills with a passion & now I love them. I may not love them per say in the moment as I'm working up them. I've seen first hand where they've made a huge difference in my running so if you can't beat them, join them!! Since I need to get a few more longer runs in I figured I had better take advantage of this opportunity.
As you can see, I didn't start until almost mid morning. The temps are down a little bit (thank goodness), but the sun was hot & blazing. There was very little shade along this route. I did eat a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast about 2 hours prior, otherwise I had no fuel for this run. I did take a my small handheld water bottle along & also dropped a water bottle a little more than 1 mile from my start/stop point.
I've been following a few bloggers where they use #nofuel on their runs. Like upward of 15-18 miles with no fuel & even no water. And they are speedy too. Running negative splits, finishing with their rock hard abs & glowing faces. Maaaan, I *hate* them. Ok, not really. Meh, who am I kidding, maybe just a little. I've tried to wrap my mind around this #nofuel that they do. Obviously they can, I can't. We all know that works for some doesn't work for all. While I could have used a teeny bit of fuel, Gu or something, it's not what made a difference in my run. It was the fluids. Thank goodness I did have the water that I did. I actually needed more, but managed ok.
I'm actually really glad to have finished this run. My body needs to be used to this so that when I run Howl at the Moon in 19 days (eek!) I'm ready for it. Of course, at Howl I will have many other things to aid my running. This was kind of a bare minimum run in terms of fluids & no fuel. It's preparing me for worse case scenario, but not how I'll fare on race day.
Right about my turn around spot while running over I-74, is when I ran my half way mark for 2013. I'm a few weeks behind schedule, but not worried. Plenty of days & plenty of miles are in my future to reach this goal!
Do you have a running goal for 2013? How are you doing on that?
Do you run in the heat?
Hills? Love them or hate them?
*I used the term hate loosely in this post with humorous jest. God commands us not to hate one another & I take that to heart. Who am I kidding, though, I'm human and jealously gets the best of me. Rock hard abs.....meh, they are highly over rated ;)
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Action Packed
This week has been action packed. It also included some days at home with "nothing" to do, but they were either spent in recovery mode or full of doing things around the house. Come on now, there is always something to do! I'll give you the brief run down. Some things will get a post of their own. Next week is not nearly as busy. After that though it's looking pretty rough for quite some time. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
~Sunday: I ran 20 miles. It was a migration from Muscatine to West Liberty. Excellent run. Definitely gets a post of it's own.
~Monday: My 37th birthday. I not only love having my birthday, but I don't mind telling anyone my age & seriously enjoy getting older! Running wise this was a recovery/rest day from my 20 miler. Which was good since I had a full day.
It was such a great ending to my birthday!!
~Tuesday: I met with my good friend Julia & we went for a country run. She is new to running out on gravel country roads, so I enlightened her & showed her the way around. Since we had not had the chance to see other or visit for well over a month, we talked the time & miles away. That helped keep the focus off of the heat & long stretches of road that never seemed to end, even though they really weren't that long. Yes, at 8 a.m. the sun was scorching hot and the humidity was through the roof. I'm glad for the opportunity to run in these conditions. My body needs them to prepare for Howl at the Moon coming up in less than a month. It doesn't make them easy though. Even though we had run 5 miles it might have looked like we ran 100, we were such a hot sweaty mess!
~Sunday: I ran 20 miles. It was a migration from Muscatine to West Liberty. Excellent run. Definitely gets a post of it's own.
~Monday: My 37th birthday. I not only love having my birthday, but I don't mind telling anyone my age & seriously enjoy getting older! Running wise this was a recovery/rest day from my 20 miler. Which was good since I had a full day.
I was awake early to fit my run in
go have a birthday breakfast with my Y family
ok, it was brownies, let's not be all technical!
And be at the high school to help drive the dance squad to camp
One of them beauties is my oldest daughter
All of that was by 8 a.m. Then a chunk of my day was driving & getting the girls settled into their dorm before heading back home. I made sure to stop for my favorite ice cream & I also got to see & chat with the ever lovely Run With Jess. Once home I had a birthday package waiting for me. I L.O.V.E. getting presents!!!! Even better when it's from a dear friend who knows exactly what I like.
I also got this elephant coffee mug from my girls. I love elephants! It was such a nice start to my morning. Especially since it was strategically placed right in front of the coffee maker. My girls know me so well!
I wasn't home for long when it was time to head out again. This time I headed out for supper with my hubby & our good friends who's son was born on my birthday last year.
~Tuesday: I met with my good friend Julia & we went for a country run. She is new to running out on gravel country roads, so I enlightened her & showed her the way around. Since we had not had the chance to see other or visit for well over a month, we talked the time & miles away. That helped keep the focus off of the heat & long stretches of road that never seemed to end, even though they really weren't that long. Yes, at 8 a.m. the sun was scorching hot and the humidity was through the roof. I'm glad for the opportunity to run in these conditions. My body needs them to prepare for Howl at the Moon coming up in less than a month. It doesn't make them easy though. Even though we had run 5 miles it might have looked like we ran 100, we were such a hot sweaty mess!
We felt wonderfully awful, but loved every moment of it.
~Wednesday: I resisted the urge to sleep in. I really wanted to, but I also knew the temperatures would soar again & the humidity has been relentlessly ongoing. I keep seeing/reading how you should get out early to avoid the heat. This is no news flash to me. It's not my first time around this running block. After another challenging run I just want to say: liar, liar, pants on fire! Beat the heat my rear!! But it was done so I'm not complaining and I'd still encourage others to get out & get it done. Or at least hit the treadmill in an air conditioned room. The heat isn't going anywhere.
~Thursday: I ran at 4:45 a.m. It's been months since I started & finished a run in the morning dark. It was still disgustingly hot & miserable.
Another day of driving to & from dance camp. I spent more time there as I was able to watch my girl perform. In addition to my daughter receiving 3 blue ribbons, her squad received a superior rating on their home routine & was invited to compete (again) at Nationals in Orlando. She also competed for & was selected as an All American Dancer & is invited to London to dance in the New Years Day parade. So proud of my girl, she has put in many years of hard work to be able to accomplish this honor.
~Friday: Finally a day to sleep in. Once I was up & moving I did a boatload of cleaning & rearranging my daughter's room. She's been gone all week & will be very surprised when she comes home tomorrow! I put off getting a run done and then going out into 90 degree temps just didn't sound too tempting. I did run. Of course. I just had to settle for a quick 2 mile run on the treadmill.
I was also on stand by to hear from a newly formed friend Steve who was coming to Galesburg along with a support crew & runners doing the Million Dollar Marathon. I only became aware of this last week. I've been so excited about it, but haven't had much time to post & tell you all. I feel badly about that, I really do. It's such an amazing & inspiring thing they are doing. I will definately be telling you more. In the mean time, go check out the website. Be prepared to be moved & inspired.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Why do YOU run?
Tough Chik wants to know!
Check out their post & enter your reasons for running. It doesn't need to be grand & lengthy, just your thoughts & reasons, pure & simple. Your answer might end up on the face of their newest shirt AND you might even win a shirt too! Don't over think it, go tell them now!
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In other She Runs Everywhere news, things have really hit the fan & spun out of control. Not in a bad way, in fact running wise things are going very well, but it's leaving me with little computer time. I will catch you up all in good time. Until then, I'm off for the day....time to hit the pool with my kiddos!
Check out their post & enter your reasons for running. It doesn't need to be grand & lengthy, just your thoughts & reasons, pure & simple. Your answer might end up on the face of their newest shirt AND you might even win a shirt too! Don't over think it, go tell them now!
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In other She Runs Everywhere news, things have really hit the fan & spun out of control. Not in a bad way, in fact running wise things are going very well, but it's leaving me with little computer time. I will catch you up all in good time. Until then, I'm off for the day....time to hit the pool with my kiddos!
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Vacation recap: IRBC & my run around Clear Lake
For 22 summers out of my life I have spent a week (or more) at Iowa Regular Baptist Camp. It's fair to say it's one of my most favorite places to go for vacation. For the past 11 years we have gone as a family to one of their five weeks that they offer for families. They also offer youth camps during the summer (talk about a boat load of memories there!) and many other retreats through out the year.
This place is just more than just "church camp". Yes, I always get my fill of spiritual teaching. But a lot of deep & solid friendships are made there each in every year. This year my running introduced me to some new friends, even though they've been going to the camp for years themselves. We just never connected. Running fixed that this year.
IRBC is located on the north shore of Clear Lake. It sits on 50 acres of complete serenity & beauty. However, if I want to get some miles in I have to leave the camp grounds or else run in small loopy circles around the camp grounds. Each morning I crept out of our room (an old barn converted into cabin like rooms with a shared dorm style bathroom on each floor) while most of the camp was still asleep. Usually the only other people up were the workers or other runners & bikers. I had many great runs throughout the week. When I was done I always went down to the dock & spent time stretching & having my God time.
Run or not, I could spend HOURS out there at the end of the dock. Just me, myself & God. It is wonderful.
Before I even left for camp I had come up with the idea to run around the entire lake. I'm sure many others have done this, I'm not sure why I didn't think about doing it before. I checked and thinking it would be closer to 20 miles I was surprised to find that it was "only" 14. Easy, peasy, I could do that.
I planned to run this on my last full day at camp. However after a few days I was getting nerves about doing this. Not because of the distance or my ability. I was a little uncertain about where I was running & how I was going to fuel up/have enough drink along the way. Most of the route was through residential area, but a small portion of it looped out onto county roads. Places I've never been before. Normally I don't worry about things like this. I run out in the country by myself all the time. Although honestly, sometimes I am a little spooked, but since I'm familiar with the area I talk myself through it. Since I was not familiar with these parts of Clear Lake I worried. More than usual. I probably would have done the run regardless, but I wanted some extra peace of mind.
Earlier in the week I made a connection with our program & music director, Stephen Moore. We saw each other out running one morning so that opened the door for some runner talk. We shared stories, running tips, race memories, etc. You know....RUNNER TALK! (If you are a runner you totally get it!) Anyway I spoke with Stephen to see if he knew of anyone that would accompany me, even if only for part of the run. The staff is full of young people, maybe one or some (I did have visions of a big group run around the lake, that would have been fun!) of them would come along with. He said he'd put the word out and later that afternoon 2 ladies, Amy & Heather, approached me. They were bikers & had biked several times around the lake & offered to not only escort me, but be my support crew to my fuel & fluid. It's not what I had in mind, but it certain worked out to be one of the best things about my run around the lake.
We set off as soon as it was light out. I packed a light backpack with my gear & they took off. Amy & Heather would bike ahead and wait for me at each intersection. They were always ready & willing to get me what I needed out of my bag & keeping tabs on how I was doing. For the most part I only saw them at these check points every few miles. At one point they got to talking and next thing they realized I was passing them while they rode.
The weather that morning was absolutely AMAZING! We actually had more than usual rainy & cool weather throughout the week. The afternoons always shaped up well & warm for pool & lake front activities, but mornings were often cool & cloudy. This morning, of all mornings I had to pick, the sky was perfectly clear. The temps were in the mid 60's & I welcomed that, but for the first time all week I got to watch to sun rise as I ran. I kept stopping to take in the scenery & take pictures. It was wonderful and such a God given morning.
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This place is just more than just "church camp". Yes, I always get my fill of spiritual teaching. But a lot of deep & solid friendships are made there each in every year. This year my running introduced me to some new friends, even though they've been going to the camp for years themselves. We just never connected. Running fixed that this year.
Just a small portion of friends we look forward to seeing every year.
IRBC is located on the north shore of Clear Lake. It sits on 50 acres of complete serenity & beauty. However, if I want to get some miles in I have to leave the camp grounds or else run in small loopy circles around the camp grounds. Each morning I crept out of our room (an old barn converted into cabin like rooms with a shared dorm style bathroom on each floor) while most of the camp was still asleep. Usually the only other people up were the workers or other runners & bikers. I had many great runs throughout the week. When I was done I always went down to the dock & spent time stretching & having my God time.
Before I even left for camp I had come up with the idea to run around the entire lake. I'm sure many others have done this, I'm not sure why I didn't think about doing it before. I checked and thinking it would be closer to 20 miles I was surprised to find that it was "only" 14. Easy, peasy, I could do that.
I planned to run this on my last full day at camp. However after a few days I was getting nerves about doing this. Not because of the distance or my ability. I was a little uncertain about where I was running & how I was going to fuel up/have enough drink along the way. Most of the route was through residential area, but a small portion of it looped out onto county roads. Places I've never been before. Normally I don't worry about things like this. I run out in the country by myself all the time. Although honestly, sometimes I am a little spooked, but since I'm familiar with the area I talk myself through it. Since I was not familiar with these parts of Clear Lake I worried. More than usual. I probably would have done the run regardless, but I wanted some extra peace of mind.
Earlier in the week I made a connection with our program & music director, Stephen Moore. We saw each other out running one morning so that opened the door for some runner talk. We shared stories, running tips, race memories, etc. You know....RUNNER TALK! (If you are a runner you totally get it!) Anyway I spoke with Stephen to see if he knew of anyone that would accompany me, even if only for part of the run. The staff is full of young people, maybe one or some (I did have visions of a big group run around the lake, that would have been fun!) of them would come along with. He said he'd put the word out and later that afternoon 2 ladies, Amy & Heather, approached me. They were bikers & had biked several times around the lake & offered to not only escort me, but be my support crew to my fuel & fluid. It's not what I had in mind, but it certain worked out to be one of the best things about my run around the lake.
We set off as soon as it was light out. I packed a light backpack with my gear & they took off. Amy & Heather would bike ahead and wait for me at each intersection. They were always ready & willing to get me what I needed out of my bag & keeping tabs on how I was doing. For the most part I only saw them at these check points every few miles. At one point they got to talking and next thing they realized I was passing them while they rode.
Heather & Amy, I kept calling them my professional road & support crew.
The weather that morning was absolutely AMAZING! We actually had more than usual rainy & cool weather throughout the week. The afternoons always shaped up well & warm for pool & lake front activities, but mornings were often cool & cloudy. This morning, of all mornings I had to pick, the sky was perfectly clear. The temps were in the mid 60's & I welcomed that, but for the first time all week I got to watch to sun rise as I ran. I kept stopping to take in the scenery & take pictures. It was wonderful and such a God given morning.
The sun rising up behind me.
Stopped for views of the lake.
Most of my run took me along Shore Dr. Stopped at a few key spots.
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The Surf Ballroom is the last place that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens & The Bopper performed before dying in a plane crash a few miles north of Clear Lake. I love these performers & their music!!
One of the unique houses along Shore Dr. Clear Lake is known for it's million dollar homes. It's not cheap to live up on this lake. We are thankful for the very affordable prices the camp offers for our family to be able to attend.
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A shot of me coming up the road to the camp entrance.
It's hard to see, I'm holding up 1 & 4 fingers to show my miles around the lake.
Amy, Heather & I when it was all said & done. We are already planning & looking forward to doing it again next year. We also have plans for a group of us to swim across the lake as well. I can't wait!!
After I thanked Amy & Heather for their help & support I had one last thing to do to put a final touch on my run around the lake. I ran across the camp grounds, down the dock & right off into the lake. (Note: running shoes get very heavy quickly when completely immersed in a lake!) I didn't think to have anyone take my picture while I did this, but there was someone on the dock when I got out so I asked them to take a picture of me all sopping wet standing where I did jump in. It was the perfect ending to a great run!!
After I thanked Amy & Heather for their help & support I had one last thing to do to put a final touch on my run around the lake. I ran across the camp grounds, down the dock & right off into the lake. (Note: running shoes get very heavy quickly when completely immersed in a lake!) I didn't think to have anyone take my picture while I did this, but there was someone on the dock when I got out so I asked them to take a picture of me all sopping wet standing where I did jump in. It was the perfect ending to a great run!!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Giveaway Winner & Feeling Sick
I wanted to thank everyone who participated in my blog birthday giveaway. The winner of my giveaway is:
Shelley
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~
We are back home from our mini vacation. It doesn't seem fair to write a recap of that when I haven't done one of our big vacation. My little OCD mind will constantly remind me that it's chronologically out of order and I will not rest until it's done properly. I know, that makes no sense to mostnormal people. Although I doubt I've ever claimed to be normal.
I mentioned in yesterday's post that I haven't been feeling good. That continues & it seems I have passed it onto a few of my children. It largely appears to be a viral stomach bug. Nothing to do, but wait it out and hope it passes quickly. It doesn't have me stuck in bed or unable to function. I just feel like crud and spend more time than usual in the bathroom. Sorry if that's tmi, but trust me I'm sparing you a lot of details. I haven't run yet today, but will. I just can't decide if I want to keep it basic (2 miles) or more. Guess I will wait & see how I feel when I step out into the oven of humidity that seems to be hanging over our area for awhile.
My "I'm sick" excuse buys me another day to get organized on my vacation recaps. No more excuses I"ll get it posted tomorrow! Have a great day & stayed tuned for another giveaway in the near future!
Shelley
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~
We are back home from our mini vacation. It doesn't seem fair to write a recap of that when I haven't done one of our big vacation. My little OCD mind will constantly remind me that it's chronologically out of order and I will not rest until it's done properly. I know, that makes no sense to most
I mentioned in yesterday's post that I haven't been feeling good. That continues & it seems I have passed it onto a few of my children. It largely appears to be a viral stomach bug. Nothing to do, but wait it out and hope it passes quickly. It doesn't have me stuck in bed or unable to function. I just feel like crud and spend more time than usual in the bathroom. Sorry if that's tmi, but trust me I'm sparing you a lot of details. I haven't run yet today, but will. I just can't decide if I want to keep it basic (2 miles) or more. Guess I will wait & see how I feel when I step out into the oven of humidity that seems to be hanging over our area for awhile.
My "I'm sick" excuse buys me another day to get organized on my vacation recaps. No more excuses I"ll get it posted tomorrow! Have a great day & stayed tuned for another giveaway in the near future!
Monday, July 8, 2013
GIVEAWAY
I wanted to remind everyone about my giveaway that ends TODAY!
Enter HERE
You have until midnight to enter for a chance to win.
In the meantime I am heading off to Great America Six Flags with the family. I'm sure I'll be taking plenty of pictures, maybe even posting some through out the day on Instragram. Right now though it's raining, but it looks to be passing through and the park doesn't open until 10 a.m.
I was able to get up and run on the hotel treadmill this morning. It wasn't much, but I got it done. I had the exercise room to myself & a tv to distract me. Which I desperately needed. I'm not a huge treadmill fan as it is, but on the way here the shampoo opened up & oozed all over my running shoes & shirt. So while I smell wonderfully like strawberries I also have a squoosh in my step & soapy toes. Mix that in with a bunch of tummy pain (I'll spare you those details, but I haven't felt good since we left yesterday & I've spent A LOT of time in the bathroom, blech) & it was quite the run. 2 miles never seemed so long before!
Anyway, run is done for the day, that's what matters. I'm actually mortified of heights, but I'm about to subject myself to plenty of it today while being whipped around at extremely fast speeds. Should be fun!!
Don't forget to enter my giveaway!! Have a great Monday everyone :)
Do you like roller coasters?
Tell me about some of your not so ideal runs that you finished anyway.
Enter HERE
You have until midnight to enter for a chance to win.
In the meantime I am heading off to Great America Six Flags with the family. I'm sure I'll be taking plenty of pictures, maybe even posting some through out the day on Instragram. Right now though it's raining, but it looks to be passing through and the park doesn't open until 10 a.m.
I was able to get up and run on the hotel treadmill this morning. It wasn't much, but I got it done. I had the exercise room to myself & a tv to distract me. Which I desperately needed. I'm not a huge treadmill fan as it is, but on the way here the shampoo opened up & oozed all over my running shoes & shirt. So while I smell wonderfully like strawberries I also have a squoosh in my step & soapy toes. Mix that in with a bunch of tummy pain (I'll spare you those details, but I haven't felt good since we left yesterday & I've spent A LOT of time in the bathroom, blech) & it was quite the run. 2 miles never seemed so long before!
Anyway, run is done for the day, that's what matters. I'm actually mortified of heights, but I'm about to subject myself to plenty of it today while being whipped around at extremely fast speeds. Should be fun!!
Don't forget to enter my giveaway!! Have a great Monday everyone :)
Do you like roller coasters?
Tell me about some of your not so ideal runs that you finished anyway.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Red, white, blue & a new pair of shoes, oh and some police action along the way
Phew! Yesterday turned out to be a doozy of a day. The running portion of my holiday turned out to be quite an interesting tale. One I'd never thought to make up. It not only involves me, but my son. And some law enforcement & police reports. Before I get ahead of myself let me start at the beginning and tell you all about my 4th of July.
For the first time in several years I did not run a race. I mentioned this in a recent post that I'm just not interesting in racing right now. Partly because of my continue recovery from my injury. My leg is feeling so much better, I am slightly tempted to test the waters. To run is one thing, but to train is another and I have not had any 5k training in almost 2 months. Yes, I can rely on my natural talent & race times. That still yields me a decent time, typically placing me in my age group with no problem. It's just not what I want right now. Not to mention I could inadvertently hurt myself some more by going too fast too soon. Since I'm really focused in on Howl at the Moon in 5 weeks I don't want to risk anything at this time. Which, let's be honest, I also wanted to be lazy & sleep in.
That's doesn't mean that I wouldn't run at some point. Duh, racing is optional, running is not. After I finally got up I busied myself with prepping food for a gathering later on in the day. Time got later in the morning that I would have liked and I still needed to find time for my run. I battled about a day run vs. an evening run. We we're planning to go to a friend's house and fireworks later on, but it wasn't on any type of tight/strict schedule. I finally decided to run to my friend's house. She lives out in the country & I've been wanting to run out there since she moved in a few months ago.
By this time it was close to noon. It had warmed up considerably & I was concerned about how I was going to hydrate & keep cool. The distance was "only" 5-6 miles, but under the right summer conditions that is borderline too much to risk being out on a highway without proper hydration. I had my small handheld water bottle, but I wasn't sure if that would be enough. I would've use my large handheld, but that had just been stolen the day before (yeah, I need to blog about that). The rest of my family was driving out to my end spot so I thought about having them drop water for me. Then my son (John, age 12) & I came up with the idea that he would bike along & carry extra fluid for me. He would benefit from that because he is training for a triathlon & could use the bike time & I benefited because he'd carry what I needed. Win-win!
The route was a very basic point A to point B & was about 6.5 miles. It consisted of about 1.5 miles of city running then out onto a state highway. It wasn't a major highway, but a 2 lane road with a small gravel shoulder on each side. It wasn't extremely busy, but had it's fair share of traffic. Because time got later than I expected I skipped the city portion of the run & had my daughter drop me off. My son soon caught up with me & was great support along the way. He'd ride ahead a bit then wait for me, always having water & ice ready in case I needed it. I always had him in my line of sight at all times. His support was quite valuable to me. The temps were in the low 80's, but the sun was hot & strong. Yes, I very likely would have fared ok on my own, but I don't mess with such conditions & I'd always rather be safe than sorry.
We had our end spot in sight & had pulled over for one last stop of water. I had just taken off running when I saw a sheriff car coming down the highway with it's lights flashing. I hollered back at my son to wait for it to pass before he took off. At that point I wasn't sure how fast the car was going, but wanted my son to stay to the side until it passed in case it was going to go flying by. The car slowed when it approached me, I came to a stop & the officer asked me if I had seen a young boy out here on the highway. I turned, pointed to my son & said "that one?" Ahhh, yes, that one! So it turns out that someone had called in & reported a young boy riding his bike out on the highway. While there was no indication of him doing anything wrong (being reckless or what not) there was just some concern, so the officer was sent out to check on the situation. I clarified that it was my son & that he was accompanying me on my run. Again, I was assured that nothing wrong had been done, just a call to report the situation. The officer said there was no mention of me being out here with him. It's possible when the person called & reported this it was at a time when John had ridden ahead of me. Again, I always had John in my line of sight, but there were a few times where he got a bit ahead of me & down the road a bit.
We stood there on the highway. I answered all the officers questions. In addition to explaining what we were doing he was asking my full name, date of birth, etc. Then he needed John's full information. I could tell he was gathering information for his report. He looked like he believed me, but also gave my son a few look overs & asked him some questions. I reassured him several times that despite his small size he was in fact 12 years old. I'm not sure what age is ok to take allow your son to ride out on the highway. I would never allow him to do that alone, but with me I didn't even think twice about it. Anyway, I gave the officer what he needed, but was also was pacing a little, while adding a few awkward chuckles of "yeah....just out for a run officer, you know, your standard 4th of July fun. ha. ha. he. heeee." I really wanted to get my run done, but wanted to comply with the situation.
It's kind of hard to see, but here I was at the end. John is talking to the officer in the squad car. I approached the officer again. I thanked him for his time. I know he was just doing his job, following up on what was called in out of concern. He assured me we had done nothing wrong, but maybe next time not let my son get so far ahead of me. To make it obvious that he was with me, an adult, in my care. Or not ride on the highway (yes, he did say that to me) or at least not this highway, maybe a more off the beaten path highway.
Well, what are you going to do. I had my run with a little red, white & blue. Plus a new pair of shoes (need to blog about that too!). It was a 4th of July run that I'm sure to never forget.
How was your 4th of July? Did you race? Or run?
For the first time in several years I did not run a race. I mentioned this in a recent post that I'm just not interesting in racing right now. Partly because of my continue recovery from my injury. My leg is feeling so much better, I am slightly tempted to test the waters. To run is one thing, but to train is another and I have not had any 5k training in almost 2 months. Yes, I can rely on my natural talent & race times. That still yields me a decent time, typically placing me in my age group with no problem. It's just not what I want right now. Not to mention I could inadvertently hurt myself some more by going too fast too soon. Since I'm really focused in on Howl at the Moon in 5 weeks I don't want to risk anything at this time. Which, let's be honest, I also wanted to be lazy & sleep in.
That's doesn't mean that I wouldn't run at some point. Duh, racing is optional, running is not. After I finally got up I busied myself with prepping food for a gathering later on in the day. Time got later in the morning that I would have liked and I still needed to find time for my run. I battled about a day run vs. an evening run. We we're planning to go to a friend's house and fireworks later on, but it wasn't on any type of tight/strict schedule. I finally decided to run to my friend's house. She lives out in the country & I've been wanting to run out there since she moved in a few months ago.
By this time it was close to noon. It had warmed up considerably & I was concerned about how I was going to hydrate & keep cool. The distance was "only" 5-6 miles, but under the right summer conditions that is borderline too much to risk being out on a highway without proper hydration. I had my small handheld water bottle, but I wasn't sure if that would be enough. I would've use my large handheld, but that had just been stolen the day before (yeah, I need to blog about that). The rest of my family was driving out to my end spot so I thought about having them drop water for me. Then my son (John, age 12) & I came up with the idea that he would bike along & carry extra fluid for me. He would benefit from that because he is training for a triathlon & could use the bike time & I benefited because he'd carry what I needed. Win-win!
The route was a very basic point A to point B & was about 6.5 miles. It consisted of about 1.5 miles of city running then out onto a state highway. It wasn't a major highway, but a 2 lane road with a small gravel shoulder on each side. It wasn't extremely busy, but had it's fair share of traffic. Because time got later than I expected I skipped the city portion of the run & had my daughter drop me off. My son soon caught up with me & was great support along the way. He'd ride ahead a bit then wait for me, always having water & ice ready in case I needed it. I always had him in my line of sight at all times. His support was quite valuable to me. The temps were in the low 80's, but the sun was hot & strong. Yes, I very likely would have fared ok on my own, but I don't mess with such conditions & I'd always rather be safe than sorry.
John, my support crew. No clue why the picture turned out all wonky.
We had our end spot in sight & had pulled over for one last stop of water. I had just taken off running when I saw a sheriff car coming down the highway with it's lights flashing. I hollered back at my son to wait for it to pass before he took off. At that point I wasn't sure how fast the car was going, but wanted my son to stay to the side until it passed in case it was going to go flying by. The car slowed when it approached me, I came to a stop & the officer asked me if I had seen a young boy out here on the highway. I turned, pointed to my son & said "that one?" Ahhh, yes, that one! So it turns out that someone had called in & reported a young boy riding his bike out on the highway. While there was no indication of him doing anything wrong (being reckless or what not) there was just some concern, so the officer was sent out to check on the situation. I clarified that it was my son & that he was accompanying me on my run. Again, I was assured that nothing wrong had been done, just a call to report the situation. The officer said there was no mention of me being out here with him. It's possible when the person called & reported this it was at a time when John had ridden ahead of me. Again, I always had John in my line of sight, but there were a few times where he got a bit ahead of me & down the road a bit.
We stood there on the highway. I answered all the officers questions. In addition to explaining what we were doing he was asking my full name, date of birth, etc. Then he needed John's full information. I could tell he was gathering information for his report. He looked like he believed me, but also gave my son a few look overs & asked him some questions. I reassured him several times that despite his small size he was in fact 12 years old. I'm not sure what age is ok to take allow your son to ride out on the highway. I would never allow him to do that alone, but with me I didn't even think twice about it. Anyway, I gave the officer what he needed, but was also was pacing a little, while adding a few awkward chuckles of "yeah....just out for a run officer, you know, your standard 4th of July fun. ha. ha. he. heeee." I really wanted to get my run done, but wanted to comply with the situation.
I was too chicken to ask the officer if I could take his picture. Of course, the whole time I'm thinking....oh, I CAN'T WAIT to blog bout this! The officer seemed very nice, but I just didn't want to push my luck with being all social media about it. So I non-nonchalantly messed with my phone, trying to time the clicking sound my phone makes when taking a picture with his talking on the radio hoping he wouldn't notice what I was doing.
After a few minutes he released me & said I could continue on. I thanked him for his time & doing his job. In some ways I guess it's nice that people are concerned. I guess to the average person it might seem odd to see a boy out doing this. We did take an informal approach to his riding. He doesn't make a legit racing bike, just his regular one from everyday use. I didn't even think to have him put his helmet on. (Don't be judging!!) So, I can see where he didn't look like a boy training for a triathlon, but maybe a boy running away from home or having no parental supervision. Again, his size makes him appear much younger than he is. I , of course, see him as a kid who wants to ride, so why not let give him that opportunity.
We continued on, my end point was probably a mile away. I told John to just ride ahead to my friend's house, I didn't need him anymore & I wanted him off the road before anyone else called in & reported him. The first time the officer had approached me it was from the opposite direction so when he released me he kept going that direction. After a few minutes the officer pulled up aside me, this time going the same direction as me. He slowed again & yelled out his window asking me my middle initial. Apparently he needed more information for his report & was calling it in. This time I didn't stop running, but slowed to a shuffle. I didn't want him to think I was eluding him or not wanting to stop & give him info. But he at no time indicated for me to actually stop, he just drove next to me while I awkwardly shuffled along. I finally told him that I was stopping at the next house & suggested he pull up there & wait for me & I'd be happy to finish up what he needed. In my head I was just thinking: can this run just be over. please!!!! He then assured me that he had what he needed & drove off.
The whole time I see John riding ahead, getting closer to my friends house. When the officer finally left my side he rode ahead, pulled up behind John & turned on his lights & finished escorting John to his end point. All while I'm about .75 miles away from the house. I'm like: really? REALLY!?!?!?! Can people not run & bike on the 4th of July without great concern. I KNOW! Weird that people would exercise like this. And a child none the less. What is this world coming to?!?!?! Yeah, for a brief moment I was a crazed lunatic running down the road yelling these thing while waving my fist in the air. It was all way too comical. I was laughing hysterically at the craziness of it all while trying to run. I was never so anxious to finish a run and suddenly the road seemed 100 times longer. The more I wanted to get to my end point the longer it seemed to take.
How was your 4th of July? Did you race? Or run?
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Happy Birthday She Runs Everywhere
I told you my birthday was in July! I forgot to mention that it's a double birthday month for me. So, yes, my birthday is coming up on the 15th (go write that down so you don't forget....like I'd let you forget anyway) today marks 2 years since I started this blog. Hooray!
To celebrate this special day I'm having a small giveaway.
One lucky person will receive 2 packages of Honey Stinger, 2 tubes of fruit punch Nuun & 1 pair of Yankz shoes laces. This giveaway is hosted by none other than me. I purchased these products on my own & can think of no better way to celebrate my blog birthday than by giving to you all! Well, I can't give to all of you, but I can give you a chance to win these great products!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
There are plenty of chances to enter (all with a 2 point value since it's my 2nd birthday) and if you don't do any other social media, you can at least leave a comment on my blog for some entries. A winner will be picked on Tuesday July 9 & contacted by email. If that winner fails to respond in 48 hours then another winner will be chosen. Good luck!
To celebrate this special day I'm having a small giveaway.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
There are plenty of chances to enter (all with a 2 point value since it's my 2nd birthday) and if you don't do any other social media, you can at least leave a comment on my blog for some entries. A winner will be picked on Tuesday July 9 & contacted by email. If that winner fails to respond in 48 hours then another winner will be chosen. Good luck!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Two for Tuesday: Pizza & Treadmills
I'm wanting to tell you about my vacation. Show pics, talk about all I did, the awesome running week I had. But, ugh, that is going to take so much work (said in my best whiney voice). So I'll divert to something else for now. Don't worry it's a post I won't let go for good. Among other things, way too good running stuff to tell you about. Anyway.....
1) Pickle Pizza - I posted a picture on Instagram of my lunch today. Yes, I'm one of thosefreaks people that posts pictures of my food from time to time. I couldn't resist showing off of my pickle pizza. Yes, you read that right....PICKLE! I have, for as long as I can remember, L.O.V.E.D. pickles! As a kid I could eat an entire jar and think nothing of it. My stomach doesn't let me do that as much anymore, but you can still find me from time to time just standing at the counter eating a handful of pickles.
The pickle pizza has been a tradition that was passed onto me from my mom. When she attended Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, IA there was a pizza place close to campus that served pickle pizza. (I don't know the name of the pizza place, it just how my mom tells the story). For as long as I can remember, Mom made this pickle pizza and when I got married I continued on this tradition with my family, who also happen to be pickle lovers (must be in the genes). I have also served it to many friends, always being a hit. For a long time I kept this "secret recipe" to myself, but lately I've been sharing it some more. I can't make pickle pizza for all the world to have....although I'd love to and make millions off of it, what a way to become rich, huh.....so I figure if others want to make & share in this delightful delicacy then let them. Just remember, you heard about it from me first. I should get some credit when it's the next national or world sensation. Anyway.....
My base recipe is the same. I've changed through the years in terms of what I use for crust. I started with a boxed crust mix. Used that for years. Then when I moved away from a lot of the processed, full of preservative stuff I used a yeast recipe from scratch. For a long time I struggled with baking with yeast, but I stuck with it and now have mastered it quite a bit. However, my only downfall is that using yeast usually takes so much time. I'm not really good at being prepared that far in advance. Even when I made several batches of pizza dough and froze it, it never failed that I'd want the crust, but there it sat frozen solid needing to be thawed out & still taking a few hours. Recently my friend Tracy shared a fast, simple and healthy recipe. She said she got it off of pintrest, beyond that I can't give you a more direct source of credit.
Pizza Crust
1 C. self rising flour
1 C. Greek yogurt - plain
That's it!! You might need to add a little extra flour/yogurt here & there to get it to a good dough consistency. And that only makes enough for a small round pizza. I always have to centuple (real word peeps!) my recipes, so make adjustments to suit your needs. I also added some seasoning to the flour. No rhyme or reason. Some garlic power, basil, etc. I didn't measure or pay attention. Just went with how the spirit was leading me.....real cooks can do that, ya know. (DID YOU KNOW?? - just throwing this out there - that I was a cook in the Army. True story).
Pickle Pizza
On prebaked (optional) crust, cover with pizza sauce (I use Chef Boyarde, but to each their own). Layer hamburger slices (feel free to use your own variations here too) to your liking. I tend to leave no spot uncovered, but remember, I LOVE pickles. Cover with mozzarella cheese & a hint of cheddar. Bake 450 for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Enjoy!
2) I fought the treadmill & the treadmill definitely won. Ugh! So I haven't had any type of speed/interval/treadmill workout since I fell & tore my muscle. For me it all goes hand in hand. I don't seem to be good at doing intervals and definitely not at any decent speed on my own. Going to a track does not work for me. Putting me on a treadmill, pushing some buttons at a set speed to complete, for example, 10x400 and that works. I know I have speed in me, but can usually only bring that out in specific race circumstances. However, I know that I need to practice this speed more than just at race time. As much as I embrace my "just run" aspect, it's the one training tool that I will implement. I was consistent at getting those workouts done (typically on Mondays) through out the spring and I feel it made the biggest difference in all of my PR times that I accomplished recently.
I'm not much of a treadmill runner. I used to be, it used to be the only way I ever ran/trained. Now....ugh, no thank you! Give me rain, sleet, snow, bitter cold temps....you name it, I'd rather run outside than be on a treadmill. Simply for the sake of my interval/speed training & occasionally the conditions do warrant me to stay inside do I give into hopping on one. I haven't felt able to be on the machine since my fall. I'm ok with running a gazillion miles, but don't want to be pushing my body beyond what it can do on it's own. However, at some point I need to test the waters and see how my leg does. Today was that day. Perhaps I had too big of hopes. I told myself I would warm up for 2 miles, run 4x1 miles at a 8 minute pace then finish with a 1 mile cool down. 7 miles, I can do that!! Except I didn't. I failed miserably.
I don't really think it was the workout though that did me in. The run was doomed from the second I stepped on the machine. I was tired. I had been thinking about going home after class & crawling back into bed. I was trying to be all tough & hard core, pushing myself to get things done. In hindsight, I should have gone home & gone back to bed. My leg was all cranky & crabby at me for pushing it to run. It's still awfully mad & flared up at me. I only managed the 2 mile warm up & then 2 - 800's. I could have pushed, but I was having serious issues. Mostly mental, but enough that it was effecting my entire body. I did lift weights when I was done & swam a few laps in the pool. So it's not like I was a total slacker (even though I feel like it a little bit).
So this initial treadmill workout was a fail. We'll see how things go next week.
Talk to me:
~What do you like to eat on your pizza?
~Do you like running on a treadmill?
1) Pickle Pizza - I posted a picture on Instagram of my lunch today. Yes, I'm one of those
The pickle pizza has been a tradition that was passed onto me from my mom. When she attended Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, IA there was a pizza place close to campus that served pickle pizza. (I don't know the name of the pizza place, it just how my mom tells the story). For as long as I can remember, Mom made this pickle pizza and when I got married I continued on this tradition with my family, who also happen to be pickle lovers (must be in the genes). I have also served it to many friends, always being a hit. For a long time I kept this "secret recipe" to myself, but lately I've been sharing it some more. I can't make pickle pizza for all the world to have....although I'd love to and make millions off of it, what a way to become rich, huh.....so I figure if others want to make & share in this delightful delicacy then let them. Just remember, you heard about it from me first. I should get some credit when it's the next national or world sensation. Anyway.....
My base recipe is the same. I've changed through the years in terms of what I use for crust. I started with a boxed crust mix. Used that for years. Then when I moved away from a lot of the processed, full of preservative stuff I used a yeast recipe from scratch. For a long time I struggled with baking with yeast, but I stuck with it and now have mastered it quite a bit. However, my only downfall is that using yeast usually takes so much time. I'm not really good at being prepared that far in advance. Even when I made several batches of pizza dough and froze it, it never failed that I'd want the crust, but there it sat frozen solid needing to be thawed out & still taking a few hours. Recently my friend Tracy shared a fast, simple and healthy recipe. She said she got it off of pintrest, beyond that I can't give you a more direct source of credit.
Pizza Crust
1 C. self rising flour
1 C. Greek yogurt - plain
That's it!! You might need to add a little extra flour/yogurt here & there to get it to a good dough consistency. And that only makes enough for a small round pizza. I always have to centuple (real word peeps!) my recipes, so make adjustments to suit your needs. I also added some seasoning to the flour. No rhyme or reason. Some garlic power, basil, etc. I didn't measure or pay attention. Just went with how the spirit was leading me.....real cooks can do that, ya know. (DID YOU KNOW?? - just throwing this out there - that I was a cook in the Army. True story).
Pickle Pizza
On prebaked (optional) crust, cover with pizza sauce (I use Chef Boyarde, but to each their own). Layer hamburger slices (feel free to use your own variations here too) to your liking. I tend to leave no spot uncovered, but remember, I LOVE pickles. Cover with mozzarella cheese & a hint of cheddar. Bake 450 for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Enjoy!
2) I fought the treadmill & the treadmill definitely won. Ugh! So I haven't had any type of speed/interval/treadmill workout since I fell & tore my muscle. For me it all goes hand in hand. I don't seem to be good at doing intervals and definitely not at any decent speed on my own. Going to a track does not work for me. Putting me on a treadmill, pushing some buttons at a set speed to complete, for example, 10x400 and that works. I know I have speed in me, but can usually only bring that out in specific race circumstances. However, I know that I need to practice this speed more than just at race time. As much as I embrace my "just run" aspect, it's the one training tool that I will implement. I was consistent at getting those workouts done (typically on Mondays) through out the spring and I feel it made the biggest difference in all of my PR times that I accomplished recently.
I'm not much of a treadmill runner. I used to be, it used to be the only way I ever ran/trained. Now....ugh, no thank you! Give me rain, sleet, snow, bitter cold temps....you name it, I'd rather run outside than be on a treadmill. Simply for the sake of my interval/speed training & occasionally the conditions do warrant me to stay inside do I give into hopping on one. I haven't felt able to be on the machine since my fall. I'm ok with running a gazillion miles, but don't want to be pushing my body beyond what it can do on it's own. However, at some point I need to test the waters and see how my leg does. Today was that day. Perhaps I had too big of hopes. I told myself I would warm up for 2 miles, run 4x1 miles at a 8 minute pace then finish with a 1 mile cool down. 7 miles, I can do that!! Except I didn't. I failed miserably.
I don't really think it was the workout though that did me in. The run was doomed from the second I stepped on the machine. I was tired. I had been thinking about going home after class & crawling back into bed. I was trying to be all tough & hard core, pushing myself to get things done. In hindsight, I should have gone home & gone back to bed. My leg was all cranky & crabby at me for pushing it to run. It's still awfully mad & flared up at me. I only managed the 2 mile warm up & then 2 - 800's. I could have pushed, but I was having serious issues. Mostly mental, but enough that it was effecting my entire body. I did lift weights when I was done & swam a few laps in the pool. So it's not like I was a total slacker (even though I feel like it a little bit).
So this initial treadmill workout was a fail. We'll see how things go next week.
Talk to me:
~What do you like to eat on your pizza?
~Do you like running on a treadmill?
Monday, July 1, 2013
June Rewind
I was on vacation last week.
(Yes, I did a lot of this)
I didn't really mention this too much, but I did say something in my last post/vlog. I meant to post once more before I left and I had intentions of blogging, at least once, while on vacation. Obviously that just didn't happen. As much as I missed & thought about you all it was great to just get away & not worry about it. In addition to a wonderful vacation, I had a great running week! However, I won't be telling you about that today. I wanted to get my June recap done before we get too much into the great month of July. It IS the best month of the year!
Despite a frustrating month of ups and downs while recovering I still managed to run 150.36 miles. I would've like to see that be higher, but I'm not complaining. I continued my running streak and have run 395 days in a row.
This brings my 2013 total up to 895.54 miles. While that is a great number and I'm fairly pleased with it I am aware that I am falling short of my Run This Year goal. In theory I should have completed 1006.5 miles by now. I'm falling short by about 100ish miles to be on track. Of course, I mostly blame this on my injury which severely limited my miles in May. Then you factor in other life stuff (vacation, busy crazy times) and I'm just slightly behind on my projected goal. However, I'm still working toward that 2013 mile goal. It IS still reachable. That's the good side of it all. I'm not that far behind. Not to mention other positives like still being able to put in some higher mileage months. I'm putting in higher monthly averages than I ever have before. I've ran almost just as many miles in the last 6 months as I did in all of 2012. I'm far from being discouraged about reaching my Run This Year goal, but definitely keeping it on my radar & keeping tabs on it all.
I did not run any races in June. In fact, I haven't raced at all since the Illinois Marathon. I kinda miss it, but knowing that I can't race like I want to then I'm content with not getting out there. I don't have any races planned for July. That might change. There are a lot of small, local races around this time of year. If I participate in any of them it will be last minute. However I like the pressure being off of racing. I'm willing to give it up (for now) to be able to focus on continued recovery & to continue to build toward a solid base for Howl at the Moon. I still have every intention of crushing that race!
My leg is still not 100% recovered from my injury. However I am making great progress and moving in the right direction. In the mean time I've had a handful of other aches & pains pop up. It puts me in the mindset of: if it's not one thing, it's another. In the big picture they are minor things and I'm dealing with the along the way.
Looking forward to the best month of the year. Not only running wise (hopefully), but it's my birthday (yeah, I'll mention that no less than a gazillion times this month) and my blog-iversary. I have a giveaway planned to celebrate. I'd love to hear from you: How was June for you? What are you looking forward to in July?
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