Oh the paces you'll go...

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own.  And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets.  Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

~Dr. Seuss

First of all...if you haven't already, please check out my "runners" giveaway HERE 

Saturday I ran the Rebuilding Together 5k.  It's a flat, fast, course. Last year I set a PR with a 24:10.  This year I expected another PR...and I did.  I ran a 23:55..avg pace 7:41.  So why was I disappointed?  This year my training is twice what it was last year. I could have and should have(according to my training) run it in under 23mins.  So why didn't I?  A few factors.
I am not that great at internally gauging my pace.  I started out pretty fast and felt good...so I slowed down.  I was afraid if I went out too fast I wouldn't have anything left at the end.  I was wrong. Too much self doubt!
I finished and felt like I still had a good bit left. I have decided to run another 5k in two weeks. The Liz Hurley Ribbon Run 5k.  This time I have a friend, a Fleet Feet Racer, who offered to pace me to a PR. My goal is a sub 23.

Last night my training schedule called for 6miles w/6 strides.  

Mile 1:  8:12

Mile 2: 7:51

Mile 3: 8:20

Mile 4: 8:10

Mile 5: 8:12

Mile 6: 7:56

Most of my training for this marathon has been solo.  There have been times where I feel like I'm just not pushing myself hard enough.  Or that I was too ambitious thinking I could ever qualify for Boston. Last night, before my run I considered calling it a rest day.  I just wasn't feeling it.  I was tired..the kids have all been sick....it was cold outside.  I had come up with every excuse I could think of to NOT run.  In fact, by 5pm I was already in my pajamas and ready to have an "I can't do this" pity party.
And then....
I got mad.  I got mad at myself for letting doubt creep in.  For letting a "feeling" get the best of me. I got mad enough that I put my running shoes on and hit the pavement.
I had to remind myself that my goal to BQ is not just a "feeling". I won't always "feel" like running or stretching or eating right. But every time I choose to push through...every good choice I make gets me one step closer to my goal and makes me that much stronger.


God reminded me during my run last night:
This is also how faith works. Faith is NOT a feeling. I don't always "feel" God around me.  I can't always see Him moving and working in my life. But I KNOW that God is here always working and moving on my behalf.  There are times when I "feel" like I have come against a wall or that the devil is testing me; those are the times when I KNOW that if I push through...if I don't let my feelings and circumstances dictated to me what to do..the blessings are always on the other side...and I will always come out stronger.

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

~Dr. Seuss 

Grace and Peace,

Please check out my giveaway HERE

I Love Lizard

This is a green anole

 If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know, I. Do. NOT. Do. Pets. There are enough mouths to feed with 4 kids and cages rooms to keep clean. I'm not an animal hater. In fact I LOVE dogs...especially Labradors. I just have never thought it would be fair to me an animal with our busy schedules.
After finding two lizards in the boys room that they had captured outside and set free in the house; hubby and I decided it might be time to get them a low maintenance pet.
This is Elizabeth aka Lizzie the Lizard:

We purchased Lizzie for $7.00 at the pet shop. Assuming a lizard would be a cheap low maintenance pet.  If you have ever been in a pet store you know that the employees Love...love....LOVE animals. Almost annoyingly...and I'm pretty sure even more than they like people.

Our first trip to the pet store :

I had all three boys with me and like any kids they were excited to be around all of the animals in the pet store. They were loud-ish and wanted to hold every animal. This clearly annoyed the sales lady right away.  I began asking her about bringing a lizard home as a pet, the care it required, housing, feeding, and jokingly asked "when it dies can we exchange it for a live one?" She said we have a 15 day guarantee to which I asked "how many times in the 15 days can we exchange it for a new one?"  again joking(kind of)....she was not amused at all.  Didn't even crack a smile. She clearly does not have kids!
She handed me some brochures on lizards and told me to go home and read up on them.  She wasn't going to sell me a lizard! I'm pretty sure at that point she wasn't even sure I should have custody of my kids.
I was actually fine with not bringing a lizard home that day, I still wasn't convinced I wanted another mouth to feed pet in the house.

Our second trip to the pet store:

With all three boys in tow again..the little one dressed like batman, we headed to the pet store.  This time we got a sales lady who wanted to get us out of there as soon as possible. She boxed up our lizard: a green Anole, and then took us over to the "lizard habitats".  SERIOUSLY! $70.00 for a lizard cage home and all the fixin's! Heat light, special dirt, thermometer....blah.blah.blah.........I asked her if that was all I would EVER need to buy for this animal other than food and she said yes. Ok.  I handed the lizard(in box) to little batman and we headed to the check out.

I thought the check out girl was going to have a panic attack when she saw little batman holding the lizard. It's not like he was shaking it! She told me it wasn't a good idea to let little children hold the lizard.  This made me laugh out loud. I told her I was pretty sure she didn't want to see what would happen if I took the lizard from batman.....he would have an epic bat-breakdown.

We got home. Set up Elizabeth's home.  Realized that in haste to usher us out of the store the sale's lady neglected to tell us we would need extra accessories for this stupid lizard.  The $70.00 "habitat" did NOT come with "everything" as I was told! At this point, Elizabeth was clearly stressed.  Green Anoles turn brown when they are stressed out.

Third trip to the pet store

At this point, if I was a green anole.....I would be brown. 3 trips to the pet store in one week! I haven't been in a pet shop 3 times in the last 15 years!!!
I went to a different pet store this time. The sales people at this pet store seemed to like people a little more than the last store....though, the sales lady told me everything I learned about lizards at the previous store was wrong and proceeded to show me about a million things I would need to purchase to make Elizabeth happy. I spent $50 on stuff promised to make the lizard happy and went home.
Total overall cost for a "cheap" lizard = $127.00

5 days later this lizard is STILL brown! I have done everything short of laying hands on this thing!  Me and the boys even prayed for it!  I have a strange attachment to this lizard now....actually 127 reason to be attached to it.  Yesterday I found myself sitting next to the cage just watching it and talking to it for like 30 minutes! Really. I told the boys to leave it alone for a few days so maybe it can de-stress and we moved it to the spare bedroom so it's quiet. I am officially a neurotic pet owner...I'll probably start wearing sweatshirts with lizards on them and giving weekly updates about my little "lizard-baby"......if it lives.

 

Tomorrow I will have my race report from the Brook Hill 5k last Saturday and a great giveaway.

Also, I have a HUGE giveaway coming up in the next couple weeks so make sure to check back you won't want to miss it! 

Read my story of hope HERE

Grace and peace,

3 Things Thursday: New

these are KICKIN'!

1. I got new running kicks!! I was wearing Asics and needed something lighter.  I felt like a Clydesdale when I ran.  So I took a trip to Fleet Feet and they put me in a Nike Lunar Eclipse.  I have never, ever run in a Nike shoe but I LOVE them!!  Much lighter than my Asics.

2. A new school year starts Monday. A bittersweet end to the summer.  I always feel like I our summer is crammed with activities. Trying to get as much quality time in with the boys before they go back to school...and once again I feel like it is never enough time... Summer break is NEVER long enough.  I miss my boys when they go back to school.

they grow so fast! this was 09'

3.I signed up today for a 5k! I haven't run a 5k all year. Not sure how that is possible.  I have run an 8k, 10k, and a couple half marathons but somehow have not run a 5k.  So the Brook Hill 5k is this Saturday and I'm really looking forward to see if I can score a PR.  Right now my PR is 24:10 and I would love to get a sub 24:00.  Will update you on Monday!

Do you have a race this weekend?

Grace and peace,

10k Race Recap

I'm pretty sure 10k's are not my thing. On Saturday I ran the Jesse Owens Memorial 10k.  My first 10k. My goal time was 50:00.  My actual time 56:16.  Some how I actually placed 3rd in my age group.  The only thing I can figure is that every one else had as bad of a run as I did.
•••••••••••
The race was set to start at  8am and by 7:30am it was already 80 degrees with 90% humidity.  You could see the humidity in the air it was so thick.  I was a little jealous that most of the guys could run without shirts. I wore my black running skirt from Skirt Sports and a pink Nike tank and was sweating before I even started running.
 At 7:45 I did a .5 mile warm up, made a quick potty break and headed to the start line.
I started off strong and logged 8:10 for the first mile, 8:29 for the second mile, at mile 3 I started to feel a little yucky....that's the only word I can use to describe it.  The course was in full sun, my energy started to wane, and my legs started to get heavy.  Mile 3 was 8:47. That is when it turned into a full on mental battle.  I have never wanted to quit a race so bad. Actually, I didn't just want to quit, I wanted to lay down in the fetal position on the side of the road. Mile 4 was 9:10.  Thankfully, my friend Kelly passed me as she passed me I told her that I felt like I had hit a wall. She stayed about 20 paces in front of me for the next two miles and kept checking in with me and encouraging me. Mile 5 was a painful 9:48. A few times I got cold chills and felt like I could pass out if I pushed any harder.  I kept telling myself to suck it up and to quit being such a baby. After all I've run half marathons! I'm a runner for goodness sake!  I do 6 mile runs for fun!
It makes me laugh now to think about it.  I was so frustrated while I was running and the more frustrated I got the worse I ran.  At one point I thought about throwing my Garmin into the woods, like it was Garmin's fault I was sucking so bad.  I think I had a case of Runner's Road Rage. LOL!
Anyway, mile 6 was 9:28. Walking to the finished seemed like a good idea until I saw Jon.  Jon is Kelly's husband and also an Ultra-marathon runner. He finished this same 10k in 36 minutes! At mile marker 6 Jon met me and ran with me to the finish line.  The last .2 was on a high school track. Right before we hit the track Jon said "When you get to the track you turn into a sprinter."   I think I muttered something like "ummhmmff"  It took me 2:26 mins to run .27miles.....not exactly sprinting.
I have never been so happy to cross a finish line so I could stop running.
I guess I thought it would be an easy race.  That was my mistake.  I train for 5ks and I train for half marathons, but I have never trained for a 10k.  I've never learned to pace for a 10k.  In a half marathon by mile 6 I'm getting into my groove, I was never able to get into a groove at this race. 
I can't say that I will never run a 10k again, but if I do, I will be trained up.
 •••••••••••••••

Tomorrow I will again be running a 10k. This one is bound to be more fun....The Rock Your Socks 10k is a virtual 10k or Half Marathon hosted by Racing with Babes.  

This Saturday is the P.C.R.A. 5k.  It is also the No Boundaries 5k graduation run!! YaY!! I'm so proud of all the runners, it is amazing to see how far they have all come.  All 55 runners can finish a 5k in under an hour which is amazing considering it took some of them an hour to finish 2 miles when we started.  I will be running with the group to help them cross the finish line and then I will be running the 1 mile fun run with my boys.

Saturday is also my birthday! I love Birthdays! I will be 32 years wise! Hubby has to work so I will spend the day with my boys and then my girls are taking me to dinner. 

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend! 

Grace and peace,

•••••••••••••••

Running a faster 5k

 With no major races coming up in the next couple months(or none that I have signed up for yet), I am setting my sights on running a sub 23 min 5k.  My best 5k time right now is 24.44.
The great thing about the area I live in is that I can find a 5k almost any weekend of the year. 

I know that I need to add speed work to my training, what I'm not sure about is what is the most effective speed work.  Fartlek(such a great word), Intervals, or tempo runs...or all three?  There is a plethora of information out there but I would like to hear from you, my fellow runners what has worked the best for you.   I know there are some of you out there who have superhuman 5K times.  What did you do to run a faster 5K?

If you're new to my blog, welcome! If you're not new, thanks for stopping by!  I love reading your comments and feedback!

Grace and peace,

 

3 Things Thursday

1. Yesterday I doubled up on my running.  I cut my usual 5 mile lunch run to a 3.5 mile run due to the CRAZY amount of pollen.  Everything was coated in yellow dusting of pollen.

 Pollen dusting

This is the first year since living in Alabama that pollen has affected me. I have never had allergies. But by the time I finished my run I was a hot mess! Sneezing, sniffling, eyes watering!  A friend stopped by my work and gave me a claratin 24hr which seemed to help a little.  By the time I got home I felt a little better.  I turned on the weather and the guy told me that thunderstorms were moving in.  I had a hill run planned for this morning and since it was going to be raining all morning today I canned this mornings run and decided to do it yesterday evening instead.  I felt great during the run and I believe I rocked those hills, however, after the run was horrible!!  I had youth group last night and by the time I got there my whole face was running, my eyes were swollen, and I couldn't stop sneezing!

2.I have to pig out at a staff breakfast work on Saturday, so I will not be running the River City 10k as planned.  Instead, I found a 5k race this Sunday at 2pm that I will be running.  It is the Art in Motion 5k and supports our local Fine Arts Center. I love the small local races!

3. We have another jam packed weekend with baseball games and birthday parties.  Hopefully I can get some laundry done. Hubby is still working a crazy schedule and will be working all weekend. I sure do miss that man! No matter what happens this weekend, I WILL have new running shoes come Monday! Fleet Feet here I come!

Oh, one more thing....I know that's 4 "things". I have an appt. with my podiatrist today at 2:45pm to get my foot checked out.  I'm loving the new orthotics however, from the ball of my foot up into my big toe feels like it is on fire after a run....not sure what's up with that. Maybe I just need new shoes?:) I'll keep you posted! I know you can't wait to hear about my feet!Ha!

If you're new to my blog, welcome! If you're not new, thanks for stopping by!  I love reading your comments and feedback!

Grace and peace,

Running to Win

"You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race.  Everyone runs; one wins.  Run to win.  All good athletes train hard.  They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades.  You're after one that's gold eternally.  I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line.  I'm giving it everything I've got.  No sloppy living for me!  I'm staying alert and in top condition.  I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself." -1 Corinthians 9:24-27(Message)

this was printed on the award certificates they handed out at the race

Saturday morning at 6am the little princes and I loaded into my friend Angie's suburban and headed out to the "On Your Mark 5k".  I was anxious. I haven't felt that jittery in a while before a race.  Not even the big races.  I even had a dream the night before that I had to pee right before the race started and when I went to the bathroom they started the race without me.  I'm not sure what it was about this race. I knew I wanted to PR, but that is my goal at every race.  I like to push myself.  Maybe it's that fact that this was the first race of the season. Who knows.  My friend Angie seemed pretty cool and collected and this was her first race ever!
By the time I got to the starting line I felt better.
The first mile I felt pretty good and was surprised when I got to the first mile mark and my time was 7:53.(my fastest mile ever)  When I got to the second mile mark the guy hollered out that I was in the 4th place position for women overall. WHAT!?! That kicked me into full on competition mode.  The fact that I had a chance to place in top 3 overall was crazy to me!  I could see the #3 girl about 20yards in front of me.  I try as I might, I could not close that gap.  The last leg of the race was up hill which increased that gap by about another 20 yards.  All I could think was....how much I hate hills and that #3 probably trains on hills....I should do hills...I hate hills....
I did finish strong though, my time was 24:44! I shaved almost a full minute off of my previous 5k PR. I was very happy with my run and placed 1st in my age group and 4th overall.  The girl that finished #3 was 22yrs old...that kind of made me feel better. ;)

My friend Angie finished in 27:58! Amazing for her first race! I am so proud of her! Little speedy!
The boys ran the 1mile fun run and both boys beat their last time.  Little Prince #2 placed 2nd in his age, and Little Prince #1 shaved a minute off of his time.

We all had a great race day and it was a fantastic way to kick off the race season!

Next race, Rocket Run 10 Miler on March 20th!!

If your new to my blog, welcome! If your not new, thanks for stopping by!
I love reading your comments and feedback!
Grace and peace,

3 Things Thursday

Ok, this is kind of on the fly because it is the end of the month and I am SWAMPED at work...

1. Tomorrow night is my first coaches meeting for the Fleet Feet- No Boundaries running group.  I am helping coach with some pretty amazing runners.  I can't wait to spend the evening picking their brains!!

2. A few weeks ago I saw the podiatrist to get fit for inserts for my running shoes.  I seriously overpronate when I run and it was causing me problems. You can read about it HERE.
They called today to say that I could come pick them up tomorrow. I'm interested to see how they feel on my long run Saturday. 

3. If you read my blog last week, I bought a brand new Running Skirt on Ebay for $11.00! I got it in the mail yesterday and it is a perfect fit!! I can't wait for it to warm up again so I can try it out!
I have the "On Your Mark" 5k next Saturday and I was hoping to wear it for that. I am praying for sunshine and warm temps!  The 5k will also be the first race my friend Angie has ever run. I'm so excited for her!

I'm out until next Monday! Hubby is working all weekend and I doubt I will have time to pee much less post.... So, I hope you all have a wonderful, blessed, weekend, full of love and lots of sunshine!!

If your new to my blog, welcome! If your not new, thanks for stopping by!
I love reading your comments and feedback!

Ecclesiastes 4:10

If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! 

* Today I'm thankful for my friends and all of you who offer inspiration and encouragement!

Grace and peace, 

 

No Boundaries

 I was asked last week if I would help coach a beginners running program sponsored by Fleet Feet called No Boundaries.  It is a program designed to get people from the couch to 5k ready in 10weeks.

My initial reaction was total shock and disbelief. I wondered if maybe they had mistaken me for someone else. Sometimes I feel like I'm a beginner myself!  Once the initial shock wore off I was so honored that they would think of me.  I met Traci and her husband last August at a midnight 5k  and I have seen them at several races since then.  I had no idea I had made any kind of impression on them.  It feels good to have someone notice your hard work and dedication and want you to share it with others! I told them I would think and pray about it and get back to them.  I talked it over with hubby and he thought it was a fantastic idea and agreed to watch the kids on the nights he is home.  So I told them YES!

I started thinking about my goals for 2010 and I believe that God is revealing His plan to me little by little.  I know that part of my purpose is to encourage and lift up others in health and fitness, more and more lately I have had the opportunities to do that.

I'm super excited and nervous. I have already signed up 4 friends that I have been begging to run with me!  What an excellent journey I am on! I am very thankful for this opportunity and I am thankful to have the chance to see others change their life through running!!

My favorite quote:
"Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.." ~Les Brown 

 Grace and peace,

 

Whirl wind Week

Actually I should say "Weeks".  December is by far my favorite month of the year, however, it always seems to go by in a blur. Christmas parties, Birthday parties, Christmas programs, shopping, baking, we cram so much "fun" into the month as we possibly can. Every year I make a point to say "next year we won't do so much".  Yet, here we are again squeezing every drop of Christmas fun out of the holiday season. We are definitely enjoying ourselves and so are the kids!

This Christmas season has been different in a way that I didn't imagine it would be last year.  My boys Tyler and Sebastian have run 2 races in the last few weeks.  When I start to lace up my shoes at home both of them are at the door ready to go run with me.  I am usually not a credit hog, but I am taking all the credit for this one! I am so proud to see that competitive spirit growing in them.  We ran in the Rudolph Run 5k and 1 mile fun run this past Saturday.  Both boys wanted to improve on their past time and they both did! PR's all around!

Before the Run

Not only the fact that they are beginning to foster the same love of running that I do, but they are becoming more aware of their bodies and nutrition in a way that I didn't until I was in my late 20's!  I'm so proud of my little men! Now if I could just get hubby to lace up his shoes!;)

 Giveaway Alert!!

○By the way, there is a fantastic holiday giveaway over on  Tall Mom on the Run's blog! It is GU-liscious!!   Check it out!
○Also A Merry Christmas Giveaway at One Run At A Time! Check it out for a chance to win the much coveted 2010 Runner's World Calendar!!

Personal Records

Last year I entered my first 5k (Living Waters 5k) as an incentive to get moving and lose some weight after the birth of my 3rd boy. I had no idea it would be the beginning of a beautiful relationship with running. My goal for that first race was to not finish last! I finished in 30:29 and was so proud of myself. I couldn't wait to try and beat that time! I started entering every race I possibly could. I looked at them as small goals to keep myself motivated! I set a personal record last Saturday, November 28th. Ironically, it was in the same race where I first found my love for running, The Living Waters 5k. I finished first in my age group 30-34 with a time of 26:05! I love pushing myself! I never imagined I would enjoy it this much. The sweat, the sore muscles, the nauseating feeling I get when I push my body to the limit and then keep going. Most of all, the peace that I have when I can spend that time meditating on the Lord and how good He is. That is the time that I talk to Him, share with Him, and listen to Him.
I am thankful for my friend Gina. When she comes to visit from Chicago she runs with me as a gesture of support. What a loyal, and loving friend she is!