Running Wogging & the Glass Half Full

My Friend Pam, at boomerbackbeat.com was so sweet to pass along a Liebster award to me the other day. Thanks Pam! boomerbackbeat.com The Liebster Blog Award originated in Germany. Liebster means dearest or beloved, and Liebe is love. To me, the essence of this award is to encourage bloggers, with a little pat on the back- and allow them to, in turn, share some of their favorite blogs too. Blogs should be ones that are newer, with smaller following--- But- I just have to share my favorites without regard to size- Please forgive me if this is taboo! Favorite blogs: My first blog for today is from a fellow high school classmate My Minnesota Jenny has found herself in India!- thanks to her hubby's work transferring him there. I HANDS DOWN LOVE EACH POST! You will too---- Jennyfromthebangaloreblock.blogspot.com   Next up- Run Street Runstreet.com This blog is a fun one. Marnie does a great job posting workout ideas for your run, as well as cross traini...

Thursday march 8th The last long run My chart on my fridge is telling me my work for this half is coming to a close (See my littlest's red post-it-notes?....cheering me on) Decided my shoes will be Brooks Ghosts- (i think) Not really a white person- Yes- I've ranted on this before (dear Asics-I'm not Racist-I just hate white)  before sharpie Decided I needed to stop complaining and take matters into my own hands. Sharpie pens work just fine here. Yeah, my 4 year old adores them.... and that gives me pause. But hey, they are definitely not white.  after sharpie ***************************************** The run.... The run was interesting . Noticed my runs being described this way as I ramp up to my first half. Interesting because there seems to be a bit of discrepancy as to where my pace is.... Chock that up to newbie training I suppose. One things for sure-Penelope Jane (my garmin) valentine present from m...

Friday, march 9 Hubby and I have stayed up past midnight, 3 nights in a row. I don't recommend it. This morning, I rationalized in my head great reasons not to run. Ran a decent run yesterday ITB is a little growly Have to get hubby ready for another business trip Girls have early afternoon hair appointments Then I get a 'bright and early' text from ViolinRunning- an easy 1 mile sandwich,  with half marathon tempo practice in the middle. And suddenly a run seemed like a good idea. Drop kids off at school- teach my nephew a mini piano lesson- Then off for a run OK- can I admit something- I cancelled my usual Friday sis-in-law coffee to get this run in. (need to make that up-thinking I will watch her kiddos so she can get a run in next week) When I read the part that said:"half marathon pace"... I thought she meant 'half' the normal speed she usually runs- Which is perfect! Cause my speed is totally right there! Yeah---- no- 'Ra...

Wednesday, March 7th Ran Monday, Tuesday had other plans for me- Wednesday is my treadmill day- But as I picked Molls up from school- she could tell I was dragging my feet "Let's go to the workout place mommy!" she cheered "Just a minute- " I said, flipping through emails- blogs- anything, on my phone I could think to check. Finally, I realized this was silly, I just need to go in, pound out 3 to appease the the running gods, and live to sleep another day guilt-free. Drop Molly off at the child care Head into the dressing room Pull out my running gear shoes/socks sports bra/shirt Hmmmmm What do you think I forgot? Yep- my pants Can't very well run with out those. Well, I COULD- But I'll spare you Luckily I had my swimsuit Laps for me. I thought I pulled a fast one Even secretly patted myself on the back like it was fate or something not to run. Walk out to the pool The 'Silver Sneakers' water aerobics class i...

Monday, March 5th Little 7 miler Been wanting to run down by Berg Park. Today would be that day. I parked at the kid's school- and ran down Sullivan to it. Wore my Brooks Cascadias- They are great for the mix of terrain I'd find on this run- be it pavement, wood chips, or gravel. The trail was sleepy, But the park was alive with both runners and walkers, happy to have this day. I had more "hello!"-s and "have a great run!"-s than ever I've had before. Made me smile Glad to be moving along with this throng of happy people. Fun to feel a part of it all. Once around, and I'm ready for a scene change- Should have stayed at the park, Because the next phase of my run was ridiculous. I run back up Sullivan... only this time I'm on the OTHER side of the street Yeah- DOG HEAVEN Now, I'm not afraid of dogs, mind you- I just don't like being yelled at by them. And yell they did. Loudly Like the...

So I go to a body pump class with my sis-in-law the other day, love that class- It's crazy fun. Class is packed. We're working away, doing squats, when I see it- This girl in front of me is wearing lifting gloves . Lifting a barbell with 1kg on each end. I think I giggled out loud. Gloves for that? Those tiny donuts of weight? Smirk Then I felt dumb did I think I was better because I had more weight on my bar? I knew nothing about her Maybe it was her first class- and she was excited to get fit Or first class back from injury? Working her way back into a routine I thought about running, and how easy it is to make assumptions. Size someone up- Gotta work on that.....

My first half marathon is just a few short days away. March 17th -Moab Canyonlands Half- Want to savor this moment, you only get to do it once. I really want to be honest too- so that I remember just exactly the thoughts running through my head. Part of me feels confident and ready I am confident I can do the mileage. So glad ViolinRunning suggested a program that pretty much for the last 6 weeks or more had me running weekly long runs of 10-14 miles. I have no worries in this area. I really like this mileage- I like the way I break it up in my mind- Get to 3 Run to 5 8 is great Push to home Excited that the 'Get to 3' is getting smoother Realized about a month or so ago I would walk a large portion of the first 3 miles. I've been working on finding a balance between warm-up and wimp in this area- Run to 5 For some reason 5 is special to me- When asking myself- "why 5?" I'm not quite sure, but I think it must be because the...

Can you believe we got an extra day this year? Leap day- Should have run, But who can resist a chatty Mol's Who's begging for a tuna lunch date? Gotta love her!   So, now it's: Thursday, March 1st My last run being Monday I was bound and determined to get one in today Put together a ensemble that would find me going NO WHERE but the pavement Took a self portrait reminiscent of ol' Uncle Sam saying: "I want YOU to run today" I want YOU to run today! Even pulled out my half and half Brooks Ghosts.... Yeah that's right- I hate white shoes so much I sharpie-d them- Well, just one so far (takes a wicked long time to cover all that white) sharpie heaven on one Cursed white on the other And I ran. fast I just wanted to see what it would be like to really run it Mile 1 was clipping right along Over a minute and a half faster than my usual My pace felt great- I did the math in my head figuring an...

Monday February 27th, Finding myself runless Saturday and Sunday- I could bore you with details- But no one wants to hear me whine about having to: fix a heater clean a rental house buy a new wireless modem Fixing and cleaning is no excuse not to run But rather a great reason to RUUUUUUUUUNNNNN! How to get one in? Early morning run it is--- Alarm set for 4 Up and out by 4:20 Took a route I'd taken just last Sunday and loved. Little 4.5 mile route I'd actually been thinking about running it all week since- So I'm running along, keeping it fun, and my pace is quite nice for me.... Round the corner, walk half way down the block and see a stoplight up ahead..... I stop and walk WHAT???????? It dawns on me- do I do this all the time, stop halfway down the block, before I get to the stoplight? WHY WOULD ANYBODY DO THIS? Then I think about it a little more... Not only do I slow down or stop to walk halfway down the block BEFORE I get to the stop...

Friday Still feeling good about yesterday's run, Friday had me wishy washy on just what it was I would do as far as running goes. Had my Friday Sis--in-law coffee meet-up, and chatted with BlueSkyGirl who came too. Should have run right after that, but DH was coming home Saturday, and somehow I picked a guy that feels loved when he sees a clean house- So- home it is for me- You know- next time I might just go for that run first and get it over with- The house cleaning/organizing thing simply droned on and on- I felt like I was wandering around my house sorting through misplaced stuff- Very foggy- my memory of the morning- Maybe it was the Clorox fumes- Then all of a sudden it was 11:45 11:45- means time to retrieve Molly from kinder- Molly in tow, my run is reduced to a tread mill session- Molly is delighted, for somewhere along the way, we've started this tradition whenever we go to the workout place-of buying some sort of power bar or Gatorade and splitti...

Thursday, February 23rd It's Thursday- I have been waiting for this day all week, and when I say all week, I mean ALL week. Thursday is my scheduled long run, and unlike the crazy beginning of the week, THIS run would get done. My chart said 13 or 14, but as can you see from the title, I only made it to 11.4 before I had to pick up my little sack of potatoes, Molly from school. Usually I have plenty of time to get the full run in, but I was a bit discombobulated on account of my hubby coming home Wednesday evening, only for him to switch out suitcase clothes, to leave again Thursday morning. I will say that I give myself a big pat on the back as a honey suitcase packer, on account of the socks. Running has ruined me and turned me into a sock snob. I guess you could say I pride myself on keeping him sufficiently SmartWooled Nothing says I love you, like happy feet- right? Ah, but this is not a blog about love I know you are half sad half relieved on hearing thi...

Sunday Feb19th, My running chart has been looking a bit sparse Life is getting in the way I'm working to find a balance but running only 2 out of your 5 scheduled runs Doesn't scream balance, now does it? I would need to plan To be creative I would have to run on Sunday Sundays are special We go to church both morning and evening The afternoon is spent at an extended family dinner 8 adults 7 kids 4 families We are blessed to be so close both in miles and heart Sunday mornings I also have a wonderful tradition of going for an early morning walk With gals from our church Where do you sneak a run in that? Pre-dawn run it would be A run before my 6:30 walk was in order When the alarm went off, I thought it was a joke But no matter how hilarious the hour, I had to do it Ran the College, An old run of mine- from when I first started running It was sentimental Sentimental College run But it was also freakishly ea...

Last week simply flew by - With Ryan out of the country for the week- on business (heehee is Canada really out of the country?) It really made me appreciate him more And realize how much a dad and hubby are needed in the home Little mini training runs on Monday and Friday Saturday held little hope of miles Save a tiny miniscule little road race But still, I was so excited about it I'd signed our whole family up for a free run put on by the hospital It's their annual "Goosebumps" race That highlights the hospital's committment to heart health A 1 miler A 3 miler Free Perfect opportunity to get everyone out I signed us up good and early When I told my hubby I'd signed him up for a race He gave me "the look" you know - the one that says "Don't even think about it" That was a month ago And well, I guess he missed us last week too Because Saturday he laced up his sneakers a...

Last week I ran on Monday..... Yippee! Tuesday Wednesday Thursday No run I meant to, really did But with hubby out of town last week, it just didn't happen. Felt kind of bummed. Friday AM found me drinking coffee And chatting up a storm, squandering my morning run time. It was worth it. But soon the guilt was setting in. Think my sis-in-law (aka: RunningMommaOf 2) has a sixth sense Because not much later, I got a txt Do I????? OH YEAH!!!!!! We met up at noon Clicked the machines on And we're off.... Conversation flowed between the usual stuff- work, kids- you name it- The week had been a bit of a blur for us both- a little stress around the edges- The run was perfect. So were her new shoes. I kept trying to snap a pic of them while she ran They just POP! But all I could get was the one-legged version of her- She's just that fast And I 'll leave you thinking she's an amazing One leg wonder C...

Monday I'm still crazy behind on my posts But this one is a fun one to write Monday I found my stride It was the weirdest thing- I'm running along.... Doop-de-doop- De-doop......                        Wha.......t juuuuuuust happened? It was the smoothest feeling Clockwork I found my stride Flat found it. It almost made me cry, but nah, I was too psyched Felt like a kid again Yep, just like a kid A kid at my friend K's house.... It's the 80's She has EVERYTHING- A computer -back when personal computers were unheard of A water bed-remember when those were the rage Nordic Track I was in awe The computer was worthless to me, no clue how to play pac-man The water bed hilarious- sit on the edge and fall in Nordic Track, now THIS machine The weight loss machine-of-choice for the well-to-do This machine was magical Pull the h...

Saturday Sherry miles I chose to run alone Had to I planned my route Well, the backbone of a route anyway- A route with options Only one thing was certain I was running a road I'd seen while driving the past week Knew it would be the highlight I had 14 on my chart, making it an early start. My run would be alone, but I would end my run at the coffee shop- Meeting up with BlueSkyGirl and RunningMommaOf2 _____________________________________________ Now for the run down Woke up early, Tried to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake DH Woke DH Told DH to go back to bed Banana Access bar Toast with butter and jelly (would have had peanut butter, but we're running low & the kids can't live without it-I can) Water, Gatorade Stashed some Sportz Beans Planned to bring $ for a water break at convenience store, and for coffee!!! I head out the back Mile 1 was VERY eventful Warm up run out of the neighborhood had me realizing I'd f...

Disclaimer************** I am very behind on posts I really really really like to blog each run It gives me a diary of sorts To go back to and remember Last week was very hard Very discouraged Tired Overwhelmed I almost hit delete So no one would know But The run you are about to read Was the turning point And thanks to that, This week's training has been wonderfully perfect So here goes **************************************** Been tearing up a lot lately Ran 4 days last week Cried every time Why oh why all these emotions- My run Thursday night had me wiping tears again Can't even remember why Just remember thinking- I can't go on like this This is not me AT ALL I stopped Just stopped Walked Felt like I was trying too hard Trying to be everybody else Then I thought about the first day running stuck The day I just HAD to take a road and try it Had to take a picture Had to take it in Found the joy (go to post by clickin...