Finding my grey area

I had a long chat with my nutritionist on Thursday and she told me again what I already know, and that is I'm black and white. I either do something 100% or not at all. I'm having a really hard time finding that happy medium -- my grey area.

I need to be more consistent with my running AND my nutrition. I know that life throws things at us... almost every day that we need to just pick up, dust off and continue on. It's this way with running -- a day that you slog through a run and wonder WHY am I even doing this... why am I out here? Or you have a piece of cake at a co-workers birthday party and decide you entire diet for the day is blown so why not eat the chips too. It's time to look at these as events to learn and grow from. WHY was that run bad -- did you hydrate properly? not enough sleep last night? Why can't you just enjoy the cake and stop there... maybe a salad for dinner instead of the heavier dinner you'd planned? The entire day is full of decisions that will make or break your fitness and nutrition regime. The plan is to tailor these decisions to make your day the best it can possibly be.

I'm going to really try this week to plan - plan exercise and plan nutrition. I need to do it daily because things fluctuate so much in the summer with school out that it's hard to make a weekly schedule and stick to it.

I'm ready to take the black and white out of my life and blend it together -- grey area, here I come.

I've been tagged!!

I was tagged by my new friend Lori -- AKA Toughnoodles. She came across my blog just a little while ago after I'd started posting a bit more regularly and I truly enjoy reading hers as well.

1- How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

10 years ago my running would be categorized as non-existent. I didn't run. I dabbled in running during college, but it was more like run a mile or two every month or so. I mtn. biked and snow skied a lot and that's it. I started running 9 years ago this December. I signed up with Team in Training - the Leukemia Society's running group and decided to run the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage - June of 2000. That experience changed my life. I ended up run/walking my first marathon in 6:01:01 -- my goal was 6 or under as I was painfully slow and a new runner and WAY overweight. I ALMOST made that goal, but it was the process that was life-changing.

2-What is your best and worst run/race experience?

BEST: Probably the marathons that go well. All of them. Capital City Marathon 2003 - first post-pregnancy marathon after baby #2 and my first attempt at training myself. I took my time from that just over 6 hour time to a 4:45. I was really, really proud of myself. Skagit Flats Marathon 2005 my first SUB 4 marathon -- I was thrilled and came in at 3:59. Portland Marathon 2005 - a month after Skagit I did that one in 3:57 -- I was on a roll.

WORST: Injuries. After Portland 2005 I started training for an ultra and just plain and simple, over trained. I ended up with a cast for a really bad Achilles injury. Yes, it was bad enough to immobilize completely.
I kept with weights and cycling so I stayed in good enough shape to do three marathons in 2006.

September of 2007 I broke my tibia at a boyscout fundraising event and had to stop everything. I'm still trying to recover from that.... almost a year later, 20 lbs heavier and a bought with depression I think I'm finally winning.

3- Why do you run?

I run for my sanity and because it's something that I can do that I feel I'm good at. No, I'm not fast, but I don't let up with distance. I would LOVE to get that ultra under my belt. I've attempted one -- had a DNF. But, about 2/3 of the field dropped due to hail, sleet, and snow - so I was in good company.

When I run it lets me clear through my thoughts... it lets me think about God and His creations. It lets me think about my girls and my husband and I can work through a lot of life's problems when I run. It's all about clarity and sanity.

4- What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?

Probably the worst advice I was given when I first started out running was at Lady Foot Locker -- no, I don't go there anymore... but to a 'real' running store. Anyway, I was told I needed really, really supportive shoes if I was going to be covering 26.2 miles. Think shoes that would not bend, had no flex in them at all. It was like walking on boards. Um, no.... shin splints galore and a trip to Sound Sports in Seattle and I was cured.

Best: Start slow at race - don't go with the crowd - you'll pass them eventually.... and you know what? I usually do. I remember Seattle 2005 - I started really, really slow with a friend that was training for an ultra. I was aching to go faster but we kept our 10 min pace. At the 13 mile mark we kicked it up and our negative split was huge... and we passed a ton of people in the last miles and we felt GOOD.

BODY GLIDE -- everything! Body Glide on your toes prevents blisters!

5- Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

Let's see -- I guess the one thing that might be surprising about a Marathon Maniac that has completed 16 marathons... would be that I don't consider myself a runner. I wish I did. I don't. I don't feel like I look the part so it's almost embarrassing to tell people I run. It's something I'm trying to get over.... I have a thyroid condition and will never be thin like most runners are. I'm strong and have great endurance but deep down I wish I looked the part.


Now I'm supposed to tag 5 other people so these are the people whose answers I'd really like to read: Rach, Andria, Sherri, Another Sherri, and I'm still trying to decide the 5th person!


Here are the rules guidelines: If you have been tagged, you will find your name at the end of this post. You should then, copy the rules (or your version of them), and the set of questions onto your blog post, provide your own answers, and then tag 5 new people.
Just to be sure that everyone tagged knows they have been invited to play, go to their blogs and leave them a special comment letting them know, and refer them to your blog for details. One more thing, once they've answered the questions on their own blog, they should come back to yours to tell you

out and backs

Today I did 9 miles... out and back. I felt really stiff the entire time, like I was hardly moving yet every time I looked at my watch expecting to see 11's I saw 9:15s or so. Yeah, not really quick, but it wasn't slow as molasses like it felt. I'm getting over 'something' - a bad cold or semi-flu... not sure what but it could have been that. Also, I did some weight training yesterday and my calves have been aching all day today so I know that didn't help.

I was around mile 7 or so and I saw someone who yelled out my name. I didn't recognize him at first and then he said -- "hey, it's Bruce". I realized who it was. It's a buddy of a guy who's wife I used to run with. I had talked to these guys (three of them who ran together) a couple years ago and talked them in to qualifying for the Marathon Maniacs. They were 2 - 3 marathon a year runners and now they hit almost one a month. I realized I've spread the running/marathon disease to a few people. Along with these three guys, I've encouraged two runners from my YMCA group to qualify for the Marathon Maniacs, and one co-worker - who I encouraged to do her first marathon and she just keeps kicking them out and she has also qualified for the Manaics.... that's 6 Maniacs. My friend Shelly is a Maniac too, but I'm not sure I can say I influenced her. It was Chicago that did her in... she ran that awfully hot race last year and then decided she needed a re-take. Anyway, I guess where I'm going with this is it's really nice to be out running, struggling your butt away - wondering why you do this, and then someone sees you and lights up and is excited to see and greet you - you then realize you've really made some differences in other people's lives.

Running is good for your soul -- it's good for friendship -- and it's always nice when you're on the return from an out and back.

Well, it's official.

I'm going to Twin Cities to run this fall. It will be so much fun. I purchased my flight today so I guess there is no turning back.

Three things must happen before Oct 5th.

1. MUST lose some weight as I don't want to be the lone fatty there.
2. MUST get my pace back up to where I was - #1 should help with this.
3. MUST get in all my training runs. I'm only doing 4 runs a week with cross-training so I should be able to accomplish this. This should help me with accomplish #1.
   

Those are easy, right? Well, not so easy with two kids, a full time job, husband, household and all the other duties of mommy and wife -hood.

Cross your fingers I get this all figured out.

Twin Cities here I come!

Meet Tank!

As most of you know, our wonderful Lab Cody died about a month ago. Robb and I had talked and decided we wanted to find a smaller more 'house friendly' dog when we finally decided to get another one. We'd been looking at bassets, pugs (just me... Robb wasn't too fond of them), all sort of smaller-type dogs.

Anyway, Robb called me yesterday and said he'd found a dog. I guess he was delivering appliances to a customer and they had a dog (miniature beagle mixed with some sort of hound) that was just adorable. He commented on him and they asked if he knew anyone who wanted a dog. Apparently they had a few other dogs and this dog was a little high strung around the other dogs. Anyway, he called me and talked to me about it and I said to just go get him. He's 8 months old, house trained, crate trained and is just great around the girls. His name is Tank.

We took him for a walk today and every time he saw a bird he just bolted.... definitely likes those birds. He's a great lap dog... okay, a bit big for a lap dog, but he doesn't realize that.

We're so glad he's a part of our little family.... what a nice little guy for the girls to hang out with.

Welcome, Tank!