Running Blog

Let's be real...few people actually care about my running routine. Maybe my husband and close family...that's about it. I think my friends support me but I'm sure they don't want to hear about my routine everyday. Therefore, I have decided to try blogging about my runs instead. That way, I don't have to annoy people on Facebook with daily posts about my workouts.

For those interested (especially other runners), here is a link to the training program I am using...it's for a full marathon:

http://running.about.com/od/marathonprograms/a/Intermediate-Marathon-Training-Schedule.htm

I began my 7th week of training today and it's going very well so far (by "very well" I mean injury-free)! The only day I occasionally slack is on Sundays. Depending on how my Saturday run treats me, I may cross train or do a walk/jog with the hubby and dogs or just rest.

I look forward to  keeping you guys posted on my training! Remember: my race is October 21st in Columbus, OH...

Warrior Dash 2012

On June 3rd, some of my lifegroup friends and I will be participating in the Warrior Dash! This event looks SWEET!!! I actually convinced Jimmy to do it with us (this actually means that I signed him up before he was 100% sure he wanted to do it). The Warrior Dash is a 3.5 mile course that includes the following:

• Capsized Catamaran- swim, climb, stumble, swim
• Barricade Breakdown- hurdle over barricades and crawl under barbed wire
• Deadman's Drop- climb to the top and over the unhandy hurdle
• Road Rage- stampede through the scrap yard of rusted wreckage
• Hard Rain- trudge through the water and climb above the rain
• Mortimer's Crossing- balance your way across the wobbly rope
• Storming Normandy- fight through the menacing military crawl
• Cargo Climb- maneuver over the cargo nets
• Teetering Traverse- level your nerves as you teeter through a soaring track
• Giant Cliffhanger- make the trek to the top of the massive slope
• Great Warrior Wall- conquer the wooden barricade
• Warrior Roast- leap over the warrior fires
• Muddy Mayhem- scramble beneath barbed wire as you near the finish

This is going to be crazy fun and I hope to have lots of awesome stories!

Little Ones...

In my current phase of life, I'm constantly reminded of pregnancy and babies. My most recent response to this topic is: "I currently have no desire to have kids but I'll re-evaluate this at age 32 (two more years...yikes!). I just don't want to be 60 years old with kids still in my house." If you are close to me, you've heard me say this many times. Periodically, the Lord reminds me that I'm still not ready for this adventure...will I ever be? Who knows?!

The last few days, I've been in Nebraska with my mom visiting my sisters, brother-in-law, and these little ones:

(from left to right: Brennan, Rylee, Drew, Quinten)

I had SO MUCH FUN hanging out with these little ones....seeing how their personalities have developed. They are such good kids! My sisters have done an amazing job raising them. Despite all of the positive things about having kids, I just don't desire the responsibility of this HUGE task. I used to think it's laziness but now I'm seeing it's not...I just desire other things. I want to be able to hang out with my husband and dogs, go on vacations, go out to eat, hang out with friends, etc. I know these things can be done with kids but we all know that those things are limited and are different with kids in the picture.

My point: visiting my awesome family this weekend has simply reminded me that I'm not ready for this committment any time soon or maybe ever. BUT, I might be ready for this life:

2 Wedded Years with my Boo, Jimmy

On Tuesday, Jimmy and I will celebrate two years of marriage! The time has flown by! Here is a pic of us on our anniversary a year ago:



I thought I would reflect briefly on some awesome things we did in our second year. First, we adopted Angel:

I LOVE this sweet girl! She has been a great pooch and a great sister to Izzie! Second, we got Zoombezi Bay season passes! So many fun memories from the water park this past summer with our family and life group friends. I can't believe Jimmy actually went on this ride:

Third, we joined Sanctuary Columbus Church. This gave us both a chance to serve in our own special ways but it keeps us connected because we share that bond of serving in our church :)

Fourth, we made our second trip to a Sandals resort! This time Ocho Rios, Jamaica:

These are just a few of the MANY, MANY, MANY  fun memories from the past year. I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us! I love you Booski!

A Day of Mental Rest...

...this is my goal today.

I've been in a MAJOR funk this week. I've felt completely overwhelmed; I've been getting what I call "hot flashes"...my older patients swear that I'm too young for hot flashes and tend to laugh at me when I claim I'm getting them. I went running the other day and was so mentally overwhelmed that I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and just fell on the sidewalk and, like a stooge, I decided it was a good idea to get up and keep going instead of going home.

For some reason I felt like I should do some research on the birth control pill that I'm taking (Loestrin 24 FE) to see if it had something to do with it (my doc changed the one I was taking when I went to see him last month). The article had a section that mentioned: difficulty in sleeping, weakness, lack of energy, fatigue, or change in mood (possibly indicating severe depression). This is exactly how I've been feeling lately. These are things that I may experience every once in a while but lately it's been daily.

I talked with my boo about it and we decided I should ask for a mental rest day from my boss. I texted her and she graciously allowed it. I contacted my co-worker/friend who does our scheduling and told him I could do today or Friday and he graciously allowed me to take off today. I am so thankful for people who care. Hopefully a day of staying home and just relaxing will do me some good. I've called my doc to change my medicine and I promised Jimmy I wouldn't do any housework.

To Run 26.2 or Not to Run 26.2...

That is my question!!!! Here is me at my 1st full marathon (Little Rock, 2005...so hilly it's ridiculous):

I'll never forget this experience. I remember the course like it was yesterday. The first 13 miles were ok...then the hills began...miles 13 through 19 were crazy hill after crazy hill. At that point, my butt felt like it was 100 lbs just weighing me down. The last 6-7 miles were just hell yet, I loved it all at the same time. I actually cried as I crossed the finish line. It was so amazing seeing my family cheering me on at the final stretch...they even had signs (my sister's friend, me, my sister Ashley):
I want to experience that feeling again! I am currently training for a 10 mile race on April 15th. My training is going well, injury free...I'm really being smart about it. This has been the most dedicated I've been with working out in a long time. I'm running 3 days a week and doing strengthening/cross training 2-3 days per week.
Columbus has a marathon in October that I am interested in running. Columbus is a fun and interesting city to see and experience and the marathon course would take me all over the city. The best part is that I would get to run through "The Shoe!" The only thing holding me back is the commitment and dedication to training. I'm not 100% confident that I can do it again. I mean, I'll be dirty 30 at that point! The only thing I can do is keep praying over it...weigh out the positives and negatives. If you have any opinions, let me know!

Violet

PLEASE check out this dog! Jimmy and I love this dog but can't adopt her because we have 2 already! She is so sweet and has been at the shelter a long time. I found out today that a family adopted her a couple of weeks ago and gave her back... because she barked at their cat (isn't that what dogs do?!). Jimmy and I are willing to pay adoption fees if anyone can give her a loving home and lots of attention :)

http://www.adoptapet.com/pet6842214.html