20 miler

Tomorrow is my twenty mile run. I haven't posted much on here because I am thinking about combining this blog with my family blog to simplify things a little. After my 20 mile run in two days I have a 5k. I would like 6:45 min on each mile to get below a 20 minute time. I think I can do it if the 20 miler doesn't do me in. Oh well wish me luck.

10 k

I ran a 10k. My time was 44:15. I got the time I wanted, because I wanted to get below 45 but secretly hoped for 43. I guess a 7.o7 minute mile is pretty good for me but I know I can do better. I still couldn't believe all the women in my age category that beat me:)

I think races are amazing. It is fun to share my love of running with so many other people. That is the thing about being a runner. It doesn't matter what shape or size that you are you can usually become a runner. It isn't like ice skating or football or even aerobics. It is good for the most uncoordinated and the most agile at the same time. I love to see all the different types of people who come across the finish line. After the race everyone was gathered listening to the winners. People had long since come in. I saw a woman crossing the finishline. My view of her was over the heads of the spectators listening to the announcers who did not realize she was there. She was a little heavier set and because of her time she had probably walked the majority of the race. No one payed much attention. I thought about her silent victory. 6 miles isn't easy. It isn't the runner who can run everyday with little resistance that amazes me, it is the "runner" who has to overcome great odds to get out there and start doing it. The one with little kids at home, or overcomes some sort of pain knees or back (thats my husband), or overcomes the embarrassment of running in front of other people.

Two days after the 10k I did another 12 miler. It was probably pushing it but it got out the soreness. I got the first side ache that I have had for a while. It was fun though. It is fun to see the calories that I burn when we do the long runs. It was over 1000. That is a whole day of meals almost. I just have to focus on eating a little more. I am still nursing so that is another extra 500. I am a constant grazer so I think that is good.

12 mile run

I did 12 miles today. I went with 2 friends it really felt like nothing. I love it when we get to this mileage. I also really like the social part of it for me. I love to just sit (or run) and talk to my friends for 1 to 2 hours at a time.
The wind was blowing at us the first 6 miles and we were going up hill. Then we ran down hill with the wind on our backs for the last 6 miles. When we finished I felt like I could continue for some time. I can't wait to get to 17 -19. I think that is where it starts to get challenging for me.

Here is an interesting article

This is an article on weightloss and food diaries. It looks like a very large and well ran study.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2008-07-08-food-diaries_N.htm?csp=34

Diet pills!

I was just thinking about what a mess my house is. It isn't always this bad but it is super messy today. If I look straight ahead at the computer and cross my eyes though, I can't see the mess very well but it does surround me. I was just sitting here wishing that instead of a diet pill there could be an organization pill. I am desperate and may take it if it existed. I think most people, however, would hear of an organization pill and laugh cause they would know that there is no pill that can clean up your house. It take small acts of cleaning throughout the day and some large focused cleans especially with three kids under three. It also takes some attitude and habit modification.The same is true with weight loss. There really isn't a pill out there that can do the job. It takes lots of small acts throughout the day (eating right and exercise) and some large focused efforts (exercise) and some core habit and thought change. I do wish that there were personal trainers for house cleaning and organization. I need some serious coaching at the moment.

Long runs

Here come the long runs I love this part of training. Luckily I have a partner who also likes the long runs. Once they get over 6 I really like them. 10-14 is optimal. After 14 it gets a little time consuming but still wonderful. I am not really sure why I like them so much. I am kind of a long run junky I guess. A little addicted to that feeling you get the rest of the day after a long run. Oh yeah and I love to be able to eat what I want, although I have done way better lately. When they get into the 18 and above rang I like them too. I do however have to go home and crash a few hours so I have to plan ahead and foreworn my husband.

Brilliant

Just call me Brilliant. After a hard 5k on Friday my running partner and I decided to run with our husbands for a change on Saturday. My husband decided however, that running with a television in front of him was essential so I was on my own. I called an old friend for our weekly check-in for personal training. She was talking about trying to get a run in so I asked her if she wanted to go with me. It was in the heat of the day by this time and I don't do well with nights so we decided to go in the afternoon but up the canyon on a shady trail.

We wanted to take our 6 mile run pretty easy to recover from a 5k. We drove two cars to the canyon. Mine at the bottom and hers on top. That way we only were going to run down hill. We parked hers at the top and ran down to my car. It wasn't enough miles so we ran a little further and back. By the end we were spent. It was hot and there really wasn't as much shade as I had hoped. We went to get into my car to make the drive back up to her car but I realized I had left my keys in her car up the canyon!!! Yep, brilliant. I can see doing that after a long run when there is an oxygen deficit, but before? Luckily she is a very good person and tried to make me feel like it was ok. I volunteered to make the run back up the trail but we found a ride by two walkers who were ready to load up. On our way back riding in her car she smiled and said "Hey it's a good thing we brought 2 cars."

Strength Training

Strength training is great. I ran for years and did other types of cardio but avoided the weights because I didn't want to "bulk up". About 5 years ago I started to take a strength training class. My metabolism sky rocked. I didn't realize at the time that weights are the best way to increase metabolism. Muscle takes up space like fat but it burns a lot more calories than fat. Now I can't imagine not doing some sort of strength training in my program. I am addicted. I follow basic rules. Work the large muscle groups first. 2-3 nonconsecutive days a week.

Nine Miler

We did a nine mile run today. It really seems to go by really quickly. I love to get to this point. There is something wonderful about exercising for more than an hour at a time. We decided that on our long runs we would each research an article on running and share the info with each other on our long runs. It will be kind of fun.

Yeah marathons are hard but there are much harder things in life. Any mommy of a new born can tell you that. (This is an old picture by the way)

I finally figured out how to add pictures in a post!

Eating Philosophy - No extremes

When it comes to eating I have one main theme that I try to achieve (and believe me I am not perfect but it is what I try to do ). That is the 6 small meals throughout the day. And although you are always eating and pretty much satisfied it is not an easy thing to do. It takes lots of preparation an planning. I find that when I eat this way I get less headaches and I achieve and maintain my goal weight more quickly. There are a few other ideas that go along with this. Portions sizes stay small and I add a small amount of protein to about half or more of the meals. I also try to incorporate a fruit, veggie, grain, protein and dairy in at least three meal. Either the fruit or the veggi is fresh.

Sometimes I have to get creative with my kids and make faces out of the food to get them to eat well. For example, I make a peanut butter sandwich, I cut it into squares. I use two of the squares as eyes and raisins for the pupil, then the raisins are also the mouth in a curved line. Then I take a baby carrot and cut one end off and it is a nose. Slices of aplles make good eyebrows. If they hesitate eating sometimes I have to say "Oh no don't eat his nose" and they usually do. Hopefully they will develop a taste for good food before they get older. They also love to eat "sunshines" That is apple sauce in a small bowl with little sticks of gram crackers in a circle around it like sunbeams around a sun. They dip the gram crackers in the apple sauce and have either milk or chocolate milk.

I also believe what you see is what you eat, that is why advertisers spend billions on commercials and print media. A fruit bowl in plain sight has done wonders for our family. At first I would buy fruit and would throw it away but now my kids and husband will grab it for a quick snack. I buy Gala apples usually because they come in kids size and they are sweet. I try to have them eat different colors of fruits and vegetables on different days. Variety is good.

Marathon Training

I almost forgot what it was like to train. The random aches and pains are coming back but so is the good feeling you get after running a long run or speed work. I have heard it said that the best thing you can do for your body is train for a marathon and the worst thing you can do for it is actually run one. So true, except some of those long runs in training can be pretty brutal. It was fun the last time because I ran from my old house to my parents home in another city 22 miles a way. When my parents told some extended family what I had done they thought they were joking.

My partner and I are anticompetitive when it comes to marathons. 5ks and 10ks are a different story at least for me. I like to do well in the shorter races. I like to try to win or at least place. In the marathons there is a whole different type of group that runs those. These are the people who get up early in the morning and some have been running for most of their lives (I believe the average marathon age is 40's I could be wrong though). If i am going to run 26.2 miles I am going to enjoy it. One day when I am out of my child baring years I will do the ultras. I can't think of anything that would equal that. At my first marathon I was stretching and overheard a conversation about someone running a 100 miler. My jaw dropped to the floor. I didn't know those things existed and even more amazing is that there were people who would do them!!! I will definitely try maybe up to a 50, I think a 100 is crazy.

Aha Moments

So this really isn't about running but I think about it sometimes when I go running. My husband and I lived in Africa for a while after we got married. We lived and mingled with a beautiful culture that was struck with poverty. While I was there I studied the availability of health care to expectant mothers who were HIV positive. It was devastating to see so many have so little while living in a wounded economy and on the brink of political unrest. I was amazed at the strength of some and sorrowed for the hopelessness of others. I met so many children and adults that would die within months from when I met them. Although we worked tirelessly to help as many as we could it was only a drop of water on a dry and cracked desert floor.

While traveling home from our journey I had a profound experience. We were approaching the shore of the US (which I believe it was New York but I don't remember exactly.) This beautiful country came into view. We got close enough that I could see homes and streets. My heart sank and my stomach turned as we came closer to the homes. They were enormous. There were huge swimming pools and yards carefully manicured and cared for. I remember thinking to myself, "people are starving, people are dying and we care for our cars, yards and homes more than we do people." At that moment I swore to myself that I would never have something just for show. Morally, I could not do it now. Now several years have past. Every time I waste or think of living too big I get a residual of that feeling . I wish everyone could experience what we did. Not go to Africa and stay in the fancy hotels and enjoy the Safari but really live there, worry about the crime, see the poverty and let it sink in. I think a lot of changes would occur.

5k in the rain

I ran a 5k today in the rain. It was great to have a garmin. That thing was beaping at me the whole time to go faster. I wanted to run about 40 seconds faster than what I did but I was happy with my time. I practiced a lot of self control and didn't run my fastest at the beginning. That is usually my problem. I run hard the first mile and then I crash. I also did a mile warm up which I usually don't do. With some fast starts in between. That helped a lot. I also wore a thick jacket that was weighed down by water by the time that I finished. I had to throw it to the side for the last leg of the run.

We started our marathon training this week. I can't wait for the long runs. We will do more AI (aerobic intervals) and tempos this time. My running partner is amazing she keeps us on track. Our training will be a little more complete this time with a garmin. Last time we were doing our 20 miler and over ran it by 2 miles, we felt great but didn't want to do that again. I love the long runs. We did 14 miles in the pouring rain once and that was awesome. That is a good way to break in some shoes.

Exercise and motivation factors

Here are some of my thoughts on motivation. People have been asking me for years for help on fitness goals and although I have a graduate degree in health and have been working in the fitness industry for almost a decade I stayed away from personal training. Just recently I was updating some certifications, however, and decided to take a course in it. Not to really do it (cause I have a busy life) but just be able to answer questions about personal exercise programs more confidently. I learned a ton. It also started an appetite for learning about sound personal exercise and nutrition programs.

For years I have had ideas about what motivates people to exercise. From what I have read and observed these are just a few. There are both motivation factors and deterants. They key is to increase motivation factors while decreasing the deterants to make it easier to exercise.

Motivation factors for exercise adherence-
Morning exercise- People who exercise in the morning are more likely to stick with their program than people that exercise later in the day. This usually take a substantial lifestyle change however, for those night hawk people who are awake all hours of the night.
The buddy system- There are people who turn the alarm clock off, or can easily brush off the thought of exercising but they would not even dream of letting their buddy down who is knocking on the door to go running or to the gym. These people are motivated by social factors. If this is you, your key is to get a friend involved. And chances are if this is you, you already have plenty of friends to choose from. I would suggest someone of the same gender who is at your level of fitness. (unless it is a spouse). There is nothing more demotivating than going running with someone who runs circles around you the first time.
A rewards system- It is a good idea to set up a rewards system. Of course there is that reward of an awesome body but that is months away. There should be a reward for the first few weeks for achieving your obtainable fitness goals. These goals should not be focused on losing weight but should be goals like run 30 minutes a day for 5 days of this week.
Spousal support- This is one of the strongest factors in exercise adherence. If your spouse is supportive (not pushing) your fitness program. I was in a dressing room and heard a woman and a husband in the stall next to me. They didn't know I was there but he was raving about some exercise clothes she was trying on and how good they looked on her. I stepped out of my room and they both blushed. I wanted to go hug the guy. She explained that she hadn't been to a gym in years so he took her to buy some clothes to help motivate her. A husband needs to be willing to take the kids for his wife. He needs to be willing to make her 30 minutes to an hour away from home as easy as possible. If she has come home and the house is ransacked and her husband is complaining she will be less likely to go back. A spouse can help also with a reward system. He can provide the carrot so to speak by offering a night out (for the wife) if she makes her weekly fitness goals or taking her to dinner. Negative motivation does not work and strains the relationship. An example of this motivation is "I wish you would go to the gym." or "Are you really going to eat all that?"
Reduced injury- Type A personalities (those who go all at the very beginning) are less likely to continue in and exercise program because of injury or strain of burnout. Those who slowly ease into a program are more likely to continue.
Nonsmoking- People who smoke have more difficulty with exercise and quit earlier on than others.
A desire- The desire to exercise needs to be internal in some way. I have seen people start out with no real desire and they quickly make excuses. A desire however can be created and strengthen after an exercise program has already began.
A family experience- There is nothing as motivating at times as a family member who dies early because of a condition that could have been prevented by exercise.
Answering to someone- Someone like a personal trainer or a support group can help by just asking how you are doing. A person who has to answer to someone else is less likely to miss exercise classes than someone who is not accountable to anyone.
Money- Money can be tricky. I used to sell gym memberships. Some people won't bat an eye at spending hundreds of dollars on a membership then letting it slip away with little or no use. Others however are driven by money. The biggest loser is an awesome idea because that reward of money is a great carrot of motivation.
Prayer- I have felt in the past that they Lord appreciates me exercising. Madonna Buddars a 76 year old nun who does the Iron man triathlons is one of my heroes. She started because a priest told her that he was brought closer to the Lord through running because he prayed as he ran. There is a parable of the talents where the Lord gives different servants different amounts of money. To some he gives 5 talents to another he gives 1 talent. Those with more put their money to the changers and received more in return and turned their 5 into 10 and so forth. Than he that had one buried it and gave it back to the Lord who called him foolish and told him he should have put it to good use and multiplied it. I believe this parable goes really well with exercise. Each day is a gift that the Lord has given to use. When we exercise each day we increase our life span and we expand the days (the talents) that the he has given us. It is interesting to me who those with one talent, those who are least likely to exercise often bury this idea and never let it into their life for whatever reason and miss out on not only the length of their life but the quality of life that they could live because they fear or love something more then themselves. In short, I believe that the Lord will help me when I pray for help in almost any area of my life. Especially when I make a plan and ask him to help me carry it through.

Some of the Deterant of exercise are the opposite of many of these.

A commute- If you have to drive 30 minutes to the gym, you probably won't go unless it is on your way back from work.
Spousal - If your spouse makes it hard for you to exercise you are unlikely to continue
Poor health and injury- This is just a vicious cycle

Still running

Alright so my blog is still about running. I have another one now dedicated to the family. I got a garmin the other day. Wow what a difference. I am definitely motivated by people who run by me, or when I run on the treadmill and can see the time. So to run by myself without any idea how fast I am running (besides my watch) I tend to slow down a bit. The garmin is making all the difference for me. It is awesome. I can take it home and hook it up to my computer and it will tell me my best pace for the run, how many calories I've burned, my heart rate (which is really awesome) and exactly how far I ran. No more running blind I've got a garmin whaa hoo!

My running partner and I ran up to a trail that connects our homes about 6 miles away. That is kind of neat. The trail was thin and rocky. I realized that I am not into trail running yet. I am amazed at the people that love trail running. I guess that you could get used to it. I liked the scenery and the quietness but the rocks and the down and up hill were more challenging. We were running at a poky pace.

It is nice to get to the point where 5 miles is a super easy run. It is even nicer to reach the point where 8 miles doesn't seem so far. I have to work back up to that again. Right now my time is suffering. Since my last baby I haven't been able to get my time down to where I want it for my 5ks.

I think I am addicted. If I go a day without running. Even if I do aerobics or weight training I feel like I need to run all my energy out.

The Family

Alright so I decided that I was being kind of selfish doing a blog about my running and not my family (Especially since they are more important). so I think I will include some details on them. The twins are 3. They are night and day in a lot of ways but are also very similar in others. People always look at me in wonder in elevators or in stores as I have two boys that look very close in age and a baby on my hip. They will ask "How far apart are they?" pointing to the twins. I think they ask it because there is a stark difference in height. Then of course sometimes I will say "three minutes" and other times I will say "they are twins" It just depends how tired I am and the humor of the other person.

For a long time the three have been in diapers. The baby (who is 11 months) and the twins all wear the same size. I had attempted several times to potty train but the twins banned together and decided to thwart all my efforts. I tried every trick in the conventional book of potty training. I finally got a tip from another twin mom to potty train them separately. To ignore one in that area only of course, and focus on the other. It worked like a charm at least with the one. We now officially have only two kids in diapers and I am filling up the mommy patience reservoir to get ready to train the other one. I think I am going to start training the baby while I am at it. Just kidding.

My husband is awesome. I wish every woman could have a man like him. He tells me I am beautiful everyday and does jobs around the house. He is a good daddy and the baby wants his attention almost more than he wants mine. My husband lets me have time for exercise . That is really something. He is just a nice guy and he keeps me laughing. He hates it when I brag about him so if he makes me erase this I hope you have already seen it.

I love running, and exercise of any type. I love being a mom. I love to watch my kids play together. I love little voices and morning kisses. I am not very good with late nights but I love the snuggles in the mornings. My kids are my life and though I had a good career at one time nothing compares to what I am doing now. I am changing the world, affecting future society to come. I guess you never know how your influence will influence others to change the world.

My theme is "Every day is a Gift"

Runnning is more than running

I have decided to make this blog officially about running. I have a journal that I keep at home but I have so much to write about that I don't talk about running.



I went on a run today. It wasn't a long one but I thought alot about how running is more than running. For me it is a reset button. I have heard that as you run the rythmic motion puts your mind into a state of hypnosis. I decided that if this was true I would use this to my advantage and think about all the things that I want to be while I run. To a certain extent I have really seen this work. For example, I love to eat. When my husband and I were dating he watched with amazement as I finished my plate at resturants (you know the ones with the super portion sizes) He was convinced that I had some sort of eating dissorder but after seeing how I could down a pizza and not head for the restroom after he began to realize that my metabolism was pretty high instead.



Now that I am older (at least older than I was when we met :) I need to watch the things I eat a little closer. When I run I think about eating healthier, I visualize my day and what I will eat. It helps a lot. I think about eating tomato soup while I am running and when I get home, that is what I want to eat.



I also think about being a better mom. Anyone can be a deadbeat mom. One who sits around watching soap operas while her kids are perched in front of a television in the other room. I want to be a super mom. One that teachers her own children and uses school as a tool to rienforce what is taught at home (academically that is). I like to do activities with my kids, to observe their weaknesses and plan activities to help them become strenghts. While I run I think about these things. I come home feeling refreshed and feeling like I took my time and now I can move on to bigger and better things.



When I run I pray. I talk with my Heavenly Father. I cry at times (not very often cause I really am not a cryer) but he understands me and I promise to do better. I really feel his love when I run. I look at the beautiful scenery and I cherish the healthy body that he has given me. Although I do know that if I didn't have a healthy body he would love me the same.



Maddona Buddars a 76 year old Catholic Nun who runs is one of my heros. She uses her running time to commune with God. She does Traitholons. She dedicates each race to someone in need. What an example.

Running isn't just for super heros

I have 125 college students waiting for final grades, three kids in diapers and a whole lot of other things to do. What am I doing writing a blog? It seems like a nice stress relief and a fun journaling idea. What is my greatest stress relief though? Running of course, I am lost without that!

Running isn't just for super heros. . . or is it?

Here is a recent picture just before a race with two of my older sisters who I convinced to dress up. It was a 5k where everyone was supposed to be dressed like super heros. "Everyone will be dressed up!" I told them. So we wore our capes and masks. When we got there, no one was dressed up. Just us and a guy in a dog outfit.

When the race began I started out hard. The prize was a new pair of running shoes so I wanted to win. After running for a few minutes I found that I was running in my superhero costume alone on the side of a busy road. With the leaders far a head and the others a couple of blocks behind me. I laughed to think of what I must have looked like in a dead run with my red cape flapping behind me. I had some stares as people elbowed each other and cars honked. There is something exhilarating about doing odd things once in a while.

My husband has joined me for a few races. He usually pushes the triple stroller (yes I did say triple). I finish and then I go back and get him and push the kids and he finishes. It is less about winning for him and more about doing it.

When I tell people that I run races there is a pause, a questioned expression and a follow up of questions. People who don't do much running don't really understand why there are runners in the world.

I started running competitively after my twins were born. I would take my baby monitor out to my treadmill in the garage. I knew that I had only a half an hour to run before the babies would start to stir. For that time I would run as hard as I could to get in as many miles as possible. I found that after a while I was cutting more and more time off. I got better and better. All because of my babies. I started running races with the stroller. I decided however that it wasn't safe to run at the speed that I wanted to with the stroller unless I put my kids in helmets. So my husband volunteered to make it a fun family activity.

I love running. Forget the spa! Let me take a long run on a country road and I am more relaxed and refreshed then if I had spent the day with a facial, a massage and a pedicure. I love the sound of my feet on the gravel. I love the smell of my hair and skin when I am done running outside. I love to feel the cool sensation over my whole body after running the hardest that my legs will go. I once wrote a poem about running in high school-

I had a friend, he liked to run, he talked about it, he even wrote a poem about
it.

I decided to try it. I liked it, I talk about it- I am even writing a poem
about it . . .

Although I have done tons and tons of 5ks and other races I have only ran 2 full marathons. Not a lot but not bad for having such young kids. The first one I didn't train for. Yeah honestly if you want to really hurt your self just go run a marathon without any training, they say it is impossible but I did it. The second one, I followed a training schedule really closely. It was amazing! I have heard it said that the best thing you can do for your body is train for a marathon and the worst thing you can do for it is to actually run it. I agree.

I have an awesome running partner. She is the fuel in our training. It is nice to just get out and run with someone who is fun to talk to. When you run in freezing or boiling temperatures for sometimes 20 miles your mind isn't quite right. Sometimes you say things that don't make sense. We have decided to be patient with one another in our scattered ideas. . . actually she is just patient with me and I am scattered. It is funny though when a persons speech starts to slurr because of the cold or the length of the run.