Down and out...

Lately I have been in a funk. Really, a deep down dirty funk. I really felt like no matter what I did, I wasn't going to see results. Heck, I don't see the results that I have managed to accomplish. I felt like no matter how hard I trained it wouldn't make any difference in my running. Really, I think that is why I haven't gone to the gym, why I gave up on the race on Saturday before it even started. (It was tough, but nothing like the Quadzilla race my friends just ran). Well, then I saw my sister J. She has no idea that I am writing this (she is at the airport waiting to go home to Chicago) and hopefully she will not get mad at me for being honest.

J, I want to thank you and your husband for your compliments. Thank you for noticing the difference in my appearance and how my hard work is paying off. Thank you! It means a lot to me that someone who doesn't see me often notices the differences and I hope to never let you down. Thank you for accepting me for me, and encouraging me to keep on keeping on. I really want to make you guys proud of me, and hopefully one of these times I will be running with you in Chicago.  Having you be proud of me has reignited the flame that was lit, but that was close to being extinguished. I love you!

To my fellow SweatPink Ambassadors,
Through think and thin and when we believe and then doubt in ourselves, let us strive to help each and every one of us love us for us and for believing that raising our bar is what makes us who we are. Together we will help others #SweatPink and believe in themselves and one person at a time help to make everyone healthier and make Sweating Pink the next big thing.

I have also decided to take a break from running races. Don't worry, I will be back at it next weekend, but this weekend I am going to run with my friends and fall back in love with running. Racing all the time takes its toll on my self esteem and therefore drains me from my love. Racing as we all know, gets to be expensive, so I need to be a little more selective. So, instead of racing this weekend, I am going to run with my friends and then heading over to Volunteer at one of the Lehigh Valle Road Runners Kids Series Events. If you are in the area, why don't you try to stop by and offer some help and help children find their love of exercise and running. I will be there, will you?

I may be down, but I am not out. Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow I will be running at 8pm with a young lady I met at orientation. Hopefully we will survive the hills we have planned and I will be able to blog about it.

Happy Monday!

Over the river and through the woods...

Yesterday was the Quiet Valley Rooster Run. My friend Stef and I signed up for it without really knowing anything about it. Once we got there, we found out that the run benefits Quiet Valley Farm.  Read all about the farm here.  I do have to admit, it was a challenging course.  Let's just say, the course started with a hill that was approximately 1/4 mile long straight through the woods. I admit, I thought I was prepared since I used to run at Jacobsburg, but like I said, "used to."  I really need to look into changing that. Just like Jacobsburg, there were inclines, declines, flat areas, rolling hills, steep pitched hills, even a bridge to run over.  While I was not prepared for the run, I do have to say how beautiful the run itself was.  The race started in a field (not sure if it is associated with the farm) and then traversed over the river and through the woods. Do I have any complaints about this course, no, just that I wish I was more prepared for the hilly terrain.  There were even piles of horse manure you needed to navigate around, all in a days work, right? My friend Stef developed some pain, so when running it became tougher for her, I told her our objective was just to finish it. When she needed to walk, I walked with her. When she could run, I ran with her. I did not and would never leave her behind, that is not what friends do. We signed up together, there is no way we wouldn't finish together.  Would I run this race again, possibly, depending on what races I find this time next year, and what else we have going on. I believe that there was something after the race where we could tour the farm.  Maybe Makayla would be interested in that, but we will see what next year brings.
My sister J and her entire family are in from Chicago. This is a BIG deal to me because yesterday I got to meet my nephew Jacob for the first time. He is absolutely adorable. He is tiny, and I don't ever remember Makayla being that little. He is so long, and so precious, I couldn't wait to hold him. However, Makayla is not yet used to me holding other babies, so I had to wait to hold him.  Later we went to my cousin Kim and Phil's. They were having a meet and greet of their sweet baby girl Stella. Stella was born a month early and she is doing great! Holding her is like holding nothing, but she is so awesome. At this meet and greet, I got to hold Jacob. He is the sweetest little boy with the deepest blue eyes. I am sad that my sister and her family live so far away, but hopefully, now that things are changing around here (the hubs finally got a job after 2 months of not working) M and I will be able to make trips out there. I believe they are doing something around Joey's birthday for both his birthday and Jacob's baptism, so if that stays as planned, we will be going out to Chicago then. And then we will be able to plan trips hopefully more frequently.
Hey...did you see the new badge on my page?!? I am now a Sweat Pink Ambassador. Their mission

"We believe that kicking ass is best done in pretty shoes. We’ve learned that real women sweat, and sweat hard. We know that assertiveness, strength, and ambition are the ultimate feminine qualities. We concede that sometimes it takes hours to get ready, but we’re also no strangers to just rolling out of bed and going. We’re convinced that we run faster in pink shoelaces. We believe in pushing ourselves, and we believe in giving ourselves a break, too. We’re all about the rush of endorphins and the thrill of the challenge. We’re all for looking great and feeling even better. We’re committed to finding our best fit, and making it stick."

I believe I will be able to live this mission as it is my mission to push myself and yet give myself a break. In the days to come, I will be learning more about what this means and will be sharing that with you.

Things around here are starting to look up, thank you for sticking around, I promise it will be an interesting adventure.

What doesn't kill you...

Makes you stronger.  The Kelly Clarkson song Stronger, while is not about being this kind of strong, fits completely. " What doesn't kill you makes you stronger/ Stand a little taller/ Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone/ What doesn't kill you makes you fighter" So, today, 2 days later I am finally feeling the affects of the steps.  I am not complaining, it actually feels good to know that something is working on making me a better, stronger runner.   I found this picture today, and thought it was perfect..

http://www.positivequotes.us/

I will have to remember that when I hit the steps again next week.  I know that these steps will help me in the long run and while I was disappointed I couldn't run all of the steps 10 times, I did take that first step and I did run them 10 times. That is huge for me. And crazy me, is looking forward to doing it again next week. I had every intention of going to the gym this morning, but Makayla had other plans. I went to kiss her goodbye and she said "Hi, Mommy!" She wanted nothing to do with me leaving so instead I just held her and we nuzzled and hung out. I made breakfast, she wanted breakfast. She wanted my cereal with milk, so I gave her cereal with milk.  I have to say, I really enjoyed the time we got to spend together this morning even though it meant I didn't get to go to the gym. I am sure there are going to be days when she wants nothing to do with me, so I will hold onto these moments forever.  While I am hoping the pain in my calves is only temporary, since I have a 5K tomorrow. It is the Quiet Valley Rooster Run. From what I read, it is mixed terrain and cross country. I have no idea what to expect tomorrow, but with a name like Quiet Valley Rooster Run, it has to be fun right. Stick around tomorrow, I will sure to tell you all about it.

Speaking of tomorrow, my sister J and her family is coming in from Chicago tonight, er um tomorrow for the weekend. I am finally going to meet my month old nephew for the first time. I am sure the kids are going to be up to no good, and I cannot wait! Have a great Friday!

Post race day

Yesterday was hot! I hope you all stayed hydrated and still enjoyed the weather. After the Firecracker 4 miler I could feel  muscle soreness in my right leg, and I knew it wasn't the same as the pain I had before therapy so I believe it definitely was soreness from not having run that far in so long. Anyway, I made sure to rest it by swimming in a pool and taking 2 aleve. It felt much better after the Aleve, so it gives me hope that I really am on the path to healing.
The race wasn't my best, (I did walk up the hill at mile 2) but I am relieved to make it through the race pain free. Gives me hope that I will be able to do half marathons again! After the race I was able to talk to a super awesome lady and hopefully a friend and she offered to do speed work with me (something I have been contemplating just never knew how to go about it). So, hopefully that will help me break my 30 minute time for my 5k and help me improve running overall.  I am hoping to get back to where I left off, and also do better on at least one of my half marathons this year. I really want to know what I can do without pain. I am also going to be smart, and only do the 10% rule  when it comes to increasing my distance, and I am going to still go to the gym and do the workouts they gave me at physical therapy, hopefully be able to do something like cross fit and improve my overall fitness.

Sorry for the rambling. There will be pictures later that my mom took yesterday of the babe, but for now, try to enjoy Thursday, it looks like it will be a warm one again.

Running

I am slowly returning to the running world. I ran 5 miles pain free on Sat, and I only have 2 more scheduled visits of physical therapy. Hopefully things are still healing well, I miss running. I will have to figure out how to run before work, although right now getting up at 430 is really early. Looks like it is heating up quickly and running in the afternoon is starting to get not safe.  When I go to my 10 hour shifts, looks like I will be utilizing the jogging stroller, I just hope Makayla enjoys it as well. I will be taking my bike to get serviced, hopefully this weekend, so I can start training for a triathlon. But back to running. Remember when I won the contest to have a professional run any race with me (she ran my half with  me), well part of the requirements were that I was to get friends to run.   Well, since my half, I have introduced running to 2 friends, one of which I believe I got addicted. ;) She loves it so much, she is even already planning a 10K race, and talked about running a half with me. I am currently cheering on 2 more friends who are getting ready to run their first 5Ks and I have another acquaintance, whom I just met, who wants to run 5 miles with me on Sat so she can see how it goes and decide if she wants to run a half with me.  I am humbled by the people who tell me that I inspire them, I just have to find that spark again in me. I am missing running, it is hard to not run, but I also know that I need to do this slowly in order to stay healthy and be able to accomplish all the things on my bucket list for this year. I love how running makes me feel, and right now I am missing those feelings, but I know that as soon as I am cleared to, I will be running at least 3 days a week and that those feelings will get better and I will start too see the weight loss kick back in.  I also have to make sure that while it is awesome to introduce all of these people to running, that I start to push myself, I NEED to get stronger...I have a time goal I need to beat for my next half.

Happy Wednesday! I hope every one has a great hump day!

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. It is my second mother's day, and actually, being blessed with Makayla really truly makes every day feel like Mother's Day. This year, I did something special. I ran in a race called The Monarch 5K Run and Walk. It was in honor of a sweet child, that I did not know, who drowned in his family's swimming pool. There was a large turnout, and it was very emotional for me seeing the child's family there, in matching shirts, on the back telling you who they were to that sweet boy. Anyway, the race was a challenge, and my time not the greatest, but the cause was reason enough to do it. I hope they do it every year, I just hope they change the course next year!  Hopefully this will be a tradition to do every year, what a way to celebrate motherhood than by running, it is after all the reason I started running.

If I can be so bold, I have the best mother in the world.  I hope to be a fraction of the mother to Makayla that she has been and is to me. If I can achieve that, then I know I am doing something right. She always tells me that there is no other love like the love of a child, and she is absolutely correct. I am glad she tells me that every now and then, because, quite frankly, we all need to hear that. So mom, on this Mother's Day, I hope you know how much you mean to me.  You have helped me grow into a beautiful person, woman, wife, and mother, and while I know the road before me will not always be easy, I know I have you by my side no matter what. I love you today, tomorrow and always.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

What did you do today? What traditions do you have?

Race Recap and other stuff...

This is a long overdue race recap, but with my laptop being on the fritz, I try to write when I can. So, on to the recap.
New Year's Eve, I ran the Peeps Fest 5K. Yes, those yellow marshmellow chicks you get at Easter are made in the town where I live, and yes, they have a mascot and a volkswagen beetle with a big chick on top. Yes, the beetle is yellow. Anyway, onto the race. We couldn't have asked for better weather, and lately is has been more like spring around here than winter. The race started at where the Old Bethlehem Steel was located and the venue was awesome. There was stuff to do for the entire family, there was even a mascot race, where the Peep, along with mascots from the local universities and colleges ran. Then there was the kids race, all which led up to the 5K. There were a lot of people there, and we were all crammed onto an artery that used to be one of the main roads in an out of the Steel. My first complaint is that walkers managed to weasle themselves in front of the runners, which was the first obstacle from the beginning we had to navigate around. Next, random (although I am not so sure how random they really were) steel artifacts were to be navigated. Throw them in with 500+ runners and what a maze it was. The staff at the race did a great job making sure we knew the path, but they did an even better job blocking off the roads for us. We went across 2 bridges for this race both of which had beautiful scenary. After the second bridge, we started our return trip to the finish. We ran past the local casino, and I have to give the cops a great deal of respect because the people leaving the casino were NOT happy with the fact that they couldn't leave the casino because of the race. Finally at the last corner to the finish, you could see all the spectators. They even had a local high school cross country team at the corner cheering you on. Then came my bad dash to the finish, which I found out later all the fans were cheering me on because of how fast I was going. (My cousin who is an avid runner and one of the people who got me running always tells me to make sure not to get passed that last .1...so, I finish hard to make sure that I don't). Anyway, finally as you cross the finish line you are "herded" into a cattle shoot, supposedly in the correct order. This race did not have chip timing, although if it remains as big in the future as it was this time, I cannot see how they won't make it chip timing.
Now, onto the cons...
Did I mention about the steel structures we had to navigate. They were along the side of the road at the beginning, but soon became part of the race path so you had to dodge them.
Next, the walkers. I am glad to see that many people walk the 5K, but maybe the walkers could have started after the runners. It is not safe, and takes some of the fun out (in my opinion) to have to dodge walkers just because they think they won't get passed if they are in front of you.
The distance. A 5K is supposed to be 3.1 miles...this race was not. It was 3.29 which in the 5K world is too long!
Not having chip timing. Now, I am not race expert, but, I can tell you the difference chip timing makes. The time that I had when I crossed the finish line and the time that they "figured out" were not close. Now, when I ran my first race, the time I had and the time they had were off by like 5 seconds. What a difference that makes.
Anyway, the fact that it was my second race of 2011, and well the 2nd race of my career will not deter me from running the race again next year. Maybe next year they will get chip timing and provide tech t-shirts, maybe we will continue to get long sleeve shirts and no chip timing. Either way, it was a great trip through Bethlehem.
Now, on to the other stuff...
Yesterday I met up with my running club for what I thought was going to be a scenic run of like 6 miles. 6 miles is the longest I have run at this point so I knew I could handle it. I am not the fastest runner in the group, ok, I am always bringing up the rear, so when I saw that this run was going through the woods, let me just say I was SCARED. Not of going through the woods, but of getting lost being the caboose of the group. Well, let me just say that this day, one of the faster runs ran at my pace because he is recovering from an injury. At least I had someone with me in case we got lost. Next, 2 of the other fast runners always waited for us to catch up in case we lost our way. (they kept telling me they appreciated the wait because it gave them time to recover). Let me just tell you that this run was NO JOKE. The first mile went directly up hill and even involved some steps! Every time we got to a point they would tell me only "one more hill" I heard that like 12 times. It really didn't feel like we were gone for almost 2 hours, but when we hit the 5.76 mile mark, I hit a wall. But how the heck do you stop in the middle of no-where?....
(For the sake of me having another post this week, I will stop there...stay tuned tomorrow for the rest of this story)