Sunday, October 31, 2010

One Week to go!

First taper week went well.

4 solid workouts, 4 good runs. We did our last longish run this morning and it was amazing! We did 8 miles in 1:14!! Super solid run for us. I have to say that getting in 4 good leg workouts this week really had them feeling strong this morning. I could definitely feel more power pushing off each stride, and it showed in our pace. That, and it was a beautiful, sunny, cool, crisp morning out there.

Getting excited about next week, hard to believe marathon #4 will be underway a week from right now!

Outfit planning has begun. I am loving all the cute knee highs that are out there right now. I got a pair to wear over my compression sleeves....purple will be the theme for this run. Even the 'marathon toes' will be purple this time instead of blue. (sticking with the colors they turn after, just a different shade : )

Starting to think about kid planning during the run....what will they do for 4 hours, should I pack them lunches? Can they get to the mile 26 marker to see us and give us a boost that last .2 when we need it most? Will Simone be pulling her hair out by the time we finish? They love her, so hopefully they will behave!

Anyhow, lots more to say.....but no time. Gotta get ready for meeting!
Maybe more later....

Friday, October 29, 2010

Photo's for Tea Collection

(Source - Micaela of The Drifter and the Gypsy)
Our friend, photographer, and blogger extraordinaire Micaela, was asked to do a styling project for a San Fran based clothing company, Tea Collection.
She was given a clothing "allowance" and picked out some very cute clothes that Sophie got to keep. Micaela always does such a wonderful job of having a specific vision that she wants to create, and making it happen. Of course, Sophie loves the whole process of getting dressed up, wearing Micaela's accessories, and posing for the camera! She was especially excited that she got to pose with Micaela's dog, Aubrey for a few shots. She shot in all film, which was brave in this age of digital.(this was due to her digital being in the shop, but still, I give her total props, I would have been very worried about what was going to turn out). Here is one of the pics, you can see more on Micaela's amazing site, here.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Ponder over These............

"Surviving is not Thriving"
-Jillian Michaels, from last nights Biggest Loser....can I just say how true this is!!!! We can all survive through life, it takes a lot more effort to thrive....but it is worth it

"Fitness to me isn't about a crunch or a push up, it's about taking your power back. "
- Jillian Michaels

""Why choose to fail when success is an option?"
Jillian Michaels

"Decide whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying."
- Amelia Earhart

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. "
- Judy Garland

"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way."
- George Herman 'Babe' Ruth

"Courage is fear holding on a minute longer. "
George S. Patton

I leave you with a quote from a brother who shall remain anonymous. This was from last nights closing prayer, while making mention of the large number of elderly ones who have been ill (suffering from many ailments) in our congregation -

"Please be with the brothers and sisters who are having many Ales."

I wasn't sure if Brian and I were going to make it to the end of the prayer w/o letting out a snort laugh!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Congrats Grape Stomp 13.1ers!!













While the rain held off for most of the run, it was windy, grey, and just rough out there. We had a great time cheering on the runners, especially the ones we knew. We were in a great spot where the runners passed by twice, so we got to see everyone at about mile4 and mile 9ish. Brian was surprised to see a few co workers out there as well.
Everyone we knew did extremely well, cutting minutes off their previous 13.1 times, while Zoe managed second in her age division for the 10k!! Everyone pushed their limits and had a great morning! There are more pictures on the Dropshots site, link on the left.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Last Long Run : DONE!!


First, yesterday was the first day it has been cold enough to wear my winter jacket (which I love in part because my wonderful sis-in-laws bought it for me). In CA, this is the day I officially cross over to fall mode. We may be at the end of October, but it isn't fall until you need a coat!

And second, our last long run is in the books! We got out there today and got it done. We both manned up for this one, knowing we were going to get wet, going to run hills, and going to hurt. I put on all my gear that helps me feel tough (yes, I know, but it's all mental for me), my visor, leg sleeves, arm sleeves, and my Ironman watch. Angela, who was watching the kids for us (Thank You!! The kids would have been miserable in the rain) let me wear her Garmin, which was a treat!
If you are from our area, or familiar w/Martinez, we ran from Vine Hill out to the end of Franklin Canyon Rd and back, then down Alhambra to the Martinez marina, ran around down there, then back up Alhambra to Vine Hill, and then up Vine Hill. Not much flat to be found. We were either running a gradual incline, or gradual decline.....and my legs were not happy! The rain started at the Marina, and that gave me a boost heading back up Alhambra (running in the rain, again, makes me feel tough....and again, yes, I know its all mental). By the time we got back to the Behrens, we were both shot, cold, and wet. Angela had coffee waiting (she knows me well)!
So, with that we head into the 2 week taper. Time to recover, protein up, work on some upper body and core work outs, and get some 5-8 mile runs in. It occurred to me that there are thousands of runners around the state and beyond who are getting that last long run done this weekend in preparation for Two Cities. Just a neat thought.
Here are a few pictures from todays run.....Above and below is heading out Franklin Canyon. Heading out is uphill.
Above is the turn around point at the end of Franklin Canyon. My legs are already shot, and we have a long way to go. Notice the dead turkey just over my head. Random.
The above pic is an interesting perspective, the first half of our run was on the back side of those hills at the bottom.
This was down at the Marina Park, the rain started as we were standing here.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

What's Up This Week

I typed up a big long post that bored even me, so here is the abbreviated version -
Sunday after Rocky Ridge, Brian had the chance to run w/o the kiddos, so we did a run we have been wanting to try for the past 2 years, but were afraid to. It is a 10.5 mile loop from our home, that ends with running UP Ygnacio Valley Blvd from Oakgrove to Cowell. We've always wanted to try, but man that is quite the hill. We see bikes slowly making the way up often, but never runners. But we did it, ran the whole way, in the drizzle, cars flying by....it felt amazing to run it!! If you are a runner in our area, you know where that hill is....it is a must do! You will feel like a beast after you finish!

Training update:
All is going well. No injuries or pains to report. We had a bit of a lame week last week with being sick, but managed to get a decent amount of miles in that included some quality runs, and hills. The weather has finally turned into fall, so the cooler temps have made runs so much more enjoyable, and improved our times a bit, too. We have made arrangements for our last long run this weekend to be kid free, and a different route than normal. It should be a fun 22 miles on Saturday heading out through some country areas, lots of horses and cow pictures to follow..... Then the 2 week taper/count down begins!

To all our Grape Stomp Half Marathoner friends - have a great run this Sunday! Running in the rain makes you feel 100% more hard core : ) Spectating in the rain...not so much, but we will be out there on the course looking for you guys, and giving out free high fives! We are hoping to hit the start, mile 9ish, and the finish. You have trained hard, and you will do great! Enjoy every second.

Alright, that's it till next week! Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Sophie's First Trail Run Finish

Here are a few more pictures the photographer captured at the finish. Sophie sure gave it all she had!

This picture made me want to thank Jillian Michaels for all those lunges, squats, and plyometric moves! I wish I had the abs to match that thigh, lol!
If you are wondering what I was saying, it was, "Go, Go, Go!! Push, Push, Push!!"
The clock time is showing the time for the half marathon, which started exactly 26 minutes before us.

Monday, October 18, 2010

A Few More Brazen Moments......



These are pictures taken on course by the wonderful volunteer photographers. I am so glad they were able to catch a few pictures of Emma! She was way ahead of me on this one, so I wasn't able to see her while she was running. Her face says it all! She was having a blast out there!
This is Emma after climbing the hill and making it back down to the bottom. I asked her if she ate anything, as last year the aid station with all the 'treats' was such a big deal to her. She said no, she just swiped her water and kept going.
This is me and Sophie on the single track. This wonderful photographer had some very neat, pink, sparkly eye shadow that had Sophie talking up a storm for the next little bit of the run. : )
Here we are done with the single track, have come down the fire road through a parking area where we thought we would see Brian and Myles but didn't, and are heading into the aid station at the bottom of the hill.
This picture cracks me up. The photographer caught about 5 pictures of us standing here at the aid station (we were there for a few minutes as i wanted Soph to feel totally ready to head up the hill). So we were talking to the volunteers for a bit, then all of a sudden I look up (right after this picture) and Sophie has taken off up the hill without me! You can see her in front of the lady in blue who is heading up. I said "ok, I guess she's ready!", and we headed up.

Thanks again to the volunteers and photographers for making it a special morning for us all!!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Rocky Ridge Race Report

First, here is a bit of the pre race instructions email that was sent out -
"One note for everyone coming: these are some tough courses. While the distances may resemble those of road races, the experience is going to be a lot different. Hills will be super-tough, trails will be bumpy, rocky and full of roots and water stations will be spread out much further than most would prefer. The Las Trampas Wilderness is not for sissies! We're not trying to scare you, we just want to make sure you know what you're getting into and are mentally prepared. You will likely have some tough times out there, but we believe everyone is capable of finishing. "

This was directed to the adults. I will say I have some tough little ladies in my brood! My girls attacked this course! There was the count down, air horn, a blur of Emma running away from me, and that was the last I saw of her for a long time! She finished what the Race Director says is the toughest 5k course in the Bay Area in 42 minutes, swooping up 1st in her age division.

Sophie and I had a blast running through the woods. She was whooping and hollering on the roller coaster sections which took me, and those around us, by surprise. I wasn't expecting all the yelling and hollering (as if she was actually on a roller coaster : ) , but I loved it as I knew she was having a blast running full steam through the up and down sections, jumping dried creek beds, veering off course to go around a fallen tree, jumping over roots and rocks and cow pies....I love watching my girls running out on these trails. You can just tell they are loving every second of it, having fun, and forgetting about how hard they are actually working! After we came out of the woods we were on a downhill section of fire road (if you are from WA, think logging road through a grassy, hilly field that has cows roaming around). At the bottom was the aid station. We would pass it twice, once before we started up "the hill" and once on the way back down. It lived up to all her expectations, filled with chips, pretzels, chocolate cookies, m&m's, gummy candies, and water. I know that sounds ridiculous, but your body works so much harder during a trail run and it's not enough to just have water at the aid stations. The half marathoners would climb over 4000ft out there today, you can bet they were stopping to eat at the aid stations! The volunteers took extra time with her, talking to her, telling her how good she was doing, asking how old she was, then we were heading up, and up, and....up. It was pretty brutal, I won't lie. There were adults basically talking themselves out of it. This was super frustrating for me to hear, especially with my little lady out there and trying to keep her moving and convince her she was totally capable of doing this. I have never heard "I can't do this", "It's too hot", "I can't make it", or "how much further?"so many times in one run. About 1/3 of the way up, we saw Emma heading down coming straight at us. She had made it to the top already and was flying back down with a huge smile! She was about 20 minutes ahead of us, and looked to be in pretty good shape. I am super proud that she was able to push herself up the side of a mountain by herself, and that she looked to be enjoying it! I was a little bummed I couldn't have been with her to see it first hand, but it's good for her to have the confidence to head out on her own and have an experience like that on her own, at 8 years old I would have been terrified and she was having the time of her life! Soph struggled a few times, but I made her hold my hand the whole time going up. When I would let go she would wind down and nearly stop moving, but if she held on she could maintain a pretty good pace walking. We walked backwards, side ways (both sides), and we snaked (back and forth like downhill skiing, but going up) our way up the hill.
As hard as the uphill was, it was the downhill that rattled her the most. In her mind, she was going to run the downhill. Never having done this sort of run before, she had no way of knowing that the downhills are harder than the ups. It was going down that I heard for the first time "I cant' do it", and 'My legs hurt'. We walked the down hill, too. I would try to get her going again on the not so steep parts, but she is 6, and her little legs were shot. I tried to just keep talking to her, telling her that she was doing it, there was only one way back to the finish, she was almost back down to the M&M's....did you hear that lizard, look, there's a cow....anything to keep her distracted and moving. She made it back down and we took a break at the aid station. She had some salt (chips), some sugar (everything else on the table), water (in, and down her shirt), talked some more with the volunteers....and then we were making a right hand turn and had about .3 miles to go to the finish. This part was again on fire road, rolling like a roller coaster, which she loved, and we could hear the finish line. She kept a hold of my hand and we ran pretty hard all the way to the finish. When Sophie runs, she has a wicked fast turn over. She moves very fast for a compact 6 yr old. That is how she ran until she crossed the finish. A few of the 10k men passed us along this stretch and i have to say they were so nice to her! They all took a minute to tell her how good she was doing, that she' a great little runner, that she was maintaining a good pace.....She would just smile and look at them and keep running. I pried her hand out of mine and sent her across the finish ahead of me. She got her medal right after she crossed, some water, and spotted her bro and sis who were already eating It's It ice cream sandwiches (have I said how much I love Brazen Racing??)
Once the results were posted, both girls learned that they had placed in their age divisions and would be getting another medal. We hung out for a while, the kids had a few plates of watermelon, bagels, and other post race food. We got to see the half marathon winner finish, setting a new course record, which is amazing. Oh, I forgot to put in there that both girls fell during this race. I have run only a few trail runs w/o falling, it's just part of trail running. I didn't see Emma's, she just told me about it. Sophies I did see, though. She popped right back up both times and kept on going. I think it is more frightning for the other runners than for me or her.
As I keep saying, I am very proud of my girls. I look at Emma with her confidence, determination, drive, and lack of fear and its hard to imagine she's my child. She is so the opposite of me at her age. She has done enough runs now to trust her abilities and just go out and enjoy herself. She knows she can hang with the adults, and has the confidence to do so, and that is amazing to me! And my little Soph, she is in the stage of learning what she is capable of still. Seeing her after the finish with a huge smile, realizing what she just did, and that there are still people finishing 30 minutes after her is just great. Seeing her confidence building as it is happening is a gift. Seeing how huge her eyes got when i told her in all the runs I have done, I have never gotten a medal for winning in my age division was priceless. ( I got a ribbon once, but that' s just not the same).
So again, I have to say how much we love Brazen Racing. We love how welcome they make children feel at their events, how wonderful the volunteers are, the medals, shirts,( I registered late and ended up with a cotton shirt instead of a tech shirt, and I absolutely love it!! I will actually wear this one, it fits great and is great quality!) aid station food and drinks, registration process, starting on time, challenging courses.....I think you get the picture. First class racing company! Oh, free parking, and free pictures??? Yep, the photographers are volunteers and post the pics on line for you to download for free. If you want to have a diffirent racing experience that is both challenging and a blast, and worth every penny of the registration fee, try a trail run with Brazen.
Good times!!
(I am putting up all the photos - yes, i know, there are even more - on the photo site now, the link is on the left of this page)

Woo Hoo!!

We have 3 finishers and 2 age division winners!! The girls scored lots of medals and treats and had a blast! I will have a recap and pictures up this evening, but everyone gave 150% and worked hard, both girls fell numerous times (that's trail running for you, part of the fun), we climbed an epic hill, near 800 ft in a very short distance (read it was very steep), went around an fallen tree, jumped lots of cow pies.......everyone had a blast!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Brazen Racing's Amazing Bibs


You all know how much we LOVE Brazen Racing already, so I will spare you the love fest. I do have to point out how neat the Rocky Ridge Bibs are, though!
They are so good about customizing each race to the area it's being run in, each bib, shirt, and medal are specific to each event. So why the panther? Well, legend has it that for years people wandering the Las Trampas Wilderness area have spotted some sort of black panther. It is sort of the Big Foot of this particular area. We used this fact last year to freak Emma out and encourage her to run fast, stick close to papa, and keep your eyes open for the panther! Older and wiser, it wont' work again with her this year, but the legend makes for a neat race logo! We got a sneak peek at the medals today, and they look pretty sharp!
I am not feeling near 100%, but I am looking forward to getting out there with my girls and getting myself moving again! Off to bed, race is set for 8:25 tomorrow morning.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

I Give In............

Yeah, I know. You won't hear me say it very often, but I am throwing in the towel. Cold, Runny nose, sore throat...you win. Take over now, go flown blown.....just get it over with. I totally give up fighting you, just bring in on full force, get it over with, and be gone! You have worn me out, I am tired of fighting you. I am out of vitamin C to chew to keep you at bay. I am done arguing with myself about whether or not to keep pushing myself through your nastiness. No more running with you in me No more fighting, you win. I will not keep running and convincing myself I am not getting more worn down, ignoring my burning lump of a throat and nose on fire and dripping. I won't keep pretending I am not overly tired and that my head doesn't' hurt. And, if that calf cramp last night has anything to do with you conspiring w/the rest of my body to get me to slow down, well, YOU WIN. See, the only thing is is that I have this run with my girls this weekend. It means the world to me to have them out on the trail with me, and I don't want to miss it. Oh, and there 's also this thing called Two Cities Marathon that I only have 2 weeks left of hard training for. So, I am giving you 2 days. You have me for today and tomorrow, whatever you want me to do I am at your mercy. No running, working out, up water intake, meds (yes, i will take pills for you...that's major for me), naps, go to bed early, whatever you demand...for 2 days. That's the deal. So get in gear, bring it on, give me all you got and lets just get this over with.
Deal?

Monday, October 11, 2010

Got Salt?

My visor after our 20 miler on Saturday. I am over the heat. Where are those cold, clear, crisp fall days? We headed out at 1:30 and it was in the 80's. Doesn't sound too hot until you are running, and running, and running (20 miles is far in heat, and we realized the trail, at 2 has very little shade). So my black running attire was covered in salt by half way, and forming crystals by the time we finished. Yep, I am definitely a sweater, no glistening, just pouring sweat. My skin felt like sand paper the salt was so thick. We stayed on top of our water intake and alternated between water and Gatorade, adding some GU to the mix towards the end.
This coming weekend we have a 5k with the kids and a 13 miler Sunday Morning. Then one more long run and we are done this go round. Training has painlessly flown by this time!
So the 5k this weekend will be Sophie's first trail run! I am glad she has a few road races under her belt to get her confidence up there. She is totally ready to go, no nerves...but then again, she has no idea what she is in for! Here is the elevation chart. She can totally do it, but it will challenge her for sure! Emma did this one last year, so this is her second go round with "the hill".....it was a challenge even for Brian. They are the Orange people heading up...

I am just excited for Sophie to experience her first trail run, and that it is with Brazen Racing where I know she will be treated like a queen. She has heard about the aid stations for a year now from Emma, and I know she will work hard for those M&M's. She has gotten medals at finishes before, but she has yet to earn a "Brazen" medal, which are in a league of their own. And while she has been on many hikes through the woods in our area, she has never had the feeling of running single track through the woods, and that is an amazing feeling! She is counting down the days until Saturday!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Ironman Kona, 2010

Well that was pretty amazing. I was propped up in bed last night until 3 a.m. watching the live feed on the laptop. Some amazing stories always come out of Kona. A few of these will be highlighted in December when they air the coverage, but mostly you will hear about the pros. You will hear how the top pro female, Chrissy Wellington, pulled out shortly before the start, leaving the woman's race wide open. You will hear about the mens race, where the top 2 pro's ran side by side nearing the end of the run. When one took advantage of the last aid station, the other, Chris MacCormick, aka Macca, did not stop for water and surged ahead for the win. It was a very fast year with many pros finishing in the 8 hour range.
You won't hear as much about the amazing age groupers, and their struggles to get through the day. When we got home from service yesterday morning (for the record, if life halts for guys on Superbowl Sunday, I should get a pass on Ironman Saturday!), we watched as the last swimmer made her way to shore. Behind her, the water looked solid as it was covered with people on boards and in kayaks, yelling for her to push, keep moving, keep going....the last swimmer came out of the water to hear that she missed the cut off by 24 seconds, and her day in Kona was over. Watching the pain on her face as she collapsed and lay there in the water was heartbreaking.
We headed out and got a 20 miler done, came home, and I sat in an ice bath w/the computer across from me on the toilet watching the top female finish, looking so strong. She managed to run a 2:50 something marathon, and increased her speed at the end. Then it was time for the age groupers to take the spotlight. The number of 60 - 80 year olds that finished is staggering to me. You had a young man who had both legs and one arm amputated run across the finish. You had a stage 4 terminal cancer patient, still in treatment finish. He had just gotten out of the hospital in August. He had trained in the hospital, 39 laps around his floor was 1 mile, and he trained pulling his IV with him. You had the original winner from 1978 finish. Brian and I saw one or our favorite trail runner bloggers from right here in the Bay area finish and do a little dance on the finish line. One after another they kept coming across the line, some stayed upright, a lot would start to do the leaning, tipping over shuffle as soon as they stopped moving. The last finisher came across with 45 seconds to spare before the 17 hour cutoff at midnight.
I saw a picture this morning of Clayton Treska, the stage 4 cancer patient. He was running the marathon portion. Underneath, it said, "What are you dying from that wont allow you to try?"
Not try a marathon, or a tri.....what is it that is holding you back? What is it that keeps you from making the changes in you life you know in your heart you need to make? I hear often about people being inspired. They have a list of things they want to change and often talk about goals they want to reach. What is it that is keeping you from following through? Stop talking, stop "being inspired", get out there and get it done. You aren't what you say you want to be, you are what you are. So put in the work, make whatever changes you "want to make" and get it done!
Stop being inspired, and be inspiring! YOU are the only thing stopping you.

Friday, October 8, 2010


(Blogger will not allow me to use the official name of this triathlon, so it will appear as I M in this post )

If you are looking for some motivation, inspiration, or just something unusual to do on Saturday, you can watch live coverage of The Ford IM World Championship in Kona tomorrow.

The cannon sounds at 7 am (9 our time), signaling the start of what will be for some a 17 hour test of endurance. Participants have until 12 am to cross the finish line and hear those amazing words, "You are an IM!" For me, the most inspiring thing to watch is the camera that is on the finish line, especially during hour 16 - 17. Besides a handful of elite athletes, the field of 1800 athletes is made up of all shapes and sizes, backgrounds, ages, and abilities. These varied athletes are united in that they had a dream, set a goal, worked hard, and were not afraid to go for it. Seeing the drive and determination on the faces of those who finish in the last hour can't help but motivate one to re-evaluate their own efforts, whether athletic, or in other areas of life.

For live coverage tomorrow, click on the logo above.

Below, a little history of IM.
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About the Race

If you are a triathlete, there is no bigger day in this sport than the Ford IM World Championship. It is the race that defined our sport as it came of age, and continues to be the defining race in our sport for any avid triathlete.

To get to the starting line in Kona, you must either be very lucky and get yourself a spot through the lottery, or very talented, and win yourself a qualifying spot at one of the qualifying events held around the world.

Tens-of-thousands of triathletes try to get one of those coveted Ironman spots every year. Only 1,800 succeeded.

That means 1,800 "lucky" people get to test themselves on one of the biggest challenges the sports world has to offer ... 2.4-miles of swimming, 112-miles of biking, and a 26.2-mile marathon run through tough ocean waves, and challenging lava-covered terrain.

While there are thousands of triathlons around the world, it is this one that truly defines the sport. It all began at an Awards Ceremony for a relay running race in Honolulu in 1977. A group of local athletes discussed the idea of an endurance triathlon and combining three major events that already existed on the island. John Collins suggested combining them and making it a single-day event. Later that evening, Collins took the stage announcing the event and that "whoever finishes first, we will call him the IMAN." It has since become triathlon's Super Bowl, Wimbledon, World Series, World Cup, and Tour de France all rolled into one. What makes this event so unique is that "average" people get to compete alongside the best in the world.



Originally from: http://ironman.com/worldchampionship#ixzz11mnOkQgw

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

If you know me, you know how I dread the fall and winter months. The fear of regaining weight is always there as soon as the weather gets that cool, crisp feeling. I know I am probably sounding anal about this, seeing as we are going into winter #3 now, but the fear is still there. Baking, cooking in the crock pot, Toffee Lattes, Cranberry Bliss Bars....you guys know what I'm talking about. This time of year is full of potential set backs. In some ways it is even easier to justify eating the junk because of knowing I can 'run it off' whenever needed. The good news is that the majority of the time I don't want to eat garbage, and we don't have any in the house if I did want it. I hate the feeling of having ate too much, having a full stomach, being tired, feeling off from too much sugar, feeling puffy from too much salt....all of it, hate it all.
So, when I logged in yesterday to do my workout and saw Jillian's Fall Forward Challenge, it was on like Donkey Kong! After setting a few goals, I hit submit on my form and with that click committed to 9 weeks of doing what it takes to meet those goals. Nothing extreme, more like cut back on snacks (yes, there is such thing as too many bananas), giving every workout 110% (yes, there is such thing as too many 30 second breaks), giving every run 110% (break the stopping for water too often habit and pushing my comfort zone), and finally breaking the 4:40 marathon mark. So basically, no more phoning it in. I need to re-energize my commitment to myself to get on top of my game again. Re evaluate my diet, both in habits, and content. Refocus on my workouts and runs, and recommit to always giving myself 110%. I think after 3 years I may have gotten comfortable, and that is scary for me. I know this is a way of life, and most aspects of it have now gotten to be a part of our normal routine, but with the 'comfort' of that can easily come a relaxing of some of the things that got us to where we are now. I don't want to become relaxed in my routine or my eating habits. I want to keep challenging myself and setting goals, and moving forward.
So my 9 weeks started with a double beating yesterday. Yep, Monday's missed workout was in the morning. I had my dr's appt Monday and a sick kid home, so it was missed. Then I did my personal study and studied for meeting (which is my normal routine on Tuesdays). Then after lunch I did Tuesdays workout. It felt amazing, and hardcore! I do feel like I have been hit by a truck today, but I feel like I dented the truck and it didn't dent me!
Here's to the next 9 weeks, and another successful, healthy winter!
----------------------------
I just got a call from the Dr about the Vitamin D test/experiment. She said I have the best vitamin D level she has ever seen come back from a patient. She again congratulated me on my lifestyle changes, and added that she would expect with a level that high to be sending me to a dermatologist in the future, but for now, I'm doing great! Yeah : )