Skirt LOVE!!!

I am soooo excited!!!!!
Napa will involve a purple tutu!!!!

We are heading out to take the hip for a test run.
Even if Napa is slow and painful....my super fun skirt and I will be having a blast!!

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Update -
took the hip for a lap around the res, 3 hilly miles...not even a twinge of pain!!! It started off a bit tight, and my hipflexor is a bit sore now, after the run.....but zero sign of the pain from last weeks long run!!
Woot!!! I am one giddy super excited runner today!!
Here's a peak into next Sunday's attire -

I Can See Clearly Now.......

Did you say it or sing it?? : )

You may or may not know that I have a sister, Jen, who is 2 years older than me. Our relationship is not complicated, but our family dynamics are. One thing that has always been true, and will always be true is that I love her dearly.

I saw this news story for the first time today about her husband, my brother in law, Mark. I am not on Facebook, but was more than happy to be on for a day so that I could be a part of voting for him to win his surgery. I am so very happy for him, and can't watch this without crying.

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin, Keep That Tennis Ball Rolling, Dumb Hip

Did you say or sing that title?? I know, my titles need help.....

Just posting to say I have been resting like a good girl and rolling everyday and trying to Pigeon, but I feel ridiculous. It stretches my hip flexor, but not inside the hip joint where the pain comes from....but it cant hurt and feels kinda nice.

The hip is feeling much better. I have not run at all or worked out this week....this week which was never intended to be a taper week. There was to be no taper before Napa, since Napa is followed shortly by Diablo 50k. But, as always, I have to roll with what my body can handle....and apparently my hip wanted a rest week.

I will do some upper body work tomorrow - Saturday. We will see how it feels, I would like to take it out for a spin on Sunday just to see if there's any twinges or tweaks so I have an idea of what I'm in for on race day. I would love to get a few 4's in next week if it will allow......
but for now I am focused on one day at a time and doing all I can that day to fix this thing.

Anyhow.....there's your update!

Last Long Run Before Napa Valley Marathon

Our last long run started off at Brazen's Bay Breeze- Half marathon, 10k, and 5k.
We had friends and Emma's teacher running in the 10k and 5k.
Below is the Beast in the pink/purple top a/black bottoms w/ the 3 kids.

Below is the Beast's husband running the 10k super speedy fast, 54th out of 514!

When the race was over, we headed out on our long run. There were still a few half marathoners finishing up, including Endorphin Dude, runner extraordinaire!! Always a treat to see him out on a course, you may remember some pics from San Fran marathon and the Diablo half. Check out his site here and the amazing goal he achieved last year.

Since the half was still finishing up when we headed out, the first 2 aid stations were still set up and in full swing. We ran into some running friends at the second one and they snapped these pictures. (Thanks Danni!)
They also hooked the kids up with mike n ikes and gummy bears : )

Above are two great volunteers and runners (although today they were volunteers) Danni and Alva, and that's the back of Spammy's head.

And then it was just time to run, and run....and run.....then cry...and walk.....and try to run....then walk. Then run....and run....then walk the last mile using every ounce I could muster pushing the jogger straight into wind that wanted to push me backwards.

I would like to think that if I don't tell you that my hip really really hurts, then it wont hurt. But, the truth is....it really really hurts. It really hurt 6 miles into this run. I am stubborn and would not settle for less than 18 miles (we had 22 planned). So I pushed through another 3 before turning around....and then it was too late. It hurt to put weight on it. Like I thought I was going to pass out at one point, hurt....with 9 miles to go. Which meant I had to push/lean on the jogger...trying to run.....into the wind. I can only explain this hip pain like this : if you cut into your hip and pulled out a bundle of nerves, frayed the ends, dipped them in alcholol and then held them up into the cold wind. After I stop running and the sharp intense pain goes away, it aches across the top back right side of my butt, hip, and around the front into the groin.

I feel like I went for a run and got hit by a truck. Besides the hip issue, my upper body is sore from pushing the jogger into the wind. I push the jogger all the time w/no issues at all, but today even my wrists and fingers are sore from gripping the pushing.

I am not a whiny runner, I hate to complain about anything pain wise, ever. I am of the shut up and get it done school of running. I love being sore after a good workout or good run. So you can imagine how annoyed w/myself I am right now.

I have 2 weeks to fix it. I'm not sure how much running will get done in the next 2 weeks, but at least I know I got a full round of training in (15 weeks). I know if I get to the start I will finish it no matter what. Just have to get through the next two weeks, rest, ice, and not go insane.




All I would like to say is that there has to be a less painful way to get tan lines.

A Tuesday Morning in the Woods of Mitchell Canyon

A pictorial of how to cover 4 miles in 3 hours
: )

Training Run Mistake #1

I mapped a new route again for yesterdays 20. I was super excited about it. It had more dirt, different trails, new neighborhoods, lots of twists and turns. All the wandering around kept us on our end of town instead of running through 3 towns to get in 20 miles.

At just 1.5 miles in, there is a dirt trail that, on the map, wraps up around the back of the golf course, while the paved trail wraps around the front. I suggested the girls and I take the dirt up around the back, while Brian and the jogger stay on the front trail. So off we went. Up....up.....up. The trail does go right along the back of the golf course, but the PD has a firing range back in the woods that butts up against the golf course. You have to go up the mountain around it. It should have taken us 10 minutes to get to where Brian was, it took almost an hour of climbing up a mountain and then straight back down it.

Not a great way to start off 20 miles. All of trying to run up the mt was done while pushing Sophies bike. On the positive side, then new parts of the run were wonderful!! There were some hills, which is good. There was dirt, which is good. We were running along a trail that is new to us (we've seen it many times, but not run it), and we looked out across the open space and there was a heard of goats running through the open space. On the hill behind the goats there were wild turkeys (which we have everywhere here, see them every day, and am always amazed). We ran through some new, calm, peaceful, quiet neighborhoods. It was just really a nice run.

On the not positive side, when we run as a family, there are 7 tires to keep inflated. 7 tires full of goat heads that, even though they have been slimed, needed pumped up many times. Eventually Brian bit the bullet and changed out a tube because the tire just wasn't holding air for longer than a few miles at a time. There were also multiple trees and bushes, even 1 car tire, that may or may not have been peed on. These long training runs are always an adventure, that is for sure!

I am thrilled to report that today, the morning after, my legs are not sore at all. This is the first time doing a training run of 20 miles that they haven't been sore. I am thinking that these climbs up and down mountains are starting to pay off in endurance. I am not happy to report that my right hip has been having twinges of pain for the past 2 weeks. Nothing severe enough to prevent me from running, but definitely getting worse and not better. I had to take more walking breaks than I would have liked yesterday, but pushed through and was able to run hard the last 3 miles while pushing the jogger. I did have a hard time walking on it this morning, though. I am icing and Ibp'ing and thinking happy thoughts. In previous training rounds, when I go over 40 miles a week I start to feel random aches and pains. This week and next week are our highest mileage weeks, this week was 39, next week we have a 22 miler, but other than that i will let my hip decide mileage for the week.
3 weeks to go......

Today's Work - 20 Miles

What We've Been Doing....

These first few pictures are from last Sunday's 20 miler that was not.
We did have a great double run day, though, and this was the day Emma ran her first 13 miler.

No family run is complete w/o 100 random stops for random fun doing random things.

This is the rock maze Myles and I stumbled across on a run a few weeks back, then we tried to get to it after a week of rain and got stuck in the mud. The girls were excited to finally get to see it.

The black dot on the single track trail is Brian. Myles and I found a second tunnel under Ygnacio a few weeks back and Brian wanted to check out trail conditions on the other side to see if it was a stroller friendly trail....it was not.

My view. It may be uphill, but at least it's heading towards blue sky!

In non running news, it has been a stressful few weeks. Lots of kids projects due, a meeting w/the principal and a teacher, kindergarten registration (again, but the last time ever), and other "stuff". Last Saturday was set aside for the girls science projects. Both decided on their own what they wanted to do. They did the experiments and then wrote everything out. We went to the craft store and they picked out the decorations. I type everything out and they help pick fonts, sizes, colors, ect....eventually (as in 10 hours later)....they both ended up with really nice projects.

A few things you may not notice while looking at this project -
every blue sparkly circle was cut out by hand (my hands), every circle, including the mirrored ones, was hot glue gunned on.
There are small pots, like cooking pots, that are filled w/blue glitter glue to look like water.
When the glue dried, it fell out, had to be tracked down (was found on floor in garage, we are talking a circle the size of a dime) and hot glued into the bottom of the pot.
.....I was ready to run from the house screaming and pulling my hair out.

Emma's above, Sophie's below.

Sophie's egg project was much easier to put together, other than worrying about her naked egg getting broke at school.....well the night we finished making the project boards her egg fell out of the fridge and broke on the floor.
We had another batch ready in time for the science fair.

(Brazen goes to the science fair : )

Below are pictures from yesterdays run w/Myles and Chewie, who talks and it cracks me up every time.

This last one is from my drive home this morning from dropping off the kids at school. While you may not even glance sideways at your cell phone when driving w/o getting a ticket, you can take photos, with Chubacca yelling at the back of your head while your 5 year old quizzes you about your favorite ride at Disneyland while you are deep in thought about your extended families health while you notice how amazing the sky looks while you somehow end up home parked in your drive way and realize you cant' really remember driving home.

I need to go for a run.