A blog about my journey of training to run a 1/2 marathon with Team In Training and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and beyond.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Out Among Nature

Okay, so for the long weekend, my husband, the kiddos, and I decided to go visit his family's farm in Arkansas. It is really beautiful up there, but not exactly condusive to my training. I was all psyched to do my run, 4 miles, out among Nature. The trees and hills and forest creatures. I had even planned to stop in a meadow and twirl while I sang a Disney song and all the little critters came to listen. : ) Instead, I got lots of rain and thunder, bugs big enough to carry off even a fat girl, and an angry momma cow that very quickly turned me into a sprinter. They had a little trail carved out where they regularly run the tractor, so I took off running down it. I was being bombarded by Jurassic Park size bugs, and just knew that one of them was going to pick me up and carry me off or at least mug me for my IPod. I got about a mile into my run when I rounded a corner and there stood the cutest little speckled calf. I immediately started looking for the momma because I knew she had to be nearby. Sure enough, there she stood out to my left. I started backing up slowly when momma decided she didn't like my shoes or the way I looked in my running shorts. I don't know, but I do know that she wanted me away from the calf, so I was more than happy to oblige and quickly. Then came the rain, oh the rain. Giant pelting raindrops. Thunder claps so loud that they shook the ground, and which at first, I mistook for the angry cow coming to get me. So this weekend is the first time that I have not gotten in all my miles. I'm a little upset about it, but I will add a mile onto my workouts this week to make up for it. It was nice to see the grandparents and it was the first time that they had seen Isa. So it was worth the trip.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Thank Goodness for Joan Jett

Oh, Thank Goodness for Joan Jett and thank you, Joan Jett for making some awesome tunes!! Bad Reputation and I Hate Myself For Loving You are the only reasons that I made it through my workout today. I wanted to quit, I needed to quit, okay I just REALLY wanted to quit!!! And then the music of angels appeared and Joan Jett started singing "I hate myself for loving you...". Instant energy! Not the greatest pace song, but it got me through that last 1/2 mile. God Bless You Joan Jett!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Okay, so last week was a week full of poopoo, but I made it through. It was a hard week with a bunch of different stuff going on. And I'm not going to lie, it was REALLY hard to stay motivated and get all my miles in. There were a few days when I just didn't think that I had it in me, but I did it!! Saturday was a 4mile day, my first. And the idea that I will one day soon be running over 3x that distance is well..... terrifying. I want to throw up just thinking about it! But you know I didn't think that I would be able to do 4 miles, and I did. So 13.1 miles, here I come! Though I seriously am thinking about painting my face blue, donning a kilt, and screaming "FREEDOM!!!" the first 12 mile day that I do. Whatever gets you motivated right. : ) What's not getting me motivated right now is the scale. Fat should be melting off of me like an ice sculpture in Hades, but I have managed to gain 3 freakin' pounds!!! I'll admit that my pants fit better and I have more energy, but could the scale have just a little mercy on me? Please? Pretty please?

Thursday, May 13, 2010

The Food-Nazi

So one of our coaches advised us to start trying new energy food, drinks, and supplements, so that we can figure out what works for us before the big race day. So I went to the store and found an entire wall filled with yummies. I picked this one and that one, mixed it up a little, to see what I liked. So far there have been a few good ones and some really bad ones. An oatmeal one was da bomb. It tasted just like an oatmeal cookie. I could definitely be okay eating that. But I came across one that tasted like crap dipped in chocolate. Blah!!!! Check that one right off the list. Why can’t they make energy bars that taste like birthday cake or banana cream pie or strawberry cheesecake. I am more likely to eat those instead of a chocolate covered crap bar.

Believe it or not, I do eat pretty well. Lots of lean meat, lots of fresh veggies and fruit and I love me some rice cakes. I drink tons of water and try to limit my sweets. I do love CARBS, but now that I am running, I can have carbs. Yippee!! I eat even better now that I am really trying to watch what I eat. But the real kicker for me is that I sit next to the food-nazi at work (yes, you S!). I have my weaknesses (Dr. Pepper is my life’s blood in the mornings), but I generally do pretty well. Yet it seems now that people know that I am training, they think that they are entitled to have an opinion about what I eat or drink. Advice and suggestions are welcome, solicited even. But all snarky comments about how much I’m eating, what I’m eating, or if I should really even be eating that, will be met with a chocolate covered crap bar being thrown at your head.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

First Week of Training


So this has been my first week of training, and so far, so good. I'm tired, a little cranky (sorry everyone!), but it is getting a little easier each day. However, magic shoes do not exist. I love my new shoes. They are great! They feel good on. They seem to push me a little harder, but they have failed to do the one thing that I hoped they would, which is make this running thing a whole lot more fun. : ( Oh, well! Hopefully in time.
In the Picture: My sister and I (in the red hat) on our way to our first training session.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Fat Girl Running

Fat Girl Running

Well, here I am, a little fat girl. I’m thirty (ugh!) and a new mom. I used to be very athletic, but the past tense is apparent every time I put on my not-so-skinny jeans. I have wanted to get back into shape for some time now, but as some of you know, it’s REALLY hard to get motivated when you have a brand new baby at home. You just want to cuddle, snuggle, and dress them up, but time is passing so quickly and I want to be able to run around and keep up with my kids. So I was on a mission to get back in shape, be healthy, and be a good example for my kids. I was tossing around all these ideas of how to go about doing that, when I opened up my mailbox and there it was a little purple postcard that said Team in Training. I was thinking, “That looks interesting, but I could never run a marathon”. So I was walking toward the trashcan to throw away the postcard when one word jumped out at me, leukemia. Suddenly I had the answer that I had been looking for, I would run a marathon. I felt like I as in one of those silly computer software commercials where the people have the epiphany and are all glowy.

So let me tell you why it suddenly became so clear. This past year I had two good friends lose their little boy to leukemia. As I watched them go through the process, I couldn’t help but think that they were experiencing what has to be every parent’s worst nightmare. You hear of things like that, you see the advertisements for certain charities or fundraisers, but you never actually know anyone who has been through something like that. Yet I have watched my friends handle their tragedy with such poise and grace that I couldn’t help but be inspired by them. So there I was thinking of their little boy with a postcard in my hand, asking myself could I really run a marathon. When in walks my wonderful, loving, amazingly supportive husband, and asks me what I’m doing. I showed him the card and asked him, “What do you think of this? Do you think that I could do this?” This brilliant man looked me in the face and said, “You can do anything.” And then he read the postcard. LOL! After reading it, he still thought it was a good idea. So I went online and signed up for a meeting. Unbeknownst to me, my sister had signed up for the exact same meeting. When I found out that she had decided to do the marathon too, I decided it was kismet. So that one word on that purple postcard was the prompt I needed to start to change my life and if I’m lucky, the life of someone else.

Now I will be the first to admit that my name and the word marathon have NEVER been used in the same sentence before. Even when I was in shape, running and I were not friends. So in the course of my training, I suspect that there will be tears, screams, cramps, shin splints, and perhaps even a little vomit, but if my friends can survive what they have been through then I can survive a few measly little miles. I will train and hope that you follow my journey through this blog. I want to raise some money and some awareness for a disease that affects more people than I ever realized, and maybe, just maybe I can make a difference. My hope is that one day no other parents, friends, or families have to go through what my friends have gone through. I will be running in memory of Jamison Watters. So, Jamison, this one’s for you.