Jogging AND Logging

Today was a good day (once I was off from work). I arrived home and piddled around, helping Gabriel with his homework. Kindergarten homework...LOTS of it!! Thank goodness they are on spring break in a couple of weeks and they *hopefully* won't have any homework. Anyway, I printed off a few worksheets for the "family binder" that I am working on. It includes a weekly schedule sheet for activities/things to do and then some pages with menus and grocery lists. I already prepare menus and grocery lists, but it will be nice to have everything in one place. Plus, you can never go wrong with more organization or calendars!!

I had texted my friend, Jenni, yesterday to see if she wanted to run with me today. I was worried about the weather because it was pouring down rain on my way to work. I even passes a 5K going on and the people running looked miserable and soaked. We planned on running at 5pm and I was just certain that we would be rained out, but it stopped raining around 11am and it didn't start back up at all.

Jenni just had a baby in January, so now is the first time that she has been willing able to run with me postpartum. That being said, we did a run/walk combo. I think she did a great job for her first heavy exercise in almost a year. We ended up totaling two and a half miles in under an hour and I'm pretty sure that today was the start of weekly long runs for us for now on. She signed up for the Peachtree Road Race lottery with me and some other friends and she is planning on running the half with me in August, so we will need those long runs under our belts!

Ready To Run Again

Well, the week is over and things are winding down on the healing front. My toes still hurt as does the bottom of my right foot. Sadly, I think my Asics running shoes have reached passed their usable mileage. I can't really afford to replace them right now, so I will continue to use them as long as I am able to do short runs in them without serious foot pain. The worst part is, they still look brand new!

Now that it is not immediately following the race and my body has had some time to settle down, I'd like to write a little bit more about the half marathon. I noticed that a lot of my page views have come from Google searches for reviews on it. First, I'd like to mention that this was an inaugural run for this race. It was also completely full. I follow the host, Zulu Racing, on Facebook as well as the actual race itself. My concerns about the water have been repeated by many people, so I'm sure that it won't be an issue next year. Zulu has stated on their web and FB pages that the concerns with the race will be addressed for next year. I would certainly not want one of my blog posts to put anyone off of running this, or any other, half marathon. It was a learning experience for me. I know now that even though I shouldn't have to bring water with me, it's better to be safe than sorry. That being said, I'm sure that 90% of my issues would have been non-existent had I been properly hydrated. I also was not as conditioned as I should have been. In the future, that won't be an issue. Basically, I was not so turned off from the experience that I won't do it again. In fact, I will probably do this same race next year. I would love to see how much it changes after constructive feedback is evaluated and acknowledged.

If you have looked at my races page, you will see that I have already scheduled myself for two more races. They are both 5Ks. (I seriously think I can only handle 13.1 miles of running once a year!) I am going to start running this Monday and more frequently than I have been since I have time after dropping the kids off at school. My next race will be the Spooktacular Chase 5K. It is very near to my work and it is on a Saturday morning that I have to go into work, so I'll be right there at work when I'm finished. I'm excited to get back to running. In fact, I am hoping that I will get my nutrition and exercise back on track to finally reach my goal weight! Also, I am hoping to start doing my Zumba DVDs again. I really like that they provide a full body workout. (The calorie burn is WAY more than running, too!!)

Hand Foot and Mouth Equals No Fun

I have spent this week recovering from the half marathon. I am a lot less sore, but my left small toe is still swollen and bruised. It also hurts. I think I may have actually either jammed or broken it. The week was, basically, business as usual (without the running). I dropped the kids off at school on Monday and got some things done around the house. When I got to the school to pick up the kids, however, Gabriel wasn't running around very much and he immediately ran up to me (something he rarely does). I could tell just by looking at him that he wasn't feeling well, but I was assured that he had an OK day. I like to give them time to run themselves a little ragged on the playground so that they burn off any excess energy before going home or going to activities. Gabriel just wasn't playing. In fact, we didn't stay on the playground long because he ended up laying across a picnic table. Just laying on it. I picked him up and gathered up his sister and we headed home.

When we got home, I laid him on the couch while I went in search of the thermometer. Once I got him settled down and checked his temp, it was almost 102 degrees! I covered him up and put in a DVD. I had to tell him that he was definitely NOT going to martial arts. I had to wake Shane up earlier than usual so that he could watch him because it was Evelyn's first day of dance. I got her dressed and we took off for the studio for an hour. I'll just say that I don't know that I'm cut out to be a dance mom. They aren't terribly friendly to new people and they hogged up the viewing windows the whole time. However, she had a great time and is looking forward to going back next week. When I got home, Gabriel was lying in bed and according to Shane, had been throwing up for some time. I dosed him with some meds and got him into a bath to cool him off. It seemed to help a lot, so I just sent him to bed for the night.

Gabriel was still feeling bad on Tuesday, so he didn't go to school. He stayed home with his dad while I dropped off E at school and also when I went to pick her up in the afternoon. After that, I had to go to work. When I got home, he was feeling a little better, but still not 100%. I remained hopeful that a good night's sleep would have him up and going the next morning. On Wednesday morning, I woke the kids up and checked G's temp only to find that it was still near 100. I was told on Tuesday that one of the kids in his class recently had strep, so I checked the back of his throat for spots. It looked NASTY! I still planned on dropping E off at school and going to work. The pediatrician doesn't open until 8:30am, so I was calling them on my way in the car. The soonest appointment they had was at 9:20, so I called in late to work. We went to Chick fil A for some breakfast and he was actually hungry. Of course, I had given him some Tylenol that morning, so his fever was down. It was good to see him eat. He hadn't really eaten anything since Sunday.

When we got to the doctor, they checked him out and gave him a strep test. We waited for a long time! Finally, the doctor came in and asked us questions and did an exam. She didn't seem to think it was strep, which was good. She took one look at his throat and said immediately that it was hand, foot and mouth disease. You should have seen the look on Shane's face! He didn't know how to process that! She explained to him that it's just a virus and he was almost over it. In fact, if we could keep the fever down, he could go to martial arts that day! (Shane decided against that in the end) So, I went to work and the boys continued their day. He was still in pretty good spirits when I arrived home that evening!

He finally got to go to school on Thursday and I was off from work and Shane was awake, so I came home and mowed the lawn while he went to help a friend move some furniture. Then, we met up for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. It was almost like a date day!! Later, we picked up the kids. I told Gabriel's teacher what he had and she told me that she thought E had brought it home to him and I agreed because she had a fever last week. Apparently, there was a child in her class with hf&m LAST WEEK and the parent JUST told the school about it. They had to sanitize EVERYTHING. I truly hope that my children didn't spread the disease to anyone else, but at least the school knows what's going on. Some parents are just irresponsible! 

We have managed to go to martial arts every day for the rest of the week to make up for Monday and Wednesday. Hopefully, life will be back to normal. I was thinking earlier this week that I would have to take a second week off from running, but I feel good enough that I believe I will commence 3 mile runs starting on Monday after I drop off the kids. The great thing is, I don't have to worry about weekly long runs and I don't have to take time off between days to recover. Now that the half is out of the way, I plan on focusing on speed and also watching what I eat again. My diet became HORRIBLE when I was training. I am a stress eater and life was really hectic for a while there. I know it is going to take some time to get back to eating well and within portions, but I have done it before, I can do it again!

Sorry that I rambled on and on tonight, but I had a week's worth of life to fit in. I will leave you with a happy picture. I ordered a 13.1 sticker for my car and it arrived yesterday!! I had Shane take a picture of me putting it on the car! I know I said I was going to get a really fun and pretentious sticker, but I opted for a very gender-neutral one to be fair to Shane, who drives the car as much as I do.

OK, I might look a little too happy in this picture!

It's Tomorrow

I can't believe it's actually here. Tomorrow. The day of my first half-marathon. I have officially given up saying that I am nervous or scared. I am now saying that I feel insecure about my ability to actually accomplish 13.1 miles on my feet in 3.5 hours.  I have given myself only ONE goal. To finish the race in less than 3 hours (even if it's 2:59.59). Short of that, my goal is to just finish!
Like I knew would happen, I finished up Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne and started The Little Lady and the Prince by the same author. I enjoy the lightness of the stories. There really isn't a complicated plot, so it makes for light, quick reading.
Well, I think that's all of the blog I have in me tonight. It's time to turn in for the night. I'm already fretting over what to eat all day tomorrow!

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Internet Down!

I have neither fallen off of the planet, nor neglected my blogging duties. Our DSL has been down since Saturday afternoon. Apparently, the good folks at AT&T are wiring up our neighborhood to go live on U-Verse soon and they just start cutting wires with no regard to which ones they are chopping. So, I have a lot to catch up on in bloggy world!

Let's see. Last Saturday was our last long run before the half. We went almost 8 miles at our best time yet! Problem is, my left shin is starting to act up again. I also ran alone on Monday for 4 miles and it did the same thing. I am hoping that by not running until this Saturday, it will be good as new. I really don't want to think about 13.1 miles with a hurt shin. I also don't want to think about causing a stress-fracture. 

On Sunday, we went to pick up our race packets in Roswell. I have to say, I LOVE the shirt!! It not only feels good, it looks great! Plus, we got really cool, glow in the dark "slap" bracelets. (You know, like the ones from middle school??) LOVE it!! We also drove the course. It doesn't look too bad. It's not as "flat" as they say it is, but it's definitely no hill of death! So, check out the swag:

My bib, the shirt and the bracelet!

Since the internet has been down, I have been passing the time reading a book. I really didn't want to start another book until the race was over, but out of sheer boredom, I did. I am reading, Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne. It's the second book in a trilogy (of course) about The Little Lady Agency. It has been SO long since I read the first book that I feared not being able to follow along at first, but it was surprisingly easy to remember the main points once I settled in. I am currently about halfway finished. I probably won't finish it before Saturday, even though every time I say that, I end up finishing whatever I am reading!

I'm working tonight, all day tomorrow and Thursday and then I am "carb loading" aka, going to the local pizza buffet for the kid's spirit day for school on Friday and then going to work that evening. Don't expect too much from me until after the race is over. It's probably best that way so that you don't have to constantly read about my sudden panic and insecurities on the situation!! I can tell you that I will DEFINITELY breath a sigh of relief and relax once this race is over!

I'm Not A Morning Person and I Can't Believe It's 10 Days Away!

Like the title of this post says, "I am not a morning person." That being said, I have had to (literally) force myself to adhere to a pretty strict schedule since school has started back this week. I know it will get easier in a few weeks, but it is really kicking my ass!! I used to fall asleep around 2am and kinda get up whenever during the summer, but now I am in bed before midnight and up at 7am in order to get things going. Not to mention, I spend my evenings before going to bed prepping things like lunches and school folders/backpacks so I don't have to waste time doing that in the morning! Kindergarten has already turned out to be seriously INVOLVED for both the student and the parents. Story time has now become mandatory and there is a log sheet to fill out daily. There is weekly homework due at the end of the week. There are site words to work on daily and a log sheet for completion. My head is seriously spinning!! (There is a little part of me that secretly loves it, though!!)

Source

Now for my OMG moment. OMG, OMG, OMG....the half marathon is in TEN DAYS!!! I am really starting to get nervous. We're going on Sunday to pick up race packets, so that should make it THAT much more REAL. I have been getting emails from the sponsors discussing parking and when to be there and when the roads will be shut down for incoming traffic. I know I can breath a sigh of relief when it's all over and I will happily buy a T-Shirt and a bumper sticker to display my pretentiousness of having completed 13.1 miles, but right now, I am nervous and scared!!! Our last "long run" is this Saturday, then there is whatever I accomplish on Monday morning when I drop off the kids and then that's it, no more training. The big 13 point 1. Did I mention OMG???

One Month Away

The Are 13.1 Half Marathon is officially one month away. It is also SOLD OUT, meaning that I'll be running among 2000 other people. Honestly, I couldn't BE more ready for it to be here. It seems to be in the back of my mind constantly, and I'm either really confident about it or really worried about it. I mean, I'm 95% certain that it will go just fine, especially after last Saturday's training, but what if it doesn't go well? What if I eat the wrong thing the day of or I get blisters on my feet halfway through?
Probably me just being paranoid.
I still want it to get here and get it behind me!

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10-Plus Miles and Cheesecake Brownies

My boss's birthday was this past Thursday and I usually bake whatever the people I work with want for their birthday. She picked cheesecake brownies. I have never made them before, but I looked up a recipe and (finally) whipped up a batch to take today, since I knew I would be going by work when she was there.

I think the next time I make them, I will make the brownies more fudgy and less cake-like. They were quite tasty, though.

So, I dropped the brownies off at work and waited for the shift to end so my co-worker(s) could join me for a 9 or 10 mile walk/jog in preparation for the half. We went in the right direction starting out this time!! I also brought along some Gatorade in a bottle because I only drank water last week and I was concerned when I started to sweat actual salt on the way home in the car. Therefore, I wanted to make certain that my electrolytes were balanced. 

I bought a hydration camel pack, but I've never used it and I was considering returning it to the store because I just don't think I can run with 2 liters of liquid on my back. I decided today that I just can't run with a bottle in my hand. It's awkward and irritating and it gets hot really quickly! By mile 5, I had the drink finished just because I wanted to throw the bottle away in the trash can as we passed it. What does that mean? Yep, no drink for the 5 miles back!! I was amazed that we held out as well as we did at that distance (which was new to all of us) and I think we would have been even more OK if we had had a beverage to hydrate with on the way back. I'm considering a hydration belt. I won't really worry about it for the half, because there will be ample drink/aid stands to satisfy my needs.

I think that today proved that finishing the half is going to be completely do-able. In fact, we should finish it with a (fairly) decent time! **fingers crossed**

Well, I'm about to go crawl into a warm bath and try to read a little more of The Graveyard Book before I go to bed for the evening. I'll leave you with a picture of my friend, Paula at one of the bridges we crossed this evening.

It's Been A Minute

It's been a few days since I last posted. There hasn't been too much going on. I have been truly horrible at dedicating my time to training for the half. I'm sure that will come back to bite me on race day. I'm really going to try harder for the last next 5 weeks.

We spent the 4th of July at a friend's house. We actually spent the entire day there! There was a full food spread of slider burgers and hot dogs with all the fixins and sides. They had put tarps over the back deck, so the sun wasn't shining directly down on us and later (when it rained) the rain didn't fall on us or anything else. We also got the pleasure of watching them tell everyone their exciting news!! They're having a baby on around January 8th of next year!! (I've known about it the whole time, so it was fun to watch everyone else get excited). We ended the evening with, of course, fireworks!! The kids got to have fun with sparklers while the boys men detonated the bigger show. By the time we left, the kids were super sleepy and they slept late the next day!! (They usually get up at 7-7:30am)

Despite the fact that I haven't trained at all this week (and most of last), I made plans to go jogging with a couple of coworkers after I got off from work this evening and before Shane had to leave for work. We went to the very start of the trail and walked in the wrong direction for about a mile before figuring it out and turning around. We jogged at some parts. When it was all done, we had gone almost 7 miles. I wasn't wearing my expensive Experia socks today and my feet told me as much when I got out of the car at home to walk up to the house. I guess I know now that I MUST wear the Experias during the half if I expect my feet to stick it out with me!

I'm still working on using up the last of my vacation time before it rolls over again, so I'm not working much next week. I hope that means I can fit in some training runs! We are planning to go to Stone Mountain one day and I am having lunch with a friend on Thursday.

Too Much Time At Home

I hate not posting anything. It makes me feel like an irresponsible blogger. Therefore, although I have nothing to say, I shall blog. Be it short or rambly...here it is!

I've been cooped up in the house with the kids since Saturday and it drives me INSANE!!! I've actually had a headache the past couple of days and all I've done is snack on food when I shouldn't. Bad idea. It's been so hot outside that I can't really go out and do anything and I get frustrated at the kiddie pool because a) water costs money and b) there is not a level spot in our entire yard! It makes me wish we had a downstairs deck so that it would be on level ground. Either way, we haven't done anything and it's been taking it's toll on us.

If you look above it, you can catch a glimpse of the Abby cat!

I did get crafty yesterday and made the kids a "race track" out of masking tape stuck to the carpet in the living room. Gabriel really enjoyed it for a while. I can't take the credit for being that resourceful, it was an idea I snagged off of Pinterest a while back. I have been meaning to do it for forever, but kept forgetting until desperation pulled it up to the surface of my mind!

It's not hard-backed like my last one, but it's cute!

                                                                            I also made an impulse buy at Wal-Mart. I had to stop and get some dishwasher detergent and some white vinegar. (I use it to make my own cleaning agents) Everyone should know that July is when new planners come out in the stores. I have a serious planner obsession and I have yet to make it all the way through a planner without purchasing a new one. This year is apparently no different. I saw it and knew I had to have it! So, I spent some time today filling it out when the kids had pushed me to my mental limits. It's a love/hate kinda thing, though. I almost ALWAYS need to look back at something that happened months ago and when I change planners, that makes life difficult.

I go back to work tomorrow afternoon (yay)! I really need the time out of the house. What I really, really need to do is get my butt on that treadmill and run 3 miles. Maybe I can get that in tomorrow. Crunch time is upon me. A little over a month and a half until the half marathon.

Last Day of Vacay

Today marked our last day of vacation. I feel bloated and yucky and like I have been nothing short of a lazy bum. Don't get me wrong, I really needed the get-away and we have had a wonderful time, but it's time to get back to reality, schedules and accountability.

Yesterday, we went to the beach. We spent a good portion of time there and I, of course, got sunburned despite my application of SPF 50 sunscreen (more than 1 application). We were on the Gulf and there was some really gross, slimy gunk on the bottom of the ocean that concerned me a little. It looks like whatever they dumped into the ocean to clean up the oil formed these slimy pockets of goop. It was VERY disturbing. You would think they would clean up the stuff that cleans up. I mean, what is that doing to the ecosystem on the ocean floor?? The kids had a great time and it made them sufficiently tired to go to bed. (Yay!!!!)

Isn't it disgusting??

This was only a little bit that Shane pulled up from the water

Since the kids were in bed, we had an opportunity to be some of the last people in the world to see the movie, The Avengers. Shane has been wanting to go SO bad and we never have anyone to watch the kids for us long enough to have a "date night." It was an AWESOME movie!!! I really don't care much for the Incredible Hulk, but he really stole the show. Thor, as always, was a hunk of yummy to look at and Captain America finally quit being such a "follow orders" douche. I am anxiously awaiting the sequel!

Today, I went to the movies (again) with Shane's aunt to see The Hunger Games. (I know, I'm one of the last people in the world to see that one as well. See aforementioned lack of sitter.) I read the books before the movies came out and I really enjoyed them. The movie, for the most part, remained true to the books. There were a couple of important plot points that they failed to put into the movie, but it was forgivable.

I know that next week is going to be really hard for me. I have eaten whatever I have wanted to and I have not run AT ALL. I know, I know. I feel terrible about it. I could whine and say that it's really hot down here. (The temp the second day we were here was 105) I really think it's because a) I'm on vacation b) I'm bloated and crampy and c) I have had a serious lack of sleep each night because of "adult time", plus the kids having crazy sleep/wake schedules. I will go back to my runs when I get home. I know this was not optimal in the middle of half training, but I have faith that I can muscle through and pick it right back up.

We pack up and go home tomorrow in the late morning/early afternoon and Shane has to work tomorrow night. I have to work on Sunday, so it will be "life as usual" pretty quickly for us when we get home. Ughhh....it's never long enough!

5 Miles In A Circle

Shane had to work today until 4pm, so I waited until the afternoon to go for my long run for the week. I decided that he and the kids could go with me to alleviate the "safety concerns." So, we headed to the local high school to run on the track.

There is a reason I am not crazy about running on the treadmill. It's terribly boring. You see the same scenery the entire time (although the treadmill is a MUCH easier run). Well, I can say the same about a track. Running in a circle repeatedly SUCKS!!! I had to run that circle 20 times in order to make it 5 miles. It was an outdoor run, though, and I am grateful for that. I would have been more grateful if my MP3 player hadn't died before I finished the first mile.

My pace wasn't the greatest, but I have calculated that if I can maintain a 15:30 pace throughout the race, I can finish in the allotted time. I am not in this race to win any awards or beat anyone else. I am in it to finish it in time and for myself. The only person I am running against is me. I think if I can keep that mentality throughout the rest of the training and in the race, I'll be just fine. I mean, I ran a mile farther today than I did just a week ago.

I'm almost finished with A Discovery of Witches. At this point, it has me captivated. I enjoy it more and more. I can tell that it will be one of those books that I'll be sad about finishing. I'll probably have it finished by tomorrow, the next day at the latest. I don't know what it is about vampire stories that makes me swoon!!

Can You Feel The Heat?

Today was my first "long run" for the half training. A 4 mile run. Can't be too bad, right? Wrong! The high today was 92 degrees, occurring at 3:45pm. Would you like to know what time I ran today?? Oh, around 3:30pm. No, I have not lost my mind, (well, you know...) I have a couple of reasons why I ran so late. First off, I generally try to get my runs in early in the morning. The earlier, the better. However, Shane and I got to talking last night about the trail and his concerns for my safety and I kinda decided that I didn't want to run at 7am. It is rather lonely and deserted on the trail. I could have run later, but Shane had an interview today at 9:30am and that kinda trumps my run. So, I could have run at 10:15 when he came back, but today was registration at the dance studio and they closed at 11am. Therefore, you see my problem. 

So, while we were already out, I decided that if I am going to have to start having accurate mileage no matter where I run, I needed to break down and buy a GPS watch. It's nothing fancy, it doesn't even have a HRM or anything, but it does the job. Well, it will do the job a little better when I can operate it with complete ease.

It's a Soleus GPS 1.0--I would have gotten the pink one, but Shane protested

We also went grocery shopping for the next 2 weeks. This put us home at around 2:30pm and Shane had to be at work at 5pm. So, after a long lecture on dehydration from Shane, I set out to run my 4 miles and get it over with. I really don't want to do any of the long runs on the treadmill if I can help it. The half isn't going to be on a treadmill and I need to stay conditioned to the outside.

Thank God there wasn't much humidity today or I probably would have keeled over! It was hot as HELL!!!!! I stretched and loaded up my belt and got ready. I had the GPS and the HRM on my wrist (yes, I looked like a douche). I hit the start button on them both and took off. Ok, a few minutes in and I realized that the GPS watch was giving no distance readings. Crap!! Then, I realized that there are 2 different start buttons to hit. I was unwilling at that point to go back and start my mileage over, so I'm actually not too sure of just how far I ran today. I'm pretty sure it wasn't completely 4 miles. From the point I started it to the turn around and stop, it read 3.51miles. It was probably closer to 3.7 and that was fine by me!! I think I would have passed out if I had gone the full 4. I know that the next thing I need to add to my running gear is a water transport system. I won't lie and say that I ran a lot of those 3.7 miles, it was probably closer to a mile or mile and a half run and I walked the rest. Even my fingers were sweating! I was a little concerned because toward the end, my fingers started swelling and turning red. I have no idea what caused it, but I definitely did not like it. I was super happy to get home and into the shower, not to mention down a Gatorade. 

I hope I don't have to run in the heat like that again and I really miss my running buddy. I never thought about how much safer I feel with someone else there.

Hamstrung

I'm going to start this post with the story I didn't tell yesterday. It was National Kite Day and every year Gabriel's school celebrates by going to the park across the street and flying kites. It's always a fun event. Almost all of the parents take off and we bring a picnic lunch and blankets to sit on. It is a nice, relaxing time to socialize and let the kids play. Gabriel didn't start out by flying his kite. In fact, he played on the playground until almost everyone had left for the day and then he decided to fly his kite. It was actually great timing because he could keep it up for a pretty good stretch (Wednesday was not so windy).

See? It's up in the sky. I was so impressed!!

Since we had such a good day yesterday, we decided to take the kids to the local froyo shop. I ate more than I usually do, but it was super yummy and a lot less calories than DQ.

This morning, as planned, I had a parent-teacher conference at the school. We actually arrived at the school before any of the teachers did, so we waited around a bit. It's nice to hear how your child is doing academically because you never really get to see that side of your child. Aside from some attention issues and a recent string of behavioral issues, he is doing great super FANTASTIC in his school work. He seems to be very math-minded. That should make things interesting for me, because I am more language arts-minded (not that I have a hard time with math, it's just not my favorite thing). He is more than ready for Kindergarten and perhaps even first grade.

That being said, let's move on to the rest of my day. I stand 99.99% of the day at work. That is no fun when you've hurt your hamstring. I mostly hobbled about today. I'm going to read up on some stretches that might make it better. I iced the muscle yesterday after the treadmill and then, later, I took a hot bath, but it still hurts a lot. I really, really need this to feel better by next Tuesday when I start running again. I am aiming for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday runs with Saturday being both outside and the "long" run for the week. This Saturday, I am going for a walk. I don't know how long it will be, but I hope it's a nice one.

Oh, one last thing. We had some cameras on sale at work today in the clearance bin, so I bought a mini digital keychain camera. I am hoping that I can take more pictures to throw up here on the blog. I figure it will be easier if I always have a camera with me. I'm not guaranteeing that they will be high-quality pictures, but it beats none at all and it means that I don't have to run with my nice camera and risk it getting lost or broken. 

Tomorrow is the last pizza lunch for Gabriel's school, so at least I will have pizza eating out of my system until August, which is perfect for the half training!!

Finding My Motivation

Before tonight (just a little while ago), I have not run since Saturday. I also have not stopped eating like a starving person. 

I figured out that the half marathon is in 13 weeks. I am planning to do Hal Higdon's 12 week training program, so I really have to kick it into gear by next week! I thought I would start tonight by doing 3 miles on the treadmill. Things started out really great! I actually ran 1.75 miles without stopping to walk a single time and my breathing was perfectly normal. Let me start by saying that I only made it to 2 miles total. Around 1.75 miles, my knee started hurting a little and I was really sweating, so I decided to slow down and walk 1/10th of a mile and then start running again for the remainder of the distance. Bad idea! As soon as I turned the speed down, my legs felt like they were made of jello and that same muscle in my right leg that runs up the back of your thigh up into the glut area started feeling like it was cramping up (almost like a charlie horse in your upper thigh). I decided then that I could only make it to 2 miles and even that was pushing it. I am not completely bummed, however, because I did, at least, work out and burn some calories tonight. We won't mention the bowl of frozen yogurt I had earlier today.

I have been doing some research for my training and I know that I am supposed to eat a diet consisting of 65% complex carbs for the duration of my training. The fun part will be finding recipes and incorporating that into my eating habits. I don't know what I have eaten recently that has caused these sugar cravings, but I have really been snacking on the sweets lately.

This is going to end up being a short blog post because I have a crazy amount of laundry to fold and then take another shower and go to bed early. I have to be at Gabriel's school half an hour early for the year end parent-teacher conference and I have a hard time making it on time on a regular day!! At least tomorrow  is pizza lunch day so I don't have to make his lunch. I will post something longer tomorrow!