Yesterday I ran 2.8 miles.  I timed myself on the first 1.2 miles and I did it in 10 minutes!! I thought maybe I'd had a break through on my speed... until I timed myself on the other 1.6 miles and realized it took me a full 20 minutes to the 2nd bit.  sigh.  Well, at least I'm still at it.

Today, I took the girls and did one lap.  We didn't time ourselves.  We had a good time on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, spending time together, laughing, getting stronger.  And I guess that's what it's really all about anyway.

Attack of The Lazies

Lazy.  No way around it.  I've been lazy about running and lazy about recording it here when I do run.  I ran last Tuesday, Jan 20th, and did 2.4 miles in 28 minutes.  Still pretty slow, but I'm doing more running and less walking.  On Friday, January 23, I ran the regular 2.4 miles (twice around the school campuses) and then I walked an additional .8 mile around the park.  I wanted to run/walk the lap around the park, but my knee was staring to give me trouble and because of the direction I chose to go, it was slightly up-hill on three sides.  I'm going to have to start adding more distance regardless of how fast - or slow - I am if I'm going to work up to 6.1 miles by the end of April.  The next day (Saturday the 24th) my knee was giving me LOTS of trouble and I was popping so many Tylenol and Advil that my stomach was cramping up.  After that, I had several days of "too busy", "too cold", or "too lazy".

Yesterday, Thursday, January 29th, was beautiful!  Sunny, 53 degrees.  Mattie and Jenna really wanted to run with me, but Mattie was supposed to baby sit at 5pm.  We went out and did one fun, quick lap around the schools together.  The girls would run fast ahead of me and then walk until I caught up with them, while I plodded along at a slow, but regular pace.  We didn't time it, we just enjoyed it!  I am planning to go out again by myself for a longer run today, but it all depends on Jeff's availability to help me out with Ruby.  I have a mini ladies' retreat to go to this evening and my ride will be here at 6:30.  When I allow time for showering, packing, and cooking dinner for my family, that doesn't leave me much time.  We'll see what happens...

Only 1 mile today.  Daisy is throwing up at home and I don't feel too great either.

Injuries

Okay, so my knee pain is not just imaginary or an excuse; it's real.  I could hardly sleep last night.  It's my right knee.  My right pinkie toe is the one that's broken, so maybe I'm compensating more than I realize, or maybe my plantar fascitis (sp?) is flaring up again.  I do have some pain in my right heel when I first get up in the mornings.  No, I haven't made that follow-up appointment with the orthopedic doctor yet, so I don't know what kind of healing progress I'm making with my toe.  What I DO know is the high temperatures for Thursday and Friday are predicted to stay below freezing.  I know I won't run when it's that cold, so I went running in spite of knee pain today because I am planning to not run again until Saturday afternoon.  Mattie, Jenna and I went 2.4 miles around the schools, but didn't mark the time.  They both out ran me.  I had to mentally chastise myself a couple of different times.  My natural competitive instinct says that if you are in front of me, you are my enemy.  Deep breaths, Kama.  That's your daughters' up there.  Be proud of them.  They are healthy and strong and beautiful and you are teaching them to enjoy taking care of their bodies.  They are not your competition, they are your children.

Sometimes You Just Have To

I didn't run yesterday because Ruby was sick.  Excuses, excuses.  I didn't want to go today, either, but Mattie pointed out that she hadn't been running since last Thursday and really needed to get out.  I don't feel safe letting her go by herself, so I went.  And I'm glad I did.  2.4 miles in 29 minutes.  My legs felt like they weighed a ton and my right knee was hurting a bit, but we made another slight improvement in our time, nonetheless.  My mood was better after the run, too.  Funny how that works.

Cooked Goose

Well, now I've really started something.  My brother and his family went to lunch with us today after church and my kids overheard us talking about running.  My 7 year old son, Elijah, and 5 year old daughter, Daisy, made it quite clear that they are feeling neglected and unloved because I have not allowed them to go running with me.  In their minds, it is the new thing to do if you are a part of our family.  Elijah was especially indignant.  After all, he is only 13 months younger than Jenna, 1 inch shorter and 1 pound lighter.  If she, his mere sister, is allowed to join Mom every once in a while, it only stands to reason that he should be given equal time.  So today I broke down and took Elijah and Daisy to the lake with me for a little jog.  We went around 1 1/2 times laughing and talking about all the different creatures that lived in the water and would probably eat us up if we accidentally fell in.  The most exciting part of the run was when we passed a flock of geese on the side of the path.  I got an invigorating shot of adrenaline when the "alpha goose" lowered his head and started hissing and running toward my little Daisy.  Oh, yeah, bring it on, Goose!  You'll be on my dinner table within the hour...

I dropped them off at home and headed to the school to do my regular run.  2.4 miles in 31 minutes after the little 1.5 mile jog with the kids.  Not bad, Girlie!

Weighing In

We concluded a church leadership mini conference today and I didn't feel like getting out for a run.  I did weigh in again, though.  The 8 pound loss of last Thursday didn't seem possible.  This morning the scales said 132.  A 6 pound loss still sounds good... and a bit more reasonable.

Alone Time

I should have left the ipod at home today; the silence would have done me some good.  At any rate, I got to run by myself.  Not that I don't like running with my girls, it's just that sometimes a mom enjoys getting to be by herself.  I ran my regular 2 laps around the school campuses and re-measured it with my car.  I measured it at 2.4 miles.  Completed it in exactly 30 minutes.  I've got a long way to go before I can be considered "fast", but I'm improving my pace every time and that's good enough for me... for now.

Inspiration

It has been 1 full week since I announced to the world my embarrassing weight of 138 pounds, so I decided to get on the scales again today.  I know without a doubt that my cheap bathroom scales aren't the most accurate, but I am more than happy to believe the lie they told me this morning.  130!  8 pounds in 1 week.  I know it's not possible, but I'll take the inspiration anywhere I can get it.

Today, Mattie, Jenna and I went for a short little 1 mile jog, just to work the kinks out from yesterday.

Running With Dead Fish and Grouchy Teenagers

Yesterday, my dad told me that my youngest sister, Melissa, let her daughter go running with her the other day.  By now you know that my family has a slightly competitive nature.  I'm not exactly saying that she was trying to one-up me, but she knows that my oldest daughter is going to be running on our relay team... Her oldest daughter is 4.  When my sister headed out the door to go for a training run, Kaydee started crying and begging to go with her.  I'm sure it never crossed my sister's mind that she might be starting a "my kids are tougher than your kids" competition when she agreed to let Kaydee go with her, and then called to tell my dad about how Kaydee stayed up with her for a whole mile, and then my dad called to pass the amazing news on to me.  I'm sure it never crossed her mind.

However, it did cross my mind today, when my 8 year old daughter started begging to go with Mattie and me as we were headed out the door.  If my sister's 4 year old can do it, then my 8-year-old-catcher-for-her-softball-team, sure as heck ought to be able to....

This time we went out to a tiny little lake in town called Sunset Lake that has a paved path around it maintained by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.  According to the spray-painted markings of another runner, I'm estimating that it's about 1 mile around.  We went around 2 and a half times - there's a bridge over the lake which makes the 1/2 possible - and Jenna hung with us the whole time.  So there.

Mattie was really grouchy today.  I think she was irritated that her sister was crowding in on her time with Mom.  And then she was a little threatened by how well Jenna was staying up with us.  To top it all off, on our first time around the lake, Mattie stepped on a dead fish that was laying on the path.  It squished under her foot.  She was really grossed out.  Jenna and I thought it was hysterically funny.  

Nutrition For the Runner

Today I am wondering if there is any nutritional value in snot.  Seriously, am I the only one whose sinus cavities and mucus membranes kick into overdrive when you start running?  It happens to me every time I exercise, and yesterday was no exception.  Okay, granted it was 36 degrees and foggy/misty enough to keep us from seeing our "let's just see if we can make it to ...." landmarks, but Mattie didn't seem to be having any nose problems.  We both had music pumping into our ears, making it difficult to hear each other, so once when she sped up so she could stop and tie her shoe, I turned my head, pressed one side of my nose shut and blew the other side all over the ground... and my pant leg.  I mean, let's be honest, it was messier than firing a sawed-off shotgun.  Even though, at the time, I felt like I would die if I didn't clear my head, the instant I did it I felt so disgustingly masculine.  No offense to my man-readers, but the truth is double standards exist and one of them is that you are allowed to be a bit gross and still be considered charming, whereas we are not.  I knew in my heart of hearts that if my 13 year old daughter caught me doing such a thing, especially since we were running past the school she attends and has to show her face in everyday, I would do permanent and irrevocable damage to our relationship.  For the rest of the run, down the hatch it all went.  Yum.

We did 2 laps, 2.3 miles, and we ran more of it than we did last time, but it still took us 33 minutes.  1 minute better.  I think I must have been walking too slowly in between the running.  I'll have to work on keeping my pace quicker.  Mattie didn't have any side cramps this time and I think she probably could have gone faster than me, but she's a good girl and didn't inherit my competitive nature.

I did not go to the orthopedic doctor yesterday after all.  I mean, I went, but didn't get seen.  When they first set that appointment for 2:30, I asked them if they thought they'd be able to get finished with me before 3 when my kids have to be picked up from school.  "Yeah, yeah, no problem.  Just a quick x-ray.  You'll be in and out."  I arrived at 2:30 with 2 2 year olds in tow (Tuesdays are my days to keep my niece), and found that there were 6 people ahead of me still waiting to be called back.  So no news on my toe yet.  It only hurts when I kick chairs, so probably it's healing up just fine.

Winter Training, Or Not

I didn't go running on Sunday afternoon, January 4th, because I kicked a chair at church with my injured foot.  Yes, this same clumsy action is how I broke my stupid toe in the first place. At least I was wearing a shoe this time.  Anyway, I was hurting a little bit, so I chose to not run that afternoon.  Now, I'm wishing I had just doped up with the Tylenol/Codine the doctor prescribed and done it anyway because the pictures above show what happened on Monday.

On Sunday night I watched the evening news and saw that the temperature was predicted to be in the mid-forties and rain was expected to arrive in the late afternoon.  Mondays are the days my sister-in-law takes Ruby (the 2 year old) off my hands while the other kids are in school, so I thought it would be the perfect day to get in some serious running.  But at 6:15 that morning, just as I was getting started on my second cup of coffee, the rain started falling.  Then the temperatures started falling.  Blasted weathermen.

Ice did not stick to the roads, but it did stick to everything else.  My brother would probably run in the icy sleeting rain (in fact, I think he DID run that day probably while I was still drinking coffee), but I am not finding myself quite that dedicated to the sport yet.

It's hard to tell from pictures, but those little pine trees in the back of my house actually stand a little over 5 feet tall.  I planted them myself about 2 years ago from tiny twigs about 6 inches long.  Seeing them bent over under the weight of the ice made me think they were bowing down in submission and worship to the God of the Elements.  It made me sad to realize how stubborn I am in refusing to listen to the "sacred rhythms" God intends for my life.  (Good book, by the way.)  Makes me think of Psalm 66 where David says, "Everything on earth will worship you..." and Luke 19 where Jesus tells his disciples if his people don't praise him, the rocks will cry out.

Well, today at 2:30, I have a follow-up appointment with the orthopedic doctor.  Hopefully he will have good news for me in spite of the incident on Sunday.  The weather is supposed to clear off by tomorrow, so maybe I'll be able to make some headway this week.

One funny thing I forgot to mention:  As a person who starts running programs like some people stop smoking (meaning I've done it many times), the thing I hate most is that jiggly feeling.... some people are snickering and saying it's not just a FEELING it's a REALITY.... Just ignore those skinny, non-jiggly people and listen up.  One word:  Spanx!  It would probably be too hot to wear them under your running clothes in the summer, but in the winter it's great!  If you haven't heard of Spanx, that's what Google is for.  And while I'm giving out free advertising, I might as well tell you that Target carries a similar product made by the same company.

Training With a 13 Year Old

Saturday, January 3rd.  I can hardly believe it's January!  The temperature outside today is predicted to reach 68 degrees.  The sky is thickly overcast and we have a 50% chance of rainfall around 2pm.  Mattie wants to start training with me today.  She will turn 14 2 weeks before race day, so (logically) she is 13 years old now.  She is 5 foot 1 and 94 pounds; a perfect (and sickening) size 0. Compared to my 138 pound, snug size 8 body.  She promised not to make fun me today, but, as it turns out, it was an unnecessary vow. 

We went out at about 10 o'clock this morning, fired up the ipods and started walking.  (Same path I took before - around the schools.)  After we walked the long side of the block, I motioned to her that we should run for a short distance.  She cringed, pulled out her earbuds and told me her side was cramping.  I was pretty disappointed.  My legs were a tad bit sore from my first run and I wanted to stretch them out with a little speed.  But I reminded myself that I am first of all her mother and her protector and second her training partner and coach.

We finished walking the first loop and she was still lagging behind me, so I suggested that she rest and wait for me in the car while I went around again, incorporating some jogging.  She didn't like that idea and insisted on going with me.  She would lag and I would double back to her.  She ran some, but her side kept cramping.  Even going a little slower than I wanted to, I was able to finish 2 laps in 34 minutes (2 minutes faster than the first time) and then I walked back to Mattie so we could finish together.

I'm proud of myself for not being the one to slow her down or embarrass her and I'm proud of her for not quitting even when her fat mom was beating her!

On the way home, our abs got a nice workout from the laughing fit that started when we were treated to one of those frequent reminders that we live in Arkansas.  We were about a mile from home when we saw a man in his early 40's waiting to cross the road with what we thought was a horribly ugly Red Healer dog.  The man was the picture of poor hygiene with untended hair, unshaven face, torn, baggy jeans, and a tank top exposing us to a quite unnecessary view of his extremely hairy armpits.  As we passed him, with both did a double-take when we realized that the man was not walking an ugly dog across the street, but a brownish-red, wirey-haired pig.  Not a trendy, cute pot-belly pig, but a gross, mutt pig.  Well, at least we won't have to do any sit-ups today.

The Sad Facts

Today is January 2.  I really want to go walk/run again, but I'm pretty sure I should let my toe have the day off.  I tend to be a little obsessive when I start something new.  I'm afraid that if I take a break, I will never start back again.  However, I don't want to do any real damage to my foot.  I'm supposed to go back to the orthopedic doctor on January 6, and I don't want to get in trouble.  Between Mattie and I, I have committed $70 in entry fees, $45 in new running shoes for me, and probably another $45-$50 in running shoes for Mattie, so I'm in (financially) too deep to let one day of rest destroy my motivation.

Instead of working out, I will attempt a feat far braver than running a mere 6 mile leg of a marathon relay.  I will tell the world what I weigh....

138 pounds.  

Ugh.

Since I gained that 15 pounds in college, I have usually hovered around 130-135.  I am only 5 foot 2, so in my opinion, that makes me 20 pounds heavier than I should be.  I don't know if I will lose any weight over the next 17 weeks of training, but I am hopeful.  Truthfully, I'm not a gross person to look at, so if I don't lose any weight, but do feel less tired and start to sleep better, I will feel good about what I've accomplished for my body physically.

That's it for today.

Training: Day 1

Okay, so today is New Year's Day.  The weather is beautiful: overcast and about 55 degrees.  It's been two weeks since I broke the pinkie toe on my right foot.  It only bothers me at night if I accidentally fall asleep with it pressed into the mattress and it hasn't hurt at all today.  My husband is working outside and the kids are playing at the trampoline, so I think maybe I'll drive up to the park and see how my toe feels with a little walking.  Mattie wants to train with me, but she spent New Year's Eve with her friend and isn't home yet.  She'll probably be sad that I went without her, but I really want to get started.

I'm back now.  Here's what happened:

When I got to the park, there were about 200 people there, determined to keep their New Year's weight-loss resolutions.  I might be exaggerating a little on the number of people who were there, but there really were a lot of over-weight people with determined expressions and new ipods huffing and puffing along the path.  Benton is a fairly small town and I didn't want to have to spend the next 30 minutes smiling and nodding and saying, "How are you?" over and over to the same people (because in the South, it doesn't matter if you nodded and smiled at Mrs. So-and-So 10 minutes ago, if you pass her again, you must speak again as if it's been ages since you saw her last or else you will be thought of as rude or snobbish).  So, instead of entering the park, I crossed the street and decided to walk around the schools.

Benton has 4 public elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 junior high school and 1 high school. This particular block of land is host to Angie Grant Elementary School, Benton Junior High School and Benton High School, and it has a continuous paved sidewalk surrounding all 3 school campuses.  So, I plugged Jeff's ipod Shuffle into my ears and started walking.  I only crossed paths with 1 grouchy-looking older man, 1 elderly couple who were bundled up in case of a possible snow storm, and 3 yippy, yet harmless, dogs.  I completed the circle (okay, rectangle) in 20 minutes.  I had intended to walk for at least 30 minutes and my toe was still feeling great, so I decided to go around again and try to add in some jogging as long as my little injured appendage didn't object.

In all, it took me 36 minutes to go around the schools twice and my toe wasn't hurting at all!  I stretched out and then decided to use the trip set on my Suburban's odometer to measure the distance I had covered.  2.3 miles.  2.3 miles on a broken toe in 36 minutes.  Sounded like a success to me!  I dialed my brother's cell phone so he could give me a much-deserved pat on the back.  Just as his phone began to ring, a stabbing pain shot up my right leg.  I may have failed to mention before that I took a dose of prescription pain medication about 30 minutes before I headed out on this little excursion.  Could be possible that it was starting wear off...

I came home, showered, and am now sitting with my foot propped up logging this info into my training journal.  My toe is still hurting a little, but not as badly as I was afraid it was going to. And, no, I haven't taken anymore pain meds to mask it, so what I'm feeling is really what I'm feeling.  I'm pretty sure I can do this:)