3

another 3 at the hotel on the treadmill. good to be home now.
still need to run 6 and 13. amy is planning on going w/me again on saturday. so awesome!
and, it's only supposed to be a high of 75 for the day. it's been a beautiful july. question is, where did it go?

3

ran 3 at the hotel today. this week will be another tricky one to get the miles in.
this morning i told the kids i only had to run for about 30 minutes. they sat in the fitness room (thankfully no one else was in there, or it wouldn't have worked) with books while i ran. they started getting pretty antsy at about 20 minutes, but they did great. i
think i might have to do the same thing tomorrow morning, unless we get home in time for me to run 6.

thanks for all the help w/team in training! i'll let you know what i find out at the meeting next week and what i decide.

?

has anyone ever done team in training?
if so, what was your experience? please share.

there is a meeting coming up here soon and i'm interested in finding out more.
is travel to the marathon and registration fee included? there are some really neat marathons
coming up and i love the idea of raising money to help w/this cause. it's just a thought right now.

3

3 tonight to finish up week 7 of training.
next week - 3,6,3,13.

in other news, the kids had a lemonade stand today w/some of the neighborhood kids.
.25 per cup and they made $21. memories were made on this beautiful summer day.

12

ran 12 today. my friend amy roller bladed next to me the whole time. she's planning to come with me for all the long runs she can. i'm so thankful for her. she wears a camelbak, so i have water and a place to put my gels. i think the vanilla bean gu is my favorite. i had 2 today. one at mile 5 and one at mile 9. if nothing else, they are a good placebo.

i was a little stiff this morning. i started feeling better about mile 2, like usual. overall, my legs felt pretty good today. i was able to keep a 10 minute mile pace the whole time, even with all our gabbing. we did have to stop at a couple stop lights, but i stopped my garmin for that.

it was a good day.

i'll leave you with a picture from our trip to the zoo this week and our new kitten - "gertie."
we went to "just look" at some baby kittens and we all fell in ♥love♥ with her.

6

ran 6 with my sweet boy biking next to me tonight. he was a trooper, it was a hot one.
during the last 2 miles he said he really wished we were in a car.
he made it though and enjoyed some cold gatorade when we got home.

rest day tomorrow and 12 miles on saturday.
i am definitely approaching the tough weeks of training.

3

WEEK 7 begins - 3,6,3,12. it's double digits for the long run from here on out until the taper. yikes! this is the tough part - trying to juggle the time needed to run w/my other areas of life. i love love it, but it can be tough to fit it all in.

ran 3 tonight. i was a little nervous how it was going to go. on friday and saturday when we were helping my friend move, i hit my knee and bruised it pretty good on some furniture. thankfully, i felt pretty good tonight.
*amy and i getting ready for our 10k. i'm always obsessing over my shoe laces. are they too tight?..too loose? i stopped at mile 1 to loosen my right shoe during the race. hopefully that won't happen during the marathon.

7

ran 7 while my friend carol biked next to me. the miles flew by since i had her to talk to.
the weather has been unseasonably cool here and really great for running.
day off tomorrow and 3 on sunday, which will end week 6 of training. the miles step up next week - 3,6,3,12.

running tips

i found this on the chicago marathon website and thought it was worth sharing:

DEENA KASTOR'S TOP 10 TIPS FOR THE EVERYDAY RUNNER:

1. Have patience. There is no single workout that holds emphasis in the marathon, but the combination of work over the weeks of training that prepare you.

2. Add an hour of sleep. With the excess work you are adding to your already packed schedule, make sure you balance it with more rest.

3. Practice drinking on the run. Practice drinking Gatorade Endurance Formula during long runs since that is what you’ll be served on race day.

4. Practice your “pre-race” meal before long runs. For dinner the night before a long run and for breakfast the morning of, eat something similar to what you intend to eat marathon weekend to ensure that it agrees with you.

5. Stretch! If you only have time for an hour run, stretch for five minutes (focusing on quads and hip flexors) and run for 55 minutes.

6. Something sore? Give it attention immediately. Address soreness immediately so that it doesn’t grow into a bigger problem.

7. Treat yourself to a massage. You deserve it!

8. Take an ice bath. Taking an ice bath only once or twice may be torture, but if you make it a part of your routine, your body will adapt and you will be amazed at how well your legs recover.

9. Look at your soles. If the bottoms of your shoes look overly worn in a certain area, you may need a new pair. Depending on your weight and biomechanics, you should only put about 250-350 miles on any given pair. Replacing your shoes regularly can help you stay injury free.

10. Cover up. Wear sunscreen on every run. Your skin is your largest organ, so take care of it. I find Fallene Cotz SPF 58 to be the best sunscreen for running. If it's really hot and humid, put Cotz on your face and neck, and a lighter sunscreen, such as Kinesys SPF 30 Spray, on the rest of your body.

5

it was a rough 5 miles today and i am totally blaming this lady:
i recently bought some of her cookbooks and she is amazing! i ♥ everything i've tried. yesterday i made her blueberry coffee cake muffins and ate way too many. i guess it makes sense that i would be sluggish and have lead for legs today. so...it wasn't a great run, but i did get the miles in. i started feeling better after the first 3.

if you don't have any of her cookbooks i would highly recommend them, unless of course, you are training for a marathon.

i'm taking the day off tomorrow and running 7 friday and 3 on sunday. we're helping a friend move on saturday, so i had to switch things around a bit.

3

WEEK 6 begins (training is flying by!). this week is a pretty easy week 3,5,3,7.
almost got hit by a car when i was running my 3 miles tonight. the crazy thing was i had the happy guy on the light, saying it was safe to cross. the car was turning left on the opposite side of the street and actually would have had a RED light! it wasn't like it was an accident either, he purposely revved his engine like he was trying to hit me. needless to say, my heart rate was a little elevated the entire run. came home to my family, thankful to be alive and tried not to think about how close it really was.

10k+4

the 10k last night was so much fun and great weather for july! it was around 80 degrees w/average humidity. i went to the race with my friends sherri and amy. even though we weren't planning on running it together, we had fun hanging out before and after the race. i finished before they did, so when i was done i ran back to some of the lonelier spots on the course to cheer them on. this was sherri's second 10k and amy's first. it was so great to see them achieve their goals last night! they are both on a road to become healthier and stronger this year and they have been doing great.

sherri is training for her first 1/2 marathon in october. she has lost 72 lbs. since december and has been so dedicated to a complete lifestyle change. i love their perspective too - it's about taking care of the body God gave us, not about trying to gain attention for ourselves or elevate who we are. we talked about that a lot last night. it was good. God has blessed me with some wonderful friendships. it was such a great night!

the official results aren't posted yet, but i think my pace was around 9:20. definitely not a pr, but it didn't really matter to me much. i knew i still had to run 4 to get my long run of 10 in for the week.

5

a slow easy 5. my left leg was feeling strained, so i took it really easy tonight. i'm sure it is because of yesterday's run. tomorrow is a rest day, and much needed before the 10k on saturday.

bought some more vanilla gu gels to prepare for the long runs that are coming. i think the vanilla is my favorite flavor.
also, some more bodyglide. do you use it? it is great stuff - works good on feet too.

3

today was supposed to be 5, but i ran out of time. i will do 5 tomorrow instead.
i'm not sure what happened today, but my first mile was a 7:40. the following 2 were 8:30.
that was fast for me. i forgot what it even felt like to run under an 8 minute mile!

i'm getting excited for the 10k on saturday! should be fun!
(the sunset on my run the other night) -

4

beginning of WEEK 5! this week is 3,5,3,10.

scheduled for 3. ran 4 w/a friend, since we were both feeling good. it was a great night and i really enjoyed running a new route. i didn't pay attention to my pace and that was kind of a nice change.

10

planned on running 9 today, but ended up doing 10 since the route was longer than i expected and i needed to get home to get things ready for company.

the kids were w/grandparents today, so steve and i ran the whole thing together - in the rain! now that's love - he ran w/me in the rain! it was nice. my legs felt great today, but for some reason i had some trouble with labored breathing.

pace: 9:43

week 4/18 done.

3

how can people NOT run?! it is just amazing. i love that i can leave my house feeling stressed or frustrated and come home a new woman, ready to serve my family again. it is such a precious time with the Lord and a time of worship for me. it was just what i needed tonight.

3 miles
pace: 9:07

it really is true what they say

4

had a babysitter this morning. ran 4 miles and went to the store for 4th of july goodies. i even found smoke bombs, which the kids love!

remember the lightweight shoes that i bought? well, i've been experimenting - running in my old ones for awhile to see if my shin pain went away. and, it did. today i ran in my new ones and i had the same pain again. so...i'm thinking i will run in my other ones for awhile and see what happens.

did i tell you that i signed up for a 10k on the 11th? it's at night and a really fun one. i'm looking forward to running it!

yesterday i went to the dermatologist to get tested for skin cancer (a small spot near my chin). i should hear back w/results in a week. it sounds like if it is that, it is easy to treat and is localized (doesn't spread anywhere else). it probably wasn't the best idea to sit on my friend jenny's roof sunbathing in high school for hours. no sunscreen. we just wanted a great tan. another reminder that the choices you make when you are young, do matter.

praying for kim to heal quickly and for jane's adoption.