Saturday's Long Run

I finally had the opportunity to catch up with a friend of mine from high school - we had not seen each other for over 14 years and guess what? She's a marathon nut! How cool is that? She's helping me train for LB and I'm totally stoked to have her back in my life - Thanks Andrea!

So, we ran the Dana Point Turkey Trot course down at the Harbor Saturday evening just before dark. The place was packed! Between Summer Solstice, Grad Night and a typical summer evening in DP, there was hardly any place to park. Maybe something else was going on, I dunno but we had a blast people watching and chatting along the beach as we ran.

We did 6 miles and I forgot to start my Nike Nano to track the run (sheesh!) but Andrea had her Garmin, so we were okay. I've been looking at those things and although I LOVE all the podcasts I subscribe to, I am thinking about getting something that's easier to use to track my running. Anyone have suggestions? It's really difficult to mess with an ipod nano when you're sweaty.

Okay, enough about my sweat - Have a great week ~ Happy Running!

Saucony Progrid Omni 7, Size 10

Today, I went to A Snails Pace in Laguna Niguel off Alicia Parkway. I love how they take the time to watch you run in several pairs of shoes and help you pick the most perfect ones. At first, I thought I might get some New Balance or Nike's but with my "severe over-pronation" Saucony's are the ones that fit me best.

I can't wait to run in them tomorrow! Hee Hee...

Weight Watchers Essay Contest Entry

In April 2007, I gave birth to my daughter, in my home, underwater, in a birthing pool without pain killers. After I accomplished that, it changed the way I thought about what I could do. Surely, if I could do that, I could learn how to take care of my body.

In the fall of 2007 I weighed 194 lbs. I felt trapped, like I was not allowed to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. I had always struggled with my weight. I was never taught how to prepare food properly. Added to that was my complete denial of the benefits of exercise. I needed a program that would change my thinking.

The change came when my goals changed. I didn’t want to lose weight for my vanity anymore. I wanted to teach my kids how to nourish their bodies and I wanted to truly enjoy a sport as a hobby. I knew if I did those two things then the weight loss would simply be a side affect.

That September, I put my 6 month old daughter in the stroller and started to run. I used a pocket radio and listened to anything I could get reception on. One day a song came on the radio that was really intense and I couldn’t stop running. I ran an extra 4 minutes because the song made me feel unstoppable! I set another goal: If I kept running for 90 days -I’d buy myself an mp3 player.

After 3 months, I had only lost 10 pounds because I hadn’t yet changed the way I was eating. A friend of mine mentioned that she was joining Weight Watchers and asked if I wanted to join with her. I said yes and it changed my life. The weigh-ins held me accountable and the meetings began to change the way I prepared food. I tracked what I needed to eat with the online tools.

Today I am training for my very first half marathon. Whether I’m in San Francisco or San Clemente, I’m always on the lookout for a good 5 mile trail. Even if I’m in the middle of no where, I challenge myself to run for an hour so I can listen to music and podcasts on my mp3 player. People say I inspire them and that makes me feel good.

Long Beach Marathon

When I decided to run the Long Beach Marathon this October, I caught up with my old high school friends and found out my friend Andrea is running the full marathon. She sent me her training schedule and it got me thinking that I might train to run the full marathon too. I'm already up to running 7 miles on my long runs anyway - I think the full marathon would really push more so than the half. I can't wait to keep you posted.

This morning I ran 6.5 miles in 1:14:55 - I would like to improve on that time a bit. The weather was nice and cool - overcast today. I listened to Steve Runner's latest podcast. WOW - Loved it. If you don't listen to that one, you're missing out.

It's Father's Day and we are headed inland for a pool/bbq party later. I'm excited as it will be nice to get into warmer (hot) weather. Should be 85 degrees there today.

The most exciting part of my day today is that I'm going to get some NEW SHOES! The last pair I bought was back in February and they are WELL worn. Way overdue for a new pair. I can't wait! I'll let you know what I got tomorrow.

Nice Weather

This morning Kacie woke me up at 4:30 and needed some comforting. It must be hard to be a 14 month old baby. So after checking emails and updates on my friend Chris, I had some time to kill before the day began. So I went for a run. I love running here around 6:30-ish in this little beach town. I was listening to some of The Extra Mile Podcast archives from August of last year. For those of you who run in extreme heat and humidity, my hat's off to you. I am blessed with just about perfect weather 90% of the time. I have to remember that when I don't feel like running. I think of Marathon Chris in Florida where my sister-in-law is having a heck of a time getting outside to run. Too humid she says. I also got to thinking about my life the past few years and what motivated me to start running. On my 30th birthday, my husband took me sky diving. When I was 31 I gave birth to Kacie at home underwater with no pain killers. At 32, I'll be running my first marathon (this year) which now has me thinking, what challenge will I tackle next on my "Life To Do List?" I started running so I could get in shape to keep up with my kids and set a healthy example for them. I dropped 44 lbs and eat in a whole new way, but the running has become a lifestyle habit. I'm so excited to find a new route, download the latest podcast and share it with you in this blog. Thanks for reading. Happy Running!

Running for Chris

Well, I didn't think my first post would be this deep but God works in mysterious ways. I began running back in September last year (07) because I wanted to get into shape. I had two children and and extra 50 lbs to show for it. So I began walking after I dropped off my son Kaden at preschool. I joined Weight Watchers that November and dropped 45 lbs. by March 2008. I always talked about running a marathon but was never really serious. When I started listening to The Extra Mile Podcast, I thought to myself, "Self, if I can give birth at home under water- without any pain killers and if I could drop all that extra weight I had been carrying ALL MY LIFE, then surely I could run 13 miles!" (YES- I will have the birthing video posted shortly)

I registered for the Long Beach Marathon as well as the World Wide Half just this past Sunday. The very next day I got word that my friend from High School died suddenly in the mddle of the night. It has shook our group to the core.

Please donate whatever you can to help his family - money, clothes for the boys, summer camp monies... Any and all ideas are encouraged. I'll have more on my fund raising efforts in the next blog - once I've had a chance to let the dust settle a bit.

Thanks for visiting...