5 months of running every day

ok although i haven't been blogging very well i have been running well and.....daily.

the daily running commitment has given me:
1. quality one on one time with my children discussing things that don't normally come up in the family room
2. my half-marathon pr in april
3. the opportunity to do something i didn't really want to do.
4.the chance to run in the mountains, the snow, the rain, the sleet, the wind, the mud, the sun, late at night, early in the morning, after a full day of exercise, alone, with family, with friends, in hiking boots, barefoot, on the treadmill, on the roads, in arkansas, colorado, missouri, and oklahoma, when i was sick, when i was tired, when i really wanted to, and when my legs hurt.
5. the chance to see my daughter running her first 4 mile event this weekend.

i have a few most memorable jaunts:

1. in colorado over spring break... started feeling ill on the slopes. had to stop skiing for the day went back to cabin and went to bed while the others went to dinner. chris came back to the cabin and i told him i still needed to run. after much discussion between the two of us he agreed to go with me for the mile minimum. i made it about 50 yards and emptied the contents of my stomach on the side of the road while about 30 deer looked on and chris held my hair back. i am thankful for the window of good feeling you get when you do that and was able to complete the mile and head back to bed.
2. i ran 13 miles in a blizzard at turkey mt. it was all i could do to keep the mud from sucking my shoes off until the ground got so frozen and my feet so wet and cold that it didn't matter anymore. after i got back to the yukon where chris had been sleeping for two hours (we had driven in from colorado the night before, arriving home about 2am) we had to tow people out of their parking spaces.
it also happened to be maggie's birthday and it was the first time during a run that i knew exactly what i had been doing that day 14 years ago. and for those of you wondering..... 14 years ago i hadn't ever run a mile without stopping. i was very proud of where i was that day and who i had become. i felt empowered.
3. running a mile around 10:30 pm to get it done. eli was concerned that i was going out on my own so he volunteered to join me. he talks so openly. this particular night that stands out he asked about how to know that the bible was really all written by God and not just people doing their best. the awesome thing is there is no pressure for answers to the things we discuss. there is only the freedom that running brings to the mind for discovery.
4. a three mile run around the neighborhood with drew on his bike beside me. no walkman needed... after we talked about his day he rode and sang the songs for me that he was doing for his first grade musical.

just to name a few...

it has been a great 5 months...

latest run was 11:15 pm
earliest run 4:30 am
longest run 15 miles (so far)... chris is trying to get me to do another marathon..
personal best in half-marathon of 1:51:27... goal was 2:00:00

everyone is moving more at our house... what about yours????

uphill and into the wind

completed another long (12 mile) training run saturday. did a loop around the river. apparently just missed the plane landing by about 1/2 hour. went from 71st down to the 21st street bridge feeling great. as soon as i turned on to the bridge it was like a hurricane. i had not noticed the wind at my back those first 5 miles, but it was immediate as i turned. i had 6 miles to go straight into that breeze. chris was mt. biking at turkey while i ran, so not only was i to run into the wind but i had the mile and 1/2 uphill as well. i tried to keep a positive attitude and think about what great training this was. that was until the water bottle he was supposed to leave me on the car at the top wasn't there. then i just got frustrated. however, he caught me on his bike a few minutes later with nice fresh water to drink. i forgave him quickly, because it was our anniversary weekend. we were in the midst of celebrating 17 years of marriage after all.

only two more long ones before the big day. my time is coming along. it may actually be possible to reach my time goal. colorado next week for spring break.. not sure if i'm looking forward to altitude training or not.

kristin

2 months and counting

gym today. treadmill after spin class. forgot running shoes. desperate: ran in socks 1 mile. balls of feet a bit on the stinging side upon completion. had been reading about benefits of barefooted running recently. never once did these articles mention the treadmill. imagine that.

well at least i have another first. and i bet i will remember to bring my shoes tomorrow.

kristin

long run postponed....

i awoke thinking i might have been hit by a mack truck . but no, nothing like that. i survived the les mills fitmark quarterly in arlington texas yesterday. my body is sore. a group of us from the gym went down and did roughly seven to eight classes. we were going from 9am to 7 pm. (attack,vive,combat,flow,step,pump,jam,and a bit of cycle) and on my break i even managed to get my mile minimum in for the day. most thought i was more than crazy, but i just couldn't let it be the day i didn't run. i mean i was already sweaty and dressed for it. think goodness for the runkeeper app on my phone. i logged a mile around the hotel which included a pass by texas stadium. which was a first.

the problem was today. i was supposed to get in an 11 miler this weekend. it hasn't happened; won't happen. i did well to hit the pavement for a mile today in the rain. i really, really, didn't feel like running when i started but as i was completing the mile i felt a bit looser. i must get the 11 completed in the next couple days or i will be off for next weekend as well. not good.

i'll let you know how it works out.

kristin

still running; still learning

things i've learned past couple of weeks of daily running-

1. the i phone can get so cold that it completely goes dead, completely... until you hold it in your hands and/ or put it between you legs for many minutes and it rewarms. it can't be left in a front pocket as you run into the wind on a cold day without striking fear into the heart of its owner.

2. i can run faster than i thought i could. (most days)

3. i may dread the idea of "the run" but i have always been glad i did it when i'm done. no regrets baby!!!!!

kristin

still hanging on.... two long runs done. one 9 mile on treadmill and one 10 mile run this past weekend outside. daily runs of 1-4 miles squeezed in among the rest of life. next week i build to 11 for the long and then start the alternating: long one weekend and half that distance the next. i love those half weekends. some days its taken all i have to get my mile in. my legs have felt heavy and tired. but i've done it and am always glad for one more day. i have found repeatedly that the first mile is the hardest, mentally and physically. however, the tug-a-war i used to do mentally about going vs not going has subsided. it has become a when not if. i am getting stronger and a bit faster. the daily running, however long or short, is becoming the norm. each day it's a choice, and i have chosen to run.

kristin

yet another first...

well, only because i said i would run everyday did i go out a mile today in the slush, snow, and ice. i hate having wet feet which lead to this first. i ran in my gortex hiking boots. it felt like running with weighted feet. one mile was fine, but i am going nine tomorrow and must come up with a better plan. quickly! also, got registered finally for the okc half-marathon. i figure if i'm actually going to run nine tomorrow there better be a really good reason. i committed. wish me luck...

kristin

p.s. i made it a whole month... just 11 more to go.