Running and Reading Long Week Four

This week for our Running and Reading Long group we were asked to research something that has to do with the sport of running. I'm going to focus on mid-run nutrition.


I found a great article on Runner's World's website: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-301--13917-0,00.html. 


I usually use energy gels or chews along with water. I have tried the Stinger waffles and they are quite tasty, I just don't like to use them during the run. I'm not one who can eat before I run unless it's something like a gel or the Stinger waffle. Otherwise, I'm sick as a dog during the run. So my general rule of thumb for my runs are: one snack for every five miles unless my run is only five miles and 20oz of water for every nine miles (I know I should probably drink more).


So I ask, what do you like to eat mid run? Drink? Do you go by time? Distance? What's your best advice?


Training this week was lacking due to family a trip to Kansas, but I did at least get a run in there so I can check off another state.


God Bless.

Memorial Day Long Weekend Recap

So this Memorial Day weekend we spent in my husband's hometown in Kansas. Boy was it interesting. We were there for a memorial service for his Aunt who passed away in December and because of that it was also a family reunion.


I had the goal to run at some point while we in Kansas. I ran Saturday morning, just before I high wind advisory was issued. I ran into a South headwind for almost half of the run. But I managed to bust out 4 miles in 40 mins. I have a goal this year to run in five states, so this makes number 3 for the year. I have crossed out Florida, Virginia and now Kansas.


We also had the pleasure of meeting up with my bro (my fave Airman!!), his wife and family at Eskimo Joe's in Stillwater OK. My husband is Oklahoma State Alumnus so it was fun for him to be able walk around campus with his parents (my father-in-law is also a graduate from OSU), our daughter and my bro's family.


All in all it was a pretty darn good weekend. I got to meet some of my husband's family whom I've never meet, got to catch up with those Millers that I know, got to see my bro and his family, and I got to run. 


I'm beat. 


God Bless.

Running and Reading Long Week 3

So this week's post is a little early because my husband, daughter and I will be traveling. And if I don't do it now it just won't happen. 


This week I was asked to pick one thing from Kara Goucher's book Running For Women and focus on it as it pertains to training this week. Any guesses? I'm going with the "Balancing running and life" section because my family has been go go go this month and it will continue into next month. 


It's easy to get sidetracked by life and not run and vice versa. I am a runner, but it doesn't consume my life. I enjoy doing it, but not at the expense of my family. This year one of my running goals is to run in five different states. And since my family is doing so much traveling, that is one small goal I have fit into my travel life. So far I have marked off Florida (where I live) and Virginia. This week I will add Kansas and next month I will add Tennessee. That leaves me with just one other and I have met a goal for the year. I feel like this is a small way to work in running into our busy schedule but to not let it overwhelm me by saying I have to run so much while we are there. 


I love my running and my running friends but I love my family more. It's important to remember that my life does not revolve around running and Kara helped me remind myself of that. I like the way Kara puts it on page 140 "To be the best runner you can be, you have to do the maximum you can handle. You just need to have other important things in your life as well, such as family, faith, hobbies, and so on." And thankfully I do have other hobbies. Cake decorating being one of them (I will post a new cake next week!).


My training this week is going well. Though I almost got hit by a car this morning. Well in fact, I did sort of. I slammed my hands on her hood when she was about two feet from hitting me. I was in the crosswalk, she was at the stop sign and she did not look at all right before she turned right. She just looked at the traffic coming from the left. And it's not the first time I have had an encounter at the corner, and it was with the same lady! It was just last week so at least I recognized her from last week when I watched her not see me so I didn't step out. This week I thought she saw me but apparently me and my two buddies are invisible. The next time I see her, I think I shall go around behind her car instead of using the cross walk. That way the only way she can hit me is if she goes in reverse.


I hope you all have a great week.


God Bless.

Running and Reading Long Week 2

So I have been reading Kara Goucher's Running for Women for my Running and Reading Long group. Below you will find the questions and my answers to this week's reading.


What about Kara's story do you relate to?I can relate to Kara's story because I have been running for a long time. I started running back in high school. I am no where near an Olympic athlete but I am a runner.

What did you learn about your own training from Kara?I learned from Kara that I don't have to push through injuries. I need to take a step back and get healthy rather kill myself. It's just running. And at some point I won't be able to do it. So I need to be healthy at it now.

What did you like about the book? Dislike?

The one thing I really didn't like about the book was how easy she sometimes makes running sound. It's not always easy, some people just can't take it.

I enjoyed this reading. I would recommend it to any woman who wants to run or is a runner. And in fact, I had the chance to show it to some on my husband's business trip. She asked about my running and how she could run more often. I had the book in my purse for airplane reading.

And this week my training went well. With the exception of the Mexican feast I had last night. Boy, I learned my lesson the hard way about that one. I don't think I was a mile in to my run when I told my friend we would have to stop at the Circle K that was before mile 2. It made me feel sluggish those first two miles. But after a potty break I was ready to go. I started out on my run with a bad attitude and sometime in there it turned into a thankful. I literally finished thanking God that I could run. It was a bad run turned good.

I hope everyone is having a good week. Read. Run.

God Bless.

Running Across the US and Mother's Day Recap

It's been a few days since I have been able to sit down and blog. Sorry. I was away with my husband on a trip to Virginia. I had the pleasure of running for the first time in VA. It was great! The humidity was very low, the temp was nice and cool (almost cold! gasp this body has gotten used to FL weather!), it was a flat course and the runner partner pushed me hard than my normal running buddies (as he should, he is a guy). I ran an awesome five miles in 47 mins, go me! I can officially say that I have run in CA (born + raced), PA, FL and VA. I have raced in CA and FL.


What states have you trained or raced in?

My feet in the elevator on the way back to my room.

And for Mother's Day, my mom always gets me something. How sweet I know :) My husband got my daughter and I matching cross necklaces, my mom bought me a couple cute new shirts, and she bought me flowers that were from my daughter. I also received roses at church for being the youngest mom in attendance. That's the most flowers I have gotten since I graduated college.

I hope your day was a blast!

God Bless.

Running and Reading Long Week 1

So in case you missed it in a prior post, I am taking part of a program called Running and Reading Long. I love to read and I love to run, so now I'm using them together for my benefit.


Part of the program requires me to pick a training plan. I have chose the half marathon plan because that's my ultimate goal right now. I'm not following the training plan exactly as it is written. I have altered a little to accommodate Sundays off for me. Plus, I'm already pretty close to being able to run a half so I run a little more than what it plans for. But my longs are the as written. Today was a rough run for me. I don't know if it was too humid or if I didn't hydrate well enough last night but it just wasn't good. It's done and over with and that I feel good about.


I don't have a race picked out at the end like some of fellow Running and Reading Long participants do, but I know it will happen in the fall. I just need my calendar to clear up.


This week we have also started Running for Women by Kara Goucher. I'm not far into but I will be later this week while do some traveling. I'll let you know more on a later post.

We will be doing twitchats as a group on Thursdays at 7pm MST if you would like to participate. You can check them out @runreadlong with the hashtag #runreadlong.


Happy Running and Reading my friends.


God Bless.

http://runningandreadinglong.com/category/join-runreadlong/

Weekend Recap

I was hoping that my Moving Comfort outfit I won would have arrived so I could show it off, but it hasn't so here is the rest of my weekend.


Friday, I bought new running shoes. My fave local running store, Running Wild, hosted the Brooks Run Happy event. So I purposely waited to buy shoes until that day since I wear Brooks. With any Brooks purchase you got a free gift. I chose the Brooks pint glass. Check out my new shoes with my Sweat Pink laces and my pint glass.

Love! :)

Awesomeness.

Saturday, I raced the Fiesta 10k. I'm enjoyed the run with my dear friend Tina, my fellow Sweat Pink ambassador. And not only did I meet my goal time of under an hour, raced it in 59:52, but I also hit a  10k PR. Yay me!

My first ever finishers medal!

So needless to say after the race I truly felt like I earned the right to wear my Another Mother Runner shirt.

And check out the cool race shirt. 

Sunday, was another great day at church. Tina visited my church today and I had fun teaching my children's Sunday School class. Then this evening we will have life group and dinner.

All in all it was a great weekend. I hope you all had one too.

I'll leave you with a quote from today's sermon at church. "If you are too busy for God, then you are too busy." Fr. Ron Browning.

God Bless.