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Archive for January, 2010

Welcome to the World

January 30th, 2010 No comments
World, meet Evan:
Isn’t he the cutest newborn EVA???? Well, except for maybe this guy:
The above picture is my little one, C, who just turned 8 this month. Has it really been 8 years since he was born????! **sigh**
Anyways, Evan was born yesterday to my very best friends, Nikki & Bob. Baby and Mom are both doing great, and they even got released from the hospital today already!
So, I thought I’d dedicate this post to Nikki. We met while interning at Sherwin Williams our Junior year of college at Cleveland State. I was already working (I’m the dedicated one! ha!) and Nikki started shortly after. We hit it off almost immediately, which is funny because at first sight I resented her for wearing a suit to her internship. Looking back at it, I was probably just jealous! It’s actually pretty amazing that we are still BFFs. After college she moved to Arizona for a year and I decided to get married and have a baby. And, although our lives were completely different, we still managed to have something in common. Yes, we grew apart some during that time, but once we both got a little older our friendship grew stronger than ever. She moved home, I got divorced, she lived downtown and met her husband, I lived with my parents for a little, etc. We’ve never really been on the same life schedule actually. I was in her wedding 3 years ago, and then she was in mine when I got remarried a year and a half ago. Anyways, I think you get the picture. She’s my gurrrrll. Period. :)
I thought I’d leave you with some Sa-Weet pics of us:
Luv ya, sista!!
On the training front, I ran 3 miles on the treadmill yesterday with minimal knee trouble – YES! Today was supposed to be 4 miles, but I decided to go visit that beautiful bundle of joy you see at the top of the post instead. Sunday is a 7 miler – I’m praying it gets a little warmer! Come on, Cleveland, show me some LOVE already!!
Peace.
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January 28th, 2010 No comments
Happy Hump Day!!

The last I left you was on Sunday when I ran 6 miles on the treadmill. Well, when I woke up Monday morning my right knee was not feeling good. I’ve had a problem with it in the past, so I have been trying to be cautious. I wear this McDavid Jumpers Knee Strap when I run or do STEP, and I have sworn by it because my knee has been 100%. That is, until Monday. So, I decided to skip my Monday training day (3 miles), took it easy when I taught Group Step Monday and tonight, and, instead, have been doing a lot of this:

Check the bag of edamame. Yep, that’s how I roll. No ice packs here – we use bags of frozen fruits and veggies! :)

In the past I haven’t been smart about taking care of my body when it starts to hurt. I know that with the marathon I need to listen to my body – I’m not 25 anymore!!!
Here’s what I say to that:

That’s my mean/mad face! Ha! (can you see my No Meat Athlete T hiding underneath my sweater?) I heart that shirt.

ANYWAYS, any doctors out there? I need a diagnosis! My knee hurts on the inside and underneath (still on the inside). Anyone else ever had this problem? I’d love any insight you have.

Since it feels almost back to normal today, tomorrow I’m going back to normal scheduled programming: 3 miles tomorrow, 4 on Friday, and 7 on Sunday – wish my luck that my knee holds up. I’m still just in the beginning of training!

PEACE.
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Try Before You Cry!

January 24th, 2010 No comments
Sup, everyone?! How was your weekend??

Mine started pretty fantastic on Friday. Check it:

HOLLA!!! I suprised myself!! Here are my splits:
Mile 1: 9:26
Mile 2: 8:55
Mile 3: 8:56
Mile 4: 8:45
I had no idea I could run that fast on a normal day! Sure, race day is always a little different (and a SHORT race day, like a 5k), but not a plain old training day. The whole time I was running I had to push myself like crazy because I just wasn’t feeling it, but maybe that helped me run faster? Who knows, I’m just glad I did it!

I also tried out my new Bondi Band I bought last week:
It worked pretty good. Stayed put, and even covered my ears to keep my lame headphones in (another post coming shortly about that). But does it make me look like a ninja? Honestly, I really don’t think I’m cool enough to be a ninja. Anyways, today I wanted to try something different and I wore it casually:

Not sure which way I like it better. What do you think?

Saturday was C’s first basketball game. Sadly, I had already committed to teaching at the gym for the next few Saturdays so I couldn’t go. Luckily, my hubby took some pictures – and C even made a basket!! Not too bad for his first game, and only 2 practices…..
He’s #92. So, take a good look. Can you notice the difference between the 2 pics?

His t-shirt is off in the 2nd picture. If you know him, you know he gets hot REAL fast and is always taking his shirts off (especially if he has 2 shirts on, one has to come off as soon as we’re home, and the same with his socks!). I swear to you, the kid is always stripping – it’s pretty funny actually.

Last night I set my alarm for 7:00 knowing that the weatherman called for rain today. So, when I woke up there was no rain, but it looked like it was on its way so I hurried up to get ready and, I’m not kidding you, as soon as I took the dogs out it started pouring. *heavy sigh* Anyways, I thought about postponing my run, but just decided to get it done. I headed to the gym and ran 6 miles on the treadmill. I wanted to quit so bad after mile 3 but I knew I’d be mad at myself for quitting later on so I gritted my teeth, dug in, and finished. Sometimes those are the runs I’m most proud of. Like I always tell my son, and my classes at the gym, “TRY BEFORE YOU CRY!” :) So true today.

Hope you had a nice weekend!! Did you try before you cried??
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You’ll Be Fine!

January 22nd, 2010 No comments
Have any of you other first time marathoners heard that phrase? I’m going to be honest, I can’t stand it. Whenever I’m talking to someone about the marathon and express my nervousness, concern, etc, they’re first response is “Oh, you’ll be fine!” WHAT? Have YOU run a marathon before? I don’t get it. Do people not think running a marathon is a big deal anymore? It’s HUGE!! All the training and the time commitment and punishment you put your body through? I have mad respect for people who run marathons, heck, for anyone who runs period! It’s not easy. Anyways, I got that tonight at the gym from not one, but TWO people. Oh well, vent over…….*sigh*

I taught Group Step tonight to a small group of people. It’s hit or miss on Thursdays – we’ll see if the class lasts or not. I’m hoping it starts to pick up! After class I hit the treadmill for a 3 miler. I’ve decided I hate the treadmill for multiple reasons:
1. I’m a lot slower
2. It’s crazy boring
3. I hate people behind me while my butt is jiggling while I run :)
I got through it, though, and now I’m home chillin. C is at basketball practice, and from what I hear we’ve got some work cut out for us. At least he looks cute (!!):

Come on, who wouldn’t love that face?? :)


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The size of my head

January 21st, 2010 No comments
Now, there are lots of things bigger than my head:
1. Basketball
2. Christmas wreath
3. Earth
4. My butt……. (I kid, I kid)
But never did I expect this when I ordered my protein powder online last week:
I literally laughed out loud when I opened the box this came in! WOW! Bigger than my head! LOL.

Check this out:
Cup Cake Batter flavor! I can’t wait to try this baby out in my oatmeal – YUM!

Anyways, I decided to purchase the protein powder since I am a vegetarian. I have never had a hard time getting enough protein in each day, but I want to make sure I’m treating my body right and repairing my muscles with all the marathon training that is to come. I will let you know if I notice a difference!

On that note, there was no run on the schedule today. I ran 3 miles on the treadmill Monday, and have 3 miles to run tomorrow. I did teach Group Step tonight, though, and my legs are TIRED – I need to go stretch these bad boys out.

I’ll leave you with this:


Tonight we had “Iron Chef: Battle Marshmallow” in our house! We’re Food Network junkies. :)

What channel is always on your TV?


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What the Fog?

January 18th, 2010 No comments
Hello!

Today was a typical winter Cleveland day: cold, wet, and dreary (can you please help me convince my husband that we should move to a warmer state??). Despite the weather, my day started off fantastic with banana pancakes. YUM! Then C told me he wanted to run with me, so I jumped all over it. Here are pics of his first 2 races:

The first one was taken last summer during a 1 mile kid’s fun run at the city park. I was so proud of him – he ran the whole mile and never quit (and check out that finish!). The 2nd race was the Thanksgiving 5k Turkey Trot we did in my husband’s hometown near Pittsburgh. The race had crazy hills that we CRUSHED!

Today was a little different, as it was freezing, slushy, and C wanted to take the pup. So the 3 of us suited up and took off. We ran a mile, and I’d by lyin if I said there was no complaining for those 12-13 mins. BUT he finished strong, and that’s what counts! Here we are:

Check out that mad fog!

After we got back, I grabbed my iPod and took off for my 5 mile run. I averaged a 9:23 pace, with my last mile being 8:49! That’s FAST for this girl. Trust me, this body is not built for fast running. Despite the cold temps, I felt like I could have kept going – I felt pretty darn great! My hips are now bothering me a bit, but they normally get sore when I first start running regularly again. On that note, I’m off to spend some time stretching these old lady hips. I think foresee some frozen yogurt in my future, too!!
Peace out!
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Party Day!

January 17th, 2010 No comments
This morning was FAB, yo – I got to sleep in until 8:00! Since I wake up at 5:30am (eek!) during the week, 8:00 is DA BOMB.
However, waking up at 8:00 didn’t leave us with a lot time to get ready this morning. See, I teach at 10:00 Saturday mornings at the “away” gym. Let me explain: I teach at two gyms (same gym, 2 locations) and the “away” gym is 10 miles away, but takes about a half hour to get to since there’s no easy way to get there – the “home” gym is 3 miles away and takes 10 mins, but we don’t have that luxury on Saturdays. The 3 of us go to the gym together sometimes, as J (the husband) takes my Group Power class, so C gets to live the life and spend an hour in the Playland while we’re working out.
Anyways, we didn’t get home until 11:40, and C’s 8th birthday party was at 1:00 at the ice skating rink here in town. We came home, showered, grabbed a bite, and even picked up a friend on the way (yeah, we’re pretty awesome). I think his party was a success. Check it:
C is in the PUMA sweatshirt in front. Cutie, right (takes after his mom!)?
Anyways, no run today. I’m beat, though. Being the mom at a birthday party for 9 eight year olds who don’t know how to skate (plus one husband who thinks he can skate) is exhausting! Here are a few more pics:
Can you tell we don’t take serious pictures in our household? Love it.
What was your favorite birthday party when you were younger? I remember a surprise party my friend threw me in either 8th or 9th grade. We all were rockin those college sweatshirts you could buy at Dots. Awesome.
Catch ya tomorrow for a 5 miler!

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Meet Steve

January 15th, 2010 No comments
Steve is my new BFF!! He’s named after the running legend, Steve Prefontaine. Not that I will ever be a running legend, but a girl’s gotta have dreams, right?
Steve and I went on our 2nd training run today (yesterday I did 3 miles on the treadmill solo). The snow is finally starting to melt here in Cleveland so we bundled up to brave the cold weather. This is the view from the front of my house looking down the street. Doesn’t look very appealing, huh?

Anyways, our run was great! We averaged a 9:16 pace, which is fast for me, and pretty amazing considering this is what we were dodging for 4 miles:
Here we are afterwards. I think we’re going to be besties for a long time (or at least until May 2nd)!
I want to leave you with one more picture. I took this on my way home from work today! WHAT IS THAT????
Have a great night! I’m off to enjoy “family movie night” with my favorite 2 boys!
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I did it!

January 15th, 2010 No comments
After a year of reading my favorite blogs, I finally decided to create my own! I guess it took me registering for the Pittsburgh marathon to convince myself I had something blogworthy (is that a word?) to write about. I’m hoping the blog will help keep me accountable with my training, as well as keep me in check at home. Luckily I have an amazing support system. My husband and 8 year old son are my biggest cheerleaders (although I’m sure they don’t appreciate me calling them cheerleaders!).
I’m excited, and also very scared, for the marathon. I can’t imagine running 26.2 miles. I’m a person who thrives on goals and accomplishments and, other than giving birth to my son, this is going to be my biggest accomplishment yet. I can feel it. This blog will be a place for me to express my feelings towards training, and balancing life at the same time. So please welcome me to the blog world and join me on this crazy journey!
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