This Is How I Roll

Howdy! First thing first, accountability. Here's how I fared in the area of fitness for the past few days.

Friday 6/1: 2 miles on the treadmill. I also walked some with Paddy Wag outside and danced with her a little.
Saturday 6/2: 1 mile
Sunday 6/3: 1 mile + walk to neighbor's house to deliver fresh homemade rolls.
Monday 6/4: 1 mile
June total: 5 miles

How was your weekend? I had the most wonderful weekend with the boyfriend. We actually took time to rest and relax. We had our meals at the table, we talked about politics and stuff in general, and he pop-quizzed me lots of math problems. That's the deal when you have an engineer as your significant other. We did problems on aggregates and percentages, and talked about the differences between Celsius and Fahrenheit, and discussed the difference between precision and accuracy.

Since I was home pretty much all day, I did what I loved doing.

I made some homemade dinner rolls from scratch.

How can something so simple tastes so good?

I even made a pan for my neighbor because her dad convinently mowed our yard.

And the perfect segue from homemade rolls is this picture ....

My bun in the oven that I have been baking for the past 17 weeks. 

I have been having trouble sleeping at night, trying to get into a the "right" position.

Any advice??

Month in Review and Looking Ahead!

March crept up and I don't even know what I did for February. 

Here were my goals for February.

    On the Personal front, I think I did all right with the tattle tale, gossipy aspect. I just keep my mouth shut or act busy and remove myself from the situation.                                                                    On the "Do one thing that I won't normally do. Does the push-up challenge count?                         I definitely did well with the cook more, eat less, include more colors and drink more water, as well as the grocery budget. :) I was able to work a recipe based on what's available at the house.       As for the guest bedroom, maybe I really need a visit from a guest to kick my bottom in high gear. 

February's challenge was 400 push-ups. I did 285. A far cry from the 400, but nonetheless, 

it is 285 push-ups I most likely won't do if not for the challenge. I would love to roll this push-up challenge to next month and aim for 400 again - just to stoke my ego, you know. 

March's challenge would be 100 minutes of plank. Oh my gosh! 

I need to Youtube it to get a good idea on how to do a proper plank.   

           Check out Christine's blog for information on the challenge.  

February has me running 75 miles. It is a whole lot compared to last February. 

So while I still have a long ways to go to work on getting my monthly mileage up, I am just excited that I am keeping it in the higher range. 

Sunday, I will run my first 2012 half marathon. 

This will be half marathon #5. 

I will get to meet Christine over at Dream Big Runner (who is hosting the 100x Challenge). 

She is going to pace me and help me get a PR. 

I am excited! 

Since I usually race from October to March, I will probably take a break from racing half marathon distances and focus on ramping up mileage for my 1,000 miles for 2012 goal. 

Christine gave me a good motivation and idea - to run a 13.1 mile distance once every month just to keep all the nuts and bolts in my body moving and ready for whatever life throws at me. 

So, I am going to try and do that from now on. 

In a freaky kind of way, I also would like to log a new distance (anything beyond 13-ish miles) in the next few months.  

Since this is taper week and all, I went for a 2 hours walk with Paddy Wag. I want to say it was leisurely, but it wasn't. Paddy Wag walked me for the first 1.5 hours. Then for the remaining 30 minutes, we kinda walked together. When we got back and had to walk past the neighbor's house, their three meanie wienerdogs tried attacking Paddy Wag. They ganged up and tried to bite Paddy's bottom. I, of course, went on mama-bear mode and shoo'ed them off. But they kept yelping, and following, and yelping, and following.
Argh!!!

Goals for 2012

I came up with a slew of resolutions last year and I didn't achieve many of them. This makes me dubious about setting another slew of goals for this year. I feel like a politician when I don't deliver what I had promised.

I have been asking myself what I want out of 2012. Just general big, overall goals for now and then plan on making small steps to achieve those goals throughout the year. It is all about the baby steps, right?

FITNESS 

1. Run 1000 km and/or 1000 miles in 2012
2. Be Injury free
3. Run a real official 10K race
4. Run a half marathon where I'll PR (not by a few seconds, but by minutes)
5. Move 15 minutes everyday

PERSONAL 

1. Get into a shape where I feel confident and strong. 
2. Work toward being a kinder, more graceful, patient, more positive person. 
3. Embrace change/new experiences 

HOME/FAMILY

1. Cook more. Feed our bodies with nutritious food. 
2. Be a better mommy to Paddy Wag
3. Make this current house more "home"
4. Serve the family - my own family and my boyfriend's family

My blog has always been mainly about running with snippets into my life out in the country.  It will most likely be the same but I will be more mindful about documenting the other aspects of my life and not feel like I am deviating from the running aspect of it.  

This week I am aiming for:

1. Running 20 miles

2. My 15 minutes of move everyday

3. Help a family member with a "thing" 

4. Tackle the study

Set Your Goals: Tips and Tricks of the Trade

The tail end of 2011 is slowly peeking through. It is time to reflect on this past year on your strengths and weakness and start planning for 2012.  Here are some tips for setting your goals and achieving it.

Make measurable goals. Instead of goals like "Run more in 2012" or "Run faster" or "Race more," consider goal statements like "Run X miles in 2012" or "Run an average 11:00/mile pace" or "Race # of 5K races (10K races, half marathons).

Be realistic. Aim high and challenge yourself, but be realistic too. You don't want to end up with an injury. If you know that you need a rest day every other run, be sure to include it. For me, I know running more than 2 days in a row makes my knees wonky, so I don't do it.

Find a buddy (or a source) to keep you accountable. Blogging helps. Dailymile helps. I have become friends with some of my blogging friends on Facebook and we have been doing virtual runs together.

Find a challenge. Dailymile has different challenges each month (e.g.: Run 50 miles this month) and some of the bloggers host different challenges to hold you accountable.

Christine over at Dream Big Runner is hosting a 100X Challenge. You will do a 100 of something each month. January is run 100 km (62 miles). February is 100 push-ups. March is 100 minutes of stretching. Get involved! There are many different challenges all through the year, so find one that suits / challenge you.
If you know of any other challenges, do comment below and help your fellow blogging friends.

Runners' World has a little snippet about sticking to your plan I thought I would share.

Break it down! Break your goals into smaller, easier digestable chunks. Run 60 miles a month = 15 miles/wk = 2.1 miles/day.

Buddy Up: I already mentioned above.

Mark Progress. Keep a calendar where you can pencil in your planned workouts/mileage and check it off! Once it is on paper, you will find it irresistable to not check it off.

What other tips/tricks do you swear by?
Please Share.
Thanks!!!!

About Pom and Half Marathon Goals.

First thing first, how do you choose a pomegranate?

I bought two at the store and the little seeds inside are hard! I cannot remember if I am supposed to spit those seeds inside out or if I am supposed to swallow them. But I am swallowing them.

Oooh, look who is getting lots of fiber?

This is this evening's snack. Greek yogurt with banana, grapes, pomegrante, a sprinkle of granola and a drizzle of homemade Arkansas honey. Delicious!

So, I'll be running #4 half marathon this weekend.

I haven't been the most diligent when it comes to training this time around.

But here are the goals.

Really and truly, I just want to enjoy this half marathon. The crowd support was awesome last year and I just want to enjoy it.

I am not going to be gunning and running a PR, but IF (that's a BIG IF), I have a time goal, it would be either

2:31:10 (the time it took for me to run this half last year)

or anything sub-2:27.

All right, gonna go for a short, easy few miler tomorrow before race day!

Tally and Paddy

Adios September. Hola October.  

Daily Mile keeps me honest with  myself.

As a consolation, at least I am not running less than last month.

I don't know what is with me. The running mojo hasn't been around since the last long run.  Last week's run with my running friend helped some. But running long miles alone seems rather "hmm... bleh.... uhmmmm."

I was at the gym on Friday afternoon to run a long run (like a 9 or 10 miler.)  I didn't have enough time. I got in 4 and I quit. In fact, I was treadmill-hopping. Ran 2 on one. Ran another 2 on a second treadmill. It was hot. And teenage dudes bragging about weights and lifting and grunting make me go "ARGH!"

So I left.  (It was 4 miles total in 43:46 minutes)

I am really looking forward to November/December when I get my treadmill.  It will be on my schedule. My run. Right???

Today, I spent some quality time with my Paddy Wag. She is smart. She found the best nook in the whole wide world to lay her head.

  

Thought I'd share pictures of our new abode here. Like I say, we are rolling and grooving to 70s wood paneling in this house.

View is from kitchen to the living room area.
(Yes. We are a no-TV household, by choice).

For all of you who are also decorating mavens, tell me what I can do to brighten this room up
(we cannot paint the wood paneling).

Here is a view from the living room to the kitchen.

Pardon those boxes.

I am still working on unpacking and putting things away.

  

For October, I will run more than 44 miles.

That's it. Really.

Long Run and A Question

I finally got my first long run of this training season in today.

A grand total of 5 miles on the treadmill in almost 56 minutes.

It wasn't easy peasy. I had to encourage myself to keep going for 0.5 miles before I can stop for a brief 10 secs or less to take a sip of water. It helps break the monotony up. It helps make the "long" distance seem shorter. At the end of the 5 miles, I thought, I think I can do 6 miles.

In a way, I cannot wait for the next long run. It always makes me feel accomplished.

It is still ever-so-hot here in Arkansas. Triple-digit temperatures are here to stay for a while.  It looks like we might get some reprieve from the heat and enjoy a high 90s temperature with some rain later this week.  I have been drinking lots of watermelon juice. They are delicious.  However, I find that plain watermelon juice lacks some "ooh la la." I usually spike it with a light sprinkle of salt. It kinda gives the juice more body.

In other matters:

I totally just realized it is AUGUST! Now, where did July go?

For August, my goals are simple:

1) Keep up with my half marathon training.

2) Run at least 40 miles this month.

(This would be the most I have ran since my injury. And I need to keep my goal digestable and doable).

Questions

Speaking of half marathon training,
most of you know that I am doing like a Galloway training program and am doing only 3 runs a week. Now, I am feeling a little inadequate, especially since the 2 weekday runs are only 30 minutes long.

I feel like it is quite a jump to go from 30 minutes run (that's about 2.7 miles) to a long weekend run.

What's your take?

Does anyone know how to delete a run from Dailymile? I posted a run last week and somehow, it got double-posted. I want to set it straight. Let me know. Thanks!

Happy Weekend!

Another Month, Another Run, Another New Goal.

I started this week rather well, I guess.
Ran an easy 1-mile yesterday and today, I logged in 3 miles in 32 minutes.
When I got home from work, I peeled myself away from the computer (Facebook, Blogger, email, shopping for running tops) and went for a run. I had 2.5 miles planned.

Got to the Y and the cooler cardio room that has only 1 TV (I like this TV because I didn't have to bring my earphones) has BET channel on and the functioning treadmills were taken.   So I went to the warmer cardio/weights room without earphones. Running on the treadmill with no form of entertainment really sucked!

So I did intervals instead. I had it set to about 5.5 mph and increased the speed to at least 6.5 mph. The rest portions were set to 4.0 mph. I started with a run/walk ratio of 2:2 and ended up with a run/walk ratio of 3:1. Sometimes, instead of walking, I stopped to stretch the calves/Achilles' tendons. 

At the end of this run, I felt good. Happy. Satisfied. Thrilled. And BACK in the game. I think I am able to slug out another mile or so ... or even a 10K... but I didn't push it, partly because I was already bored and partly because I'm still trying to be cautious about my knee. I just don't trust the knees completely just yet.

Tomorrow, I'm going to do some form of cross-training. Maybe break out the Jillian's Week 2. Maybe a swim instead? We'll see. 

For supper, I had some curried lima beans and potatoes, brown rice and salmon (cooked on the grill pan I bought while shopping for my air tickets) It was delicious. Totally satisfying!

According to the Dailymile ...

I ran 27 miles this month.

A far cry from the 80something gazillion miles I ought to be doing to hit my 1,000 mile-mark,

but I am just glad to be able to run pain-free again.

It is more than what I ran in March and April.

So, I am happy.

I'm setting 40 miles for the June.

Baby steps, right? 

What are your goals for June?

My Long Run + I hate expiration dates

Ran 4 miles/ 51:07 minutes. 

My longest, pain-free run since my half-marathon in New Orleans. 

I ran the scheduled 3.5 miles with some short walk-breaks (example: walk 3 trees and run a bunch). It was hot and humid. Yikes!
At 3.5 miles, this was what I had. 

I would be lying if I said I looked forward to this run.
In fact, I contemplated the run this a.m. 
Thank goodness I laced those shoes up and did it. 

Got out the door at 8:30ish and it was a SMART decision.

Once I hit that 3.5 miles, I walked for about 0.2 miles and took pictures of my girls.

 From left to right: Buttercup, Paddy Wag, Oso (a.k.a Bear, Sam, Sammie).

Then, we continued running because I figured that would get me home quicker and I needed some iced-cold tea to quench my thirst!

Here's a review of what I did last week.  I think I did kinda well on the athletic front despite being under the weather some.

This week I did 3 sessions of Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30.  My thoughts are:

• I have a love-hate relationship with dumb bell flies.  5 lbs are too heavy for me to maintain good form and 3 lbs are not challenging enough. 
• I usually feel a good little sore/burn in certain muscle areas, so that's great! 

I ran all of my planned runs: 2 miles, 2.5 miles and 3.5 miles.

• Slow but steady. 
• Sometimes discouraging. Have to remind myself that I should be thankful that my knee isn't hurting any more than it was.
• I really miss running 10 miles and more.  It's funny how it takes so much for me to do short 2- and 3-mile runs but it's always exciting to run a 10-miler.  

I did well with my fruits and vegetables intake. Juicing is the way to go to get all the fruits and veggies in. I did spend about 15 minutes a day just picking up stuff around the house and throwing clothes into the washer. It's easier to do it the moment I get home instead of waiting until the very end of the day.  And for my 15-minutes of self pampering, I actually spent those time sitting outside with Paddy Wag next to me.

One thing I really hate this week:

• Expiration dates - milk expiration dates, driver's license expiration dates, passport expiration dates, coupons expiration dates.

One thing I really love this week:

• My Paddy Wag.  I never knew I would love an animal so much. I never had a pet of my own prior to Paddy - you know, the one that I picked out, the one I wanted, the one that I named, the one that I have had since it was a baby. Paddy Wag ... she has brought so much joy to my life it is unbelievable. It's like I can feel love with her leaning on me, with her sitting on my feet in front of me on the porch, her looking through the glass door at me and whine. Love.

This coming week will be quite something.

• Paddy Wag will be getting spayed on Tuesday. I'm nervous. She doesn't know yet. Oh boy! I feel like I am "robbing" her chance of being a mother.
• Continue with Ripped in 30 (week 2) every other day. 
• Run every other day with 10% increase over this week mileage.
  I am trying hard to curb the running enthusiasm to prevent another bout of knee trouble.

How was your week? What are you loving or hating this week? Did you attain all your goals you set this week? What's challenging this coming week? 

Weekend fun and some math!

How was your weekend?  A few of y'all had races this weekend, so share your experience with me!!

On Saturday, I went to a 2-year-old birthday party.  I think this was her favorite present ....  It was fun watching those little kiddos running around and playing. My eggs always do some little backflips and dances in my ovaries when I see babies and toddlers.

This was in the papers today. 

Anyway, here's some math for you.
New week = new beginning = new goals!

The plan this week:

• Run at least 8 miles (2, 2.5, 3.5 miles) 
• Do JM's Ripped in 30 every other day 
• Spend 15 minutes a day to pick things up around the house
• Spend 15 minutes a day on myself - read a fun magazine, pedicure, pluck eye brows, stare into blank space. 
• Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day
• Get air tickets booked!!!!!!!!!!!! 

All right, I have spent enough time messing around on the computer. 
Gonna get my vehicle cleaned out!!!!

Reflections. Goals. Solutions.

I took this week off, trying to get over my cold.  The hardcore runners would probably say it's ok to run as long as you aren't running a temperature.  I took off anyway. I felt like my body needed it. My mind needed a little break from running too.

So what I did do this week while laying in bed (other than spending money on half marathon registrations)?  I am catching up all the blog reading, did some soul-searching/reflecting, and thought about different things. 

Remember my post a few days ago when I said my pants were getting tight? 
The truth is, my pants didn't just shrink. The dryer didn't shrink it either. I most definitely ate too much, thinking it's ok because I am running more. In a way, it is true. I am running more, but I also quit doing strength workouts on a regular basis.  So, if I want to lose a few pounds and have my clothes fit better, I just have to watch what I eat and use up calories.  Simple math! 

GOAL: To be able to wear that same tight pants again and have it fit properly. 
Solution #1:  Portion! Portion! Portion!
Solution #2:
a) Watch out eating out! I eat out a lot for lunch during the week. I enjoyed eating with a few of my colleagues and we always go out for Mexican.  Love taco salad. But that shell. That shell needs to stay relatively intact.  Or order from the a la carte menu and get 2 soft tacos or something like that. 
b) I am going to avoid the fast-food restaurants this week.  I usually get a kids' meal anyway so it's not like I can go any smaller on my meal. So, I am totally skipping fast-food this week. 
c) Pack lunch and stash it in a small ice chest. We're looking at fruits and hard boiled eggs and PBJ sandwiches and turkey sandwiches.
Solution #3: Drink lots of water - at least 4 bottles.
Solution #4: Keep a log on the food/drinks I eat for this week so I can reassess and make adjustments for next week.

Training Goals for this week:

1. 1 yoga session
2. 1 upper body weights
3. 1 lower body weights + abs
4. 5K run (incorporate some inclines)
5. 5-mile run
6. 8-miler long run
7.  Stretch once a day

They say "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."  This week of staying indoors really make me ready and eager to go out there and run and train.  :)

What's your BIG GOAL for the upcoming week?

Goals for 2011

Happy New Year!

In 2010, I have became a runner and a blogger.

Here's a look at what I would like to achieve in 2011.

Personal

1. Be more positive - about situations, people.

2. Less whiny/naggy. Say it once and drop it.

Athletic

1. Run 4 races.

2. Run a 5K in 30 minutes or less.

3. Run my first 10K.

4. Run 1 half marathon

(PR will be good. But I don't feel the need to have it in black and white because I know I will push myself.)

5. Cross train/weight train at least 1x a week.

6. 1000 miles! 

Relationships

1. Keep the fire burning.

2. Work at seeing at least one of my family 1x this year.

Beauty and Health

1. Floss and rinse with Listerine daily and not whenever I think about it.

2. Don't go to bed with make-up on my face

3. Take daily vitamin daily.

4. Lots of water, fruits and vegetables.

Home

1. Keep a tidy organized house.

2. Pay bills on time.

Blog

1. A picture says a thousand words. I'm going to try and include more pictures on my blog.

2. Random Thoughts posts. I did a lot of that when I run alone, so to post more Random Thoughts posts, I'll need to do some solo runs.

What about your goals? Share at least one BIG goal of yours.

Again, Happy New Year!
And I wish everyone a safe, injury-free 2011!!!!!

Never too early.

Never too early to make plans right?

Believe it or not, I think I am eyeing these races eyed for next year.

#1: RnR Mardi Gras 1/2 (Feb) (registered!!!)
#2: Little Rock 1/2 (March)
#3: Hardcorps Heartcorps 1/2 (March)
#4: Little Rock 10K Capitol Classic 1/2 (April)
#5: Soaring Wings half (Oct)

These are just the "longer" races I am looking at.  I may not be able to do every race stated.  And see that I'm doing the longer distances during the cooler times of the year.  Maybe, in the summer time, I'll throw in some local 5K races.  The goal next year would be to do 3 races - at least one 10K, one half marathon. And I am going to try and hit that 1000 miles again. Maybe I will get better luck in 2011.

First Run of the Month

Ran 4.55 miles (58:33 minutes).
Perk of the run: Running with a slight sprinkle and with a cool breeze. 

I'm not going to lie. I just wanted to sleep in. These nights of typing reports and working on IEPs for the new kiddos to be placed are killing my morning running mojo. But you know what they always say about accountability. With 2 running partners waiting on you (and the possibility of them joking between themselves about me sleeping in), I got up, laced up those shoes, and went for a run.


Slow run.
Mr. R was on a diet of bullion drinks, Jell-O, and Diet Mountain Dew. Ms. M is fretting about her surgery on her arm, so this will be her last run until she heals. We talked about the elections, the doctors' appointment, Dancing with the Stars, and the weather. As usual, I am the quiet one. I just don't talk a lot and I am working opening up.  At the halfway point, we had to walk a little because 2 big dogs were right behind us, barking and helping us wake up the entire neighborhood so they can all cuss us for waking them up before the sun is up. Boy, I was glad the run was over. Seriously. It is a wonder why sometimes running 10 miles is easier than running 4 miles.

Now that the first run of the month is done, I can sit back and relax focus on working in the remaining 45 miles for this month. I also made some goals I am going to try and stick to.

1. Fast food only 2 times this month (Now, we know how much I love my McDonalds' pancakes and my Sonic drinks). Seriously, this is gonna to be hard, especially since I commute a lot for my job.
2. Ice cream treats only ONCE a week. (Apparently I have been giving myself ice cream treats once, sometimes twice, a DAY. Love the ice cream!
3. Run 50 miles this month. (Secretly, I want to go beyond that. But 50 is a good start). 
4. Yoga at least once a week. 
5. Strength train at least once a week. (We all know how I dislike doing that)

Keep your fingers crossed, people. 

Long-Term Relationship

October went by really fast.  I didn't log quite as many miles as I did in September, so that was quite a little downer. But of course, I did have a slight trouble with the back. And I did run a half marathon. So, I believe y'all will cut me some slack. I will log at least 50 miles this month. And I have a feeling I might do another half before 12/31/2010.

*******

In February 2010, I made a goal of running 1000 miles this year. I believe that's about when I started/just started this blog.


Never mind that Running and I just started hanging out together. You know,  us girls just like to plan everything - picking the outfits for dates, picking out that right pair of shoes and committing to it, registering for races and committing to the training plan, naming our gadget babies after the first date.

But Running and I have been going out for some 9 months now. We have been through some thick and thin - hot summer weather, bad knee, backaches, black toe nail. 

I shed some tears over Running.
I dreamed about Running.
And I also lost sleep over running.
I think I am in love with Running. Probably head over heels in love with Running.

So, it is time to make some final plans and goals for where this relationship is heading, at least to the end of this year.

We aren't going to hit the 1000 mile-stone yet. That would be far too serious and waaaaaay too soon, right? So, I think hitting a 1000 Km marker would be a good start. Yeah. That's where we are heading this year. :)

Looking Back and Looking Ahead.

Ahhh... those rolling hills did a big number on my hamstrings and quads. They are S-O-R-E!
It felt as though I did a gazillion lunges. A good pain. Ooooh ... It hurts so good.

Saturday, after the half marathon, I contemplated a massage.
Saturday night, I believe I needed a massage. I got the boyfriend to do it because I just don't like stranger touching me. But he wanted to play chiropractor instead. Ugh!
Sunday was spent calling up friends and boyfriend's stepmom to see if she knows of any massage therapist within an 1-hour drive time radius.
And today, after work, I went and got a nice massage. It felt good. I feel like a new woman!
I am ready for a nice easy shake-out-the-stiff run tomorrow with Ms. M and Mr. R. :)

My next half marathon that I had registered will be on Feb 2011. I'm already itching to do another one before the year is over. I am looking at one in Northeastern Arkansas where we'll run along the White River. I don't know. We'll see!

With Saturday's half marathon, I have officially fulfilled my birthday wish I made last year when I turned 30. Here were the goals and (what I accomplished):

1. Run a half marathon before I turn 31. (And I just did that.)
2. Run 3 races before I turn 31. I ran 4 races (Three 5Ks and 1 half. One of the 5Ks was actually a trail run).

I feel pretty good now. I made my birthday wish come true! I feel quite powerful.  I feel I am ready for more running.

Before I end today's post, here's a quote I read a day before my half marathon and it gave me a different perspective.

When you don't think you can do something,
sometimes things just fall together really well on race day
and you totally surprise yourself.
So it's worth it to put yourself out there and take some chances.

Lisa Koll, U.S. distance runner and four time NCAA Division One Champion

My birthday is coming up soon. Stay tune for a celebration and more goals!

Runner's Shopping Spree and Shout-outs.

Happy Sunday! 

I was glad I got my long run out of the way Saturday morning because I went to a wedding last night and had an extra glass or two of wine. Today, I don't exactly have a hangover. But I just feel a little blah. 

To undo the blah ... Here's what I did.  

I went a little crazy with my online shopping spree.

I signed up for the Soaring Wings Half Marathon that's scheduled for next Saturday. 

This might be the Running Gods' wishes anyway. This is the race that I had been eyeing since April 2010 when logistics didn't work out for a race I had wanted to do. 

And if that hasn't got the blood pumping and the heart racing, I also took the plunge and committed myself to .....

That will be on Valentine's Day eve next year. I will be running with two friends from J-school. And hopefully, I will finally get to meet up with a bloggy friend - Megan. Don't forget to stop by her blog today to check out what's cooking over in Luling, LA. :)

Stop by this Running Man Wannabe's blog to check him out and give him some virtual hi-fives.
I don't think he is a "wannabe" anymore.

And with all the Christmas decorations items up in stores before Halloween is here, I kinda started making a "wish list."

Wish #1: Three half marathons next year  (2011)

Wish #2: One 10K race

Wish #3: Start feeling it for a full marathon. 

Stop by Christine's blog to give her some tapering assurances and soothe her taper jitters.
She will be running her first full marathon in 14 days! YOU GO, Christine!

My virtual running buddy, Aneta, is running her first marathon today. Do check out her blog and congratulate her. I figured she will post something after she rested a little. 

Not a race, but there's still a run

I love my best friend. I was pretty disappointed these past few days about the race that was shaping out to be "the race that just didn't happen." But after talking to my bestfriend and verbalizing everything out to her, she made everything right. She isn't a runner and sometimes, it is difficult for a non-runner to understand why we have to run a specific race/specific pace/specific distance/specific day.  But she listened. She emphatized. She understood. And she made everything better.

 I love this picture of us. This was taken at a studio before her wedding day.
I'm a shy person but she brings out the "fun" part in me. She always does.

I wasn't going to sleep on this special 10/10/10 day. I made arrangement to run with Ms. M.  Ms. M ran marathons for 40 years and she told me stories about the races that she had trained hard for but wasn't able to race. She was worried about my back and she knew that I didn't want to leave the boyfriend alone for too long, so we ran a 5K route. Even though I coughed along the way, it was a great run.   I felt happy. I felt strong. I felt powerful (even though we weren't going fast). I felt stress and tension melting away. With every step, I retrieved a little "me" back.  After the run, I felt fulfilled.  Good news is I didn't feel the sciatica butt pain during my run. :)

With the help of my best friend and a good run, my mind can think clearer now. 

1. I never want to be without a run in my life.
2. I'm still looking at running a half marathon this year. 
3. And I will be a marathoner by 2012. 

P.S.: If you get some time, stop by Megan's blog to read about her pre-race tradition, how she got "race-ready" and I believe she will have a race report later. Stop by every Sundays because she has some pretty darn good recipes! We were supposed to have a meet-up today at the race. Sorry Megan! I'm still going to be registering for the RnR though. And I hope we'll have better luck next time. 

August Goals

Woo hoo! I am quite a blogger today huh?  I spent a WHOLE LOTTA time on the Internet browsing at race calendars, checking out hotels/plane tickets as if I was really going for a destination half marathon and read a lot of blogs. I also gave some thoughts about August and running.

Goals for the Month:

1. I am going to run 60 miles this month. 
2. A virtual race (see below).

So, I clicked and clicked and clicked and hey! I found myself on MCM Mama's blog.

And I clicked and clicked and somehow, I signed up for a virtual race.

And Hey! Hey! Hey! I didn't just remain the usual "play safe" girl and signed up for the 4-mile run. I committed myself to the 8.25-mile run! We gotto think big. Dream big. And accomplish big!

OH YEAH! August is still gonna be oven-hot in SE Arkansas so I am thinking it will be done on the dreadmill. But, I'm gonna do it. We gotto challenge ourselves, right?

So, if you are interested in a virtual race, head on over to MCM Mama's blog and check it out. Let's celebrate her birthday with some miles!

What are your August's running goals? 

Looking back and ahead, July goals, and what nots.

Looking Back:
1.  June has just zipped past me and I hate to think that summer break is nearing its end. Oh no! I love my summer breaks and having time to run whenever I want. In June, I logged exactly 50 miles and not a step more.  I logged a pitiful 14 miles in January, 25 miles in February (of which some of them were cycling miles), 63 miles in March and April, 64 miles in May and 50 in June. I think I used the "hot" and "humid" excuse a lot in June. 

2. I ran one 5K race (Squire Creek Peach Festival 5K) in June with Judith and her friend. It was a peachy good one and the three of us PRed in it.  I finished the race in 33:03 minutes.

A picture of me, Judith, and Kelsey after the 5K at the parade

3. Looking back, I have been bad with my eating habits in June. I gotto work on eating nutritious and healthful meals in July. I feel like I have gained some weight too. I haven't been logging in long runs (the ones that burn some serious calories) but I have been eating the same amount of food (and probably more). Gasp!

Looking Ahead

1. Running goal for July = 60 miles.  I need to incorporate more runs outside so I'll get accustomed to running in the heat because .......

2. .... I have registered for another 5K race - Ding Dong Days 5K (yeap, what a interesting name) - in Dumas, Arkansas on the 24th. I think my boyfriend's little brothers (they aren't little anymore - more like tween/teen) are running it. I want to PR in this one. Maybe a 32:00 minutes and under this race. 

3. My friends are thinking about doing the RnR New Orleans half in Feb 2011. I think I am going to run that.

4. I'm still looking at trying to run a half or at least a 10K by the end of this year. I'm probably going to race that by myself, which I'm not sure. It's gonna be my first long race, so I want it to be "just perfect." There is one in Arkansas that I have been looking at for a while. It said the course has some rolling hills and when I clicked on the elevation map diagram, it just won't show up.  Of course, when I tried to bypass the online registration and wanted to print out a registration form like it had instructed me to, there was no such link for me to print one out. Is this a sign that this isn't going to be a well-run race?

Other What-Nots

1.  Age Group Rocks is hosting her first giveaway.  There are 2 Bondi Bands up for grabs. Head over there and check it out.

2. And in case you didn't win her giveaway or can't wait any longer (like me), I ordered some Bondi Bands for myself and as a gift to others. I found a coupon code online. Enter "JULY" and that will give you 1 free Bondi Band for every 3 purchased.

3. Team Marcia at Running Off At The Mouth will be running the Chicago marathon as part of the Lupus Charity Team in honor of Alex, her neighbor with Lupus. A donation will earn you multiple entries to some fabulous prizes.

4. Girls Just Wanna Go Run is giving away a zebra print travel mug with the option of 13.1, 26.2 or Run.  If you can't wait, go to Lift Your Sole Web site and enter girlsjustwannarun10 for a 10% discount.  

Hope July will bring you more happy miles running!