Running is far bigger than it seems.

It's been awhile since I've blogged...My baby sister got hitched last weekend and I was the MOH so I've been BUSY. She was beautiful. I cried through my ENTIRE morning run. And rocked my MOH speech. 

I couldn't let today go past without posting about running because...well...IT'S NATIONAL RUNNING DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Running has changed my life and the life of my family more than you can imagine. I have more patience, energy, and I can officially say I can outlast my crazies.  Which was a big goal of mine when I started.  Don't get me wrong there are nights I'm laying on the floor with a bottle of water and a bowl of watermelon letting them run circles around me with their underwear on their heads yelling "I'M AN UNDERWEAR HEAD!" But those are usually long run days and it's a known fact that those days are branded as "Survival of the Fittest" in our house. 

But you don't have to be a runner for running to change your life.

This morning a friend sent me an amazing message describing her experience as a volunteer at the Detroit International Marathon/Half Marathon/5k....that just so happens to be the half I'm running this year in under 2 hours and the FULL I'm running next year....there...I said it...That means I'm doing it...

Her words not only made me even more excited for that race, but also made me full out ugly cry before 9:00 a.m.  Whether you are a runner or not...read this story. 

A Race Report from the Eyes of a Volunteer:

• My son and I had the pleasure of spending his 18th birthday volunteering at the Detroit Marathon. We awoke at 4:00am, which I’m not sure is an actual time. I didn’t even know that my clock had that setting. We were still under the cover of darkness when we arrived in Detroit, which turns out to be a great way to see the city. My first clue that this was no ordinary small town 5K is that the volunteer tent had coffee and donuts waiting for us. Sweet! We got our (enormous) t-shirts and were told to put on our fancy name tags… masking tape scribbled with a Sharpie.
• Our first task was to unfold the warming sheets. I always thought that these were insulated blankets but they are just sheets of silver mylar. My Reynold’s tin foil is just as thick. If any racers saved their heat sheets, maybe they can bake with them later. By the end of the day my hands had turned a glittery silver. I looked like the Tin Man.
• It was so cute to watch the mascots for the Tigers and the Lions dancing in front of each starting wave. Then the horn would sound and each wave would take off. This is when I have pangs of regret for volunteering. I want to be out there crossing the starting line! I feel wistful when I see runners approaching the finish line, too. I want to be finishing a race! It’s that middle hell that holds less appeal. It was so thrilling to watch each wave of racers go by. There were the young stallions up in front, eyes focused straight ahead while trying to reign in their desire for speed. I thought, “Hey, they’re running too fast. I thought that you were supposed to start out slow for a marathon.”. Then I realized that they were… it’s just that their slow pace is my sprint pace. Some racers were crazy enthusiastic as they began (I didn’t see any of that at the end). They would hoot and holler as they ran by and slap hands with the volunteers lining the course. Others had looks of dread or determination on their faces but when they’d catch our eyes and see us cheering for them, they’d smile. Because this was a 5K and a Half and a Marathon (and another Half) there were finishers the entire eight hours that we were there. Whew, eight hours. I was on the course longer than any runner. Granted, I wasn’t running but I was on my feet the entire time, hoisting cartons of bottled water and moving tables. No lie, my muscles are sore today! I’m going to tell folks, “Yep, I’m a little stiff today. I did the Detroit Marathon yesterday.”. (Notice I won’t say that I ran it, but man, I earned some props.) We cheered off the last wave of marathoners and then turned around to see the first 5Kers finishing. There were still 5Kers finishing when the Half Marathoners began arriving. There may even have been 5Kers finishing when Marathoners arrived. There were some really slow 5Kers! God bless ‘em for getting out there. But that’s not where the stories are. The drama arrived with the Marathoners. Most Half finishers looked tired but in a good way. They had completed a major accomplishment and you could see the pride and relief on their faces. You could tell that they had trained well, were prepared, had given it their all and would eventually recover and enjoy the heck out of the rest of the day. It was nice that the bibs were color coded based on the distance raced. Half Marathoners had red bibs. Full Marathoners had blue… unless it was your first marathon and then your bib was green. I was impressed by everyone but the ones with the green bibs got major kudos from me. Here are a few highlights of what I witnessed as I handed out water and heat sheets… · Soon after the marathoners began arriving a man in the crowd grabbed my arm and said, “Someone over by that building needs medical assistance!”. I ran across the street to summon the medics, who grabbed a stretcher, attended to the person and called an ambulance.

  · We had given a woman her medal, some Gatorade and a heat sheet. She was walking down the block weaving from side to side, like she had too much to drink. I ran and put my arm around her and led her to the medical tent.

  · A man was crouched over a garbage can vomiting. We covered him in several heat sheets and then led him to the medical tent. (I was so glad that the medical tent was right across from me!! This was no little first aid stand. It looked like a MASH unit!)

  · People would holler, “Hey Jennifer! Where’s the… after party/reunion area/MGM casino/Ren Cen/etc…”. First of all, I forgot that my name tag was on the back of my shirt so I was always startled that someone knew me. But second of all, I didn’t even know where I was… let alone anything else city related. I could tell folks to keep walking down the block to get to the food and I knew right where the medical tent was, but that’s about it.

  · I assisted many runners whose legs were cramping up. They could not walk one more step. (But you know that if the finish line was 50 yards further down, they still would have finished by the sheer force of their will.) It was terrible to see these folks in crippling pain and not be able to fix it right then. All I could do was… wait for it… run to the medical tent and the medics would come with a wheelchair.

  · It was a privilege to be right there wrapping a blanket around a runner who was just realizing what she had done. She did it. She ran a marathon. By the time they got down to where I was, the tears had started. I lost track of the number of times I tied a blanket around a runner and said, “Please tell me that these are happy tears? Yes? Good, because you are a rock star, sweetheart! You did it! This pain is temporary but the pride will last forever. No one will ever be able to take this from you.”

  · One woman was standing alone in the street and beginning to cry. I brought her a blanket and gave her my same speech. She said, “I’ve lost 220 pounds to run this race.”. Well… I began crying right along with her! We hugged and I gushed about how freaking AMAZING she is and how I run three miles and feel like collapsing and look at her running a marathon!!

  · There were a few funnier moments. Sometimes runners had their hands full with Gatorade cups so we would wrap the blankets around them and then tie them in front. A few guys seemed to enjoy having a woman get so close and would grin and say in a sultry voice, “Why, thank you, Jennifer.”. Or maybe that was just their voice from being exhausted.

  · After seven hours the course officials began to take down the tables and stuff. But there were still runners coming in, so my son and I stuck around to make sure that they got their fluids and heat sheets. Two of the very last ones to finish were a married couple smiling and holding hands. She was joking that they were last and I said, “Yeah, you know what we call folks who finish last? Finishers!”. They were adorable.

  · There’s a man on the front page of Section F in Sunday’s Detroit Free Press. He’s a former runner with cancer and his family was running to support him. I got to tie a blanket around his shoulders.

  In re-reading this, I feel like this report doesn’t even begin to describe all that I saw and all of the emotions evoked. It affected me deeply. The next morning I went out to run my town’s 5K course… the course that I half walked back in August. I told myself, “Think of this as your DQ. You hear of folks who BQ. Well, Boston is never in your future but Detroit could be… maybe. But you’ve been training for four months and if you can’t run the entire 5K by now, give up any idea of ever doing a marathon.” But why would I even want to run a marathon?? I always thought that it was crazy. Until Sunday, I would always swear up and down that a marathon is not in my future. A Half, maybe. But I was changed on Sunday. I’m different today. I saw such depth of human experience and emotion. These runners… many who look just like me… took on an enormous challenge, worked for it and accomplished it. I want to BE one of those people. I want that sort of pride that can never be taken away. As I ran the 5K course I thought of the woman who had lost 220 pounds. I thought of the many racers who broke down in tears in my arms. I thought of the couple at the very end. And I ran that entire damn course… even the hill that used to scare me. I ran the entire way and I felt like I could have kept running. So I’m in. Detroit Free Press – Talmer Bank Marathon… October 20, 2013.

  Then she wrote me the most touching message I've ever recieved:
• You have a great deal of inherent talent and drive. It will be fun to watch you fulfill your dreams! I think it's *wonderful* that you're discovering them this early in the game. Being a mother is a holy vocation and deeply fulfilling. But it can be easy to lose sight that you are a person in your own right. Your favorite name might be Mommy and that's beautiful. But always remember that you are Sarah, too.
• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
• I can't explain the amount of gratitude you have for the volunteers at a race...whether it's a small town race or the Detroit International Marathon. Without people like Jennifer there would be no warming blankets, cups of water, or most importantly...hugs at the finish line.
• Thank you Jennifer for showing me today, National Running Day, that running is far bigger than it seems.
• xoxo

25K Race Recap!

All winter. All looonnnnggg...cooooollllddddd....snoooowwwwwyyyyy...winter I've been running. 

Why? Life. Life is why.

But also I knew after my half last fall I wanted to do another distance race in the spring to kick off the running season and keep me moving all winter long. So when I found the Grand Rapids River Run and read some of the awesome reviews I had a goal. I knew it was a 25k...I did the math....and by did the math I mean used my calculator...and figured out it was 2.4 miles farther than a half marathon. Perfect. 

So I ran through the fall when the weather was BEAUTIFUL.

I ran through the holidays when I really just wanted to sit on the couch and eat mashed potato sandwiches.

I ran through snow storm after snow storm after snow storm.

I ran early in the morning trying to dodge the next snow storm.

I ran through 3 polar vortexes.

I ran when it was -22 degrees.

I started my spring training in February when it was still snowing. and freezing. and there was ice covering everything. But I still did it.

I conquered The Winter of 2013.

All to get ready for my first race of the year. A 25k...15.5 miles.

I had followed my training schedule almost perfectly accept my last long run was 12 miles instead of 14...I had to skip the last weekend of my training due to my sister's bachelorette party...though I could make an argument that the amount of dancing in high heals that commenced COULD pass for 14 miles of running. Just sayin. 

So in reality...if I was running a half marathon I would have been GOLDEN. However this was 2.4 miles FARTHER than that. I just figured I'd tackle that little bit of information when I got there. 

The night before the race was unlike ANY other I've ever experienced. I ate an amazing dinner. I drank all the water. I closed my eyes at 9:15 and opened them at 4:22...8 minutes before my alarm...I wasn't woken up by any children...or dogs...or stampeding husbands....or my intense fear of my alarm not being set. It was amazing.

I woke up..and went downstairs and found my wonderful husband making me breakfast and my coffee already started. He is the coach for our son's t-ball team and they had a game that morning so he wasn't going with me. I showered. Got dressed. Drank coffee. At my wonderful breakfast. And right as I was about ready to leave a car pulled in our driveway...I was riding with a friend that was going to watch her mom but I told her I was picking her up..I thought since I was running a little late she must have decided to come to me. I opened the door and found my most treasured babysitter...I knew she was suppose to be coming later that morning to help Dana with the little kids while he coached t-ball but why was she here at 5:00 in the morning....I actually said..."Hi...I thought Dana said 9:30." She said, "SURPRISE!" 

I turned around to find Dana fully dressed and ready to go. HE WAS GOING WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had NO idea. I was so so so so surprised. I cried. Running is a big deal to me and to my friends and family that don't run (my hubs is NOT a fan of running) I look like a crazy person. But what means the most to me is when these people that think I'm completely looney toons support me. And that's exactly what he was doing. 

We hopped in the car...Picked up our friend that was going with us and we were off.

Easy drive.

Coffee worked like a charm.

Found packet pick up. 

Got my gear checked and bib on.

Found this guy.

Found the founder of a secret group of running Goddesses...note the wicked awesome headbands.

Made my way to the area between the 10:00 and 10:30 mile pacers. And started my music.

Instant tears.... All the mountains that I moved to be standing at the start line. All the time I sacrificed with my family to be able to train. All the hours in the freezing cold....All of the runs I dodged snow piles and ice covered sidewalks....

It was finally time. Time to run. Time to put all of that hard work to the test.

I had an incredible playlist made with songs that remind me of people or events in my life...I had superhero tattoos on my arms for my babes....

I was ready.  

There were THOUSANDS of runners. So It took about 8 minutes to get to the actual start line after the gun went off...I started to compose myself about 4 minutes in but then passed my husband and friend on the sidewalk and cried again. I still couldn't believe he was there. 

As the actual start line got closer and closer I continued to pull it together. 

I crossed the mat and we were off. The hardest thing about races is not starting to fast when the adrenaline is PUMPING. 

I had gone into this race with really no "plan"...I know...very not type A of me. But this was a distance I had never ran....From training I knew what my body could do but my mind is a POWERFUL thing. Ask my husband...........................................................

So I decided to run between a 10 minute and 1030 minute mile and then give it all I had for the last 3 miles.

Let's break it down. 

Mile 1: 9:53

This mile consisted of lots of tears, awesome crowds cheering us on. Little kids holding signs that said things like, "Run Mommies Run" and "My Mom Has Superpower!" Not gonna lie...I'm crying while thinking about it. There is nothing like being a mom. NOTHING. And being a mom that is a runner is a whole other animal...and these little kids holding those signs missed their mommies on long runs...and waited in the windows to wave as she ran by their house to give her that little boost she needed to finish those sometimes never ending miles.  Mile 1 was awesome.

Mile 2 - 7: About a 10:15 average

This was simply beautiful. Totally shaded...all along the river. Aide stations every 2 miles. I made a deal with myself that I could walk through the aide stations because trying to drink water and NOT swallow a bunch of air which causes incredibly loud burping.........................is not easy to do while running. The volunteers were AMAZING. I mean for real...cheering us on. High fives. Reminding us to smile every mile. Just amazing. 

I kept the crying to a minimum BUT there were these teams of 3 or 4 runners pushing handicapped kids in these awesome chairs...all of them were dressed in red, white, and blue, and everyone would whistle and woop it up when they would run by....got me every time. 

At mile 7 was the turn around...I had just managed to consistently stop crying and then boom. A huge group of kids giving high fives. Though through all of the spectator spots this far I had not seen my husband...I didn't think he would come quite this far out on the bike paths but I was hoping to see him soon.....I needed a familiar face.

Mile 8-10: 11 min mile pace

I knew I wanted to kick it in the ass the last 3 miles so I wanted to save some energy for them. But shit was getting real. My muscles were starting to get tired and that dirty little voice in my head was starting to speak louder than the music I had blaring in my ears. And then...like I had planned it...which I swear I had not...The song, "Living on a Prayer" came on right as I was coming to this sign. And out loud with every ounce of my being I sang "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH YOU'RE HALF WAY THERE OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LIVING ON A PRAYER!! TAKE MY HAND....WE'LL MAKE IT I SWEAR OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LIVING ON A PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" There may have been some jazz hands and fist pumps going on as well. 

Shut that little voice RIGHT UP.

Mile 10 - 12:  The hills....oh the hilllllllssssssssssssssssss. I walked some...I ran some....I wanted to crawl some. 

But then you see this. And you just keep going. 

I FINALLY saw my hubs. It was the perfect time. I needed to see him. Needed to see him give me that "I have no idea why you torture yourself with this sport but I love you anyways" smile. I loved knowing that he was there...somewhere...and he was just there for me. To show me how much he loves me...and supports me even though he has absolutely no idea why I run. He was still there. I needed to see him....and he was there.

Not to long after that I saw it...a giant sign that said 13 MILES. I was in pain. I was ready to be done. And if this was a half marathon...I would have been almost there...but because this was 2.4 miles LONGER than a half marathon I still had work to do. Work I did not want to do...For the next 2 miles that little voice in my head would.not.shut.up. 

WHO WANTS TO RUN MORE THAN A HALF MARATHON? She said. 

YOU REALLY ONLY TRAINED FOR A HALF MARATHON DISTANCE. She said.

LET'S WALK. WALKING IS BETTER She said...so I walked and tried to stretch my hips out but it didn't help. I ran again. And now we were running through subdivisions where there were sidewalks and tons and tons of signs in yards and signs spectators were holding. And the kids....oh the kids...There were kids all over giving the runners high fives and holding AWESOME signs. Every time I would see a line of little humans holding their hands up for a high five I would cross to that side of the street and woop it up with them. That's when I said to myself.....SERIOULSY....if you can jig and jag through these runners to high five these sweet little kids you can finish this race like a freaking rock star. As we were nearing downtown aka THE FINISH LINE there was a sweet little boy holding a sign that said, TOUCH FOR POWER.

I did. 

And then I ran. 

Right as we rounded the last corner my music stopped and I'm so so glad it did. 

A man standing on the corner looked me right in the eyes and said, "YOU CAN DO THIS!! LAST CORNER!! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!"

The crowd was cheering so loud. 

With tears streaming down my face I ran as fast as I possibly could up the last hill. I looked at my watch and it said I was doing an 8:30 pace. I KNEW I could finish it strong...It wasn't the last 3 miles like I had planned...but it was the last quarter mile. And I ran that quarter mile with more strength and determination than any other step I've ever taken. 

Their was no more little voice telling me I couldn't do it. 

No more self doubt.

The only thing I heard over and over and over again is YOU CAN DO IT! YOU CAN DO IT! YOU CAN DO IT! 

And I did.

I crossed the finish line. And it was worth every mountain I had to move to get there. 

I was handed my medal by a man that said, "You earned this sister!" 

You're damn right I did. 

I hobbled to the water and food and then I found it...Watermelon..........The best post race food I've ever tasted. 

I called Dana to see where he was and sat down to wait for him to come rescue me. I thought about the race....I was dissappointed that I walked. I was dissappointed that I didn't run negative splits. And as I was sitting there thinking about what I did wrong I looked at my legs...These legs that used to be my most hated part of my body. These legs that just carried me 15.5 miles. These legs that are built like a brick shit house. 

15.5 miles. I've never ran 15.5 miles. WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT NEGATIVE SPLITS AND WALKING UP SOME HILLS AND STOPPING TO STRETCH!?!??!?!??!

Then the tears started again. 

Once I composed myself again I checked my watch to see how I did...Since I love numbers...and goals...and always seeing if I've done better..................TYPE A.................. Even though this wasn't a half it still timed me for that distance...and this started the tears all over again. 

Last fall I ran my first and only half marathon in 2 hours and 41 minutes. During this race I crossed the 13.1 mile mark over 20 minutes faster than that and I still had 2.4 miles left to go. 

My pace was around 10:49/10:59 per mile...my watch says 10:49...The running app says 10:59...whatevs....Because my pace for my half last fall was 12:41/mile. Yeah. Do the math. 

A year ago RIGHT NOW I could run ONE mile in about 12 minutes...I just ran 15.5 miles with a sub 11 minute mile pace. 

The numbers don't lie. 

That little voice in my head does. 

Afterward I met up with a group of Running Goddesses.... loved getting to talk to these women. We've supported each other for months but never met in person until now. It's like we had been friends forever. And we ate a lot of delicious food like this.......................mmmm...............................

My friend, hubs, and I drove back to our sweet little town where my babes were waiting for us.

That friend that drove us all the way to the race THEN invited our family over for dinner...UGH>>> I seriously don't know what I would do without the wonderful people here.

I was in bed by 9:15 and slept like a rock...or like a runner that just conquered the world. Same thing. 

The next day I had enough strength and energy to get up with the kids and the crack of dawn, cook them breakfast while the exhausted hubs slept in EVEN THOUGH it was Mother's Day...I think he earned it....and then take the herd to church, grocery shopping, and to the park. 

When we got home it was my turn to relax. And it felt oh so good.

Every race is important. Every race means something to me. This one was a lot more than just running faster and farther than ever before...This race almost didn't happen. I almost didn't go. I almost gave up. I almost let that little voice take over before I was even at the start line. I'm so thankful I didn't.  

Left: First 25K...May 2014

Right: First 5K...June 2013

JUST>KEEP>GOING

The Race I've Been Pretending Isn't Happening.

I've had a serious case of the fuck it's lately.

Why?

Because LIFE. LIFE IS WHY.

So this weekend there is a pretty big race. It will be the farthest I've ever ran. The first time I've had to go to a race alone.  I have to drive myself the two hours there at the ass crack of dawn and try to navigate my way through a city I don't know and find where I'm suppose to go when 90% of the streets my GPS will tell me to take will be closed for the run.....AND THEN drive 2 hours home after running 15.5 miles.....KEEPING IN MIND after running 13.1 miles last fall I could barely walk to the table of water and bananas...There will be no family there to celebrate with me..............And the hardest one to swallow is I will miss another one of my son's t-ball games.

So I really.really.really.really just want to say fuck it.

However...the only way to get over this SERIOUS blah state I'm in is to do this run. To tell that little voice in my head that she's being an ASS HOLE.  Defy ALL OF THE FREAKING THINGS I have working against me and cross that finish line.

Something I've learned through all the miles I've ran is the hardest runs are the most rewarding.  It's so easy to say no...I'm done. Or no...I'm not going to run today...Or no...I'm not going that extra mile. But if I would have done that THERE IS NO WAY I would be where I am today...Happier and healthier than I have EVER been in my life. So why start now?

I'm doing this race. This race I've been pretending isn't happening yet I've been training for...I'm doing it because I WILL NOT go back to that craptastic state of mind I was in for so so long. I WILL NOT let myself down which is EXACTLY what would happen if I didn't go...

And when I cross the finish line it will be better than when I finished my first half marathon. It will be better than any long run I've ever completed.  It will be better than any of the other 500 miles I've ran in the last year...WHY? Because I almost didn't go. I almost didn't finish something I've started.

And that's just not going to happen.

My stubbornness and will power are my two most favorite character traits.

So I will put on my big girl panties. Drive the 2 hours there at the ass crack of dawn all by my damned self. Find a place to park in a city I am not familiar with. Pick up my bib number. Go the the start line. Cry. Wait for the gun. And rock the shit out of those 15.5 miles because I can.

Bring it on Grand Rapids River Run...Bring.It.On.

8 Week Challenge Update

There's been a whole lot of life happening around me in the past few weeks so blogging was put on the back burner...

BUT I'm taking a few minutes while the little boy invasion that happened in my house after school today is on a snack break. 

8 Week Challenge Update

I'm a little over half way through my 8 week challenge...I challenged myself (AND YOU) to change something in your life for the next 8 weeks...Big...small...whatever. My goals were to focus more on my nutrition and less on what kind of chocolate I was going to eat post run. 

And totally honestly...I've ate chocolate, ice cream, muffins...but I've ate A LOT more protein, vegetables, and fruit. I've seen a HUGE difference in my workout and my energy during the day. I can't tell you how key good food is...not just to have a good workout...but to not then take a 3 hour nap while your children play survival of the fittest...................................................................

My phone died a few weeks ago and I lost...oh...half my life.................................... 

Including all my measurements since I started losing weight................................................................

Since starting the the 8 week challenge my weight and inches haven't changed much WHICH I'M TOTALLY OK WITH!! I changed my eating and started really remembering to fuel my body before and after workouts and it has made a huge difference. 

The biggest change I've had since the beginning of the 8 weeks is I couldn't stay awake during the afternoons following bootcamp. The sudden urge to sleep for days would hit me around 2:00...not a good time of day for sleeping in my house full of gremlins.  Now I'm good to go all day. EXCEPT the first 3 days after Easter weekend....................................could totally tell the ridiculous but delicious amounts of horrible things I ate while home visiting family.  

But since I lost my measurements I looked back through my blog and found the last time I took measurements and wrote about it which was right before Thanksgiving so about 5 months ago. The difference is pretty wicked awesome. 

TOTAL LOST in 5 Months: 9 pounds and 8 inches. 

Right:  November 19, 2013

Weight 169

Left Over Baby Belly: 37

Waist: 37

Hips: 43

Thigh: 24

Bicep: 14

Left: April 25, 2014

Weight: 160 pounds

Left Over Baby Belly: 35

Waist: 36

Hips: 42

Thigh: 22

Bicep: 12

What else have I been doing?

Running AWESOME long runs. LIKE AWESOME!!! My first big run of the year is in a couple weeks and I've been MUCH better about training for this than I was for my first half marathon last fall. Then my longest run before race day was 8 miles...............yeah. NOT far enough. For some reason my SUPER math smart brain thinks a half marathon is farther than the 25k I'm running in a couple weeks. When in reality...............................a 25k is 2.4 miles(yes I used my calculator to figure that out just now)  LONGER than a half marathon ......................This just proves I prefer to live in my own  reality. But I KNOW I can run that far...I KNOW it will be fun because there's like 21,000 people that run this event...that's a lot of people watching! What I don't know is how fast I will do it and really...I don't care. I'm running 15.5 freaking miles. Last year at this EXACT time I couldn't run one.single.mile. 

Post 11 miler. 

When we went home for Easter weekend I knew I wanted to give something I've NEVER been able to do before a whirl......I RAN Lake-Le-Aqua-Na........In anyone that's not from Lena's terms.............2 miles of HILLS OF DEATH. Like literally hills for the entire time. The flattest part is about 50 yards long and it's at exactly half way...then you run up this DOOOOOOSEY.

But I DID IT!!! And I ran them at a 9 minute mile pace. Yeah...Kinda a big deal in my running life.

And lastly....................I jumped in a FREEEZING cold lake because you know. It's the 2014 Cold Water Challenge. Get with it. 

ALRIGHT...Snack break is OVER and it's time for hide and seek and maybe a little indoor dodgeball before they resume their spots on the couch for more SKYLANDERS. #boymomprobs.

JUST KEEP GOING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big House 5k Race Report

It's been a long long long freaking time since I've written about a race. This is because I've been quite busy just trying to survive the winter of doom.

Now that we're ALMOST in the clear of said winter it's time to start RACING again!! WOOOOP WOOOOOOOOP!

Last month I signed up for the Big House 5k. This was a very important race for 2 reasons.

1. I SURVIVED THE WINTER OF DOOM!

2. It's the first race I ever ran back between baby 2 and 3 when I had just started to think about running.

That race back in September of 2011...Took me 39 minutes and 41 seconds to finish. It was painful. It sucked. I wanted it to end before mile 1. I went home and took a 4 hour nap.....OH and I "carb loaded" with a bag of purple skittles the night before..........................................

Big House 5K...September 2011

I was so excited to run this race this time around. I knew I was going to be considerably faster than the first time around but since all.freaking.winter. I had to slow down for the ice, snow, frozen slush, or WHATEVER ELSE mother nature could throw at me....................I really had no idea how fast I could be.

The last official 5k I ran was The Turkey Trot last November. I finished in 29:41....officially my fastest timed 5k. When there was ONE weekend about a month ago that the ice coverage was minimal I tried to go out and time myself. I finished 3.1 miles in 28:08. So going into The Big House 5k my goal was to finish under 28 minutes.

Ok. It was finially RACE DAY!

I love race day.

The night before I set out all of my clothes. Made my playlist. Actually got a decent amount of sleep...THANK YOU MAX FOR NOT SLEEPING IN OUR BED!!!!

My friend picked me up that morning...It was her first 5k and SHE ROCKED THE SHIT OUT OF IT.

We got coffee...Met some other friends that were running so we could car pool into the maze known as U of M and off we went.

The coffee did it's job by the time we got there. I.LOVE.COFFEE.

I decided to ditch my extra coat because I knew I was going to be HOTTTT by the time I started running.

We made our way to the start line.

Took some pictures of the 6,000 people running this race. I'm not from Michigan...but I equate these people's love of U of M to our love of the Chicago Cubs. But with less heart break.................Nearly everyone had on blue and maize....Some kind of U of M shirt, hat, wrist bands...something. And there I was...In my florescent pink shirt and lime green head band. WINNING.

I wonder if Red Shirt was avoiding my picture or seeing if his farts stink. hm..

We waited for about 15 minutes. Being with friends at the start line helps me a TON. I stop over thinking every move I'm going to make. I stop doubting myself. I stop worrying about not beating my goal. Until about one minute to the start.

Then I panic. Every thought of self doubt you can imagine goes through my head.

Right as the gun goes off there's a push to the start line....And I don't know if my first time running 5k friend knew this but at the perfect moment she said....."Don't worry...It's just another run."

And we were off.

With TIMBER blaring in my ears I just ran.

My GPS wouldn't locate so I had no idea what my pace was. How far I'd ran. NOTHING. Which was bittersweet for sure.......The adrenaline rush you have at the beginning of these races is INSANE. It's SO hard not to get caught up in the crowd and run way to fast. My watch would have kept me in check instead of letting my emotions move me but not gonna lie. That first mile was really freaking fast....and it felt really freaking good.

Around mile one my watched beeped and finally picked up a signal. I felt good. I knew I was fast but I really had no idea how fast. So I just kept running.

Between mile 1 and 2 the crowd started to thin out a bit and I could finally start picking out people to pass. A runner friend of mine told me to pretend there was rubber band slingshotting me past the next runner....this worked like a charm.

Goodbye skinny girl in awesome orange pants.

Goodbye lady with a full fuel belt and ridiculously large arm motions.

THEN. There was this skinny little chickie that I would pass...then she passed me. I pass her. She passes me. This went on for most of mile 2. Then I said to myself. She's a freaking size 2 at best. a solid 6 inches shorter than me. Is wearing TRACK PANTS so clearly she must be and Olympian...and here I am...running WITH HER!!!

I know we're getting closer to the stadium and decided to kick it in the ass. Since my GPS didn't work until mile 1 I really had no idea what my time was...I was using it more to track my pace...So as we come around the corner...I see the U of M football stadium I see where the people are going in...I know the finish line is close. I kick it in the ass and pass Track Pants one more time and decide there is not freaking way she is passing me again.

With one of my favorite running songs (Alive by Krewella) pounding in my head I run through the tunnel and onto the football field, down the sideline, and towards the 50 yard line. I look at the clock and it says 28:25.....and I cross the finish line a few seconds later.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly disappointed. I didn't know how long after the gun went off I actually crossed the start line....I thought it was about a minute...what if it wasn't? What if it was 24 seconds? That would make my official time 28:01.

Insert more self doubt here.

But then I said to myself....are you for real right now? The last time you were in this exact spot it took you almost 40 minutes to finish. Even if you finish at 28:01 you still kicked ASS.

It took me about 5 minutes to find my amazing husband who had brought all 3 kids to watch me finish...though he said my florescent pink shirt in the sea of blue and maize was easy to spot. I took a few pictures with the kiddies, waited for the rest of our friends to finish...and headed to breakfast and get groceries. The line to check the official results was crazy long so I said I would just check online when we got home.  I posted some pictures on Facebook on our way to the store and said I THOUGHT I did it in under 28 minutes but wouldn't know until my official time was posted later that day.

I left my phone in the car...grocery shopped with all 3 gremlins....carrying the littlest gremlin for the entire time....The largest gremlin managed to spill an entire bag of goldfish all over the floor while we were checking out and the middle gremlin's new nickname is 99 Problems because without fail he melts down over the littlest thing at the worst possible moment and then that little thing turns into 98 more things and the melt down never ends.

If I would have tried to do that after I ran this race 3 years ago.........................................................ugh.

This is why when people as me what I'm training for the most accurate answer is LIFE!!!

We get everyone back in the car and as we're driving home I check my phone...One of the friends that had gone to the race with me had checked my official time and posted on my facebook that I finished in 26:55.

I of course didn't believe her. So I check for myself.

Holy shit.

I finished in 26:55.

There are some things I never ever ever thought I would be able to do. This my friends is one of them. 26 minutes and 55 seconds. That put me in the top 10% of my age group! I used to be in the last 10%. I mean it is still so unreal. UNREAL. It just solitifies that you should NEVER underestimate yourself. There really is NOTHING you can't do. NOTHING.

Then not only did I run a 26:55 5k and go grocery shopping with all of our children...We then went home, did 3 hours of yard work, cooked dinner for a group of friends, and walked to the Dairy Queen where I enjoyed EVERY FREAKING BITE of a cookie dough blizzard.

Top: September 2011...Post baby number 2...First 5k EVER...finished in 39:41

Bottom: April 2014...Post baby number 3...Big House 5k...finished in 26:55

JUST.KEEP.GOING.

Monday Motivation. 8 week Challenge Update.

In the past week I've......

1. Almost died from my body completely revolting against me. Burning hot fever. Horrendous things being expelled from my body. Crying for my mom. It.was.horrible. This excitement happened Saturday and today is the first day I've ate real food. Yuck.

2. Read the entire Divergent Book Series. Yeah...All 3 books. NOT because I sit around all day and read while my children play...but because I stay up untill 2 a.m. because I JUST CAN'T PUT IT DOWN.....and then wake up at 4:45 for spin class. Yeah...wonder why my body revolted..................................

ANYWAYS...I'm not going to spoil the end for anyone that hasn't read it but if you don't want to know ANYTHING about it stop reading now. FAIR WARNING>>>>>>>>>>>ok. I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE how it ended. HATE IT. I may have cried. It may have been 2:30 in the morning. And then I may have not slept the rest of the night because I was so upset.

Yes I have a hard time separating fiction from reality.

Yes I am fully aware of this problem.

Yes I have a total little girl crush on Four.

Yes my hubs is fully aware of said crush.

UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I still want to cry....WHY??!??! WHY END THE SERIES WITH THAT!?!??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok...moving on.

3. I ate really well!! I would say about 80% clean, good food and 20% was still good choices just not "clean." Like the English muffin I have every morning with peanut butter and bananas cut up on top...mmmmmmmmmmm.

4. I was just getting into a really good rhythm of strength training, spinning, and running before my body took a dump.......................................... (insert drums they play after a funny joke here.) Saturday was my body revolting day, Sunday I was still to tired to lift my arms, Monday I was still getting breathless walking up the stairs................................Today I finally got back out for a little run and it was HARRRRRRD.


5. The body revolt caused me to see a number on the scale that I'm quite sure I have NEVER EVER actually witnessed before. Now..............I'm completely realistic about this. It's not "weight loss"....it's not healthy.....It's all going to come back....It's not because of anything I did outside of the horrendous events of Saturday.

But with the body revolt I don't feel it's fair to post my progress this week....... But I have ate really well. I have been working out like a beast. 

6. We spent a lot of time outside enjoying the fresh air and FINALLY some warm weather!!!!!!!!!!!

   

 You're welcome for the cuteness overload.

What's happening this week? No long run because I'm running The Big House 5k...It's a pretty freaking big deal to me because it's the first race I EVER EVER EVER ran back between baby 2 and baby 3. My first little taste of running and how amazing it feels to accomplish something I didn't think I could. It took me 39 minutes and 41 seconds to finish those 3.1 miles. This time around....................I'm going to do it in under 28 minutes.

BOOM.



Big House 5K September 2011. Post baby number 2

April 2014. Post baby number 3.

JUST>KEEP>GOING

8 week challenge

FIRST. I ran 10 miles on Sunday.

It was awesome...

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lego movie humor...get with it.

ALSO...My phone is DYING a slow, painful death thanks to my profuse sweating...SEE ABOVE PICTURE. A genius runner friend of mine gave me the idea of using breast milk storage bags. BOOM. Genius. Stayed nice and dry. 

Quick post today because I'm going to spin class at 5:45 tomorrow morning............................................. UGHHHHHHH I hate mornings. But I feel like a BEAST the rest of the day...or untill 4:00 when I lock myself in my son's bedroom WITH THE KIDS...don't freak out mom...and take a little siesta while they play trains. Win win. 

I just started an 8 week challenge with one of my favorite bloggers Mama Laughlin... I relate a lot to her story so go check her out. 

Another great blogger that I get a lot of inspiration from is Skinny Meg. She just had her second babe, is breastfeeding, and working on cleaning up her eating post pregnancy. She posts lots of great, EASY recipes. 

Anyways......8 week challenge...I'm doing things slightly different than Mama Laughlin is because I DO WHAT I WANT. And because I'm training for running long distances NOT a bikini competition. 

Basically I'm committing to taking the next 8 weeks to REALLY get my nutrition together. I can't expect my body to go through a week like this on oreos, chocolate milk, and chocolate covered strawberries. Obviously I have a love for chocolate.

A typical week looks like this:

Sunday: Run 10 miles.

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Bootcamp.

Wednesday: Run 4 miles.

Thrusday: Run 5 miles.

Friday: Run or bootcamp...depending on the middle child and his hatred for all babysitters.

Saturday: Dream about running.

Sunday: Run 10 miles.

Repeat...But keep adding miles to that long run. 

To be totally honest I've been pretty lax with my food choices for a few reasons.

1. I love food.

2. I know with how active I am not going to gain weight...but really...running on a belly full of junk feels like crap.

3. I love food.

So here's my challenge to you:
Commit to changing something in your life you've been struggling with for the next 8 weeks. It doesn't have to be drastic like stop drinking coffee. HA. Someone would die if I attempted that. But just find something that you know needs improvement and commit to changing it for 2 short months.

SUMMER IS COMING!! SUN'S OUT GUNS OUT BABY!!! That's what I say to myself when I don't want to do anymore push ups. Because I'm cool like that.

I'm 2 days into this challenge and I've ate CONSIDERABLY better for the past 2 days and already noticed a difference in my workout this morning.

My goals are: eating more protein, more vegetables, always eating breakfast, drinking more water, NOT eating large amounts of chocolate every.single.day.

NOTICE I'm not cutting anything out of my diet because....I LOVE FOOD...but just really cleaning it up and making better choices, focusing on fueling my body, and NOT going to the pantry and eating a whole sleeve of graham crackers.

I took my measurements, before pictures, and have a friend doing it with me to keep me accountable. Oh and my entire life is out there for all to see so that keeps me accountable too..................................

Each week I'll update you all on how I'm doing! The good, the bad, and the ugly.

8 weeks from now...school will be ending, summer will be just around the corner...cookouts, lazy days in the sunshine, endless hours chasing my crazy babes at the park, and the start of my FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR to run ridiculous amounts of miles.....This is the perfect time for me to give my body a little kick in the ass.

What I challenge you to do.........................is join me! Find something you have wanted to change and DO IT! Run a little farther, knock out a bad habit, eat one less cookie...whatever it is. 8 weeks from now you will be glad you did...and chances are you won't look back.

Left: Summer 2013

Right: Spring 2014

JUST KEEP GOING.