Finished

Oops. I really dropped the ball on this blog. I did in fact compete in and completed the Tinker Bell Half Marathon back in May in just around 2 1/2 hours! It was exhilarating and such a fun race. I injured myself at mile 12, but I ran to the end in spite of it. All those people cheering you on is really motivating. As a result of the injury though, I limped for three weeks and couldn't run for over a month after the race. I am all better now and training for half marathon #2, the Malibu Half Marathon on November 5th.

Here are the professional pictures from the race. I heeded the advice of others and smiled every time I saw the camera. I am so glad that I signed up for the race on a whim! They loaded out of order, but you get the idea ;). Thanks, Disney, for the fun time!

An Update, Finally!

Okay, so maybe I haven't been so good at keeping this blog updated! I have been good about training, though. This past Saturday, I ran 10 miles. Incredible to think how far I've come. When I first started running back in January, I could only do 2 miles, huffing and puffing the whole time. Just over a month and half until the big race. I feel ready. I'm excited. The Lord has been gracious in protecting me from injury and giving me the strength and endurance to run. My stamina has been improving as evidenced by my long run this past week. I know come May 14th, 13.1 miles won't be so daunting. I'm nearly there.

Since I have about 6 weeks left, I'm going to start pacing my training each week. I run 4 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but rather than increasing my long runs by a mile each week, I will do two weeks at 10 miles, 2 weeks at 11 miles, and 1 or 2 weeks at 12 miles. I won't actually run 13 miles until race day.

Eating healthier has definitely contributed to my endurance, although I've been kind of slacking off in that department. I know if I had stuck to THM eating better, I would have lost more than I have, but that's okay. I definitely don't want to starve myself while training. Today I am eating well. Each day is a new day and a new chance.

After race day has come, I think I will still keep training. The long runs may not be as long, but I'll still do the 4 miles twice weekly. I don't have another half marathon on the horizon, and I doubt I'll ever feel the desire to complete a full marathon, but maybe some 5Ks or 10Ks will come along. In any case, I'll just keep running ;).

Week 3 Nearly Done

I am very pleased with the way training has been going. Some mornings it's harder to get started than others, but I am slowly gaining speed and my endurance is improving. Soon my Saturday runs will increase by one mile each week. I'm excited for that.

My radio app was not working on my phone this past week (I finally turned my phone off completely and restarted it and then the app started working again--after I had already done three workouts). Running without music is okay, but having something to listen to really helps me keep going. I guess this means that I'll definitely have one ear bud in during the race itself. Running 13 miles with just the sounds of the people next to me doesn't seem ideal. Hopefully my app doesn't quit working then!

Looking ahead past this race, I am not sure what I'll do as far as training. It's really helpful to have the goal of running the half marathon. It gets me out in the morning when it's freezing or windy or wet. I would make excuses if I didn't have this difficult thing looming over me in three months. I know I have to train and stick to my schedule or else I will not make it. I can't see myself training for a full marathon, but hey, who knows? Someday maybe I'll do the L.A. Marathon. That would be something!

Training Week 2 and Week 1 Recap

Training has been going so well. Inclement weather only messed up my training this past Sunday when I was supposed to walk 2 miles, but that's okay. It wasn't a major training day. It was just to stay loose. Having a reason to run and a goal makes getting up and out in the cold each run day completely doable. I still need to invest in some new running shoes, but I bought compression leggings that have been awesome. I had just one pair before, so when I would run I'd have to wear shorts sometimes. Well, for a girl with thighs, shorts ride up. Adjusting your shorts every few strides is really annoying and distracting. Leggings are so much better, plus on cold mornings like today, they keep your legs warm!

I already have some battle wounds from my run on Saturday when I tripped crossing the street. Thankfully there were not any cars coming to run me over! It's been a while since I've had scraped up knees and a giant bruise on both.

I feel like part of the success in my endurance has definitely been attributed to what I eat. Trim Healthy Mama is all protein rich foods. My body is being well nourished which in turn allows me the energy I need to run when I hadn't run consistently in many, many months. Another reason I am indebted to the ladies that created the program. When I was consistently running before, I ate a lot of carbs, but not enough protein. They were also a lot of carbs from bread, pasta, and sugar which made me feel sluggish.

Looking forward to the half marathon, I booked a room for the whole family. Disney has special rates for rooms for people participating in the marathon, so we can stay close by and the kids can come watch me later. I'm excited to have my support system there.

Training Day 2

Well, I've completed the first two days of training. So far so good. I ran two miles yesterday. It was COLD out, but I am thankful that I live in a warmer climate than Colorado. I don't own a treadmill nor do I belong to a gym right now, so running outside is all I've got. It probably prepares me for an actual street race better than a treadmill anyway. I ran more than I walked. I really only walked for a few minutes to catch my breath. I also ran without music because I am not sure that I am going to compete with music.

This morning was a cross training day. I was going to try some sort of yoga, but I couldn't find a video quickly that I liked (since I waited until the last minute to search for one on You Tube), so I tried out a ballet barre video. It was a good stretch. I don't think I did most of the exercises correctly, but at least I tried. I don't know that I'll do that one again. I'll probably do a better search before my cross training day next Wednesday.

Two more miles tomorrow. 113 days to go!

Introduction

Allow me to introduce myself. I am a 35 year old mother with four children: 9 years, 7 years, 4 years, and 10 months. Before children, I used to be an avid runner. I was first inspired by the track stars during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta (remember Michael Johnson?). I was 14 years old. Running was my preferred form of exercise throughout high school and college. I never did it competitively though or in an organized event of any kind. I ran throughout college for health averaging 5 miles at most. I loved the freedom and how it cleared my head. After my first daughter was born when I was 25, I continued to run sporadically, buying a treadmill so I could run while she napped. Then my son was born two years later, and I didn't run as often. We downsized apartments to save money, so I had to sell my treadmill. I eventually bought a double jogging stroller and took up running again. Three years later my second daughter came, and I would run some with the younger two in the stroller when my oldest was at school. The following year I began homeschooling. My "free" time was slipping away. I wasn't so good at getting up early and the motivation to do it was lacking. Sleep sounded so much better. I still exercised, but it was mostly via aerobics DVDs. I didn't particularly like aerobics, but it was easier to exercise at home later in the day than to get up early before my husband left for work. I couldn't figure out how to run with three kids in tow. A few years later we decided to round out our family with baby 4. My oldest was 8 1/2 when she was born. After she came, all motivation to exercise took a back seat. I wanted to do it, but it was definitely not a priority. I started eating healthier (Trim Healthy Mama), and decided that if I could only do one thing, eating better would be it. Exercise had been an idol for me, so learning to let it go in order to serve my family better was a good thing. I missed running though. It wasn't because I wanted to be a certain size or weight (which had been much of my motivation before). I missed being out, clearing my head, and just letting my legs go. I missed how good I felt after a run.

Fast forward to two days ago. It had been raining a lot for Southern California the weeks before. Saturday morning was windy and cold. By afternoon, the sky was bluer than I had seen it in a looong time and the wind had died down. I was going to do another exercise DVD when my husband came home from the errand he was running. The baby was asleep. The 4 year old was asleep. The older two were watching a movie. The timing was right. I turned off the DVD and stepped outside. I turned on the Foo Fighters station on iHeart radio and began the run. The songs were just right for motivation (Today by the Smashing Pumpkins? That's one of the best songs to run to). Even though I hadn't run since I couldn't remember when, it felt so good. When I got back, I had the bug: the running bug that is. I thought, why don't I run a 5K? It would be great motivation to keep running. I started looking around online for races when I remembered that Disneyland has marathons. There was actually one happening this past weekend. The next one coming up was the Tinker Bell Half Marathon on Mother's Day weekend. I was going to sign up for either the 5K or the 10K when I realized that they were already sold out. The next race at Disneyland wasn't until Labor Day weekend, and I didn't want to wait that long. I looked around for other races in the area, but none of them sounded like good enough motivation for me. I started thinking, what if? What if I could run the half marathon? I have four months. 13.1 miles isn't as bad as 26.2. Other people have trained for them. The Biggest Losers run marathons before losing all the weight. Why can't I? I've already lost over 40 pounds since having my youngest last March. I'm a lot closer to my goal than they are. I Googled "training for a half marathon" and found this link. I could run on the weekdays before my husband leaves for work since the runs are only 2-3 miles! The long runs are on Saturdays, and I can always carve out time for that. The wheels in my head were spinning and my heart started racing. I can do this! I asked my husband what he thought if I were to run the race on Mother's Day. I think he thought I was a little crazy, but he was supportive. I jumped in and signed up. And then came the nervousness, fear, knots in the stomach. Did I just sign up for more than I can handle? No. I can do this. I will do this.

So, I am running. I am running to prove to myself that I can do this. I am running because God has given me strength to run. He's given me a desire to run. He's given me legs to run. He's blessed me with good health. He's blessed me with a supportive family and kids that want to come watch me run. He's blessed me with supportive friends, some who have run marathons and half marathons before. I used to think someday running a marathon would be cool. Well, someday just became May 14th, 2017! Follow me as I train...

1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

These verses apply to the race that is the Christian life, but they always come to mind as I run: Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."