Gas is $1.95 a gallon! Well....I DECLARE! I never thought I would see it below the $2.00 mark ever again! My expedition may not be the end of me afterall!
*OK, now I'll go back to being disgusted that gasoline costs us 1/2 of our yearly income-LOL!
Monday, September 25, 2006
Sunday, September 24, 2006
14 freakin' miles!
That's how far I ran/walked today. I was supposed to run 12 miles, but one wrong turn on *the trails* & I instantly added 2 extra miles to my route. I didn't even think I would be able to do all 12 miles because of my recent knee problems, but once I got out there I was feeling OK. I walked the first 6 miles & then I tested out my knee by doing a "baby jog" off and on for a few miles. It certainly wasn't pain-free, but I was able to actually run without a limp, so I took that as a positive sign that things are looking up.
Once I took the wrong turn on my trail, I high-tailed it back to the last water stop where my teammates were waiting for me (wondering what in the world had happened to me). As I was running at full speed (because I was freaking out about being lost in the middle of nowhere) it occurred to me that I was feeling pretty good! It only took me 10 miles to "warm up". I certainly hope my warm up time decreases as these long runs approach. I also learned about a product called "Bio-freeze" today. It's kinda like "Ben-gay" only better. I tried some bio-freeze at the 6 mile water stop & it really helped me during the second half of the run. For those of you who are interested, I am up to 20+ miles a week right now. Not bad for an out-of-shape-mama!!!
This weekends Marathon Training Lessons:
-Bio-freeze = Good!
-Being "directionally challenged" = Bad!
-14 miles isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.
-Ibuprofen and an ice baths are my best friends right now.
-Running 14 miles in the rain really sucks!!
-So does getting up at 4:30 am on a Saturday morning (to go run in the rain).
-I still need to find a way to get a gym membership...fast!
-Knee problems are NO FUN!
Once I took the wrong turn on my trail, I high-tailed it back to the last water stop where my teammates were waiting for me (wondering what in the world had happened to me). As I was running at full speed (because I was freaking out about being lost in the middle of nowhere) it occurred to me that I was feeling pretty good! It only took me 10 miles to "warm up". I certainly hope my warm up time decreases as these long runs approach. I also learned about a product called "Bio-freeze" today. It's kinda like "Ben-gay" only better. I tried some bio-freeze at the 6 mile water stop & it really helped me during the second half of the run. For those of you who are interested, I am up to 20+ miles a week right now. Not bad for an out-of-shape-mama!!!
This weekends Marathon Training Lessons:
-Bio-freeze = Good!
-Being "directionally challenged" = Bad!
-14 miles isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.
-Ibuprofen and an ice baths are my best friends right now.
-Running 14 miles in the rain really sucks!!
-So does getting up at 4:30 am on a Saturday morning (to go run in the rain).
-I still need to find a way to get a gym membership...fast!
-Knee problems are NO FUN!
Monday, September 18, 2006
Picasso...pshaw!
I am convinced that I am living with two future artists! I'm always complaining that I don't have any art work to put on my walls, but now all I need are some cool frames!
Check out these awesome "pieces" by Chandler (seems he has a "thing" for the color red)!
*Jeremy, it looks like Chandler will be able to fulfill my desire for an abstract piece in the dining room. I'll give up trying to save $3,200 for your red/abstract piece now-LOL!
*Jeremy's abstract piece....
*Chandler's abstract piece-LOL!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
McKenna is going for a different style.........
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle"
"Sunflower Duty" (I have no idea what that means....you will have to ask the "artist" to explain it to you)
Check out these awesome "pieces" by Chandler (seems he has a "thing" for the color red)!
*Jeremy, it looks like Chandler will be able to fulfill my desire for an abstract piece in the dining room. I'll give up trying to save $3,200 for your red/abstract piece now-LOL!
*Jeremy's abstract piece....
*Chandler's abstract piece-LOL!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
McKenna is going for a different style.........
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle"
"Sunflower Duty" (I have no idea what that means....you will have to ask the "artist" to explain it to you)
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Oh where, oh where has my "comment" box gone?
Oh where, oh where can it be?? If you find it will you please tell it to come back home....I really miss him. Because, it's freaking IMPOSSIBLE to report this little problem to the Blogger folks. They like to make it REALLY difficult to report these kinds of problems to them, because that means they would probably have to pretend to care! AND, the good folks over at the google "help" group aren't a whole lot of help either. SOOOOOOOOOO- I'm a little stuck right now.
Julie and Karen (aka :my only known commenters)- hang in there! I'll try to find out how to fix this one way or another :-)
Julie and Karen (aka :my only known commenters)- hang in there! I'll try to find out how to fix this one way or another :-)
Monday, September 11, 2006
Marathon Training Lessons!
1) When preparing to run 10 miles (for the first time ever) DO NOT decide to change the insoles in your new running shoes the night before. Doing so could cause MAJOR shoe issues if you have not tested out this new endeavor beforehand.
2)"ON THE LEFT"...really means "move over lady, you're too dang slow!"
3) Goose poop is REALLY slippery.
4) The hill right before the Antioch/College intersection is a KILLER when you have to tackle that monster at the very END of your 10 mile run.
5) Body glide is a good thing!
6) So is Nature's Path organic "Optimum Power Breakfast Cereal" (with flax, soy, and blueberry).
7) It's really hard to talk and run after the 5 mile mark.
8) *My City* sucks because we don't have any sidewalks to run on!
9) Taking an "ice bath" is a learned art form (notice how I'm trying to keep my toes from incurring any frostbite damage-LOL!).
*Can you say BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
10) TWO 25 lb bags of ice is TOO MUCH ice for said "ice bath" (I'll be going back to the ONE bag method...)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
And now for the "Bead Selling" pics! (Just one of the creative little ways I'm trying to earn $$$ for my marathon).
* Don't worry Mom, we were just SELLING those beads. By the end of the day the "Mardi Gras" comments were getting really old!
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!
2)"ON THE LEFT"...really means "move over lady, you're too dang slow!"
3) Goose poop is REALLY slippery.
4) The hill right before the Antioch/College intersection is a KILLER when you have to tackle that monster at the very END of your 10 mile run.
5) Body glide is a good thing!
6) So is Nature's Path organic "Optimum Power Breakfast Cereal" (with flax, soy, and blueberry).
7) It's really hard to talk and run after the 5 mile mark.
8) *My City* sucks because we don't have any sidewalks to run on!
9) Taking an "ice bath" is a learned art form (notice how I'm trying to keep my toes from incurring any frostbite damage-LOL!).
*Can you say BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
10) TWO 25 lb bags of ice is TOO MUCH ice for said "ice bath" (I'll be going back to the ONE bag method...)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
And now for the "Bead Selling" pics! (Just one of the creative little ways I'm trying to earn $$$ for my marathon).
* Don't worry Mom, we were just SELLING those beads. By the end of the day the "Mardi Gras" comments were getting really old!
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!
Hello out there!
Is anybody home? I think my blog has turned into my personal journal, as opposed to a way to communicate with the outside world. This is maybe not what my original intent was, but I think I am still fining it "therapeutic" nonetheless-LOL!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
My "Good Cause"...
In my "Diet Coke Detox" post, I mentioned giving up my phenyalanine addiction for a "good cause". Well, the wait is over... (drumroll please).............
I'M TRAINING FOR A FULL MARATHON!
It's a long story how I came to the conclusion that training for a marathon was something I needed to do, but most of it has to do with my desire to discipline myself to do something I'm not good at. I HATE running. Let me say that again, just in case you missed it...I HATE TO RUN! It's not part of my genetic makeup & I often find myself muttering "Now, why did I sign up for this?". It's been 5 long years since these rusty "getting close to thirty-been bearing children for the last 5 years-hate to exercise" bones got moving! I guess you could say I've had it! I'm tired of hanging on to my 15 extra "baby" pounds, and I'm "sick and tired" of being out of shape, and out of breath!! However, I know in my heart the real reasons why I'm training for this marathon, and I believe I can do it! It's not all about getting back into shape either.
I do have a seemingly high mountain of obstacles to overcome in order to pull this off, but I'm a determined thing! For instance...I DON'T have a gym membership! This is something that I'm pretty sure I'm going to HAVE to have sometime soon so that I can pull this thing off. As the winter months approach I'm trusting that God will make a way for me to get a reasonably priced membership somewhere close. I don't even have "home gym" equipment, so "no" I can't run on a treadmill at home....because I don't HAVE a treadmill (silly). This too is something that I believe God can change. I'm learning the fine art of at-home yoga and pilates, and so far the video tapes I already own are taking me where I need to go for the time being.
I've only been "training" for 3 weeks & I've already completed a 6 mile and 8 mile training run with my team. I'm NOT at all fast, but I'm doing it! That's all I really want out of this whole thing. I just want to know that "I CAN do it". I will run 10 miles this Saturday & I'm confident that I'll be able to finish that run as well. I'm just taking things one day at a time right now. If I think about the whole 26.2 miles it seems impossible, but each time I run with my training team I feel myself "doing it" and I just tell myself to keep it up.
SOOOO, if your wondering WHO I'm training with, and why, you can check out my personal fundraising page right HERE. Yep, I said "fundraising" page. I'm really excited to have an opportunity to raise money to support such an awesome cause! Many of you know that I should have another "big sister", but I never had the privilege of getting to meet my oldest sister Andrea, because she died of leukemia before I was even born. The loss of Andrea was something that I always knew about, but because she died before I was born I don't think I put that connection together until I had my own children. I simply cannot imagine losing one of my children, and it breaks my heart even more to know that my own mother has had to feel that kind of heartache. My decision to train for and run a marathon through TNT is more than just a desire to "get fit", it's also a desire to see families given hope when they have a loved one dealing with this cancer. I feel like I am finally getting to do something for the sister I never got to meet. I may have been robbed of the opportunity to meet my sister, but I hope that in some small way by doing this marathon, I'm helping some other "sister" out there get the opportunity to meet her WHOLE family.
Thanks for taking the time to read my unusually long post! I'll be posting "training stories" and pictures in the near future, so keep an eye out for those. I promise to keep them entertaining-LOL!
I'M TRAINING FOR A FULL MARATHON!
It's a long story how I came to the conclusion that training for a marathon was something I needed to do, but most of it has to do with my desire to discipline myself to do something I'm not good at. I HATE running. Let me say that again, just in case you missed it...I HATE TO RUN! It's not part of my genetic makeup & I often find myself muttering "Now, why did I sign up for this?". It's been 5 long years since these rusty "getting close to thirty-been bearing children for the last 5 years-hate to exercise" bones got moving! I guess you could say I've had it! I'm tired of hanging on to my 15 extra "baby" pounds, and I'm "sick and tired" of being out of shape, and out of breath!! However, I know in my heart the real reasons why I'm training for this marathon, and I believe I can do it! It's not all about getting back into shape either.
I do have a seemingly high mountain of obstacles to overcome in order to pull this off, but I'm a determined thing! For instance...I DON'T have a gym membership! This is something that I'm pretty sure I'm going to HAVE to have sometime soon so that I can pull this thing off. As the winter months approach I'm trusting that God will make a way for me to get a reasonably priced membership somewhere close. I don't even have "home gym" equipment, so "no" I can't run on a treadmill at home....because I don't HAVE a treadmill (silly). This too is something that I believe God can change. I'm learning the fine art of at-home yoga and pilates, and so far the video tapes I already own are taking me where I need to go for the time being.
I've only been "training" for 3 weeks & I've already completed a 6 mile and 8 mile training run with my team. I'm NOT at all fast, but I'm doing it! That's all I really want out of this whole thing. I just want to know that "I CAN do it". I will run 10 miles this Saturday & I'm confident that I'll be able to finish that run as well. I'm just taking things one day at a time right now. If I think about the whole 26.2 miles it seems impossible, but each time I run with my training team I feel myself "doing it" and I just tell myself to keep it up.
SOOOO, if your wondering WHO I'm training with, and why, you can check out my personal fundraising page right HERE. Yep, I said "fundraising" page. I'm really excited to have an opportunity to raise money to support such an awesome cause! Many of you know that I should have another "big sister", but I never had the privilege of getting to meet my oldest sister Andrea, because she died of leukemia before I was even born. The loss of Andrea was something that I always knew about, but because she died before I was born I don't think I put that connection together until I had my own children. I simply cannot imagine losing one of my children, and it breaks my heart even more to know that my own mother has had to feel that kind of heartache. My decision to train for and run a marathon through TNT is more than just a desire to "get fit", it's also a desire to see families given hope when they have a loved one dealing with this cancer. I feel like I am finally getting to do something for the sister I never got to meet. I may have been robbed of the opportunity to meet my sister, but I hope that in some small way by doing this marathon, I'm helping some other "sister" out there get the opportunity to meet her WHOLE family.
Thanks for taking the time to read my unusually long post! I'll be posting "training stories" and pictures in the near future, so keep an eye out for those. I promise to keep them entertaining-LOL!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The "Little White's" go back to school!
Two of the "3 Little White's" are back to school now.
He had NO IDEA what he was getting ready for!
I LOVE this picture!
...sniff......sniff!
The confident "returning" preschooler :-)
Waiting her turn...
"OK, MOM...you can LEAVE now!"
Answers to two of my most common questions:
1)NO, I do NOT have more "spare time" now that the kids are back in school (2 different schools + 2 different time schedules = most of my time is spent dropping off and picking up).
2)Yes, I love that they both get to go to school this year because they BOTH really needed some fun time & that's exactly what they are getting at Preschool. I can "get a break" when they are a little older ;-). The fact that they both ended up getting to go to school at all this year is really a blessing, so I'll try really hard to not complain about the different schedules.
He had NO IDEA what he was getting ready for!
I LOVE this picture!
...sniff......sniff!
The confident "returning" preschooler :-)
Waiting her turn...
"OK, MOM...you can LEAVE now!"
Answers to two of my most common questions:
1)NO, I do NOT have more "spare time" now that the kids are back in school (2 different schools + 2 different time schedules = most of my time is spent dropping off and picking up).
2)Yes, I love that they both get to go to school this year because they BOTH really needed some fun time & that's exactly what they are getting at Preschool. I can "get a break" when they are a little older ;-). The fact that they both ended up getting to go to school at all this year is really a blessing, so I'll try really hard to not complain about the different schedules.
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