Do you see the chip on my shoulder? Put up your dukes!

I have come to the conclusion that I *may* have a chip on my shoulder about this whole exercise stuff. Hmmm, I know you are all probably shocked to hear that, coming from me. I realized after writing the previous post, and then letting it marinate over night, that I *may* be a little sensitive and on edge, when the discussion of exercise comes up. I *may* jump to the conclusion that the person - who ever it is that I am talking too - assumes I am not capable of doing a triathlon, or a running event. I *may* be the one with the problem, not the other person. Can it be? Could it be I have my cackles up and my claws out before the person says a word? hmmm.

Before jumping to my defense and saying no, no, no you are in the right the whole world is against you and thinks you can't exercise.

Let's back up a bit. It *may* be that I have this preconceived notion that I can't do it, lingering somewhere in the back of my mind. This thought that people think I am a poser in their athletic world. But alas this self doubting me has not been seen in so many years! why now? Could it be my late 1980's - early 1990's self is trying to get back at me? Could it be that person the late 80's exercise poser is just ticked off, because this stronger healthier me, has won the battle? I am thinking that the chip on my shoulder *may* come up ever now and then, and I think it is OK. I have faced my non- exercising self, and I have won. I have thrown down my own doubts and fears and beaten them into submission. They *may* rear their ugly head now and again, but I think that is OK. For now I am smiling, knowing my future is brighter than ever. My goal is bigger than today. (that is by the way my new favorite saying!)



9 mile ride last night
swim - no idea how far?
7 mile run today
9 mile ride tonight
swim tonight

A Real Marathon? The Nerve of some people!!

I write this with a very light heart, a heart of someone that knows what they are going after, and knows how hard it has been to get to this point.

Today (I work at a gym part time- in case you missed that) at the gym, a little boy came in wearing the STP (Seattle to Portland bike ride) coat. So I ask, is that the new one from this year? Yes, said his dad. I have known his dad since I started going to the gym, very nice man works out all the time, very nice boy as well. Anyway, so I say, " I am trying to find a new challenge for next year, maybe I will do the STP next year. " so we have a conversation about this year's ride, how he did, how he felt... you can either do the ride in 1 or 2 days I believe it is 209 miles. He did it this year in 1 day, last year in 2 days. I said I have friends that did it two years ago in 2 days. That is great you did it in one day. Then I mention (not sure he didn't know this ) that I was training for a marathon in October. (Seriously I think the people that drop their kids off our sick of hearing about from me! - Hey the more people that know, then I know I can't back out, well I am way past the backing out stage now!) Anyway the point to my babbling here is to say this... he said it, I kid you not, " A Real Marathon?" Many things went through my head on how to answer after the fact, you know what you wish you would have said. I replied, "yes a real 26.2 mile marathon". I could tell he regretted how he responded, well one word comes to mind is, well, RUDE! But I will forgive him, as I really think he meant well. He did go onto explain that although he could bike 200+ miles in one day, he can only run 5 miles at a time. So after that I was happy I didn't respond with an incredibly sarcastic remark, I think he was shocked ANYONE would be undertaking the task, not just me singled out. So I will put my claws back in, and let the man have a mulligan. (Don't know what a mulligan is? Click on the word mulligan!)

Learning from the elites

Last night, 8 of us, Raise the Hope gals got to sit down with some elite athletes from our tri team (Raise the bar) and go over our marathon training plans. First let me tell you who we were in the company of;

• a marathon winner and record holder,
• two people who have (ran - oops) run many marathons

**grammar police caught my air, ha gotcha! error**

• and who just qualified for the half ironman national finals

I wanted to soak up everything they said, I wanted them to say that the marathon is a piece

(peace - oops again)**I am pointing out that the grammar police missed this one! **

of cake for them, not to worry it is pretty easy at their level. Nope. Not what I got. I got exactly what I needed to hear.

• This is a tough race, most people don't make it to the starting line.
• This is crunch time in the training, these are crucial weeks, as the miles begin building, you cannot slack off.
• This is a serious run, take the training seriously.
• Be prepared for the race, so you will want to run again afterwards.

We got so much great information! It was overwhelming. I really didn't want the night to end, as I could have asked a million questions. I wanted to also know what these three elite athletes were thinking? ---As I asked my newbie questions,

For other newbies here are some of the questions we asked;

• How much do you eat and how long before the marathon start do you eat?

Eat 400-600 calories 3 hours before the start of the race. Start time is 7am, you are eating at 4am. Yes you can go back to bed after you eat!

• Do you stop at all the water stations? Do you drink the water and the electrolytes at each station?

This answer varied a little bit, but all agreed, we for this marathon should stop at all water locations and drink both the water and the electrolyte drink provided. Or at least drink the electrolyte drink, and pour water over head. Important: Have tried the drink on your long runs, make sure you are familiar with everything they are offering on the course!

• Do you take gels during the race? of so how many how often?

This answer of course varies depending on the person and how fast they run, as a general rule we got this answer, take a gel every five miles or so. (For this person it was every 40 minutes...obviously I would need many more than that! As my 5 miles is at about an hour!)

• How do you carry the gels?

Clip them to your shorts. Or put them in a running belt. Also had the idea to put them in your bra! I will probably need around 18 gels if I go by the 200-300 calories an hour rule.... hmmm think I need an entourage following me handing me gels!

• Do you wear a water belt during the race?

All of them, I believe said no, that there is typically enough water on the course. Of course they are in the front of the pack, so I assume there will be enough for the back of the packers too!

• Newbie question I am sure! What do you do when you hit "the wall".

With a straight face , they answered, "you keep moving forward"

• After the race, what is the first thing you should do?

Eat something, within 30-60 minutes, keep walking right after you cross the finish line, do not sit down immediately. Ice your legs, as soon as you can to prevent swelling. Go out for a short walk/or run that evening 15 minutes - for them it was a couple of miles!

Anyone have other newbie questions we didn't ask, and should have please let me know.

Any tips would be nice too, for those that have ran before.

** Grammar police you ask??, well it is my mom! Bless her heart, retired school teacher loves to catch my errors Yes, the 4 years at the University served me well! I laugh when I catch the errors myself, but dang it when she calls to tell me my mistakes! Eagle eye - missed a funny one this time... **

what's in a song?

While running yesterday, 7 miles may I add - 12:14 mile average (rockstar fast, for me!!) I was listening to my ipod. Many songs, keep me going when I run. These songs I tend to play over and over again, I find inspiration in the lyrics, or in some of the songs, they just make me smile and laugh and that is enough to get me through a 1/2 mile or so, back up and repeat and I am through a mile!


The Distance by Cake
He's going the distance, he's going for speed...

Baby one more time by Britney Spears (that's right, Britney Spears!)
Hit me baby one more time....

Shackles (Praise you)
You broke the chains now I can dance....

Extreme Days by Toby Mac
These are extreme, extreme days...

Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake
I'm bringin' sexy back... (just that alone keeps me going for miles!)

I actually have these on my ipod, back to back, then it repeats a few times, these songs have meaning to me. I feel like they are anthems for me when running. It is my life, what do I choose to do with it.

Stand, well I feel like after all I have (and my family has) been through we still our standing. No matter what gets thrown at us, we pick ourselves up and brush off and come out of the situation stronger than ever before.

It's My Life by Bon Jovi
It's my life, It's now or never, I ain't gonna live forever, I just want to live while I'm alive...
Stand by Rascal Flatts
cuz' when push comes to shove you you taste what your made of,
on you knees you look up and decide you've had enough, you get mad, you get strong, wipe your hands, shake it off and you stand...

So I crank the ipod up, and I run. The songs, just remind me when I want to stop and quit, that nope, I need to keep going. My goal is bigger than today.

The full marathon is fast approaching.... sure I am nervous, but also excited too. I know the Marathon doesn't define me, but it helps to shape me!

I take it back!

A while ago I posted how I thought I was hardcore....

I take that back!!

I shamelessly stole this picture off of Bree Wee's blog... she was probably in the water! Wow I am in awe.

Thank you to Julia for meeting me at the crack o dawn this morning for our bike and swim! Rockstars, we are rockstars!!

Kept it off

Well it has been 7 months this month since I lost 35 pounds, and I have kept it off!! I ran two days ago 6.5 miles then did 13 miles on the bike today and am swimming 1/2 mile tomorrow and running 7 miles... I am pretty determined not only to keep the weight off, but to add some more pounds to the weight loss as well. I feel better than I have in years, and I am way more active too! The fun thing about this summer has been been putting on summer clothes that are loose or too big!! Yeah. Pretty darn exciting if you ask me! Ever take out the summer pile of clothes and start trying them on, only to shove them back in the closet, knowing that the dryer shrunk them?~! Well not this year, not for me! Yeah me.
I own more spandex now than I did in the 1980's - is that scary? It makes me laugh everytime, I laugh when I put it on and I think "I make this look good!!" Yes, then I laugh again... You have to have a sense of humor!

That is all, just a fun update!! Raise up the glass - Here's to keeping it off!!

Back at it

As I make my way back to my long run (for me a long run is 10+ miles) , I am mentally battling what it takes to get there. As I have run 3 - 5 milers in the past few days, I can't help but think about the mental side of the sport. What makes you go out and do things that other people won't even try? Truly I can say this in other areas of my life as well. I have told people what my hubby and I have been through over the years, (baby born with tumors, house burning down, stroke) most often there response is I could have never gone through that. My response is typically, well what choice did I have? Life happens and you have to deal with it. I think there is always a reason we go through hard times, whether or not it is training when we are preparing for a race, or in life when something just comes at you and knocks you off your feet. How do you handle it? I must confess I am lot better equipped at handling what everyday life throws at me than I was two years ago. I don't have that sense of panic anymore when something comes up like I used to. I used to freak out, and panic and worry, well what does that get you? nothing. It leaves you stressed and worried. Now when something happens, I may worry and I may have a few moments of panic but it does not consume me. I missed a couple of weeks of training. I am not panicking... I am know I have a base built, and I will be back on track in no time. Just like in life. You may get thrown off a bit, but you will be back on track soon enough.

Know that impossible things happen. Do you have a dream of running a 10k? Go out there and make it happen! Do you have dreams of a family unified together? Go out and make that happen, impossible things are all around us, you just have to believe in the possibilities! I have myself run a 1/2 marathon something I thought was impossible at one time. How did I do that? I believed in myself. I also took the required steps to make it happen. Sure there are days you don't want to do things, you don't want to run, but you run any way knowing that you have a goal that is bigger than today....

Just some thoughts!!

Let's see on Saturday the Grandma 'Scilla and the kids and I went to Symphony!



They had a special guest at this performance a fiddler, who was amazing. (Mark O'Conner)The hour is geared towards the kids to teach them about music. Both the kids had lots of fun. We learned about the violin, viola, and fiddle. Grandma plays the violin, so it is always fun to hear it played.

After the symphony we all went to the Market. We hadn't gone yet this summer and it was packed full of people and fresh fruit andbeautiful flowers. We watched the famous fish throwers for a little bit. It was a great time walking around and seeing all the nice attractions that Seattle has to offer.

While we were out at the symphony Derrick officiated a wedding, and then entertained the wedding party with his DJ-ing! How is that for one stop shopping?

Today I got back to running! Yeah. Toe didn't bother me at all. So that is great news. I swam a 1/2 mile and later I ran 5 miles. Felt good to get out there running again.

Go diego Go! Live

Friday night, we got tickets to go see Go Diego Go Live! It was in the WaMu theater down between the Seahawks and the Mariners Stadiums. Very cool. It was very interactive and grownups and kids alike had fun.

Yes, we are fun parents and made D get in the picture too! I love having pictures of all three of them together! He is always a great sport and goes along for the ride.

Detrix mom gave us the tickets, and is a state farm agent, with her own office and since state farm was the main sponsor friends and family got tickets... very nice of her to think of us. We wish we could get some kind of special rates from her, but after our home burned down, we were dropped by State Farm in the middle of construction. Darn insurance companies! Obviously State Farm had to pay out a pretty penny for our policy, so I guess that is how it works, you make a claim and get dropped. I have heard that from other insurance companies too. So it is just the industry. They did cover everything, so I can't complain other than they won't give us insurance!

The performers were really good. They had all the kids entertained. I think the funniest character (not shown in the pic) was the Rescue Pack. If you watch the cartoon, the Rescue pack does a whole song, when he comes to help Diego. Well during the show this guy comes out in a suit with a huge rescue pack on him, and starts dancing. This guy did mostly the old school dancing and had all the kids and adults rollin' laughing. He did the sprinkler, I think I saw the running man and Derrick's favorite the shovel. Detrix and I looked at each other as we were watching and said this is Derrick (Dad) to a tee! I could so see Derrick in this costume bustin' out all the old school moves, it was priceless. On the cruise a couple of years ago, Derrick was caught on video tape bustin' a move doing the ever popular Shovel Move! Too fun!

So this was the kick off to our weekend. Another post to come soon.... we had a packed weekend!

Confession time!

So saturday I was walking by our couch, tripped on the computer cord, fell into the coffee table and jammed my toe into the couch....

I sat all day on the couch icing my very swollen and bruised toe! I can walk on it, with out limping now, and I went for a 1/2 swim today. So that is the good news. I am going to try to bike tomorrow. I still can't quite run on it.... it is still lovely purple color in spots, with that great looking yellow all over my foot. I don't think it is broke as I can put some pressure on it - I think I just jammed it very nicely.



Me being the type of person that I am, hurt toe and all -

I officially signed up for the Portland Marathon today!

Bib #2186

I figured it would keep me more than motivated, if I had paid the entry fee, cuz as you know once I pay, I just have to do it! So no excuses on the toe - I will be out there soon!!

As our Independence day was yesterday I thought this was a fitting post!

BOGOTA, Colombia - Former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt embraced her children for the first time in six years Thursday, saying the thought of them helped her stay alive until a daring rescue plucked her and 14 other hostages from the jungle.
"Nirvana, paradise — that must be very similar to what I feel at this moment," Betancourt said, fighting back tears as her son reached over to kiss her. "It was because of them that I kept up my will to get out of that jungle."

All around the world there are people being held against their will. I pray that those captured and being held against their will, will soon have their own independence day. I celebrate for with these families, can't imagine what the 6 years of torture were like for all involved.

Truly an amazing story!

Happy 4th!!

The things we do for our team! My wonderful group of ladies RTH, had a girls night out last night. It was well timed for me. I needed a night out with adults! We had much food and lots of fun, and even invited strange men to our table (it is was all for the points!)
We moved over the weekend, and I was pretty tired and worn out, so a night out with the girls was fabulous! We went to the Buca de Beppo in Seattle, and then some of the ladies did the midnight run.

Warning read at your own risk: A little note to those that volunteer, I was one of the first people at the finish, to help cut off the timing chips.... the first group of runners came in - 15 min... for a 5k! Wow they are fast! Anyway the guy who came in 5th comes in, stops, turns towards me and then gets sick ... uh hello??? what are you doing??? I guess the look on my face was pretty priceless, so I moved my little stool away from the sickness, and proceeded to help people!! Just a thought if you are running so fast that you are sick at the end of the race, slow down! Unless it is the Olympic trials.... then I say spew all you want, but no prize money? hmmm I wouldn't go all out like that.... ok, done on the gross out story....

I got to volunteer to help out with registration and hand out shirts and timing chips. Pretty easy and fun job, and the bonus is I get a free race! Score on that one. So I am trying to figure out if I will be up for the annual UW Dawg Dash @ the University of Washington! Since I am an alumni I thought that might be a fun run to do.... but it is a week after the marathon in Portland, so I am not sure how feasible it will be for me to do.... we shall see. That is about it for now.
Have a Happy 4th of July!