Aramco - Florida??? Here I come!!

You are probably wondering what the heck is going on! Why I haven’t update this thing, after everything that just happen yesterday?! Yes, well the answer is that I have vacation brain going on… I am packing, washing, cleaning, and then packing some more. I will end up taking half my closet and half my pantry with me and most of my bathroom stuff with me too. This is getting crazy!! Oh and I’m losing sleep because of it too, my brain in running on over drive thinking about what I’m missing and what I might forget. SO! With that said I have to tell you the big news :

it's official!

6 months ago I did not think it was possible to run for a mile straight and even though it hasn’t been easy, with every mile added it’s always a new experience. The idea to put the goal out there to run a Half Marathon was inspired by simply running 3 miles! Crazy but that feeling of accomplishment and conquering a goal that you first believed to be unattainable makes you feel undefeatable! You really do feel like you’re awesome and I felt like I had done the impossible AND at that moment I felt like if I could run 3 miles then I MUST be able to run 13 miles. I mean it’s sorta the same thing right? Give or take ten miles!!  So, the girls and I decided that we should do the Aramco Half Marathon, that is until we realized that we couldn’t just sign up and be done with it. We needed to qualify. None of us had the required races done to qualify – plus at this point I do not have the miles or speed to qualify. We were left with entering the lottery, then started the thoughts of hoping I was picked along with being scared that I might get picked!!  Monday morning it was laid out for us very easily… all three of us (Cindy, Alma and I) were selected!!!  There were many emails and even a few squeals of excitement and lots of Facebook comments that confirmed what is waiting for us in January 2014 -  13.1 miles and lots of training in-between!

I am happier than ever that I can share this with you because let me tell you, whatever roller coaster I strapped myself into at the beginning of January is about to get wild and crazy. I am going into territory that I didn’t even know existed!! I promise I will fill you in with all the good and ugly details as they come about, in the meantime I’m heading to Florida in a couple of short days technically today is almost over and therefore there is only one more day before I leave!!   This trip is already showing to be a challenge because I (ALREADY!) know it’s gonna be hard to get my runs in and eating will very easily be off the charts. Wish me luck!!

This has kinda side tracked me a little but I do have a picture of my weigh-in form last Friday –

maybe one day my feet will look skinny?

Mr. Scale and I are on good terms once again – I out of the 170’s!!!!!! Can you see why I am scared of this trip?! I hope it does not set me back too much; it has taken so much work to get here to begin with! I am only two pounds from getting to my first goal of 30lbs, dang it so close I can almost touch it!! I might do another weigh-in on Thursday before we head out! Maybe.

I had another post already to go for you and then the lottery results came in and wrecked it! LOL I will hopefully throw in an extra post when I’m on the road :)

Possibilities are endless!

      I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to tell you the running has taught me A LOT! First and foremost running teaches you that you CAN do something you never thought possible. I’ve said this before and again that I was never a runner, I have clear memories of going to a beach and daydreaming of running on the beach early in the morning – very dreamy but I was never been able to do that or anything remotely close to that. This past week of running has been a learning week for sure, I am starting to get the idea that it will be this way for quite a while – the added perk I can apply these lessons to real life too...

     Tuesday – was one of the best running days I’ve had in long time! I did my interval runs with my hubby and it was a good run, pace was on faster than it’s been in a while and I felt great afterwards too! Before I went out for my run I realized that my socks were in the washer and it’s not like I have one pair, no this was the OMG I hate washing wash and it was a large load of whites were all of my white running socks were happily getting their bath time on– so I grabbed whatever socks I could find. BAD IDEA. About a mile in I could feel the rub on my ankle and by the time we stopped to fix the problem (AKA pull my sock up as far as I could) there was a little spot on my ankle that was bleeding OUCH. Either way we kept going and it turned out to be really awesome so – no pain no gain right? No biggy but now that little spot itches like crazy!!

     Thursday- was a group run day!! Woo-hoo I like these runs, no one really runs at my pace (because I’m not as fast) but it’s good to meet up with friends and just go! Someone watches the kids while one group heads out and as we get back the next batch goes out. Sometimes I run by self and sometimes my hubby will run with me either way you’re not alone. So far we have met up at Sugar Land Memorial and I really like that park, this week we decided to meet up at Oyster Creek Park and try it out. I’ve been there many times before but never for running reasons – Pictures – Playground – Soccer Games. I was so excited and then I.almost.died. If you have ever been to this park to run – you know what I’m about to tell you. It has a lot of ups and downs. LOTS. The first mile was good but I quickly learned that a nice downward slope was the enemy, it looked great “ohhh yes easy run” but you know what? You have to come back up that slope!! Mile two – I was like hold on let us stop just for a second… Mile three I’m calling out to my husband ‘WHY WHY WHY is this so hard???”  oh yea and “I’m done. I’m done no more!!” Thank goodness for my hubby who would call out to me “It’s just really freaking hot!!” okay that wasn’t encouraging… then he would say “Comon you got this!!” much better right? And “Come on you’re almost done!!” So I did and it was over.  I think I will try this park again :)

     Saturday (long run??) – Ok, I have been trying to push myself to run 5 miles. Last weekend I was able to go 4.8 miles but the last .8 was more of a walk/run. Saturday as I got ready to head out I realized that what I needed was exactly what I would advise someone else to do. I needed to slow down. Yes twice a week I am trying to get myself to fun faster, after those runs I am spent. Why would I think that pushing myself just as hard for two more miles would be easy? Back at the end of February I wanted to prove to myself that I could run three miles, I had the COLOR ME RAD coming at the end of March, so as a birthday gift to me I went to Memorial park and very slowly ran my first three miles. Afterwards the rest of the month I would just tell myself that I could run 3 miles so there was no excuse. I bettered my pace and grew stronger and I was CONFIDENT that whatever happened at the race I would run 3 miles because I had been there and done that.  Saturday I slowed way down, at one point to a pace I haven’t run in the past two months. BUT instead of trying to play catch up to my pace (and wearing myself out) I just started all over the next mile, and the next and the next and the next and the next. In the end 5 miles done. Now let me just make that five miles look better :)

     My goal is to run a 10K in October, that is 6.1 miles, I am closer to this goal and I feel confident that I will be able to rock those 6.1 miles by then… The real kicker?? Next Monday I will find out if I am picked out of the lottery for the Aramco Half-Marathon!! That will be hummmm… 13.1 miles!! Yes I know it’s crazy but if I get picked out of a lottery???? Well then I’m not the only ONE who thinks that it can be done ;)

 

     We are gearing up for our vacation in Florida and I am dreaming of the beach and change of scenery!!  As of today there is a 10 day count down eeeeeeek!!  So very very soon I will be here...

Run Harder??

     This week in running has been good, some weeks it seems like running is what it is all about, but of course it’s not what it’s all about (not all the time anyway). Yes there are weeks when everything I plan is worked around running, this comes of course when there is a routine established and anything extra is planned around my runs. I suppose this past week was the clam before the storm, it was the week of change for my household. It was the last week of “official” school and the last week for me before my summer hours began. It was also the big OMG week to the realization that our vacation is upon us. Although I did well following my running and toning plan for the week, so good it hurt like crazy when I had to sneeze!! There are times when routine is out of the question and when my mind is engulfed with thoughts of family and planning and getting organized- at this point running is done when it’s done. There are late nights and rushing to get home so we can get ready for the next day. There comes a point when we just have to stop and clean the house and wash the clothes. These are not my favorite times but they ground me, they remind me of why I am getting healthier and why I started running in the first place. For my family <3>

     Monday was my toning day and I thought about what I wanted to do exactly, I thought of all the exercises I’ve ever done over years. I thought about the ones that I felt the most. I thought about the classes I’ve taken and videos I’ve tried out and eventually I picked out a few for each area I wanted to work on. Some for my abs, some for my legs and some for my arms, I came up with a pretty good set of exercises, I am in the process of finding all the correct names for them and then I will give you a list. The one thing I chose to be a part of my workout was the oh-so-fear-full PLANK! I admit many a times at the gym or on the video the instructor asked told you to get in to plank position and I cheated I would set up on my knees, never really trying the PLANK. I knew it was a challenge for me, so I threw it into my workout and hoped it would not be that bad. Day one I could barely hold plank position for 15 seconds tops, day two – I could not sneeze with having to cry a little bit. Day three (my second toning day) I could hold it for a little bit longer not so much pain – YAY! Sunday night was day three and again much better :)


     Running went well, although my Saturday long run was a tough one, I wanted so badly to reach my 5miles goal but after mile 4 I was exhausted!! I ended up doing .8 of my fifth mile and I had to run/walk it. Next Saturday will have to be it no excuses! Ha!

     I also tried running the track at the local school and do a training run (fartlek’s funny name but a real term Swedish for “speed play”) either way I do this in my own way and it has worked for me helping me speed up my time a little bit. Lately adding speed to my time has become hard. Harder. Is it ever easy? I don’t know, running is a very mental thing, it really is mind over physical ability. I find myself having a constant battle with how my body feels vs my brain telling me to keep going.  I am hoping speed is just a mental block, which I have to just get past this wall and keep going but IT IS HARD! I feel like I’m going all out and then when I look at my time and I’m like really??? Dang I could have sworn I was going faster. I know speed isn’t what it’s all about and some days I really wish I could make myself stop worrying so much about it and just run. Less thinking more running… I think I’ll adopt this way of thinking form now on but I’ll still keep my Garmin with me just in case ;)

Oh yes! I almost forgot I did weigh in this past Friday!! Mr. Scale decided to move…a little bit…like a pound. SO I am boycotting Mr. Scale my not featuring him on my blog this week. I know you are bummed… but in lieu of that I put together and even more embarrassing picture!! This way you won’t feel cheated :) A quick sneak peek of what running looks like for me! Mr. Scale is allowed to return in two weeks only is he is kind enough to show me numbers I like better…. Of course I will have to do some serious behaving myself if we are to get along. Wish me luck!!  

Run Hard or Go Home!

This week running went well, I made up my mind to push my self harder this week. I had every intention of doing just that... My run on Tuesday started off that way but ehhhhh I made the mistake of taking off too fast and just like you are warned not to do that because it will burn you out - I burned my self out. It's always okay when you have a bad run because you always have the next run to look forward to. Also I did not completely count Tuesdays' run as a bad one because I did push my self hard and that was my goal.


Then rolls out Thursday and we were having a good friend over for dinner that night (total brain fart on planning out my running week on my end) so I simply thought I would just go running after work. I've done that before, right?! Yes about a month ago and I stopped that because we live in Houston and in Houston it goes from great weather to unbearable hot, and at 4:00pm on the track it is just that -unbearably hot! Of course I somehow had talked my self into thinking that I could handle it, I figured it would be cloudy and it wouldn't be so bad. WRONG! IT WAS HOT!! And it was not completely overcast so Mr. Sun kept blaring down on me :( It was miserable. First mile was okay I managed to keep pace and when the sun hid behind some clouds I made sure to buck it... Unfortunately mile two killed me, no clouds and pure sun. I could not finish 3miles that day. Although my run was an utter fail, dinner was not :)


Friday was a good surprise, we were Hailey free (thanks to her grandma) and we were able to go to a family get together, celebrating my aunts 50th birthday and it was tons of fun. I have to say that Facebook is one of those amazing things that, although a bit of a cliche, it connects you to friends and family that you would other wise not see or visit with for months at a time. Friday night I was able to hold a cute little baby that I had only seen via Facebook, she didn't mind the crazy party at all and didn't mind us holding her while her parent hit the dance floor for a bit. Then of course we hit the dance floor too!! Something we hadn't done in a loooong time, I still think I might have danced the equivalent of three miles that night!! Absolutely loved seeing my family <3>


After a night like that a Saturday morning run was not happening. Thankfully we spent Saturday at the pool and later we fired up the grill for yummy grub! I could not have asked for a better weekend!! Sunday I woke up refreshed and relaxed and ready to run! I headed out and found that my dad and Lety were also lacing up their shoes for a morning run. We went our separate ways but it was good seeing them up and ready to go :) Right away into my first mile, I saw that it was a good chance it was about to rain- and it did. I've been reading "Running for Women" and just in the first chapter the author talks about running in the rain -

"Just wear a brimmed hat to keep the rain out of your eyes and tight-fitting synthetic clothing that won’t hang on you and get heavy.”

Excerpt From: Kara Goucher & Adam Bean. “Kara Goucher's Running for Women.”

I did a quick inventory and realized that I had all of the above, so I thought to my self unless it gets ugly out here I'm sticking with this run. AND I did! I had to coach my self through it a little and I'm glad I always have my cell phone with me, I figured if need be I'll find cover by a house and call Jose to come pick me up. Thankfully I never had to use my cell phone, I did get a text message in my second mile and I knew it was my hubby, but I also knew that he would understand if I kept going. Later he told me he was a little worried :) it turned out to be a good great run, no sun, nice breeze and much cooler temps = great run. The drizzle just helped keep me cool :)


Today marks the official count down to our summer vacation!!! Florida here we come! Only 25 days till we hit the road - eek! So this also means that I'm stepping up with some extra toning work outs, for me that means that I might not see dropping pounds if I start building muscle but that's okay with me - want to try my best to lose a few more inches and fit into a couple of things that I have stashed away. Plus I have refused to go shopping for anything because I know I will want to buy an outfit or two for this trip and I am determined to slim down a little bit more between now and then!! So it's been baggy pants for a few weeks and its gonna stay that way till it gets a little bit closer our road trip. I will keep you posted - there are things that I want to do while in Florida, Disney World of course and a Forth of July 5K! I'm so excited about it!!! Can't wait to be able to post about that race - until then training and toning!!