Last Run of 2010!!!

Nothing like ending 2010 with a 10 mile run! It felt great this morning! Got to run with my wonderful friends...I am so thankful for them this past year! Without them I would NOT be running! They are so awesome!!! We ran 10 miles in 1:49:24 at an average pace of 10:56!

AND...my ankle/foot is GREAT!!!! I have had no pain after this run so far! I will admit that I laid hands on it last night and prayed for no pain! I truly believe God listened! Yay!

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year!!!!

Hills and Chills!

Brrrr...21 degrees outside this morning! But it is worth it when you are running with some great friends! We ran a new route this morning...and it involved some hills. I know hills are good for me but I REALLY don't like them lol! But it was nice to run a different route! We planned on running around 3 miles. By the time we reached our starting point we were at 3.3 miles. Everyone else stopped but I just couldn't! Being the anal one that I am I had to make it to 3.5 miles lol. So I kept going and am really glad I did! I ran 3.51 miles in 38:00 at an average pace of 10:50. A little slower than my normal short runs but those hills slowed me down lol!

Ok...I have been running with hardly any pain anywhere so I guess it is time for pain to show up. Last Wednesday during my short run I felt something in my left foot below my ankle but not in the heel. It wasn't bad so I kept running. It was a little sore the rest of the day...it felt like I sprained it. I went ahead and ran my long run on Christmas Eve...it felt great after I was warmed up...and didn't hurt that bad before that. The entire run was great...I barely felt it. As the day went on it was pretty sore. It felt sprained still and a little bruised feeling. Well, same thing today. I could feel it when I started running but once I got warmed up I could barely feel it. It gets pretty sore as the day wears on...feels bruised more than anything. Ugh! I hate having pains!!!! I am going to just do what I normally do and keep running and hope it eases.

My running schedule is a little off this week. I am only going to get in two runs this week. The girls are all running tomorrow morning but I know I need to hold off since this foot thing is bothering me. So I don't want to push it and run two days in a row. We have our long run planned for Friday morning...New Year's Eve. I am running 10 miles! I hope whatever is going on with my foot works itself out soon!!!! Happy running!!!

Christmas Eve Run!

What a wonderful way to begin Christmas...doing what I love to do...RUN! Had a great run this morning with some GREAT friends! It really hit me as I was running down the road watching the beautiful sunrise how amazing it is that God created all of that beauty. I have so many things to be thankful for...including the blessing that God gave me legs with which to run with!

I ran 8 miles in 1:28:56 at an average pace of 11:06!

Now ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus with my precious family! Merry Christmas!!!

4.25 Miles and Some Ab Work!

Ran with the girls again this morning! The weather was perfect..about 58 degrees with a little bit of wind! Had an awesome run! We ran 4.25 miles in 43:58 at an average pace of 10:20. After we stretched, me and one of the other girls did some ab work...it was great but so hard because my abs are soooo sore from CrossFit the other night!

Long run is planned for Christmas Eve morning!!! Happy Running!!!

Run With the Girls!

Started my first day of Christmas vacation by not sleeping in...but getting up at 4:45 AM to go RUN! Yep I am crazy! I ran with 3 other girls this morning! It was great running with friends instead of solo! It was chilly at first but I was sweating by the end of the run. We ran 3.11 miles in 31:35 at an average pace of 10:09!

Have a great day everyone! I can't believe Christmas is only 5 days away!!!

Long Run Day...in the Cold and Wind!

I had a fabulous run this morning! Really enjoyed running with my girls! And REALLY enjoyed running solo with Paige for a few of those miles...great catching up time! It was colder than I thought due to the wind but I warmed up once I started running. LOVE these long runs!!!

I ran 7.01 miles in 1:15:05 at an average pace of 10:42!

Having to rearrange my running days next week due to Christmas. We are going to do our long run on Christmas Eve!

Headed out to do some last minute Christmas shopping! AND to spend the $80 gift card to Running Wild that my sweet class gave me for Christmas! Some much needed sports bras are in my future!!!

Windy and Humid!

Totally different weather from the 20 degrees I ran in on Tuesday! Today was humid, in the 60's, and windy. The wind made it a little harder since we ran against it half the run. Enjoyed running with my girls today!!! We met at Laura's house to run...was great running a new route for a change! We ran 4 miles in 41:50 at an average pace of 10:27! Ready for a long run of 7 miles on Saturday!!!

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

but the endorphins from a run are so delightful! And although it's much warmer in my bed, let me RUN, let me RUN, let me RUN!!! Brrr! It was cold out today (in the 20's) but I had a great run! I had to run against the wind the last mile home which was a little challenging lol! Glad I got out there and ran despite the chilliness! I ran 3.1 miles (by myself) in 31:06 at an average pace of 10:00!

I hope everyone is staying warm out there!!!

Long Run Day!

What a gorgeous run this morning!!! We ran a new route that had open fields and woods on the side of the road. We even saw two deer dart across the road! This run started my training for my next half in February! It felt great and strong...and we even ran hills! Love runs like this!!!

I ran 6 miles in 1:04:50 at an average pace of 10:47!

Now time to go sing in our church Christmas Musical!

COLD but AWESOME Run!!!

Woo Hoo! I got to run with my girls this morning!!! It has been awhile and I have missed them! AND I had a GREAT run this morning!!! Felt like I could keep going forever! I haven't felt like that in awhile. Got that runner's high...feels sooo good!!! We ran 5 miles in 51:06 at an average pace of 10:12!!! I will take it!!! It was SUPER cold this morning but when you are all bundled up and there is no wind...it is not too bad!

For what I mean by super cold...look at what my car thermometer said the outside temp was:


Brrr!!!! Yep, I think you can say we are officially CrAzY for running in that kind of weather lol!

Looking forward to my long run on Saturday. I have decided that for my next half-marathon (Rock 'n Roll Mardi Gras in NOLA in February) I am going to do my training a little differently. Before (for the Pensacola Half-Marathon), I ran 3-5 miles twice a week and then did a long run of about 10-12 miles almost every weekend. I am going to revamp training this time and do it the way you are supposed to. I am still going to run 3-5 miles twice during the week but my long runs on the weekend are going to start out slow and gradually build up instead of just running 10-12 EVERY weekend. So Saturday I am going to OFFICIALLY start my training and do a long run of 6 miles. I am trying to avoid overuse injuries...because a lot of the girls I am running with are getting injured. Scares me because I already have little pains here and there that I have to get through...I don't want to get seriously injured for training too hard. Trying to play it smart this go around! :-) Anyway, enough for now! Be back after my 6 miles on Saturday!!!

Brrr!!!

Another cold day...upper 20's here. But I bundled up warm and was fine! I will say that I like to run in about 50 degree weather the most. It's not supposed to be this cold here lol! The sunrise was beautiful this morning! A great way to start the busy day ahead of me!

All my friends did not want to run in the cold this morning so I set out by myself again. It's not too bad because if I run by myself I can sleep in a little longer lol! I ran 3.11 miles in 32:03 at an average pace of 10:18. My legs felt tired the entire run but I didn't quit. Glad I ventured out on my own this morning...despite the cold!

Jingle Bell Run 5K!!!

This race was sooo much fun! We wore tutus, Christmas socks, Christmas tree hats, and our purple Sole2Soul Sisters shirts! Channel 5 News even came out and did an interview with us!!! The course was very very hilly! I thought one of the hills was NEVER going to end! Still pretty happy with my time...not a PR but that is not what I was intending to do. My official time was 32:02! This one was all for fun!!!

Me all dressed up!


Me and Paige!


Sole2Soul Sisters Officers with Santa!

COLD Run!

Brrr! It was freezing this morning...made it really hard to get going and get warmed up. Thank goodness there was no wind. I kept wanting to turn around, go home, and crawl back into my warm bed. But I persevered and finished what I set out to do! I ran (by myself again) 3.5 miles in 37:23 at an average pace of 10:40!

13.1 Decorating My Christmas Tree!!!

A gift from my friend Andi, who ran my first half-marathon with me!

Another Solo Run!

Another fabulous run!!! Very windy and cold...but I think that makes me run faster...because I am so cold lol! I ran by myself tonight because all the girls are running in the morning and Andy has to leave for work really early. So it was either run by myself tonight or no run at all. I ran 3.11 miles in 31:07 at an average pace of 10:00! Gonna sleep good tonight after this one!

EDIT: May not get good sleep tonight...my son Sawyer just threw up in his bed. Poor thing! :-(

5 Miles...By Myself!

FINALLY!!!! A great run! I have been so discouraged because my runs have been so hard lately. But today was GREAT! I missed running with my girls but I think I needed that time to get myself back in the groove...I didn't have to worry about keeping up or falling behind...I just RAN!!! Yay! I ran 5 miles in 54:21 at an average pace of 10:51. When I loaded my Garmin data onto the computer, it said my best pace was 8:25!!!! I may have only ran that fast a few seconds but WOW! Usually my best pace is around 9:40. I am so thankful that I finally had a good run!

Now time to decorate the house for Christmas!

Feed the Turkey 5K!

This isn't an actual race...it is a virtual race. The requirements were to run a 5K ANYWHERE. But first you have to make a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. My friend Stephanie, who I don't get to run with much, met me at my house this morning and we ran our 5K! We ran 3.1 miles in 34:02 at an average pace of 10:56. An awesome start to Thanksgiving Day...and I won't feel so guilty eating all of the yummy food!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving! We are headed to Florida to my Dad and Step-mom's house! We normally spend Thanksgiving with Andy's family. Although I will miss them greatly this year, I am thankful to be spending it with my side of the family. Happy Turkey Day everyone!!!

4 Miles With the Girls!

Had a great run this morning! It was interesting running through the fog! Paige, Christina, and Laura all met at my house for a 4 mile run. We ran 4 miles in 43:59 at an average pace of 10:57. I am looking forward to some cooler weather this weekend! Will make my long run so much more enjoyable! Have a great day everyone!

Back to Training!

Got to get back into the routine! Although I enjoyed my week of rest, I was so ready to run again! Most of the girls are going to be running the full marathon in New Orleans in February...I am only doing the half...especially since the Disney Princess half is two weeks later. Plus, I am not sure I ever want to attempt a full marathon. Right now I am content with being a half marathoner! Anyway, so everyone has to start training again...so we started it off with a 10 miler this morning! Technically, I did not have to run that far since I am only doing the half...but I can't let them have any fun without me lol! So I opted to run the whole 10 with them.

This morning was my first run since my half marathon last weekend. And boy could I tell it! I struggled the first half of the run but started feeling better the second half. Glad I pushed through it...I don't struggle often but when I do it really knocks me down! I think most of my struggle was because my body has done nothing physical since the half. And then I shock it into doing 10 miles this morning. I think I am learning that any more than 2-3 days in between my runs is not good. I get out of the groove. That could explain a little of my struggles last weekend at the half too. I had run on Tuesday and chose not to run with everyone else on Thursday because I thought my legs needed to rest. I think that was a bad decision and helped contribute to my not so good run during the half. Next time, I am going to make sure to get all those runs in the week of and see if that helps. Good thing about today...I did NOT quit...I kept running (no walking) and pushed through it to the end! I can be proud of that! The stats: 10 miles in 1:55:44...average pace of 11:33!



My ice bath felt heavenly this morning...I really missed not doing one last weekend after my half. And I was pretty sore too. I think the ice bath really really works in minimizing all that soreness!



Happy Saturday to everyone!

13.1...On My Car!!!

These pictures are for you Leah!!! :-)

Pensacola Half Marathon!!!

Wow! What an awesome day! I am so happy to have the greatest friends in the world that were right there running with me! That course was TOUGH...tons of huge hills that I really wasn't ready for. I did not train for those hills. But hey...I did not quit and conquered those miles and those hills(barely)!!! And the best part...I ran across that finish line with Paige, one of my best friends! And my husband and two boys were there waiting on me at the end! Never thought I would get so emotional over seeing them but I bawled like a baby! It was a GREAT day!!!

Let me just say that this run was not my best by far. I was not feeling it from the start. That probably had something to do with the fact that the course started with a gradual uphill (that we did not notice at the time) that led to a huge hill that was horrible! And that was only the beginning! There were several huge hills on this course. We did NOT train on hills. We ran an occasional course of hills every now and then but the hills we ran did not compare to the ones on this course. And all of our long runs were on flat courses. So I contribute my "not feeling it" to the fact that I was totally unprepared for those hills! The good thing is that after about 3 miles, my legs were warmed up and felt great. It was my lungs that were having a hard time. I am so glad my legs did fine...everyone else was complaining about their knees on those hills but I had no pain whatsoever. Except I could barely breathe!!! By the time we reached mile 10, I was DONE. I had to stop and walk. And I NEVER walk. So I was a little discouraged with myself but I just couldn't catch my breath. Luckily, Paige walked with me and was great at distracting me. She even got her phone out and found us some music to listen to to help keep our minds off the run. I think we only walked about half a mile...don't really remember. Andrea said that was about all we walked. We started running again and I kept quoting, "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." I think that was the only thing that got me through those last 3 miles. We finally saw the finish line and it was such a relief. Paige and I ran in together...the support was amazing! Everyone was cheering! It was awesome to run hand in hand across the finish line with one of my best friends! And what made the day even better was seeing Andy and my boys when I came out of the chute! I did not think they had come because I did not see them as I crossed the finish line. But they were there and said they were screaming, "Go Mama!" as I crossed the finish line. I hate that I did not see them! I got sooo emotional...it meant so much to me to have them there. My official time was 2:43:41...not what I was aiming for but I am happy! I finished! And the next one will be better...and on a FLAT course!

Here are a few (ok a ton) of pictures documenting this amazing experience. Thank you to Christina and Jennifer (who were injured so they did not get to run with us) for claiming my camera and taking some amazing pictures! Thanks also to the Dunn's (Laura's parents) for following us throughout the course and getting some amazing pictures too!

Almost ready!

All the Sole2Soul Sisters running the race!

My training partners...and officers of Sole2Soul Sisters! Love these girls and couldn't have done it without them!

Ready to run!!!

Here we go!!!

Running under the "wish bridge!" This was mile one!

The course was hilly...but gorgeous!

Me and Paige running to the finish line...almost there!

We did it!!!

Lydia, me, Paige, and Andrea...the half marathoners! Notice all of the "stuff" in our hands...we crossed the finish line and they handed us our medal, a bottle of water, a subway bag with a sub and cookie inside, a bag of trail mix, and a cup of PowerAde!

Me with my wonderful hubby Andy and precious boys Hayden and Sawyer!

All of the Sole2Soul Sisters Medal Winners!!!

Sole2Soul Sisters ROCKS!!!

Paige and I went back to our hotel room to get an ice bath and our tub drain would not close! So we put ice in the sink and dipped our feet in. It felt so good getting those shoes and socks off...we put our flip flops on to go watch Katrina and Laura finish the marathon.

Me...looking oh so yucky...with my medal! I am proud!

My FIRST medal!!!

Needless to say, we are all taking the week off and resting our sore muscles! We are starting our training back up on Saturday with a 10 miler. Got to get ready for my next half...Rock n Roll Mardi Gras in New Orleans in February!!! :-)