Year in Review

Howdy, howdy y'all!!

I hope that you all had a good Christmas!!  We did!

The past 3 weeks have been whirlwind, crazy hectic around here hence the lack of posts!!

The last time I checked in, we were getting ready to go to St Louis for the Hot Chocolate Run. I had fully intended to recap that race, then life happened and kept on coming at me like a freight train!!

Here's a brief recap of the race. We got there late Friday night. Hubs woke up early Saturday morning sick with what I thought was a cold. We picked up our packets and got him some cold medicine. We stayed in at the hotel that night. We got up Sunday morning and hubs was still not feeling well, but he went ahead and did the 5k. The weather was so much better than last year and I was appreciating it until about mile 7 when I decided that I was overdressed. I was way too hot!! My goal time was 1:45 but I didn't make it. I finished at 1:48. I'm ok with that. I had fun and that's what matters! Not every race has to be a PR!!  Hubs still wasn't feeling well. He was coughing and sneezing all over the place. I drove most of the way home.

He finally went to the doctor and discovered that he had pneumonia!!  That significantly changed things for me!!  I've been filling in in an area of my department that I'm not 100% oriented to. My co-worker that usually does this job suffered a grade 3 sprain to her mid foot earlier this month. She isn't able to bear any weight and employee health won't let her return to work until she can. So, I've been filling in for her. Needless to say, I got a "trial by fire" type orientation to the job. It is quite hectic and stressful. I go in early most days and don't get off until late. That made Christmas shopping quite interesting!!  I'm glad most stores were open late during the holidays!!  I finally got it all done about 2 days before Christmas. I didn't have any gifts wrapped until Christmas Eve! But we made it and everyone had a jolly time!!  We're going to Iowa later this week for 2nd Christmas with the northern relatives!!

2014 was quite a year. It didn't turn out quite the way I had planned. Last year at this time, I was preparing for my first full marathon. But I was struggling with a physical injury, which later sidelined me and also with the fact that mentally, I wasn't ready for a full marathon. I don't think I ever will be!

Here's my 2014 race bling:

not nearly as much as past years, but it was still a good year.

I had some setbacks both personally and professionally that forced me to adapt and overcome. I sustained an injury to my Achilles tendon, probably due to overtraining. I struggled with that for about 3 months until I finally had to stop running. I completed the Little Rock half marathon in brutal conditions in early March and didn't run another step until April. I was just making a come back when my mother in law fell and broke her hip in May. She was hospitalized until June when she subsequently passed away. This was very difficult for my husband as she did everything for my father in law. Now, we have to do that.

In August, I was reassigned at my job. I was devastated by this change initially, but it has ultimately been a huge blessing!

I was running sporadically over the summer but not really consistently until August when I began to coach Pathways again. And that's when all became right with my world again. I love working with the runners to achieve their goals. That is very rewarding for me!!  I worked with them from August until November. Together we trained for and completed the Fleet Feet Quarter Marathon, the Tulsa Run 15k, and the Williams Route 66 half marathon. Now, we're in our first ever winter session of Pathways and we're training for the Fleet Feet Sweetheart run 10k. I've got another fun group and am enjoying this session so far!

During my time off from running, I discovered that I actually enjoy weight training. And I plan to continue that into 2015. I was doing the Team Beachbody Body Beast program but the past few weeks, I've gotten off track with that. He wasn't able to train due to his illness and I wasn't home until 9pm some nights. I took a little time off but we're back at it this week. Monday we did a Jamie Eason upper body workout and last night we did the 21 Day Fix Dirty 30.

I've avoided gaining any weight this holiday season, so far by being consistent with my clean eating. I've had a few small treats but I've kept it about 90% clean. The scale reflects it too!!  For Christmas, my mom gave me a pressure cooker. I haven't tried it yet but I'm eager to see how this will help with my weekly meal prep.

So, my 2015 goals are:

1. Continue to eat clean, NO JUNK!!
2. Restart the Body Beast program Monday, January 5
3. Continue running with Pathways, training for the Little Rock half marathon and the Go Girl half marathon, both in March.
4. Try to get back to blogging more consistently
5. Declutter my house and downsize!!  Less is more!!

So, that's all I've got for now. I hope that your 2014 was fabulous and your 2015 is even better!!

Until next time--get up, get out, and get moving!!  Whatever you do today, be awesome at it!!

Your friend,

Theresa

Do you have any New Year's resolutions/goals??

Tuesday Thoughts

Good morning folks!

Just checking in quickly to say happy Tuesday. Am I the only one who thinks that Tuesday is the worst day of the week? You've got Monday in all it's manicness and Wednesday with it's humpiness, Thursday is like Friday-eve, and then of course it's TGIF. But Tuesday really has no identity of it's own. Maybe I just have too much time on my hands to think about obscure things!

I'm excited because the inaugural winter season of Pathways starts tonight. In the past, we have taken the winter off. We still run together, but it's loosely structured and not organized. I find myself struggling with motivation or lack there of because it's dark and/or cold. Well this year, Fleet Feet listened to it's participants and initiated a winter season. I'm glad. It will be good to run with an organized group during what I think is the toughest running time of the year. I'm moving up a pace group this session. I'll be coaching the 11:30 group with my friend, Dave. I'm looking forward to this session. I plan to make it as fun as possible to help keep them motivated. I've got a fun idea, team building idea that I can't wait to implement!

I believe that my job as a coach is to help keep them motivated and find their confidence. I often say that I'm not a perfect pacer, but I'm their biggest cheerleader. One way to help them be successful is to have a fun, cohesive group. Let's face it, running alone is ok sometimes; but running with a group is the best! You're sharing a common interest with like minded people and often times, you make life long friends. I'm really looking forward to this adventure!!

In other news, I'm still eating clean and sticking to the 21 Day Fix meal plan. So far, so good!!  I haven't had any candy in over a week, with the exception of peppermints. I have allowed myself  to have coffee with 1 tsp of sugar and 1.5 TBSP of coffee creamer. This doesn't seem to be too much as MFP allows for 40g of sugar a day. This is way under that!!  My stomach is much less bloated, so that's the goal that I was hoping to achieve!!  I'll keep plugging along with it. I know there will be tempations and struggles but hopefully, I've broken the sugar addiction!!

This weekend, we're travelling to St. Louis, Missouri for the Hot Chocolate run. My friends and I ran it last year. It was so cold, but so much fun that we're going back!!  Hubs had just had knee surgery so he couldn't participate but this year he is walking the 5k. I hope this gives him the motivation that he needs to run/walk again. He has some pain in that knee post meniscus repair, probably arthritis. But he is afraid that he will reinjure himself. I keep telling him to stick to shorter distances and walking but I haven't been able to convince him. I just don't think that he is that committed. But, fear can do strange things!

I'm still slacking on my weight training. I was doing so well with consistency and not missing workouts until last week when I did the 3 Day Refresh. I had no energy whatsoever and physically felt ill, so I didn't workout. I have been so busy with day to day stuff and holiday preparation that I haven't got back to it. I'm hoping to change that tonight. When I get home from running, I'll immediately workout, then I can put on my pajamas!!  Here's what I'm hoping the rest of my week will look like, workout-wise:

Tuesday: Pathways run, Body Beast Build chest and triceps
Wednesday: Body Beast Back and biceps
Thursday: Pathways run (2.5 or 3) Body Beast Lucky 7
Friday: Body Beast Shoulders
Saturday: rest
Sunday: Hot Chocolate 15k

So, now that you're updated, you can carry on with your regularly scheduled programming!!

Until next time: get up, get out and get moving!!  Whatever you do today, be awesome at it!!

Your friend,

Theresa

How do you stay motivated to run in the winter??
Do you run with a group or prefer to run alone??

Little Rock race recap

Hello, hello folks! Happy Monday!

Today is Motivation Monday and that post will be up a little later. Right now, I want to fill y'all in on the Little Rock Half marathon yesterday.

As you know, my original goal was to run the marathon. Nagging injuries and a harsh winter made training difficult. I realized that a full marathon was probably not realistic at this time. As a result, I changed my registration to the half. After the Sweetheart Run on February 15, I had to take a couple of weeks off to give my Achilles and peroneal tendons time to rest and hopefully heal. I was a little nervous but I've run 13.1 multiple times so was fairly certain that I could do it. With a 2 week "taper", I was hoping for the best....fresh legs and hopefully, little to no pain.

We got up early Saturday morning for the drive to Arkansas. On the way, we decided to stop off at one of our favorite little, local wineries, Post Family Winery in Altus, Arkansas.

 We tasted some wines, had some snacks and then resumed our trip. We arrived in Little Rock and went straight to the expo. Packet pickup was effortless and went of without a hitch. I bought some Swiftwick socks and then we headed to our hotel. We got v checked in and settled in and started to discuss dinner. I wanted to drive from the hotel to the start area to time the drive and figure out parking. I was pleased to realize that it was easier to find and much closer than I originally thought. Afterward, we grabbed an early dinner. After dinner, I got in a little retail therapy. When we got back to the hotel, the staff told us that there was a shuttle for runners in the morning. That was a game changer because that reduced the stress of trying to find parking in the morning. I got my race dummy/flat runner ready and settled in for the night.

All week long, I had been watching the weather forecast closely. They were predicting a winter storm for the area and I knew it could be a factor. I always tell my runners to "control what you can control". Obviously, I can't control the weather, but I could at least try to control my wardrobe. In this case, that was going to be challenging. I couldn't begin to figure out how to dress for a race where the temperature was expected to drop with a high chance of rain. I brought several outfits and decided that I would make my final clothing choice on the morning of the race.

The alarm went off at 5 am. I looked out the window and saw that it was dry. My weather app showed the current temp @ 54. I was cautiously optimistic. I ate my breakfast and started to get dressed. I was planning to wear a long sleeved base layer with a short sleeved top over it. I was going to carry a lightweight jacket because it was supposed to be windy. But, after looking at the hourly forecast, I opted for a long sleeved base layer and a long sleeved 1/2 zip over it. I still had the jacket packed in my hydration vest. We went downstairs at 6:45 to catch the shuttle. The temperature was perfect, but that would soon change.

Due to road closures, the shuttle had to drop us off a mile from the start line.

Pre-race: 55 degrees and no rain--still smiling!

I missed the half fanatics picture but I did see my friend Gayle from Tulsa and Pamela from Texas.

Still no rain, still smiling! Rain started 5 minutes after this pic was taken.

It was starting to rain lightly. I put on my rain poncho and waited in a store doorway for the rain to let up.  At about 7:55, I got in the corral and started chatting with other runners. It was  still lightly drizzling. The wind was brisk and we were all wet. At first, I was concerned that I was overdressed. Later, I would be glad that I had changed clothes.

They were doing a wave start, starting each corral about every 5 minutes. I was in corral G so I didn't get to start until almost 8:30. I was planning to start out slow but I started in the front of my corral. I looked at my watch and was running a 9 minute mile. I knew that was way too fast and my angry Achilles agreed. It was hurting and I was only 0.15 miles in. Great! My plan was to walk if I had to and crawl if I must, so I was planning to make the best of it. I slowed my pace to about an 11 minute mile. I turned up my music, started to jam out and just run.....for as long as my leg would let me.

On one of the out and back sections, I saw a couple of my fellow Tulsa/Fleet Feet runners. That made me smile. It's my own race, but it's encouraging to see people I know out on the course. It makes me feel like I'm not alone.

I was a little concerned about nutrition due to recent diet changes but had carbed up really well for breakfast. I had carrying organic Sharkies and Honey Stinger chews. I planned to take some nutrition about every 30 minutes, which was no problem because I wad carrying my own water. I passed the first water stop but grabbed Gatorade at the next one for additional carbs.

I was hurting but feeling pretty good until about mile 6 or 7. I kept trudging along but it was obvious the weather was deteriorating. I noticed sharp pain in my left foot around mile 9 but I kept going. I was running about an 11:30 - 12 at this point and was taking short walk breaks as needed. I was starting to wish that I had my buff because the wind was cold on my face. I was starting to compare this run to Rt 66 last November. We ran past several area churches and apparently by the Governor's mansion. I didn't really notice. I was just trying to focus on finishing.

Mile 11 - 12, I was walking more frequently. I didn't have a goal time in mind. I kept looking at my watch thinking I might be able to make a 2:30 finish, exactly the same as my last half finish time. Mile 12-13, was a little bit downhill. I tried to make up some time here, but was hurting too bad. I saw the mile 13 flag and felt relieved! Just a little bit further now! I pushed as hard as I could, high fived Bart Yasso, and fist pumped my way across the finish line. I got my large medal, saw my hubs and immediately began to cry. It was the hardest thing I've ever done! Worse than Route 66 and that was very bad!

Post race: fake smile, wet,cold and hungry, red cheeks and nose from crying

There was no gluten free, dairy free post race food. I got to my hubs as quickly as I could so I could get my wet clothes off and dry jacket on and get some post race grub before I got sick. We had to wait a bit for the shuttle driver due to miscommunication. Once we were on the shuttle, we found out that they had black flagged the race due to weather. They pulled runners off the course. Some were made to wait in a Wal-Mart parking lot for buses back to the finish so they could collect their medals. Others chose to press on and finish without course support. If I had in fact run the marathon, I would have most certainly been stopped. Yet another reason I'm glad I chose to do the half instead. I can understand why they did it.  It was 55 with light rain at the start and 35 with high winds, sleet and thunderstorms at the finish. Hypothermia was a real concern and the there was a threat of lightening in the area. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to "re-route" the race but with that many people involved, safety had to come first. Yet, as a runner, I can certainly understand the disappointment of months worth of training and being so close, yet so far away. It would have been heartbreaking not to be able to cross that finish line.

After a hot shower and getting my belly full of post race fajitas, we headed home, right into a winter storm! It was sleeting and snowing making it a treacherous trip. We're home safely now and I can say that was the hardest thing I've ever done! I'm resting, icing, and elevating in compression socks today. Now it's time to get in to see a doctor to figure out what's causing my foot/ankle/Achilles issues. I'm so discouraged and frustrated! I've had 1 pain free week since the first of the year. Something has to change! We have to figure out what the problem is and how to fix it so that I can keep running without causing permanent damage, if I haven't already.

Finally Friday

Good morning folks!!  TGIF

This has been a long, challenging week at work. One thing I don't talk about too much here is my work. I really wanted to write a long, ranting post yesterday, but I refrained. I tried very hard to be positive even though I didn't want to. And I think it worked. It actually wasn't a terribly bad day after all! But I'm more than ready for the weekend!

It's going to be a busy weekend here! We're getting up early in the morning to travel to Little Rock, Arkansas. I was going to run the marathon there on Sunday. But, after an eye opening 15.5 mile run, I changed my registration to the half. I've been nursing an ankle/heel/Achilles/peroneal tendon issue since the first of the year. I've been on a 2 week running hiatus. I'm a little nervous about trying to run this race. The smart thing to do would probably be to defer until next year. But I'm hoping for "fresh legs" after this rest period. I've called it the "ultimate taper" I would be a little more excited about it if the weather wasn't going crazy here. I could have at least had fun with it.  But the good old "polar vortex" is going to return over the weekend. They're predicting a winter storm for our area for this weekend. It looks like it will be cold and rainy on Sunday. I'm not thrilled about this. I don't like to run in the cold and the rain is just ok, but cold rain is another issue. This is one race where I'm really not even sure how to dress. I've been told to bring "everything" so I guess that's what I'll do. With the weather conditions and my injury issues, I'm just hoping to finish. I could really use some good running karma and thoughts on Sunday morning if you're so inclined. :-)

I've been concerned about nutrition and fueling since I made drastic changes (no gluten, no dairy and limited sugar) to my diet recently. But I think I've got a plan that will work out well. I used dried fruit and nuts a couple of weeks ago when I did 12 miles. At mile 10, I felt like I was out of gas. I needed more carbs I think. So, I'm planning to make a "trail mix" of nuts, fruit, dry Chex cereal and a few M&M's. I'm thinking that will work out pretty well. I plan to use my Nathan Minimist hydration vest, so I'll use Gatorade G2 for additional carbs. And I plan to have my old standby Honey Stinger chews in case I need more fuel. That should be enough :-)

Alrighty, that's my weekend preview. What's on your agenda for the weekend?

Whatever it is, be safe and have a GREAT one!!

SNOW DAY

Good morning folks!!

We woke up to yet another blanket of the white stuff!! And you all know how happy that makes me.

We got our Pathways group run in last night before the snow started. It was bitterly cold and the wind just cut right through you. We were supposed to do 3.5 but I let the group talk me into cutting off the last 0.5 miles. I was glad and they didn't mind. I had a good sized group and I'm proud of them for braving the cold to get out there and get the miles done! I got to try a pair of Mizuno Riders. I really liked them! And I think that I've now tried every running shoe brand on the market! My heel was still hurting :/ I've got an appointment to see my chiropractor again tomorrow. Hopefully we can beat this thing soon!!

Tonight, I'm going to try something different, I think. I'm going to try the bootcamp that my friend Brandi has been going to for the past year. The last time I tried a bootcamp, I am pretty sure I ended up with rhabdomyolysis which is a very serious post workout condition that no one wants to deal with. I couldn't lift my arms over my head for 3 or 4 days after ward. Yuck!!  This new bootcamp has a 2 week special, so I'm going to try it and hopefully that will jumpstart my inconsistent cross training. I've got to do something. I've been far too lazy for far too long and bikini season is coming up soon!!

 

 

Yep, that would be my boss!!  Since I've got to drive 45 miles in 3 inches of snow, I'm going to cut this one short. You all have a fabulous day!!

Monday Motivation

Hello, hello!!  Happy Monday!!

I hope that you all had a great weekend!! We did!!

Saturday morning, I couldn't run with my Pathways group so I opted to run on the river in Tulsa. It was supposed to get up to 40, so I was pretty excited!!  I was planning to run 10 miles. It was cloudy and cold when I started. I warmed up fairly quickly but I had forgotten my buff. The trails were clear and all was going pretty well. The bridge at Southwest Blvd was snow/ice packed, so I had to walk that, but it cleared up as I hit the trail to the west bank. As I approached the amphitheater, I realized that I was going to need a bathroom break. Fortunately, my husband was waiting for me with water. I turned the corner by the amphitheater and noticed a big bird fly in and land in a tree about 50 yards from me. It was an eagle!!  It was so cool to see this majestic bird this close!

 I took a few pics then hubs took me to the QT down the street for the bathroom. After the pit stop, I went east over the 21st bridge. It was pretty snow packed and icy. I stuck to the outside edge and didn't have any slipping problems. The walkway down to the trail was slick, so I walked that part but once again, the trail was clear. I headed south toward 41st, where hubs was waiting for me. It was SO cold and the air was hurting my face!!  I had broken out the hand warmers by now and my right heel was hurting. I got to where hubs was just as my Garmin hit 7 miles. I decided that would be enough and called it quits. We met my friend Sarah for lunch at Jason's deli then headed home to warm up. The rest of the weekend was pretty much spent in pajamas!!  We wrapped up the Breaking Bad series on DVD. Yesterday, I grocery shopped and food prepped. I made a big batch of chili and homemade minestrone soup for the Move, Nourish Believe Meatless Monday. We also watched Escape Plan and Captain Phillips on DVD from the Redbox. Both were pretty good movies. I also got a little retail therapy yesterday. I went to JCP to return some things and they were having a pretty good clearance sale. I got a couple of workout capris for $14.39 and 10.38 plus I got a quarter zip pull over for $10.38!

Pathways is supposed to run 3 miles tonight but the arctic temps/wind chills have forced us to cancel our outdoor activities lately. It is still bitter cold today, so I'm anticipating an indoor workout tonight but we'll see. I'm also hoping to start a new bootcamp workout this week because I'm struggling to stay on the bandwagon all by myself. I'm thinking a group activity might help with that.

My Motivation Monday team has Healthy Valentine's Day Dinner ideas for you today. I'm running short of time, so I will have to post mine later. But feel free to link up with us and hop around to see what they've got for you.

Have a marvelous Monday!

Thursday Things

Good morning folks!

Yep! That's how I felt when I packed my gym bag this morning. I packed my outdoor winter running gear, making sure to grab my warm North Face gloves and my wool Buff. I'm listening to the weather forecasters talking about "blowing snow" and "wind chill advisories" They were also talking about "our next winter storm" Enough already! I'm over it! I also packed capri pants and a tank in the event that Pathways is cancelled tonight (I'm secretly hoping it is) I struggle with cold weather, winter running. I am always cold. I have trouble warming up. I often wear a jacket at work because I'm so cold. Therefore, I prefer running in warmer temperatures. I've tried to just deal with it, but a little bit goes a long way. Ol Man Winter has certainly worn out his welcome as far as I'm concerned!

Last night, after work, I went to spin class. I'm really enjoying spin. I'm glad they've added classes that fit in my schedule. Then I did a few hanging leg raises and a 5 minute plank (broken up into 1 minute segments) If Pathways is cancelled again tonight (they cancelled it last night d/t wind chill) I'm planning to hit the treadmill for a few miles followed by some core work.

And, that's all I've got for now.

Until next time......