Will Run For Ice Cream

Image Source  So I managed to mess up my knee a little (or I'm hoping it's a little and not a major issue). After a few days rest, I tested it out yesterday with a treadmill run. I almost stopped at a half mile, but decided to go a little farther. It either loosened up or I got so caught up in the run that I ignored it. But both of my knees have been a little angry with me. I'm hoping this is just a minor issue, and I can move on. Since I haven't been able to exercise as much as I wanted, I've been focusing a little more on nutrition. (Or I like to think I am. Some days, I'm just not sure). But I came across some helpful info ( Packaged Clean Eating)  My knees are a little better today. I'm actually considering going out for an afternoon/evening run once Lil Man wakes up from his nap . Scratch that, I just looked outside and it's raining. So maybe I'll either hit the treadmill once Hubby gets home. I actually enjoy running in the rain, bu...

I did it! I PRed on my Half Marathon. To read the post race report, go to Double Creek Half Marathon Post Race Report  I was really sore after the race. So I took a couple of days off from running. Monday, I did manage to make it to Boot Camp class. Tuesday was my first day back to running. Lil Man and I went down to the river front and got in 5 miles. It wasn't easy, but my legs (for the most part) felt decent. I averaged a 9:33 pace with the jogger so I was pleased. Wednesday was cross training day. I've decided that on X-training day that I want to get at least 45 minutes (an hour would be idea) each time. I really want to burn some fat. So I'm going to try to ramp up my cardio, along with making sure that I do strength training 2-3 times per week. Thursday, I ran a couple of miles at the gym. And then I did a group fitness class. We used the Power Plates machine. I'm still not too sure about that. Although, I'm starting to feel some soreness today. T...

Have you ever experienced chafing on a long run? I'd never really experienced chafing before until my first long run. I remember getting into the shower and burning in places all over. Ouch big time! It was after that run that I decided to try Body Glide. I wasn't really sure that it would work. I mean when I put it on, I really didn't 'feel' anything different. It wasn't greasy or anything. But I gave it a try, and it worked! And now I use it all over. If I even suspect it might chafe, I put on Body Glide. So when I was given the opportunity to review and try the Body Glide For Her, I was more than thrilled. It's just the right size to toss into a gym bag or even my purse. Well, I mean, if you keep an extra set of clothes in the car for those 'just in case run opportunities', this would also be perfect to have on hand. ;)  I also liked that since the applicator was smaller, it was easier to apply. And don't forget your feet. Did you...

Can I get a WHOOOO HOOOOOOOO! Yep, I PRed. I'm not sure yet of my 'official' time. My garmin read 2:11:19. I'm thinking the clock was 2:11:21, but the results still haven't posted yet. Regardless, my time last year was 2:19:12 so this was a PR for me. How was it? It was amazing, awful, this is great, this pretty much sucks, I'm so glad I'm doing this, whose bright idea was this anyway and then I hit mile 10ish.. do not walk, do not walk, do not walk, do not walk. I knew that my pace had slowed. I was actually on target (for awhile) for a 2:10 finish. But I felt myself getting slower. I did walk a few times here and there on some hills in the last few miles, but I forced myself to pick it back up and to keep going. I was so close to getting in under 2:15 which was my 2nd goal. My first goal was to finish. My second was 2:15. My third was 2:10. So, as you can imagine, I was truly happy with myself. Around 11 or so miles, I felt the first twinge of a cram...

Well if you've been following my blog, you know that I had vertigo last week. If you are new here, welcome, and you can click here to read about my health scare.  My runs post vertigo have been blah, except for my last quick 2 miler on the treadmill. I will say that run felt fairly decent. But as I type this, my garmin is charging, my running clothes are laid out for tomorrow, and my ipod is loaded with some upbeat songs that I hope will help push me over the hills. Tomorrow I run my 4th Half Marathon.  Wish me luck! 

Well, I have to say... my runs since my episode with a week of vertigo have been pretty much awful. I haven't been able to run more than 2 miles without walking. I can't breathe! It's like my chest is restricting, So I'm really hoping that my breathing is a lot better during the Half on Saturday. Or this race may truly be a fight to the finish. I was hoping to PR this race. This was really my 'one' race of the year that I was trying to run it for speed. My other Half marathons are more training runs for the Marathon or fun runs with friends. So this was 'the' race that I was hoping to push the pace and see what I could do. But it's ok. It's not the end of the world if this race doesn't turn out like I had expected or hoped. I do hope that I am completely well enough to run the race, and that I don't have to get pulled off of the course. I haven't had any more vertigo episodes since Saturday. I've had a couple of issues with be...

I'm still feeling as if I'm on a boat without the view! But I'm hoping the vertigo is going to completely leave me soon - especially since I have a Half Marathon NEXT that's right NEXT weekend. {trying not to freak out here} Anyway, although I'm still not feeling great, I decided to try to do a little research on "clean eating". I know that realistically I'm not going to cut out every ounce of 'unclean' food out of our diet. But what I'm hoping to do is make smarter choices, and start to incorporate some healthy foods and eating habits into our lifestyle. With just the little research that I've done on the subject, I realize that my current diet is for the most part mainly processed foods - even the foods that I considered 'healthy'.  I came across this article from Prevention  on 23 Ways to Eat Clean  Image Source  This article broke it down into 1st choice, 2nd choice and limited. And it really helped me to und...

It was an ordinary Tuesday. Lil Man woke us up on the baby monitor. Hubby and I groaned as we realized it was time to get up. I got out of bed and turned around to straighten the pillows when 'wow, the world started spinning'. I grabbed hold of the bed to keep from falling. The swirling stopped and I just assumed that I'd got up too fast . I went about my morning as usual. I needed to get in a short run. So while Lil Man and Hubby ate breakfast, I headed out the door for a quick 3 mile run. I wasn't really 'feeling it'. And on that run, I decided that I needed to taper before the Half on June 15. I changed clothes. Got Lil Man dressed, and we went to the gym. I did a half hour work out with weights. We left the gym, and went to a local park where I climbed stairs and slid down slides with my Lil Man. We had lunch. He went down for nap. I did my freelance work. I even had some time to relax. It was around 3pm, as I was laying on the deck, when I felt the w...

Not a good week here this week.. I got in one 3 mile run on Tuesday morning. I did wake up with a small case of vertigo Tuesday, but it passed. So I was able to get a 3 mile run in. I even went to the gym and did weights. But around 3pm on Tuesday, the vertigo came back with a vengeance. And it's still here :(  I have a Half marathon a week from tomorrow. I'm really hoping this clears up soon! 

Do you exercise with your kids?  I'm finding that the older Lil Man gets, the more he participates in my fitness program. I admit that I usually have to keep the hand weights away. He lifts them (yes, even the 10lb ones). And I'm afraid he's going to drop them on himself. And if I use the bosu ball, it's also a challenge because he wants on it also. This is a pic when he was a little younger. He's got some pretty decent balance there. And lately, I've been utilizing the jogging stroller more and more. I started off with a 2 mile run. Then the next week I joined in on a group run and ran 7 miles with him. (That was the farthest we'd been.) He did great.  So last week, I went out for an 8 mile run that turned into our first  Double Digit 10 Miler.   I have to say that I was actually surprised at the emotions that I was feeling during and after the run. Yes, it was super hard. It was humid that day. But it was such a feeling of accomplishment to push h...