Oh man, this month I haven't done well with my diet at all. For one, I needed to eat a lot of complex carbs for my Marathon, but those healthy complex carbs turned into, french fries, toast, cereal and more:( It's crazy how easy and fast you can fall back into your old habits. I also haven't worked out since my race which was 5 days ago. I am almost fully recovered but my feet and ankle are still pretty sore. They feel more bruised then anything. I've decided that I will rest until Monday, then start back at it again. I'm not so worried about my workouts, it's my diet. I really need to get back into the the zone and eating healthy. Oh and it's also been hard to eat healthy because my boys are off track now and are bored staying home, so we are always going out to eat.
Really, it's just excuse after excuse but I can and will do it:)
Swimsuit session is almost here!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
I DID IT!!!
Today is finally race day. The big 26.2 Marathon!!! Like I've said before, I have been freaking out all week. Just so, so nervous. Last night I got in bed at 12:00 and the last time I looked at the clock it was 12:45 and I for some reason woke up at 3:37 am (my alarm was set for 4:30) Actually wasn't tired at all when I got up. I got ready and my friend was at my house at 5:00 am.
When we got there, it was raining. I don't mind the rain, but I hate if it's pouring.
Right before we took of, we all did a moment of silence and sang the Boston song and we all held our fits in the air with our Boston bracelets on. It was such an amazing and emotional experience.
Finally it was time to RUN. Oh man, it was POURING. Withing 5 minutes, my clothes and hair were soaked and it was really cold and it pretty much rained the whole entire race.
I felt so strong and kept my pace around 8:40 all the way to mile 7, Couldn't believe how good I felt. Our course was awesome and I couldn't believe all the amazing people handing out food, drinks, candy, and even alcohol. haha Yes, the hippies we passen out alcohol for everyone. haha
My left knee started KILLING at mile 18. It was BAD. I seriously felt like I was galloping. It was so painful. Finally I got to mile 22 and was so surprised to see my hubby, my 2 little boys, my Aunt, uncle, cousin and my besties husband. I instantly started to cry. I wasn't winded at all but my poor knee:( Seeing them cheering me on, I got the boost of energy that I needed to finish strong. From that point on, I don't think I ran a full mile without walking a bit. Oh and to make things worse, my GPS was off by almost 2 miles!!!!! Here I thought I was at mile 25 and it really was only mile 23. Ahhhhhhh but I had to keep going.
I could finally see the finish line and knew there was no way I could sprint this race, but guess what, I took off. Probably the fastest sprint I have ever done. I felt so good afterwards. My time was 4.48, but that is not my final time, I'm thinking I did it a minute or so faster, but wont know that for a few days. My sweet Dad was there to celebrate with me. My poor family had to wait in the pouring rain.
My husband couldn't believe how good I felt. He thought I would be crying and in pain. I mean my knee was killing and I was sore, but I was OK. After about 10 minutes, the pain started to come. I had to go to the aid station and get ice for my knee. OUCH!!!!!!!!!!
As I was sitting on chair icing my knee, here comes my bestie. I am so proud of her. She is amazing and I love how we always race together.
After we left the race, my husband and I went and got some food at Italian Village. I seriously could barley walk. I was FREEZING the whole time we were eating. I was still so soaked.
After lunch we came home. I had a very nice long hot bath, and I have been in bed ever since with ice on my knees. I got up to go to the bathroom and OMG my whole body KILLS!!!!!! This Mama is in some serious pain.
I want to thank everyone who has supported me on my Marathon journey. It's been a long, tough process but I DID IT!!!!!! My husband said "I am so proud of you" then I said "thanks, I am proud too" Hahah. For real, I am. I worked my butt off hard to be able to run this. I know one thing is for sure. I want to run another Marathon next year:)
My races are not over, I still have a few 5k's and 3 1/2 marathons that I will be running this year.
It feels so good to cross another thing off my buck list and I can now finally say " I have ran a FULL Marathon" and yes, I do feel like a bad ass just a little bit;) hahaha
Oh I have to thank you to everyone at the race who kept us all save. There were cops everywhere!! Even 2 helicopters watching over us at all times.
It's almost race time. Ahhhhhhh
We wrote "Boston" on the back of our legs
Added another medal to my board:) Excited to add at least 3 more this year:)
Almost to the finish line
Sprint time, and yes I beat that lady, but barley
In the freakin zone
All DONE!!! 26.2 MILES!!!!
WE DID IT!!!!
My beautiful flowers from my Aunt and Uncle
Feels sooooo good to be DONE
Here I am at mile 22 when I saw my family. I started cry. I was beyond SORE, my knee KILLED, and here was my family cheering me on. It was a very special moment.
When we got there, it was raining. I don't mind the rain, but I hate if it's pouring.
Right before we took of, we all did a moment of silence and sang the Boston song and we all held our fits in the air with our Boston bracelets on. It was such an amazing and emotional experience.
Finally it was time to RUN. Oh man, it was POURING. Withing 5 minutes, my clothes and hair were soaked and it was really cold and it pretty much rained the whole entire race.
I felt so strong and kept my pace around 8:40 all the way to mile 7, Couldn't believe how good I felt. Our course was awesome and I couldn't believe all the amazing people handing out food, drinks, candy, and even alcohol. haha Yes, the hippies we passen out alcohol for everyone. haha
My left knee started KILLING at mile 18. It was BAD. I seriously felt like I was galloping. It was so painful. Finally I got to mile 22 and was so surprised to see my hubby, my 2 little boys, my Aunt, uncle, cousin and my besties husband. I instantly started to cry. I wasn't winded at all but my poor knee:( Seeing them cheering me on, I got the boost of energy that I needed to finish strong. From that point on, I don't think I ran a full mile without walking a bit. Oh and to make things worse, my GPS was off by almost 2 miles!!!!! Here I thought I was at mile 25 and it really was only mile 23. Ahhhhhhh but I had to keep going.
I could finally see the finish line and knew there was no way I could sprint this race, but guess what, I took off. Probably the fastest sprint I have ever done. I felt so good afterwards. My time was 4.48, but that is not my final time, I'm thinking I did it a minute or so faster, but wont know that for a few days. My sweet Dad was there to celebrate with me. My poor family had to wait in the pouring rain.
My husband couldn't believe how good I felt. He thought I would be crying and in pain. I mean my knee was killing and I was sore, but I was OK. After about 10 minutes, the pain started to come. I had to go to the aid station and get ice for my knee. OUCH!!!!!!!!!!
As I was sitting on chair icing my knee, here comes my bestie. I am so proud of her. She is amazing and I love how we always race together.
After we left the race, my husband and I went and got some food at Italian Village. I seriously could barley walk. I was FREEZING the whole time we were eating. I was still so soaked.
After lunch we came home. I had a very nice long hot bath, and I have been in bed ever since with ice on my knees. I got up to go to the bathroom and OMG my whole body KILLS!!!!!! This Mama is in some serious pain.
I want to thank everyone who has supported me on my Marathon journey. It's been a long, tough process but I DID IT!!!!!! My husband said "I am so proud of you" then I said "thanks, I am proud too" Hahah. For real, I am. I worked my butt off hard to be able to run this. I know one thing is for sure. I want to run another Marathon next year:)
My races are not over, I still have a few 5k's and 3 1/2 marathons that I will be running this year.
It feels so good to cross another thing off my buck list and I can now finally say " I have ran a FULL Marathon" and yes, I do feel like a bad ass just a little bit;) hahaha
Oh I have to thank you to everyone at the race who kept us all save. There were cops everywhere!! Even 2 helicopters watching over us at all times.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
3 more days!!!
I can't believe I only have 3 more days until my race!!!! I remember when I signed up over 6 months ago, and how I wasn't sure how I was going to get through this. These last 16 weeks have been the hardest thing I have ever been through. Hours and hours of running, ran over 400 miles, weight training, changing my diet, and VERY sore legs/body.
As the days and hours go by, I am getting more and more nervous. I know I am more then ready for this race, but I am so nervous for the pain that I will be in:/ When ever I finish a really long run, I take a bath right away, but this time I can't do that. I probably wont be home until at least 2 hours after my race, and when you are in a race, you push yourself even harder and I will be running the furthest I have ever ran. I am SCARED!!!! I think I will have my husband bring Ice so I can ice my legs right when I finish. I have REALLY had to prepare myself mentally this week. I am more quite and trying to just rest and chill as much as possible. I'm not sleeping well and making myself have an upset stomach. That's how nervous I am:/
I can't wait to cross that finish line and to see my family there. My husband said he can't wait either, hahaha he's ready for me to be done for a bit with running, but that's not going to happen:) I have a race almost every month this year but this will be my only Full for the year and maybe for ever. We shall see if I do it again. My poor foot (my bad one that I had my surgeries on) is starting to act up this week and both my knees are acting up a little bit too.
Today I am scheduled for a 2 mile WALK. I think I will just do this walk on the treadmill at the gym so I can sit in the Sauna afterwards:)
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh
As the days and hours go by, I am getting more and more nervous. I know I am more then ready for this race, but I am so nervous for the pain that I will be in:/ When ever I finish a really long run, I take a bath right away, but this time I can't do that. I probably wont be home until at least 2 hours after my race, and when you are in a race, you push yourself even harder and I will be running the furthest I have ever ran. I am SCARED!!!! I think I will have my husband bring Ice so I can ice my legs right when I finish. I have REALLY had to prepare myself mentally this week. I am more quite and trying to just rest and chill as much as possible. I'm not sleeping well and making myself have an upset stomach. That's how nervous I am:/
I can't wait to cross that finish line and to see my family there. My husband said he can't wait either, hahaha he's ready for me to be done for a bit with running, but that's not going to happen:) I have a race almost every month this year but this will be my only Full for the year and maybe for ever. We shall see if I do it again. My poor foot (my bad one that I had my surgeries on) is starting to act up this week and both my knees are acting up a little bit too.
Today I am scheduled for a 2 mile WALK. I think I will just do this walk on the treadmill at the gym so I can sit in the Sauna afterwards:)
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
I WILL RUN!!!!!!!
Yesterday was one of the biggest events for a runner. The Boston marathon. Not anyone can run this race, you have to qualify to run this race. I have a bunch of runner pages that I follow on facebook and I was so excited for my running community to run in this amazing event. As the day had gone by, I heard what had happened:( My heart just broke and I instantly started crying. Why, oh why are there such evil people in this world??? I fear for my children to grow up in such a scary evil world:(
In honor of everyone in Boston, I will be wearing one of my racing shirts. Most of the running pages I am a part of suggested that all us runners wear them.
This quote was from one of the running pages:
"I hope you'll join me in supporting our ENTIRE running family by wearing a race t-shirt tomorrow... Let's all stand together and let the world know that our runner's spirit is not broken, but stronger because we are a part of this amazing, resilient family.
Wearing a race t-shirt will not change what happened today, but it will help us find a way to heal and remind us all that we will rise again to run another day - NO ONE and no amount of hate will keep us from our goals and dreams.
We are runners.
And we will run."
I am proud to be a runner and wont stop. I am still running in the Salt lake Full Marathon this Saturday and I will be dedicating this race to Boston.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Kids
Tonight I went on a Date night at The Olive Garden with my Oldest son
who is 8 1/2. While we were driving home, I told him that I needed to
work out again tonight since I ate soooooooo much. Blahhhh not a fan of
the Olive Garden. I always feel like crap when I eat there. I had gone
to the gym a few hours before we went to dinner and my son then said,
"Mom, you exercise almost every single day and are always skinny, and
every day you look the same. Why do you keep exercising!!??" I had to
explain to my son again (we have had this talk a few times now) all the
benefits of exercise and healthy eating. I told him the reason I stay
the size that I am is because I eat healthy and exercise, how exercise
builds muscle and makes me stronger, how important it is for me to be
healthy so I can take care of my family, how there is no way I could run
as fast as I do or as long if I didn't exercise etc. I have no idea if
he was really listening to what I had to say, but it is soooooo
important to teach our child the importance of being healthy. I'm not
talking about being skinny, I never promote being "skinny" I mean being
HEALTHY!!!.
When we got home, I told my husband what we had talked about in the truck, and my 6 year old said "Yeah, you have to exercise to make you have big muscles so you can fight the bad guys off" Hahah I guess that's another reason to be fit, but lets hope that NEVER happens:/
I just think it's so amazing what our little children take it. How observant they really are. I want to be the best example I can for my boys and hope that we can all live a long and healthy life. I love my little family so much. Everything I do is for them. xoxo
When we got home, I told my husband what we had talked about in the truck, and my 6 year old said "Yeah, you have to exercise to make you have big muscles so you can fight the bad guys off" Hahah I guess that's another reason to be fit, but lets hope that NEVER happens:/
I just think it's so amazing what our little children take it. How observant they really are. I want to be the best example I can for my boys and hope that we can all live a long and healthy life. I love my little family so much. Everything I do is for them. xoxo
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
10 more days!!!!!
I can't wait to cross the finish line and finally say I DID IT!!!!!! :)
Monday, April 8, 2013
12 more days!!
I can't believe that I only have 12 more days until my Marathon!!!! Time has gone by fast!!!
Today was my schedule 3 mile run. The last 2 weeks are very low miles. Monday's and Wednesdays are always my "speed" days. Tonight I ran my 3 miles in 24 minutes. I was going to shoot for 21 minutes, but I was getting too tired. After my run it was time for some upper body and abs then finished with 15 minutes in the sauna. My favorite:) I felt really strong today and can finally say that I am ready for my race. I have never worked so hard in my life!!! These past 3 months have been killer!! I have not only ran a million miles but I have also weight trained the whole 3 months too. I feel great and very strong. I can't wait for race day!!:)
Today was my schedule 3 mile run. The last 2 weeks are very low miles. Monday's and Wednesdays are always my "speed" days. Tonight I ran my 3 miles in 24 minutes. I was going to shoot for 21 minutes, but I was getting too tired. After my run it was time for some upper body and abs then finished with 15 minutes in the sauna. My favorite:) I felt really strong today and can finally say that I am ready for my race. I have never worked so hard in my life!!! These past 3 months have been killer!! I have not only ran a million miles but I have also weight trained the whole 3 months too. I feel great and very strong. I can't wait for race day!!:)
Saturday, April 6, 2013
20 miles DONE!!!!!
So today was my schedule 9 mile run, but since I was still sick last week and was only able to run 11 miles, I knew that I had to do my full 20 today. I have been preparing myself mentally for this run for a few days now. The furthest I have ever ran was 16 miles, plus I was sick and hadn't ran as much as I should. My sweet hubby let me sleep in today and I couldn't believe my eyes when I woke up and saw that it was 10:30!!!! I hurried and got up, had some frosted flakes for breakfast (I know not the best breakfast but oh well. haha) waited about 1 1/2 hours then went outside to get my run on. I felt AMAZING most of my run. I couldn't believe how fast I was hitting every mile. My first 11 miles went by so fast and I felt great. It did rain a few times and the wind picked up here and there, but nothing major. It was actually great running weather for me.
When I got to mile 17 I was sooooooo exhausted!! Not really winded but my body was shutting down. My calves, knees and bum were on fire. When I hit mile 18 I started to cry. I had never ran that far before, I was almost home, I was so sore and just wanted to be DONE!! Today was definitely one of those days were I had to run with my heart. I had to KEEP GOING. I finally finished my 20 miles in 3 hours and 28 minutes. It felt so good to be home. I walked into the house just exhausted and SORE!!! My poor calves kept getting charley horses. Nothing was helping, they were cramping up so bad.
After all my runs I ALWAYS take a long hot bath, but this time my husband said I needed to take an Ice cold bath. I have been told by many to do this but I just never have done it. My husband poured a bag full of ice into the ice cold water and I seriously just cried my eyes out. It was HORRIBLE!!! I kept telling him to turn the water off, that I was getting out. To be honest, the cold was KILLING my feet. My tears just kept coming down my face. After about 2 minutes I was OK. Yes the water was FREEZING, but my body was use to it. I calmed down and ended up being in the freezing water for 5 minutes. My skin was bright red. We let all the water out and put hot water in. I then enjoyed my nice hot bath for about 20 minutes. My legs felt to much better. They are still very sore, but I'm not having any cramping at all.
I still can't believe I ran 20 MILES today. I am very proud. I have worked my butt off!!!!!! I've been training for 3 months now, and it feels so good to reach this goal:) If I want to reach my 4 hour mark, I need to run faster. I always run faster in races plus when I run, I pretty much have to stop at every intersection and some take up to 4 minutes before I can cross. So we shall see:)
I just had an amazing dinner with my hubs, now I am getting in my jammies and going to watch a movie. Peace!!!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
I am a proud runner
I always have people asking me; How did you get into running? How often do you train? Oh there is no way I could run etc. Seriously you guys, I started from square one too. Here is my little story on how I started to get into running.
After I had my 3rd son, I really wanted to lose my baby weight. It was soooooo hard this time around. I was 26 years old and breastfeed. I don't know about other women, but for me, I eat way more when I breast feed then when I am pregnant, and I also nurse for 1 full year so I am not one of those Mom's that losses all the baby weight a few months after baby is born. In fact, I always hold onto a good 10+ pounds until AFTER I am done nursing. My son was about 6 months old and I was so down. My clothes didn't fit, I never wanted to get ready, I just felt yucky!!! I was always so tired and had no energy to workout. I got to a point were enough was enough. This is how I fell into running. I had heard about races all the time and I was NO runner. I mean I would try on the treadmill here and there, but I NEVER enjoyed it and never really cared to run on a treadmill again. When we lived in Italy, we bought a treadmill and I would walk on it all the time which I did enjoy but never really got into "running" just wasn't my thing. I have always worked out, just not a runner. So going back to running. I was so feed up that I decided I was going to run a 5k. I know, I know, how in the world am I going to run a 5k when I can't even run a full mile and I didn't really like to run??? But I didn't care. I knew I was going to do this!!!!! I signed up for the SLC 5k right away and had about 8 weeks to train. I didn't have a set training schedule, I just did my own thing. My first goal was to see if I could run 1 mile without stopping. Didn't matter what time, but didn't want to stop or walk. I can't remember how many days it took but I finally did it. I ran 1 mile none stop in 12 minutes. It was soooooo hard and I felt like I was going to throw up, but I did it. I instantly got this rush and knew that I could do it. My next goal was to see if I could run 2 miles with out stopping. And guess what, I did it!!!!!! As the weeks went by, I was working so hard to see if I could run 3 miles with out stopping, and I DID IT!!!!! I couldn't believe it!!!! Now my next goal was to try and see if I could run 3 miles in 30 minutes. This was a HUGE challenge for me. It took a few tries, but I DID IT!!!!! I could run 3 miles in 30 minutes but it was HARD!!!
Finally it was race day. I was sooooo nervous not only to run a 5k, but everyone was watching. I didn't want to come in last place. I had worked so hard and wanted to make myself and my family proud. I took off and not going to lie, I was sooooooo tired. I had done most of my training on a treadmill so running outside was so much harder. I thought I was going to DIE!!!! I thought there was no way I was going to finish in 30 minutes like I did at home. I finished my 5k in 30 minutes!!!!!! I couldn't believe it. I was beyond tired and exhausted but felt GREAT!!!! I wanted to keep going. That week, I signed up for another 5k that was in a few weeks. I ended up finishing that race in 29 min. 1 minute faster then my first race. So I signed up for another 5k (can't remember my time) and I was hooked. I knew that I wanted to run further, so I signed up for a 1/2 Marathon. This was HUGE for me. A 1/2 Marathon is 13.1 miles!!!! How am I going to run 10 more miles??? I could barley run my 3.1. The first thing I did was went to google and found a training schedule for a beginners 1/2 Marathon. I woke up almost every morning around 5:00 am and got my run on. I remember the first time I had to run 6 miles. I thought there was NO WAY but guess what, I did it. The very first time I had to run 10 miles, I was freaking out. I didn't know if I was going to come home alive or not. But I ran my little heart out and did it!!! I ran 10 miles NONE STOP. Never stopped or walk once. I remember when I came home I went to my bedroom and started crying to my husband. I was crying because I was soooooo exhausted and so proud at the same time. Here I was just a few months ago and could barley run 1 mile and today I just ran 10 miles. It was a very emotional day for me. Shortly after my 1/2 Marathon, I was pregnant with my 4th baby. I stopped running completely but I did workout and walk all the way up to delivery day. I had missed running so much and knew I would have to start from square one again.
In 2012 I ended up running 3 5k's, 1 10K and 3 1/2 Marathons. I was so hooked. The one thing I didn't do during all my training was weight training. I was only doing cardio. Yes I could run for a long time and my speed was OK, but if I would have weight trained, I would have been able to run faster. So this year 2013 I promised myself that I was going to weight train as well as my cardio, and it has paid off big time. So far this year I have ran 3 5k's and my fastest 5k was 23 min. I am also running my first FULL Marathon 26.2 miles in 3 weeks, I will be running a few more 5k's and 3 maybe more 1/2 marathons.
Running is my passion. Yes it freakin sucks at times especially on the treadmill but the feeling you get when you are done is so amazing. It really is so amazing what our bodies can do. There was NO WAY I was ever going to run more then a 5k, now I am running 1/2 Marathons all the time and soon will be running my first full. I have NEVER worked so hard in my life then preparing for this Marathon. Seriously, it is harder then child birth and I have had 100% natural child births with all 4 of my kids. Running is no joke!!!! You are always sore, tired, stink, sooooo sweaty, but it is the most rewarding thing ever!!!! I love to do things that others wont do. I love to push myself to the limits to say I DID!!! I love to be good examples to my children. I love getting my medal after my races. I love seeing peoples reactions when I tell them how many miles I just ran, especially if I ran on the treadmill. Oh man, the furthest I have ran on a treadmill is 14 miles and it BLOWS!!! But hey, I did it:) I love races because it helps keep my motivated and I LOVE the competitiveness of it.
One of my goals is to get 1st place in women for any race. 5k, 1/2 Marathon what ever. Who knows if it will ever happen, because there are some FAST runners out there, but I would REALLY love to do it at least once. Not my age group because I have done that before:) I mean 1st place in women total. Wouldn't that be so cool?? Hahah
I also wanted to say that not only have races helped me stay motivated but one of my best friends also started running and has ran all races with me since 2012. She has done AMAZING!!!!! It really does help to have a running buddy. It helps motivate and pushes us.
Yes, I have had injury's along the way. I use to get TERRIBLE shin splints, almost every single one of my toe nails have fallen off. I got runners knee after my Big Cottonwood 1/2 Marathon. OUCH it was the most painful thing ever!!!!! In previous post, I have written about my foot surgery's and the 2 screws in my big toe but I don't let that stuff stop me. Remember to always talk with a Doctor if you have ANY injuries.
So there you go, this is a some what of a short story on how I got into running. It doesn't happen over night. It takes A LOT of training, dedication, determination, but you can do it if you are whiling to work for it!!!! This Mama will keep running. There will come a day were I will not be able to run and today is that that day!!!!
I am very proud to say that I am a runner, I am an athlete, I am strong, I am VERY determined and dedicated, I am proof that a Mother of 4 can do this, that I am 31 years old and I am doing this!!! Always, always, always go after your dreams. xoxo
After I had my 3rd son, I really wanted to lose my baby weight. It was soooooo hard this time around. I was 26 years old and breastfeed. I don't know about other women, but for me, I eat way more when I breast feed then when I am pregnant, and I also nurse for 1 full year so I am not one of those Mom's that losses all the baby weight a few months after baby is born. In fact, I always hold onto a good 10+ pounds until AFTER I am done nursing. My son was about 6 months old and I was so down. My clothes didn't fit, I never wanted to get ready, I just felt yucky!!! I was always so tired and had no energy to workout. I got to a point were enough was enough. This is how I fell into running. I had heard about races all the time and I was NO runner. I mean I would try on the treadmill here and there, but I NEVER enjoyed it and never really cared to run on a treadmill again. When we lived in Italy, we bought a treadmill and I would walk on it all the time which I did enjoy but never really got into "running" just wasn't my thing. I have always worked out, just not a runner. So going back to running. I was so feed up that I decided I was going to run a 5k. I know, I know, how in the world am I going to run a 5k when I can't even run a full mile and I didn't really like to run??? But I didn't care. I knew I was going to do this!!!!! I signed up for the SLC 5k right away and had about 8 weeks to train. I didn't have a set training schedule, I just did my own thing. My first goal was to see if I could run 1 mile without stopping. Didn't matter what time, but didn't want to stop or walk. I can't remember how many days it took but I finally did it. I ran 1 mile none stop in 12 minutes. It was soooooo hard and I felt like I was going to throw up, but I did it. I instantly got this rush and knew that I could do it. My next goal was to see if I could run 2 miles with out stopping. And guess what, I did it!!!!!! As the weeks went by, I was working so hard to see if I could run 3 miles with out stopping, and I DID IT!!!!! I couldn't believe it!!!! Now my next goal was to try and see if I could run 3 miles in 30 minutes. This was a HUGE challenge for me. It took a few tries, but I DID IT!!!!! I could run 3 miles in 30 minutes but it was HARD!!!
Finally it was race day. I was sooooo nervous not only to run a 5k, but everyone was watching. I didn't want to come in last place. I had worked so hard and wanted to make myself and my family proud. I took off and not going to lie, I was sooooooo tired. I had done most of my training on a treadmill so running outside was so much harder. I thought I was going to DIE!!!! I thought there was no way I was going to finish in 30 minutes like I did at home. I finished my 5k in 30 minutes!!!!!! I couldn't believe it. I was beyond tired and exhausted but felt GREAT!!!! I wanted to keep going. That week, I signed up for another 5k that was in a few weeks. I ended up finishing that race in 29 min. 1 minute faster then my first race. So I signed up for another 5k (can't remember my time) and I was hooked. I knew that I wanted to run further, so I signed up for a 1/2 Marathon. This was HUGE for me. A 1/2 Marathon is 13.1 miles!!!! How am I going to run 10 more miles??? I could barley run my 3.1. The first thing I did was went to google and found a training schedule for a beginners 1/2 Marathon. I woke up almost every morning around 5:00 am and got my run on. I remember the first time I had to run 6 miles. I thought there was NO WAY but guess what, I did it. The very first time I had to run 10 miles, I was freaking out. I didn't know if I was going to come home alive or not. But I ran my little heart out and did it!!! I ran 10 miles NONE STOP. Never stopped or walk once. I remember when I came home I went to my bedroom and started crying to my husband. I was crying because I was soooooo exhausted and so proud at the same time. Here I was just a few months ago and could barley run 1 mile and today I just ran 10 miles. It was a very emotional day for me. Shortly after my 1/2 Marathon, I was pregnant with my 4th baby. I stopped running completely but I did workout and walk all the way up to delivery day. I had missed running so much and knew I would have to start from square one again.
In 2012 I ended up running 3 5k's, 1 10K and 3 1/2 Marathons. I was so hooked. The one thing I didn't do during all my training was weight training. I was only doing cardio. Yes I could run for a long time and my speed was OK, but if I would have weight trained, I would have been able to run faster. So this year 2013 I promised myself that I was going to weight train as well as my cardio, and it has paid off big time. So far this year I have ran 3 5k's and my fastest 5k was 23 min. I am also running my first FULL Marathon 26.2 miles in 3 weeks, I will be running a few more 5k's and 3 maybe more 1/2 marathons.
Running is my passion. Yes it freakin sucks at times especially on the treadmill but the feeling you get when you are done is so amazing. It really is so amazing what our bodies can do. There was NO WAY I was ever going to run more then a 5k, now I am running 1/2 Marathons all the time and soon will be running my first full. I have NEVER worked so hard in my life then preparing for this Marathon. Seriously, it is harder then child birth and I have had 100% natural child births with all 4 of my kids. Running is no joke!!!! You are always sore, tired, stink, sooooo sweaty, but it is the most rewarding thing ever!!!! I love to do things that others wont do. I love to push myself to the limits to say I DID!!! I love to be good examples to my children. I love getting my medal after my races. I love seeing peoples reactions when I tell them how many miles I just ran, especially if I ran on the treadmill. Oh man, the furthest I have ran on a treadmill is 14 miles and it BLOWS!!! But hey, I did it:) I love races because it helps keep my motivated and I LOVE the competitiveness of it.
One of my goals is to get 1st place in women for any race. 5k, 1/2 Marathon what ever. Who knows if it will ever happen, because there are some FAST runners out there, but I would REALLY love to do it at least once. Not my age group because I have done that before:) I mean 1st place in women total. Wouldn't that be so cool?? Hahah
I also wanted to say that not only have races helped me stay motivated but one of my best friends also started running and has ran all races with me since 2012. She has done AMAZING!!!!! It really does help to have a running buddy. It helps motivate and pushes us.
Yes, I have had injury's along the way. I use to get TERRIBLE shin splints, almost every single one of my toe nails have fallen off. I got runners knee after my Big Cottonwood 1/2 Marathon. OUCH it was the most painful thing ever!!!!! In previous post, I have written about my foot surgery's and the 2 screws in my big toe but I don't let that stuff stop me. Remember to always talk with a Doctor if you have ANY injuries.
So there you go, this is a some what of a short story on how I got into running. It doesn't happen over night. It takes A LOT of training, dedication, determination, but you can do it if you are whiling to work for it!!!! This Mama will keep running. There will come a day were I will not be able to run and today is that that day!!!!
I am very proud to say that I am a runner, I am an athlete, I am strong, I am VERY determined and dedicated, I am proof that a Mother of 4 can do this, that I am 31 years old and I am doing this!!! Always, always, always go after your dreams. xoxo
Stronger and stronger
It's crazy to think how far I have come in just 3 months. I am so much stronger. I remember only being able to curl 30 pounds on the bicep curling machine, and today I am at 65 pounds, and yes, I do full set of reps at 65 pounds. My back, I remember starting around 50 pounds on the back machine, and today I can do 110 pounds and actually I'm pretty sure I can do more but I haven't tried. I will tomorrow:) Shoulder press machine, I started out around 25 pounds and today I can bust out 40 pounds. Leg presses, I am able to do 310 pounds full reps but my legs do get really tired. Not only is that a lot of weight, but I always do my weights after my cardio. So the other day I ran 8 miles on the treadmill and went straight to my leg workouts and my legs were so tired but I was still able to do:)
Strength training is seriously so important. It has helped so much with my running. I can run so much longer and faster without getting so tired. In January I ran the Frigid 5k and won 1st place in my age group with my fastest time of 27.36 and just 1 month later, I ran the Valentine date dash 5k in 23 min. (can't remember the seconds??) So in just 1 month I was able to run over 2 minutes faster which is huge in running.
After my Marathon, I am really going to up my weight training. I still have a long ways to go, but it feels so good to be on the right track, and to finally see some toning all over my body:) It's always a good feeling to actually SEE all the hard work you've done pay off.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Now onto new goals
It feels so good to reach my first goal. I worked so, so, so HARD!!!! But my journey is not over. It is now time for new goals. Time to focus on my toning and leaning out more, but I do have to still be very careful with my weight training until after my marathon which is only 3 WEEKS AWAY!!!! Ahhhhhh I am freaking out just a bit. I have never worked so hard in my life to pre pair for this marathon. I have many mixed feelings right now about my race coming up. I am scared, nervous and super excited at the same time. This is HUGE for me. I can not wait to cross the finish line and to know that I did it!!! I have ran hundreds of miles, hours and HOURS of running, running 4 days a week, pushing myself way beyond my comfort levels, I have improved my speed by a lot, I have more then doubled my weights in my weight training. I feel so much stronger.
My goal for my race day is to try and finish around the 4 hour mark but we will have to see. It really all depends on the course, if it's hot out etc, but that is a goal I am going to try and see if I can do , but really all that matters is I finish:) 26.2 miles is a long time to run. This is one race that I want my whole family to be at. I already know I will be crying my eyes out. Being a runner, you have so many mixed emotions. You are so freaking exhausted, always thinking "What the crap did I get myself into", so happy to be done, and proud all in one and can't wait for the next race.
I do not have any more long runs. My last weeks of training are very mild. This week my runs will be 5,8,5,9 and the miles go down each week until race day.
I really need to remember to continue to have a good diet of clean eating. Every time I reach a goal, I tend to fall back into my bad habits:/ I really enjoyed my Easter weekend. I ate lots of yummy food and treats and doing the same today:( I need to get my mind back into the zone and kill it, just working out will not do it. You have to have a good diet and exercise to see the results you want.
*I have to say THANK YOU all so much for all the comments, messages, stopping me at the gym, restaurants, and viewing my blog. Seriously, you guys are the main reason I was able to reach my goal. I have said so many times to my husband and brother " I have to do good, I have people who are rooting for me I can't give up, I have to have some amazing results to show people it can be done, to show that being a busy Mom you can still do it, having 4 kids you can still do, being 31 you can still do it. I have been very honest on my blog because I want you to know that I am human and like all the crap food too. Remember I'm a fast food junky?? Hahaha but I want to show you that it is OK to make mistakes we all do. Just remember to get back on track and you will be fine. Try and limit your cheat meals to 1-2 times a week and you will be fine. Thank again everyone and I can't wait to continue on my journey and to help others reach their fitness goals as well. LET'S DO THIS!!!!!
My goal for my race day is to try and finish around the 4 hour mark but we will have to see. It really all depends on the course, if it's hot out etc, but that is a goal I am going to try and see if I can do , but really all that matters is I finish:) 26.2 miles is a long time to run. This is one race that I want my whole family to be at. I already know I will be crying my eyes out. Being a runner, you have so many mixed emotions. You are so freaking exhausted, always thinking "What the crap did I get myself into", so happy to be done, and proud all in one and can't wait for the next race.
I do not have any more long runs. My last weeks of training are very mild. This week my runs will be 5,8,5,9 and the miles go down each week until race day.
I really need to remember to continue to have a good diet of clean eating. Every time I reach a goal, I tend to fall back into my bad habits:/ I really enjoyed my Easter weekend. I ate lots of yummy food and treats and doing the same today:( I need to get my mind back into the zone and kill it, just working out will not do it. You have to have a good diet and exercise to see the results you want.
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