I'm a Slab of Marble

I'm being chiseled and sculpted into a marathon machine! Seriously - I initially lost 20 lbs of baby weight but the scale hasn't budged much for about 2 months.... and for the first time IN MY LIFE I don't care! I don't care if I weigh 160 or 140 or 120 - actually, if I weighed 120 I would probably be a little upset because there is no way I could weigh that and still have the muscle and energy I need to run. I love my body! I'm so lucky to be able to run! I can't believe how many years I spent focusing on all my little imperfections and viewing this beautiful gift as "the enemy". I love to eat - I actually eat apples now - you guys know how weird that is for me! I drink water instead of soda at restaurants - I eat whatever I want - as long as it's not too close to the time I need to run.... I had a nasty experience with eating too close to my run last night. Plus it was "only" 4 miles and I wanted to get it over with so I ran a little too fast. As soon as I was done I puked up all my yummy veggies onto the grass in the park... while some teenage boy was sitting on the swing watching. Luckily it was getting dark - but still.... ewe.

i am a brick

so, is it wierd that i haven't lost a single pound since i started running? but ya know what? i don't even care. becuase running this marathon isn't about losing weight, it is about becoming strong enough to finish 26 miles. and i feel like i am finally becoming strong. i may be the same weight, but all my clothes are fitting me better then ever, i feel comfortable in a swim suit, and tanner has noticed how strong i have become... all weighing the exact same. however, i feel skinnier. weird. and wonderful. i feel so much more healthier, and i actually have 3 meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. amazing! haha. this is so much better. anyways, i thought it was funny and not even sad that i weigh the same as before i started. maybe i'm just at my peak. and if i weigh more tomarrow, i know it will be muscle, and no more fat. HALLEJUAH. however you spell that.

five miles

Well after taking a week off to try and heal my leg and toe I went running tonight and I felt pretty good. I had lofty dreams of going ten miles tonight but by the time I got to five I decided not to push it harder than I should and I needed to get to bed because have to sing in church in the morning. But I did post my runs to my blog finally and I am a little embarrased because I run SO slow. I had no idea! My shadow seems like I run a lot faster than that! I still run with a slight limp I can tell but I found a store that I think I can go in and get some help. It is New Balance and I am a little weary that they are going to pimp their shoes on my but they said that they could help me figure out what might be wrong. Anyway I am going to try and go in this week. I felt pretty good tonight though and my leg didn't hurt too bad. I do have a bunch of ibuprofen in me and I am going to take some more before I go to bed and hopefully that will keep the pain to a minimum but we will see. I am feeling a little down because I feel so behind but I don't know what else to do. I feel like I am doing my best and I am going to keep pushing forward and we will see where it takes me. I honestly don't know if I can catch up to where I need to be. I haven't done a long run since the six miler and that was quite a while ago. I couldn't even completely run the five miles. towards the end as I would reach a uphill I had to just walk. As long as I was going flat or downhill I was in pretty good shape but as soon as I hit those hills it was all over. I am trying though!

That wasn't even a contest

Okay I am sorry but I am the winner hands down and I think if we passed around these three pictures to 100 random people they would all say I win as the ugliest runner face. Maybe it is the fact I am not smiling in the picture or the fact that I am just ugly (jk) but honestly Becky yours doesn't even look like you went running.

I WIN...

..the old AND ugly contest! I really like how my eyes look crossed and if you'll look to the neck region, you'll see that I'm sweating off my self-tanner!

Eat, Drink and be "Marry"

marry. adj: to act "as if" one is a marathoner, never giving up because "it doesn't matter"

After reading your blog Jess, I hesitated to write about my 8 miler on Saturday... but, maybe it will give you a little inspiration! I HAD THE BEST RUN OF THE TRAINING SO FAR!!!! It was awesome! I never felt out of breath, just my ancient 32 year old hips were bothering me. (just a side note... I wonder how much bearing children naturally ages our hips?!) But it really was no big deal - just invited the pain to run with me and it actually made me feel not so alone! After talking with you and reading your blog, I realized what I did right and you did WRONG!

1. Fuel - gives us energy - even if we don't feel like eating, our bodies need it to run an unnatural distance like 8 miles! I went to a mexican restaurant that night and ate a lot of carbs, some protien, and no dairy (dairy expands and will slow us down!) Did not gorge myself, but definately got my fill!

2. Hydration - I guess we are supposed to be weighing ourselves before we run and then right after so we know how much water to rehydrate with! I say though, drinking until your pee is clear is the best indication one is properly hydrated. Hydration also helps with pain. It helps to lube everything up.

3. Rest - there is a reason we don't run the day before or the day after. It is NOT NORMAL for us to run such long distances and if we want to accomplish this, we need to remember to do EVERYTHING it says in the book! IT says to really relax the day of before you run also. That means no running around coaching AND reffing soccer - you may have to run on a Sunday until soccer ends!

I love you guys! We have a big week this week! Did you ever think you'd hear yourself say on a run... "oh good, I only have 3 miles left!" We are sooo awesome!

Personal Best

Three miles without stopping and in a half hour! YEAH ME!

The face

Here is My wonderful face after running. How awkward is this. especially when I run into my inlaws after every run, and they see my face, and are like.... what the heck happened to you?? what? do you not notice that it's like this EVERYTIME, and that maybe i have a complex about it?! haha. do you have to ask me if i am dying everytime you see it? anyways, i have no shame. today i actually wore a towel around my hair and i looked like an arabian, but sweat kept running into my eyes, and my face has been breaking out... so i am trying some expirements wth wrapping things around my hairline. Okay, becky, sam, put up your faces after running... let's compare and see whos is worse.