This is Rebekah and me in the middle of our 12 mile run in the snow and ice. It was pretty brutal, but wonderful at the same time. She's great company. Her half marathon is at the end of this month. I'm so excited for her. She's going to do awesome!!!!

My stomach has still been giving me trouble...so I tightened the reins even more. Sunday night I sat down and came up with an eating schedule and menu. It's working. Here's what a typical two workout day looks like, and it seems to work.

Breakfast: blueberries, strawberries, clementine and banana. Wait 1 hour, eat 1/4 c almonds

Pre work out snack: 1 C gluten free whole grain cereal

Workout drink: Hammer water

Lunch: 4 C lettuce, half avocado, 1 C brown rice, chicken, lemon juice and Parmesan for dressing.

Snack: whole grain gluten free crackers with peanut butter and homemade jelly on top. Yum

Dinner: large bowl tomato soup, 2 baked potato with salt and Parmesan, butternut squash, lean protein.

Workout drink: recoverite

After work out snack: yogurt.

And that's it! I feel great, no more stomach trouble. I hate having to be so strict, but if I'm not, I'll pay for it...and everyone else in this house does too. It's hard to be a good mom and wife when I can barely move.

Today was just supposed to be an easy 3 miles, but the weather has been so bad and icy and snowy, that I couldn't resist running just a bit farther today since the temps rose to a huge 40 degrees. It was wonderful! I felt free running with out the gator, hat and heavy gloves.

Here's what's on my mind today. I'm a bit tired of running with the stroller. For two reasons. First, my kids are really tired of it. I started using the portable dvd player so they could watch movies while I run, but sometimes it slips, or stops or they fight over it and I have to put the break on the stroller and use my awesome negotiating skills. My other issue with stroller running is that I can't hit my pace with it. That extra 100 pounds really slows things down. The only time I can run kidless is on the weekend. I'll be able to get 12 miles under my belt on Saturday, but I just wish I could head out early in the morning strollerless.

Now for the other thing on my mind. What do I do about running through the summer? It's so hot and humid here, and I'm kinda dreading it! So here's what I'm contemplating. Do I buy a treadmill? Is it worth the purchase? Or do I get a gym membership for those really hot days and when my husband is out of town? I'm going to need some time to roll the options around in my mind.

Everything is going well though. I just signed up for my first Marathon. So far this year I have 2 halfs and 1 Marathon. I'm so excited! I'm hoping I get the opportunity to do Ragnar again.

I've decided to be really careful about what I eat. It seems like even the littlest detour from my normal eating regimen gives my stomach trouble. Sometimes I forget, but the side effects are so unpleasant that hopefully I won't forget anymore. The weekends are my downfall. Typically I've held it all together all week that by the weekend I use my long run on Saturday to forget about my eating goals for that day and then next. Then when Monday comes and after a rough Sunday night I'm back on the bandwagon ready to train hard again. Somehow I need to break this cycle. It's the same thing every weekend. Plus, for the past Forever weekends, my husband arrives in town for about 32 hours before he has to leave for the week again. So there it is. A glimpse inside my mind.

Now with all this complaining, I need to express some gratitude. I am so grateful that I have a strong body. After all the years of being pregnant and surgery and illness, it's wonderful to be able to run! I love everything about running. Even with a stroller, I love it. Plus, I figure for the sake of exercise it must give me a little bit more "umph" toward my fitness goals. I am grateful for my husband who provides for us so well, and gives me the opportunity to stay home with my 4 cute kiddies! Last thing I'm grateful for...

My new running shoes! I bought them with my winnings money and a gift certificate from the running team I coached last year. So sweet of them to help me buy my new shoes. I decided not to coach this year, and I will miss them. I wore them for the first time to break them in for my race next month. They felt great for the 5 miles today.

Is there a better way to start the new year than with a RACE?

Vanna was up sick all night, so I left the house alone this morning.

No little cheerleaders to love me across the finish line.

No tiny runners to run with me for the last 30 feet.

No amazing running partner named Nat who's sick too.

Just me, myself and I.

There was one runner in front of me named Marcy, with a Y, and she had lots of cheerleaders.

I just pretended they were cheering for me.

That was fun, and helpful.

A nice lady also stuck with me to help me keep pace.

That was fun, and helpful too!

When I felt like slowing down, she reminded me pick up my legs, and my pace. When I came to a hill, she reminded me to let my legs lengthen and speed up. I wish I had someone like that every race.

My goal was 22 minutes.

I didn't reach my goal.

Next time.

I ran 23 minutes, which is the same time I got late in October. I am glad I am back where I was before my surgery.

Guess what else I'm glad about?

I won an award for placing 3rd in my age division. A gift certificate to the running store!

When they called my name, I couldn't resist jumping up and down. Did I really hear my name?

I even let out a little scream.

I was so excited to tell Chad that I ran all the way back to my car to call him.

My first award!

I'm in shock!

I'm saving it for some new running shoes.

My sweet running team that I coached gave me a gift certificate to the same store after the last running season ended.

Isn't that so thoughtful?

It too is going toward my new running shoes.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

I signed up for another race on Saturday. It feels like forever since I last raced. Right now I feel like I need a boost. Racing does a great job at renewing my love for running. I also signed up to train with a group for the half marathon in March. I think it'll be a good thing...to help me stay accountable. I've been pretty good about getting my runs in the past two weeks, but that's only because Chad has been so wonderful about making sure I don't talk myself out of it. The cold weather was putting such a damper on my desire to run, but I think I figured it out. I look like a ninja, but I'm a warm ninja. My sweet husband bought me some running tights for our anniversary, and I also wear a full head gator. It's nice, and no one knows who I am.

One more day off, then race day. I'm hoping to sustain at least a 7:30 minute mile. That'll put me right where I was before surgery. Right now an 8 minute mile is very comfortable. For race day, I should be able to push a 7:30, or faster. Next week I'll be hitting it hard, being sure to get all my work outs in.

We went to NY for Christmas and I met the cutest guy in the gym there. (Chad, don't freak out! You're still my dream boy!) He was about 70 years old and has ran 50-60 marathons. Amazing. It was so wonderful to talk to him...very inspiring. His advice to me was to be sure to hit the long runs on the weekends. He said that was the most important thing. I'll take that advice, and I hope I'm in as good of shape as he is at 70. There are some pretty incredible people out there.

I still want to trim down about 7 more pounds. My goal is to just focus on the training and fueling my body...I believe everything else will fall into place. I also hope I can be a good example to my kids, and they will gain a love of exercise too!

Update, post surgery

Today was my first real day back running after my tonsil and deviated septum surgery. It felt so great to move my legs like that again. I worked out a couple of times last week, but it just seemed to wear me down more than I could handle. It felt like the flu took over my body every evening. This week seems much better though. I did a stair and elliptical workout with abs and arms Monday, which felt wonderful to get my heart pumping that hard. Yesterday I went to my Taekwando class and broke boards that bruised my feet. The bruises left me wondering if my feet would be able to run today. It was a little painful, but the joy of pushing off my legs and holding my abs in tight was too much fun to pay any attention to a sore foot. It was enough joy to get me through three and a half miles . My only issue about running outside is the humid cold. With the moisture and wind in the air, it feels like 15 degrees. I need to buy myself some long tights, but other than that I think I have everything I need to be comfortable outside, even if I look like a "bad guy" as Savannah would say.

As far as nutrition, I am back on track, and I can tell my body is happy about that. The running really helps with the cravings. I lost 10 pounds during my surgery recovery, which put me at 117. I am now back up to 120, and it feels good. The last time I weighed this much was this exact time 11 years ago when I married my wonderful husband. After 4 pregnancies and 4 c-section recoveries, I am so grateful to have my body strong again. It feels good. I still feel like I could loose a little more and it would put me at a better racing weight, but I'm not focusing on that right now. I'm only focusing on my training, hitting my workouts, and fueling my body as best I can for that. Everything else falls into place. It just takes time and patience. Now if I could only build up my endurance back where it was before my surgery. My goal for my half marathon is to sustain a 7 minute mile for the entire time. I'm starting to doubt that. Before surgery I could run 8 miles at a 7:30 sustained pace. This recovery has been really hard on my body, and my workouts leave me feeling so tired, enough that I feel like I desperately need a nap. Hopefully this phase won't last long and the workouts will give me more energy, instead of wearing me down.

I've signed up for two races so far, and have my eye on two others for the summer. My first race is a 5k on New Years Day. It will help me gage where I am right now as far as pace. The next race I've registered for is the Half Marathon in DC in March. I'll probably do one more race between January and March. The next one is in September, the trail running rampage half marathon that I did last year. I still get excited thinking about it. I LOVE trail running...it was such a fun race, I hope to sign up for that one this week. Last race I have my eye on right now is DC Ragnar. It was such a blast last year, I've got to do it again in 2011!!!

That's all for now. I'm just happy to be running again, outside with the kids and the dog. Three weeks off is way too long!!!

Work out today: Elliptical machine sprints alternating with arms.

15 second sprint on elliptical, 15 second recovery pace. I do it 3 more times for a total of 2 minutes. Then hop off the machine and do pull ups for 2 minutes. Now back to the machine for 2 more minutes of sprints alternating with recovery pace. Do ten sets, each time doing a different arm work out.

I set my machine to a high incline with a 7 level resistance.


Finish with 30 minutes of abs.



What I ate today:

Breakfast: apple and think thin bar

Snack: string cheese

Lunch: cup of butternut squash soup
6 small red potatoes

Snack: Celery with peanut butter and raisins
carrot sticks

Dinner: grilled almond encrusted Tilapia
edamame

Snack: hand full of gluten free cereal and apple

Work out today... Running Stairs!!!!

Up and down, 10 times. Then a 2 minute break before I start again. Up and down 10 more times. I do a total of 10 sets.

Breakfast: Lots of blueberries
Celery with peanut butter and raisins


Snack: Think thin gluten free bar

Lunch: Butternut squash soup
Brown rice

Snack: Yogurt

Dinner: gluten free spaghetti
Spoonful of Alfredo Sauce
Lots of Corn
Couple thin slices of cheese

Snack: Small bowl of gluten free cereal.
Few almonds