WHAT'S WRONG WITH WATER??

The 2 sole reasons for obesity in America is fastfood and pop. Seriously people, what's wrong with water? If one person can tell me one health benefit to drinking pop, I might not feel so strongly about this....but no one can. Beer and wine are even better for you than pop (in moderation folks).

I have been having this dilemma at work. I am on the Wellness Committee which promotes healthy eating and a healthier lifestyle. I send out random e-mails to inspire people to take care of their mind, body, and souls. The thing is- no one cares. Our whole employee fridge is filled with pop, chips, and candy bars. Seriously, no one should wonder why they are overweight and unhealthy when that's what they snack on all day. I really wish people would take better care of themselves. It's not that hard.

So please someone -put the Mountain Dew down, and have a glass of water -for me, for your kids, for your teeth.

.............And I'm off my soap box!

RUN FOR PIE WEEK!!!

This crazy runner chick has officially declared this week "RUN FOR PIE" week. It's going to take off big, I just know it. Namely, because who doesn't love pie?! I like running but I LOVE dessert, amiright?!




pecan pie

 ... and because, OMG y'all, my pecan pie is 800 calories a slice. Now I am not normally that girl that counts calories and worries about every single bite that goes into her mouth. In general, I know I eat right to fuel up for long runs and Zumba and all that blah blah blah. But 800 calories a slice. And I intend to have a HUGE slice with ice cream!! Then one more little slice before I go to bed. And ttthhhheeeennn one more slice for breakfast Friday morning, because mmmmmm pecan pie and coffee!!

What's your favorite pie? Does your family do pecan pie or pumpkin pie or apple pie for Thanksgiving?

Happy Run for Pie week! ~Jen

F*** YOU FLU!

Being sick sucks. By Tuesday, I had already had a bad week (hit n run on my car, bad virus on my computer). Then Tuesday night, I get the flu. The Influenza A fever and chills type flu. Where your head is totally clear, but all you can do is lay there and think about all of the stuff you should be doing that your body won't let you do. SO NOT FUN.

This is when I developed running envy. As most people know North Dakota is cold. Bone Chilling Cold. I love cold weather running. So, the other morning it's a nice chilly morning with no wind and sunshine. I see this girl running down the street and I almost cried. I wanted to be that girl. I wanted to feel normal again and be able to RUN. It's been a whole week since I have ran. I don't think that I have ever went a WHOLE WEEK without running. Luckily, I read a little article last night that stated I won't lose my fitness by taking 1 week off. So, back on the saddle today. I downgraded my goal to 3 miles, but by-golly I will make it 3 miles today! Wish me luck.

San Antonio RnR Race Recap

You know in your head that not every race is going to be a great race day. You know in your head that injuries will happen, that heat will get to you, that Plan A turns into Plan B turns into "omg, just scoop me up and carry me already." And while everyone will tell you "you should be proud, you just ran a marathon" you know in your heart that you trained for better results, that you prepared for a better race, that just crossing the finish line is a great goal, but it wasn't your goal.

Thus, upon finishing, I made a vow to my running wife (via text because I'm super romantic like that): No more races over 60 degrees.

I had a lot of emotions over this race when I sat down to write this yesterday. But I had woken up at 4am to fly home, had 1 1/2 beers with dinner, and no one in my family had made me a victory cake or ginormous banner or any of the awesome stuff I totally would have done for them. So writing through my vain tears would not have been a good idea.

Plus, I'm just grateful I walked away from this race. One guy didn't. Prayers for the family of SSgt Fernandez, who passed away on Sunday.

So.... here's my race recap.

I am the queen of gray, chilly, wet, running weather. I show up to the start line and you can't even see the tops of the highrises in downtown San Antonio for all the gray heavy fog. Hooray for Jen's weather control skills! The lines for the porta poddies ran directly into the corrals. They were out of toilet paper when I got in. And when I tried to get back into my corral, it was body to body. No luck in finding my friend Heather in the crowd.

Wave start--- I LOVE WAVE STARTS--- every.single.race should have a wave start. No cluster. No elbowing. No people stepping on the back of my shoes.

We run under a train-overpass and so I catch sight of my friend Heather as she is running up the other side. I speed up and catch up to her. Haven't seen her in 13 years but there's no time for hugging, we're in the middle of a 30,000 participant marathon/half marathon.

But look, we run right in front of the Alamo!

Hooray for running friends! Me and Heather at Mile 3, The Alamo!

The next 10 miles weren't bad. They weren't great. The route had us running through the outer edge of downtown San Antonio. I was staring at a lot of boarded up buildings and bars and asphalt.

I knew, going into this race, that the second half was going to be tough. Heather was only running the half and in fact, so were about 26,000 of the original 30, 000 runners. I knew the rest of the route was going to thin out and that I would be on my own to finish strong. I'm not a strong finisher runner. So I had to mentally tune in and just keep running. I knew I'd be running in front of the missions and that was exciting. Or so I thought.




Mission San Jose... Mile 14ish


When the route split for the half marathoners to finish their last mile and lead us full marathoners far far away, I thought to myself "You know, anyone who loves me and cares about me would not care if I ran 13.1 or 26.2.... I could just turn left here....." But the stronger voice in my heart said "no way, you trained for this! All those 17,18,19,20 mile runs.... keep going!" So I looked at the right side of the route--- the fog had burned off, the sun was gleaming on the asphalt, and I took a deep breath and kept running.

Into more sun. More asphalt. More parts of San Antonio I wouldn't go into alone at night. We ran past missions? Right, I looked up once. I kinda remember that.

Really, I did well right up to mile 18. Not hitting 9 minute miles, but that was okay. I could just keep running. And to boost my ego, I was totally passing all these people who were already walking.

In fact, there was this big sharp curve at mile 18, with a dropout bus parked on the other side of that curve. Let me tell you, people were walking out of that curve and directly into that bus. But not me, no way, I was still running right along.

I've never really hit a wall before. I mean, I'm a clutz, I bump into walls ALL the freakin time! But I've never hit a wall and just stood there, not able to go around it.

At mile 19, the wall slammed into me, hard.

I suddenly stopped sweating and my heart was POUNDING. Now, as a general rule, runners have strong steady hearts. I shouldn't feel like my heart is coming out of my chest. So I thought, whoa, I should slow it down a little bit. I'm going to walk to the water station....I'm going to walk through the water station.... I'm going to walk to mile 20....

And then I proceeded to shuffle/walk/jog/cry/consider rolling on the ground to the finish line. By miles 23-24, most of us midpackers were shuffling. I let out one large loud exasperated sigh and some guy turned to me and said "I  know exactly how you feel." to which I screamed "It's right-freakin-there!!!" only 3 miles to go and I was sunburnt, nauseated, and could not find that deep down inner strength to RUN. There was no more running for me.

My mom (Team Jen's Support Group!!) was at Mile 25. With her camera and a big smile. I just shook my head. I asked for my gatorade bottle and asked her just to walk with me for a while. She lovingly obliged. If I would have asked her to carry me piggy back at that point, she would have totally done that too. And don't think I wasn't about to!

Around mile 25.5 we finally hit some shade so I trucked it to the finish line, where the RnR organizers had luscious soothing life-saving cold towels waiting (why the hell didn't they take a truckload of these to mile 21????).

My husband called right as I got my medal and as soon as I heard his voice, the tears started again. Because he said to me "I'm proud of you." and I just get all kinds of emotional at the end of long runs anyway. And then my friend Heather and her husband waited for me in FULL SUN in the Alamodome parking lot under the letter K. yeah, I cried again when I saw them.

Finish at the Alamodome! Heather informs me I just missed Vince Neil, drat.

They walked me back to my hotel so we could chat a little bit. One block away from my hotel I proceeded to throw up! Yeah, nothing like reuniting with an old friend and putting them in the position of holding your hair and rubbing your back! Awesome.

Overall, this is not a race I would do again, nor would I recommend the full to anyone unless you are from Texas and you run long runs in 80 degree weather regularly. Here are my overall pros and cons:

Pro: you run in front of the Alamo dome and the Missions.
Con: You also run through some trailer parks and a rotty stagnant creek

Pro: Doesn't start TOO early.
Con: Doesn't finish TOO early.

Pro: Good support. Loved the cheerleaders on the course! I heart pompoms and bows!
Con: at other races I've been to, the athletic stores in the area put out motivating signs. I didn't see much of that. I didn't really see a lot of sponsored support and there are so many opportunities to volunteer and cheer people on. And barbecuing in your front yard with no shirt and a beer at 10:30 am does not count as support.

Pro: Course was well marked.
Pro: Course was cleaned up fast.
Pro: The finish area went under another overpass and a bunch of people were down there-- in the shade-- so the roar from the croud right in that spot was totally awesome.

Con: The photography line was 25 deep, stretching into the finish line. I finished and had to HALT.
Con: Did I mention my friend was waiting for me for about 2 hours in FULL SUN? Could have moved the finish area to the INSIDE of the Alamodome! (See Fargo Marathon!)
Con: Only two rolls of toilet paper for the start line portapotties? Really?!?!

Pro: wave start.
Pro: NICE t-shirt!
Pro: always a good expo with the RnR series
Pro: the medical teams had salt packets (to retain water and prevent cramps) and popsicle sticks with vaseline (for chaffing) and even ICE BAGS that people were putting on their heads.

Con: The water stations had lukewarm water.
Con: Headliner was Vince Neil. Ugh, really? Vince Neil?

Also, I hate to be co-dependant but I don't think I'm meant to go out for 26.2 miles alone.

Here's my most victorious finish:

Victory Pancakes at Denny's!!!  ooo.... I wonder if they would sponsor us....

Tears and Toenails

Being a runner has a few badges of honor, and losing a toenail is definitely one of them. I lost my first toenail right before Grandma's marathon. It turned all black first and then finally just fell off. I was very proud.

So, speaking of toenails...I have this terrible genetic trait where my toenails become ingrown. If anyone has had ingrown toenails then you know the terrible nagging pain that these cause. Right before I went to Phoenix in January for the Rock N Roll, I had a temporary fix and had my right big toenail cut out (the ingrown part). It was terrible, horrible, throbbing pain for a few days (this is where the tears fit in) and then felt great for 3 months. Eventually, they grew back in.

With my running wife leaving me for the weekend to go run Rock N Roll San Antonio marathon, I decided to bite the bullet and get my ingrown toenail removed for good....with acid. They do basically the same procedure as before - numb the toe (with a big needle), then cut out the sides, but this time, they shove a huge q-tips dipped in acid in there to kill the root. I was bracing myself for a very painful recovery. The first time I just had them cut out, I woke up in the middle of the night with my toe throbbing. This time, I woke myself up every couple hours wondering why my toe didn't hurt. I felt like I was in bizzaro world. I probably could have ran the very next day, but I took 2 days off just to mentally ponder why it wasn't hurting, but now I'm back to running and life is good!

Good Luck to Jen in San Antonio!! .... miss you....tear :)

part of the crazy life

proof that we do, indeed, have lives beyond running

Becky and her Fabulous Five win a bottle at the Town and Country wine tasting

Pirate girls! Jen and her daughter on their way to a Halloween Party



in Awe

I gotta be honest, sometimes this is what I get out of running.

I know you're thinking I'm crazy that running should be a religious experience.

But when I feel every breath coursing through me, and we're there to greet the sun, and I can develop a close relationship with the beauty of the world around me....

how can I not just lift that up to the Lord?

(so sometimes, you'll even catch me running and lifting my arms.... that's me thanking God for this crazy life)

~Jen

disclaimer: photo from Pinterest and in the public domains of the interwebs, unless someone wanders over with copyright.

what a gorgeous run day!

Imma let the pictures do all the talking

~ Jen



PUMP ME UP!

With cold weather knocking on our door, I now have some new goals for winter. I NEED TO STRENGTH TRAIN. There I said it, and now I can't go back. I want to do higher intensity workouts and actually try to have some muscle by the time spring rolls around. I LOVE to run. I really do, but I run to the point where I start hurting myself because I don't strengthen my muscles to help me keep running. Somedays I literally hear Jen in my ear saying "squats and lunges, squats and lunges". Yes, I know I need to do them, but I just want to RUN! I felt that I needed to put it down in writing so I really stick with it. Maybe a Tough Mudder can be in our future?!?
Becky

Don't talk to me about destiny....

Don't talk to me about destiny.

I believe in it up to a certain point. I believe I was destined to be with my husband and that despite the long, broken road, our story was nothing short of a miracle and therefore, destined.

But other than that, I believe that we get what we give, that we have to work, that we are changed by our challenges and journeys.

Because destiny doesn't push this hard. Destiny doesn't make me do speed drills till my lungs hurt. Destiny doesn't make me lace up my shoes and go for a 20 mile run. Destiny doesn't decide how my races go, I do.

Luck doesn't determine whether I hit my goals.

Destiny didn't really bring me my running friends.

I met Becky through a mutual friend because we wanted to have more fun with our runs. I stayed friends with her because she has inspired me to be a better, stronger woman!

I met Kathy because I had LOST to her in a race and I wanted to go congratulate and meet this cutie pie little thing that had kicked my butt. Her positive sunshiny attitude made me beg her to join us.

I met Glenda because our kids have been together since daycare days and when she was losing weight and starting to run, I wanted to include her and encourage her and share that positive experience!

Destiny did none of these things.

Luck doesn't bring you the horizon. Luck doesn't carry you to the finish line.

Fate doesn't determine your best efforts. Fate doesn't wake you up at 5am to go for a run (or anything else you love to do!). Fate doesn't say "man, this sucks. Gotta dig deep."

So don't leave your best moments to destiny! Destiny will never give you that inner strength. Destiny doesn't ever give you a feeling of accomplishment. Destiny isn't something you can be proud of. Destiny doesn't make you a better person than you were before.

YOU DO!!!!

~Jen



yeah, we actually have this much fun running. Me and Kathy-- and Becky's elbow-- Bismarck Marathon



Mental

So, Becky is out of town. And Kathy has family visiting so she's not coming in the morning. And I haven't heard from Glenda yet.

I might be on my own tomorrow. For 20 miles. It won't just be physical tomorrow, it will be brutally mental.

Because running buddies help keep you from defeating yourself.

It's typical for us to bounce off of each other, pull each other through the rough spots and help keep each other going. Where as I will be dying at mile 10, someone else in the group will be hitting their endorphin high and help encourage me through it. Or when they are slowing down at mile 16, it's my turn to dial up the positive encouragement. Being able to push each other and pull when necessary and not let the others down really keeps you motivated. It's reassuring and comforting and encouraging to know you can ask for help and borrow some strength and motivation from your running gals.

"Not gonna lie, my legs feel so heavy and I don't know if I can make it up this hill."

"Okay, babe, we'll slow it down but you're doing so awesome! We're almost there! You've got it!"
....

"I'm exhausted and not feeling this run right now."

"What? Are you kidding me? That's probably because you've been flying these last few miles. We'll take it easy for mile 16 but we'll pick it up again at mile 17, m'kay?"
.....

"OMG, I F*ING HATE THESE HILLS!"

"Ha ha! Come on!"
......

"Holy cow, I can't believe how far we've come already this morning! This is awesome! We're like practically super human right now!"

"I know right? This is so awesome! I love the world! Oh look, deer!"*

.................
*excerpts from actual conversations. Runner's high.

Right now I am hoping and praying Glenda answers my Facebook message by dawn because it's not the dang 20 miles, it's all the solitude. It's the voice inside that says "Let's go home, this is hard." That voice usually doesn't get a chance to interrupt our conversations so I've never had to deal with the mental struggle alone.

Tomorrow it will be a battle of body over mind, willpower over weakness. Lonely road vs. podcasts and music (I'm loving http://www.rockmyrun.com/ right now!).

Some days are like that. It's not just running 20 miles alone. It's the days that the problems pile up. The days when everyone wants to take something from you and take your attention and take your time. Some days you find yourself surrounded by people who thrive on negative attention. Some days you can't seem to put your keys or phone in one dang spot so you can find it again. Some days everyone wants to tear you down and you can't get to your family and friends who love you enough to build you back up again.

Somedays it's not enough that you can run the distance. It's not enough that you are, in fact, stronger and more disciplined than the people around you. Some days, it's not enough to be physically prepared.

Somedays, you have to find a way to not let the world drag you down. Some days, you have to find a way to rise above it. Some days you have to find the inner strength, the inner peace to calm the storm around you and inside your own head. Sometimes you have to dig deep and answer to no one but yourself.

Sometimes, it's all about mental toughness.

Jen

Mother Road Marathon Recap

So I ran the Tri-State Mother Road Marathon on Sunday. 10/9/11. I picked this race for a few reasons.... the first was that it runs through 3 states (OK, KS, and MO) and the second was that it was on my late friends 31st birthday and I thought that it would be a good day to get out there are really feel alive!

I figured that the weather in October would be a nice cool 50 degrees...not so much. The low was 70 and the high for the day was 83. So in a toasty 70 degrees in the middle of Commerce, OK I started out.

Mile 1: Ok..go out slow....
Mile 2: Just trying to get my rhythm here
Mile 3: Hmm the breeze feels kinda nice
Mile 4: Oh, I see a tree for 10 seconds of shade
Mile 5: Wow, it's really warm out here
Mile 6: I feel like I have a fever
Mile 7: ok 58 year old man that I'm pacing with...you go on ahead
Mile 8: CRASH ....POUT....WHINE....this sucks... I seriously called my friend that I was down there with to whine and cry that "Melissa...I'm so HOT" and to tell her that I'm not going to be on pace and I will not be making it to mile 20 at the time I was hoping for.
Mile 9: Ok..this is where I was really hurting and since it would have been Nina's birthday- I dedicated mile 9 to her and tried to look back on all the happy crazy things in life. I was going to dedicate each mile to someone from there on out. Which promptly ended when I reached mile 10.
Mile 10-16: I need to take care of myself before they find me on the side of this manure smelling road. I took in a water and a gatorade at every water stop. I walked ALOT. And I took virually all of my honey stingers. But I was feeling frisky by mile 18!!
Mile 18: "Excuse me does anyone have sunscreen"  I could feel my body cooking. Luckily a nice lady had some in her car...so I walked with her off the road to where her car was so she could dig around and get me some relief. Aaaugh that felt good. Oh and some nice folks had bottles of water there also. I grabbed one for the HUGE hill coming up at mile 19.
Mile 20-23: Did I mention that it was a strong head wind that day?? and that it was a very hilly course? I enjoy hills ( I really do), but these SUCKED. I usually don't mind wind either, but going up hill into a head wind when it's 77 degrees out...was not my idea of a good time.
Mile 23-26: Wow, I'm almost done!! I should be able to run the last 3 miles right?? I feel pretty good...HA. I don't know if I was able to run 1 whole mile. So I continued my run/walk business and happily finished the course.

The scenery was nothing spectacular, except in Galena there is the truck "Mater" from the movie Cars. So, I had some old lady standing by it take a picture of me. My son was so excited!! Melissa came out and met me around mile 20, 21, and I think 24 so I posed for a  few pictures for her.

Even though I was 45 minutes over my goal time, I had lots of fun. Sometimes I need to remember that not everything is a rush and being about getting a good time. This success came from finishing the race.

I was really thinking that I was one of the only ones severly affected by the heat, so when I looked at the results later that night, I was pleased to see that I took 4th overall for women and 1st in my age group. Maybe I wasn't just being a wuss.