Marathon Training Run 20+ miles

I have my 20+ mile training run plan for Saturday morning! My plan is to start out at 6:30am and complete the run in around 5 hours, putting me home in time for lunch and a nap =).

A map of my run is on the left (marathon training run).

I will carry shot blocks, rice crispy treats and everyone's encouragement!

My run takes by the YMCA, the Meeker Trail head, multiple Starbucks and the Puyallup Fair, so I'll have plenty of water/potty stops if needed. It will also get me a few hills, both up and down with plenty of flat even asphalt in between. All of my equipment will be charged and Friday night I will update my i-pod (I still have i-tunes $ from my birthday in April). This is really my simulation run, so all of my clothes will be the same as on race day, down to the undies and the weight in my pack. I am really getting excited for Portland, it will be soooo much different from the lonley Yakima Canyon, but as I have said before that is exactly what I needed at that time in my life. I'll be running Portland with at least 26 less pounds, and I am working hard to try to make it 30 lbs gone! I can wait - I really will be a lean, mean, running macha machine!

I'm running tonight and Thursday at the track with the club, so I should be able to get in 30+ miles in this week!

Run, macha, run!

My first PR! & 25lb gone mark!

My first PR (personal record)! My running career has advanced another level this past weekend. Yesterday I ran the Black Diamond ½ Marathon and I loved it! Last year, I ran this ½ as my first, it means the world to me to be able to run on the roads that I grew up on. Running up the hill down the street from my childhood home was amazing (I used to ride my bike up it and on the good days, I would make it to the top without stopping). Yesterday was one of those good days. I ran up the hills and took quick walk breaks at the top and kept going. I was running strong and practicing my Chi-running – leaning forward, using my core, letting my legs kick behind me, not crossing my arms in front of my body – in the zone! I ran past my parents house on the first loop and said hi to the new baby alpaca – her name is Peyton, yes, Peyton the ‘paca! Then the route continued onto the highway and down the road to my friend Heidi’s house. There were rolling hills, steep, but short hills, a canted road, tons of volunteers, smiles and yells of encouragement from the leaders of the pack as they were passing me (they had already hit the turn-around and they were heading back to the lake). Around mile 7, I caught up to a lady who started walking, giving her some encouragement, she started running with me. It was enjoyable to have someone to talk to, share running stories with, and be able to keep each other moving. Erin picked this race as her ‘come-back’ after having twin girls in March, she was my motivation to keep moving. We made it back up my street and I waved to the Alpacas again, looping back toward Deep Lake, we ran the last 1.7 miles on the soft trail around the lake and we both made it across the finish line with smiles on our faces, she was glad to finish running, not walking (which she did with no problem, even with a head cold – amazing). I did it, two hours and 40 minutes! Last year’s time was 3 hours 4 minutes, a 14:05 pace, this year’s pace was 12:13! I was excited and felt like I could keep running for days, although I was hungry, so I need to work on snacks for my long run next weekend. The only issue that I had was really small blisters starting to form on my arch and heel from the canted road, hopefully that will not be such an issue at Portland. I also had some rubbing from my pants – can it be true, I might need an even smaller size!

Anyway, I stopped by my parent’s house when I was done. My dad checked out my medal and my mom must have congratulated me five times, it felt good. I took their compliments and it kept my smile lasting into the afternoon! I helped get the gutter on the back of the garage for their new rail barrel and mom and I got to pet Peyton, her wool is amazingly soft. I need a photo of the little girl!

I headed home. Brian stayed home doing the grocery shopping and food prep for the week ahead (and watching the Seahawks game). I relaxed, did some laundry, took a nap and smiled the rest of the day. We walked to the grocery store after dinner, I was tired, but still had some energy. I have so many projects in my head, I need to start writing them down. Here are some; Elinor’s baby shower ideas (they are pouring out of my head and I need to get the invitations in the works today), Alpaca Farm Days (setting up a nice display of all of my mom’s products and literature), Portland Marathon (finalizing the trip- dog overnighter, schedule of the weekend, products I will need, new watch battery, i-pod playlist), Bathroom Remodel (tear out the floor and learn how to set tile, baseboard trim, finish painting the cabinet, install the faucet), that’s not even all of them, but see, that is why I run, not so I can clear my head, but so I can come up with new ideas or refine the projects that are already swirling around in there.

Tonight is my weigh-in and I am getting excited, nervous and well very hopeful! I have been doing really well this week, tracking my intake, not using my ‘extra’ points and getting my runs/cross-training and rest in. The scale at home looked promising, but I have to remember that my run yesterday might alter my numbers. We’ll see, I will post my results. I am hoping for the 25 lbs mark tonight – that would make my day, week, month, my year! And if I lose .4 lbs I’ll be happy too – and I’ll work even harder tomorrow!

Keep running, Macha women, keep running!

UPDATE:
I DID IT! I MADE IT TO 25LBS GONE!!!! Last nights meeting did go well, I lost 2.4 lbs and passed the 25lbs gone mark - actually I am down 26 lbs and hoping for 30 by the time I run Portland in a few weeks! Less than half way to go! I am soooooo happy!
Have a great day everybody!

Bank to Bay!

Whew, kids have unlimited energy! This morning I ran the 10k Bank to Bay in downtown Tacoma and the kids 1k fun run with Abby and Brandon. I will include photos (as I don't have time for a long post) and because I told Abby and Brandon that I would get their photos on the internet!

Here is Abby getting ready to run her first 1k - how cute are her pink skirt and pink mary-janes!

The next photo is of Brandon during the 1k run - he can do 4 miles with his mom, so we're shooting for a 5k as his next race. Check out those kicks!

And here is their finishers photo!

Lisa, Brandon and Abby cheered me on at the finish line - I finished in 1hr 12 min. - a 12min. pace and I was very happy to have them cheering me in!

We are looking at doing the Dawg Dash 5k in October as they allow strollers and dogs! So maybe we'll get the whole crew out there to run it. I'm glad the kids enjoyed themselves - hey they got t-shirts, medals and tons of free stuff at the expo (did I mention that the kids fun run was free).

What a great day! Now I'm off to the running store for a new sports bra - I had a major malfunction during the run (guess it's time for a replacement). After the running store we are taking Darby to my Aunt & Uncle's house to teach her how to swim - it should be a fun evening!

here is a photo of Darby yesterday - we walked to Starbucks and she was 'napping' while I read about ChiRunning.

Have a great day everyone!

Ready for the Grande-ass Marathon Relay?!

The grande-ass relay is this weekend !!!! It will be my first relay and I am excited for the comrodaree, the laughing, the drinking (coffee of course), and the running with friends. I am ready....

I ran this past weekend while the car was getting some maintenance done - for 15 miles in 3 hours 30 minutes all around downtown Puyallup, up to the YMCA, down to the Meeker trail head, out to the river and back to the car dealership (whew, it is even tiring writing it). My time was a little slower that I've been lately, but it was a little warm (84 when I finished) and I ran up the Meridian Hill past the fairgrounds, so I was a little tired. After my run I came home and played with Darby and then we took a nap on a blanket in the backyard, it was a wonderful lazy afternoon (Brian laughs when I say it was a lazy day, because I start off with 'after I ran 15 miles' I took a nap). Brian was fighting a forest fire in Eastern Washington last week and just arrived home today (he is trying to catch up on his newspapers, laundry and not being around hundreds of stinky fire fighters). So he is home, safe and sound. I don't know how military spouses do it, I get worried and he is just across the state, but it's something about being in a dangerous environment that gets me. Oh well, he loves doing it!

Monday night was a great weigh-in - I was down 2.4 pounds last week!!!! for a total of 24.4 gone for good. I had a regular doctor apointment just before my weigh-in and she was totally impressed, my last appointment I was over 200lbs and she actually gave me a high five! We talked about my running and how to keep up with it and not to get hurt (she also mentioned that my chances of getting injured/stressed are much lower with each pound gone). It was a great doctors appointment - I was actually excited to get on the scale!

Last night I also went to Pilates - what a great way to end a great day. I need to go on Friday morning as a way to start my weekend.

This weekend is Michelle's Grande-Ass Marathon and I am running the relay with others from the Y-run club. It should be fun, I just have to remember to not have too many drinks before it's my turn to run! I am also getting excited because Portland is just around the corner!

Here is another photo from our anniversary vacation (and yes Elinor, the last photo is of the fish that I caught!).

We are at the top of Chinook Pass on our way home from fly-fishing the Yakima River (the same river canyon that I ran my first marathon in). We also made it to the Tom Petty Concert at the Gorge - whoa, what a different experience. The music was good, but the crowd was obnoxious, we think we might be a smaller-venue-kind-of-folk. But hey, you're only young once and it was a great long weekend!

Another photo from earlier in August when Darby, Brian and I hiked Mt. Peak in Enumclaw. I remember hiking it when I was a kid and Brian did extra credit for a teacher in high school by hauling gravel up to repair the trail. We had never hiked it together though - in all of our 12+ years together - another thing that this weight loss has given me - freedom!

Until later, run like you're a kid again!

I love fishing!

All I can say is I am a fisherwoman!
We had a great anniversary weekend..... I'll post more later - I have to go cook dinner.
Oh and by the way 22 lbs are gone for good and I am happier than ever!

Plateau, rut, bored, tired, cranky – HELP!

It’s been a bit since my last post – I’ve gotten a lot of running in. I ran 5 miles on Ruston Way on the 24th, 9 miles on Saturday the 26th and I got a manicure/ foot rescue pedicure on Sunday with Elinor… Then last week I ran on Wednesday to the weight watchers meeting with Wendy, 5 miles with the Y-Run-Club on Saturday and I ran 13 miles in Orting on the 3rd. It felt great to get in a long run and enjoy the morning along the river with my updated i-pod playlist.

I have not updated my weight because it has not changed in 3 weeks! Well not really. Week 1, I was up .6 lbs and week 2, I was down .6 lbs and when I weighed in on Monday I did not gain or lose. ARRG! Wendy and I went to a different meeting on Monday with Sonya, another Y-Run-Club member and the lady was very energetic, so I think the class will be good for me. I am frustrated that I have hit a weight loss plateau, (for me I was averaging 1-3 lbs gone per week). I thought that I was doing really well with my eating and running (a hard balance for me). After I ran the 13 miles on Sunday, my Garmin showed that I had burned 1600 calories and I figured that I earned 27 activity points (they recommend 28 in a whole week). So I ate 16 activity points in order to get my energy back and to break even with the 1600 calories burned (which included a Subway turkey sandwich, banana, cinnamon raisin bagel, latte and lots of water). Then I weighed in on Monday and my weight was unchanged….. Sonya did mention that because it was warm I was probably retaining water after my run – that was only 24 hours before. I appreciated the comment, and think that maybe I’ll do my long run on Saturday next weekend to avoid that problem (or at least eliminate it from the equation). So the rest of this week has been a little warmer that I like (in the 80’s, I know I can’t complain when the rest of the country is sooo much hotter and muggier), and I haven’t made it to the gym, running or really doing anything. Sleeping has been tough with the heat also, so I am just in a little bit of a funk. This morning I slept in until it was my usual time to leave the house, so I rushed through my routine and feel slouchy and frumpy today (at least the boss is gone and I can just get my work done). Another thing that has been bugging me is how dirty our house has become – having a lab that sheds constantly and a cat that lives on top of the fridge (don’t ask) will do that to a house. I read Michelle’s cleaning spree and think that I might need to get some of my activity points by cleaning this weekend.

On a brighter note, a news story said that there is going to be a Rock-n-Roll Marathon in Seattle next summer – are you kidding me?!!! So Jane was kind enough to let me know that the registration was half-off on the 4th, so I signed up and I will be doing the first annual Rock-n-Roll Marathon next summer. I can’t wait! We’ll see who else I can snag into running it with me! I looked into doing the San Diego one, but the expense of the weekend was prohibiting me – now I get to go to one in my own back yard!!! Have I mentioned that I can’t wait!

So really, running has kept me sane, but the whole weight loss thing is dragging me down, I guess I knew that the weight loss would slow down sometime. I just don’t know what to do now…. Part of it is probably mental – I have hit the 10% gone mark and now I am entering a weight that I haven’t been in 5 years or more. I really enjoy that my clothes fit and that I am able to be more active than ever before, but I feel a little lost on my weight loss journey – if it weren’t for Wendy attending meetings with me and Sonya starting back, and Michelle’s amazing accomplishments I don’t know if I would have made is this far. So thank you to those who are constantly encouraging me!

Here is my plan to get me out of my funk….
Get some fresh flowers from the Farmer’s Market at lunch time today.
Go for a walk tonight at the track – invite my friend Elinor to join me.
Run on Saturday with the Y-Club – 13-16 miles, run before and after?
Help my parents install Pergo on Saturday and hook up their rain barrels at the farm.
Work on baby names for my mom’s Alpaca that is due soon – I get to name this one!
Make a welcome baby kit for Elinor – she finds out if they are having a boy or girl next week and I can’t wait!
Look at the Marathon in Las Vegas in December again and the possibility of cheap flights.

Sorry for the rant, sometimes you just have to clear your mind and get back into the game. I really want to get to my goal by next May (my long-term goal) – Brian and I are going to Maui with his parents and I want to wear a cute bathing suit (and have fun on the water slide). But for now, small goals – be happy and get through today, this weekend and the next weigh-in!

GO-MACHA RUNNER –GO

Have fun in the sun and wear your sunscreen (even if it makes a weird white gooey paste when you sweat – that reminds me to find some better ‘active’ sunscreen for running).

through the woods, down the hill and over the river we go...

Well I survived last week – I won’t dive into my gastrointestinal issues (I took antibiotic for my sinus infection – which killed all of the good digestive things in my tummy, so when I started eating my normal menu full of fiber I felt like a big bloated blimp). God I love google – I’ve laid off fiber and I am eating enough live yogurt cultures to get back to normal. Needless to say I gained .6 lbs last week, but hey, I am listening to my body and I figured out what to change.

Last week I had a huge to-do-list, here is a recap….
mow the lawn - check, lavender festival - check, hiking near Mt. Rainier (maybe next weekend), running the Starbucks to Starbucks Y-club run on Sunday - check, hooking up my drip irrigation in the backyard (I thought about it, but didn’t do it), eating salad from the garden – check, kinda, I’ve been eating it for lunch this week, compiling a birthday package for my brother (which got mailed off earlier this week), download recipes (maybe on a cloudy day), grocery shopping (thanks Brian), washing the car (Brian and I both tackled it), ironing my skinny clothes for next week - check, start the concrete forms for the garden shed (yeah, not so much).

I ran with the Y-club on Sunday from Starbucks in Puyallup near the YMCA down the hill to the Starbucks in Sumner for a total of 6.58 miles. It is leg 1 of Michelle’s Grande-Ass Marathon, which I am running in as part of a relay team (each person’s leg is still to be determined). The group that showed up in the morning was the ‘fast’ group, I was a little nervous, but I had a map that George printed out and I was fine knowing that I was going to be a little slower. So we took off, about a ½ mile in Patch came back and started running with me – he said he wanted a little slower pace. So we weaved our way down the hill and through the valley, under the bridge and over the Sounder train tracks into downtown Sumner (and we did go through the woods, but not to grandmother’s house). I said hi to all of the other runners as they were taking off from the Sumner Starbucks and heading to the Starbucks by the river in Puyallup. I had a strong run and I didn’t want to push it too far (my tummy was still a little upset). Brian and Darby were waiting for me and we sat for a bit and skimmed through the newspaper in the sunshine – I love mornings like this. I did get a huge blister on the ball of my foot – probably 2” long. It is healing up and I guess I need to be paying more attention to my feet – does anyone give runner’s feet pedicures? ‘cause these babies need one!

Last night I met up with Wendy and we ran to the WW meeting and back for a nice 3.3 miles. I was up .6 pounds, but I am fine with a little up and down, slow and steady right?! – I am running a lot more, which is tricky to get enough fuel without going over my points, I’m a work –in-progress.

Tonight I am going to run on Ruston Way in Tacoma as I have CPR training until 7pm and can’t make it to the Y-club run at the track. I thought it would be nice to change it up a bit, plus I’ll be able to run in the daylight, I’ll run for an hour or maybe for 5 miles – we’ll see what the pace feels like.

Saturday we are planning on going to the Dog-a-thon and enjoying the day (oooh, maybe I can run it with Darby…). Sunday I’ll try to get in some miles – maybe 8 or so.

I also picked up my ‘run-macha-run’ bracelet from the farmer’s market at lunch – it will make me smile all day and through my run tonight – it made my day! I’ll post photos later (and the lady’s contact info in case anyone wants one – she can customize).

Until later,
RUN – MACHA – RUN!!!