Wow! I Needed That!

You know how sometimes you get something that you never knew you wanted; now you cant imagine life without it? Well I got one of those gifts today. It came in the form of an interval workout.
My husband recently got a new coworker (whose wife hasnt moved up here yet). When the wife came up for a visit, hubs invited them over for dinner. Great- another couple with no kids, who will inevitably never return b/c we DO have kids- and lots of them. They were nice, had a good visit.
Fast forward months later- the wife is in town again for the summer. Her husband is begging me to call and get her out of the house for a run/workout, whatever... Well, when I finally see her i say,"let me get your number and I can text you for a run." To which she responds, "how about I text you then you will have my number?" From this response I gather that she really isnt interested in running (at least with me.) Well, a few texts exchanges later (and no workouts mind you) we finally make a date to run some intervals. Turns out she wants to run the local 5k this weekend and cant make it past a mile... So, we meet at the track where my kids can play while we run. Honestly, I was really happy to run with her and just glad she finally called...
Well, turns out this workout was my gift... We did two easy chatty laps, then set our Garmins for the laps. 1:42 laps with walks in between. Not an all out sprint, but sustainable and repeatable. We did 4 sprints, drawing on each other to finish; me knowing she was behind me and her not wanting to quit. Two cooldown laps later, I was so glad we did this! Now, I dont mind running alone, prefer it actually, but to have someone with you for these repeat toughys was priceless.
Now, who knows if she will ever call back after this 5k Saturday- only time will tell... But for now, spent, confident and happy- I am glad for the gift, and appreciative:)

Busy Mommy Media RLAM giveaway

Running came into my life (seriously) after my 4th child was born. He was unexpected to say the least and the depression that came with him was equally surprising!
Running stayed in my life when I saw the sense of empowerment it gave me, and a feeling of control. With 4 busy children 5 and under, there wasnt much else I could control! I fell in love with the pure sense of accomplishment; setting a goal and reaching it all on my own… I may not be able to make my kids eat their peas but I can make a good stress reducing sweat in no time:)
4 years later, my kids are no strangers to playdates at the track. They have learned not to complain that we dont drive for any destination under 2 miles. It isnt weird for mom to be doing pull ups on the monkey bars (what, doesnt your mom do that??) Vacations almost always include some kind of race and yes, Mom plays chase to win! They know that it takes hard work and practice and determination to reach a goal. They have all been by my side as I have met and surpassed each one I set! Most importantly- they know exercise is a factor of everyday life; not weight loss or showing off or any other reason… Just because that is how we roll!

Pickin it up, Puttin it on- Stickin with it

BodyrockTV.com is my strength work for now. I love how the workouts are intense but not too long. I liken them to p90x without all the rest breaks... I feel worn after them but they can easily be fit into my day! So, three of those with 3-4 days of running and I am good to go. I also downloaded a daily yoga app and a daily abs app for my ipad. They are so handy. Absolutely no excuses to not do abs now, 3 minutes and you are sore and lovin it :)
As for the speedwork I was so excited to start... Well, it can only get better right? Actually my numbers were pretty good, but it was hard. Not that I wasnt expecting the difficulty, just I am really not in the mood (currently) to be pushed. I think after all the training, part of me wants to just chill and go woth the flow, even if that means a 27 minute 5k! To top it off I keep thinking about last years 2nd place win. There is pressure to pull one off again- and now my noncompetitive friend has decided she is competitive now and wants a medal too. Well, I cant let her beat me!! LOL
So, Smartcoach has been called upon once again. Strength training/stretching/foam rolling will not be way-layed; I am going to put up some times that I can be proud of. Its all about doing better than before, right? I got this!!

A Week of No Running

OK, I vowed to take a full week off from running... Monday will be 7 days; today is Friday. Hmmmmm, can I make it? Hahaha, I no longer want to! Tomorrow the sun will be out and the temps will finally be decent. I have to go! I am thinking 5 easy miles, 5 miles of empty thoughts and peace in my head. I can hardly wait!
Now, I have done great workouts this week. I am loving BodyrockTV! But they are not the same, I am sure you know what I mean... Matter of fact- tomorrows workout looks really tough and I am really excited for it! but running- outside- fresh air and alone- I NEED it!! Just thinking about it makes me happy, and when mama's happy...

Sun- half in Minneapolis
Mon- rest
Tues- yoga fusion
Wed- bodyrock Survivor workout, walk
Thu- bodyrock burpee/reptile challenge, walk
Fri- yoga and abs, bike
Until next week !!

Race for a GREAT cause!!!

Mommy's A Runner: It is GO TIME!!!! Race to Cure Diabetes 5K here we come...
mommysarunner.blogspot.com
http://mommysarunner.blogspot.com/2011/06/it-is-go-time-race-to-cure-diabetes-5k.html

What a great reason to lace up and get out there!! My awesome friend, aka Ultara, is putting on this virtual 5k to help raise money for Juvenile Diabetes Research. A great cause, and with your help we can get 3.1 miles closer to a cure!

Another One Down!

I am now home from my awesome adult weekend away in Minneapolis... My first trip away without kids and/or husband since I even had kids!!!! I loved every minute of it and must give props to my hubs for making it an awesome guilt-free experience! OK- kudos given, I can move on...
I had a blast with my friend Kim. We certainly got to know each other better! Just as great, I got a chance to meet RunninMama Bethany Saros! She is awesome! Waking, eating, shopping and just hanging out on my own schedule was a dream, lol!
Team Ortho put on a great event. I was really happy to see that the expo, start and finish line were ALL there right at the hotel. I love not having to drive/get lost/parking madness that can ensue with so many of these events ina large city. Great job on their part.
I was nervous about this course... I ran one very similar last summer that was seriously hilly! That being said- I was still hoping to make a PR and possibly even a sub 2 hour...
Start time was early but great. Excitement bubbling! The first 5 or so miles were great. Over and under bridges... I loved being able to see the 1000's ahead of me as well as the 1000's behind me. The last 7 or so were the same route as last year... It all came flooding back, lol! Not gonna lie- there were times I was questioning my reasoning for running this race. There were 2 good downhill portions where Kim and I took advantage and hit a 7mm pace. Unfortunately they were counterbalanced with more than 2 uphills where we were barely eeking out a 10 mm pace. Gotta say though- the mentality of this half, now having run a full, was totally different. Like when I hit mile 8, my first thought was, "oh man! Already? I'm almost done!" All in all, we lost the 2 hour pacer, but we were holding pretty good.
Then comes mile 11. I started coming apart here. By mile 11.5 I sent Kim on. It was obvious she had more in her than I did. Mile 12 came and so did the acknowledgement that I needed to get it going. Unfortunately, this is where a monster hill came too:( I tell ya, knowing you NEED to go and telling yourself, "get there! get there! get there!" and trudging up this 15% incline are two VERY conflicting factors! It seemed like everyone around me was throwing in the towel and walking this stretch! By now my Garmin says 13.1 and my head is saying done. Whose idea of a cruel joke is to put a finish line at the top of a hill? Ooooooohh mile 13..... Dammit where is that freaking .1?????
Finally I crest the HILL and see the finish line! Oh yeah baby! I may have missed my 1:59:59, I may have missed my PR even, but i was bringing this baby home. I charged, crowd was hooting and hollering and the Garmin pacer started with a 5!! Hoo, hoo, hooo,hoo- sprinting it in at a 5mm and smiling for the camera :) I even managed to close in on Kim by a mere 4 seconds...
As I crossed the finish, I accepted my medal, struggled to take in some air and willed myself not to puke! I was done! And now cant wait to do it again!
2:09:05 Not my best, but i feel it was my best that day...