school for us

"Practice Makes Permanent"

2012-01-13T20:50:00.001-06:00

You've heard the saying "practice makes perfect." But, is it true?
Alex took 1.5 years of piano several years ago. Every once in a while, she will sit down and play her favorite piece. She has played it perhaps a hundred times. But, there is one place where she tends to hit a wrong note. And, she practices this wrong note over and over. She corrects herself after playing the note, but usually misses the note while playing the piece. In her case, the practice of the wrong note has become semi-permanent.

I started swimming last year to participate in a triathlon. I didn't have a coach and just did the best I could with learning freestyle. Now, I'm in a Masters Swim class and the coach is trying to teach me the correct way to swim. I have learned so many parts of my stroke incorrectly that it is frustrating to try and correct my form. My body is 'used to' the wrong ways I've been swimming. I am trying to undo what I've learned, through practice. But, I feel it..."practice makes permanent."

Of course, in both cases we can undo the harm of practicing our skills incorrectly. But, it won't be easy! It's best to practice things correctly...because what we practice becomes permanent!
(This is insight I gained while listening to Andrew Pudewa's lecture, Reflections on Redeeming Repitition: Rut, Routine and Ritual.)

Napoleon Bonaparte & His First Painter

2012-01-10T09:30:00.000-06:00

I posted a few days ago about Jacques-Louis David, the French Revolution Artist. As the French Revolution ended, Napoleon Bonaparte stepped up to become the leader of France - first as First Consul in 1799 and then as Emperor in 1804. David, who had been so supportive of the Revolution, now supported Napoleon and became his "First Painter."

This painting, Napoleon Crossin the Saint Bernard Pass, shows the heroic Napoleon mounted on a spirited horse. Napoleon seems calm as soldiers in the background push a gun carriage up a steep slope. His horse, however, looks terrified. I read that Napoleon had actually crossed the Alps on a donkey, but he thought this made him look more "brave and daring"! (from Lives of the Great Artists by Charlie Ayres)

This portrait by David shows Napoleon in his classic stance with his right arm inside of his coat. I listened to a wonderful podcast on Napoleon by J David Markham. The podcast, An Introduction to The Napoleon 101 Podcast, was over an hour long and it is only #1 of 58 podcasts! It did provide a good overview, and I intend on listening to more of these. Anyway, it said that this stance was actually common in portraits at the time. I read more about it here.

I also watched an hour-long movie about Napoleon at the PBS site. What an amazing life! I can't believe I grew up thinking history was 'boring!'

Arlington Cemetery

2012-01-07T18:46:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to catch up on my travel posts. This is from DC in October 2010.

We were on a tight schedule this day and our biggest mistake was not eating before we went to the cemetery! It was a long ride and we thought we'd get something at the cemetery. Well, food is not allowed at the cemetery. And, we were there for hours even though we 'hurried.' One of the girls in our group had her blood sugar crashing and her mom talked one of the employees into getting some food (from his own stash). But, the rest of us went HUNGRY.

I loved that we visited DC in fall. It was beautiful!

The Kennedy's.

We got to the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers fairly early and sat and waited for quite awhile. But, it was a beautiful day and we had nice seats on the stairs. We didn't realize this was a day they would change the flowers so we got up and left our seats. It was disappointing that we didn't see it, but we were tired and still had a long walk ahead of us. And, one of the moms had a grave she wanted to find. We ended up going on without them. Everyone was tired & hungry.

My favorite photo of the day.

I read that the rocks on the tombstones are a Jewish way of paying respect. And, when I looked at the stones I'd taken photos of, they do have the Star of David on them, though I also saw one with a cross.

Dickens on the Strand

2012-01-07T08:32:00.001-06:00

In December, Alex & I attended "Dickens on the Strand" for the third year in a row. This holiday festival in Galveston celebrates the Victorian London of Charles Dickens. There is a parade, food, entertainment, and a visit by the "Queen" and her Beefeaters. Also, many of the spectators dress up in period costumes.

We once again stayed at the Hilton Galveston Island Resort. We really enjoyed the hotel last year. And, this year, we got a great deal on a room with a full gulf view! On Friday night, we drove up after school and then went to dinner, also like last year, at Rainforest Cafe. Then, we went to a movie, Arthur Christmas.

The next morning, we spent some time on the beach. We took a lot of photos, and Alex found this Monarch butterfly in the water. It was still alive and we ended up putting it on some foliage.

It was a nice day and we watched some people surfing. We saw several of them actually surf!

Then, we headed to The Strand, the historic part of Galveston where the festival is held. We parked about a half a mile away and we were thrilled that there were some bicycle taxis available this year. Ours was very friendly and we were happy for the ride. He took this photo for us.

We watched quite a few street acts, including this man who juggled fire...and hammered a nail into his nose! Gross! And, ouch!

Some Victorian beggars. The crowd was actually throwing coins for them to gather.

We love chalk art! There were only a few of these, but they are always fun to look at.

Jacob Marley from The Christmas Carol.

One of the streets act was a bird show! I love birds!

The start of the parade!

And, Queen Victorian in the parade.

Lastly, our favorite act for the third year in a row...Merrie Mary. She's a juggler and we love her!

The Guillotine

2012-01-06T15:21:00.001-06:00

As I read To the Scaffold: The Life of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson, I learned more about the guillotine which was used extensively during the French Revolution. Dr Joseph Ignance Guillotin suggested the use of a beheading device with the intent of creating a socially equal form of capital punishment. In the past, noblemen had been beheaded which was quick and honorable. On the other hand, lesser men were tortured to death or hanged. With the guillotine, however, death would be equal and swift for all men.

A gruesome part of the French society was the watching of executions. I read somewhere (in the book?) that families would come to watch and bring their children. But, after years with thousands of public executions, less people were present as they'd grown bored with the events. By 1799, the guillotine had been used to execute about 15,000 people.

Here's a paragraph from Erickson's book:

The first human trial of the guillotine in April of 1792 was something of an experiment, which gave the many spectators an added frisson. The machine had been used on sheep and calves, and tested on human corpses brought from the charity hospitals. But no one could be certain that it would work as efficiently on a live criminal, and the wretched forger scheduled to be executed that day must have suffered the added torment of doubting the efficiency of the savage blade. Scientists speculated about whether the head might live on after it was separated from the trunk, whether the mind might go on thinking, the eyes seeing, the tounge wagging. But the forger's execution proved to be effortless and swift, and made a very good show, and the observers went off afterwards satisfied that they had witnessed a new and entirely satisfactory form of public vengence.

The guillotine has continued to be used, even in my lifetime! I found a date (at the site mentioned later in this paragraph) that shows the guillotine used in 1987 in East Germany. And, it was last used in France in 1977 when the murderer Hamida Djandoubi was beheaded. (information from About.com) The debate as to whether or not the person continues to be alive for seconds after the beheading has continued to be debated. For more information on that, you can read this article at The Guillotine site.

Of course, Marie Antoinette faced the end of her mortal life lying on a guillotine platform. Her husband, King Louis XVI, had also been executed in this manner nine months earlier.

The French Revolution Artist

2012-01-05T22:13:00.001-06:00

Today I watched lecture 15 of World's Greatest Paintings, a Great Courses lecture by William Kloss. I am LOVING this series! Each lecture covers 3 paintings and discusses the artists that made those works. One of today's artists was Jacques-Louis David, an artist I was not familiar with. His painting, Death of Marat, was one I'd seen before but not understood. I was excited to find out that this painting was a part of the French Revolution, a topic I'm now studying and reading about!

David was an active supporter of the French Revolution and used his paintings to stir up the passions of the French people. In this painting, David shows the death of his friend and publisher, Jean Marat. Marat had a skin condition and soaked in a tub for several hours a day. Since his weapon in the Revolution was his 'pen', he had a table set up over the tub. He also had a crate nearby for a desk. And, as he soaked, he would receive visitors.

On this fateful day, Charlotte Corday arrived with a letter of introduction and was admitted to see Marat. But, she was actually there to murder him. She was captured and executed later that month.

In the painting, there is a little blood on the note in Marat's hand, the letter of introduction. Also, on the floor is the knife that Corday used to stab Marat.

Smart History has a wonderful post about this masterpiece. And, he has more on some of David's other paintings.

Kimbell Art Museum

2012-01-05T21:34:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, we went with my mom to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. We were specifically there to see a special exhibit, but we also looked through the permanent exhibits.

(All photos are from the Kimbell site)

Ganesh
Alex's favorite piece of art was of Ganesh, an Indian god. Alex has a new friend and I spent some time with her mom a few weeks ago. She was in India during a festival for Ganesh, a festival that Alex & her friend also learned about in school this year. This Hindu festival takes place around August or September and lasts for 10 days. Statues of the god are made, sold, decorated & worshipped. Then, the statues are led in a procession through the streets and "immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off." (from Wikipedia)

Cherubs vs Putti
In the Great Course lectures I've been watching, the lecture (Kloss) refers to putti. I wasn't sure what the difference between cherub & putti were and we came across both terms at the Kimbell. The image above (a close up of putti from Poussin's Venus & Adonis) called the cute winged babies 'putti'. Well, after doing research at home I came across this terrific blog post at Many Shades of Shabby. Basically, if the painting is religious & the babies are 'innocent', they are cherubs (like the cherubim angels of the Bible). If the painting is secular, usually mythological, and the babies are not innocent looking, they are putti.

The Sacrament of Ordination by Poussin
This painting is one of a series of 7 paintings by Poussin in the mid to late 1630's covering the 7 sacrements. Since I am not Catholic, I had to do a little reading to find out about the 7 sacraments. The Kimbell site actually gives a pretty good explanation:
1. Ordination - the taking of holy orders to become a priest, deacon or bishop - shown here as Christ giving the keys of heaven & earth to Peter.
2. Confirmation
3. The Eucharist (communion)
4. Extreme Unction (the last rites)
5. Marriage
6. Penance (confession) - this painting was destroyed in a fire
7. Baptism - which is in the National Gallery of Art in DC & we hope to see it in March.

The Torment of St Anthony by Michelangelo
This amazing painting was done by Michelangelo and is believed to be his earliest painting...at the age of only 12 or 13!!! This is the first Michelangelo to be in an American collection. And, St Anthony is one of the saints I've been reading about lately as I learn about art history. Basically, Saint Anthony became a religious hermit and was said to have been tormented by Satan. Artists have portrayed these temptations and torments with all kinds of scary, make-believe beasts.

Saint Sebastian Tended by Irene attributed to Georges de La Tour
I loved this painting of Irene tending to Saint Sebastian, another saint I've been reading about lately. Saint Sebastian was a Roman soldier under Diocletian. Diocletian ordered him executed by a firing squad of archers after Sebastian had been converting soldiers to Christianity. Irene took care of him and he miraculously lived. Though, after his recovery, he confronted Diocletian who ordered him executed...again. This time, Sebastian died. I love the gentleness of Irene in this painting.

P.S. I loved this post over at Family Ramblings that tells about a lot of the other fun things to do in Fort Worth. I'm going to have to try more of them!

Looking back at 2011 trips....and ahead to 2012!

2012-01-02T21:37:00.000-06:00

I still have a lot of travel posts to catch up on for 2011. Our "big" trips were as follows...

1. JAPAN!!! What an amazing adventure! And, we got home just 2 days before the tsunami.

2. FLORIDA - We spent several days at the beach and visited Disney for the first time.

3. MONTANA/WYOMING - Where we visited the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and more! Our "Wild West" vacation.

What are our plans for 2012???

1. WASHINGTON DC - Alex & I are headed there for Spring Break. We were there about a year and a half ago, but there is a lot more we want to see!

2. TWO WEEKS IN EUROPE! We will probably spend a couple of days in London, at least a week in France, and several days in The Netherlands. All of these are 'firsts'.

3. FLORIDA & SAVANNAH, GA - We will be visiting Amelia Island in Florida and spending some time in Savanah - our first time to Georgia!

Samuel F B Morse - Inventor & Artist

2011-12-07T21:57:00.001-06:00

As I've been debating on where to go over Spring Break with Alex, one of my thoughts was a return trip to Washington DC! We both loved it, we were comfortable getting around on our own, and there is so much more to see! One place we didn't see was the National Gallery of Art, and they currently have a special exhibition of Morse's painting, The Best of the Louvre.

We studied Morse way back in 2006, but the books we read about him only covered the telegraph. I hadn't realized that he was a painter before an inventor - or if I'd read that fact, I'd forgotten it. He was also a Christian who described his life work by saying, "'It is His work. “Not unto us, but to Thy Name, O Lord, be all the praise.” (Answers in Genesis has a great article about him here.)

The painting, The Best of the Louvre, showcases many pieces of art that were actually in the Louvre though they were not all in the same room. (Can you find the Mona Lisa?) In the center of the the painting you can see Morse looking over the shoulder of his daughter who is painting. Also pictured, in the left, is his friend and author, James Fenimore Cooper pictured with Cooper's wife and daughter.

In an interview with NPR's Susan Stamberg, author David McCullough said, ""It was an extremely ambitious undertaking because many of the paintings that he was copying were hung very high up. And so he had to build a movable platform, or scaffold, that he wheeled about the galleries of the Louvre to reach his subjects. And he and the movable scaffold became a tourist attraction themselves"

As to why the painting was created, David McCullough said, "There were no museums here, as yet, in the 1830s, and no color representations of paintings, so he was going to bring the culture of Europe — mainly the Renaissance Italian masterpieces in the Louvre collection — back to the United States for the benefit of his countrymen." (Quotes from the NPR site.)

As we also look forward to our trip to France this summer, I am really enjoying this painting! And, I'm looking forward to reading McCullough's new book, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris. It is the story of Americans, from the year 1830 to 1900, who went to Paris to excel in their work - whether they were artists, authors, doctors, politians, etc.

P.S. Another great site about Morse and his art is found at the Terra Foundation for American Art website. www.terraamericanart.org under "collections".

A Worker Reads History

2011-12-06T14:57:00.000-06:00

I watched session 1 of a Yale Open Course today. It is a free course titled "France Since 1871" and it is taught by Professor John Merriman. Although the video itself is a little choppy, I am finding the professor quite enjoyable and am looking forward to learning about France. There are 24 lectures and the class reads six books and watches three films. I thought this would be a great way to prepare for our trip to France this summer.

The first lecture was mostly about what to expect in the course. At the conclusion, though, the professor read a poem by Brecht that he said highly influenced him to become a history teacher. The poem is "A Worker Reads History."

Who built the seven gates of Thebes?
The books are filled with names of kings.
Was it the kings who hauled the craggy blocks of stone?
And Babylon, so many times destroyed.
Who built the city up each time? In which of Lima's houses,
That city glittering with gold, lived those who built it?
In the evening when the Chinese wall was finished
Where did the masons go? Imperial Rome
Is full of arcs of triumph. Who reared them up? Over whom
Did the Caesars triumph? Byzantium lives in song.
Were all her dwellings palaces? And even in Atlantis of the legend
The night the seas rushed in,
The drowning men still bellowed for their slaves.

Young Alexander conquered India.
He alone?
Caesar beat the Gauls.
Was there not even a cook in his army?
Phillip of Spain wept as his fleet
was sunk and destroyed. Were there no other tears?
Frederick the Great triumphed in the Seven Years War.
Who triumphed with him?

Each page a victory
At whose expense the victory ball?
Every ten years a great man,
Who paid the piper?

So many particulars.
So many questions.

Saint Sebastian

2011-12-05T21:23:00.001-06:00

I am currently enjoying a DVD course from The Great Courses entitled World's Greatest Paintings by Professor William Kloss. Professor Kloss is superb and I am learning so much from his passionate lectures.

by Ter Brugghen

Today's lecture included three artists, including a painting by Ter Brugghen of St Sebastian titled St Sebastian Tended by Irene. As a Protestant, I am not familiar with the stories of many of the saints and see that many works of art are based on their lives. So, I am trying to become more familiar with their stories. I read several articles about St Sebastian, but the most interesting piece I found was at Tom Reeder's Blog, which is both informative and humorous.

by Boticelli

St Sebastian lived in Rome during the third century. He was a bodyguard for the Emperor, Diocletian. (Side note: Diocletian appointed 3 other co-emperors and each of them ended up ruling 1/4th of Roman Empire as Tetrarchs.)
Diocletian persecuted Christians and Sebastian was visiting them in prison. He was also converting other sodiers to Christianity. When Diocletian found out, he ordered that Sebastian be tied to a post and executed by archers.

by Il Sodoma

However, Sebastian did not die from his wounds, according to the stories. He was nursed back to health by a lady later known as St Irene. After he was healed, Sebastian confronted Diocletian and, this time, Diocletian made sure that Sebastian was killed by clubbing.

by Andrea Mantegna

Sebastian became a saint and was later called upon during several plagues, including the Plague of Justinian. This Plague started in about AD 540 and ended in AD 590 after killing 25 to 100 million people - possibly half the population of Europe. It was said that "the random nature of infection with the Black Death caused people to liken the plague to their villages being shot by an army of nature’s archers. In desperation, they prayed for the intercession of a saint associated with archers, and Saint Sebastian became associated with the plague." (quote from link from fisheaters site titled Symbols of the Saints in Art.)

Marie Antoinette's Poufs

2011-11-27T10:12:00.000-06:00

I have started to prepare for a trip to France this summer by reading a book about Marie Antoinette. The book, To the Scaffold: The Life of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson, is quite fascinating.

Yesterday, I read about Marie's incredible poufs. In 1774, the women of the court were wearing elaborate hats. But, they started styling their hair in elaborate ways instead. The pouf a la circonstance featured "a cypress and black marigolds, a wheat sheaf, and a cornucopia filled with every sort of fruit and white feathers. The allegorical meaning of the Circumstance Pouf was that while mourning Louis XV, France welcomed the bounty certain to be enjoyed under the new King. A medical coiffure came next, the pouf a l'inoculation. Louis had submitted to being inoculated against smallpox about a month after becoming King, and the new hairstyle commermorated this with a rising sun, an olive tree and a serpent entwined around the trunk, a flower club near him." (quote from the above book)

Another amazing pouf was coiffure a 'Independance ou le Triomphe de la Liberte (shown above) which celebrated a naval victory in the American War for independence.

I particularly enjoyed a post I found on the subject at a blog entitled "Dressed in Time: Historical costuming with a special love for the 18th century." The post is called "Wiggery and poufs!" The author tells all about the poufs: how they were powdered, how they scratched their itchy heads (with a tool called a grattoir), how they slept (with their hair wrapped in a triple bandage), how they protected their hair from the elements, and much, much more! I found it absolutely fascinating!

Japan's Influcence on Western Art (1854-1918)

2011-11-09T20:21:00.000-06:00

We are headed to San Antonio this weekend for my 3rd half marathon. (Yeah!) And, I'm hoping to go to the McNay Art Museum while we are there. There is one exhibit, in particular, that I'm interested in seeing. It is called: "The Orient Expressed: Japan's Influence on Western Art 1854-1918."

Alex & I studied some about the influence of Japan on Western art when we studied Mary Cassatt. I read here the following: In 1890, Cassatt visited an exhibition of Japanese woodcuts at the Beaux-Arts Academy in Paris. She was so intrigued by the prints that she decided to do a set of prints in her own personal style. These prints are some of her most well-known works and are considered by many to be her most beautiful creations.

(Alex's print from our study of Cassatt in March 2007)

This exhibit includes a teacher's guide which can be found here. It is 42 pages long and includes a background of Japan's influence starting with Commodore Matthew Perry's arrival and the reopening of Japanese ports after over 250 years of isolation. The guide also shares reproductions of many of the paintings from the exhibit along with the texts from the wall. It is a fascinating read whether you can see the exhibit or not.

What's the Genre?

2011-11-07T19:34:00.000-06:00

Alex has to read a lot of books this school year (wow!) and she has to fill in this chart that tells what genre each book is. Well, I was having a little trouble telling the difference between Science Fiction and Fantasty. But, I found this neat site that I found very helpful at the BookNutsReadingClub. I wanted to have it here to look back at and maybe some of you will find it useful, too!

NaNoWriMo

2011-11-01T17:11:00.000-06:00

Some people believe in ghosts. Others don't. In a small city in Timberland, called Millstone, where I live, everyone does.

This is the start of Alex's NaNoWriMo novel. I love it! She's writing a novel with NaNoWriMo. Are you familiar with it? It's something I'd seen off & on the past few years, but we've never tried. Now, at school, Alex is writing a novel along with all of the students in 6th grade.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and it is an annual project held every November. You can find out more on their website.

Maybe Mr Do should have a will...helping verbs help!

2011-09-28T18:29:00.003-06:00

As some of you might have guessed, after 6 years of homeschooling, Alex is now in a private school. We have leaned towards this decision more & more the past 2-3 years and it was time for us. She is enjoying her new school and adjusting well. It is a small, international school. She's in 6th grade and there are two classes with a total of about 35 students. She is on her volleyball team which, besides the homework, keeps her quite busy! In fact, the transition has been pretty dramatic. We were used to finishing school by noon or 1 pm, and now it is not uncommon to be doing homework until 8 pm. In fact, we've been up until 9-10:15 a handful of nights! She is getting great grades, though, and is enjoying her school.

I have been staying very busy with my running & exercising, errands, house repairs, Bible study, and miscellaneous tasks. I have two hobbies I'm really trying to work on: digital scrapbooking (though I'm still arranging my digital albums!) and genealogy. I am even taking on online, graded genealogy course with the thoughts of someday becoming certified. I am also working on scrapbooks to give as Christmas presents for our 3 trips this year: Japan (with my brother), Florida (with my husbands's family), and Yellowstone & Grand Tetons (with my mother).

I do miss teaching, though I'm helping with homework every night. I keep coming across things I want to teach and that is kind of frustrating! I wonder if there isn't some other kind of teaching in my future.

Tonight, Alex was working on Helping Verbs and had a question. I Googled online and found a neat mnemonic to help you remember them! It's a cute story called "Maybe Mr Do should have a will." Check it out if you're studying helping verbs!

I might continue to blog as I come across other things. And, I've thought about continuing to blog about our travels. I'm just not sure at this point. I don't really want to leave the homeschooling community behind! I've even thought about teaching at our co-op again.

I miss you all! I know I didn't blog much last year - it was kind of my way of breaking away as I knew we wouldn't be homeschooling any more. It was a hard decision, but it is the best one for our family at this time.

I hope you are all off to the start of a great year!

I was an Energizer Bunny...but not today!

2011-08-20T10:13:00.000-06:00

Yes, during last weekend's long run I felt like the energizer bunny! It was 6 miles and I ran the whole way! And, I ran FAST!

Well, today's run was 7 miles. And it was SO TOUGH!!! I walked multiple times. I had the worst side stitch of my life...I could barely do baby steps for awhile & thought I was going to have to take a long walk home. My feet hurt. My shoes were bothering me. My coach had set paces and I was way off. I was running my miles a lot slower than I have in a month. Ugh.

When I got home, I had several thoughts.

"Man, I can hardly walk! And, this was only about HALF of a half marathon!"

"Wow, that pool looks refreshing. I'm hopping in there!"

"My tummy hurts...I think I might vomit...or something."

"What was I thinking?!? I signed up for THREE half marathons!"

So, I did hop in the pool. Kind of gross, I guess, but it is my pool. I just pull of my shirt and get in with my running shorts & running bra. It is only 8 am and no one else is up & around yet. Ahhh...the water did feel good! I

As I thought in the water, I drank my Muscle Milk. After about 10 minutes, I was able to stretch IN the water. Man, it feels good! And, while I sat & stretched & then did a little light swimming, I got to thinking...

First of all, LESSON LEARNED!!! Yesterday, I did a HARD 45 minute bike ride...a PR! And, I tried yoga...for the first time! Ummm...NOT a good way to prepare for a long run! I need a day of rest, or maybe swimming, before a long run. I'm actually usually better the day after and can do a bike ride or something. But, not so challenging as I did yesterday!

Also, maybe I'll try Vibrams??? You see, I started running a year ago with 2 pairs of shoes. Since I ran so little to start with, I'm just now retiring my 2nd pair. I bought 2 more of the same style of shoe and have only started wearing pair #3 about 6 weeks ago.

Well, the first time I wore the shoes, I had to quit after about a mile. And, I was at the lake and didn't have any other shoes. They just HURT! I put them away for awhile, and then started trying them for shorter runs. Still not great, but I'll get used to them, right?

Last week was the first long run and they felt OK...not great, though. The toe area feels 'big' and they just aren't as comfy as the others. Today, the toe area felt really big....like I was swimming in there! I almost stopped and retied them, but I didn't. The fronts of my feet (balls of my feet) were aching, especially on one foot. And, they were even falling asleep. Now that I've been home awhile, my feet are still not feeling well. I don't like these new shoes.

I've also been reading "Born to Run." It had a slow start, but now I'm really enjoying it. Well, one of the guys runs barefoot and was talking about how they ran in the old days, how the Tarahumara run (a running people in Mexico), and how God created are feet as a miraculous instrument designed perfectly. My sil runs with her Vibrams and LOVES them! Maybe it's time I give them a try. At the least, I'm taking my 'new' shoes to the store along with my 'old', well-loved shoes, and asking them why these aren't working for me.

I'll be taking the rest of the day easy, and don't plan on any exercise tomorrow except perhaps some light swimming or pilates at home. Then, on Monday, I'm trying out a weekday women's running group!

Some days are tough, but we've got to be tougher!!!

21 mph!!! & Yoga...Not for me!

2011-08-19T10:11:00.000-06:00

I really struggled with what workout(s) to do today. Since my daughter is now in school, I have lots of free/me time! And, there are so many classes at the gym(s) that I want to do. Today there were so many 'fun' things to choose from! But, I had to remember I have a 7 mile run tomorrow, so I needed to be careful what workout(s) I chose.

I chose to do two. The first was a bike ride. I ended up riding 10 miles. And, I kept my pace at between 15-16 mph (except for the warmup). That's GREAT speed for me!!!

The best part, though, was this little straight-way that I usually love to run. I RODE it this time. And, it's about 1/4 mile without any stop signs or anything. So, if you go back & forth, you get a good 1/2 mile ride (or run) with on the turn around to slow you down. Well, the first time, I decided to push myself and see how fast I could ride it. 19 mph...whew! I ended up riding this road 3 times, and by the last time I got my bike up to 21 MPH!!! WooHoo!!! Besides going down a hill, I'm pretty sure this is the fastest I've ever rode. I'm excited!

Later in the day, I tried a "mat science" class which is a combination of yoga & pilates. I tried this about 6 months ago but at a 5:45 am class. That one tended to be mainly pilates. This one, I think, was mainly yoga. Well, I didn't like it...at ALL!

First of all, I applaud those of you who do yoga. It is TOUGH! I just couldn't even begin to keep up with the others. But, also, I have 2 problems...1) I'm very inflexible 2)I have a ganglion on the palm near the wrist of one of my hands.

So, we were doing a 'downward dog' and the teacher said everyone should put their heels on the ground. Well, mine are probably 3 inches UP in the air! Really, my ankles do not bend much more than 90 degrees. So, the teacher comes and speaks directly to me and tells me to get my heels down. She pushes me down several times...it doesn't help! My ankles just don't bend!

And, we spent a LOT of time on our hands...doing planks, downward dogs, and all kinds of things. Well, besides not having the strength to do this, it was KILLING my ganglion. Ouch!!!

Lastly, I knew this was one powerful workout...and that I'd pay for it on tomorrow's run. So, I 'snuck out' the best I could after about 30 minutes. And, no, I will NOT be trying yoga again. Well, at least not anytime soon! I much prefer my pilates reformer!

I have a 7 mile run in the morning! My hubby is out of town so I've actually hired a neighbor to come over and 'sit' while my daughter sleeps. I plan on running from 6:30-8:00 ish. Whew! At least it won't be THAT hot out yet! We've now had 18 days with above 100 degrees!!! We set a new record several days ago. And, it doesn't look like we'll get relief anytime soon. Oh, well. My body is pretty much used to it...at least early in the morning!

Hills & Learning to Finish STRONG!

2011-08-18T10:10:00.000-06:00

Today I ran my first 'real' hill workout! Here's how it went...

First of all, I didn't get to start until 9 am as I dropped my daughter off for her first day of school! (She's 10, but we've homeschooled until now. BIG DAY for both of us!) So, at 9 am it was already 86 degrees. When I was finished, it was 89! And, most of my first 25 minutes was IN THE SUN!!! Ugh!

I ran a warmup mile, mostly in the sun, at 11:55. (My warmups are even getting faster, though it was a comfortable pace!) Then, I did "the hill" 5x up & down. The hill is in a park and is kind of 2 hills. You start in the grass near a soccer goal and run up a fairly steep hill, down a little & then a little flat area, and then up the 2nd part of the hill. There are a few trees (so shade!) near the base and at the top. I stopped every time to walk a few seconds & get a few drinks of water. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

When I was done with the 5 ups & downs, I was only about 1.8 miles, so I did a slow run to finish mile 2 in 15:21. (Remember, this was up & down a hill & quite a lot of water/walk breaks!)

I was really tired by then, and it was hot. But, I found a shady path to run for mile 3. I couldn't really start running again and walked quite a bit of the first 1/2 mile. I started telling myself I could run 2 minutes and walk 1. This helped, though I haven't had to pull this trick in awhile!

I tried to run most of the 2nd half of a mile without walking. I told myself the faster I finished, the sooner I could get in the a/c! I was running slow...about 13 & 14 minute paces.

When I saw I only had about .2 miles left, I decided to push myself. I've been practicing this as I have yet to have a race where I finish strong! Well, I started running faster, and faster, and faster. I hit 11:00 then 10:30 then 10:00. I tried to see a 9:something...I did! I ran FASTER! I ended up running 8:45 by my Garmin! (When I downloaded, it shows I finished at 7:40!) WooHoo! I'm learning how to RACE!!!

I'm learning to dig DEEPER and can't wait to start racing again!

Swimming Drill: Thumb to Thigh

2011-08-16T10:09:00.000-06:00

Besides doing pilates on the reformer (with my daughter agian!) today, I did a short swimming workout. I would have done 30+ minutes, but my daughter really wanted to play. So, I asked her to let me have 20 minutes to swim laps and then we'd play. After doing the reformer today, do you know what she 'played'? Aqua Yoga! It was a pretty good workout, too!

Anyway, I found a 'new' site called "trinewbies" and have been reading over it the past 2 days. I wanted to find new drills to improve my swimming. This site has 4 drills and says you might work on one at a time, so that's what I did! Tonight, I started with the "thumb to thigh" drill. www.trinewbies.com/tno_s
wim/tno_swimarticle_13.asp Basically, this drill helps you to make sure you are pulling the maximum amount of water by keeping your hand underwater until your thumb grazes your thigh! (You can read more on the site.)

So, tonight's swim workout was as follows:
20 x 25 yards of "thumb to thigh" with fins w/4 breaths between 25s
100 yards freestyle w/o fins
100 yards freestyle with paddles
100 yards freestyle w/o fins...FAST!

Oh! My coach had suggested I use the paddles to develop arm strength. And, the lady at the pool store warned me to be careful with me...you can hurt your shoulders! So, I decided just to do the 100, and WOW!!! you can certainly feel the difference! I swam it SLOW!

I'm a little uncertain about what I'll do tomorrow. Hubby is out of town so I can't wake up & run or bike. And, it's my dd's last day of summer! I might either swim in our pool in the morning or do a Jillian Michael's DVD or something off of NetFlix. Or, I might see if my dd wants to go for a run or bike ride in the morning, though it'll be pretty slow.

On Thursday I have my first 'real' HILL workout! And, I need to do Strength Training. On Friday I plan on SPINning! Then, Saturday is my long run...7 miles. And, I'll probably bike Sunday morning and take Monday off. We'll see, though! But, that's the general plan for now.

With my 5K, 3 half marathons, and sprint triathlon coming up, my basic plan is to: run 3x, swim 2x, bike 2x (1 on the road & 1 spinning), pilates 1x, other strength training 1x. That's 9 workouts, but with my dd in school I should have time! At least until my volunteer 'job' starts in less than a month!

Changing up the runs is FUN!

2011-08-15T10:07:00.000-06:00

Today my coach had me do a different kind of run. I warmed up for a mile (as always!) and then did the following. 1 min at 12:45 pace, 1 min at 11:45 pace, 1 min at 10:45 pace, and 1 min at 9:45 pace. Then, I was allowed a recovery minute (I slowly jogged the first time but walked the others) and then I started it all again! I did this 4 times. Then, I ran a little longer and ended up doing 3.4 miles.

First of all, my Garmin isn't quite sensitive enough to tell me immediately what my pace is...it often takes half a minute for it to figure it out! So, it was basically impossible to do these paces correctly. (It'd been better to do on a treadmill.) I actually just kept bumping up the pace every minute...and ended up at about 9:00 instead of 9:45.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying all of these different kinds of runs! It's fun to watch my watch and try different speeds. I don't know how to explain it, but it is so much better than just running 'x' miles or 'x' minutes every time!

Hope you are having a great start to your week! I guess I'll be hitting the pool in the morning. Not my favorite thing, but I found a new drill I'm going to work on. Hopefully, it'll help!

Incredible 6 Mile Run! & Safety Tips

2011-08-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

Today I was back to training with my US Fit running group. The 'red' team (10+ min/mile marathoners) was doing 7 miles while the 'blue' team (half marathoners of all paces) was doing 4 miles. My running coach wanted me to do 6 miles. Since all of our runs are out & back, I went withe the 'red's and turned around at the 3 mile mark.

To start with, I wasn't really enjoying it. I didn't sleep well last night knowing I needed to be up before 6 am if I wanted to make the run. In fact, I finally turned the alarm off & decided I'd just run on my own when I got up. Well, after not a lot of sleep, I woke up a little before 6. I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep so I decided to give the group another try. It's not that it has been 'bad', but I like running on my own & I didn't want to be the 'only one' turning around after 3 miles.

We started running at 6:30. It was already 82 degrees - and humid. (This is Houston!) I started in the middle of the pack but was the last person by the half mile mark. I was wanting to stay at about a 12:45 pace for at least the first 3 miles. I knew I could go this far without walking IF I didn't push too hard. Well, the group was running 12:30 and sometimes 12:15. I decided to keep them in my sights.

There was a moment when I decided this was my last run with the group. (Though I later changed my mind!) There is a 'sag' coach, I guess you'd call them. There are multiple coaches with each group and 1 is assigned to make sure everyone is accounted for. Well, she turned around & realized she wasn't the last one. She was running with 2 other ladies & must have said something...as first one lady then the other turned around. It made me feel uneasy that everyone was looking to see who was being so slow! But, that's part of the mental game, right!? I had to run MY run for today. I decided I could hang back and let them 'pull' me with an invisible rope. I didn't know the course, so I didn't let them get too far ahead. I figured they'd walk eventually and I'd catch up. (Well, they never walked that I saw, but others did walk & I caught up to them!)

The route we run starts off in a neighborhood for about a mile. Then you have less than a quarter mile on dirt and then it turns into a nice blacktop trail. There are some 'hills'. Nothing too long or too steep, but it is great to have that as part of my training as my regular neighborhood run is FLAT!

I passed several people including one of the coaches while he was walking. I told him I'd be turning around early...at the 3 mile mark. I wanted to let him know so they didn't think I'd disappeared!

I hit the 3 mile mark and felt really good! My pace was great. I felt like a little energizer bunny. (I thought of that several times...my pace felt so good I was wound up like that little bunny!)

At about mile 4 I caught up with a lady who had a triathlon shirt on from the weekend before. I talked to her for awhile. She had done it as a relay and done the running portion. She said she was impressed by how hard a triathlon was and I told her about my experiences. We were running a little too fast for me and I finally told her I couldn't keep up the pace so she should feel free to go on. It's kind of funn, because she did...and I caught up to her about 5 minutes later while she was walking. I didn't see her again.

I hit the one hour mark at about 5 miles. I had not walked a SINGLE STEP!!! WooHoo!!! This is amazing as I used to stop at LEAST every mile. Wow. What a difference! I have learned, in just the past few weeks, that I can run a lot farther without walking if I have the right pace. But, my farthest 'run without walking' was 3.5 miles. I hit 5 miles...and decided I WOULD run 6 miles without walking.

At mile 5.1 I got a small side stitch. Hmph! So, I slowed just a tad and focused on breathing. My coach told me I should visualize the oxygen going to my muscles and I tried that. It never got worse, but it didn't really get better either. I ran with a side stitch for the last .9 miles!

I ended up running 6.00 miles in 1:37:37. That is a 12:17 pace! That is GREAT for me!!! (And, just wait until the weather cools down!!!) And, I was steady...just as my goal was...my miles were: 12:36, 12:07, 12:13, 12:07, and 12:07. (That last mile I was sometimes slower than a 13:00 pace and at other times closer to 11:00...because of the side stitch.)

After the run, we had a seminar from one of the coaches. He is a police officer who travels the country doing anti-terrorism talks to other officers. Well, he talked to us about safety. Here are some of his tips:

...wear an ID (like Road ID)
...don't run alone (this one's hard!)
...if you do run alone, let someone know your route & when you'll return
...women should dress 'frumpy' and not be wearing big jewelry, etc
...wear bright colors
...run against traffic
...if a runner (or someone) is approaching you, look them in the EYE!!! (don't let them 'sneak' up on you)...you can say 'hi' or whatever, but let them know you are aware they are there!
...WEAR some kind of "Road ID" with your emergency info - emergency contact, any medical conditions, and blood type - you might not be able to talk if an ambulance picks you up!!!

Be safe out there & hope you all have a good run, or whatever you're doing, this weekend!

3x800 & Strength Training...ouch!

2011-08-11T09:58:00.000-06:00

This morning, I did my 3x800 run...outside in the heat, though at 6:30 in the morning. I started out by running 1 mile at about 12:50. Then, I walked for about 2 mins. I did take walk breaks (actual WALK breaks) between each run. Then, I started my three 800s.

My coach wanted me to stay at about 5:10-5:20 for each 800. That's about 10:20-10:40 per mile pace. Well, my times were 5:09, 5:07, and 5:06! I was trying to stay between 5:10-5:20, but my Garmin watch is acting up a bit so I couldn't keep it really steady. I was really tired after this and finally ran another 1/2 mile at about a 13:20 pace. I'd planned on running a total of 4 miles, but only ran 3. This was both because I was TIRED and I needed to get back so my hubby could leave for work.

About 2 hours later, I met with my old strength trainer. (She's also my 'buddy' from my 2nd sprint triathlon...it was her first tri, and my 2nd.) WOW!!! She worked me out HARD!!! First, we did some leg works...and my legs were already tired. But, I appreciated it! Then, we did a LOT of upper body training. I've really been neglecting my upper body.

A few things we did...
20 pushups (3 times)...BUT, we did it on an incline (with feet on ground & arms on bench) and I had to go to the floor on my kneeds for the last set. Yikes!! I really want to work back up to 20 pushups at a time!
45 second plank...BUT, I had worked up to 90 seconds! I probably could have done 10 more seconds, but not much more.

Anyway, everything she asked of me was so hard! But, back in April I would have done a lot better. I need to decide if I'm going to start paying for a trainer again, or being more dedicated on my own...or even start going to a weekly group class! (School starts next Thursday so I'll have a lot of time.)

Tomorrow is FRIDAY (yeah!) and I plan on doing a 45 minute 'indoor cycling' class. This is like the 'endurance' class I did on Monday, but this one is called 'race day'. Hmmm. We'll see how it goes!

I'm a triathlete who is dreading swimming!

2011-08-10T09:56:00.000-06:00

Dreading laps, that is. I have not swam laps since my 2nd sprint tri which was May 10th, I believe. I wasn't sure I ever wanted to do another tri. I was scared during the open water swim. And, swimming laps sounds like drudgery right now. And, I feel like my form isn't so great, so why keep practicing with poor form?

So, why am I headed out to swim laps this morning?

#1...because it's good for me! I had a REALLY hard run yesterday, and my legs need a rest.I also have a tough run coming up tomorrow. I'd rather go do a couple of classes, but it'd be better for my body to SWIM! (No impact, works entire body, gives legs some rest.) So, I've made the TOUGH choice & decided to go for it.

#2...because I DO want to do a triathlon again next spring and I need to get over this fear!

I'll let you know how it goes!!! And, I do plan on joining some kind of weekly group this fall. I just haven't quite figured out the specifics!

Here I go...

Interval Running & Pilates

2011-08-09T09:55:00.000-06:00

I REALLY doubted my ability to do the interval run my coach assigned me for today. I was to warmup for a mile then do an 11:00 pace for 2 mins followed by an 10:00 pace for 2 mins. I was to repeat this 6 times. Then, finish up 'easy' for a total of 4 miles. For the middle part, that would be averaging 10:30 miles for over 2 miles. My fastest 2 miler averaged almost 10:50! But, that was outside AND on hills. Still, this seemed REALLY agressive to me...and scary! But, I DID IT! YEAH!

I did walk the 1st minute, but completed the first mile in 13:00. Then, I ran the 11:00 & 10:00 for 2 mins each, 6 times. This was a HUGE mental challenge! In fact, I kept telling myself I only needed to do 3 sets, then I could walk. Then, of course, I told myself "just one more set & you can walk!" And, again...until I finished!

I actually set the treadmill at 5.5 & 6.0, so the 5.5 was a little different...I don't remember the exact number. Since that had me running for 24 mins at a 10:30 average, I actually ran closer to 2.3 miles at that pace! WOW!! If I could do my 5K at a 10:30 pace, that'd be quite a bit faster than my 'dream' pace!!! (My 'regular' goal is to hit 35 minutes and my 'dream' goal is 33!)

I walked for 1 minute after the 6 intervals, then finished up my last mile...about .7 miles. I started at about 13:00 and bumped it up a click faster at each 1/10th of a mile! Afterwards, I walked for about 3 minutes and did a long stretching session.

For the first 3.1 miles, my time was 34:50. That beats my 'old' 5K PR from last week of 36:23!!! (But, I did hang on to the treadmill probably a dozen times...never more than 10 seconds and usually only for a few.) The total 4 miles was at 45:55, which is a 11:29 pace! I'm thrilled!

I showered, got to read for about an hour while waiting for my daughter's camp to be out, ran by McDonald's and got an oatmeal, then headed to my coach's house for pilates reformer! This is my 3rd session, and we did a lot of new things! I'm really enjoying these sessions. And, my dd tried it out, too!

My coach has down 'swimming' for tomorrow, but I'm debating on that. In fact, I sent her an email asking if it was OK to do a different workout. I know it is important to rest my legs some. I have another 'big', scary run on Thursday! But, there are several classes at the & that I'd love to try...I could do a level 2 step class (love step, but I know it isn't resting my lets), "bodycombat" (martial arts, cardio-intervals), "bodyjam" (a dance type class), or "absolutely yoga" (but, I'm unsure about yoga). These would all be new to me! And, I love trying out new classes. I could also do the elliptical or something, but I prefer a group class.

I'm waiting to hear back from my coach, and will swim if she thinks that's best. I'm hoping to be cleared to try the Step or something else, though.

Endurance Spinning

2011-08-08T09:53:00.000-06:00

So, today's workout was 45 minutes of endurance spinning. I used to do spinning classes about 8 years ago and I did a spin class last week. But, ALL of my spinning has been interval work! It has LOTS of variety & jumps & you get to change it up every song. Well, NOT SO with an endurance ride!!! You just pedal fairly hard and steady! It's TOUGH!!! And, not near as fun. But, it's EXACTLY what I needed!

Tomorrow: I have a TOUGH 4 mile interval run on the treadmill. In fact, I'm not sure I can hit the speeds my coach wants me to! (though I've felt that way before and did it) And, I have an hour of pilates reformer with my coach! Should be interesting!

Today's Run...another 5K Pr!

2011-08-02T09:52:00.000-06:00

I enjoyed Zumba with my daughter last night, and a great 3 mile run today. My coach had given me a challenging workout, and I went to bed worried that I couldn't do it. But, I was determined to do my best!

My assignment was to run 3 miles...the 1st mile at 12:38, 2nd at 11:38, and 3rd at 12:15. Well, I did even better than that! I did 12:34 (better by :04), 11:27 (better by :11), and 11:31 (better by :44!). I ran the last mile at about 12:00 for the first half, and then picked up speed. I ran close to 11:00 and even below for the 2nd part of it.

I hit 3 miles at 35:31!!! (Yeah!)

I had decided I was going to go for 3.1 miles to see my 5K time. I PUSHED it that last 1/10th of a mile. Ran an 8:58 pace for almost 53 seconds. 5K time: 36:23! My outdoor PR was 36:40! So, I beat it!!! Yeah!

This was a HARD run, but I'm learning a lot! I'm learning that:
I can see a hard workout, give it my best, and SUCCEED!
I need to see a challenge that looks hard, and yet I enjoy pushing the limit & beating it!
I CAN RUN for 3.1 miles WITHOUT walking! I've now done it 3x!

I have pilates this afternoon, too. It's my first hour session and my first 30 minute session left me barely able to walk!! So, I'm hoping it's a great workout, but that I can still do a bike ride tomorrow night. Yep! I'm hoping back on the bike after last week's fall...same group & everything! I WILL ride without falling tomorrow night, right!?

Group Ride...& Fall...& Ride Again!

2011-07-28T09:50:00.000-06:00

Last night I went on my first local group ride. It is with a local group & is for beginners/intermediates. I invited a friend along, and we had a great time chatting on the ride back & forth! She is a new friend & started riding last year, but has already done a handful of LONG rides, including the MS150 from Houston to Austin.

Well, we got there & the leader, Michael, comes up & introduces himself. He is very friendly & soon all of the riders are congregating around my car as we get ready. There are only 8 of us - 4 guys & 4 gals. And, with Michael's infectious friendliness, everyone is chatting away.

I'd told Michael that I was brand new to clipless, and several people gave me tips. I'd been practicing around my block & was feeling pretty comfortable.

I got a weather report from my hubby that there were storms nearby. The clouds were getting dark & it was cooling off, but it'd been near 100 for the day so it felt great. It started sprinkling then lightly raining while we stood around, but it all felt good!

We finally start to ride. We head towards the street and all stop near the stop sign to exit to the main rode. The 2 in front of me stopped. I unclip my right foot & go real slowly up to them. Then, I realize "Oh, No! I haven't signaled that I'm stopping & I could cause a wreck!" What I think happened next was that I tried to look behind me to my left to see if I was going to make anyone fall. Well, OVER I WENT!!! Bam!!! Ouch!

I laid there for a few seconds & tell everyone I'm OK. My left hip is burning and so is my left forearm. I get up & look. Yuck! LOTS of blood on my arm. My hip...well, it's up too high to really see, so I chose to ignore it. Someone mentions...your right leg is bleeding. Hmmm...chain scractches! About 10 of them...each about an inch to 2 inches long. The middle ones are bleeding the worst.

Someone else says, "Your thigh is scratched!" I look. Yep! A little bloody, but not really bleeding. And, you can see a bruise already.

Back to my forearm...wow...it's really swollen already.

"Are you OK?" Yes...I'm fine. Two people each produce one bandaid & one antiseptic wipe. We do my arm since it is the worst. Then, I'm ready....to RIDE!!!

It's raining lightly and the rain hurts the part of my forearm that isn't bandaged, but I LOVE being out here riding with this group!!!

Less than a mile into it, it thunders. We decide to go a little farther and see if there is any more. Yep! More thunder! Time to head back.

We get back to the parking lot & we only rode 2.3 miles. But, I learned a lot! Biggest lesson: I CAN get back on & finish, even when HURT!

My friend helps me with my medical kit in the car and I get a lot more wiped up. We put on triple antibiotic and a lot more bandaids. Then head home.

Last night, I iced it after talking with my running coach. And, I used hydrogen perioxide & put more triple antibiotic & bandaids on.

This morning, it was still really swollen, and looked really nasty. I decided I needed to see a doctor. I MIGHT need stitches.

Well, here's the report from the doctor's office as I shared on one of my teams:

"Thanks for all of the tips! I ended up seeing a doctor today as I thought I might need stitches on that forearm (I said elbow, but it is really the arm). And, it was really swollen this morning - it was swollen immediately yesterday, too.

Well, the bad news...I waited too late to get stitches! That's a good thing to learn, though. You MUST get the stitches within a few hours!!!

The good news...I didn't NEED stitches. Whew! And, the advice given here was right on...no hydrogen peroxide (though I'd already done that once last night & they said it was OK). Now, I'm supposed to ice it 3-4 times per day & put on antibiotic cream 3-4 times per day. I'm allowed to go back to full activity, as pain allows (which is actually quite painless unless you touch it!), but I'm supposed to change the dressing afterwards & make sure it doesn't get too sweaty. "

I'm taking it easy today. I don't think I'll do any aerobics, though I might try a new pilates video that I just bought. I think the trauma of last night & the fear of the doctor's this morning has me wiped out! Oh...and it's hard to sleep when you're banged up on BOTH sides of your body! So, I'm getting ready to take a nap and then see what the rest of the day has in store!

Take care & don't forget to wear your helmet!!! Now....time to sleep!

They will tel you "no", and you will tell them "yes!"

2011-07-27T09:47:00.000-06:00

SUZWARNR posted an incredible Nike quote that really spoke to me. I gave a pretty emotional response - both through my tears & my words! I thought I'd share it here...

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES"

This is a TERRIFIC quote! What was I told that I couldn't do???

...sing solos...and as an adult I get a lot of positive comments when I sing (in the congregation at church, etc), but in the back of my mind I wonder & am still afraid to ever sing a solo!

...play piano 'real' well because my fingers were too short...but I found a piano teacher who taught me (3 years ago!) I just didn't have to play the songs that needed 'big' hands...or I could modify them! I play the piano wonderfully!

...in the past few months, 'you can't run a half marathon!', 'you can't run a triathlon!'...OH YES I CAN!!! And, I DID!!! AND I WILL DO MORE!!! And, yes, it HURTS to hear those things & I want to scream!!! But, my actions are proving that I CAN ACCOMPLISH WHAT I SET OUT TO ACCOMPLISH!

Whew! There's more pain inside than I realized!

What has someone told you you couldn't do??? Are you showing them that YES, you CAN!

As a comment on SUZWARNR's post, my friend SLEEPYDEAN wrote about a shirt that says "I'M DOING IT". YES! I AM doing it! And, I want that shirt!

4x400 & a 5K PR!!!

2011-07-27T09:46:00.000-06:00

On my schedule from my new running coach today was a 4x400 speed workout. I was supposed to run 1 mile as a warmup and 1 mile as a cool down. And, basically, we use the McMillan Running Calculator to figure out how fast I should be going. My times are based on my fastest mile EVER...9:43! (which I did on the beach in June)

Here's an email I sent my coach after today's run. I hope she likes DETAIL!

"Well, I did the 4x400 workout this morning on a treadmill. Boy, was it TOUGH!!! I had to mentally talk myself into sticking with it 4 or 5 times. But, I DID IT!!! And, I set a new PR for a 5K! (though it was on a treadmill, so doesn't quite count the same)

Here's what I did...

I did a warmup mile at a slow (I know!) 4.6, which is a 13:02 pace. This actually seemed kinda slow & I thought about bumping it up, but I knew this was only the beginning!

After 1 mile, I bumped it up to 6.1 (9:50 mile pace, so 2:27.5 pace). HR settled at 63.

Ran 2 mins at 5.0 (12:00 pace)

Ran 2nd .25 miles at 6.1. HR at 65.

Ran 2 mins at 5.0.

Ran 3rd .25 miles at 6.1. HR at 67. (Big mental battle to start this run!)

Ran 2 mins at 5.0. (Big mental battle to not slow this down a LOT, but kept at 5.0!)

Ran 4th .25 miles at 6.1. HR at 69, though got to 71 briefly.

Ran 12 mins (1 mile) at 5.0. Another mental battle! The first few minutes I wanted to STOP!!! But, it actually started feeling almost easier as I went on. My HR was 65 most of this & dropped to 63 the last few mins.

So, all together I ran 3.56 miles (without a SINGLE WALKING STEP!!! AMAZING!!!) in 41:42. My PR for a 5K was from the CB&I triathlon (which was CRAZY as I walked about 1/2 the time...I must have been running fast!) of 36:40. When the treadmill reached 3.1 miles, I was at 36:10!!! 30 seconds off my PR!!! And, when I finished and calculated the LAST 3.1 miles instead of the FIRST (so less of the warm up at 13:00 and more of the faster running at 12:00), I ran 3.1 miles in 35:43!!! That's SO exciting as my 'realistic' 5K goal is 35:00 and my 'dream' 5K goal (in near future) is 33:00! SOMEDAY...I'd like to be under 30:00, but that still seems like a fantasy!

As I mentioned, I did a spin class yesterday, so this run is after a HARD day. (I'm suprisingly not sore!) I'm also going on a group bike ride tonight. I think we're going 16 miles.

I haven't decided what I'm doing for a workout tomorrow. And, I'm still unsure as to whether I'll do my 5 mile run on Friday or Sunday. I'll let you know!

By the way, I'm already looking at the 3x800 run in 2 weeks and thinking...could I??? That sounds TOUGH!!! And, today's run was a BEAST, but I DID IT! Thanks for believing in me!"

Where do I go from here?

2011-07-25T18:07:00.000-06:00

I had another great run today. That's 6 in a row!!! Wow!!!

I decided to kind of 'repeat' my great run on the beach from Friday. If you'll remember, I did a mile in 9:43...an incredible time for me! Then, we did some high knees, running backwards, and 15-20 second sprints.

So, I was eager to see if I could run 1 mile in under 10 minutes on my own. I couldn't run until 8 am and it was HOT & sunny. I guess the temperature was 83 or so. (It was 85 at 9 am.) So, I decided to give myself a little bit of a break.

I warmed up for about 2/3rds of a mile and then set off on my run. Well, the first half was GREAT! I was averaging about 9:45! But, after that, it got harder & harder. I wanted to give up several times. It was HARD to keep running for an entire mile. But, I did it...I ran the entire mile! And, I did it pretty well. 10:15. So, no, I didn't break 10 minutes, but I know I CAN...and I WILL again...though maybe when it's cooler!

After that, I sat my watch to run 20 second sprints followed by 2 minute walking breaks. I hadn't used my watch last time so I don't know how fast I was going.

First of all, I think we were only running about 10-15 second sprints on the beach. This seemed like quite a bit longer! And, my quads felt it immediately! I was actually sore for 3 days (up until yesterday!) from my sprint workout last time. But, I felt like I was running FAST!

In fact...on one of my 20 second runs, I felt like I was FLYING! My legs seemed to barely be touching the ground. I felt so FAST! It was amazing!!!

After the 5 sprints, I checked out my speed. Here's what I saw:
6:24 (what??? that's FAST!)
6:20 (& faster!)
5:45 (WooHoo!!!)
5:30 (Me???!!! Going 5:30 for even 20 seconds! Wow!)
6:07 (OK...slowing down a bit, but wow!!)

I was amazed...and thrilled! And, my fastest time period...4:46!!! WOW!!!

I'm just not sure what's going on here! I am feeling so much faster! And, if I can run these kinds of paces for 20 seconds...what could I do in 30 seconds? or a minute? I was thrilled 2 weeks ago when my 2 minute pace got near a 10 minute pace. What am I capable of???

So, I'm not sure where I go from here. As far as the miles, once I've ran one mile near 10 minutes, I can NOT run another mile. I've thought about slowly increasing it and running 1.1 miles... then 1.2...etc. Or, I could try to run .5 miles 3 times...then 4 (with 2 minute breaks).

As far as sprints, do I continue to do 20 second sprints sometimes and 2 miinute sprints at others? Or see if I can keep up that 'fast' pace for 30 seconds...or 40? I feel like I need a coach to lead me right now.

I also just read Bart Yasso's book about his Yasso 800s. My fastest 20 second run hit 322 yards. So, I might be able to do an 800 in under a minute??? You're supposed to work up to 8 of these 800's (I think). Should I start working on 800 yard sprints instead of time? UPDATE: THOSE ARE FEET ON MY GARMIN, NOT YARDS!!! (Oops!)

So many questions! I'm really excited to see myself developing as a runner. I can't wait until fall when I can run some 5Ks. September 11th I'll re-run my first 5K...which I did in 46:30. What will I be able to do it in? And, how will I accomplish it?

I'm just having a lot of fun! I hope you are, too!

Are you pushing yourself enough? I'm not!

2011-07-25T09:38:00.000-06:00

When I lift weights, I feel I really push myself. When I run, I thought I was pushing myself. But, my running coach thinks I'm being too comfortable! And, from today & the past couple of months, I think she's right!

Today was a TREADMILL TEST. Kinda scary. I was a little afraid that I might push myself TOO hard and hurt myself. But, I didn't. In fact, my results showed my maximum HR was 171. My coach says, that with my age my max HR should be 179! And that's for a non-athlete! I think that means I quit too soon. Let me tell you about the test, though...

First, I needed to do a warmup on the treadmill. She wanted to start me at a 5.5. 5.5??? That's an 11:00 pace! That's quicker than my usual run! I settled in at a nice 13:00 pace. Left to my own, I would have done about a 14:00 pace.

I was supposed to warmup for 10 minutes. For the last 2 minutes, she 'pushed' me to go 5.0 or a 12:00 pace. It was actually fine after that original 8 minutes.

After that, I got a 2 minute rest. Then the real test would begin. She would start me at a 5.0 (12:00) pace, then bump me up by .2 every minute. She would record my HR and my RPE (rate of perceived exertion). When I felt I could not go on any longer, I was to hit the stop button - but try to give her a minute warning.

I started running. I totally ignored the numbers. I didn't want to scare myself! We were starting at a 12:00 pace which is about where I usually run. I was scared to see how fast we would get...or how high my HR would get!

Of course it got harder & harder, but not as quickly as I imagined. I started breathing heavier & heavier & she told me to breathe in through my nose & out through my mouth & to imagine all of my cells receiving oxygen. It helped! But, 'eventually' (at about 10 minutes), I told her I was about ready to stop...I would finish up the last minute.

I finished! Whew!!! I had to walk around for 3-4 minutes. Very winded!

She asked if I'd seen the results. No, I hadn't been watching. Well, my fastest minute was 7.0 (8:34)! Pretty good! But, my HR was only 71, and like I mentioned...I probably could have kept going. I was, like I said, a little scared to push myself too hard.

After that we talked quite awhile and went over my running schedule, particularly for this week. She is working with me for 7 weeks leading up to a 5K...the 5K that was my 'first' last year after completeing C25K (couch to 5K). I'm hoping to get a WONDERFUL time for me.

She said we had 3 miles on today's plan, so I could go back and do 1 more mile if I wanted. I wanted.

Since the 5.0 had scared me before, I decided to start there. I think I was supposed to be doing intervals (though now I'm questioning that...better recheck!), so I came up with this plan...run 2 mins at 12:00 (5.0) then 1 min at 11:00 (5.5) and repeat 4 times. That'd be close to a mile. One BIG thing she wants me to start doing is RUN SLOWER when I need a break, not WALK! (This'll be HARD!)

So, I did it. Run slower 2, run faster 1, run 2 slower, run faster 1...HEY!!! The 'run slower' DOES feel like a recovery!!!

And, I'm feeling pretty good! Maybe I can bump up my run to 10:00 (6.0)!

Run slower 2, run faster (10:00) 1, run slower 2, run faster 1...run slower 2 (to cool down). COOL!!! I did it!! And, in my 14 mins, I ran (without walking) 1.22 miles. That's an 11:29 pace. That's pretty good for me! But, I KNOW I can do better. Just wait until NEXT TIME!!!

Bike SPEED!

2011-07-24T17:54:00.000-06:00

Today I got my bike out of the garage. How excited it must have been! She's just sat there with air slowly leaking out of her tires for almost 2 months. Shame on me! But...I'm back into training mode!!! I have faithfully worked out 6 days/week for the past 1.5 weeks! And, with races scheduled through January 15th, I have a lot of training to do!

I find riding my bike by myself kind of boring. On the other hand, I find running by myself to be a wonderful 'me time!' I think part of it is because I don't let myself listen to music while riding. And, often, I get one song 'stuck' in my head. It keeps me steady, but it's kind of aggravating, too!

Today I only planned on riding about 30 minutes as I have a treadmill test tomorrow with my new running coach. (I'm excited!) I actually almost didn't go out. I just didn't 'feel like it' and I wasn't sure how this might affect tomorrow's performance. But, I am trying to train 6 days per week and I REALLY want to get back into cycling! So, I got up and went out there and aired up my poor, almost empty, tires.

I warmed up for about a mile or so...then I decided to try some SPEED WORK! This is something I've been incorporating a LOT in my running the past few months, but haven't really tried on my bike. I kind of just made it up as I rode, but here's what I did...I rode 1.5 miles "FAST" (meaning 15-16 mph) and then 0.5 miles "slow" (meaning 12-13 mph). I did this basically 3 times.

I ended up riding a total of 7 miles in 30:28 for an average pace of 13.79 mph. That's pretty good for me. I'm trying to build up to where my average pace is 15-16 mph! It'll come, right?!

"Long Run" of 4 Miles

2011-07-23T17:56:00.000-06:00

It seems like it's been awhile since my long runs were 'only' 4 miles. In late April through early June, I'd worked up to long runs of 6-8.5 miles. But, then the HEAT & the vacations happened. So, I've not been doing 'long' runs.

Today, though, was my 2nd run with my new running group. (It's part of USA Fit...I think they might have branches around the country.) Anyway, I ran with the HM group last week, since I'm only preparing to run a HM (well, actually 3 HMs!). But, today I tried out the marathon group. It put my long run at 4 miles in stead of 2. But, with a start time of 7:15 am, it was already in the low 80's...and in the mid 80's when we finished!

I started off on my own, but hooked up with another lady after about .5 miles. We stayed together the rest of the time. It was great to have a running buddy, and we really helped each other out!

She has been with the group for 6 years! She has trained for a marathon for the past 5 or 6 years, and yet always ended up injured so never actually ran one! She's trying again, and I hope she makes it. This year, she said she's adding strength training (ST)- something she hasn't done in the past. I hope it helps her to train without injuries! I DO think ST is very important to endurance running.

We made it through about 1.7 miles wihout walking. I was going to try to make it to mile 2, but she suggested a 1 minute walk. We walked. We ended up walking for 1 minute four different times. I think I could have skipped the last walk, but her hip was starting to feel a little something and I'd rather stick with her.

We ended up running an average of 12:51 for each of the four miles. That's a pretty normal 'long run' pace for me, though I hope to get down around 12:00 when the cooler weather hits! Although we were trying to stay pretty consistant and not start too fast, we did get slower with each mile...12:09, 12:40, 13:09, 13:27. There were also several hills - especially during the 2nd & 3rd miles, so that accounts for part of it. And, the 2nd & 3rd mile had a lot more sun than the 1st & 4th.

I'm enjoying being part of a group. Today, I think I would have walked a lot more if others hadn't been around me! Oh, and I won a 'door prize!' Our local shoe store was there for a weekly talk (different speakers each week - neat!) and I won a water bottle filled with goodies - a pair of socks, 2 gels, 2 nutrition bars, and a lipbalm. Cool!

New Running Coach & Pilates Reformer

2011-07-20T17:57:00.000-06:00

So, I went for an initial consult with a running coach today. She is the same coach who talked me back into the water after I panicked during an open water swim clinic before my sprint triathlon. She trains both runners & triathletes.

The consult went very well! She showed me some plans she'd created for other runners. She is very detailed and lays out each days workout including distance and speed. I liked it! My main goal, right now, is to increase SPEED! So, I signed up for a 7 week program which will take me to a local 5K...the same 5K that was my first 5K last year after I finished C25K (Couch to 5K). Last year, I did it in 46:30. This year, I HOPE to break 35 minutes! My current PR is 36:40.

After discussing the training, she gave me a free 30 minute pilates reformer sessions. WOW! I've never done pilates before, and I REALLY enjoyed it! I felt I had a wonderful stretch AND strengthening time! I will be doing some pilates with her...starting next week! I might do this instead of my 'regular' personal trainer, which I haven't had since early May.

I'm excitedly waiting for my new schedule. I think it'll start on Monday. In the meantime, I go to my 2nd group run on Saturday...IF we don't head to the lake! I decided to run with the marathon group - at least to give it a try - as the half marathon group is only doing 2 miles. The marathon group is running 4 miles on Saturday.

Besides doing the pilates reformer next week, I'm doing a TREADMILL TEST with my trainer on Monday! I'm excited to see what that 'shows' us. Another part of the plan, which I'll use in the next week or two, is a track session with her. I'm interested in what she can teach me!

I had a great workout today! I did Wii Active 2 'cardio burning - hard', which I've never done before. It took about 52 minutes and I burned almost 275 calories. And, it was HARD!!! And, then later in the afternoon, I did the pilates I mentioned earlier.

Tomorrow morning I'll run! I'm going to do some kind of speed work. I might work on either 20 second runs or 400 meters...I'm not sure yet. It'll be nice when it is all laid out for me and I don't have to think so much about it... just DO IT!

1st Group Run!

2011-07-16T17:59:00.000-06:00

So, yesterday I signed up for a running group which culminates in a half marathon (or marathon) in January here in Houston. I am running the HM that day, so I signed up for that group. I was just a little nervous as it actually started last week but I was out of town.

When I got there, people were smiling, but no one approached me. After several minutes, another 'blue group' member came up to me and we started talking. Terry just joined this week, too. She HATES running, but knows it is good for her. She ran a HM 10 years ago and hasn't run much since. I shared some of my story with her and she said she was inspired. (That always makes me feel good and I hope I DO inspire others!)

So, last week the HM ('blue group') just ran a mile and this week it was 1.5 miles. It was already hot, even at 7:30 am...82 degrees. We ran out & back. I kept up with 'the leaders' for about the first .5 miles then had to slow down. I was determined to run the entire first mile - and I did! It was about 11:40. I then walked for a little bit (a minute?) until I heard some runners coming up behind me. (Oh, there are about 16 or so in our group). I was determined to start running again and stick with them. There were 2 men and one of them stopped running shortly after I started running again. I tried & tried to stick with this guy, but I finally had to walk again. I ended up doing the 1.5 miles in about 17:30 - not bad for me.

Afterwards, there are usually seminars. Today, though, it was just an introduction - how to stay safe, introducing coaches (each group has a head coach and several assistants), etc. We will always try to be done with the runs by 8 am & the seminars are over by 8:30 or 9. I'll be missing quite a few weeks as we are often at the lakehouse, but I'll do as many runs as I can!

When I got home, I used the password to see the entire 6 month schedule. Hmmm...the HM group's mileage picks up VERY SLOWLY! I'm not sure this will work! If I stick with this group, I'll have to do 'long runs' during the week!

So, I emailed the coaches a few minutes ago. I'm thinking about switching to the Red Group - the 'slow' marathon group. They actually only have 3 runs that are over 13 miles and the miles pick up fast enough for me to be ready for my first HM in November. So, I'm waiting to hear from them! I'm just 'afraid' that I'll be the slowest one in the group! It was kind of nice, today, to be decidedly middle of the pack...something I haven't had before! (I'm always near the back).

I'll let you all know how it is going! I think this'll be a lot of fun - making friends and running together. And, when we compete, we wear matching, very BOLD, shirts! We can cheer each other on. I'm excited!!!

I also heard back from my potential coach. I'm really thinking about adding her, too, even if just to help me plan out the rest of my week. She would give me actual paces and distances and can work one-on-one with me as needed. We'll see! I'll at least do the initial consult - hopefully early next week!

If she's just helping me with running, I also want to get a personal trainer for strength training like I had before. I'll have to be looking for that, too....or I might stick to group workouts as I'll have more time on my hands when school starts. I enjoy both - the one-on-one AND the class atmospheres. So, we'll see!

I'm off to the lake in awhile...and hoping to waterski some more!!! Have a great weekend! And, for those of your racing, have a GREAT RACE!!! (And, remember to hydrate!)

My Goals & Upcoming Races (as shared with perspective running coach)

2011-07-15T18:00:00.000-06:00

I contacted a possible running coach today. She told me to send her a detailed email about my goals. This is what I sent her...

Thanks for the phone call! I did have a little trouble with our phone connection, so please forgive me if I ask something you covered!

As I mentioned, my paces are pretty 'slow'. I record all of my training on beginnertriathlete, though I'm behind as we've been on 2 vacations this month. Anyway, my long pace is slower than I thought...the last three 8 milers have been at a 12:41, 13:08, and 13:08 pace. I practically always have negative splits. My fastest mile ever was 9:43 and I've had only a few others below 11:00, though all in the past month.

My main goal, at this point, is to get FASTER. I've proven to myself that I can do a half marathon, though I did a run/walk last November (2:57 time). I now run instead of run/walk. Now I want to get faster so I can eventually do a marathon and it would be under 5 hrs!

I also have a goal of getting my 5K under 33 minutes, to start, and then under 30 minutes. My current 5K PR is 36:45 which I ran during the CB&I sprint tri.

My upcoming races:
Sep 11 - local highschool 5K - last year I did this in 46:30 and I want at least 10 minutes off...preferrably under 33 minutes! I recently did a 2 miler in under 22 minutes

Oct 1 - Komen 5K (another repeat from last year) Just want to run this again as my grandmother and grandmother-in-law both had breast cancer

Oct 8 - Ten for Texas (10 miler)

Nov 13 - San Antonio RnR HM - practice race

Dec 4 - Vegas RnR HM - again, this is mainly for fun & vacation with hubby & to qualify for Half Maniacs!

Jan 15 - Houston HM - I would LOVE to break 2:30!!!

As I mentioned, I've been with trainers most of the past year, but quit after the CB&I sprint triathlon. Both trainers were mainly for strength training once per week, though one of them added quite a bit of cardio, too.

So, what do I want?

1. To get faster. Yes, I'd like it very detailed. I'm very good at pushing myself to meet a goal - especially someone else's expectations. I'm not sure I'm pushing myself enough sometimes. I ran with my sister-in-law last month and asked her to help me beat my fastest mile of 11:30. I thought maybe I could run 11:07. She told me I could break 10:00. I did a 9:43. I had WAY underestimated my abilities!

2. To get ready for my various runs. My "A" races are the highschool 5K on Sept 11th and the Houston HM on Jan 15th.

3. To get stronger (strength trianing/pilates) and prevent injuries.

4. To continue to bike & swim to prepare for triathlons next spring/summer and possibly the MS150 (2 day, 180 mile bike ride).

5. To be in great shape so I can enjoy other sports & activities! (For example, I just learned to waterski, at age 41, 2 weeks ago!!!)

My Plans & Fears

2011-07-15T16:01:00.000-06:00

Here's an email I sent my sister-in-law today. She's now scheduled to run her first marathon in less than 90 days. She's also starting to consider an IronMan triathlon and sent me a link to a blog about 4 moms training for an IM in 2012.

Wow! I read the entire blog...pretty impressive. As far as triathlons...for me, the swimming is just plain HARD! I was fine in the pool. It gets kind of relaxing and it's so quiet when you practice. But, I do find it more 'boring' than running & swimming. And, when I did my OWS (open water swim) practice & the real tri in the lake, yikes! It is downright SCARY! I felt like I could drown, and I've never had that kind of panic before.

I guess it's just a matter of getting used to it. People actually practice OWS with others close beside you - even knocking into you on purpose. At this point, I can kind of imagine running for 26.2 miles or biking for 112, but I can NOT imagine swimming one inch farther than I already did!

Yes, I'm scared to do it again! So, my friend who has done sprint tris says I need to get back there and do it again. But, at this point, I'm saying 'why'? I don't care if I ever swim again...at least at this point in time.

I know one of the ladies on the blog said she could only doggy paddle when she started in '08, I believe. Maybe I just need to train with a real group. I'm undecided as to what I'm doing beyond the 3 half marathons I have planned for Nov-Jan. I was going to then train for the MS150 (180 miles in 2 days) in April, but I try to do most of my training on 'my' time instead of family time. But, there's just no way around it when training for those kinds of distances...I'd have to do long rides on Sats &/or Suns for about 10 weeks. So I'm undecided.

If I don't start training for MS150, I will probably join a group and start trianing for some more tris in the spring/summer. But, I'd just HAVE TO be more comfortable in the water before I do another tri with an OWS.

Oh, and I ran this morning. First time ever that I didn't eat or drink before hand - plus I didn't bring any water. Well, I paid for it! After 1st mile, I got really dizzy & lightheaded...felt faint. It happened again after 2nd mile. So, I just ended up walking the 3rd mile. Felt much better after about 5 mins, some water & a banana. Lesson learned!

Have a great day! I still plan on doing some ST or pilates today, too.

Another 1st...waterskiing!!!

2011-07-04T18:03:00.000-06:00

This weekend I learned to waterski! Yep! I'm 41, and I've tried twice before (about ages 10 & 17), but I actually learned to waterski this weekend!

Yesterday was my first try. One of my husband's friends was my coach. He got in the water with me and told me what to do and held my skis for me.

On my first try, I got pulled a little. He told me I needed to let the rope pull me up - not try to stand up. By the 3rd try, I got up and went a little ways. Yes! By the 4th try, I went far enough that they picked up my 'coach' and I was on my own. On my 5th try, I was skiing!!! I went for several minutes. WOW!!! What a feeling!

I had one more 'failed' attempt and one more successful ride. It was amazing!

Today we went again...after a HARD, 2 mile run. I had my fastest 2 miler EVER! (with my neighbor who is 61 and a FAST runner!) My goal: to learn to steer!

My first attempt was another 'failure', but I got up on the 2nd try...and skiied for a long time! I was even steering myself! I would go from one wake to the other! But, I was afraid to go over the wake. Finally, when we turned around, I went over the 'low' wake. Wow! I was even able to stay up while I went back over the wake. (I didn't know this was a 'no-no'! I was going on the inside of the boat's turn! Not safe...lesson learned.)

Anyway, I finally wiped out and I was DONE. I was so tired.

I woke up this morning with some aches and pains. Well, after the 2 miler and the long ski session...I'm SO SORE!!! I have a hurt ankle, a sore thigh, and my back is in prettty bad shape. I'm having trouble standing up, but feel fine when I'm sitting. **sigh** I guess I forgot how old I am!

But, I'm thrilled with my waterskiing. I can't WAIT to do it again!!!

A Bad Run...What's That?

2011-06-24T18:04:00.000-06:00

I feel like my past 7 runs have been good...or even great...runs! That's amazing to me! Usually I have 1 or 2 or 3 'good' runs, and then a 'bad' run. Well, I've been on an incredible streak! So, it was bound to happen. Today... I had... a bad run.

So, what is a bad run? When I finished running & went to pick my daughter up from swim practice, I told another mom (a triathlete) that I'd had a 'bad run.' She said, "Any run is a good run! It's better than being on the couch!"

True...but I do feel some runs are 'good' and others are 'bad.' I'll still take the bad ones, though! Though sometimes they make me want to quit running! (Can you imagine?)

So, what was wrong today? I did eat horribly yesterday. I had several sweets & then we have Cheetos & Chips Ahoy in the house right now. Those are bad news for me! So, maybe that was part of the problem. Also, I have been really running HARD the past 2.5 weeks and making some incredible gains. So, maybe I was just tired! (I did have to stop and stretch my calves twice...they were tight!)

A bad run, to me, is when I can't do what I set out to do. When I go on a run, I have certain goals. It might be a distance. It might be a certain time. Or, it might be a combination.

Today's run was 10 intervals of a 2 minute run followed by a 1 minute walk. I've done this run 3 or 4 times in the past month or so, and I've always had energy left to run another FAST 1/2 mile...that is FAST for me. So, that was the plan!

Well, my 2 minute runs have been getting down close to a 10 minute/mile pace. So, for 2 minutes I'm running at close to 10 mins/mile... and I do that 10 times.

I started out great, though it was really a hard run... so I was probably going too fast! My first 2 mins was at a 9:40 pace...I think that's my fastest! But, they went down hill from there. The next two were in the low 10's. And, they got slower & slower. I had 5 of them in the 13-14 min/mile range! Ugh! That's not where I planned to be at all! And, when I was done with my 10 intervals, I had nothing left to give...I just walked the couple of blocks to swim practice.

So, that's a bad run. I have this grand idea of what I'm going to accomplish, and my body just cannot...will not... do it!

At least I have a bunch of 'good' runs fresh in my mind so I'm not thinking about giving up this time! And, I know the next good run could happen any time.

Tomorrow is my day off, and Saturday is supposed to be my long run. But, I might switch and do a 15 mile (or so) bike ride on Sunday & then do my long run on Monday. We are supposed to be at the lake house, hopefully through Monday, so I'll have HILLS to run & ride on!!!

I'm also hoping to start taking at least one spin class per week next week. I haven't taken a spin class in 7-8 years! But, I really want to do some long rides this fall and next spring. So, I'd love to start spinning...even though the classes start at 5:30 & 5:45!!! Yikes!

What Can Happen When Someone BELIEVES in YOU!

2011-06-19T18:07:00.000-06:00

I am still in FL & having a wonderful time. We are having a great vacation...and I've had 3 wonderful morning runs on the beach!

My last run was Friday. My sister-in-law, the one who got me started running, got up at 6 am to run on the beach with me. (by the way, she used her Vibrams that she always uses, and had some toe problems like I did when running barefoot) Unfortunately, it was very overcast & we didn't see the sunrise. But, we had a great run!

She is a faster runner than I am, but hasn't been running much for the past month. We started with an easy run...which was faster than my usually 'easy' pace. We were going about 11:30 while I am almost always above 12 mins. We dropped down to 11:07 & held it there for about 1/3rd mile.

I had an idea. My fastest mile EVER was just the week before, and it was 11:30. Maybe my sil could pace me to a PR. I suggested it & she said sure! I was getting ready to say, "how about 11:07?" when she piped up, "you can do it in under 10."

"You think so?" I didn't think that was possible, but loved that fact that she believed I could. "I'll try!" was my reply.

We finished out our 1st mile. Then, we started our timed mile. "Go!"

She quickly jumped in front of me. I kept her about 5 or 6 strides in front of me. I glanced at my watch...8:30! I never run this fast!!!

She kept that pace for about 1/10th a mile then dropped a little...to somewhere in the 9's. At about 1/4 mile, I caught up to her...and ran past her! WooHoo! I was running hard, but it felt great!!

I kept running & she was no longer running behind me. I worried a little, but I figured she'd yell out if she was in trouble.

Every time I glanced at my watch, it was a 9 something. Wow!! I was going to break 10 minutes if I could keep this up! That was a goal for 2011!!!

At about 2/3rds of a mile, still feeling strong, I made a big arch so I could check on my sil. She was a long ways back, but slowly jogging towards me.

I pushed & pushed.....My breathing was fast, but I WOULD make it to a mile without stopping.

I DID IT! 1 mile...and, I knew I'd busted through my 10 minute goal. I checked my Garmin history...9:43! 9:43??? Wow! My old record was 11:30! How could I have ran 9:43!!!!

I was thrilled! My sil caught up to me & I shared the news. It was because she believed in me that I was able to accomplish this. She said she'd been my rabbit & set me on my pace. As much as that, it was her belief in me that pushed me & helped me make my goal.

After that, she did some drills with me. We did high steps. We ran backwards. And, we did 5 or 6 short, 20 second, all out sprints.

We've done the sprints before & she smoked me. For the first one, she just ran away from me. Hmmmm. 20 seconds isn't long. I can run faster.

So, I did. On the next sprint, I took off, and outran her! A lot! The same happened on the next...and the next! I can sprint! When I checked Garmin, it said my fastest time was a 6 something. Yes!

So, I'll be doing these drills AND a fast (sub 10...right?) mile once a week now. I am scared that I won't be able to do it as fast at home by myself. But, it's a matter of belief...and I know I CAN do it. So, now I have to DO it!

By the way, my quads were so sore yesterday...and this morning! But, they'll get used to it.

I can't wait to see where my running times are during this fall. I see PRs in my future!

How badly do you want it?

Beach Run

2011-06-13T18:08:00.000-06:00

We are in Florida for vacation. This morning, I got up at 6:20 & headed to the beach for a run. We'd walked on the beach last night and I was 'itching' to run on the beach.

I had just read a little article that said the best way to run on the beach was barefoot. Sounded good to me! So, off I ran.

The beach was beautiful! The sun was a big red ball. There were only a few other people on the beach...a few fishermen & a few other runners - who were all wearing shoes. I loved the feel of the wet sand on my feet & thought they didn't know what they were missing. But...I thought too soon!

After about a mile m big toes were hurting a little. I checked to make sure they weren't getting bloody or raw & they looked OK. I kept running. It was beautiful! And I was running pretty fast!

At 1 2/3rds mile I was up against a jetty. I saw about a dozen surfers in the water, but they weren't catching ant waves. I stopped & looked around & soaked my feet a few minutes while enjoying the scenery. Then, I started to run again.

Well, my toes started hurting more including the toes next t the big toes. At about 2.5 miles, I finally decided I had to stop running. One of my toes was really raw & painful. So much for running barefoot in the sand!

I will head out again tomorrow morning...with shoes on! I hope to run a lot farther, but we'll see how it goes! I mainly want to ENJOY the run!

Hope everyone else is enjoying their Monday's! Oh, and I'll try to figure out a way to take a photo in the morning.

It's Getting So HOT Out!

2011-05-27T18:09:00.000-06:00

This has been a HOT week to workout! Right now, my daughter has swimming practice from 7-8 pm 3 days a week. Then, on Fridays, here practice is 4:45-5:45. So, this is my main workout time.

So, this week I did the following:
Sunday - ran 6 miles at 7:00 am in hills at lakehouse.
Monday - ran 2 miles at 6:30 am.
Tuesday - ran 3.5 miles of intervals at 7 pm...temp in lower 90's.
Wednesday - did 30 minute Pilates video workout. Planned on bike ride, but dd's friend called & she was in a musical that night, so we did that instead.
Thursday - did 30 minute cardio/sculpting video in morning & 3.5 mile run (working on 'mile repeats') at 7 pm...temp about 94.
Friday - rode bike about 11 miles in 50 minutes....temp about 95.
Saturday - REST DAY as we spend 6:45 am - 2 pm at swim meet. Then drive to lake house!

These workouts are HARD in this heat!!! I need to be carrying water, but haven't been. Thankfully, we just have one more week on this schedule & then we switch to mornings (since school will be out). Practice will be from 7:30-8:30 am, and the temps will hopefully be closer to 80. Yeah!!!

Oh, and today was our last day of homeschooling...truly! We have been doing it for 6 years and my dd will be going to private school next year. It's kind of sad to leave this behind, but we are both ready for a new adventure!!!

Working Out with NETFLIX!!

2011-05-25T18:10:00.000-06:00

I have been struggling with doing any weight training since my triathlon earlier this month. I quit working out with my trainer & have been struggling on my own...barely doing any Strength work. I have been contemplating buying P90X or Insanity, but I don't usually stick with videos. So, I'm not sure if it's a wise way to spend my money.

But, as I was searching Amazon, I came across someone mentioning workout videos on Netflix. Netflix?!? Why didn't I think of that. I can get a lot of different videos & use them for FREE! Yeah!

I looked around & there are quite a few options. Today, both my dd10 & I tried a 10 minute solutions pilates workout. There are five workouts which are 10 minutes each. We did abs then buns & thighs (not buns & things as I put on my status!), & then I finished it off with flexibility. I felt I got a pretty good workout.
I really need to work on some arm strength, so I'm off to search Netflix...

Oh, and if you have any free, online sites that you use, please let me know! I'm hunting right now! Thanks!

The Next Good Run...

2011-05-20T18:13:00.000-06:00

I just posted this as a response to another person's post who had a bad run last weekend & was going to try again tomorrow. I thought I should just post it on my blog, too! So, here it is!

"Maybe you'll surprise yourself and have a wonderful run tomorrow after this time off. But, even if you don't, remember there are always good runs & bad runs!

Last night, after I ran, I went to the swimming pool to wait for my dd to finish her team practice. I started talking to this college 'girl' (young 20's) who I'd met at the meet last weekend. She, too, is a runner & had just done a run. (We passed each other going in opposite directions.)

I learned that she'd done the MS150 bike ride that I'm wanting to do - when she was 13! I asked her about it, and she said she didn't care for it that much.

Well, that led into me talking about my runs & bike rides of the past few weeks. I've had a few bike rides that have been so wonderful I was ready to give up running! Then, I had 2 rides in a row that were painful & 'yucky'... and I thought about giving up riding.

The same goes for running! Tuesday night's run was incredible! I felt like a runner! It was all good! Thursday night, I pushed so hard... and yet didn't accomplish what I thought I could do. I was a little bummed.

But, our discussion reminded us both... there are good days & bad days whether running or biking or whatever. Sometimes you can figure out the cause (like last night - I have worked out HARD for 5 days now - maybe it was just a little too much?) and other days you can't. But, we get back out there because there are good days!

I hope tomorrow is a good day, but if not... keep running because you never know when that next good run will happen!"

Help! I'm SUCTIONED to the CEILING!

2011-05-20T18:12:00.000-06:00

Yikes! The ceiling has a mighty suctioning force! My daughter was taking photos of me with her iPod & flipped this upside down & we both got a good laugh!

But, really... I tried this today!

The first time, I tried it against the wall. But, I found I didn't need the wall (but I DID need a pillow) so I headed to the middle of the hallway. I was so excited! Just like my handstand, this is something I used to do as a child. So, I feel very child-like!

Anyone want to accept this challenge? (Oh... and I just love seeing my 'skinny' little belly. It makes me happy! Ha!)

2 Mile Tempo Run

2011-05-19T18:14:00.000-06:00

I am learning to do different kinds of runs. In the past, I either did a long run or a short run. I've been working on intervals the past few weeks. And, tonight I did a tempo run. (At least, that's what I think it is called!)

My goal was to warm up for about a mile and then run 2 miles at a fairly hard pace. I was hoping to keep it under 12 minute/miles. Well, I did...barely. Mile 1 was 11:50 and mile 2 was 11:46. And, it was about all I could do! I was SO tired afterwards! I still had .2 miles to get home, and I usually get a 2nd wind and run it. I couldn't... I just walked home.

And, I'm a little disappointed. I thought trying to stay at 12 min/miles was a little conservative. It wasn't! And, I could NOT have done another 1.1 mile (for a 5K) today. Well, I guess that's why I'm still training!

Tomorrow I'd planned on doing a bike ride while my daughter is at swim practice. But, I have worked out hard all week...since Sunday! So, I might take the day off and ride Saturday evening instead. I have my next long run on Sunday. I think I'm going to run for 90 minutes. We'll see!

No Hip Pain! & On My Own

2011-05-18T18:16:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had my bike refitted and a flat tire fixed. Well, it went flat again almost immediately! (After 1 mile.) I honestly don't know if something was wrong with the tube, or I ran over some glass (again?), but they fixed my tire again today...for free. So, I was excited to try out my bike and see how my hips would do. After my last 2 rides, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do the long rides (like the MS 150 next spring) that I had dreamed of.

So, while my daughter was at swim practice, I went on almost an hour ride. I rode for 12 miles... and NO hip pain! Yeah!!!

Unfortunately, I do have a ganglion on my left hand that hasn't given me much problems in the past. Tonight, however, it was hurting. I had to keep readjusting my hand. It also helped when I moved my big Garmin watch away from my wrist. I hope I can figure out how to ride with this ganglion!

After I picked up my daughter, we went outside to have dessert. My daughter hopped in the pool for a short swim, and I decided to do a little strength exercising. My plan had been to go to CrossFit for a 2nd trial class today, but my dd really didn't want to go. And, I didn't want to make her go.

So, I did some ab work. Then some lunges...until my legs were BURNING. I did some tricep dips on the side of the spa. Then, I decided I'd try to jump up onto the spa. I think it is 18 inches. I could do it! So, I did that about 15 times and it felt wonderful.

Next, I headed out to the yard and tried a few handstands. Hmmm... my daughter was laughing. I wasn't getting up very far. I decided to try it next to the fence... and I could get up all the way! I could even get steady enough to be off the fence a bit! WOW!!! I'm 41, and I felt like a kid! I ended up doing this about 10 times...sometimes for about 10 seconds. I wonder if I'll feel it tomorrow???

My husband came home while I was finishing this up. I told him he had to come outside so I could show him my new 'thing'... AND embarrass our daughter! I don't know what he thought, but I was having a lot of fun! I'll try to get a photo tomorrow. I'll have to figure out what to do with my shirt as it is kinda falling down.

What about you? Have you tried anything new lately? I hope you are ENJOYING the journey!!!

Picking Up the Pace!

2011-05-17T18:18:00.000-06:00

Tonight I ran almost 3.5 miles in 40 minutes. That's an 11:58 pace. Anything under 12 minutes is great for me.

But, the best part was my intervals. For 30 minutes, I ran 2 minutes and walked 1 minute...just like I did a week ago. Last week, I covered 1.85 miles in those 20 minutes of walking. This week, I covered 1.87 miles. Not a big difference, but almost every interval was FASTER! The 'worst' was my first interval... I should have warmed up longer! If I deleted this one, my speed would have been a lot better!

Here is last week (1st) versus this week (2nd) paces during the 2 minute runs. Seeing numbers in the low 11's and 10 minute paces feels FANTASTIC!!! In fact, running at this speed feels great!!!

1. 10:52.....12:44
2. 11:02.....11:08
3. 11:00.....10:56
4. 11:02.....10:41
5. 10:56.....10:45
6. 10:41.....10:36
7. 10:57.....10:20
8. 11:08.....10:17
9. 10:33.....10:01
10. 9:53.....10:20

After this, I ran .5 miles... in about 5:30! Then, I ran another .4 miles in 5:01! These are great times for me. I AM getting faster, and it feels great! I just love running! The weather was beautiful, and it just felt great to be outside RUNNING!

I am currently looking for a half marathon plan. When I've trained in the past, I just keep upping the long mileage and pretty much running 2 other times per week... usually about 3 miles each. Now, I'm wanting to run 4 times a week. I'd like to do something like quarter mile repeats one day, short sprints one day, tempo run one day, and long run one day. I don't want to go beyond 11 or so miles on my long run. Anyone following a plan something like that? THANKS!!

Getting FASTER!

2011-05-16T18:19:00.000-06:00

Yes, I'm wanting to 'get faster' in my runs. But, this about withIN a long run. I just seem to start out slow and then get faster! I guess a few times I've started out too fast, but usually I tend to get faster & faster.

Here's an example: yesterday was my long, 8.5 mile run.

Here are my 3 slowest miles:
mile 1 - 13:31
mile 2 - 13:27
mile 3 - 13:01

Here are my 3 fastest miles:
mile 7 - 12:21
mile 8 - 12:05
mile 8.5 - 11:29!

My average pace was 12:41. But, if I just averaged the 2nd half of my run, the average would be closer to 12:16! I need to figure out how to get warmed up faster... I think.

Any thoughts?

And, today I went out for a recovery run. I wanted to take it easy and not worry about time. I ignored my watch so much that I forgot to hit start for the first .8 miles! Anyway, I again felt better & better & went faster & faster. Those .8 miles I was going at about a 13:30 pace. Then, my 1st recorded mile was 12:38. And, the last .6 miles were at an 11:38 pace. I was even down near 11:00 at the end!

I do know this means I need to warm up... ESPECIALLY before a 5K. But, what else should I learn from this?

1st Open Water Swim Tri!!!

2011-05-07T06:45:00.000-06:00

I did it! It has been a hard week, especially since the OWS (Open Water Swim) clinic last weekend when I had a panic attack. I've worried & worried about the OWS portion of this week's tri... and I did it!!! I also worried about coming in last in my age group. Well, I was at the BOP (back of the pack), but not quite last. And, what matters more, is that I came in a little better than my goal time. Yeah!

(photo from friend's iPhone)

So, here are the details...

I woke up at 4:10 wide awake & ready to go. I got to the parking lot about 5:20 and joined my friend/personal trainer (Sara), who was doing her first triathlon, at the bike rack. I went to get my timing chip... and there was a problem. I was #707, and they did NOT have a chip for me! They called over someone in charge & she assigned me a different number & said she would go officially switch it over. (Apparently this did NOT happen as my new #1100 is listed as "unknown participant" and the time is 36 minutes off because they started that chip with the elite wave. Ugh! I'll try to fix this problem on Monday.)

We had lots of time to walk around. We had a great position on the rack - just one rack in and near the bike in/out. We walked that path a few times to make sure we knew where our bikes were racked. We also walked down to the water to look at the buoys, but they weren't up yet. Sara had several friends (she also teaches boot camp) who were there competing - either individually or in relays - so we stopped & talked with them.

As the transition area got set to close, I grabbed my banana & water (I'd already drank a protein drink) and headed towards the port-o-potties. But, as we approached them, we noticed the park bathrooms & got in line there instead. Nice!

After that little necessary trip, we headed to the water to watch the elite wave (6 athletes!) and the men start. We watched several waves (we were #10 of 15) and saw what the mass start would look like. This is an 'in water' start, but about 2/3rds of the swimmers actually got in the deep water & treaded, while the rest stayed nearer the shore where they could stand. We decided we'd be in the latter group!

(Oh... side note... I had STRUGGLED with the decision about whether or not to wear a wetsuit. They are only legal if the temp is 78 or lower. How great for us who didn't wear suits, and those who wanted to, that the water temp was 77.9!!! Legal for them and relatively 'warm' for us! No gasping & shock from the COLD like I felt even last week at 75/76!)

We moved to the start area & my husband & daughter found me! I stopped & hugged/kissed them and thanked them for coming. It was an EARLY day for a weekend!!!



I was a lot less nervous than I expected. At least until we actually got to the water & got the '3 minutes to go'. I waded in to my head and moved my arms & jumped around. I was trying to get used to the chill. It was hard to hear the speaker, but I finally realized he was counting down our last 10 seconds... and then it was time to GO!

I started swimming freestyle. It wasn't long before I was getting 'crawled over'. It's HARD swimming like this! For several minutes, I had ladies hitting my feet and it feels like they are pulling you under. It makes it hard to swim! But, I kept going. Once or twice, I gave a harder kick when I'd gotten hit several times in a row.

Finally, we were spread out enough & I was clear. I was breathing every other stroke... the entire way. That wasn't my plan, but it was all I could do! I was a LOT better at sighting the buoys than I'd been at the clinic, too. I kept going & going... it feels like a LONG time.

After awhile, the next wave caught up with me... and started climbing over me again! What a terrible feeling! I was afraid wave after wave would catch me! I was in a 'pink swimcap' group, and all I could see were yellow caps! I figured, by then, that I was the last pink swimmer. It was kind of upsetting, but I told myself to be proud... I WOULD finish!



About 100 meters from the end, I saw another pink cap near me. YEAH! I wasn't out here all alone. I pushed near the end and swam until my hand hit the ground. Then I got up, and was actually able to run a little! (Unlike the 1st tri.)

I got to my bike rack and saw Sara's bike still there. (She's also in my age group.) So, I knew I wasn't last! She came up while I was putting on my shoes. She had Lock Laces & I didn't, so she got out slightly before me.



I ran with my bike until the MOUNT line. I hopped on and struggled to pedal. It was hard to catch my breath, too. I saw Sara just up ahead. She had to pully over. I asked if she was OK... she needed to adjust her pedal. I don't wear clipless shoes & neither does she. But, she had cages & her feet weren't in them right.

She stayed behind me until about mile 7 when she passed me. I told her I'd keep her in my sight, though. And I did! My hips, especially my left, REALLY started hurting by this point. I was near tears & making faces. I tried adjusting my body and my feet, but I was in a lot of pain. Finally, at around mile 11, I thought I should just try moving faster. I did, and it worked! It relieved the pain! I was able ot pass Sara, too, and stay in front of her for the rest of the bike ride. I saw my husband & daughter near the bike finish. And, again, Sara & I finished so close together that we saw each other at transition.

I racked my bike, took off my helmet, grabbed my sunglasses & visor and 'ran' towards the run exit. I was struggling. I was thinking I could NOT run. Sara caught up with me and we walked and talked. Then we ran and couldn't talk. I could not catch my breath. We kept walking, then running, then walking. At about 1.5 miles I told her she should go out and run. I needed to walk but she looked strong. I told her I wouldn't let her out of my sight. She ran some, but we both kept running & walking. I kept her in sight and she never got too far ahead, but I just couldn't stick with her.

At about mile 2 (of 3.1) I saw 2 other ladies in our age group pass me!!! I SO wanted to run after them and catch them! I tried... I ran a little. They were slow. But, I just couldn't catch them OR Sara. At the last water station, I saw they all 3 got water & walked. So, I kept 'running.' But, it didn't do me a lot of good. I was just so tired.



At about .5 miles to go, I started talking with a male runner. All of the males go before the females start, so he was quite a bit behind. He said it'd been a hard race. I agreed! We both walked & ran some together. When I could finally see the finish line, I started to run. I wanted to walk again, but I didn't let myself. I ran through the finish!!! I did it! I finished the triathlon!!!

(post race photo by dd10)

Here are my times:
500 meter swim 17:01 (3:24 pace...vs 2:41 at 1st tri in pool)
TT1 2:50 (vs 2:21 1st tri)
15 mile bike 58:25 (15.4 mph pace...vs 13.1 mph 1st tri, but that was hillier & very windy)
TT2 1:06 (vs 1:14 1st tri)
5K run 36:45 (vs 40:17 1st tri, but that was hillier)

Biggest news: I can't believe my 5K time. That is a PR for me!!! And, I honestly walked about 1/3rd of the time! Am I really running that much faster???

My goals were:
18 min swim (did 17:01)...yeah!
2 min TT1 (did 2:50)... further from water than figured
58 min bike (did 58:25)...a little disappointed because I thought I was riding faster
2 min TT2 (did 1:14)...actually, I should have realized this would be faster
40 min run (did 36:45)...WOW! My thought is that maybe it was short, but I'll take it!

Freedom Riders

2011-05-06T07:31:00.000-06:00

Watch the full episode. See more American Experience.

I know I rarely post any more, but this opportunity sounds too good to pass up. American Experience will be airing an episode called Freedom Riders on May 16th. In honor of the 50th anniversary of this historic civil rights event, 40 college students will be boarding a bus today and following the route of these civil rights activists.

From the website: FREEDOM RIDERS is the powerful harrowing and ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever. From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives—and many endured savage beatings and imprisonment—for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Deliberately violating Jim Crow laws, the Freedom Riders met with bitter racism and mob violence along the way, sorely testing their belief in nonviolent activism.

You can follow the present day riders and learn more about this time in history!

My 1st Sprint Triathlon! (w/photos!)

2011-04-11T20:35:00.000-06:00

I did it! Yesterday I competed in my first sprint triathlon. Wow!!!

So, how was it? It was great! It was hard! It was WINDY! But, I did it! And, I AM a triathlete.

MORNING: I woke up a little before 5 am and went through my bag one more time. I grabbed my breakfast (I was too nervous to eat) and loaded my bike on the back of my car. And, I headed towards the community center.

CHECKING IN & SETTING UP: I had been there the day before for a first timers event. (More on that later.) So, I knew pretty much what would be happening and where everything was set up. I brought my flashlight (great idea as I had to pump up my tires in the dark parking lot!) and went over to get my markings. The guy marking my leg heard me say "31" instead of "41" so he had to rewrite it. It was really messy and unreadable. Oh, well! I got my area set up according to everything I'd read and the Saturday class. I ate my banana and went and got my ankle chip. Then, I walked the exit & entrance to the bike & run several times to make sure I could find my bike. I was 2nd from the end, and got really good at finding it.

Minutes before my start... the guys behind me must have been some of those who passed me.

SWIM: There were about 600 participants and I was number 487. I was told they'd put someone in the water every 5 seconds, which should have put me around 7:25. But, I didn't get in the water until 7:45. It was a LONG wait, and I was wishing I had more 'fuel' to eat. I stood around talking to one of the ladies I'd me Saturday and the guy who was next to me on the rack. He actually trains some triathletes, so he was a great person to ask questions! (Oh, and I learned that they close the transition area -something I hadn't read - so you have to get whatever you need out of there!)

Taking a quick breath.

It was finally my turn to start & I jumped in. I'd predicted my swim team, for the 275 yards in the pool, would be 7:30. I hadn't practiced jumping in and was afraid my goggles would fill up with water, but they were fine. I hadn't warmed up at all since I knew there'd be a long wait until I started swimming. But, I immediately felt at ease in the water. That is, until the guys behind me caught up to me on the 2nd lane. For about 5 laps, they passed me one after another. And, they were bumping into me, pulling my legs under, and just messing with me! I was proud of myself for staying calm. I flipped over on my back twice, but just for a couple of seconds. I ended up swimming slightly faster than expected with a time of 7:24! And, I realize now that I actually probably swam 300 yards instead of 275 since you are also swimming the entire length of the pool. So, I was swimming faster than ever! Yeah!

Shoes are on... now for a quick snack...

T1: My first transition went well. I really had trouble 'running' from the swimming pool and it was a slight jog instead. My plan was to stand up and put my socks & shoes on, but my socks weren't going on easily. So, I sat down and got them on. I also grabbed a few Honey Stingers. I had a good time at just 2:41.

BIKE: I'd rode one loop of the 2 loop bike route the day before with the first timers group. And, Saturday had been kind of windy. But, race day was VERY windy! And, the path was hilly! (At least compared to the flat lands I ride on!) I am very proud of how hard I worked on the ride. I pushed & pushed and gave 100%. There were times we were riding directly into the wind and we were barely moving. And, we didn't get the benefit of the wind because we were behind some buildings when it should have been at our back. Overall, I'm very happy with my bike leg, especially since I haven't been riding very long. My time for 13 miles (which I showed as about 13.5 miles) was 59:21.

T2: I had a quick transition. I know I could have been a few seconds quicker by putting my cap on while running, but I was so tired and wanted a few seconds break. I also grabbed a big drink of water off of my bike and a couple more Honey Stingers. I had one of the fastest T2s in my age bracket at 1:14. (But, I didn't have to change shoes since I ride in my tennis shoes.)

At the start of the run... I was walking soon after this photo.

RUN: I was so tired by my run. It was hard to get going. I walked a lot more than I expected. I think I walked 5 times and they were pretty long walks. I had just given almost all of what I had to give! My run time was the 2nd slowest in my age group at 40:16. But, my fastest 5K to date is only 37something, so this was actually pretty decent for me.

The FINISH!!! A triathlete is born!

So, my total time was 1:50:38. I placed 26 of 28 in my age group. I placed 150 of 175 out of the women. As in every other race, I came in at the back of the pack. Yes, that is frustrating for me. But, I think I did an incredible job and I know I gave it my all. (Well, I might have held back a little during the run.) I need to keep working on all 3 sports and I will get better! Right now I'm a little frustrated that I have a half marathon I'm training for, too, so it'll be harder to work on speed, but I'll do my best!

That's it! That's the story of my first triahtlon! I hope, if you are considering doing one, that you'll get out there and give it a try. It is an incredible feeling of accomplishment.

Friends, I Need Prayer

2011-04-07T06:16:00.001-06:00

I got an email this morning saying one of my friends has passed away. She is now in heaven praising God. But, she left behind her husband, 5 children, family and friends. We are heartsick.

The hard part for us is she was the mom of one of my daughter's best friends. They were in co-op about 4 years ago. After we left co-op (about 3 years ago), we didn't see this family again until this year at AHG (American Heritage Girls - like Girl Scouts). They quickly renewed their friendship and were best buddies at AHG. We went skating once a month with them. I remember having several conversations in the parking lot with the mom (the dad took the kids skating as she has little ones). She was full of life and joy and love for Her Savior.

To make this harder on my family, one of my daughter's other best friend's mom (this time from co-op) passed away in November. There were 3 little girls that were like the 3 amigos twice a week when we met. Her mom died during her 3rd battle with cancer. This family, the dad and 2 daughters (the other daughter was one of my students), moved away in March to be closer to family.

Alex is still asleep. I pray that she understands that God IS good! And, that even in our grief over the 2nd mom's death, that there is little chance that I will die. Please pray for her, and me, and this precious family as they grieve. Thanks. Dana

First Sprint Triathlon is Coming Soon!

2011-03-27T20:11:00.000-06:00

I have been trying to keep up with 2 blogs (actually 3), and it isn't working very well. But, I wanted to update this blog.

I was supposed to be running a half marathon 2 weeks from today, but that fell through about a week ago. Instead, I will now be participating in my first sprint triathlon on that date! Yes, in just 2 weeks, I will be a TRIATHLETE!

I had about 3 weeks (due to travel to Japan, illness, and lack of desire) recently when I wasn't working out much. Last week, though, I totally got back on track. I had an amazing week!

And, just a few days ago, I signed up for this triathlon! I am so excited! And, since this one has a pool swim, I'm not as nervous as I am for my May triathlon.

I had an amazing 1st brick workout today. (I've done a few at the gym, but none outside.) I rode 11.5 miles in 55 minutes. The pace wasn't great, but it was really hilly. And, I LOVED it! I felt like I was flying! I went up to 20 mph, and it was amazing. I then ran 2 miles. My time was about 23 minutes, which is FAST for me. It is my fastest 2 miles ever, I think! Amazing!

So, I'm so excited to be facing my first triathlon!

Our First Evening in Tokyo

2011-03-18T19:24:00.000-06:00

We left Houston at 6:30 am on Wednesday and got to Japan at 3:30 pm on Thursday. There is a 15 hour time difference. The main airport is in Narita, so we had to take a train into Tokyo. We had to change to a local train once reaching Tokyo. The train system in Tokyo is amazingly efficient. You usually only have to wait 2-4 minutes to go in either direction. It's amazing. Anyway, by the time we took the trains and got to our hotel room, we were really tired. Alex hadn't slept at all and I'd only had two 30 minute naps. We checked in and then got back on the train to go explore a little bit and eat some dinner. We were trying to stay up until at least 9 pm.

We went back one train station to Ueno. We decided to walk around a bit. This was our first 'taste' of Japan and my first shock was that we were the only non-Japanese people we saw! The train station is kind of like a plane station - there are a few restaurants and small shops inside. We headed outside to check out the main streets.

This isn't a very good photo, but we stopped and listened to this street performer.

Besides the train system, bicycling is the primary form of transportation. We got used to seeing bikes parked everywhere - and dodging them while we walked! We even watched official 'bike parkers' (my term) who would repark the bikes by picking them up & placing them closer together! It took us awhile, but we finally figured out they are locked around the back wheel so no one else can ride them.

We'd read about these "Capsule Hotels" before we left, and Alex really wanted to stay in one. The closest we got, though, is this photo. The 'rooms' are actually just little cubbies, usually stacked 3 high, where you can sleep. It sounds kind of claustrophobic to me! Most of them are for men only and are used by workers who miss the last long train ride home.

Here's my brother getting us train tickets. You have to look at what stop you are at and where you are going and pay that amount per person. Children's fares are less than adult's. My brother would push a photo that showed 2 adults & 1 child, and then buy another ticket for 1 adult. (His girlfriend traveled with us the first 3 days.) This was much easier after we figured out how to switch the machines to English!

Here's a photo of the complicated train routes. My brother did most of the planning, though I was figuring it out in the end.This sign doesn't show the stops in English, but most of the signs were bilingual.

I think this photo is actually from the next morning. It is kind of funny that my camera didn't know I was in a different time zone, so the photos aren't actually sorted by my Japanese days! Anyway, I liked that some train cars were for "Women Only" during the morning rush hour. We had to watch for these signs as my brother wouldn't have been allowed!

Our Hotel in Japan... It's Not Like the US of A!

2011-03-18T18:43:00.000-06:00

Our hotel in Japan was definitely not like any we've been to in the US! We stayed at Uenokoen Candeo in Tokyo. My brother had warned us that most hotel rooms in Asia are very small, and he was right! Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos. But, Alex & I shared a double bed. There was a long table underneath the window. Besides that, there was very little floor space. If you put your suitcase down, there was just barely enough room to walk beside it. And, the bathroom was very tiny, too.

On the bed, there were 2 of these lounging outfits for Alex & me. We only wore them the first evening, though I used the slippers several times. You can put this on and walk around the hotel in it.

We were on the 11th (of 12) floor and only heard a siren once. Otherwise, we didn't hear anything. This is the view from our window. It's hard to tell, but on the far left you can see the mountains! My brother's room was on the same floor, but he had a wall next to him so he couldn't see the mountains... sorry, brother!

We took a lot of photos of signs that we saw. It reminded me of Jimmie's Collage! Anyway, we got the giggles over this sign posted by our hotel window: "In case open the window, be careful of invasion of AN insect." (emphasis mine) Another sign that gave us the giggles was the one that you would leave outside of the room when you wanted your sheets changed. It basically said that "This customer would like to change sheets." I was thinking, "Yes! Sign me up! I want to change sheets while on vacation!" OK... maybe it was funnier when you were sleep deprived. We were dealing with a 15 hour time change!

This isn't really funny, but it did take some time to grasp. Something we found interesting in Japan was that it isn't very acceptable to eat or drink while you walk. This is kind of hard when you're traveling! Anyway, along with this attitude came a serious lack of trashcans! We'd walk & walk and not find a trashcan. But, sometimes when we were in a restaurant (fast food) and needed to throw away trash, you'd have trashcans - up to 4 of them - each labeled differently in JAPANESE... no English! We'd have to play detective to figure out what went in which trashcan! Oh, and I was SHOCKED at how many signs DID have English on them also! There is a LOT of English in Japan! Well, especially around Tokyo.

One last room shot... my brother says these are common in many countries, but I've never seen one. To turn on the lights, any lights, you have to put the keychain into this switch. My mom says it's to conserve energy as you can't leave the lights on while you are gone! Anyway, I was thankful my brother could help us out with this one!

Lessons from Japan's Crises

2011-03-18T09:16:00.000-06:00

We have been closely following the news out of Japan - especially as we left the country less than 24 hours before the major earthquake and tsunami. Since then, they have also been dealing with the scare of a nuclear meltdown. Here are a few resources we are using:

Brainpop - We have a subscription, but they also offer a free video every day. (You can also see this by using an app.) The past few days have been about nuclear energy, though today's is about Mercury as the MESSENGER reached Mercury. This is a great site to help you get background on current events.

CNN Student News - Alex & I really enjoy this 10 minute newscast every morning. They have been doing a great job of covering the news coming out of Japan and the rest of the world.

JASON Mission Project - I signed up for a free account and the "Infinite Potential" course was free. (I did this awhile back, so I'm not sure if everyone can access or not.) I got an email from them today that they'll be having a live podcast about tsunamis. We won't be able to watch it, but I did go to the Infinite Potential course and have started watching the section about tsunamis. I haven't finished it, but will watch it with Alex today. It is Mission 2.

Views from the Air: Mt McKinley & Anchorage, Alaska

2011-03-15T20:30:00.000-06:00

We had beautiful views of Alaska on our trip to Japan. I hadn't realized we'd go so far north.

You can see a chunk of ice (iceberg?) in the water near the bottom center of the photo.

In the top left of the photo, you can see Mt McKinley - I believe it is the 2nd peak. Mount McKinley is the highest peak in North America. It was named McKinley in 1896. McKinley was elected president later that year. It sits in Denali National Park and is known to the Athabascan Indians as Denali, "The High One" or "The Great One."

After seeing all of the mountains, the flat area around Anchorage was surprising.

Beautiful frozen rivers near the coast.

Japan's Earthquakes & Tsunami

2011-03-11T09:33:00.001-06:00

I've been responding to emails, texts & phones calls this morning. Some of my friends are asking if we are home yet. Others and letting me know they are thankful we are home. By the time I got out of bed at 8 this morning (having jet lag...Alex was up from 1 am until 5 am), I heard the news: Japan had been hit by a major earthquake & tsunami along with other earthquakes. I am so thankful we are home and safe. But, I am praying for the people of Japan!

We were mainly in Tokyo, which was not where the tsunami hit and was not the center of the earthquake. However, it was affected. I understand the train services are down. We rode the trains multiple times every day. Most of the people of Japan either use public transportation (we also used the subways) or ride their bikes. The trains are PACKED. In fact, I've seen photos of 'pushers' who push the people into the cars. We never experienced pushers, even during rush hour, but you do pack yourself in tight! I can't imagine if we'd been on a train when the quake hit. Or in a terminal. It is really crazy already with that many people running around. And, Alex was often the only child out of thousands of people. I'm wondering, as people rushed to get outside, how bad it might have been.

I've also heard that the tip of Tokyo Tower was bent. This is us (me, my brother, our new Japanese friend, Alex, and my brother's girlfriend) after we'd climbed down the steps of Tokyo Tower. I can't imagine being in that structure, which is a lot like the Eiffel Tower, during the quakes. Were people rushing down the stairs?

(Last photo I took in Japan showing trains delayed. Cause: Quake)

I am praying for Japan. I loved it there. It was an amazing trip. And, I'm hurting for those who are affected by these disasters.

My brother's best friend's wife is from Japan. Her parents still live in the area directly affected by the earthquake and tsunami. We have yet to hear if they are OK. Please pray for them!

Thank you for your comments, thoughts, and prayers - Dana

We're Home from JAPAN!

2011-03-10T14:53:00.001-06:00

Hi, everyone! Alex & I are back from Japan. We spent 4 days in Tokyo and 1 day on a 'day trip' to see the Snow Monkeys. I have so much to share with you all! I will try to get started later today.

(photo in front of a torii gate near the Zojoji Buddhist temple)

We didn't get home until midnight last night and our bodies are having trouble adjusting back to Central Standard Time. It is almost 3 pm on Thursday here. It is 6 am in Tokyo. We left Japan at 7 pm on Wednesday evening and got to Chicago at 3:30 pm on Wednesday afternoon. That's weird, isn't it?

Anyway, it was one of the most amazing trips I've ever been on, though I have loved just about everywhere we've ever went. We are actually headed out of town again tomorrow (yikes! lots of laundry & unpacking to do before then!), but then we'll be home for several weeks. We will be headed to St Louis the 2nd weekend of April for my 2nd half marathon.

I hope you all are well! And, I hope you are enjoying your school year!

-Dana

Another trip... this time, JAPAN!

2011-02-18T20:16:00.000-06:00

Hi, everyone! I know it's been a LONG time since I've posted. I really have been concentrating a lot on my sports - I'm training for my next half marathon and my first sprint triathlon.

Anyway, my brother called 2 nights ago, and today I bought tickets for Alex & I to go to JAPAN! In 12 days!!! I'm so thrilled! And, I can hardly believe it. So, we will be going crazy trying to learn about Japan and prepare for our trip. I'll try to post all about it when we get back.

I miss you all and wish I felt more like blogging lately! Maybe it'll come back again some time. I blogged faithfully for 5 years. :-) I learned so much from you all and enjoyed sharing our lives. Take care!

Elements of a Story

2011-01-17T16:29:00.000-06:00

We will be finishing up most of our subjects in about 2 weeks! Alex is taking both an online history and an online writing class and those will not finish until mid-June. But, I have been busy making plans for next year. One thing I realized we need to study (though we covered it some last year in Classical Conversations) is the elements of a story. So, I started by going to Google Reader so I could look through the blogs I follow. This always turns out to be so useful! My first 2 "hits" were a post by Free Technology for Teachers (yet again!) and Jimmie's Collage.

Free Techonology pointed me to a neat site by Lerner:

http://www.educationalrap.com/song/characters-setting-plot.html

Catching Up With Me

2011-01-04T08:35:00.000-06:00

I've been working out hard since I got back from our Christmas trip.

Friday - 'most' intense run for me - changed from a 1:1 ratio to a 3:2 AND did 20 mins on the stair climber going up a total of 63 floors
Saturday - longest ride ever - rode bike for 10 miles
Sunday - fastest sprints ever - ran 1/8 mile in 1 min (& even under!) 4 times (got to under a 6 min/mile pace...probably not a good idea for me, though!)
Monday - had to make myself REST, though I did walk with leisurly with daughter & her friend & her friend's mom for about 25 mins

Well, I rarely feel sore anymore. In fact, I didn't feel sore after any of these workouts. But, today, my glutes are sore! Not a lot, but noticeable.

I wanted to run this monring, but didn't get to because of multiple factors. I WILL run today, though. I'll either go with my daughter to the gym or let her ride her bike while I run.

I also WILL restart my program to accomplish 200 crunches & 100 pushups. I'm going to drop the dips & squats for now... I think I'm more likely to stick with it if it is more manageable! I also WILL track my food today. And, I WILL cook dinner tonight (though I don't know what yet).

So, what are your plans today? What WILL you do to be healthier?

The Cost of the 12 Days of Christmas

2010-12-08T22:06:00.001-06:00

Will True Love cost more in 2010 than in previous years?

I found a cute online pop-up book that shows you what the cost of giving the presents in the 12 Days of Christmas would be in 2010. Evidentally, PNC has been doing this for quite a few years. They go through each day and tell you if the price went up or down since last year and then give you a total cost for the gifts. What makes this even more fun, though, is that you actually get to use your mouse to make the pop-up activities work! There are also lesson plans and some games, but I think we'll be sticking to the pop-up book this year.

A Date That Will Live in Infamy

2010-12-07T07:50:00.001-06:00

This video is a clip of FDR's famous Pearl Harbor Address. I also plan on watching this documentary narrated by Tom Brokaw entitled Pearl Harbor: Legacy of Attack. It is a National Geographic film. I have only watched the first few minutes, but it looks good.

Remember Pearl Harbor

2010-12-06T21:13:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. CurrClick is offering a nice mini study about Pearl Harbor by "The Whole World Publishing." It is only $1! I'm going to buy it and read the story to my daughter tomorrow. It also includes pieces to make a lapbook, coloring pages, and questions.

Half Marathoner!!!

2010-12-06T21:02:00.000-06:00

I'm in a posting mood tonight! This is my 3rd post in the past hour.

Anyway, I ran am now a Half Marathoner! I completed my first half marathon almost two weeks ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I ran 13.1 miles in 2 hours 57 minutes and 10 seconds. And, it felt GREAT!!! I am already preparing for half marathon #2 (in Fort Worth, TX in February) and #3 (in St Louis, MO in April). I love running and I love being an athlete for the first time in my life!

Homemade Christmas Cards

2010-12-06T20:52:00.000-06:00

Today Alex and I went to the first of FOUR Christmas parties this week. This one was for our church's homeschool group. We started the party by singing Christmas carols at a nursing home.

Each family was to bring some homemade Christmas cards to give out to the residents after we sang. I got out my old scrapbooking materials and put these 5 cards together after seeing a similar card online. I thought they turned out cute and had to post them!

After the nursing home, we went back to the church for the second part of the party - a gift exchange for the kids and then some yummy treats for us all!

Christmas Around the World

2010-12-06T20:24:00.000-06:00

CurrClick has chosen 10 bloggers to take us on a trip to view Christmas Around the World. The first stop is China with Jimmie at Jimmie's Collage! I really enjoyed reading about some of the unusual Christmas traditions in China. And the second stop is England with Cheryl at Crispy, Not Crunchy. I have not visited Cheryl's blog before and really enjoyed reading her post and learning about Christmas Crackers, Christmas Pudding, and Boxing Day!

You can follow CurrClick's posts on their blog and travel around the world this week. Oh... and each of the 10 guest bloggers is having drawings to give away free goodies! So, travel the world, learn about Christmas, and you might even win something, too!

Mental Math and "Around the World"

2010-11-10T21:27:00.000-06:00

First of all, Blogger notified me yesterday that I've reached my limit on photos! 1 GB! But, I was able to buy more space (20 GB) for $5 a year. I'm just waiting for it to get 'approved.'

I was searching for some Mental Math worksheets that I've used at a co-op before... and I found them here! They have daily sheets for 1st through 8th grade. Here are some samples from 5th grade:

100 X 10 = ?
How many feet in a mile?
1/3 of 30 = ?
1/4 of 28 = ?
70 X 80 = ?

In our co-op, I will use these to play Around the World. To play around the world, you have 2 students stand up. You ask one of the questions, and whoever gets it wrong sits down. The winner moves and stands next to another student who then stands up. You ask another question and the 'loser' sits down while the 'winner' moves on. The winner must win against every other student in the class! I know my last co-op class enjoyed this game, and I hope this one does, too!

National Museum of American History

2010-11-09T20:59:00.000-06:00

We really enjoyed the National Museum of American History. One of my favorite exhibits was about Lincoln. Here is Lincoln's hat! Here's what the sign said: At six feet four inches tall, Lincoln towered over most of his contemporaries. He chose to stand out even more by wearing high top hats. He acquired this hat from J.Y. Davis, a Washington hat maker. Lincoln had the black silk mourning band added in rememberance of his son Willie. The last time he wore this top hat was to go to Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865.

Here's Alex's hand next to a cast of Lincoln's hand.

Alex's online history class studied quite a bit about the conspiracy theory in the murder of Abraham Lincoln. These are the masks worn by the 8 people who were executed for Lincoln's murder.

The original Teddy Bear which got its name from Theodore Roosevelt!

Kermit the Frog!

The museum has some 'living' times were actors/actresses appear as people from history. This young lady was teaching us about the Greensboro Four Sit In. We, the audience, were new to the passive resistance movement and learning how to act and about what we might expect. It was an amazing lesson! We even learned a song that we could use at a sit-in or other protests.

Washington Monument

2010-11-08T21:38:00.000-06:00

Part of our trip included research (sent by the Carolina Homeschool group leader, Dianna) on some of the monuments and memorials we would be seeing. This really helped make our visit special! So, I'm adding some of what we learned beside our photos.

The Washington Monument was designed by Robert Mills. His original plan called for a "large structure, built of columns and housing a number of statues, with a 600-foot obelisk rising from the center." They basically ended up building the obelisk.

Construction was started in 1848 and completed in 1884.

Construction was suspended for about 18 years because the money 'ran out' and the Civil War.

The walls are composed of marble and the color changes about one third of the way up. When construction resumed after the Civil War, the marble that they were able to get was a slightly different color.

The monument is 555 feet 5 1/8 inches tall. It is estimated to weigh 90,000 tons.

Along the stairs (which are no longer open to the public) you can view memorial stones contributed by various states, civic groups, private organizations, and others. On the way down the monument, the elevator slows at several places to allow a brief view of some of these amazing memorials.

Marathon Miner

2010-11-08T10:53:00.000-06:00

I loved hearing about the story of Chilean miner Edison Pena. He was one of the miners who was recently trapped for 69 days in a Chilean mine. During that time, he modified a pair of boots and ran up to 6 miles a day. "Pena believes that competing in the NYC marathon will be his gift to God; a tribute to a merciful God that spared him of a terrible fate deep within the mines."

As I'm preparing for my Half Marathon in less than 2 weeks, I find Pena to be a huge inspiration. I am continuing to pray that God helps me to train smartly and stay injury-free as I train. Thanks for all of your comments and prayers!

In Training... for a Half Marathon!

2010-11-03T21:03:00.002-06:00

Yes, I am in training for a Half Marathon. And, my HM is 'just around the corner!' I'll be running 13.1 miles on November 21st!

I just started running at the start of June. Since then, I have participated in three 5Ks and lost 19.5 pounds! My brother went with me to the Komen Race for the Cure in Dallas and took some photos. (I have a wonderful brother!)

This is my 'famous' "Believe and Achieve" shirt. I say it is 'famous' because I have it as my profile picture on my exercise/weight loss/goal setting site (SparkPeople!) and another person recognized me at a race of 40,000+ people because of the shirt!

This was taken right before the finish. I set a new personal record on this run. Actually, each time I've competed I've set PRs! Anyway, I can't believe it, but I actually RAN for 9.5 miles yesterday! And, I WILL run 13.1 runs in just two and a half weeks! I'd love some prayers that I stay healthy & injury free!

Oh, and since this is a homeschool blog... where do I find the time to train? (I've been asked that quite a bit from other homeschoolers.) Well, Alex has co-op on Tuesdays & Thursdays. I teach in the afternoons (1:15 both days), but I drop her off at 9 am. So, I have a long morning free. And, I train on Saturdays & Sundays. Even for long runs I'm usually home before dd or dh wake up! Same with biking! Also, I'm trying to fit Alex into my workouts more so we sometimes go to the gym together or go on a bike ride.

DC - The Newseum

2010-11-03T20:34:00.000-06:00

The Newseum was an AMAZING museum! We only spent about 4 hours there and I would have gladly went back for another day. It is kind of expensive, but it was one of our favorite stops.

The 1st Amendment is engraved onto the outside of the building. The museum is about news and how news is reported so the 1st Amendment is very important. (I'm thinking about having Alex memorize this!)

Around the outside of the building our front pages from each of the 50 states. We were excited that our very own Houston Chronicle was being featured for Texas! And, the main article was about the air show. The Newseum receives front pages from around the WORLD every day! And, you can access these pages online! Today they received 819 front pages from 78 countries! You can also choose to look at just the top 10. I enjoyed today's political comic front page from "Philadelphia Daily News."

One of the main exhibitions was about Hurricane Katrina. Alex really enjoyed this, too, because she lived through it! No, I don't mean through the hurricane, but most 'history' happened before she was born! And, we live in Houston where so many of the survivors/victims of the hurricane were transported. She remembers this event and took her time looking through this exhibit.

This was a sign explaining the markings that were left on the houses. They even had some of the boards off of the houses that were actually marked.

The Newseum has an amazing view of the capitol building. The street in the picture is Pennsylvania Avenue. Some of the networks use this area to film things happening on Pennsylvania Ave.

There are 15 theaters at the Newseum. Most of the films are between 5-15 minutes. We only watched two entire films - this one called "The Power of the Image." It was amazing! And we watched another movie about September 11th.

The September 11th exhibit mainly consisted of the film, this piece of one of the towers (I think I read it was an antenna, but I could be wrong), and a giant wall filled with front page articles about 9/11.

Another area was all about the 1st amendment. It talks about the 5 freedoms of this amendment: assembly, speech, petition, religion and the press. Alex and I enjoyed a computer game which tested your knowledge of the 1st amendment.

The museum also has one of the guard towers from the Berlin Wall. It is 3 stories tall and stood near Checkpoint Charlie. There are also 8 pieces of the Berlin Wall - the largest collection in the U.S. (I believe I actually read it was the largest collection outside of Germany, but I might not be remembering correctly.)

There was also an Elvis exhibition that was really neat. Alex and I watched part of a movie on a huge screen and looked that the exhibit. Neither of us is that interested in Elvis, but it was still fascinating. And, another exhibit I missed that I wanted to see was the Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery. So, I think I'll be asking for this book for Christmas!

Spy in the City & International Spy Museum - D.C.

2010-10-26T20:26:00.000-06:00

On Day 2, Dianna (the lady who put the homeschool travel group together) showed us how to use the Metro system and we were on our own! Our first stop was the International Spy Museum to do the "Spy in the City" tour.

Here's Alex as we get ready to enter the museum.

And, Alex with her GPS machine. The "Spy in the City" tour takes you around parts of DC. We took the 1.5 hour tour (there is also a 1 hour tour). We probably walked 1.5 to 2 miles. The GPS system gives you clues about where to go next.

One of our clues led us to Ford's Theater. Our plans included a tour of the Ford's Theater later in the week, but that ended up being the day that Alex was just too tired and needed to sleep in. So, we never got to go inside. I'm glad we stopped by on this day, though.

Another clue led us to the National Archives. There are so many beautiful buildings like this! And, yes, later we will go inside the National Archives building. As far as the tour, it helped orient us to this part of DC. However, it was a lot of walking and I am guessing we walked about 5 miles per day while in DC! So, this was quite a lot of additional walking. Everywhere you go in DC, though, involves a lot of walking!

Here's another view of the National Archives building.I know the basics, like what type of columns these are - Corinthian, but I'd like to do a study of architecture with Alex. I learned this while taking Latin in high school, but I'd love a refresher course. So, if you have any ideas, please let me know!

DC Zoo with Martin Zoo

2010-10-26T20:01:00.002-06:00

One of the most exciting things about our DC trip was meeting my wonderful blogging friend, Robin, and her son, Cade, from MartinZoo! We arrived in DC a little after noon and Robin picked us up in her car to head to the zoo!

Alex took a photo of us. We had a great time! We've known each other for about 4.5 years online, but had never met in person. We felt like 'old' friends! The weather was rainy and cool, but the rain finally stopped and we enjoyed seeing the animals... and chatting!

Cade and Alex got along well. Here they are playing a game at the zoo.

And, here they are watching one of the two pandas. Alex and I have decided we want to see all of the pandas in the U.S. They are only at 4 zoos and we've seen 2 of them now!

After the zoo, we drove back to the hotel and had dinner at Chilis. We got to spend some of the evening together before Robin and Cade had to drive home. We hope to visit them again sometime!

Home from DC & Continued Prayers, Please!

2010-10-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

We made it back from DC yesterday afternoon. We had a wonderful trip, but are both tired! (And, a little sick... we either have colds or possibly just allergies.)

I plan on starting to blog about our trip this evening. In the meantime, we have co-op today. I had blogged about my daughters friends, two sisters, whose mom was dying. She passed away on Friday morning. I haven't got all the details, but I heard she was responsive on Thursday (she had been in a coma) and was able to respond by blinking. But, now she is in heaven and is out of pain forever! Praise God! But, she has left behind her husband and her two daughters, Maddie (12) and Kate (8). Also, lots of other family members and friends!

Please pray for the girls as they return to co-op today. Their dear friend (a mom) told me that they need to just get out and do things at this time. Pray for all of us as we come in contact with these little girls that we will do and say the right things... that the girls will feel God's love... that we will hold ourselves together and be there for them.

Specifically for my family, I also ask for prayers that I won't cry when inappropriate- especially as I try to teach Maddie, Alex, & classmataes on Thursday - and that Alex will feel secure as she comes to grasp that sometimes mommies do die!

Thank you all for your prayers!!!

Urgent Prayer Request!

2010-10-18T07:10:00.002-06:00

Hi, everyone. I know I haven't been blogging faithfully. I do have an urgent prayer request, though.

My daughter has two friends (sisters - and one of the girls is my student) whose mom was just rediagnosed with brain tumors 2 weeks ago. She had a massive stroke on Friday and is in a coma. They are talking about taking her off of the respirator today.

Please pray for this lady and her family! Her girls are in 2nd & 6th grades. They homeschool and are at the co-op where I teach and my daughter spends 2 days a week. Please pray for a miracle of healing! And, if that is not God's will, please pray for comfort for this family! I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through.

And, please pray for my daughter. She has never been through anything like this and I know she'll be scared and, of course, upset. Please pray that I'll have the right words to share with her. Thank you!!!

Photos from Last Week's Komen 5K

2010-10-09T20:05:00.000-06:00

my face, painted

after the race at the lake house

the tags on my back - in celebration of Lillian Hunter & in memory of Evelyn Kaechle

850 Calories!

2010-10-07T20:04:00.000-06:00

I had an amazing day today. First of all, we went to the doctor to have my daughter's wrist x-rayed after our bike incident. No broken bones! Yeah!

After I dropped her off at our co-op, I went and worked out HARD for 40 minutes with my personal trainer. We spent about 30 minutes on my legs and did some new exercises that were incredibly hard. Then we did about 10 minutes of HARD work on my arms!

Next, he took me on a bike ride. Part of the time we were on a bike/jogging trail and part of the time we were on the edge of a fairly busy street. He was teaching me about cadence and proper form. With cadence, you are supposed to choose a steady rhythm to pedal. Then, you change gears to stay with that cadence! You should pick a pace you could do for hours. We rode for 40 minutes and covered almost 7 miles.

After that, I taught my two classes at co-op and then we headed to AHG, American Heritage Girls, which is very similar to Girl Scouts. While my daughter was there, I went running with another mom! We ran for 30 minutes which I'm guessing was about 2 miles.

After AHG, we went to Christian roller skating night with some AHG friends. We were gone from before 8 am until about 8:30 pm! Long day!!!

But, it was worth it! I burned almost 850 calories! The most I've ever burned before was 600. And, I actually didn't eat that much. I had to 'make' myself eat dinner and had grapes for dessert.

I did have to stop and buy some ALEVE on the way to the skating rink as my hips & legs were starting to ache. And, no, I didn't skate! I was tired!

I soaked in the tub when I got home and it's a little before 10 and I'm getting ready to go to sleep.

(Countdown to Half Marathon: 169 days)
(Today's Training: weights (40 mins); bike (40 mins/7 miles); run (30 mins/2 miles)

Bike Wreck!

2010-10-05T20:01:00.000-06:00

Yes, I just got my new bike on Friday and I had a wreck today.

My daughter and I were riding our bikes around the neighborhood tonight. We were both in the street and she decided to ride on the sidewalk. She went up one driveway and I sped up a little to pull alongside her. Well, she changed her mind and didn't tell me. She zipped down the next short driveway and "BAM"... right into the side of me! We both tumbled to the ground. I landed on the street and she landed somewhat on top of me.

I got a 2 inch long scrape on my forearm and a small scrape on my wrist. My daughter hurt her wrist, though we hope it'll be fine. She broke her other wrist last November, so I hope that isn't the case this time!

I also dinged up my bike just a bit. The wrapping on the handlebars has a little chunk taken out of it. That's the only damage I've seen so far. I rode the bike home after the wreck and it seemed to be working fine. I guess I'll take it in and have it checked out, though.

Sorry I still haven't taken photos of my bike! Someone asked what kind it is. It is a Scott Speedster S30. I bought it at a chain (Sun and Ski Sports) which is nice because I can take it into any of their stores at any time and have it checked out. Also, they honor their regular 30 day return/90 day credit policy... though they said it was only if it hadn't been in a big wreck.

I worked out a lot today, but I ate really poorly. I think it was emotional eating. My arm was really stinging for about an hour and I was just upset to have crashed my brand new bike. I've eaten quite a bit of junk today. And, that was after burning almost 600 calories today! Yuck! I'll have to get back on track tomorrow. And, I'm hoping my arm doesn't get too stiff and I can stick with my workouts!

(Countdown: 171 days until Half Marathon)
(Today's workout: ran 3.6 miles, upper/lower strength training, 2 mile bike ride, 600 calories BURNED!)

Breaking in My New Bike!

2010-10-04T19:59:00.000-06:00

After my 5K on Saturday, I drove up to our lake house. I thought I'd shower, eat some lunch, and then have a nap, but I ended up going out on the jet skis with my husband. Then, my daughter wanted to go bike riding, so I hopped on and we went for a ride!

I just got my bike on Friday, so Saturday was my first ride. I told my daughter that her bike is no comparison to mine. (She's 9.) My wheels are so much bigger and I have gears to shift through! I had to go really slow and keep stopping for her - especially on the hills. We rode almost 4 miles. Then, I went in and took a nap.

I went on another ride Sunday afternoon. This time by myself. I ended up going almost 7 miles. I have quite a few hills and enjoyed challenging myself! And, I enjoyed 'flying' DOWN the hills.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I went on my first bike rides in MANY years this summer when I borrowed a bike while in New Mexico. That time, my neck and my 'seat' hurt during and afterwards.

This time, my neck still hurt. But, I took the bike in today and had it readjusted. Hopefully it'll be better! And, I got some gel shorts that my saleslady recommended. They were GREAT! I rode 2 days in a row with minimal discomfort! She had recommended a $100 pair, but I told her I didn't need that much yet. So, her 2nd recommendation was on sale for $45. Much better! And, they work great.

I forgot to take photos but I'll try to do it soon!

(Countdown: 172 days until Half Marathon)
(Today's Exercise: nothing ... We ran errands from 3 - 7:30 and then had to do dinner and finish up some school work. There just wasn't time - or I didn't make time.)

Amazing 5K PR!!! (aka...a Blessing of Being SLOW!)

2010-10-03T19:57:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was my 2nd 5K since finishing C25K (Couch to 5K) in August. My 5K in September was a small, local event. But, this 5K was HUGE! It was the Houston Komen Race for the Cure... and we had over 32,000 (yes!) walkers and runners. I was amazed!

I went to the race by myself and, as I'd mentioned earlier, was worried about parking. Well, I actually found a parking garage really easily which was just about 2-3 blocks away. It was still dark as I walked to the park area, but there were 1,000s of runners/walkers out, too, so I wasn't nervous.

I got to the park and there were dozens of tents giving out freebies. My first thought was, 'how can runners be picking up freebies before the race? where would they keep them?' But, then I saw the wagons and all of the others who were there just to walk, raise money, and have a great time. So, I understood. I only got a free small towel because it is allergy season for me and I forgot to bring anything! I sometimes run with a water bottle, so I knew I'd be OK.

As I walked around, I was amazed that I started getting quite emotional. This race is to raise money to fight breast cancer. There were a lot of survivors there - either to walk or run. And, there were people walking around with pink signs on their back saying "in memory of" or "in celebration of." I saw at least one that said "in memory of 'my mom'" and one that said "in celebration of myself" along with some other names. I saw a booth where you could make signs, and I walked over and grabbed two.

My grandmother, Evelyn Kaechle, had breast cancer in the mid-80's. She was treated successfuly and was cancer-free until 2003. She ended up with cancer 'all over' her body, which they beleived stemmed from her earlier breast cancer. She lost her battle in 2003 at the age of 88. I raced "in memory of" my grandmother, Evelyn Kaechle.

My husband's grandmother, Lillian Hunter, had breast cancer, too. Her cancer was in 2000 and she is a survivor. I proudly raced for her, too.

After I finished writing their names, it was hard for me to control my emotions. One of the volunteers pinned the signs on my back as I tried to gain my composure. I was thinking of both of my grandmothers and also thinking about what so many who were there at the race must be going through. Some had signs of people who had died this year. A group had signs of someone who had died just last month. How hard this must be for them! And, at the same time, they knew they were there helping to raise money to fight this disease.

After I finisihed my sign, I lined up at a port-o-potty. The line wasn't very long and I still had about an hour's wait! After that, I decided I needed to figure out where to line up.

The park area is huge and I wasn't sure where to go. I saw another couple and one of them had on a blue tag (like me) which means you are running the competitive race. I asked if she knew where she was going. She didn't, but I decided to stick with her and we could figure it out together.

She dropped her husband off at the "non-competitive" area and then we found our way to the "competitive" area. We thought there would be signs showing paces so we knew where to line up. There weren't, but we both wanted to be fairly far back. She's a lot faster than me - she was expecting to run an 8 minute mile.

A few minutes before the start, another lady came up to me and asked if I was "I M Smiley." It was BABHONORS! I knew she'd be at the race, but I was shocked she'd found me! I had my profile shirt on "Believe and Achieve" and she recognized me! We talked for the few minutes before the gun went off. During that time, she told me she usually runs about a 14-15 minute mile. (I think.) I told her that my last 5K was about 15 minutes/mile and I was hoping to go as fast as a 14 minute mile. Actually, my goal has been to break 45 minutes.

The starting gun went off and took a good 1-2 minutes before we got to start walking. With such a large crowd, everyone basically walks until they reach the starting line. When I stepped on the starting line, I started my 'slow' jog along with the crowd. About a minute later, I realized taht BAB was beside me! So, we talked a tiny bit.

I asked if she'd started the timer on her watch because I'd forgotten! She had and was able to give me the information so I knew approximately how to adjust my timer. We kept jogging along together. At one point, she told us we'd hit the 1 mile mark! (It wasn't marked on the course, but she had a Garmin.) I believe it was at about 12:30! I couldn't believe it! Ive only once broken a 14 minute mile!

She kept running and I kept struggling to keep up. But, I was doing it! I kept thinking I should tell her to go on without me if she wanted, but I kept trying to stay up with her, too.

We walked for about a minute at mile 1 and about another minute at mile 2. I couldn't believe it when we hit the 2nd mile at about 26 minutes or so. How could I be running so fast? And, this was the hardest I've ever pushed myself. Could I keep it up???

The last mile, like my other 5K, was the hardest. I didn't think I could keep up this pace. I got a stitch in my side for a minute, but was able to breathe through it. We had to go under an overpass and there was a pretty steep 'hill' on the other side. We both walked, as did most of those around us.

We got closer and closer to the end and I kept thinking "I can't do this!" But, a voice inside of me kept telling me I could. I actually thought about what how my sister-in-law would be telling me that I COULD do it if she were beside me. I kept running!

The finish line, even when BAB told me we were at 2.8 miles, seemed so far away. When I run at home, I always get a burst of energy near the end. I wanted the burst, but I could barely go at the pace we were going!

We passed the 'finish' line for survivors. We heard the lady on the speaker talking about the survivors crossing the finish line and the various names that we were running 'in memory of' or 'in honor of.' I kept running. I finally saw the actually finish line. I stuck next to BAB and we CROSSED THE LINE! What an incredible feeling. "What was our time?" I asked. 40:40... 40:40... I couldn't believe it! I'd wanted to break 45 minutes and I'd made it in 40:40!!! WOW!

We walked on. It was really crowded and I desperately wanted water. Where's the water??? I finally saw some volunteers and I had to backtrack a little to grab a water bottle. Ahh!! Then, I saw LOTS of volunteers ahead of us with water bottles.

I walked next to BAB and was trying to talk to her and thank her for her help in 'pushing' me, but I could barely talk. And, I could barely walk! My equillibrium was off and I kept walking sideways.

We got to a long row of tables where they had 1,000s of Luna bars, bananas and apples. I grabbed a banana and an apple. Afterwards, I thought that was kind of greedy of me and I hope they had plenty! But, at the time I was just wanting some nourishment.

I walked with BAB and went to meet her husband. She introduced me and we talked for a few minutes before I left. My family was already at our lake house and I had a long drive ahead of me.

I really felt on top of the world! You should have heard me as I talked with my sister-in-law. I was so giddy with happiness! I couldn't believe that I'd run that fast. That I'd beat my own PR by so much... almost 6 minutes! And, that is a blessing of being slow. Who else can take almost 6 minutes off their 5K time?

I'm feeling great and ready to run some more!

Ugh....I had photos to load, but I always have problems! I think my camera is set to take too high and the files are too big! Trying to add photos...

(Days to Half Marathon: 173)
(Today's Training: 6.9 miles on bike)
(Yesterday's Training: 3.1 mile race and 4 miles on bike)

September Reviews & October Goals

2010-10-03T19:54:00.000-06:00

SEPTEMBER REVIEW:
1. Run 1st 5K (since 2003) on Sept 11th. - GOAL MET!!!
2. Run 'my' lake 5K in under 46 minutes. (currently at 49 mins 20 secs) - GOAL MET!!!
3. Run 1 mile at 14 mins 30 secs. (fastest current run was 15 mins 30 secs) - GOAL MET!!! Actually ran 1 mile in UNDER 13 mins!!!
4. Buy a bicycle! - GOAL MET!!!
5. Lose 4 pounds (so 143). GOAL MET!!! EXACTLY!
6. Get back in the habit of drinking 8 glasses of water a day. (So, let's say 20 days this month.) - Goal NOT met
7. Start logging food again. (15 days this month) - Goal NOT met
8. Run 8 miles per week, swim 500 yards per week, and 'bicycle' (probably at gym) 4 miles a week. Goal NOT met - Did get in most of my running, but only 1 short swim and didn't buy bike until Friday.

Overall, I'm really happy with my results. I met 5 of 8 goals!

OCTOBER GOALS (crazy month, so goals shorter)

1. Lose 3.5 pounds - that would put me at 139.5!
2. Run a long run of at least 5.5 miles.
3. Run a total of 30 miles.
4. Ride bike at least once per week.
5. Have one bike ride of at least 10 miles.
6. Do strength training twice a week for upper AND lower.

I'm not going to make any goals about logging food or drinking water as I know that's probably not going to happen. I would also like to start taking swim lessons or join some kind of swim practice, but I don't think that will happen this month, either. For now, I'll concentrate on running, cycling, and losing more pounds!

Learning to Run My Own Race

2010-10-01T19:53:00.000-06:00

I picked up my bike tonight. Yes! It took almost 2 hours as I also needed a helmet and some other equipment. We didn't get home until late, so I'll be riding it tomorrow!

I also am very nervous about my 5K tomorrow. It is further away then the others I've ran. I'll need to leave the house by 6 am. And, I need to find parking, find the line up area, the bathrooms, etc. I know I'll be fine, but I wish I had someone to ride with!

I've been thinking a lot about speed and I've been asking a lot of questions. So, as I head into tomorrow's race, I thought I'd leave you with a comment I just left on a blog.

Thanks for your comment on my blog about speed, age, etc. Yes, I have gotten a lot faster. My first timed mileage was at a 17 min 30 sec pace. I ran one mile this week in 13 mins 57 secs. So, that's quite an improvement in about 6-7 weeks!

I guess I have been comparing myself to others. I don't even know their ages or background, but I see we started C25K at about the same time and they are so much faster!

I guess I was also disappointed on my first 5K to be 'so slow' instead of just enjoying it. I was running, but the walkers were beating me. I have another 5K tomorrow and I don't want that same experience. Maybe I should have not signed up for 5Ks until I was more comfortable... or faster!

Anyway, you are right and I need to just relax and not be so competitive. I am setting new PRs almost every run - in one way or the other (distance, time, etc). It's amazing! And, I shouldn't keep feeling like it isn't enough.

I have a 5K tomorrow and I'm going to try to just 'sit back' (well,run!) and enjoy it... no matter what the outcome. Whether I beat my last time or not. Whether I'm running with walkers or runners. I'm running to have fun and to get in shape, so I need to not worry about comparing myself to the other runners!

(Countdown to Half Marathon: 175 days)
(Today's Workout: REST day!)

No Longer Overweight...Yeah!

2010-09-30T19:51:00.000-06:00

I had an incredible workout with my trainer today. We did upper body and core and I was shaking when we were done. In fact, it was hard for me to redo my ponytail and put on some makeup!

When I went in, I told my trainer that I had lost 2.5 pounds this week. He asked if I wanted to redo my BMI & % Body Fat & I said "yes!" I loved the results... it showed I'm no longer 'overweight.' I now have a 'normal' body weight. YES!!! (Note: "Normal" BMI for women is 20-24.9)

Here's my stats:
1 month: weight: 154.5 bmi: 26.9 % body fat: 35.2
2 months: weight: 152 bmi: 26.3 % body fat: 34.0
4 months: weight: 143 bmi: 24.8 % body fat: 30.1

I know the machine they use at the gym is probably not super accurate, but it sure is showing that I'm getting healthy and losing weight and FAT!

Hmmm... 30.1% of my 143 pounds is fat. That's about 43 pounds. I was at 54 pounds of body fat. So, this shows I've lost 11 pounds of fat. You know, I think that 'machine' is really just looking at my weight and height and not really measuring anything. But, still! I'm getting fat and I'm standing by the 'fact' that I'm no longer overweight! What a great feeling!

(Countdown: 176 days until Half Marathon)
(Today's Training: 10 minutes on elliptical and 60 minutes upper/core with trainer)

Buying a Bike...a Short Tutorial

2010-09-29T19:49:00.000-06:00

Tonight my daughter and I went to a sporting store and I bought a bike!!! Unfortunately, they didn't have it in stock. But, it should be at the store on Friday. So, I'll pick up my new bike on Friday.

A few weeks ago, I spent at least an hour talking to one of the sales people. She taught me quite a bit about bikes and how to buy one. And, I ended up going with her recommendation (based on what I said I wanted the bike for - sprint tris and possible longer distances later). I bought the same bike that she bought 8 months ago!

On to the lesson...
My saleslady went over all of this, but I also found a great video (actually part of a series of videos) by Googling "derailleurs how to buy a bike". The videos feature Eric of Spin City Cycling in Austin, Texas. You can try the link HERE.

You have two derailleurs on your geared bicycle. They move the chains up and down the cogs when you shift gears. The most common manufacturer of derailleurs is a company called Shimano. There are 5 levels of quality. As you go up in quality, they derailleurs have a lower weight and perform slightly better.

The levels are (these are the notes I got at the store):
Sora - entry level
Tiagra - slightly better
105 - good mid level components & price
Ultegra - excelleng quality, weight & performance
Dura Ace - superior, usually found on $3,000+ road bikes

The rear derailleurs is usually the nicest piece of equipment on a bike. It is where you do most of your shifting. The front derailleur is often a step down in quality from the rear derailleur.

After looking at the various road bikes, my sales lady recommended one that had a 105 rear derailleur and one with an Ultegra rear derailleur. I ended up paying more and getting the Ultegra.

I do have a 30 day return policy, which helps a little! It's kind of stressful buying a bike after so many years! And, I can actually get store credit for 90 days. I don't plan on returning it, but it is nice to know I can if it doesn't work out!

I hope to share photos in just a few days! I can't wait to start riding!!!

Also, I am new to this, so please let me know if I made any mistakes! I'm just trying ot pass along what I've been learning.

(Countdown: 178 days until Half Marathon)
(Today's workout: briskly walked for 30 minutes while daughter rode bike)

Becoming a Runner

2010-09-29T19:45:00.000-06:00

This is a post about learning to run with C25K (couch to 5K) and SparkPeople (SP). I posted it on my SP blog. Maybe it'll encourage someone... and it is a great reminder to myself of how far I've come in less than 4 months!

I started C25K in June and graduated in August. I started running 3 miles during the last couple of weeks of C25K, though it took me almost 12 weeks to complete the program! I basically repeated weeks 1-3.

Anyway, I DID learn to run for 30 minutes using C25K (And, believe me, it was HARD to run for 60 seconds and then 3 minutes at first. I have NEVER been an athlete, I'm 40 years old, and I had JUSt got 'off the couch.'). BUT, I was no where close to 3 miles in 30 minutes! I'm still not! I was running about a 17 min 30 sec mile, so I wasn't even making it TWO miles in 30 mins! But, my endurance kept increasing.

Yesterday, I ran my first sub-14 minute mile (barely). I keep getting faster, but even at that pace I wouldn't run much more than 2 miles in 30 minutes. And, my endurance keeps increasing! On Saturday, I ran 4.5 miles! It's still hard for me to believe that I (YES, I!) can run that far! (Or even that I'd want to.)

So, I hope this encourages you to keep at it and also to show you that not everyone will finish C25K running 3 miles in 30 minutes... actually, I think most people won't! But, you WILL become a runner. And, if you are like me, you'll be amazed at your own progress.

My Shoes (& Legs!) Logged 5 Miles Today

2010-09-28T19:43:00.000-06:00

What a day! I ran 3.1 miles on the treadmill. I've never run that far on a treadmill. (I much prefer outdoors!) Anyway, I was a little frustrated that I had a 'goal' in mind and I wasn't getting there. I wanted to run a mile at a 14 min 17 sec pace like I did last week. Well, I'd run for a few minutes, and just 'have to' stop. I did this several times and it wasn't working for me.

So, then I decided to just keep going until I hit 2 miles. I would run some and walk some. I'd play with the speed.

A funny thing happened - it was actually pretty frustrating. I accidentally hit the "STOP" button on the treadmill! I kept pushing buttons, but couldn't get it to restart. So, I had to start back from "0" minutes. At least I had my HRM timer going AND I noted how far I'd already walked/ran.

I started up again and was getting near 2 miles. I decided I wanted to try ONE MORE TIME to run a mile. Maybe if I run faster I can do it? Then I don't have to run for 14+ minutes. Hmmm... So, I started running at a pace of 13 mins 57 secs. Could I possibly run a mile in under 14 minutes??? YES! I DID IT!

So, my total was 3.1 miles of running and walking. I did it in 47 minutes, which is really close to my 5K race 2 weeks ago of 46 mins 30 secs!

When we got home, my daughter was begging to go out riding on her new bike again. So, since I don't have a bike, I was 'forced' to walk/run again! We found a quiet street and I did some speed work! I was feelinig terrific! I even got my HR up to 195! We ended up going 1.9 miles. So, for the day, I totalled a little over 5 miles on my feet. And... I ended up burning over 600 calories. Wow!!!

I think I'm doing great on my way to my half marathon. I also have a 5K THIS weekend! I'm going to try to run on Thursday, too, and get my weekly mileage up near 10 miles. I've been averaging about 8 miles per week.

Countdown to My Half...180 Days

2010-09-27T19:38:00.000-06:00

My sister-in-law and I chose a half marathon to run together. It is half a year away. 6 months. 180 days. It is on March 27th in Dallas, TX. My sister-in-law will still be running the HM in late November, too, but I'll just be running the 5K. I'm just not ready and I have a lot going on between then and now.

Unfortunately, though I felt my tummy troubles were over this morning, my stomach has hurt off and on all day. Right now, I'm sipping on an apple cider hoping the heat will help.

So, what did I do for "training" today? (Yep! I'm "in training!") I went for a walk with my daughter and our 2 chihuahuas. We probably walked about 3/4 of a mile. Not a lot, but I'm not the only one that needs to exercise! I need to get my daughter active, too. This is the first year she isn't in sports and we haven't been doing much.

After that, my daughter went for a bike ride while I walked at a pretty fast pace. Again, I think we went about 3/4 of a mile. I ran a short ways, but wasn't dressed to run and I have my 'speed' run on the treadmill tomorrow.

So, this is my plan for the week:
Sunday - I was sick :-(
Monday - light workout with daughter
Tuesday - speed work on treadmill plus a little strength training
Wednesday - walk while daughter rides bike
Thurdsay - workout w/trainer - upper & lower strength; 30 minute run
Friday - REST DAY
Saturday - 5K!!!

15 Pounds... GONE!

2010-09-26T09:59:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it... I did it! I've now lost 15 pounds since June 1st.

I actually started SP a little over 2 years ago and am now done 19 pounds since my highest weight. One more pound and I'll have lost 20. It's so hard for me to believe!

I'm looking forward to going to see my mom and siblings in 3 weeks. They haven't seen me since I started this journey. It's hard to believe, but NO ONE has commented on my weight loss except those I'm actually telling! I have told my family, but I still can't wait for them to see me.

Now for the next 5 pounds... and then the final 3! That's right... I only have 8 more pounds to lose! From there, I'll see where I stand, but I'll be back to my high school weight! And, that has been my goal weight and the number I've been dreaming about for years. I'm going to make it!

Great Long Run... Now I'm Reconsider the Half

2010-09-25T09:58:00.000-06:00

I had a GREAT long run today. My longest run before had been 3.5 miles which I've done 3 times in past 2 weeks. Today, I ran for 4.45 miles!!! It took 1 hour and 12 minutes, but it felt EASY all the way! And, I could have kept going, but my hubby needed to leave the house and I needed to get back to be with our daughter.

So, now I'm once again reconsidering the half marathon my sister-in-law will be running Nov 21st. I had decided to just do the 5K, but I could do so much more!!! But, can I do 13.1 miles... hmmm...

I think I'll see how the next few weeks go before I sign up. The cost will go up on Friday, but only $10. And, this way I hope to get in at least 2 more long runs and see how I'm going.

My goal next weekend: run 1 hour 30 minutes - that should be about 6 miles or maybe 5.75. That's almost halfway there! So, we'll see how it goes.

Working Out After Tendonitis Diagnosis

2010-09-23T09:57:00.000-06:00

My doctor diagnosed me with tendonitis in my right wrist about a month ago. I've been taking it really easy with my wrist and sleeping in a splint. I've had good days & bad days, but it has been feeling a lot better the past few days.

So, today I went to my trainer and it was time for an upper body workout. Two weeks ago, we had to take it REALLY easy because of my wrist. Today, I was thrilled that my wrist wasn't hurting AT ALL! I was able to do everything my trainer asked me to! YEAH!!!

I am hoping to get back to those pushups... I was wanting to get to the point where I could do 100, but pushups have really been hard on my wrist. I'll take another week off, and if all is well, I'll start pushing!

The Half Marathon Will Wait

2010-09-22T09:56:00.000-06:00

I was so excited last night as I talked with my sister-in-law about the possibility of my running a half marathon with her in 2 months. But, I spent a long, sleepless night... and decided that pushing for a half marathon that quickly would not be in my best interest.

I have read on a lot of sites that you shouldn't run that far until you've been running a year. I don't think I'll wait that long, but I've only been running 3 1/2 months! And, before that I was just sitting... not exercising at all... and I've NEVER been a runner. I'm afraid if I push that hard and fast, I'll get hurt.

We discussed switching states - to near me where I can do a 10K and she can do the half. But, that would involve 'the family' flying down here and getting a hotel for a couple of nights. And, the half and the 10K are actually on different days! So, we've decided that won't work.

So, I've decided to stick with our original plan. I'll be running a 5K in Tulsa while she runs her first Half. I am going to go ahead and start pushing for longer distances, which I'd planned on anyway. My longest run so far is 3.5 miles. This weekend, I plan on running 4 miles. I won't be at the lake house, so my choices are round & round at the park (not very fun, and I too often give up!) or on the streets of my neighborhood (which is more likely, but on cement). Then, I have two 5Ks coming up in the next 3 weeks. So, I'll keep busy running!

I would like to find a 10K to start training for, but haven't found one yet. Then, I'd like to find a half marathon to run - probably in Texas, Oklahoma, or Kansas where I have family. I'm looking at March or April, possibly earlier. I was wanting to do a triathlon in April, but I don't know if I'll find the time to train in all 3 sports. In fact, I just found out my husband will be leaving very early on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, so I don't know when I'll be able to run my 4 miles THIS weekend... but I'll figure it out.

Half Marathon Training Day #1???

2010-09-21T09:54:00.000-06:00

I had a great run on the treadmill today. I did my fastest mile ever - 14 mins 17 secs. And, I ran for several minutes at a 13 min 57 sec pace. I ended up doing 2 miles at 14 mins 30 secs. It felt great!!!

So, my sister-in-law is running a half marathon on Nov 21st. I had NO plan on running with her, but I'm starting to wonder... as she's started hinting... (Of course, she did a 10K last month while I just did my first 5K.)

She sent me a great training schedule - but I have several conflicts... for example, I have two 5Ks coming up, and I should be running farther on those days. And, I'm taking my daughter on a trip for 6 days in late October - there will be just the 2 of us in the room, so I can't really leave her.

I'm thinking about just starting the training and seeing how it goes. I do NOT want to hurt myself. And, I know I can run/walk the 13.1 miles... 13.1 miles?!?! That's a LONG way!!!

Oh, my........ what to do....

Getting Faster...Oh, Yeah!

2010-09-19T09:54:00.000-06:00

I am getting faster! I've been trying to work on speed by using a faster speed on the treadmill. That's probably part of it. Part of it is also just that I'm getting faster as I'm learning to run and it is part of the process. Anyway, I was thrilled to set a new PR today!

Here are my recent 'big' runs:
3.49 miles in 52 mins 54 secs.....pace 15 mins 10 secs/mile (9/4)
3.49 miles in 52 mins 30 secs...pace 15 mins 2 secs/mile (9/6)
3.1 miles in 46 mins 30 secs....pace 14 mins 57 secs/mile (5K RACE) (9/11)
3.49 miles in 51 mins 19 secs...pace 14 mins 42 secs/mile (9/19)

I won't be at the lake next weekend, and just HOPE I can get a long run in! Then, the next weekend I have my 2nd 5K. I'm hoping to be under 45 minutes. That would be a 14 min 29 sec pace. I think I can do it!!!

More Bubble-ology

2010-09-17T19:58:00.000-06:00

We continue to have a lot of fun while learning in my GEMS (Great Explorations in Math and Science) class at our co-op. A few weeks ago, we experimented with which dish soap made the biggest bubles. To do this, we blew bubbles on a table and then measured the circumference of the bubble when it popped. The soapier you get the table, the easier it is to see the circumference! (And, what a mess!!! But, it is FUN!)

(GEMS has a great orientation video you can see at this link.)

My "First" 5K!!!

2010-09-17T19:46:00.002-06:00

Earlier this summer I blogged about Spark People (or SP). Spark People is an incredible, free, online group that helps people lose weight and live a healthier life. You learn to set goals and achieve them! In fact, I have been working towards weight loss, and have lost 13 pounds since starting on June 1st!

Another goal was to learn to run AND to be able to run an entire 5K... 3.1 miles. I started a program (through SP) called Couch to 5K (or C25K). With the program, you run 3 times per week. At first you are running 1 minute at a time and you work up to 30 minutes. Well, I could BARELY run for 1 minute at a time back in June, and now I run about 50 minutes, or a little over 3 miles, every weekend!!! And, I entered a 5K last Saturday.

I actually participated in 2 other 5Ks about 7 years ago, but I wasn't a 'runner' then. I would run as long as I could (a couple of minutes) then walk until I could run again. This time, I was hoping to run the whole 3.1 miles. But, the heat and the speed (I was going faster than usual!), got to me and I walked a lot of the last mile. Anyway, here is my timing chip on my shoe... I had to find a kind runner to help me figure out how to put it on. I later returned the favor and helped someone else!

This run was at a high school and it was neat having the band playing, the cheerleaders cheering, and the track team running! The cheerleaders helped us line up by holding signs for various paces. I lined up with the 10+ minute runners. The group behind me was the walkers. My pace is usual a 15 minute 30 second mile, so I knew I was slow. As a matter of fact, I ran with the walkers... a lot of them could keep up with me! But, I will get faster!

Alex took this photo of me when I got home. There were a lot of snacks on tables after the race, and I helped myself to fruit, a protein drink, and half a muffin. I always feel like eating healthy after I run!

So, I have another 5K coming up in 2 more weeks. My time on this race was (a slow) 46 minutes 30 seconds, but I did it! My pace was slightly under 15 minutes per mile. I'm hoping to do a little better next time... maybe under 45 minutes? It's a Komen Race for the Cure so it'll be HUGE! Actually, even this local race had almost 1,000 runners!!!