a beautiful sunny day

Today I was NOT motivated to run at all. I was so tired and all I wanted to do was lay on the couch. But I keep telling myself I can't waste this beautiful sunny day inside. So I laced up the ol' shoes and hit the pavement for a 8 mile run. Once again, it took me a good mile and a half to feel "in the groove". It is amazing to me how getting out there and doing some exercise makes you feel so good. I love running on sunny days. And I love long runs on sunny days. Today I tried to keep a slower pace to get used to it when I get into those 20 mile runs. It is really hard for me to run slower though. I think it takes a lot more energy to go slow and my muscles start to tighten up. So in all today was a good run. I completed the 8 miles in an hour and 8 min with a pace of 8 min 37 sec.

I am huge on thinking positive during a run. I always tell people that when I was training for my first half marathon I was so dead after just a couple miles and wanted to just go home. But I told myself that going home wasn't going to help me at all and I would improve if I cheat myself. And then when I finish the amount of miles I am supposed to do it feels good to not give into weakness. I still sometimes think, "oh, I'm to tired to do the full run. I'm not going to do the whole thing." But I very rarely give in. When i feel like I am dying I talk to myself telling me that I am strong and can finish. The weakness is TOTALLY in your head. If you tell yourself you can't do it, then your not going to. Once those thoughts enter you have to start thinking positive. A saying that I like is "pain is weakness leaving the body"

6 miles

I have been a total slacker and haven't logged any of my runs. I am so bad at this stuff. But i will try to be better now. Today I did a 6 mile run. I really didn't want to do it. It was foggy and cold. But once I got out there I felt amazing. Usually it takes me a good 2 miles to get good and warmed up and get moving good. But today I felt good the whole run. Except that I totally fell. I tripped and tried to save myself, but couldn't catch my balance. I landed on my hands but I am pretty sure that my feet were over my head. I am so thankful that I was wearing my gloves and my compression pants or I would have had some major road rash. My hands are kind of sore, but not bad. Anyway, i finished 6 miles in 50 min and 10 seconds. I love getting out there and running when it isn't raining. And I am so glad that I am finally getting back into the groove. I don't feel sluggish anymore. Tomorrow is a short 4 mile run.

Day 1

Today was my first day of training. It was a 4 mile run. I was excited for 4 miles because it was not far. Well it was one of the hardest runs. I have lost so much endurance in the last few months. I went from running a 8:20 mile to doing a 8:45 mile. I was disappointed but I will work my way back up. Looking forward to the runs to come. Tomorrow is a 6 miler. Hoping I feel better than I did today. One of these days i want to get my measurements and see how much my body changes in the next few months.

26.2 miles

Ok, I have ran 3 half marathons so far and loved every minute of each race. The sea of people all running the same race you are, the feeling of accomplishment and and the rush of running 13.1 miles and breaking your previous time overtakes you. The last half marathon I did in Eugene I broke my time by 3 minutes and felt on top of the world. I placed 85th out of a little more than 1500 people. After that race i felt like I could go and run another 13.1 miles.

After LOTS of thinking praying and stressing I have decided to run a FULL MARATHON!!! Yes I am going to run 26.2 miles. Now some of you are thinking why in the world would you want to torture yourself like that. And really I have no good answer for you. I feel that I need to push myself even further. And I know that if the contestants on the "Biggest Loser" can do it then so can I. Looking at my training schedule FREAKS me out. When I see those big mile runs like 16, 18, and 20 my heart races and I get really nervous. I think "how it the world am I going to run that far." And I got thinking. I am going to blog about my adventure in completing a marathon. Then I can look back and see how i felt and what I did. And you guys (if your interested) can follow me. I also hope that this will motivate some of you to step up and challenge yourself in ways you never thought you could. So beginning Tuesday I will have my first post about my first workout.

P.S. The picture above is from the Eugene Marathon, and that is just a small amount of the people in the race.

A wedded afair

Jaxon and I got the honor of being in my best friends wedding a few weeks ago. I was a little nervous at first when Desi asked if Jax would be the ring bearor but he did pretty good. He LOVED his tux. Here are a few pics I was able to get of us at the wedding.

Couponing

A bunch of ladies at my church have started couponing and I was so amazed at what they would get for practically nothing. So recently I have began my couponing adventures. When I first started I would get so frustrated because I would not have all the coupons, or they would be out of what I wanted. But now that I have a good collection of coupons I am getting the hang of it.

Tonight while we were in Salem taking Jay out to dinner for fathers day I decided to go to "Target" because one of the blogs I follow had a few good deals for there. I got 4 old spice body washes and 4 aveeno body washes all for $4. You might be wondering how the heck did she do that, well here is the deal. If you bought 3 old spice body washes you got a $5 "target" gift card. I had 2 BOGO coupons for that so my total was $7.98. I did that in one transaction and in the other I got my 4 Aveeno body washes. I had 2 $2 off 2 coupons and they were on sale for $1. So they were .25 each and I just used my gift card to pay for that.

I always get so excited when I get good deals like that. It is so nice knowing that I saved a TON of money. I must admit, it does get kind of addiction. So if you aren't into couponing and want to... be warned that you will become addicted to it FAST!

99 things

Kind of bored tonight so I thought I would do this

Instructions:

Copy the list, bold the ones you've done (with explanations if needed), share with friends.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (but it didn't get to far before it died)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (it was a half marathon though)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching- my grandpa worked for tradewinds
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy- it was a blanket that my mom took away from me and saved
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle- when I was young my dad had one
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee