question......... please help

OMGosh.... she is going to kill me for sharing this photo. This is from this past summer at a camp out for church.

I have this marvelous friend. When we moved to KY, she was so kind to me and my family. She is one of a kind. She says it how it is and she is also just so much fun to be around. She lost around 40 lbs on weight watchers over the last 2 yrs or so.... (Karen, am I right?) and she has also become a runner in the process. She amazes me with her drive for more, longer, better. I don't know how old she is, and I am not even going to guess, but I know she knows a hell of a lot more about life then I do, and I really appreciate all advice I receive from her. Cool thing, she has been coming to me for running advice. What? who am I to give advice? Sure I have run 11 marathons, 12 half marathons, and countless other 5K's and 10K's, but me... really? So I do my best to answer her questions, and I love it. I love feeling like I have something I can give back to her. She has run a number of 5K's this year, and her distance is up to a 10K. She has made the goal and found the desire to run her first half marathon in Lexington Ky, this coming March. I am so proud of her.

So to the question. She has been reading a book on running, a beginners book. She couldn't remember the name or author as we were chatting. The book tells her NOT to lift weights on her lower body, on days she cross trains. I really have not thought about it. I am that runner that has NEVER followed any sort of running plan. I have always done my own thing. (which hasn't been to shabby as far as my times go) I only lift weights maybe twice a week and even then, it's mostly squats and lunges and dead lifts. I never use the machines. I NEVER do calve raises or anything to strengthen my shin muscles. So, I didn't have an answer for her on this one. So I told her I would shoot out this question or concern to all my wonderful, fellow running/bloggy buddies. What do you think?

Should she be lifting her lower body on her cross train days?

BTW- I was able to run 6 miles outside today... PAIN FREE. I am thinking the ankle is def on the mend. It felt so good to run outside. It has been 3 weeks. YAY!!!!!!!!

I am rocking my HBBC points. There are several others with much higher points then me, but I am very happy with where I am.

well maybe not.....

I really thought after my Saturday run of 2 miles pain free, I was on the mend. Nope. I tried running again Monday.. pain... the warm up for boot camp this morning... pain.... however, no pain the rest of class, so I jumped on the treadmill after class and ran 3 miles. I really could have gone longer but my 2 hours were up with child watch. So, maybe this is a weird injury that is A.O.K with a decent warm up. What do you all think? Should I continue to do this, or still go in and have it checked out? I just hate going to the doc.

I found this funny comic... enjoy.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY ON THURSDAY!!!

*Oh ya... I am on day 2 of Amanda's HBBC... I am at 10 points... will be 13 if I decide to go to spin tonight. YAY!!!! The one I will struggle with is the 7 F/V a day... pretty sure I will never get that point per day. yikes.

can I get a WOOT WOOT........

I have been sick all week and have struggled with any kind of workouts. Finally this morning I decided to toughen up and go to Boot camp at the Y. Loved it. Love the new trainer... he is some yummy eye candy. After class my friend was going to run for a bit on the treadmill. I decided to test the ankle and see how it was feeling. Guess what? I ran 2 miles.... PAIN FREE.... I am soooooooooooooooo happy. I had to force myself to stop at 2. I didn't want to over do it and make the pain come back, or make it worse.

I am grateful for 2 miles of pain free running,. WOOT WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HBBC and my ankle...............

Run to the Finish is hosting her annual Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge. If you are interested in getting on board, click here to read the rules. Be sure to let her know I sent you her way... you know, so I can get some extra points... tee hee.

Starts Nov 23rd and end Jan 8Th....

My Fit by Fall challenge ends Nov 23rd and so this will be perfect for me. I really don't care if I LOSE weight over the holidays, I just don't want to GAIN. So this is definitely the challenge for me.

My ankle is still having issues. It is right on top, where the ankle bends, but radiates down the ankle bone as well. Yesterday, I couldn't even run 2 blocks. It has definitely turned into a pain, where at first it felt more like something was tight and needed to pop. I hope it is just a small over usage injury and with some time off running, icing, ibuprofen and maybe some soaking time in Epsom salt, it will be better in a week or two at most. I want to run my next marathon in Feb and need the training to not fall to far behind.

Grateful post

I have been posting on my family blog daily about different things I am grateful for. So when Kristen reminded me in a comment on my last post about finding things to be grateful for and that should help pull me from my funk.... I decided I had better share with you some of the things I am most grateful for. BTW- sorry about the last post being so down... ugh. And as Tall Mom says... these are things in my life that fill my Pie.

I am of course most grateful for my husband and my two gorgeous little girls. They make me feel complete and whole.

I am also very grateful for my parents who raised me to know right from wrong. I have 8 living siblings and they are all wonderful people who love me. My twin sister is of course my other half.... for real. I know most people use this term for their spouse... not me. Frances is my other half and I love and miss her daily.

I am grateful for my girlfriends who picked me to be their friend, and don't give up on me when times get crazy. I miss my Utah girls so much, it hurts everyday. They are such amazing women.I am grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have not always been the most faithful member, but I know the church is true and it helps me to be a better wife/mother/women and friend.

I am grateful for diet coke, flip flops and chocolate.


I am EXTREMELY grateful for a healthy body that allows me to run the miles I endure weekly. I am grateful it has carried me through thousands of miles in training and races. I am so grateful to have the strength to run 26.2 miles and to work out as much as I do.

I am grateful for the ability to breath on my own, walk, RUN, bend, play with my children, hear, see and feel.

I am grateful to have been born in this Country. I am very proud to be an American.

a very sad and depressing 100th post

How sad that this is my 100Th post on this blog, and it is all going to sound very down and boring.
*I do not have another marathon planned till Feb.
* Feeling pain in my left ankle/foot while out running yesterday.
*Not going home for the Holidays is making me very sad. Didn't think it would bother me much, but as we get closer to Thanksgiving and our families are finalizing plans, it makes me have a bit of anxiety that we are staying here.
*I have a nasty cold and it is kicking my trash. I just want to cut my head off.
* The 4 yr old needs to have about 8-9 teeth fixed. They are so severe, they feel the best option is to use general anesthesia in the OR at the Hospital. UGH.... $$$$$$
*The hubby is finally finished with budget season, and now he is spending his time hunting, so still no hubby to speak of. (although he just killed his first white tail buck, we have mule deer in Utah)
* I haven't lost any weight in about a week a half... pisses me off... gotta make some changes.

So how is that for sad and depressing???? Happy 100Th post to me.

you snooze, you lose.............

Dear fellow runners:
I would like to advise you of something NOT to do in the bloggy/running world.
From my experience, I would suggest, you DON'T blog about your next race/marathon until after you have actually registered for the race/marathon and are an official contestant of that race/marathon. Other wise, if you do not follow my advice, you might find that after your blog post about your upcoming marathon, many friendly and kind comments were left on your behalf. You know.... like, "Good luck" "Wow, your 12Th marathon, amazing" things of this nature. All though the wonderful comments will make you feel like super women at the time, you will find how embarrassed you will feel, when you finally go to register for said race/marathon, and find the race is closed. So please my dear readers/running friends/bloggy Buddies......... take my advice, and register for the race before you inform the WWW, that you will be running X race, and hope for X time. You will save yourself some pouting time, and some serious embarrassment.

***if you have not caught on.... Janice here, blogged about my next race, and then finally after a week and a half, decided to actually register, and found it to be closed. Dang. Dang. Dang!
So whats next you ask?!?! I have no freaking idea. Stay tuned, and when she figures it out, she will blog about it. But not till after she registers..............

I am a winner..... and a witch vs Cinderella

I love Halloween. I love to dress up and I love the spirit of ghost and goblins. I love watching the kids get excited about what they will dress up as. I love hearing them giggle each time a silly, cute or scary costume walks by. I myself, am not creative, nor do I sew or make anything. I always buy from the store... not so much fun, but next year I promised my kids we would come up with some contest winning costumes. My two girls are night and day different from one another. 8 yr old is very timid and suffers from some serious social anxiety. She wanted to be a CUTE witch, she wouldn't even wear the black wig. 4 yr old is polar opposite. She is loud, silly, wants all the attention and cracks me up daily. I love my little ladies so much and they bring so much joy and happiness to my life. Lately I have felt like a single mother. My hubby is the CFO at the hospital and it is budget season. So for about 2 months he has been working more and more. The last two weeks he has worked 14 hr days. So for Halloween we were able to spend a little quality time with our favorite man/daddy. Thank Goodness the finale budget meeting is Wed.

Guess what???? I did NOT eat one piece of candy... Not one... Candy Smackdown... and I was rewarded with 1 1/2 pounds lost.

Wow... I am still in shock. I won Tall Mom's giveaway and received this most fabulous jacket. I wonder what I will be wearing (and taking all kinds of pics for Tall Mom) on Dec 12Th at my next marathon in Huntsville AL. I definitely think I need the Capri's, or the Skort to finish the outfit.