Big Fat Giveaway.....

Active Bands is having an awesome giveaway over at their blog. You could be one of 2 lucky winners to get a free $50 gift card to their web site. This is the time to check them out and see what Active bands is all about. Click here to find out about their contest.

Running shoes please.....

Last week I spent 3 days with a bunch of teenagers from my church. I plan on posting about my experience, it was difficult mentally, and physically.... just waiting on some pics from others who went. I forgot my camera. I was very grateful to be in shape and in marathon condition. I am so grateful for my health.

I Love my Active Bands.

The hubby and I started our marathon training this week. I don't usually follow a specific plan. I kind of just do my own thing. But since this will be hubby's first full marathon, we decided to have a written schedule to tell us what we should be doing. (Hal Higdon) The marathon we are running, which is Oct 16Th, is flat and fast.

I have 433 miles on my "newest" running shoe. I do alternate my shoes, and I don't usually wear the same shoe 2 days in a row. I always know when it's time for new shoes. My shins start telling me... first kindly, and if I ignore them, then they start to scream. I didn't want them to start screaming this go-around, so I ordered some on Monday. I always buy my running shoes from runningwarehouse.com. In fact, I buy everything from there. Their customer service is awesome and it's free shipping, and I don't think I have ever waited more then 3 days to receive my goodies.

*How many miles do you put on your shoes before you NEED a new pair?
*Where do you buy your running gear?
*Do you like to follow a training plan?
*Have you checked out activeheadbands.com yet? You should.

Guest post by the twin sis... enjoy

Hey blog peeps... I thought I would have my twin sis write up a guest post.

In fact, I have asked several of my sister's to write up a guest post... so stay tuned, more fun guest post to come.

Janice asked me to write a guest post here on her running blog. That makes me happy because I can now say, I AM A RUNNER! Sometimes I don’t think of myself as “A Runner” because I compare myself to my two sisters who are crazy runners…. but I am a runner. I know this cause I am at a point that I LOVE to run and WANT to run.

I have run 4 half marathons, and several 5k’s and my sister Janice kept asking me when I would run a full marathon with her, and I just wasn’t interested. I didn’t believe 26.2 miles was a distance I could finish. Well just over a year ago she talked me into running my first full. She would be in Utah visiting and so my sisters Maria, Janice and I were going to run the Deseret News marathon in Salt Lake City. Training was going great and I had just run down in St. George (Gorgeous Southern Utah) 13 very happy miles. I remember coming back from that run and texting Janice, “I finally feel like a runner”.

Well what would you know, the following Wednesday as I was doing hill repeats, I injure my IT Band. Ugh it was bad. I rested, iced, and stretched. I did all the things I should and it wasn’t getting any better. I had to cancel running the marathon with Maria and Janice. I was there throughout the course cheering them on and then at the finish, but the jealousy and sadness still overwhelmed me. Well I rested most of that summer and babied my knee, but all I could think was “I want to run”. The ache within my heart, confirmed I was indeed a runner. By August I started running short distances with no pain and just kept getting stronger. I ran all winter and then it was early January or February that Janice said she would be in Utah in April. So we signed up for the Salt Lake City Marathon. This would be my first full marathon, and I was excited and nervous all at the same time. I had the best support throughout the race. Janice, Maria, and Jason (Maria’s husband) stayed by my side all 26.2 miles, which helped so much. It was hard, but I finished happy and strong. I was immediately determined to improve my time of 4:31.

This brings us to my 2nd marathon.

June 11th…. The Utah Valley Marathon, which was suppose to be mostly down hill. I started my training, but due to only having 2 months between the two marathons, I knew this training would be shortened. With about a month left in my training I started to slack and lose motivation. I wasn’t running as much as I needed during the week. It really showed on my Saturday morning long runs. After shortening several runs by 4-5 miles of the scheduled miles, (due to lack of motivation) I finally got a full 20 miler in, just 2 shorts weeks before marathon #2.

Race day came and I knew I could finish, I just wasn’t sure how fast. I wanted a sub 4 hour, but with the lack of training, I wasn’t sure if that would happen.
Alarm went off at 3:15am, I got up, got dressed and ready for the race. Do I have everything.?. checked all the items off my list and made myself a peanut butter and honey bagel. Grabbed my drink and ate in the car as my husband drove me to the buses. This was really weird because in my first race I had 3 others telling me where to go and what to do…. now I’m all by myself. Time to put my big girl panties, on and figure it out on my own. I Got in line and caught the 4:00am bus. Took the 50 minute bus ride to the top of the canyon, where I waited for about an hour for the race to start. I got in line for the potties which took some time.

(She needed the GO GIRL-- LOL)

Then I wandered around and ran into a few people I knew, and then got ready to start the race. The gun went off and there I was, running my 2nd marathon. Never thought I would say that but so glad that I can and that I am.

Felt great it took a couple miles for it to thin out to a comfortable crowd. I Shed my jacket and gloves at about mile 3 or 4. The aid stations were great they started at mile 3 and were every 2 miles which was nice because when I got tired I knew I could just get to the next aid station, and then I could walk while I drank. Mile 7 was my first GU, and I kind of had to pee, and knew we would be starting to run DOWN the canyon. At this point we were just coming out of Wallsburg and I didn’t want the downhill pounding to cause me to pee my pants. (Janice insert--GO GIRL) The downfall of waiting in line is losing those precious minutes. (Go GIRL) I lost about 3 minuets. I was really looking forward to some downhill running…. Oh no, that didn’t happen, there were more hills then I had planned on. It caught me off guard a bit but I would run up the hills till I needed to walk. I was feeling great, and at the half way mark I was at 2:02…

Mile 25....

Well by mile 17 my legs started crashing. I don’t think I ever hit the wall mentally but my legs were done. I had to really talk to my body and legs to push through it. I saw my husband and daughter at mile 20.5 and was so happy to see them. Stopped and stretched and he took a picture. (To send to Janice) This took a few minutes then I was off again. Mile 25…. to my surprise a beautiful tall, spunky girl jumps in with me. It was my sister Maria. She had so much energy it just about killed me. I was dead by now and trying to put on a smile. I slowly made my way to the finish line, and finished in 4:21… taking 10 minutes off my SLC time. I’ll take it.

YUMMY CHOCOLATE MILK

I am running the St George marathon (#3) in October, and by golly, my training will be different with this one…. Better.

Thanks everyone for listening to my novel of a story about running.

You GO GIRL.....

So congrats to my twinner on her PR. She ran The Utah Valley marathon in 4:21... and beat her SLC time by 10 min. Wahoo!!!! Thanks to you all for the nice words of encouragment for Franny. I'm sure she channeled your words during those last few, super hard miles. Drinking her chocolate milk.... one of my favorite post run treats.

The other day I was flipping through the Cabelas catalogue....( the hubs and I are getting ready for a 3 day Trek with the youth from Church.... This requires an entire post of it's own) Any who... I was flipping through and looking at all the fun things I would love to have, (even though I am not much of a camper/outdoorsy kind of gal) I found the funniest item.... and then last night my sister in law emailed this to me, because when she saw it... it made her think of me. TEEHEE... I must have mentioned one to many time about my peeing problem I tend to deal with sometimes while running. Oh the joys of child birth......

Folks I introduce the.... GO GIRL

Hello people, is this the funniest, yet coolest invention ever?!?! I have always been jealous of men and their ability to stand up and pee. It just kills me when I have to hide behind a bush at the start of a race (I hate those long lines for the porta potties and don't usually have to do #2) I hate it when we are at about mile 2 or 3 and all those men are just whipping out their prized possessions and hitting the road again, with hardly any time lost. Where us women have to find the perfect bush, and take the time to pull every down, squat (and sometimes this is tough, depending on where you are in your race) and then you pray you wont get it all over your shoes and or legs. Drip, drip, drip, and on your way. No more need to worry about spraying the legs, or squatting.... all you have to do it pull out your GO GIRL and follow the instructions. I really want to try one of these.

Would you ever use one of these? Or if you are a man and possess the "parts" in which make peeing convenient, do you know any super Chics who would want to try one of these babies?

I'm thinking I may need to order one, try it, do a review and then maybe a giveaway.... haha, we'll see.

A family shout out.....

**Don't forget to redeem your discount code at Active Bands....
offer good through the month of June.
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I am a family person, I love my family. Have I ever mentioned that I come from a family of 9 kids? Yep, my parents are pretty much the most amazing people ever. We are all married and have kids, except for the youngest, she hasn't started her family quit yet.

So 9+9 = 18 + 24 grand kids = one very large family. And we all REALLY TRULY like each other, of course we love each other... but we LIKE each other and we like to be around each other. It makes for loud, crazy, fun, and interesting family get together. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

My Parents only had one set of multiples. That would be me, and my super awesome twinner sister. We are fraternal and really are quit different from each other. We always have been different. I was loud and crazy and out going in school and twinner was almost painfully shy. By the time our senior year of High school came around, she came out of her shell and never went back in. She is now the loud one, and far more outgoing then I am. We are best friends and it really sucks that we live 1500 miles apart.
Especially when there is a function that I really want to be at.... Like this Saturday.

She is running her 2ND marathon, which is the Utah Valley marathon. We finally have a hobby in common and we don't get to run together real often. I know she will be fine and she doesn't need me there, but it doesn't take the ache away. This marathon is pretty much in her back yard, so she gets to sleep in her own bed. Jealous!

Anyways... so this post is a shout out to my twinner.... Feel free to leave her a comment and give her some words of advice or some motivational words to help her through the 26.2 miles she will endure on Saturday.

I Love you Franny.... You are going to rock UV marathon.

** Side note.... I am already so super sick of running in the heat and humidity. Talk about fun sucker.

It's our Holiday peeps.....

National Running Day

First: I want to remind you all that Active Bands is offering my super cool readers a discount for the month of June. (check out the sidebar) ----------------------------------------->

Thanks Active bands lady.

Second: I got out and ran this morning for OUR holiday.... did you? Woke up at 5:30, and was out the door by 5:45... the temp was *70 and 83% humidity. It wasn't as miserable as I thought it would be. Yesterday I woke up with a nasty head cold, but not even plugged ears, a runny nose, and a sore throat would keep me from celebrating OUR HOLIDAY!
Third: I read this quote on someones FB status the other day and today, with it being National Running Day.... It made me think back to my 50 mile Ultra back in March.

"Believe and dare. Stretch far. Dig deep.
Only those who risk going too far can possibly know how far one can go."
T.S. Eliot

It's OUR holiday peeps.... get out and RUN FAR!!!!