You Might Be a Runner If....

1.  You have enough running shoes to build a small wall or mountain in your home.  Seriously, my friends on facebook just did not seem to "Get" this picture like I do and I think you might.  

2.  You're willing to save up to spend your "fun" money to run races.  


3.  You find yourself thinking of travel experiences in terms of what kind of cool races might be going on at that time. My high school coach and his wife mentioned that I should come see them in Sonoma this summer and I immediately started thinking about what races might be happening at the same time.  


4.  You're willing to sit in a tub full of ice water after running 13-26ish miles just so you can recovery faster in order to do it again!  


5.  You're willing to eat this gooey stuff called GU that tastes like Poo just so you can keep running longer. 

6.  Your idea of a hot sexy date is dropping off the kids at Grammy and Papa's and going on a 13 mile run through the country with your husband.  A time to reflect, reconnect, and have an uninterrupted conversation!

Can someone please tell me WHY my feet bow out when I run??  It was bad this weekend. Hey and how is this outfit for Hot and Sexy?!  Woo hoo!  Ha!  At least I keep it real on here.   

 Trying to get a good running shot for my blog header.  No luck.  But we had some laughs in the process.  

7.  You enjoy seeing your run split up into mile times.  

8.  You're willing to wear sock-like sleeves on your arms in order to have the ideal body temperature when you run.  And you get excited about spending money on the perfect blue running top to go with the arm sleeves.  Oh, and you might have a running blog if you're known to take a picture of yourself wearing your new running gear.  Even though really, you look like an idiot and really, most people who don't have a blog would tell you to Get. A. Life.  

Excuse the tired, end of the day, no make up look.  I'd like to say that I usually look better but this is the real deal with me most days.  Ha!  Tis the life of a SAHM.  I get excited when I have a reason to do my hair and make up and wear something other than workout clothes. It's like playing dress up.  

9.  You look forward to seeing your weekly training plan all written down and you're excited to see improvement.  

Of course, if you're Chris K, this would make your head spin.  Sorry Chris, don't look. It works for me.  :) 

10.  You really do run because you LOVE it!  You don't need the races and the training plans.  You don't need the fancy Garmins, sexy tops, and fancy protective sun hats.  You run because it fills you so completely, balances your mood, brings you back to yourself, and makes you a better you!  You run because you love to run.  
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1.  Thank you so much for your sweet and sincere comments on my last post about my dad and my personal and emotional feelings about running:  The Deepest Part of My Running Heart--Running for Him  


2.  Anyone have anything to say about the Nike Women's Marathon or Half Marathon?  And Anyone planning on trying to run it this year?  I know that I've heard good things and that you get a Tiffany's necklace for finishing...a nice running one!  Score!  And my girlfriend and I are planning on trying to get a group together to try to get a spot this year!  Road Trip!  Any takers?  


3.  Finish this phrase and add one of your own:  You might be a runner if....


Peace Out, 
Amanda

9 Miles With A Jogger Stroller In The Forest Is Stupid!

I woke up this morning feeling much better after my Ice Bath.  It sure was torture while I was doing it but I'm glad I did.  Thanks for all of your tips on making it more bearable.  I guess the swimsuit and sunglasses didn't help make it easier.  Next time I'll have a sweater and a hot drink.  But seriously, for those of you who keep your undies on or put swimsuit bottoms on with your sweater...why?  Do they keep your hoo hoo from freezing or is it for modesty?  I mean, the only reason I had my suit on was to be presentable for my blog video of course.


*  I am hurting!  Something is just not right with my body.  I have a chiropractor appoinment on Monday.  Hopefully an adjustment will help.  Tonight during my Fartlek Friday workout, I felt so funny.  My right and left leg seem so unbalanced.  My right leg seems to be doing all the work while my left leg feels like it is barely touching the ground  What?!  This is probably a big reason for why I'm hurting in odd places.  I need adjusted!
*  It was probably so stupid to run 9 miles with my 5 year old in a jogger stroller.  In the forest with big hills no less.  What was I thinking?  This could be why my body feels all screwed up.  Lesson learned.  
*  My husband is redoing our molding in our house tonight and painting  I should really get up and help but it is close to midnight and I just would rather sit here and blog while watching him.  He's pretty sexy working so hard.  I should take a picture.  But that wouldn't help my cause to sit on my duff.  
*  Yoga last night was great.  The instructor was wonderful.  However, she had a bad case of camel toe. 
*  The lady in front of me in Yoga had see through pants so I could see her buns every time she bent down.  And the other girl in front of me had really short shorts and she was showing everything.  She was hot though.  If I was a guy I would have had the best seat in the house.  
*  I pretty much fell asleep at the end of yoga...a sure sign that this mama is tired.  That's why I've decided to blog at 11:30 p.m instead of go to bed.  
*  Rolling hurts like a mofo (is that a word?)  I think I have bruises from rolling out my IT band...at least it feels that way.  
*  My spin class was AWESOME.  My instructor was a 60ish year old man who thought he was Lance Armstrong.  He kicked my ass.  But he made me think I was cycling in the Tour de France in the warm sunshine.  Seriously, he was that good.  
*  I slipped some flax seeds in my oatmeal the other day.  At first my oldest daughter tried to pitch a fit.  
"What is this?  Is this Quiche?? (she calls Quinoa Quiche on accident...you know, they both start with Q and she hates both of them)"  I told her that they were special vitamins from God called Flax seeds that make your hair really shiny like a princess.  All my kids ate it up!  

*  This is what I use my college degree for these days.  We turn ordinary boxes like this:

 Into small towns. This is just one of our buildings or whatever it might be.  At this moment it is just junk on my living room floor but it was fun while it lasted.  

*  This is me right now:

When really, I should be helping my sweet hubby prep our windows for paining:

Happy Weekend,
Amanda

First Ice Bath

I decided that tonight was the night for my first ever ICE BATH.  I've heard about it.  I've read about it.  I've been told that I should do it but I have never (until now) done it.  Woooo Wee!  I didn't know what I was missing out on.  
I figured that with the pain I've been feeling in my IT band, the soreness from rolling and new stretching, the intense (and awesome) spin class tonight, and an hour of yoga, now would be a good night to test the waters of the ice bath.  
I thought that I'd try to visualize warm thoughts so that this whole ice bath thing might be a bit easier.  So I dressed in my swimsuit, put some shades on, grabbed my beach towel, and told myself I was someplace warm with the sun, sand, and warm water. Okay, really the suit just made it more fun for my girls who were watching and it allowed me to take pictures and a video to capture the moment. The glasses and towel just added a nice touch to the suit.  
Here's my "right before entering the water" picture.  My face says it all...this is scary stuff!  I mean I don't like cold water.  It takes me 15 minutes just to get in the darn pool at the gym.  

My 5 year old cinematographer captured the first attempts of an ICE Bath for this athlete.  What a milestone in my running life.  





I did finally adjust to the torture of sitting in ice.  I could barely walk when I got out because my feet were numb.  Now I'm sitting in my fleece pants with my robe and slippers while writing this blog, watching some mindless t.v and sipping this:

Have you ever had an ice bath?  


How often do you take ice baths?  


What do you do to pass the time when you take an ice bath ...you know, how do you make it more bearable?  

Amanda

Reminiscing About Boston 2004

Apparently, midriff tops were acceptable in 2004.

There have been so many blogs I've read lately that have mentioned the Boston Marathon.  So many runners are starting to get ready for their 2011 Boston training, some are making plans to have a blog meet up there, and so many are just so excited!  I'm so excited for them!

 A shout out to two of my favorite blog friends who will be running Boston :  The Hungry Runner Girl and Elkton Runner.  Reading their blogs tonight got me thinking about when I ran Boston in 2004 and made me want to go through old pictures and remember that time in my life. 

 I was 25 years old in 2004 and I was teaching 3rd grade at the time.  My husband and I were newly weds living in a cute little apartment in a trendy neighborhood in the city.  Life was full of adventure, travel and and possibilities!

When I qualified for Boston at my first marathon, I had no idea what it really meant or what to expect.  I just knew that I should probably  take advantage of the opportunity to run it when I could because who knew what turns life would take and when I'd have the chance again.  I am so glad I decided to run it!  It is one of my favorite memories and tonight I've decided to celebrate my memory of Boston by sharing some pictures to go along with this post. 

But first....HOW did 7 years already pass by since I ran this race??!  What?!  It seems like just yesterday!  I don't feel older than I did at 25.  I don't look any older either.  Ha, okay, so maybe a little bit but I can  tell myself whatever I want, right?  And nothing in life has really changed unless you count the 3 kids I've popped out, our move to the suburbs, our 7 years of marriage, my career change, and just a few major traveling experiences.  Not much at all.  I might as well still be 25! 

 But seriously, life goes by before we know it and it really is too short to not do what we love.  For so many of us on here, Running is a passion and when we can't run, life isn't as enjoyable.  Coming back from injury makes me so much more aware of what a special gift running is.  I understand now (after my first major injury) just how difficult it is for runners who can't run due to injury.  I'm also beyond thankful to be back and I'm excited to train for another marathon and hopefully run Boston again in 2012 or 2013.  I have not run a marathon since Boston.  Portland Marathon was going to be my 3rd and I was hoping to be in Boston in 2011.  I'm okay with everything that has happened though.  In fact, I'm convinced that my injury was a blessing in disguise (as most things in life are).  Because of my injury, I was challenged to truly reflect on my life, think about things I wouldn't have thought of otherwise, and realize the things that matter most.  I also learned some new things in the process, found other ways to exercise that I hadn't tried before, and I started this blog as an outlet!  So glad I did!  Oh, and because of my injury, I have a fire and determination in me that I never before had as an athlete...It will fun to see what I can do with it! 

Enough of the almost midnight ramblings.  Here are some photos of my Boston 2004 experience. 

Getting ready to head to the bus that took us to the holding area before the start.  I wish I still had some of that muscle in my quads!  Oh, and forget the muscle...where the heck did my boobs go?!  The ones in this picture are so far gone it isn't even funny!  Yes, that's right, nursing three kids and not having much to begin with really sucks it out of a girl!  Good thing my husband didn't marry me me for my perfect B cups because those are history folks!

Ha!  Check out those stylin' shorts!  

I'm pretty sure this is at the top of Heartbreak Hill.  My husband had the perfect spot!  I still can't get over how amazing it was to have sooooo many people cheering on the sidelines.  Every single step was filled with so much energy.  My first marathon was The Napa Valley Marathon where I pretty much ran alone on open roads through vineyards so this was such a different experience. 

So proud and JOYFUL to have finished!  3:32:35.   It was so fun to return to my third grade class on Monday.  They thought I was a superstar!  So cute.  The entire school had announced my progress throughout the race as they received news of it from my timing chip.  The librarian even taped it for the kids to watch.  The kids seriously thought that I was waaaaay better than I really was.  They thought that I won it or something and that they would actually see me on the race coverage!  So funny.   Adorable.  I loved seeing those little faces light up and hearing their shouts and cheers when I walked in the room.  It was all icing on the entire Boston experience. 

Getting dressed after the race.  So HIGH on Running!  Before the race, someone was passing around a marker and we all wrote our names on our body.  It was so cool to hear my name being shouted out from people along the sidelines.  It was as if they were all there just for me!

Ewwww, bloody shoes!  Definitely time to get some new ones! Shoes, not boobs. 

 And this is when I should have gone directly back to the hotel to take an ICE bath!  Instead I took a warm bath and went out on the town for the night.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.  I almost had to use a wheel chair in the airport on my way home because I hurt so badly but pride got in the way and I made my way onto the plane!  Next time...Ice bath!

A close up of my shoes.  I'm kind of glad that my toes were bleeding because doesn't the blood just look cool?! 

Okay, we really do look way younger here than we do now.  At least by a few years. 

And this one is just funny because woah, who dresses like that?  What a dork!  Really?  A jean jacket with jeans?  hmmm.  But note that I wore my medal out on the town.  Damn right!  I worked hard for that medal.  Ask me where it is now though and I probably couldn't tell you. 

Thanks for letting me share!  Thinking of all you blogger friends out there that are gearing up for Boston 2011 or working to qualify in the future! 

What is one of your favorite running or race memories?  Please share! 

Amanda