This is where the Rubber Meets the ROAD!

4 months. That is what I have been training now to run Bayshore Marathon.
I have trained 45-50 mile run weeks. I have ran every Thursday with my running girls "Katie" and "Danielle"
I have done 4 months of stretching, training, sweating, rolling, praying, and RUNNING.
This is it. You have either put your training to the test or you haven't.
You can't cheat the marathon.
It is 26.2 miles of pavement that will eat you up and spit you out with no remorse!
I Respect the marathon. I am humbled by its magnitude.
I am so small in comparison. I can only conquer you One Mile at a Time. One Breath at a Time. One Step closer to your Splendor. I love you and I hate you. I embrace you and I fear you. I could never come to you unprepared.
I Believe I am ready to Run Your Course.
But I am not coming alone.

 "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."

My God is bigger than you. He never leaves me.(Deut 31:6) He strengthens me (Phil 4:13) I seek him and he hears me."Matt 7:7-8) I call unto him and he shows me great and mighty things. (Jere 33:3) I am well and able to overcome (Numb 13:30)

I will see you in a couple days. This is it, 4 months later we meet. I look forward to your beauty. I embrace your greatness. I come humble yet boldly. I am confident we will enjoy our time together and you will see my passion in my pain. I know you will inflict pain upon me. You will not destroy me and you will not discard me. I have worked way to hard for that. I will not give up. I will fight. I will run. I will persevere..

This is where the rubber meets the road. I have nothing else. There are no ancient shining secrets to get me painlessly across the finish line. It will take me over 3 and a half hours.
But this I ask. My one last request...I have prayed ...I ask you to pray for me.
Please remember me in your prayers. For Strength, Perseverance, Confidence. To stay strong minded and quick footed.

Anita

In the Heat of it. When running feels like Hell.

  Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. - William James

A canopy of shade!

6 days to go till Baysore. Today I was suposed to run 12. I did 11.
It was 88 degrees- without a cloud in the sky. I ran at high sun, 1pm.

Track shorts Lululemon

"Run in the sun shorts"

It was terrible. This did not turn out to be a great run. What made it great was getting it done and being done!

What made it a little more tolerable was getting to wear my new purchase from Lululemon.
I wish I could afford to shop there more. They have some incredible goodies. But the reality is I had a gift card from them for a pair of pants I returned. Because the pants are no longer being made they gave me almost double my purchase price! So I actually bout 2 pairs of shorts!

What NO NO do You see Andy did? Notice the sweatband-that was smart for saving the eys.

Andy and I took off together. I felt pretty good other than a mild headache and a runny nose I was ready to go.
Andy on the other hand..Not so good. I passed my cold off his way. He was not feeling so hot...YET!!. I decided to do 12 and he was wanting to run between 8 and 10.

Andy was too hot to focus on zooming in-to show you my skirt. Overall it did really good.

We took off together running towards as much shade as we could find. Dirt Road we welcome you, we implore you and we seek you!
The dirt roads were a a bit of a let down with the last few days of heat they were dirty, dry and dusty. Because of where the sun was positioned we were hardly sheltered from the stifling heat.

You could feel your heart beating in your chest and your legs had that tingling feeling through out them. We found our self looking forward to our waking breaks every 10 minutes.
At almost 4 miles Andy and I separated on Lahring rd. It was time to kick it into gear. I put some music in my ears, tried to embrace the heat and suck it up. I was able to convince myself that "I Got This" for about 3 miles..till I saw Andy coming toward me on Belford rd...
"Why the heck is he coming towards me?" "Did something happen??"
As I approached him I asked him with the small amount of energy left in me, "Why are you here? You should be heading home?" Andy replied breathless, "I was worried for you." But the crazy part was he looked way worse that I did. He had to come up a significant mound to reach me and he was feeling it. Truth is, I was more worried for him.
I checked our water and we were both almost out. CRAP! This was not good, we had more than 4 miles to go without water and running without any covering from the smoldering sun was looking like a death sentence.
I had to make a decision.  With Andy not feeling good, I decided to run ahead of him and seek water at the nursery about a half of a mile down hill. I let my legs guide me down leaving Andy cautiously behind. I was genuinely concerned for him. There are not many times when running fast really become an asset other than racing like they did now.
The nursery ladies were very kind to the sweaty chick in a pink miniskirt and sports bra coming off the street. I can only imagine what was going through their mind! They filled my 20 oz bottle from their hose and I was off again.
I could see Andy up ahead. From the distance he looked tall and strong. I had about 700 feet to catch up to him. I was refreshed from a cold drink but knew I had to put it into high gear to catch up and get him some water.

Have No idea what this little fella was, other than really slow and dumb. Someone lost their mama:(

By the time I reached him I was toast. I handed him the water bottle and he wanted to ask me a couple questions. All I could muster was "SHHH."
I couldnt talk for about 2 minutes and all that came out was "When can we walk?"
Disappointed with his answer I just trailed behind him. He started begging me to go ahead and leave him. To go at my own pace. He said he didnt think he could make it the remaining 3 miles home. There was no way I was going to leave him, we stopped completely on the side of the road. Andy needed to relax, calm down and refocus. McDonalds was less than a half a mile up the road. As we pushed off we drank more water and even took in a chew I made another descision. I decide I would leave Andy yet again and run to McDonalds for ice and water for our bottles. I didnt get an arguement from Andy and I even took his 2 8oz bottles along with my 20 oz bottle.
This time I was feeling like I was not getting very far fast. I occasionally looked behind me to make sure Andy was ok. But I focus on the Golden Arches.
As I approached the building I noticed the sign..No shirts..."Hmm, I thought, I technically have a shirt..it just looks like a bra."
Without much more thought I went in and marced to the fountain machines and started filling. By the time I got out Andy was waiting. He drank the icy water like it was liquid gold.
The last half a mile I made one last decision. I decide I was not running 12! Nope, Not gonna happen today.

 
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."Galatians 6:9

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Well that's what they say. I believe in running in the elements. It shows you what your pain factor is, you endurance is revealed and you challenge yourself mentally on difficult runs, strengthening your mind. But you have to use your head. You have to be open to changing or bending your run to stay safe.

TIPS ON RUNNING IN HEAT:

• Look for shaded trails or back road
• Stash Ice water ahead of your run in places you will be passing
• Girls wet your hair down, wear a Ice bandana, even a bandana just to keep sweat out of your eyes is helpful.
• Light weight clothing, light color, sunscreen, and sunglasses.
• Pain attention to your stress signals. dizziness, light headed, confusion...
• Remeber to pack some gels, chews or electrolyte pills.
• Be prepared to adjust your goal. Allow yourself some grace in the heat.
• Think about maybe hitting the Dreadmill instead!

 Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.
- Newt Gingrich
Anita

Runnin With Bill. Angels Place Race

I have been cutting "Bill" and his families hair for years now. They are a beautiful family. The first time I cut his hair his wife "Rose" gave me a picture of Kevin Costner and said she wanted "Bills" hair to look like his! We all laugh to this day about that! My husband of course would bring in a picture of Eva Mendes!!
"Bill" has been running for a few years so this year he decided he was going to run his first Marathon! The Detroit Free Press in the Fall! He is inquisitive and wanting to know how to run longer, faster better.
Bill came in a few weeks ago and mentioned he was doing a local race. I told "Bill" "Hey, I will race it with you." I don't think he really thought I was going to RUN it WITH him.

Bill server our country in the Army flying helicopters

I work every Saturday but my manager was really awesome about letting me take my morning off to run with "Bill".
At 8:20 I called his house to confirm that he was coming. When "Bill answered the phone he not only confirmed he would be coming he inquired about me. "Anita. You are not going to run this with me..You are going to run your own race..." I responded..."NO, Bill..I am Running with YOU."

65 Degrees and Pure beaming sun! The race, Angels Place Race, was very organized and had several volunteers. They had 2 water stations set up on the 10K course. And they were well used in the heat.


Running with "Bill" was the best part of my day. I get a little insecure that I might drive him nuts with all my mantra and excessive encouragement. I can't help it. I love to watch people challenge their selves.
"Bills" goal was to finish in under 58 minutes. This course was very demanding. It was a beast with the wild elevation. The hills went from little rollers and soft inclines to what felt like you were Bear Grylls and mountain climbing.

"Oh crap...Is that another hill??"

"Bill"  did awesome. Every time he came to a hill I would try to encourage him. He asked what I do when I come to a hill.."Where do you look Anita." "Bill" said he looks down. I replied "I look Past it."
When we came to hill I said to "Bill" as he was doing exactly what he said he does..looking down. "No Bill. You know better than anyone, you gotta look your enemy in the eye and conquer it."

 "The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." Vince Lombardi

 

We didn't finish the race in under 58 minutes. We finished in 101 minutes. He was so disappointed. He is so hard on his self. 

So we pick our self back up, we analyze the play, and then we decide what we need to do differently or what we need to do more!  That is why it is so fun to work with people like "Bill".

The first full sentence out of his mouth was. "So where did I go wrong?" He just wants to grow, learn, and continue to challenge his self with personal goals. I love that. 

Running HILLS!

•  Lean into hills
• Keep your core strong...Running with core
• Shorten leg stride slightly, using small quick steps
• Pump your arms, your arms dictate your pace!
• Look ahead of yourself up the hill
• Learn to Love Hills!!! Train them, make a date with the hills till you learn to love them!

Rundown

Pace: 9:50

Distance:6.2

Time: 1:01

 Big Congrats To Bill!! WTG!! And also "Rose" his wife for coming out to support him.ALSO..Congrats to KEN K and his wife and Dale D who also were out there this morning running!!
Anita

Training tips: How to Anticipate your Finish Time.

I"M STILL SICK..A little chesty now. And by chesty I mean it is all settling in my lungs. UGH!
I won't bore you with my whining, I think I did that enough yesterday.

Lets talk about something meaty..Like Running..Training. Goals!

Lets talk about a couple different training topics!
Questions I have helped others with:

ANTICIPATING YOUR FINISH TIME!! 

A runner who has been consistant in thier training and has been running 3 to 4 times a week can often predict their marathon time within minutes.
*Multiply a recent half marathon time in minutes by 2 then add 10 minutes!
(For Beginners to be on the safe side add an additional 10 minutes.

There are  couple ways to do this. I shared this with "Michelle" today.
She has a GOAL marathon time. 

TRACK WORK!!

According to Bart Yasso, he claims that if you do 800 meter repeats-6 of them- with a walking lap in between you can achieve your goal..

If your goal is a 4 hour marathon you need to be doing the repeats in 4-4:05 minutes.

So for me to qualify for Boston I had to run my repeats in 3 minutes and 40 seconds...all 6 of them.

This is the strategy I used to qualify for Boston and it worked. I had the pleasure to meet him right before I did my marathon!

This Goal can only be met if you train consistently for the next few months. But if you do everything your are supposed to do, doing this once a week you should achieve your GOAL!!!

Goal Setting

"The great and glorious masterpiece of
man is to know how to live to purpose." Michel de Montaigne

It is time to start picking out your races. Whether you are deciding which marathon to run in the fall or looking forward to a Pr on your next 10k the time is now. It is runner fever. 

I found this Acronym for Goal Setting..Hope it helps you design a summer or fall running plan!!

S-SPECIFIC- Is your Goal Clear and Concise??

M-MEASURABLE- Can you determine whether you reached your Goal?

A-ADJUSTABLE- Can the Goal be modified if needed? 

R-REALISTIC- Is the Goal appropriate for you, your level of fitness, surroundings, resources, ect?

T-TIME BASED- Is the a time frame around the Goal?

E-EXCITING- Are you looking forward to achieving the Goal?

R-RECORDED/RECITED- Have you written down this Goal or shared it?

Nutrition Nuggets!

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” ~ La Rochefoucauld

Eating before you run has 3 main functions: It tops up the muscle, liver and glycogen storage. This ensures adequate blood sugar levels..And trust me I have made the mistake of NOT eating properly and end up 3 miles from home in a full blown panic attack because I can feel my sugar dropping. I get shaky, confused and loose my focus.  Note: this is why I drink Chia Water on long runs also. it helps stabilize my blood sugar longer.

Your Pre-running meal should be low in fat, low in fiber (you dont want any tooting or bad belly issues) and high in Carbohydrates.

1 ww bagel, 1 banana= 55g carbs

1 Cup Greek Yogurt=38g carbs

1 Cup cooked oatmeal=30g carbs-w/ brown sugar add 25g for 1.5 tbsp

8 oz OJ-30g carbs

1 ENERGY Gel=25g carbs

High in antioxidants this is my Power drink right now!

Here are some Races I am running..What Races Are you signed up for??

Angels Place-May 19

Bayshore-May 26

Dexter Ann Arbor -June 3rd

Rundown:

Distance: 3:39

Time: 29 min

Pace: 8:28

Ran with Andy tonight, I wasn't feeling it at all. Andy begged me to keep going..I tuckered out and went back home. 

Anita 

 “O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You have healed me. Psalms 30:2

My Body Hates ME! It started 3 days ago. My throat started hurting and I thought I could control it. Mind over matter I tried to convince myself.. "I Got This"
Green tea, Unprocessed honey ( thank your Melissa H), hot bath, Juice Plus....

Last night it hit hard. My mind coudn't convince my body to quit sneezing.
First yesterday, I helped out and ran with the Cross Country kids and decided that after that I would further punish myself and make it to Alecs Baseball game directly after.
By the time we arrived at the baseball game I was full on convulsing. My body was jerking over and over again as it went into a sneezing fit. I could feel the sneeze come on and there was nothing "Lady Like" about the obnoxious man noise that exploded from my mouth. No, It couldn't just be 1 cute high pitched girly sneeze. It had to come as a onslaught of germy, spit flying explosiveness. I quickly tried to regain control of my seizing body but it was too late. People were looking, they quit saying God Bless You...I think now they were saying."God Please bless me." 
I had blown my nose so much I had a cup holder of moist snot rags compacted together. Also very "Unlady like!"
As if the physical symptons were not bad enough now I felt the whiny baby coming out. I hate the whiner in me. I try so hard to bury her but I felt her arising.

My body was rejecting me. It was no longer listening. I could not control my body and make it better. Today was tough. I was booked at work. I think I blew 2 layers of skin off my upper lip. GROSS. Where does all that snot come from anyway??
Today it was 80 degrees out and I had chicken skin like Tyson. I was freezing. I sounded like a 3rd grade geek as I squealed each word out  I didnt even recognize my voice it was so distorted by my plugged up nose.

So here I lay. Defenseless. The cough is now starting, The nose still a hot mess, my belly is quirky from the drainage and I am a big stinking CRY BABY!

Ok..I am done whining to you all about it. I was hoping it was "Allergies"...But who knows! I am throwing in the towel, going to bed early and Praying Hard!

No Running for me tonight Nita~

Being a Mother is not for the weak..

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Austin, Me and Alec

Mothers Day.
Being a Mother is NOT for the weak.
It is the marathon of all marathons. You run after them as toddlers and soon they are running YOU all over town. They run fevers and You get run down! Some days you feel like you are running in circles and other days you feel like you have been running your mouth and no one is even listening.
 
But the fact of the matter is that being a MOTHER is a very big and very important job.
It is not a job that shouldn't be taken lightly. It is a selfless job. A job where it is "Never Fair", and "Your Time" comes very very rarely. It is a job where it is no longer "About YOU."


My boys are the last thing I think of before my eyes close and the first thing that comes to my mind before my eyes are even fully awake.

Me, Mom and Maw Maw..

My boys remind me to respond properly to others, to control my tongue and actions that come out of my mouth. And to remember they are watching and taking inventory or every action, non action, response and emotion that I birth. And Trust me....they Remind ME!

Everyday I see this world and remind myself  THEY are what I fight for. That I will run the race of a mother stronger and harder than any run I have ever done. I will dig deep, try hard, Pray consistently and occasionally let the tears flow. I will remember the FRUIT of the Spirit as a mother for my children to see.
I will Die to MYSELF. I will ask God to be merciful to me and patient with me when I fail. I Pray I can learn from my mistakes and that God will show me wisdom and grace.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

I Pray I can remember that I am a huge influence to my kids. That I have to be strong, controlled, loving and patient.
Being a mom is a difficult job. It does not come with a big ribbon or trophy. But I have my "Medal Moments"
Today at brunch a woman came to out table. She looked directly at Andy and started out with "Is That Your Son?.."
We were just waiting...nervously waiting for her to finish her sentence before we had to discipline Alec. She finished adding "I just wanted you to know he held the door open for me."
AHH...we all exhaled! She could see the distress in our faces and laughed with us.
This is a little "Medal Moments" that God gives us to remind us to Keep Running hard.

There are many CHOICES we have to make every day. When we make them Do We have our children at the forefront of our hearts?
Are we thinking about the impact we have on our children?
Are we a good influence?
Not everyday is a Good Parenting Run. But we get back up, wipe off the dust, dig in a little harder, Pray..Pray and Pray, Seek God with all our heart, Suck IT UP, and Move foreward. Yesterday is gone, we can only learn from it and build a bridge and Get over IT.

Mothers Of Influence to ME:

Andys Mom- She has loved me like her own. This has been hard for her to do at times. But it means soo much to me. 

Deb (Andys sister)- She has always been so strong in her Faith no matter how disappointing life has been. She has been hurt so bad as a mother and yet she still loves like no other.

Mabel- My Grandma- WOW.Such a woman of GOD. All her children were alcoholics and abusive. She Never quit loving them...She was the STRONGEST woman I knew...I miss her so.

Becky, Aunt Lois and my Aunt Mary. All loving and generous mothers. Sacrificial. 

NIKE Elites!! Woot woot!

Guess I am crazy..Dexter Ann Arbor 1 week after Bayshore!!!

RunDOWN:
Pace: 9:03
Distance: 16.01
Time: 2:25
Mothers Day RUN! I always get a run on Mothers Day. It is a good time to Remember my mom, be Thankful for Andys mom and Be Grateful to be a MOM~

Anita

X CC..Sometimes it s fun being on the side lines!

So we have all established I LOVE running.
I love everything associated with running.
SWEAT, Medals, Finish Lines, New Shoes, magazines, blisters, blogs, tee shirts, timing, and the list can go on forever...
But something I love just as much as running is encouraging others.
If you tell me you are "Thinking" about wanting to run I will try and come up with a plan to help you!
I love helping people achieve their goal or even helping them design one.
God gave me a set of lungs and a big mouth!! What God gave me a heart to help others. I am as much a CHEERLEADER as I am a PARTICIPANT!
God Gave YOU one too.....

Today Danielle an I ran at Kensington. I loved running next to her. We were both struggling. But the more I found myself encouraging her the more I noticed I was gaining strength from my own words.
Her steps side by side to mine, her breathing echoed corresponding to my breathing, together we shadowed each other never loosing a step through the rolling hills of the metro park.

Encouragement, support, companionship, coaching, cheering, edifying,,,
I love it..ALLLLL!!

RUN HARD!!!!

Todays X county meet: 

TURN THEM OVER!! Go GO!

 

DIG DEEP! YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

r

 

TODAY IS YOUR DAY!!!

THATS MY BOY!!! GO AUSTIN! RUN HARD!!

The Rundown:

Pace: 8:06

Time:1:09:

Distance:8:51

Anita