Wednesday In a Nutshell

I was really excited to get up and go running this morning. More than normal. I am so blessed with Incredible friends. Remember the gal that I met at the beach with the boys a few weeks ago???
In case you do not know. Took the boys to a new beach at the last minute. As the boys played in the water I propped myself on my chair hiding my body underneath a wide rimmed sun hat and a over-sized pair of sunglasses. I also hid my body behind a "Runners World" magazine and settled into my "nothing box". It is a very empty beach so I felt well hidden in my bikini. And just as I got settled I heard a voice "Hello, Are you Austins mother?"  I was mortified as I covered up my skin with my paper products.  She was one of the local churches Pastors WIFES! AHHH!!
But here is the beauty in her response. She did not judge me. She did not make any comments about my immodesty something that I would expect and have gotten from us "Churchy Folks." Rather she just wanted to know me. Little ole imperfect me. I knew I like her from the minute I spoke to her.
I REALLY fell in love with her when I found out she was a RUNNER!!

Well today "Courtney" and I got to run together.  It was a glorious day. A beautiful morning. And her company made it even better. We ran very well together. Chatting and laughing and having a little devotional on the pavement.
If you want to be a better person than hang with Greatness. People you see qualities you would like to grow closer to. I look at the people God has put in my path just from my running partners and am soo totally blessed. I have NOT sought these people out. God truly has put them in my path. From "Heidi" to "Danielle" to "Katie", "Sarah" and now "Courtney".
I am so humbled and honored to give God the Glory. He continues to bless me with beautiful people.
"We entertain Angels unaware."
Today I asked myself after running 6 miles with "Courtney" "Why Me, God?"
"Why have you given me yet ANOTHER incredible person."
There are days when I have tear stained cheeks filled with insecurity and emptiness. There are days when I want to hide from people afraid to be hurt again.
There are days I want to hide from myself because I struggle with my heart issues.
But not many.
But those days can handicap you in a blink. They can put you in the pit and make you feel hopeless.
BUT....
Then I am often reminded I have these awesome people around me. People that love me for little OLE ME with all my craziness, all my weirdness, all my hang ups. I just don't get it. But I am going to embrace it!! I am not going to return these gifts.

After our 7 am run, I was rushing home for a day at the ZOO!
I had made the boys a Scavenger hunt with prize $ for each "Picture" they took. They had 10 pictures to take with different exhibits and riddles.  

Example " You must get a picture with all your family in front of this popular fountain, And ask a stranger to take it."
It really was a ploy to have fun and get good photos with the boys because they hate taking pictures! And it worked!!
Well I am wiped. We ate dinner at 8pm! Thats when Andy got home from work today, 13 hour day.

Good Night all.
What angels has God put in your path? Do you have special people in your life that make you a better person?
Or are you like me where sometimes you are afraid of people? Afraid they are judging you, afraid they are making fun of you?
Hurting People Hurt People. Healing people help people.

RUNDOWN
Distance:6:01
Pace:8:45
Time:53

Anita

Running Lingo and thier Meanings.

"Endorphins: Runners' drug of choice"

It was intended to be an easy recovery run. Take it easy, breath and just relax through 5 miles. I am not sure if a song made my pulse kick into gear or a thought did the trick. All I know was I was running just fine, feeling a little sore from yesterdays run when something put a little fire in my pants. Next thing I knew I was resting in between Fartleks. I was tackling the hills with power and relaxing on the way down. I was sprinting in between signs and catching my breath to the trees. I had made a game of it. Almost like a game of tag. Run:Rest:Run.

I thought I would share some Running Jargon with you. These are the definitions according to RUNNERS WORLD BIG BOOK OF MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON TRAINING.

1. BANDIT: Someone who is participating in the race unofficially, without having registered or paid for an entry fee.
2. FARTLEK: Speed Play, or "Fartlek" in Swedish (the concept originated in Sweden) is a speedwork format in which you run faster for however long or short you want.
3. OVERPRONATION: Excessive inward roll of the foot, which can cause pain in the foot, shin and knee.
4. RICE: Refers to REST, ICE, COMPRESSION and ELEVATION. These measures can relieve pain, reduce swelling, and protect damaged tissues all of which speed healing. They're most effective when done immediately following an injury. RICE is the standard prescription for many aches and pains, such as strained hamstrings and twisted ankles.

  "A bachelor is a guy who never made the same mistake once." P.D.

Phyllis Diller died this morning. My favorite cartoon in the whole wide world is and has always been Scooby Doo. And my favorite episodes where the ones she and Soupy Sales and other comedians would star in. I miss those old cartoons. They have remade Scooby Doo and it is full of romance drama and just not the same.

"Burt Reynolds once asked me out. I was in his room." P.D

Do you have a memory or a favorite Phyliss Diller thought you would like to share? I would love to hear if so. Please share it with me.

RUNDOWN:

Distance: 5.04

Pace: 8:31

Time: 43 min.

 "I found my happy pace."

Anita

The Confusion in Forgivenss.

 You can out-distance that which is running after you, but not what is running inside you.  ~Rwandan Proverb

You have to believe in yourself and your abilities.
You have to strive for not just good but greatness.
Never accept mediocrity.

Family Birthday. Cousins.

Do not settle, or get sucked into "just OK".

I have been concerned about not being able to run my 15 miles today.
I am nervous about running another marathon. But I know I can do it..It is just gonna take training, pain, and discipline. I could run the half marathon and do what I always do... doing what I am comfortable doing... Do what I am familiar with  doing...
OR..I can challenge myself, step out of my comfort zone, go Big and dig deep.

 "Heidi" text me this morning to join me on part of my running adventure. But our schedules were not matching and I was very disappointed I did not have her company for part of my run.  I love running with her.

I laced up my new Brooks shoes wondering if I was going to regret putting this many miles on them so new. I was concerned I may end up with some nasty blisters.
I was pretty pumped though because Andy surprised me and bought me a new Ipod. But it needed to be charged and my playlist needed to be downloaded.
I decided to do a "there and back" times two. This way I could trade the Iphone for the Ipod and stop home and get water.

My first 5 miles I fell right into a groove with no knee pain. It was 71 degrees and the stars were aligned for a perfect run.
I headed back towards home for my Ipod trade and a bathroom break.
As I ran into the house I kept moving. Quickly dropping into the bathroom, running upstairs to get IPOD, running back down stairs to get my water and without much thought like a obstacle course lining back up to the road for another 5 miles.

My second "there and back"  I wanted to go on the road where I was going to see Andy. We had a family birthday party to go to and Andy left without me. You have to take training serious. I am already behind in in my training and today's run was my catch up. You hope people will be understanding. Most of the time you can bend your runs but you sometimes have to juggle things and pray no one gets upset.

Sure enough as I got to mile 2 on my second leg of my run  (which was really mile12)I felt cold water spraying all over me. I look to my right and there Andy passed me showering me with a water bottle.  And just like that he was gone. As quick as he came and went, he left me with more than wet shorts, he also showered me with a smile and some emotional support that encouraged me to the rest of my run.

As I drew near to my 15 mile marker I assessed my body. Wow, no knee pain, hips feel strong, legs feel solid, my mind was steady and clear, and my feet....FELT exceptional! I am LOVING my BROOKS Glycerin! I could not get over how great, I felt especially my feet.

I just want to say again..I did it. I ramped up those mile to 15 and I am so excited. Cautious, but stoked. I feel so Grateful. Thank You knees, thank you mind, thank you feet, and THANK YOU GOD! GRATEFUL.

****

 Colossians 3:23
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” 

Our Sermon today was on FORGIVENESS.  Boy, do I have a Masters in Forgiveness.

Father who was never around.

Mother who sold me out for a case of beer.

Uncles that beat the crap out of you for looking at them.

Grandma that let us go into foster homes.

And that does not even count marriage and children! 

I have forgiven all of them. I love all of them. I have held NO GRUDGES. 

But this sermon today... I have one thorn in my side. I take it to the cross almost daily. I tearfully ask God to help me. I know I have forgiven this person yet I just have the hardest time forgetting. I could forget if the person changed towards me. But they are still so bitter. They have done some hurtful things to me and my family. 

I want to do the right thing. I just get so confused on what the right thing is. Doing the right thing is always hard when you have so many different forks in the road. It is always important to do the right thing no matter how many people are doing the wrong. It is the narrow path. The road less traveled. Often times with me the right thing has lead me back down the highway of hurt again. You turn the other cheek, you forgive seventy times seven and BAM..they do it all over again to you. 

I keep waiting for GOD to send me an email that is very detailed and direct. It hasn't came. Even in the Sermon there was one thing he said in the middle of all the forgivness talk. "You have to forget everything when you forgive, but you do not have to hang out with that person." 

I thought is that me? Was that God speaking directly to me? 

Doing the RIGHT thing is about taking ownership. Doing the Right thing takes courage and humility. Doing the Right thing takes direction and wisdom.

I just want to do the right thing....All the time. The best way to influence someone is with honesty, integrity, and doing the right thing. 

  Don't try to be different.  Just be good.  To be good is different enough.  ~Arthur Freed

LOL...This is what we do for fun..Austin with his cousin Brian. They saw this on UTUBE!  This is the first time they tried this! Crazy Boys.  

RUNDOWN:

Distance:15.1

Time:2.12

Pace:8:43

Ramping up your miles can lead to injury. You have to know your body, and be disciplined enough to slow down and change the game plan a little bit. Stretch, roll, ice and eat a diet filled with fruits, vegtables and protien to heal and help your body recover. Drink plenty of water after your run it helps your body recover also. 

I made a iced protien chocolate  latte.

• 16 ounces lowfat milk
• 2 scoops JUICE PLUS COMPLETE 
• 1 tablespoon Hersheys Chocolate syrup 
• 1 Starbucks Via instant coffee packet

Stir, add ice and and a straw and enjoy!

Anita

A little of this and that.

I have worked at the same salon for 16 years. I have had the same schedule for close to that time as well. Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. These are usually my days off from running. I give so much credit to those runners out there that run after working all day. Andy is one of those people. Andy had 68 hours clocked this week. I do not know how he has the energy to run.
I am behind my miles so I really wanted to get a couple extra miles in today after work.
 I asked the boys to go biking with me for half an hour to put some miles on the pavement. Austin was game but Alec was whining a about it.
I promised them 3 miles.
We just ran around the neighborhood. It was more than enough for me today. My legs felt heavy and tired. I ran at an easy conversational pace. I chatted with Austin about the boys that spent the night and about him and his afternoon adventure with Hungry Howies. Austin call Hungry Howies and with his money, while I was at work he ordered a pizza and had it delivered. I was cracking up. I thought he was yanking my chain. But Alec piped in "I told him not to do it mom." Typical of Alec my little scaredy cat.
I thought it was hilarious. Austin thought he had reached a pivotal point in puberty! Especially because he even thought to tip them!

I love being a mom. It is the hardest job and it is the most humbling job. But every once in a while you get these little nuggets of pure joy that trumps all the tears and heartache.
Austin actually had his first major disappointment. He tried out for Soccer and did not make the team, he got cut. Austin knows nothing about Soccer. But he has been working out all summer and studying utube videos. The coach told Austin " You have such passion and heart but you have no experience."  This was tough for a mom to hear. You can teach most kids the game but you can't teach someone how to have Passion and Heart.
I believe it was a good experience for Austin. He handled it very good. It was a good mommy moment to watch him react to the let down.

Tomorrow I am going to try and ramp up my miles. Gonna try and do 15 miles slow and steady probably even incorporating walk breaks in there to prevent myself from getting injured. My knee was hurting a bit today so I pray it is better tomorrow.

Night~

Favorite people this week:
Ryan P..Funnest person to tease!
Amanda S..Great forgiver and going to be a beautiful Bride
Andy..My hunny. So thankful for his hard work and dedication to his family.

Anita

Keep it simple Thursday..Yeah right

I lost a running day. I probably walked more than I would have ran, I know I was on my feet a WHOLE lot more than running. I spent the day at Cedar Point with 140 kids and leaders. I love Ceder Point! I love higher, faster  and steeper. I love that blood pumping through my veins! But I lost a running day.

I lost more than that. I lost time, sleep and energy.

We got home from Cedar Point at almost 1am. We were chasing "Phantom Kids". The 3 buses left us looking for 2 kids. I have been doing this long enough that I knew that we were on a wild goose chase.  But you still have to take the necessary precautions to be safe.

6am came all to soon, and so did 7 and so did 8am!! I crawled out of bed at 9! I lost 3 hours. I could have totally used those 3 hours. There was just not enough time in the day. I was running around the house more than running outside today. Washing floors, dishes, laundry and just the regular house maintenance.
And my least favorite..grocery shopping. I think it is ridiculous.
You put the groceries into the cart.
You take the groceries out of the cart to put on the belt to pay for them.
You put the groceries BACK into the cart to take to the car.
You take them BACK out of the cart to put in the car.
Only to take the groceries BACK out of the car to put away!

I somehow squeezed a run in that mess. It looked like rain out but the only option was to run and run in the rain if need be. I asked the boys to go with me to run at the track. I wanted to do a little bit of track work and run back home. They actually agreed and took their bikes with me.
I did  a total of 7 miles, a little over 5 miles running and the rest I ran 200m repeats. UGH..I hate repeats.

Speedwork is the best and fastest way to improve but it is also the fastest way to get injured!
220 Yards (200 meters or 1/2 lap)
To train for short distances (5K and under) and to sharpen speed.
440 yards (400 meters or 1 lap)
To improve aerobic conditioning at slower paces and to improve speed in the last stages of preparation for short races (5K and under).
880 yards (800 meters or 2 laps)
To train for distances 10K and under for speed. For distances above 10K the distance helps sharpen your sense of pace and improve aerobic conditioning.
Mile (1600 meters or 4 laps)
To develop ability to hold onto a strong pace for significant distances, particularly for those training for longer races (10K and up, including the marathon).

"The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit."

 Anita

Monday Runday

I was dragging butt this morning. I wanted to run 15 miles today but I knew that was ridiculous! Especially after yesterdays 10k and 4 miler.
I bargained with sanity and decided I would do a easy 13 miler instead. My knee was a little sore so I knew I had to play this run smart. Smart usually means taking "Anita" out of the picture. I have to bury her and find her counter part, the more sensible one.

It was a good day for a run. The temps were cooler and the sun hid behind the clouds throughout most of my run. To guarentee my plan of  "Nice and Easy"..(we are not talking hair color) I made two other descisions before I hit the pavement:
1. I was not going to look at my pace, I was going to run by feel and feel good doing it.
2. I was going to incorporate walk breaks in every 2 miles.

Sounded like a plan I could stick to. And I did.

It is always a good day when you get a good run in..It is a better day when you achieve your goal on a MONDAY and it is the best day when you can top that run off with a new pair of running shoes!

SHOE FACTS:

• When running the impact you put on your legs can be up to 8 times your body weight! 
• Most quality running shoes last between 350 and 500 miles.
• Minimalist shoes last roughly HALF the time your every day training shoes lasts.
• Each of your shoes land on the ground about 800 times per mile.
• When getting fit for running shoes it is best to go in the afternoon when your feet are a little more swollen.

I went to Hansons running shop in Lake Orion. I tried on 2 pairs: BROOKS Ghost3 and BROOKS Gycerin.
I put my foot in the Ghosts first. This was the shoe I wore running Boston 2011. I loved that shoe. But they are very light weight. The New Ghosts though have more cushion than they have in the past and were a little touch of heaven.
I was skeptical on the Glycerin. The sales guy said "This is a great shoe, one of the best but it is so expensive." 140$ WOW!! I thought.  But then when I put my foot in that shoe it felt like a whole lotta heaven! I was in love and thankful I had a coupon!!

Rundown:

Distance:13.36

Time:2:03

Pace:9:12

"We run, not because we thing it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves." Roger Bannister

Anita

Milford Memories: Following through.

    3rd place female overall:18th overall 45:23.1    

 “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans.”

Some friends from church  last week asked us if we were running the Milford Memories race. The conversation was infectious. The more I listened to their enthusiasm the more drawn in I was. I was all in. This race was a race I had heard of but had never ran before. It sounded like fun and it was even more exciting when I knew it was in 1 week. I was SOLD.
I bottled that emotion waiting to see if it was really gonna happen.

A few days later I stopped at work in between rain runs to drop off something and "Christa" came up front where I was standing.  I was a bit of a conversational piece as I looked like a drowned rat and the girls I work with couldn't understand why I was going back out there to do it again. But "Christa" saw a open window to share with me her 5 miler that she had just finished. I was very impressed.  I saw my open window then to invite her to Milford days!!!

As I got ready this morning for this last minute race I wondered if "Christa" was going to make it out. She had a late night so I wasn't sure. After all, most people say they are going to do something and do not do it. As we got driving towards Milford I got a text confirming she was on her way!

"Christa" actually beat us there. She looked amazing after having hosted a "Mustache and Wig" shower the night before.
"Christa" was my running partner in California and she is a tough cookie. I loved seeing her. She has ran a couple races with my family.
As we got ready to start she wished me luck and told me to go big. I just was not feeling it. "I have a long run Monday that needs to get done." I told her as I cowered out of the pressure.
But when the "GO" was barked I went.
The morning was perfect running especially considering I was not prepared for a 6 mile course of all rolling hills!
I wanted to run hard but I also wanted to have fun. I enjoyed smiling and yelling at the runners passing me. "Great Job", "Looking Good" and "That's it, get up it!" I encouraged the runners. The course was a "There and back" so I got to see a lot of the runners pass me a couple times. They started smiling back at me by the second time I saw them.
At mile 2 a girl came up on me. She was my size, my build but very serious. We went back and forth passing each other and running side by side. Only she was not voicing many words like I was at the passing runners.
I saw"Christa" and Andy at mile 3. I got so pumped from seeing them I picked up my pace. As I picked up the pace I was also going up a hill. I never saw her again until we did a loop coming on 5 miles. I saw her out of the corner of my eye, she had dropped back a few hundred feet but was still going hard.
I was determined to maintain my 7 min pace to the end. I only had a mile. I told myself to hold on, move my legs and don't forget to breath!

I finished. And felt pretty good. I had 5 minutes to run to the car now and get the camera and "Christa's" phone before they got to the finish line! I was not done yet!

I patiently waited for "Christa" or Andy or 1 of the other 5 people I knew to come down the straight way towards the finish.

I had no idea who I was going to see first, and then there they were. "Christa" stayed with Andy and together they came!!! I was so proud of her. This was the farthest she had run this year, such an incredible achievement.

We caught our breaths, grabbed some food and checked our times. I had to recheck my time as Andy said I took 3rd place Overall Female. I thought, "No way" I ran hard but I could have ran harder. I mean I was having fun cheering other runners on most of the time. And you know what they say "If you can talk you are not running hard enough."

It was a great race. A lot of rollers. Up and down you ran for almost the entire 6 miles. But it was mostly on a paved trail. Definitely a race I would do again.

I had only one problem. My miles were down and today was supposed to be a long run. So after a power nap I snuck out of the house for another 4 miles before Andy knew I was gone.

Integrity: Doing what you say you are going to do.
Commitment: following through no matter what.
Two awesome qualities I love in people.
I loved seeing "Christa" there. I even said to her "I can't beleive that you are here after the night you had."
She replied "I said I was gonna be here, I had to be here..."

“Integrity is keeping a commitment even after circumstances have changed.”  ~ David Jeremiah 

RUNDOWN

Total weekly miles: 41 miles

Distance: 10 miles-10k and 4 miler

Anita