People always ask me what I think about when I run. After, "are you crazy?", it's the typical response. Running is therapy. Therapy for your body and therapy for your mind. I think about a lot of different things but here is a list of the things I think about the most:

1. My body-I think how how it looks now, compared to how it will look when I run the marathon. I think about how my calves are almost completely muscle, and how I wish the rest of me was too :O) I also think about how the next time I see the person I hate most in the world, I'm going to walk by them with my rockin', athletic legs and love every minute of it!(Petty? Maybe, but you asked)

2.Music-I think about whatever song is playing and what it means to me. Was it was a happy, time, sad, time, a whatever time? I think about why I like the song what made me decide to download it. As much as I hate Lady Gaga, she has some great running songs. I just try not envision her face while I run....

3.Blogs-I write blogs in my head. Most of them never make it to fruition. I think of things I've been meaning to blog about, and try really hard to make myself remember for when I get home. As you can tell by my blog updating skills I don't always remember, OK, I never remember. It passes the time though.

4.The Marathon-I think about it alot too. What will I wear? It sounds silly, but you're going to be running for 5 hours straight, you want to be comfy! What if I have to go to the bathroom? HUGE fear here. If I could I wouldn't consume food for 2 days prior just to ensure so potty breaks are needed. However, I need fuel, fuel comes from food. It's a constant worry. I think about water, jelly beans, gels, protein bars and other junk I will consume while running. Will it all taste nasty? I hope not. My tattoo. After I run the marathon I'm getting a tattoo in San Fransisco. I haven't decide what or wear, but I think about what I might like while I run. Running a marathon is huge and I want to commemorate it in a massively huge way.

5. The Survivors-Towards the end when I'm feeling really tired, I think about the children who are battling leukemia and lymphoma. I think about how it ravishes their little bodies. How they have no idea what's happening to them, or why. I think about little babies my Harri's age going through chemo, and boy's Jonathan's age who can't play football b/c they're hooked up to machines, and girls Savannah's with no hair to mess with, and that keeps me going. If those children can endure, then surly I can make it through that last half mile.

My M~O~J~O came back!

It's about time. I was getting really worried. Apparently all I needed was a shopping trip to Wal-mart with 3 screaming children. The official TNT training runs don't start until June 12, but this morning I was supposed to run with my Derby girls team. Of course, it was raining this morning. Not just sprinkles, but a good steady down pour of rain. No team run :O(

I ended up going grocery shopping with the family. By the end all 3 children were cranky, 2 were crying and I was about to rip my hair out. By the time we got home I wanted to run away! Instead I ran 4.4 miles and decided to come back.

I ran the entire time, with the exception of 2 minutes that I walked up hills(inclines still kick my butt). My pace is getting better, it was about 13:38, or maybe 13:41, either way, it's better than the 15 minute mile I started out running. Up until today 3.1 miles was my max. I added another mile on to that with out really even trying. I knew my training schedule said 4 miles, so I mapped out 4 miles. I'm not gonna lie, it was awesome. I loved knowing that I was going further than I ever had. It was a good run, I came up pumped, excited, and sweaty!


I want to say a special Thank you to Brenda, Launa, Gabi, and Teresa for donating to my cause!

It's Offical!

On Friday I mailed off my registration to the Kansas Team in Training headquarters!! My first $50 of my fund raising is complete!! LOL! Tomorrow I start the "early" training program. The runs with TNT(Team in Training) don't start until June 12. Right now I will pretty much do what I have been doing(3 miles) however over the next 2 weeks they will slowly start getting longer. I've realized I have NO choice but to become a morning person. Kansas is to stinking hot to be running in the evening. I have to get up and do it early, there is no other way. I have been contemplating the way I will get myself out of bed at 5:30 a.m. 6 days a week, and to be honest I don't know. I think once I have my honoree(the person I'm running for) it will be easier. For now I will probably subject myself to name calling and belittling.

I went and bought new running socks this weekend in preparation of the upcoming runs. I may be a running novice, but I thing I do know is this : socks make the run. Spend the extra money to get the extra thick running socks. These are way different form just regular athletic socks. They are thicker and keep the sweat away from your feet. They are way worth the extra money and totally make the difference in how my feet feel after a run.

So Excited!

Tonight I had a meeting with my team. It totally got me back on track. Tiffany showed us the map from last years run. I know I'll be tired as hell, but I can't wait to run by the Golden Gate Bridge and the Ocean! Running by the Ocean! Yeah, that's kinda helping me build back up that mojo. Tonight we talked about fundraisers, shirts, a team name. It was pretty exciting. It's starting to become real!!!

What the Hell?

I've been running since January. I've completed three 5k's. I've been running 3-4 times a week for months. I sign up for the marathon and my desire comes to a screeching halt. What the Hell? How? Why? I have no doubt I'll overcome it, but I hate that it's here. Tonight was a run night, but I had to go grocery shopping. By the time I got home from work, fixed dinner, and put Harri to bed I just wasn't feeling it. I finally convinced myself to go run and Savannah reminds me I told her we'd run tonight. Sigh. Do I tell her no and listen to her "you promised" meltdown or sacrifice my run and let her go?? Decisions, decisions... I let her go. BIG MISTAKE. She didn't want to keep pace, she'd run fast, and walk, then I'd be in front of her and she'd be mad I didn't wait. It was the worst half mile of my life. I came home mad that I didn't get my run in, annoyed at Savannah, annoyed at myself and over all pissed off. Not good.

I need to figure out how to get my mojo back. I supposed this is all part of the journey. The ups, the downs...I guess I just didn't expect a down so soon :O(

I'm a regular girl

I have been married for 13 1/2 years, I have 3 children, I have a job, a couple a sisters, a brother, some great friends, a normal productive life. One thing I've never been is active. My parents weren't so I wasn't, just kinda how it goes. My weight has went up and down my entire adult life. I never really cared, b/c well, I have a fabulous guy who never cared. After I had our last(I say last he say 2nd to last) child, I lost a lot of weight, only to gain about 45 lbs back. Bleech. In an effort to combat the weight and find passion in something I began the Couch to 5k program. It takes you from not ever being a runner to running a 5k in 9 weeks. No way you say? I am living breathing proof that ANYONE, to included someone who is 60 lbs overweight can go from zero to 5k in 9 weeks. I started my journey on the treadmill. Partially b/c I was scared of the pavement and partially b/c it was January! Around week 6 I began running outside and I have never looked back.

On April 10, 2010 I completed my first 5k. I had 4 goals for that race:

1. Finish the race
2. Run the entire race
3.NOT be the last
4.Do it in less than 45 minutes

I'm proud to say I did all of those! Since then I have become slightly addicted to running. I run 10-12 miles per week, and have completed 2 more 5k's. One was just today! During all of my training, a little birdie kept putting a bug in my ear about doing a marathon. At first I thought she was crazy. I'm not a runner! I can't do a marathon! And WHY would I WANT to?? My birdie was persistent(but not pushy) and this week I finally said yes! I mean WHY NOT? What do I have to lose? Even if I ended walking the entire way I will have completed a marathon!! Do you know that less than 1% of the population have completed a marathon? That's a pretty elite group that I'm looking to join.

So, this blog. I don't want to bore the readers of my family blog with only running stuff. That's pretty much all I've blogged about lately. Running, running, running. Now that I've decided to push beyond the 5k race and compete in a marathon, I want a place to document my journey. I forgot to mention, not only am I doing a marathon. I'm doing it for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I'm so blessed to never have had this disease touch my life personally, but many have. I want to to run for a difference, for a cure, for something bigger than me. Bigger than 26.2 miles is long. I want to run and say that it meant something, not just another marathon, but a marathon with a purpose!! So here it is, a blog about a regular non-running girl transforming into a marathon runner.