Back on Track, maybe

Since starting weight watchers and running in June/July 2007, I have lost and started to maintain 65+ lbs.  I still have at least 15 more to go and then my goal is to have abdominoplasty, which I wanted to do by spring 2009.  With the continued exercise and training for races, I have learned that I can snack on chips, cookies, candybars, whatever... and still maintain this weight in the 170's.  Last week, I decided I needed to refocus on weight watchers, boost my exercise a little and get back on track with the weight loss.  Doug also is counting points with me.  This, however is a little frustrating because he gets 33 pts and I am down to 24.  If I get into the 160s next week, I drop another point to 23.  It is great to have his support with cooking and weighing food, etc. 

This week I weighed in and lost 3.8lbs.  I was very excited.  My only concern is our family trip to New York next week and all of the food I will be faced with while away.  

For my workouts lately, I have been making it to the gym again.  Last Sunday, Tisa and I worked out with a 10 min warmup on the treadmill, weights, and 10 laps in the pool.  I have been twice since to run on the treadmill.  Definitely not the same as outside, but after work, there is no sunlight.  

The family is leaving for New York on Sunday.  We have quite a full trip planned and are trying to stick to a tight budget.  We have been so blessed to have had our families purchase our show tickets,  Young Frankenstein and Mary Poppins, and my sister got us a room at a Hilton just outside of the city for $40 a night.  We plan to take some food for breakfast and lunch and only buy dinner.  

My sleeping running partner

I went for a run today.  This was my running partner.  I-man.  After less than a mile, he conked out.  I wanted to make sure he was warm enough.  It was 43 deg and windy.  He had on his winter coat, then his buzz lightyear raincoat which he is in love with.  Then of course the blanket.   I would have been toasty enough to nap too, I guess.

This was the first time I have run since the 1/2.  Holy cow.....painful run.  I will never take a 2 week break again!!  However, I ran 3 miles in 31 min which was pretty good, it did not feel good at all.  No rhythm, no groove, no high.  ugghhh!

10 things I am thankful for!

1.  Christ

2.  Doug and kiddos, Hannah, Makenah, Lilah, and Isaiah

3.  My dysfunctional family, Kuykendalls and Palmers alike

4.  Health

5.  Wit and sarcasm

6.  My running support team--Tisa, Jill, Doug, Karen, Dr. Bagous, etc, etc, etc

7.  My profession

8.  My iphone

9.  Diet dew

10. Tennis/running shoes....can't have enough and  my favorite pair of jeans to go with them....so comfy!

Post 1/2 Blah

Not sure why, but since the 1/2 last week, I have been feeling blah!  Not sure if I am disappointed in how  I felt during the run or not meeting my 2:30 goal or what.  But, I haven't run or made it to the gym at all this week.  I have read about this happening after you have set such a big goal, completed it and then think....now what!?!?  I am setting my sites on another 1/2 in March '09.  The Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach.

The challenge to myself would be to complete an 8k on Saturday of that weekend and then to complete a 1/2 Marathon on Sunday.  Very doable I think.  I would also like to train a little more aggressively to make sure I meet the 2:30 time frame (or faster--sorry Tisa:) .  For my first 1/2 I pretty much trained to finish.  Time really was not a motivating factor until the end, when I should have just left well enough alone, so to speak.  I should have just maintained my usual goals which are to 1. finish and 2. to not be last.  

Whatever the reason, I am waiting for the fog to lift soon.  

13 miles for 13 months!

This shirt celebrates 13 months of no alcohol and no smoking for Tisa!  The race being 13 miles also was tied into this big event of 13 months.  I wanted a t-shirt for us all to celebrate with Tisa!.  I also thought that the race being in November would be great for long sleeves, which is what I ordered.  Then a few days before, Brooke and Faye backed out because of childcare issues, 2 shirts down.  Next the forecast was rain, no good for cotton shirts since they would probably weigh a gazillion pounds with the water.  Finally, the weather ended up being 68-70 degrees.  Again, no need for long sleeves.  Oh well.  I hope she liked the shirt, and I will wear it again!  I was trying to be sweet, maybe should have just kept it simple!  Either way, great shirt! Great weekend!  Great race!

13 Miles DONE!

We did it!  13 miles, actually 13.1.  The official time was 2:31:32.  I wanted to finish in under 2:30, but I am happy none the less.  It's hard to believe the day finally came and went.  I actually paid for this run back in March and so much of the recent months has revolved around this event.  I know I have driven friends, family and coworkers crazy with training schedules, cross-training, race reports, new shoes, sore muscles, etc.......

Here we are at the finish line.....Me, Tisa and Karen!! I am so proud of all 3 of us.  Each one sacrificed in a different way to be able to complete this run! 

Tisa and I crossed the line together.  We stayed with Karen up to the last 3/4 mile.  She started wheezing around mile 7 and I was worried for her breathing a few times, but she toughed it out!

Usually I am the photographer, but I turned it over to Doug for the race.  This is a fun shot of our shoes.  The fourth set is our friend Valerie.  She ran the 8k that morning with a great time of 50 min.  Way to go Val!

Nora and Doug took the kids ahead in the race to see us.  We kept looking for them after mile 6 and were starting to get discouraged as we did not see them for a while.  Then at mile 9, here they are manning a water station.  When they arrived, there were no volunteers, so they jumped in to help.  Since we were in the middle of the pack, they must have seen about 2000 runners before us.  How cool.  They were also able to land some of the great volunteer shirts which I liked better than the technical shirt that was part of the entry fee.

Here we are at the end.  So proud of us!!!!!

Volunteers, Makenah and Thomas (Tisa's son)  Happy Birthday,  Thomas!

Only 8 days til the 1/2 Marathon!

Thought this was a funny shot of me and the hubby!  Photo booth is not just for kids!

Only 8 days until the Richmond Marathon and 1/2 Marathon in Richmond, VA.   I can't believe it is already here!  I feel confident that I will complete the 1/2 without any trouble.  I know that Karen and Tisa will also do great.  

My new favorite place is the Wellness center at the hospital.  I am enjoying the classes, the availibility, and the amenities, etc.  So far I have used the indoor track, the eliptical, the steam room, sauna, and I have taken a few classes.  I have also gone through the weight circuit a few times.  Hannah and Doug have also been a few times with Hannah enjoying it the most.  It is funny to watch her run 1/2 mile on the track and feel like she is dying.  She basically flitters from the eliptical, to the track and the to the pool for laps.  I know that right now she is experimenting with new activities and hopefully she will see that physical fitness can be fun and a lifelong adventure.  Here is a link for the wellness center and you can take a virtual tour.  Wellness Center

Today I am feeling it the most.  Yesterday I took a Total Toning class.  It most resembles body pump routines I did at Gold's Gym a few years ago.  Holy cow, I think every muscle in my body hurts today.  It is a good kind of hurt though.  I know I challenged myself.  

Lately on the running front, I have traded a few runs for stints at the gym.  I have tried to squeeze in a weekly long run with Tisa.  We have been doing 10 miles at  a time.  Hard to believe we can do this.  Never in a million years did I think I could run 10 miles--double digits--as we call them.  Tisa is keeping up great with the foot issues.  She is now in love with her othodic and I am still coveting her shoes :)  

Karen sent me a great gift recently.  I have been wanting a road I.D. and was also coveting hers.  So, she broke down and sent me one.  It is a great product for anyone running alone or on open roads.  Check out the website....Road I.D.com

So this coveting this is a problem for me, obviously with the shoes and the road i.d.  I will try to work on this, but I have to admit I am a gadget girl and shoe girl.  Can't help myself.  

Atlantic City Trip

 

This week I ventured to Atlantic City, NJ for a conference.  My friend Karen traveled with me so that we could renew a certification in fetal monitoring.  We started our co-venturing for this fetal monitoring thing about 8 years ago, when we first traveled to New York City for the original conference and exam.  We saw Blue Man Group on that trip.

This year we thought we'd try Atlantic City.  We thought it would be a nice, relaxing trip.  We are both pretty low maintenance.  The adventure started when, just into Delaware a little neon green neon motioned to us that one of the van tires was flat.  We pulled off, changed it and found, with Doug's help via phone, a Costco to replace the whole set in 30 minutes and we were on our way.  Karen and I are both pretty handy with the jack....we won't mention out loud the lug nut covers we (I) busted when removing them.  

In Atlantic City, we did a little gambling on the slot machines.  I think we did a good job of limiting our spending.  Tuesday night, we went to the Comedy Stop at the Tropicana.  It was ok.  The best part of the evening was the dinner at PF Changs.  Yum-O!
Here is a nice shot of Karen on the beach.  The weather was quite cool, although Karen wears flip flops and birks year round.  
Our hotel was the Resorts Hotel.  We had a room in the older part for $69.00 a night.  The hotel was right on the ocean.  
Here I am after a run on the boardwalk.  I probably did 4 miles.  It was a pretty easy jog for 50 minutes.  It could have been farther but I did not bring my Nike sportband.  Who would have ever thought I would try to catch a run while at a work conference?  Never in a million years would I have done this before. I am proud of myself for making it a priority.  

Coming up, I have a run with Tisa on Friday that should be 10 miles.  I just came from the gym and some weight lifting with Hannah.  Only 3 weeks until the 1/2 marathon!!!

Blue Ridge Hospice 5K

Here we are at the Hot Air Balloon Festival and Blue Ridge Hospice 5K.  Hannah (in green) is crossing the finish line. This turned out to be a beautiful day.  Below are pictures from the day.  This was fun to run since this was my first race last year. As much as I wanted to run my fastest time just to be competitive with a co-worker and to just say that I could improve my time, I decided to run with my daughter Makenah (9).  We decided to run .5 mile then walk .5 and so on to the end.  I have included some pics of her below.  She actually won 3rd place in her age group and received a medal.  How awesome for her.  I have also included a few pics of the balloons launching in the fields around us.  (yes, I ran with my camera).

Lilah took some pics, including this one of our feet.  Love it.  Then she got the one below of my bib number.  It is fun to see things from her level. 
Here is my Makenah with her medal.  I hope this was a self-esteem booster for this little person.  
My hubby, who I could not run without.  He also completed the 5K this year by keeping Lilah focused.  He makes it possible for me to run.  
Here is Makenah about 1.5 miles in.  She is so cute in her little running hat and ipod headphones.  
Here is Lilah at the beginning of the race.  Yes, she is wearing and ipod as well.  
What a beautiful day for a run.  The trees were fabulous.  The temp was about 45 deg.  Lovely to run.
Some shots of the hot air balloons in the fields around us as we ran.  
The food at the end of the race includes the usual lot of carbs, fruits, cheeses, water, muffins, etc.  Even hot chocolate and coffee were provided this year. 
Lilah isn't sure about this whole thing.  
This is my friend Shellie.  We work together at the hospital.  She is a mom of 4 and very busy as well.  I am proud of her for working in time for herself and starting to run.  I know secretly, she is training for the Apple Blossom 10K, not to be outdone by me.

The runner in green is my Hannah and my  co-worker, Valerie is in pink.  Here they are at the start of the race.  Beautiful day.

These are a few last shots of the balloons in the fields around the run.  

I am proud of my family for completing this 5K run/walk to raise money for the local Hospice.  We talked about what a great organization this is and how important they are to the community.  It also makes me happy to think that my whole family, minus the 3 year old, completed a 5K in approximately 45 min or less.  No complaining, no crying, and no whining about it either!!!!  I hope they remember the time we spent together raising money, exercising, and enjoying each others company.  I would like to think that this will also lead to life long healthy activity so that they may not have the years of being overweight that I had.  I will keep my fingers crossed, and continue to sign them up for races (even if it is against their will).

13 miles!! Holy cow!!

Last night we did it!  Tisa and I made the 13 mile distance.  I can't believe we did it.  It makes me feel better to know that when I run the half marathon in November, I have already been able to complete the distance.  I also logged my run for the Worldwide Festival of races.    This makes me so happy to have met my commitment!  

This 13 miles was 22.8 laps around Clearbrook, so we did 23 for good measure.  My family came so I had dogs to run with for some of it and then Makenah ran a total of 5 laps.  Lots of people came and went at the park over the 2 hours and 28 minutes it took us to complete the run.  I was pretty sore afterwards and now, 24 hours later, the soreness continues and is somewhat worse in some areas.  It's a good sore though!  I hope we didn't overdo Tisa's ankle!!

A big congrats to Tisa.  1 year!!!!  You are awesome!!!

This week will be a visit to the Wellness Center for a workout, a long run with Tisa, and the Blue Ridge Hospice 5k this weekend.  

Double Digits!!

   Here I am after my first double digit run.  10 MILES!!!  Holy cow.  I was so tired.  Tisa and  I  went to our usual hang out,  Clearbrook Park.  10 miles there equals 17.6 laps so I did 18 for good measure.  I feel like this is a great accomplishment and definitely something I never thought I would do.  It makes the 1/2 marathon seem a little more attainable.

Tisa was unable to complete the full 10 but here's why.  This passed weekend, she went hiking

with some friends from work.  She did a mere 9 miles on Saturday and then 5-6 more on Sunday with a  30 lb pack on her back.  The fact that she completed 6-7 more running miles today is awesome and shows her dedication.  I am very proud of her.  

Here is a screen shot of my Nike Plus upload to show the documentation of the 10 mile run!

The weather was perfect.  70 deg with a breeze.  Sweet for running.  We have about a month left to train and I think we should be just where we need to be for the 1/2 marathon.  

Catch up post!

It has been almost 2 weeks since I have updated my running adventures.  It has been a busy 10 days.  Last week I traveled to Nashville for a work conference.  I was able to run on the treadmill in the hotel's fitness room.  How nice.  It is quite a lifestyle change to think I would seek out a fitness room in a hotel on a getaway weekend.  But, it was good for me and Doug came and walked with me on another treadmill.  

Thanks so much to Nora for coming to stay with the Freak Fest!!!  It would seem they all enjoyed each other's company.  

When I came home Sunday, early am, we went right to bed so that we could be up for the Grace Community Church 10th anniversary service.  Nora and Nick got on the road early.  

In the early evening, I made the whole family come to Clearbrook Park so that I could run with Tisa.  Doug brought the dogs and walked some.  Isaiah mainly played.  Lilah and Makenah took turns running with me and Tisa for a few laps each.  Tisa and I made it 9, yes 9 miles!!!! It took us 1 hour and 39 min.  I was very pleased.  

Tuesday, the 30th, I ran after work 2.7 miles or 3 times around the hospital.  

Today, I ran 3.5 with Isaiah in the jogger.  He actually fell asleep for about 20 min of the run.  It is beautiful out so I can't really blame him.  I would be loving a nap while someone pushed me around in this 70deg weather with a lovely breeze.  

Coming up, I have a long run planned this coming  Monday with Tisa.  Our goal is 10 miles.  Our first double digit run.  OMG!!! 

                                    

Yesterday, 9/20/08, we celebrated Lilah's 7th birthday.  My sister Nora and her children came to my mother's house for dinner and cake.  We were also joined by Doug's parents.  Lilah's birthday has seemed to be the never-ending birthday.  She has received cards and money in the mail, birthday dinner and shopping with grandparents and now this get-together.  She still has something else to come from Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Barry.  Lucky Girl!

We also spent some time taking pictures of Brittany as I am still working on her senior pictures. I like this one at the top. 

Britt is also very good at taking pictures and grabbed this one of my sister Meredith and me.  Meredith usually is very reluctant to allow photos, but isn't she beautiful.  

Today I finally made my 8 mile run.  In fact, it was 8.5 miles this am at Clearbrook.  Beautiful weather and temp.  Perfect weather for a long run.  Tisa came today and ran!  Yeah!!!!!!! She did 12 of the 15 laps.  I hope this was not too much since she has been off for 2 weeks.  Valerie also came and ran along for a while.  She is very low maintenance and can come any day!  I am so pleased that we finally made that run after 3 weeks of attempting it.  First, the course was shorter than anticipated and the laps did not add up.  Then, the heat was too much to finish last week.   Good day!  Only 5 more for 1/2 marathon!

Special Olympics 5K 9/20/08

It was a beatiful day for a race.  The Shenandoah Valley Runners held a 5K to raise money for the local Special Olympic chapter.  The race weather was 50 deg and beautiful.  Karen Nguyen and Valerie Ashley joined me for the run.  As you can see, we all came home with medals.  How fun and encouraging for runners of all abilities.  

Here is a look at the fields.  Not the most exciting of photos, but overall a gorgeous morning. 

The best part of the day was taking another minute off of my PR which brings me to 31:36.  The worst part was missing Tisa during the run.  I hope her foot is healing because we have a goal, a big goal coming up in November.  "Come on Tisa"

Funny Story

This morning, Isaiah came to me and asked if he could wear my Nike plus sportband.  Of course I put it on him to wear around the house.  He was still in his pjs and poopy at that.  He then went to Doug in the office and said "I go for run with Tisa".  Doug said ok and left it at that.  Isaiah then said, "bye Mommy, I go for run"

I heard the door shut and figured he was checking out the jogger on the front porch.  After a few minutes, I went out and he was no where to be found.  I yelled for him and he yelled back "I running"  He had made it about 4 houses away to the cul-de-sac, with bare feet, pjs and poopy butt.  He came to the drive way and on to the porch.  We chatted about what he was doing and he put his hands on his thighs and said "I sweaty".  How funny.  My little running man!
We had him pose for a few running shots of course after we laughed our butts off.  
Here he is checking his time on the sportband.
Here we are after our short run this afternoon.  A pretty fast one though.  I just did the neighborhood which is about 2 miles with 2 pretty good hills.  I was smoking, for me and did it in less than 20 min.  Isaiah helped me with crunches afterwards (feet on my stomach, sitting on my face, etc.  )  A funny little man!

HHHOOOTTTT!

Today was to be 8 miles at Clearbrook Park with Tisa riding a bike and running with our friend Karen.  All 3 of us are planning to run the 1/2 marathon in November.  Who knew the forecasters would be correct and we would actually have a 95 degree day?!?!?!?  This was a tough run.  We took several walk breaks for water and ended up only completing 10 of the 14 laps needed for 8 miles.  Total distance 5.68 miles.  

Since we have added "no gravels" to our list of running no-nos , we will also add "no 95 deg runs".  

This is what I thought I would look like today!  HEEE  HEEE!

      

This is probably what I really looked like

Funny!!!  I am grateful for Tisa coming today to ride along with us.  I am hoping she will be back up and running (literally) very soon.  

Ran 4 miles today.  Again, I am giving this NIKE plus thing a try.  The band says I ran 3.62 when I ran 4.  Will try the callibration feature.  Don't really know if it will live up to the hype for me.  

My running buddy is injured.  Tisa has been complaining of foot pain off and on for a couple of weeks and after our long run in Berryville, she was hurting so bad she had it checked out.  "Posterior tibial tendonitis" is the official diagnosis.  The MD told her she could run, but I'm nervous about further injury.  I think Tisa is questioning it too and is headed for a second opinion.  

                               

                               

The World Wide Half Marathon is coming in about 1 month.  I have signed up for the half marathon.  Not sure I'll be ready to stick with it, but it is my goal to use it as a long run for that weekend, which just so happens to be a scrapbooking weekend as well.  I am starting to question how I can fit it all in this fall.    

Long Run Ughhh!

Today was supposed to be a long run of 8 miles.  "supposed to" being the key phrase.  Tisa and I traveled to Berryville to run on their fitness trail.  We had heard it was approx 2 miles around so we thought 4 laps should get our 8 mile long run.  Well, the trail is actually 1.86 which times 4 = 7.44 miles, basically the same as last week.  It turned out to be okay though, because Tisa and were both pretty weak.  We are wondering if our legs were tired earlier because of running on cinders/gravel instead of pavement.  The course was flat though, with a great shaded area each time around.  The rest of this day has left me tired and kind of grumpy.  Maybe it's because I just worked 3 days in a row, although not busy, still time away from home.   

I got my NIKE+ sportband back.  I think I will give it another try.  It wasn't far off today.  Ran 7.44 and the band said 7.23.  Was good for checking our pace also.  Check out the site NIKE+ to read about the NIKE+ sportband.   I had previously had issues with it and sent it back.  I would love for it to work so that I can track my miles and check my pace. 

Big Changes/fitting it all in!

This past Monday, the Palmers took down the crib for the last time. Here is the whole Freak Fest in the crib.  Hard to believe all 4 of these people were at some time in this crib.  It has been a good one having been a purchase from a yard sale 14 years ago.  We decided to take it to the dump since it is so old and the wood for 2 of the wheel inserts is splitting.  Isaiah has taken to whole thing really well.  He jumped right up into the twin bed that night and never came out of the room ALL night.  I was hoping for a tear or two, you know, just to be needed, but he didn't event give me one!  He is such a big boy!
Makenah started riding lessons today.  She is trying this for a month and then maybe tae kwon do for a month to see what her next hobby will be.  She had lots of good comments this evening.  I am curious to see if she will even try tae kwon do.  She kissed this horse on the nose when she was grooming him at the end of the lesson. 

Now, onto me.....

I ran last night 9/3 with Tisa at Clearbrook Park.  Here is the link to a map of the park.  The red dotted area  is the course we run.  The number of laps depends on the mileage we want to cover.  Clearbrook Map   Tonight we did 6 laps for 3.4 miles.  Each lap is 3000 ft with 5280 ft being a mile.  I felt pretty comfortable with the run.  It was a little humid but the sun was setting and it is shady.  

The fun comes in me getting to the park to actually run.  My day was full of running with a dental appt in Romney (1 hour away).  I am having a bridge put in to cover 2 spaces.   Today I needed 3 shots of local for numbing.  My jaw is still killing me the next day.  Then, I came home to get the girls off the bus and Makenah has forgotten a book for homework.   We call her friend to see if we can make copies of the pages.  The friend has already c0mpleted the pages so we have to cover the answers with post it notes so as not to copy.  Lilah is dragging her feet as usual and takes 30 min to get a snack.  Now we rush out the door to get Hannah to the library, pick up Isaiah from daycare, go to the bank, then back to the library to pick up Hannah.  Now home, it is now 5:45 and Doug has not started dinner and he has to leave in 30 min to video his Wed evening regular commitment.  I am supposed to be at the park in 45 min to run.  I need this run as I have been pretty much cooped in my car for the last 3 days (Mechanicsville Mon, Charlottesville Tues, and Romney Wed. )  So we make quick spaghetti.  I am anxious with the kids because no one can eat as fast as I would like and all I am thinking about is getting to the park to run.  Seems kind of crazy when you actually stop and think of how I am making my family crazy with my need to run.  Is this really the example I want to be?

They tolerated the park well.  Hannah played with Isaiah on the swings and Makenah did homework.  Lilah, well, she is just Lilah and blissfully played and waved to me on each lap around.  Then, we loaded up, went to Target and purchased white out to finish covering all of the answers on the spelling homework that Makenah had to copy.  Bedtime, tucking in, paying bills, dishes.............

Crazy Week!

This week has been a challenge with a 5th little person in our home! My nephew Nicholas spent the week with us.  Mainly because I miss spoiling him as I did my niece and also to give my sister some much needed time off.  She works very hard to keep her life going and Nick is a handful when coupled with a very active teenager with ATTITUDE!

I was able to get in a long run with Tisa this past Friday.  7.5 miles!!!! Holy cow, I can't believe we did it.  We went to Clearbrook Park which means 13.2 laps around their track.  It was overcast and about 72 degrees.   We did the run without stopping in about 1 hour and 20 min.  Tisa even said she could have run another lap.  I was concerned that someone had taken over Tisa's body because that comment was totally out of character.  I am so proud of both of us for how far we have come.  It makes the 1/2 marathon seem more attainable. 

Yesterday 8/31, we took Nick back to Mechanicsville.  I was able to run a short run of about 3 miles in my sister's neighborhood.  It is a great place to run, flat, and some shading.  The traffic is always minimal when I am there although she says it is too much for her to walk sometimes.  I listened to a podcast while running by ashlanddave.   ashlanddave.podbean.com    I have been following him lateley catching up on back issues.  He talks during one of his weekly runs.  Pretty cool to listen to others working in runs, working toward goals and dealing with life at the same time. 

Tisa called tonight to set up a running schedule.  Hopefully will do long run this coming Monday to stay close to the weekend schedule of increasing by .5 miles each weekend.  That means 8 miles this time.  WOW!  I know we can do it. 

My daughter Hannah started a blog this week.  She will be completing 8th grade this year and I have given her this task to write a blog for the year.  She got a new Mac laptop and I am hoping to take some of the free classes at the Mac store so she can get the full effect of the computer and perfect this blogging thing.   hannahs8thgradeyear.blogspot.com