Better Late Than Never!

I know, I know, it has been too long since my last post. I am just going to start typing and see what comes out.

We have started giving the boys an allowance. We tried this in the past with Bryson, but I think he was too young to really understand what was going on. Here is what we came up with: The first week they do their chores without complaint they will receive $1 each. The next week they do their chores without complaint they will each receive $2 each. This will continue each week until their reach their maximum of $5. It will remain at $5 per week as long as they do their chores without complaint. As soon as they complain about doing their part in our family, they drop back down to $1 per week and have to earn their way back up to $5. So far, we are on week 3 and they haven't complained about keeping their rooms clean, emptying the trash cans, taking out the trash and recycle things, cleaning their bathroom and vacuuming the house. I am only out $6 so far and it has been good. Drew didn't think it would last this long, but they have proved him wrong. They have also learned that money is hard to earn and it doesn't go as far as we want it to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We spent the first week of Christmas break in Oklahoma. I LOVE being up there with my grandparents. I know they won't always be around, so we are going to try to spend as much time as we can with they while they are still here. My granddad wasn't feeling too well while we were there and that is always hard to see. I hate seeing him suffer and in pain. He seems to have many more bad days than good days and I know it must be hard to live like that.

The first night we were there Addison kept complaining that her stomach hurt. She finally threw up early in the morning. Bryson followed suit the next evening. I was so afraid that the rest of us would get whatever they had, but we never did. Thank goodness! I become CRAZY when someone is sick! I HATE stomach bugs and go a little nuts. Hopefully, it will not resurface. Enough about that!

We came home on Christmas Eve and spent Christmas morning at our house. We haven't done this many times since we have been married and it was nice. I liked not having to load up all the presents and Santa stuff and take all of that with us out of town. We may have to do that again next year.

This week we have just spent some time at home relaxing and hanging out. It has really been a good relaxing break and hopefully will allow us to get through to Spring Break! I'm not sure how many weeks away that is, but I will assume that it is around 10.

They boys are spending the night with their cousins tonight, so we are just a family of three for an evening! Addison is enjoying the extra attention and I am enjoying not having to listen to fighting sounds all night! If you have boys, you know the sounds I am talking about!

I know this wasn't a very interesting post, but I plan on coming back in the NEAR future with something a little better. Right now I am going to go lay on the couch and see if Drew will rub my feet! :0)

Runner's High?

I will admit that I am not a very good runner. Maybe it's my attitude that makes me a poor runner. I don't work out all my problems or lose myself in the scenery. I just try to get through it. I took up running because I knew it would change my body. I have worked out for years, but I wasn't seeing the results I wanted to see. I couldn't get rid of the 20 pounds I wanted so desperately to lose. I knew running would do it, but I also knew that I don't enjoy it.

It helped to have the half-marathon as a goal. I kept my eyes on that and that is the only thing that got me to run some days. There were days I wanted to stay in bed instead of get out in the cold, dark morning, but I wanted to be prepared to run. Some days were TOUGH. One day I made it to 5 miles and couldn't do any more. I walked and ran the remaining 4, but I felt like such a failure. I cried during my walk/run part that day and questioned why I ever thought I could do something like this. After beating myself up all week about it, I went out and ran 10 miles the following Saturday. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.

Now that the half-marathon is over I don't really know how I feel about running. I still have 5 of the 20 pounds to lose. I know I can get it off if I continue to run, but I don't know if it is worth it. I am taking a week off from running in hopes that I can get some of the desire back.

I don't think I am built to run long distances. I have short, big legs and wide hips. No serious runner is shaped like me. Runners are sleek and small. I am neither of those. I could run until my feet fell off and I would never be built like a runner. I think I may be better at a 5k or 10k distance. Maybe I wouldn't have to spend an entire day recovering after a shorter run. Running anything over 6 or 7 miles just does me in. It is at those distances that I start to have a horrible attitude about running. I don't know, maybe it is just my horrible attitude right now.

Right now I am cranky and tired. I don't know if it has anything to do with the run on Sunday or not. I feel like my body is just tired. My chest is tight and I don't feel like I can take a deep breath. I feel like I want to sit down all the time. I don't even want to be around people. It's almost like a form of depression. I hope this is normal and things will regulate themselves. If this is my body's response to running, I don't think it is worth it.

Hopefully my week-long break from running will help. I think what I am going to have to do is not worry about what everyone around me is doing and just do what is right for me. I always feel like I have to be a certain size or number on the scale or perform at a level that may not be right for me. I'm not saying I don't want to better myself or push myself, I just wonder when the cost is too high.

These are some of the things I am going to have to work out in my head. I am going to have to decide what is best for me and my family for that matter. Drew has to do some of my share of the work when I am too wiped out to function after a long run. Seriously, I can barely get out of bed for several hours some days after a long run. Is it worth it? I'm starting to think it's not. Time is bed it time not spent with my kids or with Drew. It is time that he has to work extra hard when I could be helping him around the house. I have some serious thinking to do.

So, "Runner's High?" I haven't ever really experienced that. Maybe I am trying too hard and should just let my body be the guide.

NEVER AGAIN...

(Here we are at the start of the race. Notice that I am smiling. The smile faded at about mile 5. It didn't come back until we were finished and I realized that I was, indeed, still living!)

well, maybe.


Yesterday was the big run we have spent the past 12 weeks training for. I am not a runner and this was one of the most difficult physical challenges I have ever encountered. I didn't know if I could do it, but I wanted to give it a go. I decided that if I was going to run that far I needed to lose some weight. My goal was to lose 20 pounds by race day. I didn't reach my goal, but I got close. I lost 15. I still want to lose the remaining 5, so I won't give up, yet.

Pily and I talked about training for and running a half-marathon back in the Spring. We decided to just do it. I also asked my friend/co-worker/workout partner if she wanted to join us. Nancy and I already run and workout together during the week, so we just added a long run outside on the weekends. We started out with a 5 mile run and either repeated the distance the following weekend or added one mile. After 11 weeks we worked our way up to 11 miles. I won't lie and say the training was easy, but it was easier with a running buddy. I don't think I would have been able to do it alone.


( After the race. It took us a while to meet up with Drew. There were A LOT of people there. Drew was awesome to come out and support us. He even brought all the kids and Pily's mom. I think he deserves a medal!)

On Saturday we drove over to Dallas to pick up our race packet. We also spent a little time walking around the Health Expo. It was fun being around all the serious runners. Running is such a life style. I don't think I have it in me to be a serious runner. Who am I kidding, I KNOW I don't have it in me to be a serious runner! I'll just pretend occasionally!

On the way home, we went to Academy. We were second guessing our choices in running apparel. The temperature was supposed to be in the 30's and windy. We wanted layers, but didn't know how many or how thick. I guess you learn from each race and just do the best you can do. Overall, I think we made some pretty good choices, but we spent A LOT of time thinking and talking about it!

(After the race. We were biting our medals. This was Drew's idea and our tribute to the Olympics!)

We got to the Dallas early the next morning. A lot of people-watching and talking was done while we were waiting. About 30 minutes before the scheduled start we decided we had better use the restroom. Well, the other 20,000+ runners had the same idea. We decided the port-a-potties were going to be the fastest/best choice. Apparently, the thought of running that far makes people nervous and, well, let's just say that it can cause, um, digestive difficulties. At least it wasn't hot outside, but it was windy. We got to experience some, um, interesting odors. Okay, moving on...

(Me and Pily after the race. The smile was back. I think I am still delirious at this point!)

The runner were broken up into corrals depending on your running time. The fastest runners were in front, so we were WAY in the back. After the 8:00 start, it took our group almost an HOUR to get to the starting line! When we finally started, I was feeling good. Pily told us to go on without her. Nancy and I took off and I felt good. I felt fine until around mile 5. That's when I realized we still had a LONG way to go. I don't know if we started off too fast (it wasn't faster that we had been running on the weekends) or if not knowing the course was the problem, but it got harder and harder to keep going the farther we went. By mile 7 I had sworn to myself that I would NEVER do this again! By mile 10 I didn't think I would LIVE to do it again. From mile 10 to the end I was just focused on finishing. That was all I could think about. Nancy could have run faster than I did, but she stayed with me. For that, I am forever grateful.

I bought a 13.1 sticker the day before and I told myself that I could only display it on my car if I finished without walking. That $2 sticker was my motivation to finish the run. That sticker is what kept me moving. I know it sounds stupid, but that's what did it!

We finished in 2 hours and 6 minutes. Our official time is 2:06:20. My goal was to have a time right around 2 hours. I didn't make my goal, but I wasn't too far off. Overall, I am proud of my time. I just wish I could have finished a little stronger. It was rough at the end!

After we finished, we picked up our medals, a finisher t-shirt, some drinks and fruit and waited to reunite with Pily. She wasn't too far behind us, so she found us pretty quickly. After picking up our bags we went out to find Drew and the kids. At this point I told Nancy and Pily that I would NEVER do that again. There was no way they were going to talk me into running another one.

When we got home and showered I sat down and felt sick. I have felt this way after all the long runs. I don't know why I feel like that, but I do. It is a nauseous, dizziness, head-achey, shaky, feverish feeling. It goes away after several hours, but until it does I just feel horrible. This is the worst part and I KNOW it's coming every time. Maybe I am doing something wrong. I don't know.

So, a day after the run, I can't say that I will NEVER do another one. I think I MIGHT like to do ONE a year. I would also like to do some shorter runs (5k's 10k's) throughout the year to better prepare for a half-marathon. I need to learn how to pace myself and how to better prepare my body for a long run like a half-marathon. I don't want to do another one any time soon, though!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Through all of this training I have to say that Drew has just been the best husband. He has been very supportive of me and has let me do what I need to do to train. On the days when I came home from a long run feeling sick he let me stay in bed as long as I needed to. He would even bring me food in bed and he took care of the kids so I wouldn't have to. I know this has been hard on him and I really appreciate all of his support. I love you, Sweetie!