I Have Run

I was tagged by Sunflower Kisses to share seven random things about myself. You should know I am really bad at thinking of things for these, but here goes: I had shingles in 2006 and sometimes still experience pain in one spot on my back. Probably always will. I lived in Mexico City for 4 th grade and three years of high school. I don't really like dogs in general, but I love my dog like crazy. I won't eat yogurt in a tube or drink it. In a cup with a spoon only please. I don't like heights. Or scary movies. Or hearing people chew their food. I hate touching or even seeing raw chicken. It makes me gag and lose my appetite. I love chocolate covered raisins, but I don't love raisins, especially in things like cinnamon rolls. Can you tell I'm hungry? I'm supposed to tag seven people, but this thing is really making the rounds so consider yourself tagged if you are one of the few that hasn't done it yet. Now enough about me. Before you start enjoying your long

While my post title is also the name of unquestionably one of the greatest songs of all time by one of the best bands of all time, it is also the number of years my blog has been part of the blogosphere . Today marks my blog's one year anniversary or birthday or whatever it is blogs celebrate. For the past year, I have been sharing my ups and downs of running (and life in general), "meeting" amazing runners and people, learning the ins and outs of running from some of the best runners around, and establishing lasting friendships. Thank you for being a part of that. And what better way to mark the occasion and say thanks than a giveaway? Gone for a RUN has generously provided this BibFOLIO for one of my lucky readers to win: Since I first discovered Gone for a RUN , I have wanted a BibFOLIO . I didn't know what to do with my bibs but knew I wanted to keep them. The BibFOLIO was my answer. It is perfect!! I know because I am the proud owner of my very own BibFO

Saturday I ran the Rock Your Socks (Virtual) 10K. I ran my "race" on the treadmill while my girls cheered me on. It wasn't a typical run for me because I was testing out new shoes. I tried three different pairs, two miles in each. Also, because this was my "long" run, I wanted to keep my pace a little slower and went with how my legs felt. I also found that when I went faster, I paid less attention to how the shoes felt. My midge had a definite shoe favorite, insisting these make me "speedy": She was also a fan of the (Brooks Launch's) bright yellow with purple laces. The color scheme took some getting used to on my part, but they were my favorite on my feet so they are keepers. I am also keeping the Mizuno Wave Rider 13s. It was tough deciding between the Mizunos and the Asics, but the girl at the store suggested I keep the Mizunos if I couldn't decide because the Asics and Brooks are very similar and the Mizunos would be a good change for

I had a whole post thought out this morning on a somewhat serious topic, but then the morning went to heck. (We don't say "hell," just ask my midge.) I am no longer motivated to write anything with substance that takes any amount of real thought, so instead I am going to give you a shoe update. After trying the Nike Vomero Zoom+ 5s on two short (treadmill) runs, I returned them. They felt too heavy and hot, although they were nice and cushiony . Yesterday I bought three other pairs that felt great in the store and am taking each pair on a 1-2 mile (each) treadmill test run either today or tomorrow and hopefully narrow it down to two. The candidates are: Mizuno Wave Rider 13 Brooks Launch Asics Speedstar 4 Do you have any of these shoes? If so, what do you think? RUN: Ran seven miles with my littlest midge in the single jogger yesterday. We took it slow and easy because my legs still felt tired. I'm hoping a day off today (other than the possible shoe test) wi

No matter who you are, when or where you run, how much you plan, sometimes things just don't work out. Sometimes you miss a run (gasp). Last night I missed my run. I had a lot to do while my girls took naps, so I was planning to run as soon as they went to bed. Earlier in the day, I attended my biggest midge's preschool "graduation." I have mixed feeling about graduations that don't come at the end of high school (this one isn't even at the end of preschool; she will be going another year before kindergarten), but that isn't the point. The point is that my husband wasn't able to attend the event, so when he got home from work he wanted to do something to celebrate her big day. After much deliberation, we settled on renting a movie of her choice (a pretty big deal since we don't watch a lot of TV/movies at our house) , order pizza and get a treat to snack on during the movie. At 7:00 pm, the usual bedtime for little people at our house, I found my

Friday Because packet pick-up was only held the day before the race, my girls and I drove the hour to Ogden and picked up my number. I quickly made my way around the expo, but didn't see anything I couldn't live without. I read Bart Yasso would be there to speak at different times throughout the day and was actually surprised he would be at such a small expo/race. However, the race was voted the ninth best marathon by Runner's World , so maybe that had something to do with it. Because I knew he would be there, I took my copy of My Life on the Run and had him sign it. He was just sitting on a table, hanging out by himself when I found him. He signed my book and chatted with my biggest midge, asking if she is fast and if she is going to be a runner like mommy. For the record, it was a "yes" response to both questions. Friday night, my cousin came over for our weekly girl's TV night. She was also spending the night because my hubby had to work Saturday. Yes,

Happy Friday y'all. I'm sure you are all dying to know my weekend race plans (and some of you are dying to know the giveaway winner). Well, most important things first. Me. This is my blog after all . As many of you know, May 15 was once the date that would mark my second marathon. Yes, the Ogden Marathon is tomorrow. No, I haven't decided to run it. After deciding to change to the half marathon several months ago, my registration status never reflected the change and I couldn't get a response from anyone by phone or email about it, so I resigned myself to trying to run the full and then finally decided to not run it at all. Then a few weeks ago, I decided I would go pick up my race packet and get my t-shirt anyway and pulled up the web site to get details about the expo. On a whim, I checked my registration status again, and it showed me running the half. Finally. So tomorrow I am running the Ogden Half Marathon. This will be my second half marathon. My third, the

It's hard to believe it is already Thursday. But it is, so let's get to it. While running errands, I ended up driving part of the route for the Utah Valley Half Marathon . It will be a beautiful run that covers several miles that I travel on a pretty regular basis and then passes by my Alma mater. There is just something a little extra exciting about running "at home." I have been pretty tired, both sleepy tired and just plain worn out, this week. It hasn't stopped me from running though. Monday I did six hill intervals, two minutes each, on the treadmill. Total run = 4 miles. Yesterday I ran 5 miles in 47:17, with three miles @ 9:05. A while ago, I read in Runner's World that you can shave 5:27 off your marathon time by losing five pounds, so I have a goal to weigh five pounds less by marathon day, which is October 2. I'm not going to wait until August to start trying though. Trying starts NOW! RUN: I have an easy four miles on the schedule tonight. I

In my fancy list on Friday, I mentioned I had a 10-mile run planned for Saturday. I also said it would probably be interesting. And it was. I did an out and back on a paved trail with my girls in the double jogger. It was sunny and cool, perfect for a run. The girls were loaded up with books and snacks. And we were off. A few miles in, a guy on a bike yelled: "That's impressive." That kept me going until a male runner gave me another boost with the following exchange as he passed: Him: That doesn't look easy. Me: It's not, but it's worth it. Him: Hmmm... Me: It's better than not running. Him: True. After five miles, we turned and started back down. I knew I had been pushing up a gradual incline but really noticed the difference going down when I averaged a minute per mile faster pace on the way back. At mile six, I stopped and shared a watermelon Carb BOOM! gel with my girls. They are becoming big fans of my energy gels. My oldest asked several tim

It's Friday and the start of Mother's Day weekend. Just when you thought it couldn't get any better than that, here's a bulleted list of the latest from moi: It was great to see my name on the list of St. George Marathon runners today (even though I knew it would be there) after being so disappointed when I didn't get in last year. I haven't been sleeping well lately. I am fine once I fall asleep, but it takes forever, some nights even a few hours, to actually fall asleep. Can't figure it out. Did six miles on the mill yesterday: 2 easy, 2 @ 9:05, 2 easy. Total time: 57:10. I was gonna post a giveaway today but the aforementioned lack of sleep is making me tired (lazy), so be sure to come back Monday for that. It is not a runner specific or gender specific giveaway so it is for anyone and everyone. I have 10 miles on the schedule for tomorrow, and I am going to attempt the run with my girls in the double jogger. Pretty sure it will be interesting, but at l

I finally tore myself away from searching for cheap flights (there aren't any) to New York so I could write this. Apparently this is not the time to book a flight to the Big Apple, but I'm not sure how much longer to hold out for a good deal before I just give in and pay a ridiculous amount. So if you hear of any amazing deals to any New York City area airport, let me know. I didn't make my way over to Blogger to talk about my flight search woes though. Today I am going to (finally) answer one of the questions I didn't include in my 100 th post because I thought it needed a little extra attention. Jesse asked... I know everyone seems to say that having kids was one of their best decisions, makes them so happy..., but if you are completely honest with yourself, do you miss having a traditional career? How hard is it for you to have an identity outside of being a "mom"? If I am completely honest, I can say I don't miss having a traditional career. I ad

Thanks for all your nice comments about my blog's new look. And thanks even more for not pointing out that I don't look exactly like the Runner Barbie in my header. I'm working on it. I have a lot to say and little time to get it all down, so I'm going to dive right in. After a pathetic week of running (two days) with a little cross training thrown in (two other days) last week, I am recommitted and back on track. The Utah Valley Half Marathon is six weeks away and I am going to buckle down, log the miles and kick some booty on June 12. Next: manpris. You know, capri pants, but for a man. I know I don't have a lot of male readers, but I know all you females have men in your life and can share the following wisdom with them: manpris = no . Please no. There was a guy at my last race in a pair of black Adidas manpris. I don't know if they are sold specifically to men or if he wandered into the women's section, but there was nothing manly about them. Then las