There's a party goin' on right here

Apparently when I fail to look at my calendar until just before I go to bed, I completely forget my blog's birthday (last Thursday). Bad bloggy mommy, I know. So I'm here to wish my blog a belated happy second birthday.

There is no giveaway to celebrate the day. No cupcakes to enjoy (other than the one above that is making me drool like a teething baby). But here are a few of the posts you may have missed that have helped make my blog special (at least to me) over the past 730 days (+4 because I need to learn to look at my calendar in the morning) and 222 (+ this one) posts:



DNF, DNS and more "runner lingo"

A Letter to My Treadmill

Skinny People

Runnerds

The 12 Days of Running

Disappointed


And since we're on the subject of my blog, have you voted today for it to be one of the Top 25 Health & Fitness Mom Blogs? If not, just click the little circle below and then give me a "thumbs up."

Things I Love Thursday - Running for a Reason

Alicia, of Alicia Runs, who I also claim as a friend (even if we've only seen each other in person a few times) is hosting a Virtual 5K Race for Autism. She has some amazing prizes lined up (including some Runnerd stickers), so head over to her blog HERE, learn more about the race (and prizes), and sign up NOW!!




And don't forget to vote for me to be one of the Top 25 Health & Fitness Mom Blogs on Circle of Moms. Just click the circle above and then click the little "thumbs up" on the page to vote. You can vote once a day until June 1st (so I'm almost done begging and bugging). Please and thank you!

I Should Probably Tell Bono He's My Child's Godfather

I am very tired today. But very happy. Every lost moment of sleep was TOTALLY. WORTH. IT. And who knew so many of you are fellow U2 fans? Maybe not fans like I am a fan since my blog title is taken from one of their songs, my dog's middle name is Bono, and I claim Bono is my daughter's godfather since she went to two U2 concerts while in the womb. But really, how could anyone not be a U2 fan?

I've had tickets to this concert for almost two years, so I have been waiting for this for a long time. But it was worth the wait.

Now in my half asleep state, I'm here to share some of last night's highlights with you. And wouldn't you know...there is even some running/blogging related stuff in here.

The Fray was great. You can't be a Grey's Anatomy fan and not like them. They are a surprisingly cute bunch of guys, even in their skinny jeans. And it made me feel better to find out the lead singer is 30 since he looks much younger. Not sure why it makes me feel better, but it does. Then while we waited for U2 to start, I saw this. It made me smile and think of all of you. Someday I may be too old for general admission, standing only tickets. That day is not today (or technically yesterday). There is nothing like being that close to the action. And while I didn't see any of Bono's crotch sweat like I did at their last concert (5 years ago when I was preggers), I think it's just because he was a little more mellow this time around and didn't sweat as much. Or maybe one of his buddies is a runner and introduced him to some amazing, breathable fabric that he's having his pants made of now. Some other things I realized last night:

• I can go four hours without peeing even though I had to go and couldn't jump too much for fear of peeing my pants. I'm thinking I can make it through a marathon without a potty stop with a little practice and planning (fingers crossed).



• I can get better pictures when the guys stand still.



• I love hearing Bono say the word run. You should have seen my smile when he sang the first line of Where the Street Have No Name.



• You can get a little exercise at a concert. I'm not just talking about the jumping and dancing either. My arm is rather sore today from holding my phone up to record One and then again when everyone pulled out their phones to light up the stadium (so much safer than lighters; gotta love technology).

And just so you know I was really there and didn't steal all the pics/video off the Internet, here is my post-concert happiness (with the hubs and my brother and his beautiful wife).

Butterflies

My day so far...

I cleaned up this mess. Sometimes I try to be the mom that just lets The Princess's room go with the hope that she'll eventually get tired of it and clean it herself. That hasn't happened yet obviously.

Then I made and ate this. It is on a dessert plate because it makes me feel like I am getting more to eat.

Next it was time to shower and get dressed in this.

I was going to run before the shower but made a last minute doctor's appointment to make sure I don't need to do anything more than I am doing to get and keep my leg happy. He prescribed this. And physical therapy.


Now I'm doing this. There is no picture because you are lookin' at it. I'm blogging while my girls sleep.

And in a few hours, I'll be here.

I literally have butterflies. I am so excited!!

Don't forget to vote! You know you love my blog and think it deserves to be a Top 25 Health & Fitness Mom Blog!!!

A Grain of Salt

Running advice. We all get it. Whether we want it or not.

Sometimes we choose to get it when we read Runner's World each month. Other times we solicit it by asking a question on a blog, Facebook or Twitter. Other times, people just give it to us. My favorite is the non-runner advice about my running. But sometimes the advice we get is exactly what we need.

Yet I was reminded of something yesterday. While I was in a meeting (obviously not paying attention), I started reading one of the the monthly "inspiration" pages in my running calendar. It talked about the danger of tinkering with your running form. Just a week or so ago, I read about how much a runner had improved by changing his form. While I haven't come to any conclusions about which side of the fence I'm on when it comes to this debate, I reminded myself that it's up to me which side to be on. That is something I have to decide for myself.

Most of us bloggers are just speaking from experience. And while some have additional training as a running coach or fitness professional (as in my case), our knowledge is still not gospel. What works for one person may not work for everyone. So take any and all running advice in stride (ha, ha). And always, always do what works for you.






Have you voted for me today? Only one week of begging left. You can vote once a day until June 1st!


I rejoined the Twitter world so come find me (IHaveRun)! You'll get to find out exciting, fascinating things about me, like how many brownies I ate in the last 24 hours.

Ten and One

I've said it before and I'll say it again (and again and again and again, I'm sure), but I love my Millie. Last night we ran 10 miles together. Here's how things went:

Mile 1: Thought about how I need to figure out how to fuel. It doesn't help that I mostly run at night but my races are all in the morning. I was hungry during this run, so I had a few bites of a LUNA Bar every few miles and my tummy never argued with my efforts to put something in it.

Mile 2 : Thought about how Operation Lower Leg Happiness has been a success. Between the icing, stretching, strengthening and constant compression-sock wearing, I'm feeling pretty good. Debated whether to ice just my lower legs in a bucket or hit the tub to ice the entire legs. Ended up doing neither because I just wanted to go to bed once I finished running.

Mile 3: Listened to this song several times:



Made me very excited for THIS on Tuesday night. Then I tried to decide if I should start the movie I got at the Redbox or keep listening to music.

Mile 3.1: Started watching Country Strong. Have been very impressed by Gwyneth Paltrow's singing on Glee. She doesn't sing as much as I expected in this movie. Love Tim McGraw. Funny that he doesn't sing in this movie. At all. Unless you count the closing credits.

Mile 6: Tried eating some Strawberry Banana PowerBar chews. I have to figure out something I can eat that isn't sweet. I just can't get the sweet stuff down while I'm running. Gave up after gagging down two chews.

Mile 8: Wondered if I was going to like the end of the movie. Maybe I should have read some reviews. At least it was passing the time. And my legs felt great!

Mile 10: Sped things up just a bit to finish strong. Happy legs, happy Candice.

Still had some of the movie left so I Sticked my legs and did my shin/calf exercises while I finished watching. And I was right about the ending. Good thing I had my running high to balance out how depressing it was.


And if you want to help keep that smile on my face, you can go vote for me at Circle of Moms. Just click the link below. You can vote once every 24 hours (for multiple bloggers and from multiple computers/devices). So if you think I deserve the title of a Top 25 Health & Fitness Mom Blog, please go vote!

Things I Love Thursday - Sunscreen

If you've hung around my blog for a while, you probably know my hubs calls me The Sunscreen Nazi. I actually take pride in the fact that my girls freak out if we are at the park and they realize we forgot to put on sunscreen. I think it's awesome that a sunscreen stick is as fun for them as lip gloss. I am somewhat anal about keeping their porcelain white skin as flawless and porcelain-like as long as possible. And when one of them gets a freckle, I feel like I've failed as a mother.

I haven't always been a sunscreen fanatic. In high school, I was very tan for senior prom. After that, the tanning bed remained my friend throughout college. I have a sheet of freckles on my back to prove it. I'd show you the proof, but I haven't figured out how to take a good self-portrait of my back.

As I've gotten older and apparently wiser, I've also become more aware and terrified of wrinkles and skin cancer. So enter the sunscreen. Lots of sunscreen. However, I will admit I like the way I look with a tan. And when I noticed how glaringly white my legs were a few weeks ago between my black running skirt and my black running shoes, I figured anyone who sees me like that prefer the way I look with a tan too.

So in spite of my fears of turning orange, I decided to try a sunless tanner. It was kind a spur of the moment thing when I was standing in line at Victoria's Secret and saw this:


Beach Sexy Custom Tan Adjustable Self-tan Lotion with Shimmer

I figured this was a good way to start so I could go darker or lighter if I was beginning to resemble a carrot. So far, so good.


I'm just a touch darker than my girls, but at least it's not orange. And who can resist a little shimmer? I figure I'll go a little darker once it isn't rainy and in the 40s anymore.

Have you voted for me today? Don't forget you can vote once a day (from every one of your computers, cell phones, iPads, etc.) until June 1st. I would love to be one of the Top 25 Health & Fitness Mom Blogs, so please click the link above and vote for me if you think I deserve it. Thanks!!

Mom, Runner, Blogger (with a sore toe)

Not sure how I forgot this yesterday:

My girl got out and ran with her dad for about a mile. She was loving all the honks and waves she got and was seriously eating up all the attention, until she ate it. She hit the ground hard, scraping both knees and elbows. But after we got Band-aids on all her war wounds (including a princess Band-aid that a runner from another team brought over to us - aren't runners the best?!), she was excited to talk all about the people who waved and honked and cheered for her.

My other girl had her last day of gymnastics today. I don't think she will miss it too much over the summer since all she wants to do is the balance beam or the trampoline. I won't miss it too much either since it seems like it is the one place I can count on my broken toe being re-injured each week. I don't know how it happens, but it gets stepped on at least once. Today it was three times. Since the toe is still so swollen and tender that I'm limited to flip flops or running shoes, I'm starting to wonder if it will ever get better. And I wouldn't trade my kids for anything, not even a happy toe, but I'm pretty sure the little guy would be happily healed by now if I didn't have little people stepping on it all the time. Oh, well. At least it doesn't keep me from running!

And since this is as much a mom post as a running post, I might as well ask you to vote for me at Circle of Moms. I have been nominated for the Top 25 Health & Fitness Mom Blogs. So if you think I deserve it, please click the link/button below to vote for me. You can vote once a day until June 1st. And if you really love me, you can vote from every computer and mobile device you own (or use at work)!! Thanks! I wouldn't be a mom blogger without all of you (and the kids of course).

Half Fast Running

Blogger deleted my Thursday post last week and my weekend put me behind on everything, so I'm here for a quick update on all things IHR.

Why did the weekend put me behind? Because I was at the Red Rock Relay in Moab. Other news: I started marathon training for St. George yesterday with my first run in a week. How can that be if I was at the relay over the weekend, you ask? Well, I wasn't in Moab for me.

My hubs put together a team of (all but one) non-runners a few months ago to get them motivated and moving. They all trained as much as their schedules would allow, and I'm proud to say they completed their 70-mile relay faster than they expected in spite of several nagging injuries and a crazy course. Seriously, when I drove up to find them Saturday afternoon, I couldn't believe how hilly the course was. When I finally got to their team vehicle, I wasn't the least bit jealous of their adventure. Yet in spite of that, there's a good chance I'll be running it next year. Anyhow, congrats to Team Half Fast!

My favorite part of the weekend, besides watching those guys run their guts out, was that my hubs has a new appreciation for what I do. And he has a whole new understanding of what it takes to run 26.2 miles.

This was a pretty good part of the weekend too though:

As I mentioned, I started my still-in-the-works marathon training plan yesterday. I think I've managed to sucker one of my favorite bloggers into coaching me to an awesome finish. My lower leg is just whispering at me occasionally, so I figured there is no time like the present.

Finally, I've been nominated on Circle of Moms as a Top Health and Fitness Mom Blog. I would love to be one of the top 25, so it would make me so very happy if you vote for me (from every computer and cell phone in your house)! You can click the link above or click on the Circle of Moms logo on the top right hand side of my blog to vote. You can vote once a day until June 1st.

Frozen Veggies and Tiny Treadmills

Today I got an email that began: "CONGRATULATIONS!!! We would like to congratulate you on being selected for the 2011 St George Marathon." So now it is real. Which means I am trying to put together a training plan. With my other two marathons, I just printed out a couple of marathon training plans and followed the one that looked like it would work best with my schedule and training level. I've never put together a training plan that is really specific to my past performances and expectations. This time I am going to work my life around the plan rather than the plan around my life. I am going to do this and do it right. So if you have any brilliant knowledge when it comes to putting a marathon training plan together, please share. Or if you want to volunteer to coach me to an amazing finish, you're hired.

Marathon training officially starts next week. That gives me 20 weeks. My right calf has been bothering me since my half marathon, so I am trying to nurse it back to happiness this week. I spent time on the bike the past two days, but I'm not sure my booty can handle it again tonight. I'm thinking yoga and abs might be on the menu. Operation lower leg happiness has also involved lots of stretching and strengthening. And of course a bag of frozen veggies.

Do you see the carrot and corn peeking out near my ankle?

And now I will leave you with the highlight of my day. The Princess came in while I was making dinner to show me this "treadmill" she had made:

out of this:

Playing the Lottery

EMZ ran over 100 miles in 24 hours. On a treadmill. See the end of her run HERE. Then go donate. It's not too late.

I wore this on Friday and thought about her all day:

And my mom, who lives in the Phoeniz area, sent me these updates:



Of course, she is crazy. In all the good ways. We all love you EMZ!

I haven't spent 24 hours on a treadmill lately, or even cumulatively in the past few weeks, but I did sign up to Run the Slam. Participants run in four of the six half marathons, get to compare their overall time with other runners, and get a unique four-part medal. It is limited to the first 150 participants. I figured since I am already registered for three of the six half marathon options, why not? So I signed up for the Slam and registered for another half marathon on September 10. That was the excitement around here. At least for a few days.

Then I remembered the St. George Marathon lottery results were being posted today and sat down at my computer this morning to find out my fate. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted that fate to be. Part of me wants to see what I can really do with 26.2 miles and the other part of me is happy running 13.1 miles, puke and all.

So I typed in my name and nothing appeared. I've been there. Two years ago, the same thing happened. Then I noticed it said to include my middle initial. So I entered it again with that additional little letter. And there is was. I'm in.

Still processing how I feel.

Things I Love Thursday - Running with Heart

Tomorrow, EMZ will begin a 24-hour treadmill run that is all about heart. Find out more and donate at http://www.runemz.com!

Running is Not Pretty

The ONE decent race pic
As I browsed the lost and found race photos looking for my girl, I realized running is not flattering. That realization made me feel a little better when I could only find three of 22 photos of myself that I would (barely) want to share on the blog. Now here is some other post-race miscellany (and stolen pics)...

• I drink chocolate milk after every run. There was chocolate milk after the race. Did I drink any? No, not with the puking and all. I didn't put anything in my stomach except water until that afternoon.


• Last week was my first 30+ mile week since last October. Next time I might consider a taper.


• I puked right by where they handed out the awards. My apologies to anyone who ended up standing in it.


• I threw up on my medal. The first two times I doubled over, I remembered to hold my medal back. The third time, it swung forward just as I puked.


• When The Princess called to tell Grandma about her race, my girl said she is going to do more races. I tried to contain my excitement, since I only want her to run if she wants to run. But I was pretty happy!!

• Still love my Auria earphones. They didn't move at all.


• I loved when the two new songs on my playlist came on: Dog Days Are Over & My Body. They rock!!! PERFECT running songs.


• I think I look like a boy in my ear warmer headband. Not a fan of those pics.

• Apparently this was the best smile I could manage as I pushed to the finish.

Running the Numbers

1:57:18 - chip time
0:01:50 - PR
13.1 - miles run
131 - approximate number of times I thought about what I would write on my blog
14 - out of 107 in my age group
231 - overall out of 913
14:25 - finish time for The Princess's 1 Mile Fun Run

2 - # of medals we brought home
2 - # of PRs
1/3 - mile into her race before The Princess wanted to start running
4 - times I stopped to puke (in the grass) after seeing my girl off at the starting line of the fun run while heading to the restroom
20 - approximate times Bean asked "Mommy throw-up grass, why?" throughout the rest of the day
0 - # of times I have puked after (or during) a race or run before this
1 - # of times the cranberries my salad at dinner reminded me of puking up cranberries and oatmeal that morning
2 - mile when my hands stopped freezing
4 - # of times I got a snowflake in my eye while running
3 -inches of snow I scraped of my car before leaving for the race
11 - mile when seeing Alicia at the aid station made me smile
12 - mile when I looked at my watch and wondered if I could do it
13 - mile when I knew I had it

0 - times I took an energy gel
1/2 - swallow of Powerade
7 - mile when my broken toe felt like it was ON FIRE
10 - mile when my broken toe went completely numb
5 - # of times I wondered why I put in for the St. George Marathon lottery
12 - mile I spent constantly swearing in my head at the golf course hills
70 - approximate number of hills on the golf course (maybe a slight exaggeration) that made my legs hurt on the uphill and my stomach hurt on the downhill
5 - awesome miles I ran with Farrah before she stopped at a potty
4 - times I slowed down to take a few gulps of water at an aid station
132 - approximate number of times I thought about seeing my family at the finish
10,000 - number of times running made me smile over the weekend

81 - # of the winning comment selected by Random.org for the Auria Exceed Earphones giveaway. Congratulations Rachelle Wardle! Email me at ihaverun@hotmail.com so you can get your headphones!