Earliest running memories

In my 20's, way before I became a marathon runner, I used to have a gym membership. I would often go to the treadill for awhile and then over to the weight machines. Well after time, I would stop going to the weight machines and just stay on the treadmills. My next thought was that I could save a lot of money in the long run and just buy a treadmill and use it at home. My next thought after that was and especially since my treadmill broke was that I could run on the road. One thing led to another and I love running on the road. Just throw on a ratty pair of shorts, a shirt, of course a great pair of running shoes and off I go. Cheapest exercise out there, except for the cost of shoes.

Injured

A couple of weeks ago, I injured my right hamstring muscle during a 10 mile run, hurt at mile 7, had to walk back to the house limping on my injury for 3 miles. It has been getting better and I have been taking things slowly to get my running mileage up again. I ran 2 miles on Tuesday and 3 miles on Wednesday. All with no pain felt. Of course I had to give up the idea of running my beloved Forest Park 50K in May.
Since I haven't been running much, I have decided to go lap swimming at the local pool. Keep in mind that I have not been lap swimming since last July and back then, I only swam 10 laps.
Well Monday, I swam 20 laps or 1/2 mile. I took a break after the 2nd lap to get some water as I forgot my water bottle at home, and I didn't take a break untill after the 12th lap for more water. I stopped here and there at the wall for a few moments, but would keep swimming until I reached 20 laps. I knew that I could have kept going, but didn't want to push it. After all my left ankle was becoming a little sore and since I have a runners mentality, heaven forbid I do anything to injure a much need running part. I stopped and headed for the hot tub. I did feel a little sore that night and the next day, but not too bad. Oh and it took me 40 minuets to complete the 20 laps.
Today, Thursday, I excitedly headed up to the pool again. This time I wanted to do at least the 20 laps. I brought my water bottle that time and took a big drink before getting in. I swam 13 laps without stopping, told myself to get my butt out of the water for a water break, did so, got back in but got out of the fast lane as the speedo wearing man in the lane with me was way faster than I was and went into the medium lane. I told myself that I could have another water break after going another 10 (25 laps, see how I increased it) well the 25 laps came and went and I decided this was getting easier and easier, so I went another 5 (30 laps) and forced myself out of the pool. This all took about 45 minutes.
Pretty good! Swimming may just be as fulfilling as running.

Messy Room

My youngest daughter is a little messy, like most children.
Before she goes to bed, I tell her that she has to tidy up her room before I will enter it and tuck her in. I also mention that it is against my religion to enter such messes. Since she loves her mom and wants me to put her to bed, she does as I say, every night.

Lost Tooth

Kayla lost her first tooth. Tooth fairy in our family pays well, gives them $2.00 + I put $2.00 in their savings.

Salt Sticker

Something about the sticker on the salt irritates me. Seems so dumb, like those packets that say don't eat. It says "Remove this food-safe sticker before using." Well duh! How else are you going to shake the salt out. I don't know, way dumb.

Be a reader

"If your kids see you reading, they too will become readers"
I recently started reading Robin Cook's books. I enjoy sitting outside the house reading in the sunshine. I came outside one day and found my youngest daughter copying me.

Sugar Sucks!

I have never been a heavy consumer of sugar, so starting on the no sugar fast for a month, 2 weeks ago, I knew that I would be successful. I however, didn't think it would be as easy for me as it has been. I never felt any cravings.
The first week, I became angry at how much sugar is in the American diet. I mean it is in absolutely everything and I was surprised to find this out.
Since starting on the fast, I can easily say that my energy level has sky rocketed. What I didn't expect is that my mood would improve, I don't feel as grumpy, a little more relaxed, happier.
I can't say that I lost any weight, in all honesty, I expected to lose something. I am not a heavy person, being athletic, but I did expect to lose a few pounds, but nothing.
That being said, I am not sure blaming sugar as the cause of American's alarming obesity rate as fair, but I don't know. I suppose it would depend on what kinds of sugar that individual person was eating. I was more of the real sugar, sweet tarts, skittles kind of person. I don't like chocolate and a cake gets in my mouth for birthday's only.
I think blaming fast food, convenient food, and the fact that you buy junk, crap food more cheaply than you can healthy food as the problem.
Anyway, I think in 2 weeks, when my fast is over, I'll keep this up, I've learned a lot, I like the extra amount of energy that I have, I feel good.

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm

Give your absolute best

This was in a nutshell my pep talk to my youngest daughter after learning of her yet again bad attitude at softball practice. Keep in mind she is 7.

"You are on a team and when you don't give your very best, you not only hurt the team, you are hurting yourself. It doesn't matter if you are playing in a sport, your at school, doing your homework, or you are helping out at home, you need to always give your 100% best effort every time. I don't care if you have a headache, or your foot hurts, the ball hit you a little bit hard, or you don't feel like participating, you need to give your absolute best. Now I want to always see you giving your absolute best. Do you understand me?" mom

"Yes mama" Kayla says

Never Quit

"Go over, under, through, but never give up!"

My take on The Portland Marathon

Almost done running marathon #1
Running over the Bridge during marathon #2

Hagg Lake, the first timeForest Park injury, ultra #4. I had fallen on rocks at mile 30. Whole different story.

I remember in 2005 when I was trying to decide if I should take the plunge and run the Portland Marathon for the first time, I emailed the event coordinators a question. Keep in mind the furthest I had run was a 9 mile fluke on my treadmill. I said "if I sign up for the race, would I be able to walk?" I asked them this because I remember watching the Olympics and some lady stopped and got disqualified. If the race coordinators had said no, I would had never signed up. So I started training. I remember my first run was a 10 mile race around Hagg Lake and my 2nd event was with Team Oregon training group. We met at the Wildwood trail and I had on a pair of Nike running shoes that I bought off of craigslist for like $20 and 2 big screw off cap water bottles. Oh brother! I never breathed so hard in my life those 10 miles. Highly wouldn't suggest running on Wildwood when you've hardly ran before. So I trained with the group and every mileage was a new adventure, I also went to clinics and speed training. I was ready and I did fairly well at the Marathon, 4:27 or so. I ran the whole distance, never walked. So my line became "there's no walking or crying in marathons) But my point in writing is this. I will forever grateful to the training that I received and for actually running my first marathon, an experience that I will never forget. And, I will always tell newbies they should definitely run it. But, at the time it was $85-90 to sign up. I have since ran 2 other marathons and 5 ultra marathons with the distance of 31 miles. I have been trying to decide what to do next. Should I run Portland again, should I run a marathon at Mt. Hood? I got an email today and it said it would give me a discount off the registration fee of $135. $135 for a marathon! How and why did that jump up so much? I don't think it is even worth it. They have water stations every 2 miles, sometimes every mile, it is way to crowded. I don't know what the cut off is this year, but in the past it has been about 9000. 9000 people! That is absolutely crazy. I think they treat the runners like babies, with the aid stations, 1000's of Honey buckets. Even at the training group that I ran with in 2005-2006, a friend of mine got a blister and they told her to not run anymore and drove her back to the start. Do you know what they do at ultra's? Pop it for you, duck tape it and send you on your way. If you get a cut that is bad, uh super glue it. Hey, I would do it. When I ran my last, I was whining up a storm, nobody patted me on my head, they ignored my big baby attitude and it's a good thing. If they had treated me like a baby, I would have quit. No, at my 31 mileage races, 3 aid stations and 1 is at the start, 2 Honey Buckets (not counting the ones at the start) and you are pretty much running by yourself through the woods, your lucky to spot someone else. And guess what? It's $55! Yup for 5 more miles and the happy rights to call yourself a Ultra Marathon runner, $55.00 While I may be perfectly content right now running 31 miles, I know when the time is right, I will run my first 50 and I hope the Honey Buckets are few and far in distance, aid stations spread out by many mileage and someone duck tapes my swollen foot!

Compliments

I remember when I was a teenager and I worked in the snack bar at the movie theaters. One night this man walked right up to me and told me that I was beautiful and then walked away.

Yesterday I got a compliment from an old friend and it stuck with me all day.
I love to give compliments to strangers, a genuine compliment. I know it lifts their spirits and it lifts mine to give it.

Day 1 of The Mattos Fast Challenge

I am giving up sugar for 30 days on a challenge. I am hoping to restore my energy levels. I am going to do my best as sugar is in everything and that is scary! High fructose corn syrup is even in Costco's bagels. HFCS is even in hamburger buns, think I'll just make my own. Sugar is everywhere! No wonder why the USA has the highest amount of overweight people. I did find a tortilla that is made without sugar and I was happy. I made a brand new homemade coffee creamer yesterday and later realized that I can't have it with my morning coffee, I made it with 2 cups of sugar. The yogurt that I buy has 34 grams of sugar (that's 5.5 tablespoons), a can of Shasta soda has 38 grams (6 tablespoons). Wow! Ummm isn't yogurt supposed to be good for you? I replaced that with plain yogurt, put some berries in it and sprinkled it with Stevia. I also bought a lot of fresh fruits/veggies. Fruit is a great natural sweetener.

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm

Forest Park Ultra Marathon

It's the 30 mile trail that I have ran all of. It's the trail that I have told wild stories to my children, claiming to have seen trail warriors and they've chase me with sticks. It's the unforgiving trail of blood, sweat and tears. You step wrong, you fall. It is the trail of many many miles ran. It's the trail that I yelled out at the end of my last ultra "this is my playground" It's Wildwood!!!
So, in all seriousness. I am thinking about running the Forest Park Ultra Marathon for the 3rd time. It is my playground after all.
The first time, some jokesters thought that it was funny to move the directional markers on the course and lots of people got lost. It also had rained 1 inch while I was running it and it was a mud pit. The 2nd time around, I trained there every weekend with my map on hand. I knew where I was headed at the start of the race, I didn't get lost and had a wonderful time. Well I did badly cramp up at the end, got distracted by a little boy, bit it on rocks, cramped up even more, yelled out "help me, help me" a man helped me up, I grabbed onto a nearby fence, started walking, then jogging, followed by sprinting to the finish line. I love oil line rd, steep incline with a huggable or hold on to me tree at the end just to make it off of it.

http://www.pctrailruns.com/Forest_Park.htm

Happy 7th Birthday

Today is April 3rd. It is my daughter's 7th birthday. She is such a blessing to me. She is in the 1st grade. She is very smart, school is very easy for her. She can read as well as any 3rd grader. She is normally good and likes to please her parents. But, if she is angry it is WW3 around our house, lets just say...you'd better duck or hide. We call her bossy pants as that is what she is. We call her mini Jeannie, she loves to imitate me. She is the person in the family that likes to make peace and bring it. If her sister hits her, she will not tell on her. She loves her. She is good at sports, loves soccer. We are very proud of our daughter.
Happy Birthday~