Wardrobe Planning...

I think we've found out shirts!!! :) :) :)

So excited to debut them on race day... if I don't wear it before. They're super cute, and hopefully functional (because let's face it- function is secondary.)

Yesterday's Texts

Christie @ 8:27 am: "Happy 1 day late anniversary!!!!!  How was it?"
Sarah @ 8:29 am: "And 2 days late happy bday to miss n!!!  Fun anni!  How was the party?"
Christie @ 8:30 am: "So fun!  Sooo tired though!  And didn't run a single mile!  Eek!"
Sarah @ 8:31 am: "Me either!  Lol!  Drank A LOT of booze!"
Christie @ 8:33 am: "Lol!!  I love it!  I could only be doing this with you!!!"

I love you bestie!!!  Way to rock it this morning! 
-Christie

Good break!

Like Christie said- we kinda went on hiatus. We both had so much going on this weekend, and all those things were more important than running.
On Friday I had an awesome birth. I knew it was going to mess with my training, but boy was it worth it. Getting to experience birth, for me, is getting to see God in a way I never have before. It touches my heart, reminds me of Grace, Strength, and the Holy Spirit. I remember at one point watching this exhausted mommy while I told her, "Just a little longer!! You're almost there, and I know you can do it!" (Just typing it now brings tears to my eyes.) And I thought, when I get to this point in the marathon where I don't think I can do it a second longer, where I'm certain the end will never come, and I was crazy to even try this- I'm going to remember that mommy. The look in her eyes when she would say in a quiet whisper, "I can do this." And I'm going to practice what I preach, dig deep, and find the strength. Because if I believe it of her, I have to believe it of me.
After the birth we went up to the lake to celebrate our anniversary :)
We had an amazing weekend full of sun, a wonderful surprise, and huckleberry mojitos (I don't know what it is with me and Huckleberry mixed drinks!!)
Soo... come this morning when my alarm went off and I felt like sleeping in I knew after taking the weekend off- it was make it or break it time!
Started out and it was surprisingly cool outside! My 4 mile loop is an easy run one way, and a hard run the other. Guess which way I almost always go. Imagine my delight when I realize that I'd been daydreaming and was going (gasp!) the hard way. My legs felt really fresh though, and I was maintaining a solid 9:40ish pace. Which is pretty good for me. I tried to keep only fast songs on the shuffle. Pat ran with my shuffle this weekend and couldn't believe how slow all my songs were. He thought that may have something to do with my pace issues (p.c. for "slow"). I think he was right! (Damn!) It was a beautiful run, killed the massive hill, only beat my dog twice when he cut me off because a few of the 2 million Quail up where we live may have been in the bush next to me.
Felt great to finish strong and according to Daily Mile it was my fastest run EVER! Woot woot!
So, the weekend off was worth it. Got to see what perseverance looks like first hand, saw another chapter open for someone I love, and celebrated 6 years of ups, downs and marathon training with my husband :)

This Week's Recap (and a Really Good Lesson)

It appears that we took a bit of a blogging hiatus.  Kinda like the running hiatus we seem to be taking this weekend.  More on that later...

I had 2 days off from running following my 15 mile run last Saturday, yet when Tuesday rolled around I still wasn't quite feeling it.  I set out on my short run for the week...a "measly" 4 miles.  I could tell right off the bat it wasn't going to go well.  Apparently wine and Nestle drumstick(s) night the evening before any run is not the best idea.  My legs felt like lead, and I honestly did not enjoy a single step.  I turned back early, walked a LOT, and ended my run at 3.3 miles.  My pace was the worst I've ever run since I've been documenting it.  It was just not fun.

Thankfully, Sarah was there to save me.  During a conversation with her later that day, she told me the BEST quote.  She said that expecting every run to go well is like trying to have the highs without the lows.  This totally spoke to me in so many ways!  I think this is true in all aspects of life.  You can't see the view from the top without working through the valleys and hills.  You can't have a thriving and secure marriage without having proven to yourselves that you can make it through the storms.  You can't fully grasp just how divine a full night's sleep is unless you've been up every hour for months on end with your newborn.  You can't appreciate vacation until you've been working long or hard enough to see how different it is from the day-to-day grind.  And you can't understand the freedom and joy of feeling like you are flying during a run if you haven't experienced the feeling of not being able to drag your feet a single step further. 

Wednesday I was scheduled to do an 8 mile run.  Overall, it was amazing!  It was reaaalllly hot, and crazy hilly.  At one point I hit a ginormous hill (I swear it was almost a mile long) and walked nearly the entire way.  Then I kind of scared myself when I started running again.  I could instantly tell I was going really fast.  And that it felt really good.  I checked my Garmin (yes, I finally got one!!!  More on that in a future post :), and for a full 1.5 miles I was sailing at sub-9 minute miles (and often sub-8.3) Um, what?!?!  I am a solid 10 minute mile runner.  On a great day I'll float into the upper 9's, but that is rare.  Running that fast, and feeling like I was in my sweet spot, was  c  r  a  z  y !!  I may never do it again, but for those 12 minutes, I was floating on air!  And I appreciated it all the more having survived my 3.3 mile crawl the day before.

I took Thursday off, really just because I was lazy. :)  We are supposed to be doing 16/17 miles this weekend, but I've been having the hardest time figuring out when to fit it in.  Tomorrow is my daughter's 2nd birthday (and party).  My husband's parents are already here, and my parents fly in tomorrow morning.  Even if I left at 5 am, I wouldn't be back in time to greet my daughter when she woke up on her birthday, make her a pancake breakfast, and spend every minute focused on her.  I made a promise at the very start of my training that if it ever got in the way of my family, I would quit on the spot.  I couldn't figure out a way to balance it all with the events of this weekend, so I called Sarah for moral support.  She said she had already decided to take the weekend off (or do a shorter run), as she just finished a birth and was headed to her family's lake cabin for her anniversary weekend.  I was instantly relieved of any guilt, and we reminded each other that we were doing just fine and would pick up where we left off.  Just one more reason she truly is my sole sister. :)

I'm going to try to get in a good run Sunday...maybe even the 12-miler we are scheduled to do next weekend.  But with family in town, and pizza and cake for dinner tomorrow, 5 miles or so is looking more realistic.  I'm just excited to wake up tomorrow and enjoy every minute of the day with my family and friends.  The roads will still be there on Sunday.  And I know I'll enjoy my run all the more.
-Christie

Christie, this one's for you!

Click on the link to watch the video titled 'Lost Jogger' :)
http://ucbt.net/v/277

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm" -Ralph Waldo Emerson

This week was tough for me.
I hit a bit of a wall. Realizing that I can't do all of this!
With work (I have one client due any day and two more before the marathon. Going to a birth usually means at least 30 hours without sleep), my kiddos (lately running has been the easiest part of my day), keeping my home in somewhat working order... oy vey.
So, when Friday hit and I got a text from Christie that said, "I'm so EXCITED about tomorrow!!!!" I pooped on her party and texted her back that I was dragging. So, being the psychic that she is she told me to check my mailbox- that I had a surprise coming and it should have come today!
Only best friends can foresee that kind of stuff :)
So this is what was in my care package:

My card filled with encouragement, exclamation points, and smiley faces!

My Race Countdown

My new running shirt :) "so people know what we're running for!" -Christie

So grateful for my wonderful friend who knew just what I would need :)

When I called her to thank her she told me something that really stuck with me. When I started running a year and a half ago it was to get away from the chaos that is raising 3 young kids. I would go for 10 or 15 minutes (because that's all my body could do!) She said, "Back then you would have PAID to get 3 hours away from your kids! Now you've earned being able to be away for that long. Be so thankful for it!"

5:15am on Saturday morning came very quickly.

I planned on running a new course off of the prairie that we live on. I had driven it the night before and couldn't believe how FAR IT WAS! Until now I've been running lots of out and backs and loops, so to see how much distance 15 miles really is was crazy. The course was hilly to say the least. Insane hills. Driving them I thought, "oh well, if they get tough I'll just walk..." Ha. Right. We'll get back to that part.

First I had to plant some water around my 10 mile mark. Got that planted and drove to my start while I talked to C. She said, "Hahaha! This is so ridiculous!" And I'm just shaking my head while I'm driving in the early dawn to go run for hours.

Started at 6:15 (Christie! I didn't know we started at the same time!!" :)

The first 4 miles were along city streets, but it was mostly flat with a few downhills sprinkled in. I headed into the "scary part" where it's actually beautiful country roads, but there's no shoulder and its pretty desolate. Perfect place for a horror movie where some serial killer abducts an unsuspecting young (hee, hee!) runner. So, with pepper spray on my hip- I headed into the jungle :)

The miles flew by during my death cheating 4 miles in the wilderness. I kept up on my Shock Bloks and only took one gel. The only hard part was the hills- which even walking up these steep windy beasts made me breathe hard- and the no shoulder parts.

Passed, 2 squirrels, 3 wild turkeys, 2 wild and rabid (probably) dogs, 4 horses, and a deer.

Got to my 8 mile mark and into civilization! Yes! Started I sing, "Survivor" and my phone rang, and it was my running buddy Ashlee who was planning on meeting me for my last 4 miles :) Told her to meet me at the McDonald's on the course because I was fairly certain my bladder was about to explode. Sprinted into Micky D's and the boy at the counter gave me a funny look. All decked out in my water belt, with a bright red "running for my life from the wildlife/murderer a mile back" sort of look on my face. Waited for Ash while I inhaled a Cliff Bar and a Hammer Gel. She pulled in all perky and well rested, and we headed out. Once again, a friend that knew what I needed. Her enthusiasm was contagious, she was whooping and hooting and singing and dancing :) We got a few honks and I'm fairly sure its because Ash was shakin' what her mama gave her :)

At mile 13 I hit a big time wall. It was shadeless in those last few miles and was almost 9am. Ash stuck with my snail pace and got me through those last (thankfully) few miles. As we jaywalked (ran?) across the street to finish she was hollering, and I screamed, "I did it!!!"

We went to the grocery store to get ice and she informed the lady at the checkout that I had just ran 15 miles. (Gee, thanks!) The lady gave me a look like, "and I care because...?" :)

Headed home and the kids clapped and splashed in my ice bath.

They think this is normal and what every mommy does on Saturday mornings. Which I love.

Then got back to real life and cleaned the garage all day. Haha!

I'm blessed with friends who share my joy, hardships, bad days and good days.

-Sarah

15 Miles: It's Kind of a Big Deal

Well, we did it!!!  Our 15-mile milestones have been met!  And let me just say...it was AMAZING!! 

I know everyone always talks about a "runner's high."  Honestly, I don't really get them.  I had one after the half marathon, and maybe after 1 or 2 other runs over the course of the past few months, but it's definitely not a usual occurrence for me.  This morning I realized why.  I think I only get highs like that after accomplishing something that is a really, really big deal.  Not from things that are just so-so everyday kind of accomplishments.  I count this morning's 15.68 mile run as a really, really big deal.  Hence the high that is still going strong!

I got up at 5 am, got into my gear, and had some coffee and peanut butter toast.  I mapped out my run one more time and decided to write each turn on my hand so that I wouldn't get lost (although I still managed to take 1 wrong turn...hence the extra .68).  I even got to talk to Sarah for a bit as she was prepping for her run...mainly just about how stupid we are. :)  Eventually I drove to my starting point, and at 6:15 am, my feet hit the ground running.  With the exception of a few photo stops and water breaks, they kept moving until 8:54, when I was met by my amazing husband and 2 precious kiddos, cheering me on with all their might.

I can honestly say I loved every single second of it.  15.68 miles is ridiculous.  I mean, honestly.  I ended up going through one extra city than I thought I was going to (Sherwood!).  In other words, I crossed 5 city limits this morning (Beaverton, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Tualatin, Sherwood, and back to Tigard).  If you really sit down and look at the map and see the distance that was traveled, it's INSANE.  But I did it.  And I had fun!!!  Here are some photos from the morning:



My route mapped out for me.  As I ran I discovered how fun it was to erase each street I finished.  Watching the list shrink was such motivation!




My reply to a picture Sarah sent me of her gorgeous river view.




Then I finally got a gorgeous river view of my own.




Stopping to take a mental picture at 13.1 miles (the distance of a half-marathon, and prior to this morning, the furthest my feet had ever traveled).  I later found out due to my wrong turn, 13.1 was quite a ways before this, but the sentimental value is still there. :)




Josh passing me on the street as he drove the kids to my "finish line."  He said he got some really interesting looks from those passing by thinking what a creep he was for taking pictures of a female runner's backside, no less with his kids in the backseat.




My cheerleaders on the lookout for mommy.




I realize I look like I am barely walking here, but I swear I was still running!




Hugs from my bundles!!





All that was left at the end of the run.  Every street had been conquered.  Only the memory of 15 miles remained!




Indulging in a HEAVENLY post-run Egg McMuffin (or two).



The journey continues!
-Christie