Returning to my old stomping grounds

I decided tonight to go for a run after work in the hopes of having slightly cooler weather.  After the warm "runch" the other day, I thought my body would appreciate cooler temps.  However, I still forgot my water bottle and my sweatband; fail.  I also decided to go run at our favorite family spot for summer evening walks.  We spent a lot of time at this particular trail last summer when we were going for family walks practically every night after work/school.

When I first began the Couch-to-5K program, I would run short jaunts on the trail, but never the full loop.  This was primarily for two reasons.  1) I had not built up my stamina to run a mile at that point, much less the 2.5 miles that encompasses the full loop and 2) this particular trail is very hilly and I always preferred to walk up the big hills.  In fact, one day last year, I overheard some fellow runners commenting on the fact that this particular trail is one of the most difficult cross-country courses.  One local running store calls it an "infamous cross country course" with a "tough 5K loop."  I chose to return to this trail to run tonight to start training on significant hills for Napa.  My main running trail currently is uber flat, although my normal lunchtime route almost always includes at least one gnarly hill, if not more, but I still feel the need to train on more hills.

Truth be told, I've been a little scared to return to the "infamous" course and have been avoiding it like the plaque. I told myself to "suck it up, buttercup" and I wanted to see if I could go back tonight, nearly a year later in my running journey, and push myself.  I am happy to report that I ran the whole outer loop (about 2.5 miles) tonight including all of the beastly hills!  It wasn't easy by any means and my pace up the hills was glacial, but dang it, I did it and I am pretty freaking proud.  It's a huge improvement considering this time last year, I could only run about .4 of a mile on that course and that was only downhill!

I definitely think this route is going to be a frequent one on my road to Napa and I'm certainly going to have to incorporate hill repeats in my training plan, which I have also been putting off.  That and speed work (and cross-training and strength training) will help my overall running and is definitely needed for Ragnar!

I also had a bit of a light bulb moment tonight on my run.  Running Napa Ragnar will help me cross off California on my list of states I've run in on my journey to run a race in all 50 states, which is pretty exciting!  I think I'm going to have to work on a graphic of the U.S. with the states I've run in highlighted so I can track my progress.

Lastly, I had to share a little something sweet.  It's no secret that I'm obsessed with frozen yogurt right now and the geniuses at Tutti Frutti decided to open a location about a half a block from my office.  It's fair to say that they get a hefty chunk of business from my co-workers and I.  Today, we made our second trip this week to Tutti Frutti (shh, I'm also going tomorrow) and I got my new favorite combination:

• birthday cake frozen yogurt (where has this been all my life??  It's the one and only flavor that got me to switch from my beloved vanilla)
• a dollop of hot fudge (a vast improvement over my hot fudge consumption of late.  I was a little heavy handed previously with the hot fudge pump)
• A smidgen of fresh raspberries and blueberries
• A smattering of chopped peanuts

It's divine and oh so pretty before it melts!  

#NomNom 

Here's to continuing to run uphill to get stronger (and to burn off some calories to enjoy Tutti Frutti)!

"Many people shy away from hills. They make it easy on themselves, but that limits their improvement. The more you repeat something, the stronger you get." 

Core work

I sometimes wonder if some of my habits on my weight loss journey are sending the wrong message to my boys, for example when I was weighing myself daily (which I have actually not been doing for once, hooray!) and seeing the boys rush over to weigh themselves, too.  It was cute to see them imitating Matt and I, but I've often wondered if this is sending them the wrong message.  I certainly don't want my boys to be obsessive about their weight, but I do want them to be healthy.  There are, of course, other habits that I do hope they emulate; healthy eating (I should probably be a better role model in this area; hot fudge is not a food group) and regular exercise, so I was tickled tonight when Nick wanted to help me with my core work.

Before my Dad died, I was in a good grove of doing sit-ups and planks every night, but then I fell off the wagon and it's taken me until now to get back on the wagon.  I told Nick I was going to do sit-ups after I got Jack to sleep and he sweetly said "Mom, I will help you do your sit-ups and pranking."  Pranking = 6 year old lingo for planking, for the record.  So he helped me keep track of my sit-ups (100) and then told me that he was going to do 200 (!) because one time in gym, he did 79 sit-ups in 60 seconds.  He made it to 33, but it was great and I loved that he wanted to do sit-ups, too.

He was also very sweet and encouraging when I was doing my planks.  A few months ago, I was doing 20 second planks three times in a row.  I was pleasantly surprised tonight that I was able to do 30 second planks, although I was struggling during the last one.  For the last few seconds of each plank, Nick would gently rub my back and say "It's ok, Mom.  I'm here.  You're doing great."  How I love that kid (and his little bro, too)!

We had a really lovely celebratory lunch at work today in honor of my upcoming Napa Ragnar experience.  I wanted to do a little something to say thank you to my friends at work for all of the support and help with my entry, so I ordered pizza from our favorite local pizza place and we indulged (there may have also been some cinnamon sticks involved, but we have no regrets).  My friend, Stacy, brought some sparkling grape juice to toast with and I promised them that I would bring back delicious wine from Napa so that we could celebrate again when I get back, after work hours, of course!  I don't think I can say enough how much I appreciate my friends helping me with this project, but it meant the world to me!

I loved Stacy's toast and wanted to share it as my quote for today (Stacy, I think I got it right, but if I didn't, let me know!  It was so lovely, I don't want to forget it), because I think not only is it fitting for Napa, but also for running in general for me.  I never knew where running would take me when I set out on this journey and I am thankful for the memories and experiences that it has provided me.  So to my fellow running friends:

"May your legs be long and your stories be even longer." 

A return to "runching"

Today, I went on my first "runch" (lunchtime run) in a long time and it was nice to get back in my groove.  Although, I was somewhat of a weenie (sorry, Mary!) and it was a humbling run in that I realize I have a lot of work to do before Napa.  I am ready for it though! I got this!  It was a bit on the warm side (I'm trying very hard not to use the word hot, especially after the winter we had, but it was pretty much hot) and I forgot my water bottle so I was dragging a bit.  Mary kept me going though and even twisted my arm to run up a hill, after all I need to start doing a lot of hill work before Napa!

The excitement from yesterday has not worn off and I am feeling very blessed by the opportunity that awaits this fall!  I've had the opportunity to start getting to know my awesome Badass Mother Runner teammates and have included links to their blogs on the right so you can get to know them, too!  I am so thrilled to get to know these women better over the next few months and share in a once in a lifetime experience!

I completely forgot to share the picture of our completed memorial garden last night!  We finished up the last bit of work last night after we got home from work and I really love how it turned out.  We even sat outside to eat our dinner to admire our handiwork.  Nick really liked how it turned out, too, but he did point out that it was a lot of work because it took "three whole days, Mom."  It does seem like a lot of work for such a little space, but hopefully the hard work will pay off in easy upkeep for the next few years.

Our memorial garden; hydrangea on the left, memorial stone, and lilac bush on the right

Jodi, one of my new friends from the Napa BAMR team, shared a great quote with me tonight from Ali Vincent when she spoke at the Princess Half in 2013.  It speaks to the power of running and how it brings us together.  I love how many people I have met through running that I might not have otherwise met and how we bond over our common love of running! I'm looking forward to adding 12 BAMR's to that list over the coming months!

"No matter how fast or slow we run, we all sweat the same." 

The most exciting news in the history of my blog

I realize that's a mighty statement, but it's true!  More exciting than running my first 10K, more exciting than finishing my first half, more exciting than losing 50 lbs. and keeping it off for almost a year.  What could be more exciting than all of that?  Getting the opportunity to run with my absolute favorite Mother Runners, Dimity and Sarah as part of their Napa Valley Ragnar team this fall!

I saw that Dimity and Sarah were having a contest for their 2014 Ragnar Team and having read the recap from their Ragnar DC adventure last year, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.  The rules for the contest were to get creative and tell Dimity and Sarah why you want to join the team, so I brainstormed for a few weeks about my idea for my entry and started to work after I finished my half marathon in early April.  I submitted my entry the last day of the contest (last Monday) and set about waiting until the announcement was made today.  I almost posted my Ragnar entry to my blog after I submitted it last week, but a superstitious part of me didn't want to jinx myself!

I always scroll through my e-mail on my phone in the mornings before I get out of bed and I had several this morning, but I found the one I was looking for, the one from Dimity and Sarah.  I opened the e-mail and practically held my breath as I read through the fantastically creative and clever Mother Runners that were chosen to be part of the Napa team.  I got to runners 7, 8, and 9 on the list and I told myself not to get too disappointed and then I saw my  name.  I think I squealed out loud and I woke up Matt to tell him the good news!  Here is a link to all of the Badass Mother Runners for Napa and I am so excited to be part of this fantastic group of women!

I based my entry on the hilarious Jimmy Fallon hashtag videos; I can't get enough of them and I watch them almost weekly.  My favorite is the Justin Timberlake version (here), but the Jonah Hill version (here) is also top notch.  I had the help of some wonderful co-workers who brainstormed ideas with me, filmed the video for me, and acted with me in the video.  Thank you all; you are the best!!  I will say that I don't think acting is my calling and I'll stick to my day job, but it was a lot of fun to shoot and I had a blast editing the video (that's actually what I was doing last Sunday night that caused me to stay up until 3 a.m.; totally worth it). Here is the final version of my #NapaRagnar Entry video!

I have been beaming all day and I still can't believe that it's real!  Dimity and Sarah are such inspirations to me and I still remember last year watching the live feed of Dimity crossing the finish line at the Coeur D'Alene Ironman.  I didn't know her, but I was so freaking proud of her and it gave me such a boost of self-confidence that I can't really explain.  I had just come across their blog and books a few weeks prior to her Ironman and shortly thereafter, I started listening to their podcasts when I went running.  I had the opportunity to meet both of them in St. Louis last fall at the Mother Runner party they hosted here before the Rock 'n Roll Marathon and I felt like I was meeting superstars, because they are in my book.  I can't wait to run Napa with them and get to know them even more.  Nothing like spending two days in a van with someone to get to know them, right?

In addition to running with my running heroes, I'm also getting the opportunity to run a Ragnar Relay race in a beautiful part of the country.  Napa Ragnar starts in San Francisco and ends in Napa Valley and it looks like a beautiful race!  I've heard a lot about Ragnar Relay races as I've become more involved in the running community and it's always intrigued me as a new challenge.  It's something completely outside of my comfort zone (night running!? and sleeping in a van!) but I am so excited about it and so blessed to have the opportunity to participate.  I feel like this opportunity couldn't have come at a better time; with all that has gone on in my life the past 5 months or so, I needed a little push with my running and weight loss, as well as something to challenge me, motivate me, and inspire me!  I am thrilled to be a part of this group of women and I cannot wait for the race in September!

I'm looking forward to sharing my Ragnar training and if anyone else has done a Ragnar before, I'd love to hear your experiences and tips!

I know I've been struggling a bit with my return to running following my half and my weight loss, but I have a renewed sense of determination!  I love the quote below and find it fitting for me right now; so here is to tomorrow and getting into gear for Napa Ragnar!

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow.'" 

Memorial Garden

We spent another day doing yard work today and prior to that, I chose sleep over a run.  Despite my lack of a run today, though, I feel like I got in a good workout doing yard work.  Nick and I went to the cemetery today to visit my Dad's grave and my Grandma and Grandpa's grave and while we were there, we decided that our new garden would make a nice memorial garden for my Dad and other loved ones we've lost.  We picked up a few things at the store to help get our garden going and I'm loving how it is turning out.

In addition to the hydrangea that we are going to plant, I also picked up a lilac bush.  My grandma loved lilacs and had a beautiful lilac bush in her backyard.  After my grandparents died and we sold their house, my mom and I went over to the backyard and took a branch of the lilac bush to plant at my house.  Unfortunately, that little branch did not produce a bush, but I'm sure this had to do with my terrible gardening skills and not a fault with the branch.  I'm going to give this new lilac bush a fair shake and hope that it and the hydrangea bear with me and stick around for a while.  We are also going to put a garden stone in between the two bushes.  It's a stone that was sent to me after Dad died and it has a nice saying on it that will be perfect for our memorial garden.  We also picked up some edging stones and some solar lights to finish everything off.  We have a little bit left to finish off this week, but it's almost finished.  I'll try to remember to take some pictures when all is said and done.

It was really nice to spend so much time outdoors this weekend, especially after this dreadfully long winter.  The boys had a great time riding around in their toy Jeep and helping me garden with their gardening tools.  I think the fresh air did us some good!

In other exciting news, Nick lost his second tooth this afternoon and he is quite excited for another visit from the Tooth Fairy!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and that you, too, had wonderful weather to enjoy!

"Always keep your face toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you." 

Upcoming Races and "Mental Chafing"

I have been completely absorbed in the book I mentioned last week written by Holocaust survivor, Ben Fainer, and I spent last night curled up in bed reading.  It's a nice change of pace, actually, because I haven't been reading much lately and I've missed it.

Unfortunately, I did not go for a run yesterday or today, but I did do a bit of walking yesterday and about 2 hours of yard work today.  I'm not a big fan of gardening/yard work, honestly.  I know many people find gardening to be very relaxing and peaceful, but I can't get on board.  I came to the conclusion tonight that it is because of my OCD.  I was pulling out two large bushes in our backyard to make room for a beautiful hydrangea I got when my Dad passed away and it was exhausting.  I only intended on removing one bush, but then I decided I could probably manage the upkeep on a little area near our back door and decided to remove the other bush and make a small garden.  Nick was really excited to hear this and said that we needed to buy seeds and signs; it was quite cute.  I managed to open up a huge blister on my left palm since I decided to attempt the bush pulling without gloves (duh, Laura) and while I do feel accomplished in that I removed both bushes, I also realize that I still have a lot of work to do tomorrow.  It will be nice to spend more time outdoors tomorrow, though.  The boys and I enjoyed spending some time outside and getting some fresh air.

I'd like to go out for a run tomorrow before I tackle more gardening, especially since I have a few races coming up.

• May 18th: St. Louis Children's Hospital Make Tracks for the Zoo Run/Walk; I've done this race the past few years and it is one of my favorites.  Nick did one of the kid's runs last year and it was so fun running with him!  We run through Forest Park and then enter the Zoo for a post-race breakfast and the award ceremony.  
• June 14th: Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure; I've also participated in this race for many years and it's near and dear to my heart.  My mom and I have been going downtown since 2009 for the Race for the Cure and it's just as special each year.  St. Louis' Race for the Cure is the largest 5K in the world and it is always inspiring to see thousands of people in pink honoring those we've lost to breast cancer and supporting those who are fighting the disease currently. 

I'd like to do some other races this summer, so I'm keeping my eyes open for other opportunities in July and August!

Our local Fleet Feet affiliate sends out a weekly newsletter that I receive and I always enjoy Amy Marxkors' articles; she's candid, funny, and insightful and this week was no different.  Her article this week was about mental chafing and it really spoke to me, particularly in the context of my recent half marathon.  She says "it's the mental dialogue, the back and forth between negative thoughts and positive, that wears us down.  For every attack there must be a counterattack. For every 'I can't' there must be an 'I can.'"  This is so true for me on practically every run, not just on race day.  Amy's friend, Megan, said it best: "I need to RunGuard my brain."  I need to keep this in mind on every run and counteract the negative thoughts with the positive to relieve the "mental chafing" that I always seem to get!  

"If you train your mind for running, everything else will be easy." 

Back in the saddle again

Today, I went for my first run since my half marathon (almost a month ago, yeesh)!  More on that in a minute, but first I wanted to share a bit about the past few days.

Tuesday night I had big plans; there were so many things on my "to-do" list and what did I do?  I fell asleep a little before 9 and didn't wake up until the next morning.  I felt a little guilty for not doing anything on my list that night, but I figured that I must have needed the sleep.

Yesterday, Matt and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary.  I can't believe it's been 10 years; at times it seems like only yesterday and other times it seems like a lifetime ago given that so much has happened since then.  Births, deaths, new jobs, a new house, so much can happen in 10 years.  We both took the day off and spent the day together, which was wonderful.  We watched our wedding DVD and looked through our engagement, rehearsal dinner, and honeymoon photos.  Then we went to the St. Louis Art Museum and had a great time looking at the exhibits.  The Art Museum currently has a French Impressionist exhibit that I was hoping to see (I'm a huge Francophile) but it was an exhibit that you had to purchase a ticket for.  We are very lucky, though, in that the rest of the museum is free.  From time to time they have traveling exhibits that require you to purchase a ticket.  In fact, the last time I was at the Art Museum was when Nick was about two months old and my Dad was in town for his baptism.  We went to the Art Museum because there was a Napoleon exhibit at the time and we had a great time.  It was nice to remember that visit while Matt and I were there yesterday.  Our favorite part of the museum, though, was this phenomenal arms and armor exhibit they had.  It was filled with beautiful armor and spectacular weapons from the 15th through 18th centuries (the history geek in me was in awe) and the exhibit was in this gorgeous room with dark wood paneling and a grand staircase.  It was very impressive!

My handsome hubs in the arms and armor room at the Art Museum

Celebrating 10 years of being Mr. and Mrs.

After the Art Museum, we had a late lunch and then after we picked up the boys from school, my Mom came over to watch the boys so Matt and I could go to the movies.  We went to see The Other Woman (I highly recommend it; hilarious) and we enjoyed the movie in the comfort of the 5-star lounge at one of our local theaters.  We've been wanting to try it out for awhile and we figured our anniversary would be a good time.  The 5-star lounge is a 21+ theater that has heated, reclining seats, tableside service, and a full food and cocktail menu.  It was amazing and the only way I care to see movies from now on! :) It was definitely luxurious and a fun splurge for our anniversary!  We had a really great anniversary and it was so nice to have some quality time with the hubs and celebrate married life.  I love you, babe!  Here's to many more years of love, laughter, and happiness!

Just when I thought Spring had sprung, Mother Nature reminded me that she's in control.  After having some wonderful spring days with mild temperatures and glorious sun, the past two days have been cloudy and chilly.  I'm not sure we made it much into the 50's today, but it looks like Monday it's going to be 86.  You've got to love St. Louis weather!

Beautiful flowers from my lunchtime walk on Tuesday

This evening after work, I decided it was time to get back in the saddle.  It has been almost a month since my half and I haven't run since between my self-imposed post-race recovery week followed by my wicked sinus infection.  I originally thought I would just take it easy and do 2 miles, but I decided to go for 3 and I'm glad I did.  It was hard given that I haven't run in awhile (and the fact that I had a huge lunch followed by fro yo this afternoon) but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  It was a beautiful night, even though it was chilly.  It was overcast and there were some dark clouds in the sky, which made everything on the path seem greener and more vibrant.  It's the perfect running weather for me.  The creek along the path was babbling and the leaves were rustling and the trail wasn't too busy.  I listened to one of Dimity and Sarah's Another Mother Runner podcasts, which was so nice to get back to.  I had been listening to an audio book (Unbroken) while I trained for the half, so I have a lot of AMR podcasts to catch up on and I can't wait.  It felt damn good to get out and run and clear my head.  I was anxious to be finished around mile 2.3, but I kept at it and even though my pace was slower than my norm, it felt great to be out there and run.
 

Peaceful, beautiful, soul soothing

I'm planning to go for another run tomorrow night after work and I'll probably stick to 3 miles again just to ease back in to running.  I will probably stick to 3 miles for the next two weeks or so just to get back in the zone. I need to look at my race calendar for the next few months and figure out a game plan for training.  I think that will help me immensely to have a plan.

What is your perfect running weather?

"Progress is impossible without change...and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."