Run Every Year On Your Birthday

That was one of my favorite bits of advice from Kara Goucher's Running For Women book that I recently finished reading.

It was in the chapter on "Foolproof Strategies For Keeping You Fit, Lean, Happy, and Energized For The Long Run." She said there is no better way to start your special day than to run first thing in the morning on your birthday. "It'll stay with you the rest of the day--I'm fit, I'm a runner, another great year to look forward to!"

I loved that because my birthday has always been one of my favorite days to run since I started running in high school. People would sometimes say to me, "It's your birthday, why are you going running!?" And in my mind I would think, "It's my birthday! That's why I'm running!" In fact, the longer my run is on my birthday, the better. That just means even more cake right? :)

Speaking of birthdays...

This cute guy turns 3 today!!!

We are celebrating by taking him to the Spurs game tonight, and then he gets to have a little party with his friends tomorrow. He's requested a basketball cake, so I'm on the search for some good orange frosting today. We might even celebrate by starting our day with a short jogging stroller run too. He's no awake yet, so it'll depend on his willingness to go. Just heard his little knock, so I guess I'l go find out.

Do you like to run on your birthday, or would you rather take the day off? 

My First Track Workout With My Toddler

I mentioned awhile ago in my 7 Workouts for Stay-at-Home Mom's post that I wanted to try taking B to the track with me to see if he'd let me get an interval workout in while he played on the football field. 

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Well, I finally took him this week, and I was completely prepared to be disappointed. I imagined he would want to run with me and cry if I didn't wait for him. I imagined he would be really needy and clingy and require me to stop 100 times. I also imagined he might dart right in front of us as we passed by, or run away beyond the football field perimeters.  

I was beyond thrilled when none of those things happened. He had a blast. It was a win-win situation. He was happy running around with his little buddy (one of my running buddies also brought her toddler), and I was happy running around with mine! 

We set the little boys up in the middle of the soccer field with snacks, a frisbee, a tricycle, a soccer ball, a stroller to push around, and I even had the ipod ready to play a movie if I needed to. We never needed the movie. The two boys were in heaven running around, rolling in the grass and dirt, and playing the entire time. I'm sure they got just as good of a workout as we did. (They were so cute. I wish I had brought my camera!)

Our goal was to do 6 miles with 3 of the miles being 800 meter repeats. I thought there was no way B's attention span would last long enough for us to get through all 6 miles. I was wrong again! We finished the 6X800 workout along with a 1.5 mile warm-up and cool-down, and the boys still weren't ready to leave. 

B was a good little coach too, making sure we didn't rest for too long between intervals. Every time we stopped between the 800's, B would run up and say, "Go run mommy!" Maybe I should buy him a whistle for Christmas...

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It had been way too long since I'd done a track workout, and it felt so good to do one again. I was in a fantastic mood the rest of the day because of how well the workout ended up going.  The endorphins may have had something to do with my good mood too. 

When we got home I gave B a bath because he was filthy from rolling around in the dirt and grass, and then he took a 3 hour nap because he did such a good job wearing himself out at the track. He was still sleeping when Scott came home from work at 5PM! I think the only reason he woke up was because he heard Scott and I talking. 

I love being able to get my workouts done before Scott gets home so I can just hang out with him and relax at night. 

I hope there's more successful track workouts like that in the future. I think there will be because this morning as I was taking B for a jogging stroller run, he said, "I want to go to track and play with Kayden." Way to make your mommy smile B. That sentence was music to my ears. :) I told him we could go next week. We'll start with once a week and if it continues to go well, maybe I'll even do some regular runs there. I don't mind running in circles if it means not having to push a heavy stroller, and B certainly doesn't mind not having to sit in it! 

What's the last workout you did that put you in a good mood? 

And don't forget to enter my giveaway! 3 winners, and only about 20 entries so far, so your chances of winning are good! 

November 30 Day Challenge: Week 2

A week and a half ago I posted about the 30 day challenges that I've been doing. This month I'm focusing on one thing each day that I'm thankful for. I decided that for the month of November, Thursdays would be a good day to write my weekly "thankfuls." 

Nov. 7 was the last time I posted my thankfuls, so here's the rest up to today:

Nov. 8- Thankful for grocery stores close by that are always stocked with plenty of good food. We are so spoiled when it comes to food.

Nov. 9- Thankful that my parents and sister are coming to visit tomorrow! (They came Nov. 10-15)

Nov. 10- Thankful for good books to read. 

Nov. 11- Thankful for a little boy who almost always wakes up happy. (I heard him singing to himself this morning after he woke up.)

Nov. 12- Thankful for curly hair. I used to hate it when I was younger, but now I realize it's a blessing that I can choose wether I want it curly or straight, especially now that we live in a humid place! 

Nov. 13- Thankful for a healthy, strong body.

Nov. 14- Thankful for good friends in Texas. Living away from family would be so much harder if we didn't have so many good friends here. 

Nov. 15- Thankful that my husband has a good job that he enjoys. (Picture below is Scott taking me, my sister, and her boyfriend on a tour at his work one day.)

Nov. 16- Thankful for hot showers! They are such a wonderful, relaxing luxury. 

(uh, no picture on this one.)

Nov. 17- Thankful for a husband who's so willing to help around the house. He folds/does laundry, helps clean up after dinner, takes out the garbages, and even cleans the bathtub. The picture below is him saving us a lot of money by fixing our washer himself. I didn't have any pictures of him actually folding the laundry, but he just did it last night. He's awesome.

Man, I'm really, really blessed! So many things to be thankful for! 

And just for fun, what's your favorite Thanksgiving Day food? 

Sweet potatoes, or candied yams! I'm really going to miss all the traditional family dishes this year. :( We aren't going home for the holidays. Cracker Barrel's dinner is pretty good. Not nearly as good as our family's, but at least we don't have to cook or clean right? Trying to stay positive about missing my family. 

5 Things That Made Me Smile Today

1. Hearing B sing to himself when he woke up this morning. He's so cute. 

2. Taking B for a run in this weather. It's payback time for all those hot, sweaty, humid summer runs we endured this past summer!

3. This apple pie oatmeal I created today. Yum. That's comfort food for ya. Here's what I put in if you want to try it: 1/3 C. oats, 2 honeycrisp apple slices cut up, 1 egg white, almond milk to wet (didn't measure sorry), 1 sugar free packet apple cider, and pecans to top. I just mixed it all together and cooked for 2 minutes in the microwave. (Two things I've discovered lately are that honeycrisp apples are the best. My friend introduced me to them. They are a little more expensive, but worth it. And egg whites taste really good mixed into oatmeal.)

4. Watching Lion King with B. This song always makes me smile. 

5. Last, but not least, my parents and older sister are coming to visit today! B cannot wait to see his grandparents. I gave him a timeline of today leading up to when we would go pick up his grandparents, and he keeps repeating it over and over. It's so cute. It goes like this (imagine a really cute 2-year-old voice), "Go running, watch a movie, go to store, take a nap, (then his voice gets a few pitches higher), pick up Grandma!!"

Number 5 means I won't be blogging for the next few days. I'll be soaking up family time and touring around doing the usual San Antonio touristy things like dinner on the Riverwalk, The Alamo, and shopping. 

Good luck to all my friends who are running in the San Antonio Rock'n'Roll race this weekend!!

What's something that made you smile today? 

Race Recap: How I Got My Half Marathon PR

I've had a lot of bad luck when it comes to race days, but this past weekend I finally had a race where everything went my way, including breaking my almost 5-year-old half marathon PR (personal record). I guess these pants really are lucky!

Here's a recap of race weekend:

Scott only worked a half day on Friday so we could head up to New Braunfels early for our mini family vacation. Our first stop was my packet pick-up, and I loved the shirt! I even slept in it, and then wore it on race morning because it was so comfy. I'm not sure if you can tell by the picture, but it says "running with purpose" on the front since the money raised from this race went towards orphanages and adoptions. After the packet pick-up we went to Chili's for dinner, picked up a Redbox, and then headed back to our cute timeshare to relax. 

 As far as exercise goes the week before the race, I stuck to my taper plan perfectly! 

Here's what I ate the day before the race (to the best of my memory):

Breakfast: Smoothie with 1 C. almond milk, 1/2 banana, 1 C. frozen antioxidant blend fruit, and about 2 tsp. of chia seeds. + 2 rice cakes with almond butter and honey.

Lunch: 2 red potatoes and 2 cornflake chicken tenders with BBQ sauce and honey mustard. + 1 rice cake, activia yogurt, and 6 tootsie rolls.

Snack: Fun Size M&M's, some sour chewy things, and a couple of B's fruit snacks. (Gotta love the Halloween candy laying around the house.)

Dinner@Chili's: Too many appetizer chips with salsa :) Margarita grilled chicken with rice and cinnamon apples. 

Late night snack: Clif Bar.

Race morning breakfast: 1 rice cake with peanut butter and honey.

As usual, I didn't have the best night's sleep the night before. It consisted of a couple bathroom breaks, an itchy mosquito bite, a loud breathing husband, being too cold, and having dreams that I slept in and missed my race. Ha ha. 

It was incredibly convenient for both me and my boys to stay in Scott's mom's timeshare that happens to be right across from the starting line. The boys got to sleep in, and I didn't have to deal with traffic or parking on race morning. I walked out my door too see a line of cars waiting to park, and started my ten minute warm-up jog. It was chilly before the start, but it was the perfect running weather. 

I really had no idea what to expect for my time in this race because I hadn't raced in awhile, and I heard the course was hilly. I'm not used to hilly courses because in Utah, where I'm from, most of the races are downhill since they usually start towards the top of a mountain. I hoped I would at least be able to get under 1:40 and there was even a tiny part of me that wanted to get a PR. However, I almost didn't want to admit that, because I didn't want to be disappointed like I was after the Boston Marathon for missing my PR. My main goal was to follow these racing tips from Run Less Run Faster, and run my best without killing myself so I could enjoy the rest of the day. 

I reminded myself about 100 times not to start out too fast, and my first mile was successfully my slowest. 

Here are my mile splits:

Mile 1: 8:00

Mile 2: 7:26

Mile 3: 7:18

Mile 4: 7:00

Mile 5: 7:00

On both mile 4 and 5 I sped up when I saw the mile marker because I wanted to try to get at least one mile in the 6's, but I ended up getting to the mile marker at exactly 7:00. I was pushing it, but at the same time trying to conserve energy for the hills at the end. 

Mile 6: 7:18

I started my music, and ate a vanilla Gu during mile 6.

Mile 7: 6:50

Mile 8: 6:50

For mile 7 and 8 I missed one of the mile markers, but those two miles combined were about 13:40, so that's a 6:50 average for both miles. 

Mile 9: 7:21

Mile 10: 7:35

Mile 11: 7:03

Mile 12: 6:55

I knew at this point by my mile splits that there was a really good chance I was going to get my PR. I hadn't dared to look at my total time until this point though. When I had less than a mile to go I finally switched screens on my watch to see what my overall time was. I was at 1:33, so I really pushed it at the very end to make it under 1:35 (my old PR from January 2007).

Mile 13: 7:15

.1: 40 seconds

My final time was 1:34:31. I ended up beating my old PR on a harder course, and I had the biggest smile on my face when I crossed the finish line. It felt so good to finally have a good race.

As soon as I crossed the finish line B said, "Yay! Good job! Mommy done. Jump on Octopus!" They had some bounce houses at the finish line for the kids and Scott told B he could jump on them as soon as I finished, so he was just as happy as I was when I finished. :)

I love how supportive Scott is of my running addiction. I thought it was cute that he wore the running shoe shirt I bought him to my race. 

Instead of finisher medals, they gave out cool bracelets which were made by children in Haiti with Haitian currency. I really love that bracelet and would much rather have that than a finisher medal. 

After a long, hot shower we went out to eat at Cracker Barrel and did a few hours of shopping at the outlets. 

We made it back just in time for a church Halloween party and some trunk-or-treating! 

My cute frog, and handsome prince. B was too busy getting a head start on Halloween candy eating to look at the camera.

I've been wanting to be a witch for Halloween for a long time now. It might have something to do with my love for Hocus Pocus.

 I hadn't been a witch since I was 4, but I knew I had to be a witch this year when I saw these shoes at Cracker Barrel. This is probably the first of many Halloweens that I'll be sporting these sweet shoes. 

Happy Halloween everyone! I'm off to eat some tamale pie and then it's trick-or-treating time!!

I Tricked My 2-Year-Old Into Liking Spinach

I love opening the door to this cute face eating breakfast after a good run on Saturday morning. The feeling of accomplishment and productivity is even sweeter when I walk in the door and see that those past two hours I was gone were barely even noticeable to him because he just woke up. Then he always tops off my runner's high with his enthusiastic greetings of, "Hi Mommy! Good job Mommy!" I feel so lucky to have such a happy kid. 

I started my run a little earlier this morning so I could be home by 8:15 to hang out with Boston because Scott had a commitment to get to. The alarm went off at 5:00AM, and then I laid there for 5 minutes reviewing in my head how good I would feel after my run was over, and how happy I would be that I had gotten up at 5:00. By 6:00AM sharp I was running at one of my favorite places with three other running buddies. It was pretty dark for the first half, but the 60 degree weather was perfect. If it weren't for that run I never would have felt that blissful crisp air because it's already pushing 100 degrees now at 3:00PM. 

When I got home I made a spinach recovery drink, and Boston wanted to try it. To my surprise, he loved it. Next time I'll make him his own because he kept stealing mine, and after 12 miles I'm not the best at sharing my food. OK, I'm never good at sharing my food (Just ask Scott. He learned that the hard way.), but I'm even worse after a long run. I now know how to get this little guy to eat all his veggies. 

Here's the recipe for the smoothie I made today, but there are endless possibilities to these:

1 C. unsweetened almond milk

5 strawberries, cut up

1/2 frozen banana

1-2 handfuls spinach

5-7 ice cubes

1/4 C. frozen blueberries

1/2 T. chia seeds (optional)

I've been drinking these spinach smoothies a lot lately for snacks, breakfast, or right after a long run like today, and I love them. I feel like I have more energy the days that I drink them. Maybe it's all that iron in the spinach. I know it may not look the prettiest, but they really do taste very good, and the banana hides the spinach flavor really well. If a 2-year-old likes them, they have to be good right? So happy spinach smoothie, and energy to you! I hope you like them as much as I do. 

What do you think about when you're alarm clock goes off to help you get out of bed? 

I Need to do This More Often

Monday mornings typically consist of me trying to squeeze every last bit of sleep out until I hear Boston banging on his door for me to come get him. That's my cue to see how fast I can make the bed, use the bathroom, brush my teeth, and get dressed. If I can do all of the above before he gets impatient, it's my lucky day. Once I get the first rush of to-do's over with, I open his door and start the next rush of to-do's which include diaper changing, dressing, breakfast making, and gathering all the supplies we need for music class. Seeing as Boston usually wakes up around 8:00, and we have to leave for music class by 8:45, it makes for a frenzied morning. I always seem to forget that I need to leave enough time for at least three temper tantrums somewhere in there; one for the diaper change and/or getting dressed,  one for getting him out the door and to the car/in the car seat, and one for a miscellaneous who knows what will set him off today. However, last night before I went to bed, I decided to try a new Monday routine.

I got up just before 7:00 and instead of hearing banging, I heard peace and quiet. Instead of starting my day with a frenzied list of to-do's, I got to read, and think, and exercise in peace and quiet. I was amazed at what a difference it made in my day! I felt so much more prepared for my little tiger to wake up and take on whatever temper tantrums he had in store for me. 

After I finished soaking in the peace and quiet of some reading and thinking time, I counted how many days I had done Level 1 of Jillian's 30 day shred in my workout log. It was 10 days which meant today was the day I got to see if I could hack level 2. Here's how it went.... 

 Never in a million years did I think 20 minutes of exercise could give me that much of a workout. The difference between Level 1 and Level 2 is quite a difference in my opinion. Let's just say I could get away without showering after the Level 1 workouts, but there was no way I was skipping the shower this morning. 

That being said, it was an awesome workout, which is always much easier to say after it's over. During the workout my thoughts were more like, "Holy crap, I think I'm going to die." I really am enjoying this new exercise routine though. I could definitely use something besides pure cardio. Also, I'd much rather do an intense workout at home for 20 minutes than spend half my morning driving to and from the gym. I think I need to invest in some more workout dvd's with the amazon gift card I got for my birthday!

Turns out I needed the extra zeal I got from my early morning routine because, while we loved the end of the year music class party, it wasn't without it's temper tantrums and time outs. Neither was the rest of the morning! However, I realized today as I was putting B down for his nap, but feeling more like I was trying to tame a tiger, that preparing and expecting several temper tantrums throughout the day helped me with my patience and willingness to deal with them. 

I was grateful for such a good morning, and for the reminder that getting up earlier than I have to is sometimes worth it. Of course, there will still be days that I soak in every last bit of sleep, and I'm sure the extra sleep will definitely be worth it too on those occasions. 

P.S. Do you have a favorite workout dvd? 

I need ideas!

Better Than Running

Saturday long runs have become as much of a habit as brushing my teeth before I go to bed at night ever since I trained for my first marathon back in 2005. Despite thinking that would be my only marathon, because I thought all I wanted to do was cross it off my list of goals, it's just been one race after another since then. 

As much as I love and look forward to my Saturday long runs every Saturday, I would trade them in a second for another Saturday like this! 

Last Saturday I decided to skip running and spend the morning hiking, picnicking, and holding puppies on the side of the road with this cute guy, and Scott (he's cute too of course). 

It was a gorgeous day. As soon as we got to the park and I saw the running trails, I started second guessing my decision to skip running that day. I was in my running clothes, the weather was perfect, and there was new, fun territory to explore. Scott even said he'd play with Little B while I went for a little run, but I told myself I was going to take a break, so I stuck with that decision.  

And a good decision it was because I learned that I don't have to run every Saturday in order to have a good Saturday. This was one of the best Saturdays I've had in  a long time! 

Nothing beats running like spending a day with these two!

Who needs running endorphins when you can see a face like this light up?

What is your favorite way to spend a Saturday morning?

Most Disgusting Run Ever

We've really grown to love Texas since moving here about a year ago, but running in 85% humidity is just nasty. My sopping wet shirt and curly soaked hair make it look like I ran in the pouring rain, but that's just part of the sacrifice we make for having 75 degree winters. 

Not convinced this was the most disgusting run ever yet? Take a look at the next picture, and I think you will be....

Just in case you were wondering, those aren't freckles. They're gnats! These bugs were just floating in the thick humid air. The first time I wiped my face and noticed bugs all over my hand, I freaked out. Then I realized they were on my shirt, all over my legs, arms, and hands, and having a party on my neck. I frantically tried to wipe them off every few minutes, but realized it was useless. 

After making Scott take those nasty pictures, I ran straight for the shower. Nothing beats a long, hot shower after a long, sweaty run. Actually, I take that back. A long hot shower after a sweaty, buggy run definitely beats it.

Even Scott who makes fun of me for being such a girly girl when it comes to bugs grimaced when he saw the gnats splattered all over me. If I had been doing anything else besides running there's no way I would have been able to handle these bugs. Running has a way of bringing out the tough girl in me. 

But, if I hadn't been running with my friend Ashley, I probably would have run straight home for the shower. The power of a workout buddy is awesome! It's true what they say, misery loves company. I think we both realized we wouldn't have been out there this morning if we had to go by ourselves, but we ended up finishing the 10 miles despite our revolt with the bugs. 

It was almost a whole week since my last run, so I'm not used to having to do Jillian Michaels and running. I decided I better hurry and get day 9 over with before I decided I was too tired. It was definitely the hardest day so far. I was so tired, especially my legs. I think I better do the Jillian workout before I run next time. I'm exhausted now. Nap time can't come soon enough.

Thanks to little B for spicing up my 30 day challenge with his killer jumping jacks! Only one more day on level one. Yikes.

I learned something new about myself today! Apparently I like running more than I hate bugs.

What do you like running more than?

Muffins With a Side of Jumping Jacks

Don't have time for breakfast and a workout? My two-year-old has a solution....

I had to stop and get my camera out the other morning when I turned Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred on because Boston was making me laugh. He wanted to get down as soon as he heard the dvd go on, but I told him to stay there and watch me until he finished eating his muffin. Next thing I know, he's trying to do jumping jacks strapped in his high chair. Never a dull moment with this guy around. 

 Speaking of Jillian, I've made it one week into my first 30 day challenge. I'm doing level 1 for 10 days, and then I'll switch to level 2 for the next 10 days. I haven't even looked to see what level 2 looks like yet, but I'm a little nervous. I can tell I've deprived myself of cross training for too long because I'm always relieved when the strength intervals are over and I get to do cardio. Hopefully I'll be able to do both sets of push-ups without having to use my knees by the end of the 30 days! 

I'll celebrate one week down by listing 7 things I like about using this dvd. Maybe that'll get me pumped for level 2. 

1. It's only 20 minutes. If I don't feel like working out, I just tell myself I can do anything for 20 minutes. (The 20 minutes also comes in handy with a 2-year-old running around.)  

2. No mirrors, and no one but my two-year-old to see me = no self-consciousness. I don't even have to think about what workout clothes to put on because heck, I could workout in my underwear if I wanted. 

3. I needed a break from running. My body is thanking me for cutting back on the running. Turns out I need longer than 3 days to recover from a marathon before training for the next one.

4. Saving on gas! I haven't driven to the gym for an entire week! The gym I go to is not very close to our house, and it's kind of a pain to drive there everyday. Not to mention Boston is less than enthusiastic about hanging out in their daycare. 

5. Watching my two-year-old try to do it with me always makes me laugh. The best is when he pulls his shirt up because the ladies on the dvd are in their sports bras, so he's trying to look like them. 

6. I'm learning that I don't have to spend two hours exercising to get my daily dose of endorphins. 

7. No decisions! I love not having to decide if I'm going to do this or not each day because I already made the decision to do it every day for the next 30 days. I also love not having to decide what to eat before I do this because even if I'm hungry, I can wait 20 minutes. 

How's your 30 day challenge going? Did you think of any more challenges to do? 

Scott's eaten breakfast every day since we started this challenge! He thought of a new one for the next thirty days too. Drinking more water! We'll have to figure out exactly how much, but he definitely doesn't drink enough. Especially since he plays ball outside in the blazing heat for an hour everyday. 

My 2-Year-Old Working Out With Jillian, and a 30 Day Challenge!

Do this with us!! Watch this video! It's really cool, and sounds like a lot of fun.

(the video will start in the right place, 
and you just need to watch the Matt Cutts portion = 5mins)

 

Scott happened to send me the link to this video the first day I tried the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. I figured why not make that my first go at the 30 day challenge? If my two-year-old can do it, how hard can it be right? Actually, I'm not going to lie. Today was day 3, and I'm definitely feeling it. I was a little skeptical about how good of a workout 20 minutes could be, but my sore quads, calves, and lats say it's pretty good.

So here are the three key parts you need for a good 30 day challenge:

1. Have a buddy

Scott's going to be my buddy! 

2. Make it interesting

I'd say Jillian Michaels with my 2-year-old every morning is going to be interesting! 

My little personal trainer makes sure I don't slack. When he thinks I need more of a challenge, he makes sure to climb on my back while doing push-ups, or sit on my stomach during sit-ups. 

He also makes sure I get a good stretch in after the workout. 

Scott's going to eat breakfast everyday. This really is a challenge for him. He can go half the day without eating before he even realizes it. I on the other hand feel like I'm going to pass out by 9:00 a.m. if I don't eat. Since he plays basketball everyday at work before he eats lunch, he needs to eat breakfast! 

The last and most important part of the video that stood out to me was:

3. The next 30 days are going to pass no matter what, so why not pick something you have always wanted to try, and give it a shot for the next 30 days!!!

What are you going to do for 30 days?

We need ideas! 

Some other ideas I had off the top of my head were:

Take a picture everyday

Blog everyday

100% gluten free everyday 

No weighing myself 

Floss everyday

Go on a walk with Scott and Boston every night

Make a crock-pot dinner everyday

Eat Spoon It everyday. (I wish) Maybe if it wasn't $8 a lb., especially since I can't seem to walk away from there with less than a pound in my cup.

The good thing is that you get to change it every 30 days, so you don't have to think too hard or too long before you pick something. Just keep doing it!

A Monumental Picture and Training Plans

Here it is...

Why is this picture monumental? I thought my jogging stroller days were long gone with him, but this picture means they may be back! 

I pretty much gave up jogging stroller runs once I realized I was spending more time picking up sticks, sippy cups, and shoes than running. 

I really hope I don't jinx myself by writing this, but after three good runs, I think the jogging stroller might be back in business. I'm so excited to run with my little running buddy again, even if it means picking up an occasional stick. (Notice the stick in the picture.) Don't get me wrong, he didn't sit there without a peep or squirm the entire time, but any run with him that consists of more running than entertaining is a success. 

Right after I decided that staying home to watch Biggest Loser sounded much better than doing the usual intervals at the track tonight, I realized that the half marathon I signed up for is less than 6 weeks away.

 It's been nice to run when I want, how far I want, and how fast I want for the past three weeks, but I think I'm ready for a schedule again. I looked up some half marathon training plans today, and found a couple that look good to me. If you are looking for some training plans as well check out The Ultimate Half Marathon Training Plan  (This is the one pictured below), and Hall's Half Marathon Training Plan. The smart coach trainer from Runner's World is also a good tool to use (just scroll down the homepage a little and you'll see it). 

This is the plan I decided on (the last 6 weeks of it anyway). 

Some of the lingo on here is a little confusing, but the homepage where I found it has a key to all the abbreviations, as well as a detailed description of what they mean. 

  

What training plans have you used? 

I used Hal Higdon's training plans for my very first half marathon, and marathon. You can choose between novice, intermediate, or advanced levels of training. 

Do you like the structure of training programs, or do you like freedom to choose your own workout?

I love and thrive off the structure of a training program!  I love knowing exactly what I'm going to do the next day for my run without even having to think about it.

Are you training for a race right now? 

I'm training going to start training (tomorrow) for the Carrabba's Classic Half Marathon which is June 18th. I'm usually in it for the t-shirt, but after doing this race twice and seeing their t-shirts, I gotta say I'm in it for the free Carrabba's meal afterwards. 

What are your top motivators to do races?

1. Motivation to exercise

2. A feeling of accomplishment

3. T-shirts

I Love My Little Running Buddy!

 Woke up this morning feeling blessed to be the mom to this happy guy. We've had some fun times together out on our running trails, tracks, and trips! 

1st race with my running buddy if you don't count this one! 5K May, 2009.

Here's a close-up! Who wouldn't love looking at that face while they run?

1st Half Marathon after little B was born. Memorial Day Classic, May 2009.

2nd Half Marathon, and camping trip! Bryce Canyon, July 2009.

Provo Canyon Half Marathon. August, 2009.

We had some cold training runs up Provo Canyon!

1st Marathon after Little B! St. George, October 2009.

BYU Rex Lee 10K. March, 2010.

The day I found out we would get to take Boston to Boston in April 2011! Top of Utah Marathon, Sept. 2010.

San Antonio 25K, January 2011.

Boston Marathon Expo. April, 2011.

Cheering mommy on in Boston. April, 2011. 

Thanks for being the cutest little running buddy! I love you!

Happy Mother's Day!