I love it...

...when I am overwhelmed by the joy in the small things.

The guy air drumming while running on the treadmill.
Cupcake.
Couches covered in clean laundry.
Puppy kisses.

you don't have to eat the candy...

In my quest to have better balance in my choices of activities/exercise...I decided to post about my mini accomplishments. With a still-damaged IT/quad...I have adjusted my focus to biking (stationary until my mongoose gets a tune-up), yoga, lifting, and core work till the cows come home-ow.

This is what I've done since coming home from Austin...Thanks Staci for the laughs and motivation! :)

Weds- lifted (full bod + core)
Friday- lifted (full bod + core)
Saturday- AM bike with Q (Staci) + yoga in PM (we had an awesome free night at Core Power)
Monday- bike & elliptical (surprisingly, this didn't upset the leg either- what is it with running!?)
Tues- will bike and lift full bod + core
Weds- will walk/ride
Fri- will lift full bod
Sat- will bike
Sun- will bike/hike

I am also way into my friend Heather's website. She is so awesome and so are her recipes! I admire her diligence on the consistent healthy eating. I love reading her posts and looking at her yummy pictures. Check it here folks. :) Heather- you are great!

Austin!!

After being spit back into the real world tornado...I finally have a few moments to post about Austin!

Time in Austin with my mom, Staci and Dani was absolutely a blast! We got to do so much...Esther's Follies (comedy club on 6th), The Oasis on Lake Travis, Barton Springs Pool/Zlyker Park, Chuy's, live music (Bob Schneider @ The Saxon Pub).

Our first day of the trip (Friday) was quite an adventure. All of us, minus my mom got in to Austin around 3...and my cousin picked us up from the airport. After finding out my mom's flight was delayed for 2 hrs, we decided to hit the grocery store to get some essentials and take advantage of our mini kitchen in our hotel room. Here, Brian taught us that in Austin, it is your, the shoppers job to bag and tag your grocery items. We found this out with our second item in the cart- bananas( 1st in the cart was the homemade margarita mix). Because we were cutting it close time wise- for our 8pm show at Esther's Follies, we told Brian to drop my mom off at this restaurant on 6th near Esther's after he picked her up from the airport. Little did I know what type of place this was. :) It was the darkest, most run-down looking place on 6th...so Dani, Staci and I walked in only to find my mom sitting in a pitch-black bar, waving to us wearing her pink sweater. The place was only lit by a single small red candle on each table...we could barely see one another. Because we had only 25 min before we had to claim our tickets for the show, we decided to scarf down a (surprisingly tasty) sandwich in complete darkness. Esther's Follies was absolutely hilarious and kept us laughing a good 2 hours.

On the way back to our hotel...we had other classic moments on 6th. First of all, we randomly ran into Gordo and Rich...right after we saw a woman holding a boa constrictor and a baby. Then a few blocks down, a drunk man was shouting to my mom "YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN". Overall, this day/eve was a classic way to start the trip. :)










Day 2 of the trip started by hitting the race expo early...to pick up bibs/shirts and do a bit of shopping. We also hit up Barton Springs Pool/Zlyker Park before having an early dinner at Chuy's (yummy!)










































































Day 3- Race Day! Staci and I walked Dani down to the start line and saw her off on her way...it was total darkness...but so pretty due to the lit up city. Dani had a great finish- 2nd in her age group...we were so proud of her. For dinner Julie and the boys took us to The Oasis on Lake Travis...how beautiful and relaxing after a long day (and very stressful day for Staci and I-haha Dani). After dinner, I got in trouble as I hid my mom's brand new camera from her- in Dani's bag (she left it on our table). My punishment was being at my mom's expense photo-wise, seen here in the bull-riding pictures.





Day 4 of our adventure consisted of lots of walking...shopping...sight-seeing...and just being together. We rode the train at Zlyker Park (like I did when I was little), saw Stevie Ray...then in the eve we had a fantastic fajita dinner at aunt Julie's, followed by Bob Schneider at the Saxon Pub. We were packed in there like pickles, but it was SO worth it...Bob and his band was awesome! :)
The Final day of the trip, we took a short walk down to the coolest store...LuLuLemon! It's like a yoga/running clothing store...such cute stuff! We said goodbye to Julie and Brian, then it was off to the airport:(. Driving back to c springs from DIA, there was complete silence in the car...we were experiencing the post vacation lull...back to reality for us all. Dani says the silence was because we were going through margarita withdrawls...as we, at that time of night throughout the trip, were usually drinking them:). Ha.


What an amazing trip...I SO enjoyed my time with women so dear to me. We laughed the entire time and just had a blast...true memories I will have forever:).

This video is soooo funny...cracks me up! It's a little boy after his dentist appointment:)

Tuesday...

So...biking seems to be ok with IT...so I shall continue to do it! :) I have been enjoying my free 1 week pass at Gold's Gym (where mom and ken go)...and it's so nice! They have a huge cardio theater that plays great movies on a huge screen!

I am now counting down the days to Austin and fun with my gals. Staci and I have now decided we will be shaking hands and kissing baby's heads during our walk/jog 1/2 marathon- ha!

Colorado-peeps race pic scheduled for noon at the finish line of Austin...JT says he has a CO flag! Evidence to post in the future:).

By...

This time next Friday, I will be sitting in DIA waiting to depart for Austin with my favorite gals:). I still plan on bringing my running clothes...whether or not I will actually be wearing them is still TBD. The IT/leg...whatever the crap it is...is still winning the battle and preventing me from running over 2 miles. Last time I did, it got red, swollen, tight and hot to the touch. Arg. Oh well...i told myself from the beginning that the trip to Austin was going to be what it was going to be (race-wise)...and no matter what, will be an absolute great time:).

I know JT...I'm a wuss...blah blah blah...shut it.

Speaking of JT...according to his most recent blog...Austin weather forecast: high 66, low 42- partly cloudy, 10% chance of rain.

Let the countdown begin...to what possibly may actually be a true vacation.

LOL...

Ok, so this pic made me laugh out loud today. My friend Ashley's daughter and their dog. Knowing Ashley's sense of humor...this is no surprise.

25...

To copy JT and post the facebook application: '25 Random things...'

1. When people ask me if I am from Colorado Springs, I say "yes, but I was born in Austin". The mentality behind that is that I feel so grateful to have been raised here in CO and live here now, but there's something inside of me that feels like my coolness is a bit justified being born in such a awesome place like Austin. If I was born in any other place in TX, I believe my answer to the first question would simply be "yes".

2. It took me a long time to learn how to swallow pills. I gag pretty easily. I still have to tilt my head back to swallow them sometimes.

3. I didn't drink coffee in the mornings until I moved in with Maili.

4. I consistently worry that I am missing out on fun and spending time with people I care about.

5. Still to this day I don't know what motivated me to get up on stage, almost naked, for the figure competition. For some reason I still see myself doing it all over again.

6. Not a day goes by that I don't wonder how I was so lucky to be given the family I have...especially to have the mother I do.

7. For some reason I can't call myself a runner. It's been nearly 2 years that I've been doing it consistently and training for a particular race goal. Maybe it's because for so long I couldn't, and didn't know how to run longer distances...or maybe it's because not a run that I've done yet has ever been easy. I work at a running store for heaven's sake.

8. Secretly I've always wanted to be either a photographer or a writer.

9. Sometimes I sit and seriously wonder how my life would be different if my dad was here.

10. I have to consciously bring myself back to the present...I have bad habit of looking too far ahead and not enjoying the moment.

11. It's weird...sometimes I think that my brother and I look very much alike, sometimes I don't think we look related at all.

12. My friends called me "chicken legs" in middle school.

13. When I sleep at night, I lay on my side and curl both my wrists up real tight and tuck them under my chin. When I wake up, sometimes they just kill! I can imagine that it looks kinda weird. My mom sleeps the same exact way.

14. When I was a baby, my mom and dad called me the "hot box" as I would get really cranky when it was too hot and I was sweaty. We lived in Austin at the time, so they had to try to make sure AC was somewhere close. It's funny because even today, I get a bit restless if I'm too hot for long periods of time.

15. Anytime I hear my brother play the piano I get teary.

16. I am extremely competitive when it comes to sports. I must either be winning, or working on winning in the future. :) How did this happen?

17. I interned for the Kansas City Chiefs my last semester of college. I got to drive to Arrowhead Stadium every day and have an office directly across from a hall of famer.

18. I sometimes deny it, but I too am obsessed with the Iphone...I just love that thing:).

19. 'Something's Gotta Give' is my favorite movie.

20. My mom has told me on more than one occasion that she thinks I could make some good money working at Hooters.

21. Once I set a goal, there is absolutely no stopping me to get there...(I write as I sit here icing my hurt IT band from training for my 1st marathon).

22. My parents gave me a basketball hoop for tykes when I was 3. I would wait in the driveway for my dad to come home and play with me.

23. I am most flattered and feel most loved when people want to spend time with me.

24. I can eat cookie dough and batter of any kind to the point of nausea.

25. All of the women on my mom's side of the family either have 'jean' or 'marie' for a middle name (Jillian Jean, Julie Jean, Jeanne Marie, Maddy Jean, Erinn Marie, Shirley Jean).

the jetta...

...is officially for sale...and on craigslist! http://cosprings.craigslist.org/cto/1010188023.html

Check er' out!:)

PS- I lifted upper body (for the 1st time in 3 1/2 months) and oh boy...the arms are jello. I couldn't take not being active any longer. I did do 2 x 5 min walking on the treadmill...IT seemed to be fine. More updates on that to come later this week.

update...

It's been officially one week since the IT incident occurred...one full week since I've taken a running step. I sit here on this Sunday morning, up early without an alarm- it's like my body thinks we are headed off to the normal Sunday activity. But that is not the case today.

Throughout the week, I've experienced a range of emotions regarding my sudden stop in training for Austin. I know I should have listened to my body...but that's what I plan to do as I evaluate what to do the next 3 weeks.

My friend Christy from Peak Performance took very good care of me this week. Gave my IT some ultrasound, massage, light therapy and my favorite- the electronic pain patch. The IT has felt better every day, but it still doesn't feel like I'm walking on my own leg. I'm not sure when I will give running a try, but Christy said I will know in two steps, whether or not the IT is ready.

As I sit here on the couch this Sunday morning, while my friends are out together...I can't help but feel down. I am not certain that 3 weeks from today I will be running in the race i've been training for. However, I know the trip to Austin will be exactly what it should be. I will be with some of my favorite people, spending quality time, and that I know for sure is the most important thing.

reality...

So a big dose of reality hit me hard today. The realization came that I not only did I piss off my IT band on my last 20 miler this past Sunday, but I did some serious damage to it. This is the series of events that have taken place, leading up to the big lesson.

* Week of 1/4-1/10- due to a schedule change, had to move my long run to Saturday, so end up having a 49 mile week this week. Body felt pretty good muscle wise...I could tell I was pretty low on the energy tank however.

* Week of 1/11-1/17- to recover a bit, no long run during this time...totaled about 23 miles. Bod felt pretty good...full of energy, rolled everyday, no real issues. Since I was house sitting for jeff...I did have 4 runs in the garden of the gods this week...probably too many hills.

* Set out for my final 20 mile training run on Sunday (1/18)...in tow with my favorite girls, beautiful mid 50's weather, a new route, and plenty of sleep the night before. The first alert of IT was at mile 5 when we walked a bit to get some water, a gel and collect ourselves for the hills soon to come. I noticed I had a pretty sharp, particular pain on the outside of my right knee. Never having problems with my knees ever in my life, I though "hum, I wonder if it's just my IT that is tight and it's really tight right there for some reason?".

The next 5 miles through the Garden to Balance Rock only beat IT up worse. Stopping to take a gel and say goodbye to our friend Jamie made it feel super weird, tight and tugging a bit more...ooh, not so good. But, this was my last big 20 after all...surely I have to continue...is there another option really? Paved downhills and flatness the next couple miles to 26th street didn't help the situation, but it didn't seem to make it worse. The next time we stopped at the light of 26th street and HWY 24, and began to jog across the crosswalk- ooh, again feels weird, had to stop and stretch, massage once again. The long, gradual uphill on 26th to Lower Gold Camp Rd was stinkin miserable. Pain continued to get worse and at an even faster rate.

We looped down and around 21st street to Bear Creek Park, then down and though the tunnel to the Wal-Mart on 8th street. Here at 17.5 miles, is where it all fell apart and I was literally stopped in my tracks. I felt as though I was suddenly stabbed in the side of my rt knee and then Mr. IT seized and wouldn't let me bend my leg very well. Again with the massaging and stretching, thinking I could surely finish these last 2.5 miles...until the next step was taken and I realized that wasn't going to happen. I think Beth was surprised and knew it was serious when I said "I'm sorry, but I just can't do it...it won't let me."

After Beth and I realized that we were mistaken in assuming the other had their cell phone, we used the phone of a very generous old man on a bike to call Jonas to come pick us up at America the Beautiful Park. A short peg-legged walk to the park, and Jonas and Staci had come to the rescue.

* The rest of Sunday was uber depressing. Keeping my leg straight, even applying pressure on it straight was fine...but the second I tried to bend that thing...owie. The immense swelling on the outside of the knee didn't help my confidence that it still wasn't a big deal either.

* Monday morning the swelling hadn't gone down. After wearing a neoprene sleeve all day, I finally had a bit more range of motion and a more natural walk down.

* Tuesday morning, oh, surprise- now my rt ankle is swollen like a baseball. What the heck is going on? Rrrrrr... Oh well, don't have time to dwell on it, I was off to go see good friend and PT Christy at Peak Performance. I find out that she had the exact same thing happen to her during her marathon. Same process leading up to the big stab almost exactly. She is not a proponent of stopping activity period...but in this case she advises me that I must. This is not something you can just "run through the pain with". It (the IT- play on words:)) has a mind of it's own and you will know in taking 2 steps, whether or not it is healed and you can get back into it. The bursa sac underneath the IT is swollen and the IT band has little micro tears in it. Arg.

At least 1.5 weeks of no activity is what I have to start with in order to let it heal and recover. I honestly would rather trade two weeks of running/training now, and in return receive the gift of simply doing the race in Austin. So, I'm not too down at this point. I have hope that I can heal in time, and that I have done the major work, put in the big miles for this thing.

The big lesson in all of this is:
...I must listen to my body better. Running is not like the sports I've played all my life. I feel in my mind, and sometimes in my body too, that I can, and am ready to do certain things (run at a certain pace, a certain distance)...but, the reality of it is that my body really is in control and it will in fact let me know what it can and can't do.

just to...

log it...

1/10- 13 miles- Falcon loop- 2:30min (in total snow, slippery!)
1/11- 4.8 miles- Full Moon Run in Garden- 47min
1/12- 3.5 miles- Garden recovery run- 30 min
1/14- 5 miles- Monument Valley Park with the gals- 48min
1/15- 6.2 miles- Garden- 1 hr

Enjoying being on this side of town and being spoiled by getting to run in the Garden of the Gods so much. Even though it's hilly...there's so many beautiful trails and secluded places to explore. Love it!

So, Austin was exactly a month away from yesterday...wow. I think after this sunday's last 20 mile run, the closeness of the race will feel more of a reality. Austin, the trip itself, will be so much fun...I just can't wait!

weirdness...

Had to call the cops at the store today thanks to a crazy that was outside the window yelling at me while I was at the counter...nice way to wind down for the week. I need a drink. :)

This week is going to be a huge mileage week for me thanks to the 20 mile run on Sunday, plus moving the normal Sunday long run to tomorrow (Saturday) due to pre-arranged plans, and the full moon run on Sunday eve. But...thanks to the foam rolling, the bod seems to be doing pretty well. We shall see how the Falcon Loop + Garden full moon run treat it over the next 2 days.

1/4- 20 miles
1/6- 3.53 miles/Monument Val Park/9:18pace
1/7- 6.39 miles/my stupidly sidewalk-paved neighborhood/ 9:21 pace
1/8- 6.57 miles/ MVP with my gals

I'm so looking forward to the weekend...lots of fun to be had.

Sat- AM long run with the Dutchess...work...Herizons PM event with some of my fav girls.
Sun- Snowshoeing with my roommie...PM full moon run...cooking and sleepover with the D:).

Note: Will be writing a post soon about the meaning of the dreadful word: "Expectaions". Have been thinking a lot about it, but haven't had the time to post yet. :) To be continued...

the first...

...20 mile run of my life will go down in history. Due to the apparent stubbornness of the Duchess and the Princess (Beth and I), we suffered for a good 3 1/2 hours in blowing snow and 12 degree temps because we did not want to change our plan. I believe John's last words to me on Saturday were, "check the wind and if it says it's coming from the South, you better run from South to North up to Monument or you will be miserable". We were deviant and miserable was the result and such an understatement to our experience. Thanks to Beth's single pair of sunglasses, along with our idea of drafting...we found a way to get past the frozen solid water bottles, soaking socks, and ice chunks on the eyelashes, and finish the beast of our first 20 mile run... from Monument to North Monument Valley Park. We laughed about it all today.

Right after we picked up Beth's truck in Monument (after I missed the monument exit of course and had to back track back down-arg)...we hustled to IHOP for some re-fuel. After our waitress acknowledged we were crazy for doing such a thing in that kind of weather, we were graced with the blessing of pancakes. I think that may have been my shortest eating out experience ever...we didn't say any words...just the noise of chewing and the occational yummy acknowledgement sound.

Again...a run to go down in history. As Rich said to us..."what happens on a long run, stays on a long run":).

I'm a bit..

...nervous that the past month I was under my weekly goal milage every week....argg!! Oh well, can't go back and change it now. I'm just focused on being completely on it for January. Only 6 more weeks until Austin...holy crap that seems soon. Some runs to log...

12/26- 4mi- gym-10 min pace
12/28- 10mi- fountain creek park- 9:36 pace
12/29- 3 mi-gym- 10 min pace
12/30- 4.17mi- MVP windy as all get out!!- 9:33 pace
1/1- 6.35mi- Garden of the Gods trails- 9:49 pace

Weekly mileage since Oct...remember, dealing with random injury issues along the way:

Week 1 of Oct: 17.75 mi
2- 30.02 mi
3- 19.5 mi
4- 28.79 mi

Week 1 of Nov: 24.25 mi
2- 32.48 mi
3- 36.16 mi
4- 35.4 mi

Week 1 of Dec: 22.13 mi
2- 28.13 mi
3- 34.24 mi
4- 35.85 mi