I'm a giant slacker

Seriously, where does the time go? For me, I think the majority of it was spent at my office. I worked 60+ weeks from September until a few weeks ago, when (Hallelujah!) I switched jobs.

Life is much more manageable again. In the meantime, as soon as I left my old job, Michael & I took the boys to Hawaii. Best vacation of my life.

Our crew had the most amazing time together. After all of that crazy work & no time with the family, it was *essential*.

More pictures to come, but I have *so* missed this. All of it. The regular running, the blogging about it, the support of this awesome community, being inspired by all of the amazing people out there.

2012 was a great year, & I'm already plotting out my 2013 goals!!!

Hood to Coast - Leg 1 Recap

Where to start, where to start. I got asked to join a team the first week in July (one of their runners had an injury and had to drop out). I've been dying to try a relay, & decide to get over my fear & just go for it. Two days in a van with five of your smelliest friends with no sleep? Running 200 miles? Who can resist? :-)

I didn't know any of the other members of the team, save for my sister's boyfriend. I was assigned to the Runner 1 position, which basically means that you are the first person to run down the extremely crazy downhill from Mt. Hood, but it's also the easiest total running position. The second leg is in downtown Portland & totally flat. The third leg was also easy, & Runner 1 runs the least miles of all of the team. I was freaked about the downhill on Mt. Hood, & all of the advice I received was basically - take it slow. Don't shred your legs on that first leg, because you will suffer for the rest of the event.. . . So much easier said than done!

Our relay team, "We've got the runs", had an introductory barbecue the night before the event started. My grandmother passed away the weekend before HTC, & her funeral was on Thursday. I was an emotional mess, & didn't get to attend the barbecue, meaning I'd never seen any of the other runners before. This would prove to be a challenge during one of the handoffs.

I stayed at my sister's house in Vancouver the night before, & set the alarm for 4 am. We had a 10:45 am start time, & needed to: pick up all of the other Van 1 runners, decorate the van, load up, & drive to the mountain.

We'd heard horror stories of traffic jams, so we left for the mountain around 6 am. When we got to Timberline Lodge, it was a complete party atmosphere. They were calling out running teams every 15 minutes, & the place was loaded with excited runners. I had a Starbucks spinach/feta wrap at 5:00 am & some coffee, and couldn't decide if I should eat anything else before my first run at 10:45. I decided to have 1/2 of a peanut butter & jelly sandwich around 8:00, & drank all four of my fuel belt bottles filled with Nuun. I wanted to be well hydrated, since it was starting to heat up on the mountain.

Before I knew it, they were calling my team name, & I was lining up. My new BFF van members were cheering me on (seriously, I was with an amazing group & feel so lucky that I had already bonded with people I didn't know a day earlier). My goal for this leg was to try & pick up a few extra minutes, knowing that I would struggle with my legs for my 2nd & 3rd legs. I also wanted to not go full out & hurt my ankles or knees. The adrenaline was pouring on, & I started talking to another girl who was running for the first time. She was awesome & helped calm my nerves.

They counted us down, & we were off! The entire time we were running, I was thinking about my grandmother. She passed away at 94 last Saturday, & was an avid nature lover, & the hardest working, most disciplined person I know. She was way ahead of her time, & I will miss her so much. As I ran, I was thinking of her, & how much she would have loved the view from Timberline. It was breathtaking. This sounds silly & I'm really not the kind of person who believes in this, but I swear that I could feel her with me - telling me that I could do it & just to stay in control & enjoy the experience.

I finished 5.64 miles (and, 2000 ft elevelation drop) in 50:15, which was about 4 minutes under my race pace. I was so happy to see my teammate, Runner 2 (Everett), that I slapped that bracelet on him. I sat down & cried - it was such an emotional experience.

These awesome people totally made it happen for me - everyone was supportive, fun, & we were all first time HTCers.

Starting from the left (Nick, my sister's boyfriend, & the only person I knew before the trip), me, Elliot, Everett, Kelly, & Erin. All rock stars.

My second leg, coming up next!

Hood to Coast

Oh my, sweet lord. What an adventure! And yes, I'll just skip past the fact that I haven't blogged in months, because I have no excuses, other than just a crazy schedule.

But, Hood to Coast baby. . . it was amazing, and dramatic & awesome.

Here's half of my team (Van 1) at Timberline Lodge, about an hour before our start time.

And, me, right before my leg down Mt. Hood!

 

 

Me (in the purple) at the end of the first exchange - just finished pounding down Mt. Hood. . .  Oh, my quads.

 



We had such a crazy experience - Van 2 broke down, a runner got sick, a huge fire closed one of the roads & one of our runners had to add extra miles to get through the detour, we lost our slap band, got caught in a 3 hour traffic jam on our way to our "sleeping" area (I use that description loosely, given the 2 hours of sleep we got), our last runner got pointed in the wrong direction & ended up adding six extra miles to the finish (with about 50 other runners). . . it was nuts. And, easily one of the best experiences of my life. So, so, so much more to come, but if you ever get a chance to run this relay - DO IT! You will not regret it.

I promise a full recap, plus more regular blogging!

The discipline of running

Clearly, I have no discipline when it comes to blogging (life & work have been overwhelming lately!), but when I was running yesterday, I started thinking about how much discipline is necessary for running.

To set the stage, it was 52 and raining when I got to the park for my run. Yes, on July 1st, 52 and raining. I know, I know, it could be 110 and smoldering hot, but I was not excited to run in the rain - AGAIN. And, as I conned myself into getting out of the car & committing to at least 6 miles (my training plan called for 9), I realized how much discipline goes into my running.

• Getting my kids ready & out of the house when Michael travels, so I can take them to the gym & I can run.
• Waking up at 5:00 am on week days so I can squeeze my run in before work.
• Waking up early on weekends so I can eat & digest before my morning run, to minimize the impact to the family.
• Planning my weekends around my run schedule.
• Eating well before runs, because I've learned that valuable lesson many times of what poor pre-run fueling will do during a long run. ;-)
• Planning & organizing every day, to create that window of time for running. Life is busy, & if it's not planned out, it will not happen.
• Just the act of getting outside (or on the treadmill) is probably the hardest part for me right now. I do it, but I'm not going to pretend it's easy.

And, in huge/slightly scary news, I got asked to join a Hood to Coast relay team yesterday! One of their other members bailed, so I'm filling in. I'm super excited & very nervous to see which legs I get.

Much, much more to come, and after all of my hemming & hawing about my run yesterday, I ended up with my fastest 9 miler ever, and by far my most enjoyable long run. Boom! Love that.

Questions for you:
-Have you done a relay? Tips? Tricks?
-How should I think about training?
-What kind of discipline do you put into your running?

Return of the training plan

Who knew that bronchitis would knock me out for almost three weeks without running?! Yikes. I'm finally feeling better, & so happy at the prospect of running more than four miles per week again. Woohoo!!

Five Things Wednesday. (I know, doesn't that just flow? ;-))

1. Michael & I went to San Diego to visit friends over Memorial Day, & finally got a chance to run together. I wasn't 100%, so it wasn't exactly a hard core run, but I love running with a buddy. So much more enjoyable. And, in the best news ever, he agreed to do the Rock & Roll/Las Vegas Strip at Night Half with me!!! His first ever. Seriously. Giddy. And, view from our balcony in San Diego. . .

An extremely glamorous robe shot:

        2. I'm going to Las Vegas four times over the next 6 months, & I am ridiculously excited. Why do I love that place so much?! On the agenda, are four fabulous trips:

• Girls trip with my amazing sister + my fabulous friend (mid-July. . .not that I'm counting down or anything!)
• Romantic getaway with my lovely husband while said amazing sister corrals my children + her two boys. She's even taking the four kids to THE FAIR, by herself. Yes, she's a hero, people. (mid-August) It's possible that I ordered a sequined bikini for this trip. Because you know, I'm 19 and a super model,  totally capable of pulling this off. . .
• My sister & I are taking my mom for her 60th birthday trip (mid-October)
• Strip At Night HALF! (December) with Michael

     3. I'm back to a training plan (rebuilding base miles & officially kicking things off next week). I'm doing a trail half marathon on August 4th. I've not done much trail running, so I'm looking forward to doing something new & pushing myself.

     4. My office no longer has a full-length mirror, so I only have one "ugly bathroom" picture, courtesy of my lovely husband:

It's an awkward shot, but the tank top & sweater are both new, & much more flattering on.


      5. Work has been absolutely nuts over the past few weeks, but the crazy period is almost over. I've missed you guys & can't wait to get back to more regular blogging. And, running, for that matter!



Give it to me! What is your favorite vacation spot? What fun things do you have lined up for the summer?

The best taper ever

I have no idea what a great taper looks like, but I'm 100% sure that I didn't have it. ;-) Since I'm done with my half & currently not running, I thought I would recap.

The Taper
Let's see, I got sick a couple of weeks ago. It started out as a cold, so I ran a little but took it easy. Then my older son got sick. Then my husband. Then Michael left for Dallas for a week, & my younger son got pneumonia. Meanwhile, I'm still sick. So, to sum up the last few weeks of my training plan, I barely ran, stayed home with sick kids (and my sick self), ate goldfish crackers on the sofa, & watched Criminal Minds. Except, watching Criminal Minds when I'm at home by myself freaks me out. And, I probably shouldn't have bought ten bags of goldfish crackers when they were on sale last week. Because, those cupcake flavored ones are too good. I possibly ate an entire bag at work yesterday. Maybe?

Adding to the fun, our offices were moving, & I had to pack. Even though I was at home with my little sickie. I took him to the office bright & early, & he joined me for my ugly bathroom picture.

I'm wearing Gap skinny jeans + a top from the Loft. Nick is wearing Children's Place, & his favorite orange skeleton hoodie. He's trendy, yo. ;-) Actually, a secret about Nick is that he has a St. Patrick's Day birthday, so he legit believes that all things St. Patrick's Day are really in honor of him. And, he wears green or St. Patrick's Day shirts basically every day. For real. I had to buy more, because laundry was becoming a bit of a problem.

Ugly Bathroom Photos
Meanwhile, our new office has no full-length mirror in the bathroom!!! The horror! How will I survive without my ugly bathroom photos? For Monday, you just get a half shot.

Skirt is BCBG. Note the new addition of a Lego Scuba diver sticker on my phone. And, my crazy bad hair & strange smile.

I would not be foiled by the missing mirror, so for the last two days, I've conned Michael into taking my picture before work.

Do you like our star charts on the wall? We use those to reward the boys for good behavior. Nothing wrong with a little well-placed bribe. ;-) Also of note, yesterday I was coughing a lot. And, I possibly coughed so hard that I peed myself. In a skirt. Yeah, it was all kinds of glamorous. This bronchitis thing can suck it!

Progress:
Lately I feel like I've made very little progress with my weight. It's hard for me to notice small improvements. But, as I was uploading today's photo, I noticed that I've worn the purple sweater before (about a year ago) & blogged the picture.

Not only is my hair slightly improved (WTH is going on in that first picture?!), but I feel like I'm trimmer overall. Yeah for progress!!!

What's Next?

I don't think I'm going to be running the Seattle R&R (they wouldn't allow me to transfer my race registration from Portland to Seattle), and that weekend happens to be one of the only times we can head to the beach this summer. So, I'm currently planning my next race. For local ladies, totally open to suggestions! I'm considering the Tacoma Narrows Half on August 4th. I may try to add in a few shorter races as well (5K, 10K, 15K, whatever). Anything but a full marathon. ;-)

I'd also love to lose the last five lingering pounds. I'm headed to San Diego for Memorial Day with Michael next weekend to visit friends, so I'm pretty sure I'll be wearing a bikini. Maybe it's time to stop eating a bag of goldfish at a time? Perhaps. I also have my annual girls Las Vegas trip coming up in July, and we all know that Las Vegas is the quintessential tiny dress & bikini destination. YEAH!!! Can't wait.

And now you! Tell me about your best/worst tapers. Do you love goldfish crackers? What's your snack kryptonite? What's your next race?

Kirkland Half Marathon Race Recap

First things first:

:-)

I woke up yesterday, & did not feel very amazing. I was nervous, & super congested. I've had a cold for a couple of weeks, but told myself that I've been training for this day for months, & nothing was going to stop me.

I got up at 5:00, had my favorite long run breakfast of oatmeal with peanut butter & coffee. The Kirkland Half Marathon started at 7:30, but luckily, we only live a few miles away. So, Michael & the boys were able to drop me off at the start line around 6:45. I warmed up a bit, stretched, did the traditional porta potty visit, & soon enough, it was time to line up. I chose the slowest corral, but that ended up being a mistake. For the first mile, my pace was crazy slow because I couldn't get around people. Lesson learned that although I'm slow, I should be realistic about my pace & not freak out & move to the back.

The fun started in the first three miles, most of which were uphill. My lungs were not feeling good, & I was definitely coughing & wheezing. Had I been feeling this way the day before, I doubt I would have run. After mile three, things evened out a bit (the entire course is crazy hilly - I wish I knew how to upload my Garmin info?) & I got into a good rhythm. I also had foolishly taken a Dayquil in the morning, thinking that would help my congestion. It did help my congestion, but it made me crazy dehydrated. I was taking three waters at every stop, & still wishing I had my fuel belt. Once we hit the half way point, I knew I was going to finish, & I was getting pretty excited. At mile 8, we joined my normal long run route (the waterfront area in Kirkland) & I was feeling pretty great. Still a bit wheezy & congested, but nothing I couldn't handle.

I started tearing up around mile 11, as we did our last uphill & I knew I had enough juice to finish under 2:30. On a great day, I think I could have finished in 2:15, but I was so happy I was going to hit my second goal.

Meanwhile, at the finish line, Michael was trying to keep these cuties in check.

They kept asking why it was taking me so long. ;-)

At mile 12, you head into a park & can see the area where you'll be finishing. I was listening to my music & just enjoying myself. I rounded the corner, & I saw my boys waiting for me! They darted out of Michael's grip while he had the camera, & came onto the course. Luckily, the race was small & I was near the end, and people were cheering for us. It was an amazing, amazing experience.

ETA: Just got back from the doctor, & I have bronchitis. Guess that explains the wheezing. Sadly, no Portland R&R for me. :-(

I did it!

My first half marathon is complete! Full details & pictures to come, but I finished. I'm so happy & excited right now. Finish time = 2:23. I know I can do better when I'm fully recovered from my cold, because I was wheezing going up some of the hills. But, I brought my own personal best for today, & I did it!!

Michael booked me a surprise afternoon at the spa (and had cupcakes for me) & today is shaping up to be the best day ever. :-)

Running is my therapy

I haven't posted in a week or so, because, while I'm sure it would have been thrilling for you to read about how I was sick (Monday), then still sick (Tuesday), then freaking out because I was still sick & not feeling like running (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday), I think I just summed up last week relatively well. :-)

Do you know what I was reminded of during my spell of non-running last week? Running is my therapy. No, it really is. It's my time to think through challenges, brainstorm ideas, zone out, & somehow just the act of running keeps my stress under control. Every person in my family is aware when I'm able to run, because I'm just a happier, saner, more balanced person. And, the opposite when I'm not running. ;-)

Life in general is stressful with the daily challenges of managing the household, work, the kids, Michael's schedule, & all that goes with it. Adding to that, lately my older son has been struggling at school, & we don't have a great handle on what's going on. Two things I've learned from that. 1) Nothing is as frustrating as wanting to help your child and not knowing how. 2) Nothing makes me more upset or stressed out than knowing that my child is feeling unsuccessful & hurting & not knowing what to do. We'll be doing additional testing to find out best methods to help him succeed, but right now, every day I cross my fingers & say a little prayer on my drive to school that he's had a good day. This parenting thing is a lot harder than they let on.

Deep thoughts aside, here are a few ugly bathroom pictures.

Yesterday - I ended up putting this skirt in the recycle pile at the end of the day, because it hits my hips in an unflattering way. So, this ugly bathroom picture was the last hurrah. Most comfortable wedge sandals ever - Jeffrey Campbell.

Today, wearing an old American Eagle tank top, with my new Babeau (courtesy of Ross) sweater, Nordstrom Brass Plum jeans, & black wedge sandals.

Also, since I had all this free time on my hands this weekend (taper + being sick), I finally got a hair cut!

I do believe that, 18 months after I started growing out my color, it's almost gone! Pardon the crazy eyes. ;-)
And, in minor running-related news, I'm running my first half on Sunday! Boom! Can't wait. Happy Mother's Day to me.

Give it to me straight -do you run for the stress management benefits? Other reasons? I love the way it makes me feel, & the tight(er) butt is nothing to sniff at, but oh, the stress management.

Estimating finish times, and my last long run

I ran twelve miles on Saturday & it was great. Finished in 2:13, so I'm definitely feeling ready for my half marathon in a couple of weeks. I'm fighting off a nasty cold, so things have been pretty quiet on the fitness front the last few days.

I did manage to make it to the gym last night for some light elliptical + strength, & I felt like an Olympian for pulling that off with a runny nose/head cold. ;-)

I'm focusing on trying to lose five pounds in May, so I'm working hard on cleaning up my eating (the occasional treat, rather than having it be an every day thing) & tracking my calories a bit more closely. Lately I've been just guesstimating.

And, I went shopping! Ugly bathroom photos return!

My new blue "slouchy" sweater (Ann Taylor)

Here's today's outfit. Featuring the $10 polka dot top that my sister talked me into. :-)

In running-related news, I just discovered that I put myself down for a 3 hour finish in the Portland R&R. Judging by my time of 2:13 in my twelve miler on Saturday, I'm assuming I'm going to be done way before that. Oops. How do you estimate your finish time? Do you take your best long run & add time (since I'm comparing 12 miles to just over 13, I'm assuming that it will be more like 2:30). . . does that sound reasonable?

Champion of the world

I ran 8 miles in the sunshine yesterday, & loved every minute of it! Apparently, I just needed a good pity party to shake things off a bit. :-) I ran 9 today & it was 72 when I started the run. (Note that I live in Seattle & typically run in 40-50 degree weather. I'm in the rainy/cold belt. ;-) We call anything over 70 degrees *Seattle-hot*.) I was drenched. I was only going to do six miles, but convinced myself to finish out the 9. I was tired from yesterday, but I did it! And while I'm sore/tired, I'm in no muscle pain! Life is good.

I took the runs relatively slowly & just focused on enjoying myself & putting in the miles, less on pace & it worked. Yesterday's run totally restored my confidence & I *loved* it.

Other events from the weekend - a trip to the park with my boys, a hilarious first baseball game where my kids didn't have the foggiest clue what to do (8 of 10 practices before the game got rained out). Sam finally connected with the ball, but didn't understand that he had to touch each base as he ran by. Nick scored a run, which shocked everyone. He's the youngest on the team & just turned five. He circled the bases carrying the bat. It was full on hilarious.

I was on the world's biggest endorphin high yesterday. :-) LOVE days like that. We also went to Yogurtland today, and I'm going to convince Michael to take us to pizza when he gets home tonight. I'm finally off solo parenting duty!!!

Also overheard in the car this morning:

Nick (5)- "Sam, in Nick-world, candy is the healthiest food. It's Christmas every day. I own every Pokemon card in the world, and there are tunnels connecting our house with all of our friends."

Sam (6) - Nick, in Sam-world, cucumbers & granola bars are the healthiest food. And we do math quizzes every day, & I am the champion of the world."

It's kind of hard to top the champion of the world. ;-)

The boys at the park this afternoon:

Burned out

Ahhhhh, what to say. My right leg has been plaguing me all week. I'm frustrated, and running is no fun right now. My first half marathon ever is three weeks from now, & I'm freaking out a little. I made an appointment with a podiatrist/sports doctor to talk about what's going on and potentially getting new shoes/inserts/whatever. I just want to enjoy running again.

I'm going to focus on five amazing things about Friday, because it is, after all TGIF today. :-)

1. My baby, asleep in the car on spring break. I freakin' love this picture. Sometimes you just fall asleep with your sunglasses half way down your face, clutching a Pokemon card.

2. This place (Oregon coast). I'm going next weekend for an early Mother's Day trip with my sister & mom, & I'm super excited! Love running at the beach, the wine bar in the tiny little town, & time with the family. Can't wait!



3. I've finally cleaned up my eating a bit. I was in a post-Easter candy fest for a few days there, & starting to feel yucky. I'm doing much better this week.

4. The weather is supposed to be nice this weekend! I could really use a little sunshine after the nonstop deluge over the past few days.

5. My boys have their first ever baseball game this weekend. It should be hilarious.

My bonus embarrassing confession - I'm kind of into that new song by Carly Rae (?) - "Call Me, Maybe". I have admittedly poor taste in music.

And, apparently, I wear a lot of coral. I only took two ugly bathroom pictures this week, but they look remarkably similar.

What are you happy about today? Any fun weekend plans? Are you racing?

Spring break is for . . .

It was very hard to drag myself back to work today, after the fabulous spring break! I even got up at 5 to run, & my body was not excited. At all.

Spring break is for:

• Hanging out with the family on the beach.
• Bike rides to the candy shop in town
• Drinking margaritas with my lovely husband
• And running! Last was my highest mileage (ever, I think, but definitely in the last year). I did 35 miles!!!

And because I'm a slacker & haven't posted in forever, here are some pictures from Easter:

My boys!

Me with my lovely sister:

Typical dorkiness:

Nick, playing frisbee on the beach

I did an 11 mile run on Saturday, & uploaded my MP3 player right before I left the house. I foolishly didn't check it before I took off for my run, so guess how many songs I had? Two songs. For 11 miles. I'm pretty sure it was karmic retribution for my poor taste in music that I listened to Nicki Minaj "Starships" & Pitbull "Give Me Everything" on repeat.

More to come - my first half is in less than one month! So excited/nervous!!!

Are you taking any spring trips? Watching the Boston Marathon?

Recycling

Quick recap for you - I did not get to run in my 15K on Saturday, because my hip & leg were in no shape for that. Instead, I got a deep tissue massage. It's possible that a few tears slipped out during the actual massage, but it helped *tremendously*. The massage therapist told me that my right side is incredibly tight, so I've been foam rolling & stretching like it's my job. I managed a quick 45 minute elliptical workout on Sunday, & felt good.

 

Last night, I ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill (I know, look at those crazy miles ;-)), & felt good, although a little tight in my right quad. My training plan called for five miles, but I figure at this point, it's much more important to fully heal, rather than worrying about missing 2.5 miles. I got up at 5:00 am (I know, I know, hold the applause - I feel like a hero for dragging myself out of bed :-)) this morning & did 45 minutes on the bike. Depending on how I'm feeling this evening, I may run a little on the treadmill. We shall see.

 

In other news, I bought a new top on my fun girls day on Sunday. I'm met a friend for lunch, a little shopping, & pedicures. My toes are SCARY. I would post pictures, but I don't want to make you sick, so I'll save you the pain of looking. Let's just say that I went with a hot pink color, & it still wasn't dark enough to cover a few of the bruises.

 

 

Black sweater - Gap
New top - Limited
Dark rinse jeans - Rock & Republic, courtesy of Costco
Black mini wedge shoes - Anne Klein

 

Excuse the awesome facial expression, but a better picture of the top. . .

 

And, this morning! I'm once again trying to get in some of my spring clothes, but the weather is not cooperating. So I just recycle my summer clothes - add my running tights & boots & call it a day. Minus the sweater, tights, & boots, this is one of my favorite summer dresses, although I've discovered that it's huge on me. Progress! I added the belt to tighten it up a bit.

 

 

Coral sweater - Nordstrom
Dress - BCBG
Black mini belt - Jcrew
Black pants - Lululemon Wunder Unders
Black boots - Anne Klein/Macy's

 

 

In fabulous news, it may actually be sunny on Easter! I hate to get my hopes up, because Easter is a notoriously rainy holiday in the northwest, but if the weather goes as predicted, we may be able to do an Easter egg hunt outside with the kids. Without rain boots, umbrellas & coats! Who would have thought? :-) This is exciting stuff, people!

Training plan/workouts for the week

I'm rejoining my training plan at week 3, which gives me 5 weeks of solid training before my half on Mother's Day. Here's what the week looks like:

• Monday - ran 2.5 miles (training plan called for 5)
• Tuesday - cross train. Did 45 minutes on the bike
• Wednesday - 3 speed repeats (total of 4 miles)
• Thursday - Cross train
• Friday - 7 mile GPR
• Saturday - 9 mile run
• Sunday - rest (Easter)

And with that, what's your favorite kind of Easter candy? I love Robin's Eggs, Starburst Jelly Beans, & those little brightly colored eggs made of Whoppers. . . Can't remember their official names.

Five Things Friday

TGIF!

 

1. My hip hurts. A lot. I'm 90% sure that I won't be running in my 15K tomorrow. I'm on the fast train to frustrationville today.
2. I booked a deep massage for tomorrow morning. A bunch of people have suggested that I might have some underlying muscle soreness/tightness deep in my hip, which is hard to reach via regular stretching. I do like a massage, although I'm pretty sure this will be painful & not relaxing.
3. I apparently have a deep love affair with purple clothes. Outfit of the day today:

 

Yeah, I know - the awesome bathroom lighting makes it hard to tell, but my shirt today is purple. Purple love also on display here, here, and also here, here, and here. There were more, but I figured that was embarrassing enough. :-) The things you learn when you start tracking your outfits on your blog. . .
4. I'm tired today. Why, you ask? Well, let me tell you. We live very close to a major construction project. When I say "very close", I mean that the lights from the crane shine into our bedroom at night - our back yard is about 5 feet from the start of the work. And, the construction project is on a major road, so most work takes place from 8 pm- 4am. The construction project also has a noise complaint variance, which means that they are as loud as they want/need to be. For the last three nights, the volume has been unbearable. It's woken all of us up (and, dealing with tired kids at 3:00 am is no fun), and the entire house shakes. All.night.long. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be addicted to Advil PM by the time this thing is over. They are "lidding" the freeway, so basically adding a road on top of the existing freeway, so this is no small (or quiet) project. Save me!
5. I'm having a fun lunch date today with Michael! I need it - it's been a crazy week. I love lunch dates!

Weekend plans! What are you up to this weekend? Here's what we have on the agenda:

• A massage!
• Hopefully some (non-run) workouts
• Two kids birthday parties
• Swimming lessons (kids, not me)
• Baseball practice (ditto above)
• Wine drinking, or possibly margarita-drinking, if the weather improves
• A much belated birthday lunch with my friend (finally!) & a girls pedicure outing. Two of my toenails are about to fall off, so let's hope I don't frighten the nail person too much.

Should be a fun weekend! I'm going to focus on all of the awesome, & healing up my leg so I can get back into my training for my Mother's Day Half!

Bright & early

That's right, I got up at 5:00 am & did my 4 mile run today. Woo!!!!! So excited. I know that I need to get adjusted to the early morning workout & find ways to make it work for me, & I feel like I'm finally on the right track. I still need to figure out how to hydrate myself & I also would love to get our TV hooked up again so I can not just stare at the wall while I run. I do have a tiny bit of hip pain, but I'm continuing to stretch, foam roll, and take aspirin. Fingers crossed that things limber up by Saturday's race.

Yesterday:
I decided to rock the tights with a dress look again.

You can't tell (because the color & photography are so awesome), but the dress is purple. I put the dress in the donation pile when I got home from work, because I felt like it hit me oddly. This is what happens when you shop on a girls weekend in Las Vegas after a few glasses of champagne. . . :-)

Black sweater - Jcrew
Purple dress - Forever 21
Black pants as tights - lululemon
Black boots - Macy's Anne Klein

Today:

Navy & white striped jacket - Arden B
Blue tank with beading - Gap
Jeans - Rock & Republic
Black flats - Macy's Anne Klein
Double chin - my BFF, always around :-)

Food:
I made a yummy breakfast this morning after my run. Basically, it was a knock off Egg McMuffin. One egg with a little bit of colby cheese melted on top + 1/2 a piece of ham on a whole wheat English muffin. YUM. I'll definitely be making that again.

Workout Plan:
My plan is to have a relatively light week to give my hip a chance to feel better, but still do enough running so I feel prepared for my 15K on Saturday.

• Wednesday - 4.25 on the treadmill (done) + arms/foam rolling/stretching (tonight)
• Thursday - 4.5 miles on the treadmill in the early morning + a 2-3 mile run in the afternoon during baseball practice - assuming it doesn't get rained out.
• Friday - 3 mile run + arms/foam rolling/stretching.
• Saturday - 15K!
• Sunday - some sort of light recover run + strength

In fantastic news, Michael accepted a new job offer! I can't tell you how exciting it is to have a solid plan in place for the future, rather than taking it day by day. Yeah!! :-)

And, one thing I'm really looking forward to over the next few weeks is . . . spring break! We're finally heading to the beach, & I can't wait. What is one thing that you're really looking forward to?

It's feeling like spring

First off, thank you all for your kind words on my melt down post last week. I appreciate the support SO much.

I did manage to get in three miles of interval runs/loops while the kids were at baseball practice on Thursday. It was my youngest guy's first time at a drop off practice, so I would run a mile, circle back to check on him, & then keep going. It worked great & I will definitely plan to run during the practices - they are an hour and 45 minutes, so at least it will give me something to do. :-)

And, a picture from this weekend (we were headed to baseball pictures). Check out my cute boys!

Sam also took my picture on Saturday, and Nick decided he wanted in too:

The picture is at an awkward angle, because Sam is only 6, but he did a better job than I do most days. :-)

Most importantly, this happened over the weekend:

Yes, that's right. It was sunny & 62 on Saturday. Life was pretty darn good. I've been waiting *a long* time to see the sun!

I ran 5 miles on Saturday, & had 10 miles on the schedule for Sunday. The weather was perfect, I had new headphones for my tunes, & life was good. But, my hip! Oh, the hip pain. It started out as a nagging pain, but the further I went, the more it hurt. Knowing that I'd have to turn around & finish the run home, I called it at around 3 miles, for a total of 6.25 or so. I was really, really disappointed. I've never had to bail on a long run, & it felt like such a waste to turn around early on a gorgeous day, but the throbbing in my leg told me in no uncertain terms that running wasn't in the cards. I ended up walking/hobbling the last mile or so to my car. I have a 15K on Saturday, so I'm hopeful that some rest, foam rolling, & stretching will do the trick.

I pretended like the weather was still nice today, although it's really a little drizzly in Seattle.

Coral sweater - Nordstrom
Coral & white striped tshirt - Loft
Dark trouser wash jeans - Loft
Brown wedge sandals - AE

Although it's making me very nervous to have another light running week, I'm going to commit to taking it easy & listening to my leg/hip & not pushing too hard until after the race. After the weekend, I'm going to rejoin my half training plan (I've deviated for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of my interim races) at week 4 (it's an 8 week plan) so I can start getting ready for my half in May!!!! Can't believe how quickly it's coming up. :-)

What did you do this weekend? Anything fun & fabulous? Have you had hip pain? Any good tips?