Drunk Push Ups

We went to the friends after Beggar's Night and started in on the Pumpkin Ale, a specialty brew from our favorited Pub. I had enough that at one point, I thought I should show the friends my push ups. Today I asked PT (physical therapy) guy if drunk push ups still count. He said he can't vouch for my form but he thinks so. Cool.

Jenny The Hardbody suggested that if I can do 25 girlie push ups, I might be able to do some regular ones. I doubted it, but tried. They aren't very deep or very strong but I can do a few, maybe 5 or 6. I'm going to shoot for 10 good ones. Jenny does some loooooong planks, I've been working on those too. Huge improvements so far, PT guy was impressed. I will have to time them and post. PT guy seems determined to tone and strengthen me from the ribs down. He says it's going to make a huge difference in my running :D

So maybe Runnerbody doesn't just happen, I think I will try to make it happen...

Getting on Track

I need to find more uniform icons for this. Maybe I will steal Chad's. If anyone else has good ones, point me in the right direction.


Three miles with Amy (kind of sounds like Tuesdays with Morrie, although I think she is healthy). We met up after work at Gray's Lake and we got 3 miles in. I struggled some, and probably would have quit after 2, definitely would have quit at 2.89, but she said, "we've come this far, we have to do 3!" Thanks for keeping me going!! Then, let the coughing ensue.

11:13
11:17
11:28 - included me re-tying both shoes.
3.01 miles ~ 34:03 ~ 11:19 pace





Did my PT work last night while watching Bourne Identity on the new surround and hi-def that hubby has been slaving over. God, I love that man. Great gadgets.
Squats, lunges, stretches
Girlie pushups ~ 25


Food could have been better for the first day of the challenge. I'm going to try to crack down today, even with the vat of candy and the little munchkins spooking about.


Have a great day, everyone, and enjoy Trick or Treat!!

Ladies, Start Your Metabolic Engines

A big congrats to Rob who has already won our bet in his latest 5k. He ran 3 miles at 11:00 or better. Okay, so clearly I was deluding myself that we were close to the same place. :P (I AM good at the delusions.) I will have to be more careful who I tangle with or at least more careful about what bets I take. The main thing is it motivated Rob to make this goal so CONGRATS!!

I did TRY to run a 3 miler on Sunday but it was somewhat of a debacle. I had a slight hangover and had taken the kids to Sonic for some greasy fun. UGH. Good for the hangover but overall, not a prescription for a good run. The whole family has this crappy, nagging unproductive cough and that certainly did not help matters. I didn't feel like I could get a full breath in. I'm trying to just do some short running through it until better. The run did exacerbate the coughing fits quite a bit. It went something like 12:03, 12:43, walk(cough, cough) walk (cough) walk (cough, cough, cough), feel better and feel guilty, run my a$$ off for about .5 miles home. 15 something for that last mile. I'm hoping my run with Amy this afternoon goes a little better.

My oldest boy (almost 5) has gotten into the running and now says, "Mom, I need to run today." It cracks us up. We let him run our little circle which is .25 mile. He runs them as intervals, we time them and even log them in Favorite Run. He knows that 4 = mile. So cute. When I got back we headed out and he did his intervals, 2:51, 2:38 (I went with on this one), 2:50, 3:01. Here is a picture of him doing these last week in his "running outfit".

A few of us girls were talking over at Pieces of Me about needing to do a diet challenge. I decided I better do a weigh in and get serious. Double UGH ~ 158 ... there, I've said it. The goal? 145.

I found this great article today, nothing I didn't already know, but I thought it was very well done and a great reminder. Why Every Woman Should Strength Train "Every pound of muscle on your body burns between 30 and 50 calories a day — even when you're sleeping. Every pound of fat burns only two to five calories. Women often blame their weight problems on sluggish metabolisms when what's really to blame is their lack of muscle."

Ladies, start your metabolic engines...

Blue Hair?

I've been meaning to post this for awhile but that darn race got in the way. So many things to share....so little time. The week of Iowa vs. Iowa State (practically a state holiday), the boys had different fun days at school to celebrate the week, pajama day, backwards day, and WILD HAIR DAY.

Nothing to do with running, but I guess this is my blog, right? :D

Planning for the Future

Last night, I did 2.89 miles with Amy around Gray's Lake. We met up after work, ran, chatted and then dashed home to our families. It was beautiful, great company and just what I needed to get the legs moving after Sunday. I am not very good at running and talking yet. Thankfully Amy had more breath than me!

1 - 11:02

2 - 11:31

.89 - 11:43 pace

33 minutes ~ 11:24

My hip started talking to me during cool down and after I drove home. I'll be glad to start working on some solutions. I am seeing PT guy today to map out some long term plans.

I've also been thinking about goals and noticed many of you have been mapping them out as well. I am hesitant to go overboard until I talk to PT guy and decide the focus for the next few weeks/months, but I also know that I do have some goals floating around in my head. The main one is to protect the gains I have made. (this was my husband's term, which I have adopted because it makes a lot of sense to me.) Also known as: don't slack off, stop running, and go backwards in your training. That should be a given, but has been a problem for me for the last 4 years and was the main reason I embarked on this journey in late May. I have come way further than ever before and intend to protect those gains.

Other goals include possibly a warm weather winter race and for sure Dam to Dam in the Spring. Now that the race is over, I think I need to make the diet a bigger priority and want to lose 10 lbs. I would also like to pick up some speed and want to incorporate speedwork as long as PT guy permits.

This leads me to blogging friend Rob over at Run to Lose. He has embarked on a journey to become a runner also. Only HE has made amazing gains on his pace, I have made SOME improvement..... He posted some new goals and I think we are really similar right now, so similar that I bookmarked his goals and was trying to decide if I ought to just adopt them as my own. Anyway, what I decided was to take his first and offer a wager. This is probably not that smart of me as he is probably slightly faster than me in reality and is improving at a faster rate, but why not make it fun?

First one to 3 miles with EACH mile being under 11:00 wins 5 bucks. Good luck, Rob!

PS Many of you asked my secret to looking so fresh and happy in my race pictures. Well, I'm not sure I completely agree, but, there may be a few things contributing:

1. I don't run very fast so I probably didn't look that spent!!
2. They said to smile for the camera so I did if I knew they were there
3. I have horrible posture so I was physically working at chest out, shoulders back, gut in.... you know what I mean. There just isn't anything like that for your thighs, though. ;^)
4. I WAS really happy and enjoying myself.
   

More Pictures from the DSM IMT HM

Beautiful picture of the first part, running toward the State Capital Building.

Both are courtesy of Des Moines Register

Thumbnails from Marathonfoto dudes.

Des Moines IMT Half Marathon 2007

I finished my first Half Marathon today. I started off the day extremely NOT nervous. I've been working on this, but I'm not sure I expected that it would actually happen. Cool. I had everything I needed, plenty of glide and gel and a charged Garmin. Plenty of time to hit the port-o-potty's before the horrendous lines ensued. Also, plenty of time to check out the not-so-virtual Runner's Lounge and say hi to Tom and Amy and Running Hawkeye (he rocked his half!). It was sort of surreal, 5 minutes to go, 2 minutes, 30 seconds and we're off, well, not for a couple minutes anyway. I found the actual mat for once and hit Garmin.


The first mile or two were just okay, I ran them pretty well but felt just okay. I figured I would either settle in or not. I never really did, but it wasn't horrible either. In the first mile, I saw a beautiful dark pony tail bobbing, angled for a better view and decided it was Coffee Betsy. I was right, said hello and wished her good luck. She totally rocked the FULL, by the way.


Unfortunately I had some GI *issues* and had to stop at around 2 miles for around 90 seconds. That mile was slow but I was mostly around 12:30 for a couple miles. We headed out to this pretty loop in Waterworks Park and started to see people coming back from the loop. I must have been around mile 5 when my PT guy spotted me, moved to the center and high-fived me on the way by. He was around mile 8 or so. I thought that was so cool of him.


The loop looked huge and I started to hurt, mostly in my hip, but my feet already, too. I finally got to 6 and my hubby called to see where I was. After he called, I felt a little better (maybe it was the walk break? Then I got to see my sweeties shortly after. (the first two pics are at mile 6.5) That lady in yellow thinks I am so lucky. She would be right! :D

We exited Waterworks and moved in to Gray's Lake, what an incredible day. One cool thing was, by this point the Marathon Leaders started passing us. This was the most incredible running I have ever seen. The frontrunner had an amazing loping-like huge stride and looked so ho-hum, and he was way out in front. After that I continued to see the front of the pack and it was really fun.
Hubby noticed this shot of the skyline and lake with a marathon sign and got into the weeds to get me. I was already waving at the kids wondering where he was. Then I saw him come out of the weeds. I am so lucky! He also got a close up and one of me talking to the kids and my mother-in-law. It's so cool to have pictures. Thanks so much, Curtis.

Right after this, unfortnately, I had about a 5 min bathroom break. Oh well. Next came the bridge over the lake, should make for a nice shot from the Marathonfoto dudes. Will post those later if they are cool. Around the lake, I went.... I had about 4 miles left and 1 hour to make it under 3hours. I was pretty tired and decided to take a walk break. That coupled with that long bathroom break made for quite a while to get around.

The gang met me one more time and snapped a picture of "mile 24" (for the marathoners!). After that I alternated walking and running and basically just gutted it out to the end. I tried to run about the last 1.5 miles but I couldn't do it and ended up walking some of the last mile. Not what I wanted to do, but I did run most of it.

There were way more people around than my last race where I was practically out there by myself. I'm not sure if this helped or hurt my pace, but it certainly made it fun and interested. Lots of neat people out there really working hard. I had no idea so many people did this!! :D I did have a thought that I am mostly with the fat girls, the old girls and the really old men. Oh well, my times will come. They were all really nice.

I did finish really strong, passed several run-walkers trying to put on a last kick and rolled in at around 3 hours. I figured I would be slightly under with the delay. The kicker? Garmin said I did 13.6. As I finished, I heard my name over the loud speaker. Then, I heard it again from my neighbor who was there looking for wounded. I told her I was proud to be on two feet. Then I got a little teary going through to get my medal. I DID IT!!

2:59:31 (under 3 like I'd hoped, but plenty of room for improvement)

I stopped by the Runner's Lounge and Tom and Amy seemed to be as happy about my finish as I was. We took some pics before I headed out. Thanks so much for your support, you guys!! (they had a great picture taking spot, check out their blog for more runners.)

I was hobbling around pretty good, but came home and helped hubby in the yard!! It was probably the best thing I could have done eventhough I wanted a nap (and looked like a real penguin). My feet are feeling better already (without ice!) so maybe the orthotics are working.

We ate like kings on a meal literally from the cover of our latest Cuisine at Home, complete with Champagne and good wine.

My boys were the best today, big and little. Thank you sweet family for your love and support. Thanks to all of you, too, I thought of many of you today and know that you were thinking of me too.

I AM SO LUCKY

I AM A MOM

I AM A WIFE

I AM A HALF MARATHONER

I AM A RUNNER

I MADE IT !!

My first Half Marathon is in the books!!

It's official: 2:59:31

More to come....

Final Taper Run

I really haven't thought the so-called taper madness was hitting me. In fact, rather than itching to run like everyone else seems to be, I have been avoiding it like the plague. I think it is some subconsious thing about wanting to conserve as much energy as possible. Maybe taper madness is different for some people?

Some things I have experienced:

• thought I was getting sick all day, throat congested, a lot of throat clearing. CRAP.
• Lots o' GI issues the last two days. MAYBE IT IS THE BORSCHT?
• Missed my turn for a store, realized 4 blocks later. OH WELL.
• Got to the store and realized it wasn't the store I meant to go to. DUH!
• Fell off the porch. Yes, I was putting up a cool spider web and spider (similar to this picture but the spider is actually a blow up one powered by a motor.) I stepped back to admire my work and thought I was stepping on the sidewalk but it was the ground. I fell, and somehow landed on hands and knees back on the sidewalk. I have one skinned knee and two very sore palms. I'm pretty sure the palms are not meant to take the brunt of your weight on concrete. OUCH.

Anyway, tonight around 10pm, I decided to run an easy 2.6 mile route I did several times while I was trying to get ready to start the marathon plan. I don't have any more training left, so it seemed fitting to do it before the race. I have also been wanting to take Nikki (the dog) with me but I think we need to ease into it, to make sure neither of us is going to be miserable. This seemed like the perfect length easy run. Nikki's a rat terrier, so basically, little and extremely fast, bred to run. I taught her to heel several years ago but we haven't had much practice. And there is the fact that her nickname is P.I.T.A. for a reason.

I put on the running clothes, including a bright lime green shirt for visibility. P.I.T.A.-girl did really great after a couple initial stops. I was really proud of her. It did occur to me that we might have slightly resembled the grinch and that little doggy as she was hauling my butt up a hill at one point!! It was dark and misting and cool. What a great run with my little companion. She LOVED it. We will definitely do more.

I don't know if I'm ready or not, but it's too late to do anything about it. I'm just going to enjoy this race and see where the training takes me. Tomorrow, PT guy is taping my feet and I'm going to pick up my packet. Almost there now.....

Cavegirl Makes Appearance at Local Gathering

Des Moines, IA ~ Cavegirl was spotted at a local gathering of runners at Grey's Lake here yesterday. The gathering was a celebration of the birth of a new website called Runner's Lounge .

Guests of honor and founders of the website, Tom and Amy , talked to local reporters about the idea for this site which brings runners together similar to a Facebook format. While this is a virtual hangout for runners, Tom and Amy also plan to have a real hangout for runners at the upcoming Des Moines IMT Marathon this weekend. They will be "lounging" at both the expo before the marathon and will have a tent near the finish as well.

Cavegirl was thought to be a mythical creation of the West Des Moines runner known as Non-Runner Nancy. However, with this very public appearance, she apparently is alive and well. Paparrazi were on hand to capture this rare appearance. They also noted that unlike Brit, she apparently favors undergarments, and she was captured with a cult-like blue bracelet sporting the words, "I AM A RUNNER" along-side her Garmin.

For those who don't know the story, Cavegirl carries a club to beat down any negative thoughts that may crop up while running.

Other guests included Bowulf Network Administrator , also known as Kent. He is soon to be an Iowa celebrity as his amazing journey from large couch potato to Des Moines IMT Marathoner is slated to be chronicled in the Des Moines Register. Running Hawkeye also appeared (but not until after the run) so the verdict is still out on whether he really is a running hawkeye. All three guests claim to be running in this weekend's Des Moines IMT Marathon or Half Marathon. We will certainly update you as those developments unfold.

Guests were invited to take a Victory Lap around the popular loop at Grey's Lake. The bridge over the lake has become a familiar site for pictures. Cavegirl was caught in action as she traversed the bridge.

Tom, Amy and Kent were also captured as they entered the bridge. It is not known if Tom regularly runs in jeans, we think possibly he wasn't planning on running but got caught up in the spirit of things and was rumored to have said, "oh, what the heck."

When asked if this was his attire for the recent "Chicago Fun Run, " he simply chuckled. Of note, not only did Tom survive the recent Chicago Fun Run, he is a proud finisher.

Tom and Amy were presented with a beautiful picture of the website, affectionately known as "our girl" by one of the website designers.

Gatorade, water, ChexMix and peanuts were served. :D

Return of the Cave Woman??

Anyone remember this girl? She runs with her club and beats all the ugly, negative thoughts down. Many people have borrowed her club for particularly difficult runs. I heard she might be making a comeback....

On My Way to Regular Runner Girl

I did 60 minutes of running yesterday ~ 4.85 miles ~ 12:22 pace. I had wanted to go further because I am nervous about the HM. My feet are still hurting and my last long run was 10 miles two weeks ago - I haven't done much over 5 since then. And, none of them have been very good (I'm thinking I needed quite a bit of recovery). However, my hubby wisely talked me out of it, pointing out that the last long run on the full marathon schedule is about 8 so I shouldn't be out there trying to knock out 8 the week before the HM. I'm not sure what I would really do without his voice of reason. Well, I do know what I was like before him, and it wasn't pretty.

So anyway, I say I'm nervous and he gives me the speech that I needed to hear. This isn't his speech, but my sort of take home message: The point of all of this was that I am now a regular runner girl. Nothing sporadic, no taking weeks or months off. The races help to keep me motivated but they really are for fun. If they are going to stress me out and make me half sick, they probably aren't worth it. Let's face it, were not talking trying to BQ, or win, or even win my age, we're talking A VICTORY IS THAT I AM OUT THERE and ICING would be a FINISH. This is really true - I decided to make a list about this.

• A few months ago my longest ever long run was 5.4 miles
• I have run 346 miles since the onset of planned, regular running
• I have run several 8's, 10's, and even 12 and 14 milers
• It's been about 22 weeks if I count the pre-plan runs to get me ready - and only a couple of missed runs due to Headcold Hattie and my feet implosion
• I have had major foot issues but continued to run and modified my goal of a full marathon without tears or foot stamping (well, that would just be too painful!)
• I successfully completed my first 10 mile race and was not last
• I put in the highest 6 week activity period I have ever logged on the company wellness site

I will either finish this HM or not, but these bullets will still be mine. I will still be well on my way from Nonrunner Girl to Regular Runner Girl.

Tomorrow, I get to meet up with some Lounger's for a victory lap around Grey's Lake in celebration of the opening of the Runner's Lounge. I'll make sure to have a full report. Heck, maybe I will even bring my camera :D

Iowa Envy

It sounds like a few of my blogging pals might have a little case of Iowa Envy. Well, maybe except for Vanilla. :^( Yes, it really is heaven here, great hospitality, great people, great races...hmmmmmmm (light bulb). Some local folks are getting together to have a little run and some fun to celebrate the opening of the Runner's Lounge. Yeah, it's next Tuesday, so I doubt most of you can make it. But what if we did it to coincide with a real event ( a really fun event) and gave you lots of notice?? Set up a real place for us to Lounge. Would you come to Iowa??

I've been thinking about my plans after this HM (God, help me, I hope I can do it) next week and beyond. I really need to keep up the training through the winter, maybe even do a winter race or two to have something to shoot for. I need to keep building the base and be consistent to see if a marathon is possible next year. But for sure, in the back of my mind has been probably the most popular and fun race in Iowa, called Dam to Dam, Iowa's Distance Classic, slated for May 31, 2008. Nearly 4000 did this 20k last year, great shirts, medals, bands, mascots, great food, scenic countryside and downtown Des Moines.

I'm thinking maybe we should start planning now??!! Are ya with me?

Is This Heaven?

Yesterday I had the opportunity to drive to an appointment 2hours+ away. I've had a really hectic week and still have some deadlines to meet by tomorrow, so the solitude was welcome. Just me and Anthony Robbins, God, that man speaks to me. If you haven't gotten into Anthony Robbins, one of the most renowned "life coaches" out there, you owe it to yourself. I was thinking yesterday that I wish everyone had 30 days to Personal Power. I will be posting more, I promise.

The Fall colors are beginning to pop and the corn is dry on the stalks and ready for harvest. It was a great day and I still love to drive my new car ~ affectionately known as my "big girl car." IS THIS HEAVEN? NOPE, IT'S IOWA !! (and please tell me you know where that is from)

Want more proof? The Des Moines Marathon is October 21st. They have extended open arms to all Chicago runners who want to do a marathon with water and support and about 5100 really nice runners. They are offering a discount if you were at Chicago and feeling unfulfilled. I will be there doing the HM. Yes, feet, be damned.

Even more proof necessary about our Heavenly Status?

Friends and uber-supportive bloggers, Tom and Amy, from, you guessed it, IOWA, have started the Runner's Lounge. This is a cool hangout for runners to connect, learn from each other, share what they've found out the hard way, etc. I even posted an article on what finally got me running regularly and keeps me motivated. The cool thing? They're friendly to ALL RUNNERs. Turtles, Penguins, Snails? All welcome. No cop car ushering you to the sidewalk saying, you've fallen behind the pace which we can support. :D Yes, I resemble that remark. Speaking of Penguins, did anyone see that Bingham just came out with a line of Penguin Technical Running Clothing??

Of actual running and PT. I dropped off the oldest at a birthday party Monday and did about 5 miles in a new area. I felt strong and very resourceful for my multi-tasking and getting in a run. Been resting the feet for two days. Hope to run sort of longish again today.

PT guy on Tuesday was complimentary of my Capital Pursuit run and cheered the 12 min pace. (His was about 8:30) We tried some interesting tape, gives one way but not the other. Supposed to create a little lift to the arches. It's bright pink and it seems to be working. I'm thinking of asking him for the whole role for some *other parts* that could use a lift!! PT is killing my quads, um, I mean going well. I'm working on finding my RUNNER BODY. :D

Des Moines Race for the Cure 2007

I ran the Des Moines Race for the Cure on Saturday. The race didn't start until 9am and it was terribly hot. It was not a good day.

I did have a really nice chat with two gals at the start. It was so packed and there were tons of walkers packing the chute. People that had no idea about the pace times that were posted. The gun went off faintly somewhere and we didn't move for a long time. There was a lot of bobbing and weaving necessary to move much. I finally hit Garmin but had no idea when we crossed the start. This seems to be a trend with me. I am usually way off.

I ran pretty hard and Garmin told me 9:23 first mile. Oh man, I was so in trouble. On the bright side, that is probably the fastest mile I have ever done in my life. As is predictable after going out way too fast, the next two were positively brutal. I did some short walk breaks but I had nothing. I didn't want to give up completely and walk in, too much of a metaphor in my life right now, so I continued on. The highlight might be the cheerleaders posted at the corners and the lady who yelled, "hey polka dot, you got it going on." I had on a pink polka dot head band. :)

Someone decided it would be a good idea to put a big hill up to the finish. I finished, but Garmin said I had gone 2.8 miles. So for two days I wondered, if that first mile would be enough to help me PR. It wasn't. In past years, I have only recreationally trained, and have been faster. I'm not thrilled.

34:14

I spent most of the day checking the website, worrying about fellow bloggers and my sis-in-law running Chicago. I did 3 miles in heat. I cannot imagine what they went through, how they felt, the things they saw. My heart is aching for all those people. I told my SIL, we are so proud of her and the training and everything she did, that her victory is in getting herself to the start and that she is a marathoner to us. (thank my sweet husband who prompted me with these words on a note pad as I was talking to her on the phone last night!)

I suppose I can learn something from this advice. Isn't it Bingham who says, the miracle is not in the finish, it is in the fact that I started.

Towards Happiness

Here are four habits that longevity experts say are at the heart of a sunny disposition—and that you can adopt, too. (an article on MSN Health today)
I edited this to meaningful excerpts and phrases. Hope you will try some of these!

1. THEY WORK THEIR CELL PHONES
Just talking on the phone to a friend has the immediate effect of lowering your blood pressure and cortisol levels... Our research shows that having good long-term relationships provides as many physical benefits as being active or a nonsmoker. Make the effort to connect with the friends you already have. Call now, and before you hang up, schedule a lunch date—personal contact is even better.

2. THEY EXPRESS GRATITUDE (WITHIN REASON)
People who write about all the things they are thankful for are optimistic about the upcoming week and more satisfied overall with their lives... They also feel physically stronger. It's hard to be bitter and mad when you're feeling grateful...

3. THEY'RE RANDOMLY KIND
Do you perform five acts of kindness in any given day? That's the number of good deeds that boosts your sense of well-being and happiness... Your karmic acts can be minor and unplanned - giving up your seat on the bus; buying an extra latte to give to a coworker. You'll find that the payback greatly exceeds the effort.

4. THEY REAPPRAISE THEIR LIVES
Yes, you can rewrite history—and feel better about yourself in the bargain. Set aside a little time each week to write about or record—or even just mentally revisit—an important event in your past. Reflecting on the experience can reshape your perception of it, as well as your expectations for the future...

It's helpful to look at the bad times as well as the good. Perhaps now that a few years have passed, you'll be able to see how that breakup or failed job opportunity opened other doors and finally forgive yourself—and your ex-boyfriend or would-be boss. Even if a memory is painful, it's good to work through it. If you can come to terms with past events, you'll be better able to handle tough times down the road. So be honest, but also go easy on yourself. Remember: You are the heroine in this tale.
I need help on #2 and #4. This first step is admitting you have a problem. :)

Walk with some short easy jogging intervals with 5 work friends - 65 minutes.
Girlie Pushups - 20
Plank - 37 count



To all my race-bound friends, have a great weekend !! :)

It's About the Journey

There are advantages to working for Gi-normous Company, USA. I am out of town with a laptop crash, call some guy, and he fedexes me one overnight. A new one is waiting in my room by 10am the next morning, I type in a password and connect to the internet in less than 5 minutes. That was cool, well, except for the crash part. Hopefully the precious docs can be saved.

Been mulling over this name change thingy. There were some fantastic ideas. Probably the favorite was:

I'm a Runner...you got a F%$#'en problem with that!!...Nancy" from Chad. Hee hee, that just makes me laugh.

By now you are saying, hmmmmm, I've been duped. She's not actually using that. There is no stinking poll. She promised us a poll. Well, actually, many of you said that you know me and are used to me as Non-Runner Nancy but also gave me some great suggestions. Nancy the Great and The Runner Formerly Known as Non-Runner Nancy are also favs. But I started thinking after I wrote the last post, that it really has meaning to me. The book, the life changes, the help my sweet hubby gave me around this project, the fact that it is a journey. And then Jamie said, she liked it because it had meaning to me. That spoke to me. :)

I hope you guys will understand, there is meaning in this, it is a journey and more than just about running. Some day, I may cross out the NON, but for now, THIS IS WHERE I AM. I don't mind the ribbing. :D

For being great sports with creative ideas and helpful hints, for making me laugh, for gently ribbing and also understanding that there is meaning, these are why I just love you guys. I've decided that since Chad's was my favorite and Jamie's gave me the nudge, I'm sending you both something. Hmmm, Starbuck's or halloween candy, you can let me know with your addresses at nonrunner@gmail.com It will be a few days since I am out of town.

I ran recovery yesterday(2.81miles) and today (3.05miles). OOOUUCHIE. Not much energy and the tops of my feet hurt. I'm thinking either I didn't get my shoes off soon enough after the race or they are aggravated for some other reason, like, maybe, all day in dress shoes sitting in stinking meetings? No, they are not even cute heels.

I'm also going to start logging my PT exercises to see the progress and keep me honest. This is everything, but I will probably just log planks and pushups to see improvement.

• Plank - 30 count (goal - 2 minutes)
• L and R side plank - 15 count (goal - 1 minute)
• Girlie Pushups - 15 (goal 50)
• One leg balance while shaking head - 10 count (goal - longer with more body movements, eyes closed)
• L and R lunges @ straight, 45, 90, and 135 degrees - 5 reps
• Ball between leg squats - 10
• Lots of hip, leg, foot and toe stretches.

I will let you know if I start to get runner body. Hee hee.

Gratitude for my RBF's

Thanks to everyone who commented on my race report. I am so humbled by everyone's support. It means a lot to me.

I was telling my husband that I'm not exactly sure what it is about running that is doing this to me, but I seem to be able to keep plugging along and knock down all the ugly thoughts with my big imaginery club, despite some pretty long odds and things that have stacked against me. I am working on translating this to other aspects of my life. Despite what everyone thinks, I am not the Energizer Bunny of Positive Thoughts that Just Keeps Ticking. I get down like everyone else and think that I can't do something and want to give up, etc. I mentioned this in the tag line of my blog. So, anyway, it has taken awhile, but I think it might be actually working.

And, I just wanted to say thank you to all my RBF's (Tom and Amy's term for Running Blogging Friends, can we just make this official so I don't have to keep explaining? :) In the end, I make the changes, I decide my attitude, I do the work. But, blogging and the support I have received is definitely contributing to my attitude. Thank you all for continually coming back and encouraging me, making me laugh, keeping me going.... I certainly will make the caveat here, this is not to take away from the real life stuff at home, the sacrifices and support I have received from my husband. All of this was his idea to support me because he knew that I wanted to be a regular runner. Thanks, Sweetheart!!

I have taken a lot of good natured crap over Non-Runner Nancy. This was a direct reference to the book Hubby and I were doing to try to do the marathon ** Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer ** and I DO want to be and feel like a real, regular runner. I don't know about the logistics of changing my actual gmail and signature , but I might entertain some ideas for the name of my blog. Perhaps a Marcy style contest?? Starbucks or some sort of gift card of choice to the winner.... (thanks, Pat for the idea!!)

Some ideas so far:

Notes of a New Runner - (Jenny had suggested New Runner Nancy)

Notes of a New Runner with NON crossed out?

Notes of a Former Non-Runner (Database Diva)

Let's get some more suggestions, or let me know if you like one of these.

This is probably poor etiquette, someone can let me know, but I did not put all the hyperlinks in because I am traveling this week and don't have lots of time. I will try to go back in and put them in at some point, but I hope you will understand. (one of those We'd Like to Plan Every Minute of Your Day for You Meetings!) This also means that my comments to you all may be sparse while I am away.

And finally, my official time was 2:00:58 !! Better than I originally thought !! Still taking it a bit easy with some soreness but I feel pretty great!