The back of the pack

It was pretty overcast when I woke up this morning, so I decided to run outside instead of on the treadmill. Jerry was off work, and after refiguring my marathon training to include a fourth day per week, I only had to run four miles today. When I saw it was overcast, I thought, "I bet it feels just like fall outside!"

Boy, was I ever wrong. It was 7:30 in the morning, and it felt like I stepped outside and into a greenhouse. I think I even started sweating as I stood in the driveway while my Garmin found satellites.

As soon as I started running, I felt clumsy and heavy. I hate days like that! My legs just didn't feel like running, apparently. I kept reminding myself that I only had to run four miles. After about 3.25 miles, I saw that my average pace was 10:15. I thought, "I'm going to try and run a sub-10:00 mile for this last mile", so I picked up the pace.

Then I decided to make it even more challenging and see if I could drop my AVERAGE pace to a sub-10:00. That would be much harder, since I only had 3/4 of a mile left to shave more than 45 seconds off my time. I rounded the corner of my street, and ran as hard as I could, with my stiff legs. As soon as I hit four miles, I stopped the timer and looked down. 10:02/mi average pace--not what I'd hoped, but I managed to knock 13 seconds off my average pace in just 3/4 of a mile.

I only ran four miles, but when I got done, I was completely saturated with sweat, thanks to the humidity. I felt like I worked a lot harder than I actually did ;)

I showered and had a Chocolate Cherry Almond protein shake for breakfast. The kids' open house wasn't until 3:00, so I had all morning and part of the afternoon to do whatever I felt like doing--and I decided to work on the sweatshirt quilt that I wrote about yesterday. Jerry and I started a new season of The Biggest Loser (season 3) on Netflix, and I just sat on the floor cutting out squares.

By the time I left for the kids' open house, I had all the squares cut out and most of them sewed together! We went to the school to meet the kids' teachers, and then when we came home, I finished up the quilt top. It's not-even-a-little-bit pretty, but it's going to be super cozy when I'm done.

I have to get some fabric to back it with, and I think I'll get t-shirt cotton. Then I have to tie it, and it will be done and ready for use this fall.

Estelle spent the entire time I was sewing sitting in my fabric container. She can't stand to see a box on the floor and NOT crawl in...

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A few people asked about my memoir that I mentioned in my last post. I do NOT have a book deal, or anything exciting like that! I've always wanted to write a book (like since I was a kid!), and a lot of readers have told me I should write a memoir about my weight loss. So I am working on it now. I don't know if anything will ever come of it, but I will be happy just to do it.

Another question I was asked (on my race report post) is why I like watching the last finishers of the race. I always feel SO inspired seeing people cross the finish line of a race that they may not have even thought they could do. When I did my first half-marathon, I was at the very back of the pack, and I know how much it meant to me to actually finish that race. The first place person, or even the top 10 people, KNOW going into the race that they will finish in the lead--and unless they get injured, they KNOW they will finish.

But the people in the very back of the pack are usually (not always, of course) either doing their first race, or overcoming health obstacles (age, injury, obesity, etc). The last place people are out on the course much longer than everyone else, when the crowds have gone home, and the water stations are packing up. That's a big mental obstacle to deal with during a race. I notice that a lot of these people have a look of pure joy, or amazement, or pride when they cross the finish line that just gives me chills to see. Chances are, they worked just as hard to finish the race as the first-place person did, but it means something different to them. So anyway, that is why I like to watch the end of the race!

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Tomorrow is Noah and Eli's first day of school. Noah is going into third grade, and Eli into first. They are growing so fast! My plan is to run eight miles in the morning after they get on the bus, and then (finally) spend some time catching up on my e-mail. I'd also like to spend some time this week catching up on blog reading. I'm embarrassed to say that ever since I got back from my sister's house in Illinois, I haven't touched my Google Reader--and now I have over 1,000 unread posts. Yeah, I'll never actually catch up on it all, but I feel like I'm missing out on stuff! (If I've missed something exciting, please share in the comments here! I'd love to read about what's going on with all of you)

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Yummy tea

Today was my kids' last "real" day of summer vacation. Tomorrow they have open house, where we'll go chat with their teachers and check out their classrooms. Then schools starts on Wednesday!

As I mentioned yesterday, I took today off of running--my legs are pretty sore from the race still (must be those hills!). Jerry was off work, so together, we tackled my "miscellaneous" goal for the week: clean out our bedroom closet.

I didn't get rid of as much as I'd hoped to, but it was nice to organize everything. I went through all my sewing stuff and fabric, and now I'm kind of itching to start a new sewing project. I have a TON of old sweatshirts and sweatpants that I cut up in order to make into a quilt--not because it would look cute, but just think how comfortable a sweatshirt quilt would be!

I have also been meaning to make a denim purse out of my old jeans, similar to my quilt. I have all the stuff to make it, I just haven't taken the time to plan out a pattern. For the next couple of months, I'm going to be working on my memoir every spare moment I get, but after that, I can't wait to work on some crafty projects.

Ever since I went to Teavana at the Mall of America on Friday, I have not stopped thinking about the tea I had there! Finally, this morning, I couldn't take it anymore and I went online to their website to order some. It's a blend called Youthberry and Wild Orange Blossom. The only reason I chose that one to sample at the store was because the other one they had was "highly caffeinated", and you know I don't do well with caffeine. But this Youthberry tea was AH-MAZING. 

source

The tea at the store was sweetened with their German Rock Sugar, so naturally I had to get that as well. I also bought a small amount of a white chai to try. The grand total almost made me faint at $62, but I found a coupon code for $10 off. Very pricey, but this tea was so good that I could drink it as a dessert, and be perfectly happy. In fact, that is going to be my food goal for next week--to have tea at night instead of a snack/dessert.

I already completed my three goals for this week:
Food--Not go totally food-crazy in Minnesota. I did good with this one, probably because I was with Renee, who is a very healthy eater. I didn't gain a single pound over the weekend!
Fitness--TRY for a sub-2:00 half-marathon. I feel I put in about 85% effort on this one. I let myself get defeated too early, and I wished I had pushed a little harder at the beginning to stay with the pacer. But I didn't totally throw all goals out the window, I just refigured them as needed, and I think I did well.
Misc--Clean out my closet. Did this today with Jerry.

Speaking of my fitness goal, I figured out why my Garmin time and my official results were so different--I was looking at the gun time, not the chip time. So the results I posted were a little off. I fixed them now, not that it makes a huge difference. My time was 2:08:43 (not the 2:09:13 that I had posted before). Thirty seconds isn't much, but every second counts ;)

I got a fun package in the mail from a Twitter buddy, Kendall Marie. She had posted a picture a few weeks ago of pumpkin seed butter, and I thought it looked fantastic--I'd never seen pumpkin seed butter before. She offered to send me some (from Canada!)--so she sent me the pumpkin butter and included a surprise jar of almond hazelnut butter as well. Yum!

I tasted them right out of the jar. I loved the almond hazelnut butter! Surprisingly, I wasn't too crazy about the pumpkin seed butter. After tasting it, I added a big pinch of salt to the jar and stirred it up, and it was much better with salt in it (the only ingredient was the seeds). These will both make perfect toppings for my Ezekiel toast.

It's so crazy to me that summer has come to an end (at least in MY sense of the word). Jeans and hoodies are right around the corner!

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Breakfast of champions

After a very eventful weekend, I was disappointed for it to end today.

Yesterday, after the race, Brian took Renee and I to the beach for kayaking. I'd never used a kayak before, and it's something I never would have attempted when I was obese, so I was excited to try it. Brian showed me how to get in and out without tipping it over, and thankfully, I think I mastered that. Renee and I made a big loop in the lake.

It was a very good core workout, if nothing else! I could really feel it in my shoulders, also, which Brian said meant I was doing it wrong ;) But I didn't crash or tip over, so that's all that mattered. We sat on the beach for a little bit before going back to Brian's house. We talked about maybe going to a comedy club or a bar, but Renee and I were both pretty whipped from the half-marathon and the kayaking, so we decided to stay in and drink wine while watching a couple of movies.

Brian listed us on an 8:50 flight this morning to Detroit. He dropped us off at the airport, and after we went through security, we went into a bar/restaurant so I could have a glass of wine before boarding. Yes, it was only 8:00 in the morning, but I wanted to choose wine over Xanax this time, so I wouldn't be super tired when I got home. I picked up a muffin at a little bakery in the airport before going into the restaurant. So here is my breakfast of champions:

My jaw dropped when I saw how much the wine was. I told the server "Whatever is cheapest"--and that "cheap" Chardonnay cost me over $13!! I prayed we would make it onto the flight, because there was no way I was going to buy another glass at that price.

When we got to the gate, we saw it was going to be another close call as to whether we got on the flight. Brian was pretty confident we'd get on, because there were 20 open seats, but when we looked at the list we were the last two people on the stand-by list. After most people had boarded, the gate agent told us that there was only one seat available, and asked if one of us wanted to go. We said no, that we'd just try to get on the next flight.

At that point, there was a man and woman who were added to the stand-by list, and they had lower priority than we did. The man said he would take the seat. I was bummed about missing the flight, so I called Brian and he said he'd call me right back to tell me what gate to go to for another flight. Right when I hung up with him, there was a pilot talking to the gate agent--he was flying as a passenger to Detroit, and he said he would be willing to give up his seat and sit in the jump seat (a small seat in the cockpit)--that meant there were TWO open seats! Since we were higher priority than the other couple, the gate agent gave us the seats. I probably thanked that pilot a dozen times--it was really nice of him to do. (Brian later told me that he did the same thing for someone last week, so it was his good karma that got us the seat ;) ).

And, lucky me, I was in seat 4A--the window seat in the row immediately behind first class. I was relieved to be by a window (it eases some of my flying anxiety).

It was very cloudy once we got into Michigan. I tried to read, but it's impossible for me to focus on ANYTHING when I'm in an airplane, so I just sat and looked out the window. I had another glass of wine during the flight (and my beloved Biscoff cookies). Once we landed, and I stepped out of the plane into the chute, I could feel the humidity in the air. Minnesota was the same as Michigan temperature-wise, but it wasn't humid at all. I felt sticky and gross when we got outside.

Renee's husband Dave (and their three boys) picked us up from the airport. When I got home, the exhaustion of the weekend set in. I watched a Lifetime movie, and almost fell asleep. I haven't done much at all today since coming home. I was thinking about revising my marathon training schedule. My kids start school this week, so I think I'd like to add a fourth run in each week. Hal Higdon's schedule isn't that far off from where I am in training right now, so maybe I'll just follow the last seven weeks of that. I'll try and figure it out tomorrow (I'm taking tomorrow as a rest day as well, because I'm pretty sore today--both legs and shoulders).

Anyway, this weekend was a lot of fun, and I definitely needed the "adult time" away from my kids. It was a busy weekend, but also relaxing, if that makes sense. I already think I want to go back to St. Paul next October (in 2013) for a half-marathon called the Monster Dash. My brother runs it in costume every year, and he always has a blast.

I am going to sleep like a rock tonight!

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Women Rock MN race report

I think a combination of nerves and being in an unfamiliar house made me not sleep much at all last night. I wished I hadn't announced that I was going to try for a sub-2:00 half-marathon today, because I was putting pressure on myself.

Anyway, Renee and I got up at 5:30 ish and got ready to head out. Brian drove us to the finish line of the race, so we could check our bag and then take the shuttle to the starting line (the starting line wasn't the same as the finish). Once we checked our bags, we got on a bus that took us to the start. By the time we got there, we had about 15 minutes before the start of the race, and we were at the back of the porta potty lines.

The announcer called 2 more minutes when we were finally first in line. We hurried through the porta potties, and then got to the start right with just a few seconds to spare. I hopped in right with the the 1:55 pacer--I knew I wasn't going to hold that pace, but the next pacer was a 2:00 time (9:10/mi), and I wanted to try to stay ahead of that.

As soon as the gun sounded, I ran with that first pacer for a while, feeling pretty confident. But my mouth was SO DRY. That always happens to me during races--the first mile or two, I'm so nervous that my mouth feels like cotton. After about a half-mile, I decided to just fall back a little, and then I heard what sounded like a stampede coming up behind me. It was the 2:00 pacer, and a ton of people surrounding her. It was so hard to run with tons of people around me.

I heard my Garmin beep, so I looked at the time--9:17 for the first mile. As soon as I saw that, I felt defeated. I would have a lot of catching up to do if I wanted to finish sub-2:00. So I just decided to forget it, and fall back to a comfortable pace. I was feeling really disappointed, and I wished I'd never set a time goal--I hate setting time goals, because when I don't meet it, I always feel down.

I was feeling kind of crappy, but a little before the turn-around at mile 3, I saw Renee (she had already turned around, and was coming back). We high-fived as we were running, and she looked like she was doing awesome. She looked really determined, and it made me stop feeling sorry for myself and change my plan. I thought, "Renee wouldn't give up if she didn't reach her goal--she'd still try and do her best!" So I decided to make it my mission to catch up with the 2:00 pacer (a near-impossible task).

I was really not expecting all the hills in this race. The elevation chart looked like it was pretty flat--well, it wasn't. I took full-advantage of the downhills, and tried my best to hold a good pace on the uphills. At around mile 6, I started to feel a hot spot on my foot that I prayed wouldn't turn into a blister. I had brought my Mizuno's to race in, but I really should have brought my Brooks. The Mizuno's give me a blister on my right foot for anything over 6 miles or so.

I kept seeing my overall pace getting slower and slower, and it was bumming me out. My "A" goal was sub-2:00. My "B" goal was to PR (faster than 2:02:57). When I realized THAT wasn't going to happen, I made up a "C" goal of running all sub-10:00 miles. There was a huge hill around mile 11, and my pace was an 11:xx mile (I'll have to check my splits when I get home). So then I made a "D" goal of finishing with an average pace under 10:00/mi. And I did that! Thank goodness, because the only other goal (my "E" goal) would have been to just finish, regardless. So I crossed the finish line, and after stopping my Garmin, it read: 2:08:45. My official time:

I obviously wasn't thrilled with the results, but I am happy to have finished and to have at least completed one of the goals. My only regret is putting pressure on myself to run a sub-2:00 half-marathon. I've been training to run a sub-5:00 marathon; NOT to run a sub-2:00 half-marathon! So I couldn't possibly expect that I would blow away that goal with ease.

After I finished, I found Renee and we went to the after-party to enjoy our "bubbly".

Of course, we had to get a photo with the Michigan flag...

Then we went back to the finish line to watch people finish. I LOVE to watch the last people of the HM crossing the line. The first-place marathoners were starting to cross then, too. Renee and I laid in the grass and enjoyed the nice weather!

Final thoughts on the race: It was very well organized, a super fun atmosphere, and a gorgeous course. I was expecting it to be flat, but I was totally wrong. It was fun that we got unique swag, too--instead of a t-shirt, we got jackets. And instead of medals, we got pendants. We also got a champagne flute. It was nice to have different stuff than the usual race things we get. For being a first-year race, I thought it went perfectly.

During the race, I was mad at myself for not sticking to my goal, but got over that quickly. Now, I am happy to have finished, despite it feeling much tougher than I planned. I don't know if I'll ever run a sub-2:00 HM, and I'm okay with that. I actually think it's more fun to run slowly and enjoy the view of an unfamiliar city.

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The carstache

Yeah, I knew I couldn't stay away. I ended up bringing my computer with me, because I couldn't stand the thought of not writing a blog.

I had to get up at 4:30 this morning to shower and get ready to head to the airport. The kids stayed the night with my parents, so Jerry was able to drive us. We picked up Renee at 5:30, and got to the airport at about 6:00. I didn't have much hope of getting on the first flight--last night, Brian told me it would be a very close call. I printed out our boarding passes and we went through security and to our gate.

At the gate, we had to watch the monitor to see if our names were on the "cleared" list, meaning we were able to make it on the flight. The entire plane boarded, and all of us stand-by passengers were waiting for our names. There were just three seats left, and Renee and I got two of them! So we made the first flight, at 7:25.

I was terrified to fly, per usual. I opted not to have the wine before the flight, because I didn't know if I would make this particular flight or not. I was super relieved to see that I was in the front of the plane (because of my fear of flying, I am very picky about where I sit--ideally, I would have a window seat just over the wing). My biggest fear was having to sit in the back, where it is most turbulent. But anyway, I was in row 5, which made me happy. I was in a middle seat, which I really didn't like, but beggars can't be choosers, right?

I swallowed two Xanax right away, and hoped it would kick in fast. I felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest when we we took off, and then it was a little bumpy right away. The Xanax didn't even kick in until halfway through the 1 hr 45 minute flight. Thankfully, the flight was uneventful. My favorite part? Biscoff cookies!!

My brother Brian picked us up, and we went to his house for a little while before the race expo opened. The Xanax had made me super sleepy, unfortunately, so I ended up taking a 30 minute nap. Then we headed to the expo. Brian dropped us off there.

We saw a fireman right as we walked in...

We picked up our bibs and our jackets (instead of t-shirts, we got jackets--I wish I could say they are awesome, but they're pretty cheap nylon fabric. I don't know if I'll ever wear it. But again, beggars can't be choosers. I bought a couple of Gu's to have for the race tomorrow. The expo was really small, which surprised me. It's a women's race, so I thought they'd have lots of stuff to buy! ;)

We had a quick lunch at a little cafe--I got a chicken basil pesto panini, which was pretty good. Brian picked us up, and we drove him back to his house, then took his truck to the Mall of America. It was so funny, while we were driving, the car next to us kept looking over at us, and hitting the break, looking at us, then trying to get ahead of us--just acting very strangely. Then they were sticking their arms out the window with their cell phones, taking pictures of the front of Brian's truck! Why? Well...

It was so funny! I actually hadn't even noticed the moustache when he picked us up at the airport. (And in case you're wondering you can get one at www.carstache.com).

We didn't spend a whole lot of time at the mall. We walked around the first two floors. I went into Teavana, and we sampled some tea. HOLY COW, it was soooo good. I don't even remember what it was, but I bought a cup of it (it was $5, which I would never normally pay for a cup of tea, but it was that good). Renee tried a chai one, and she loved it as well. I'm going to have to look into buying some tea from their website.

We just spent some time browsing some of the funner stores. Renee got a chair massage at Brookstone:

On the way out, we got a frozen yogurt. I should have taken pictures: Renee got a small vanilla topped with fruit; I got a regular sized vanilla with cookie dough, Oreos, and Reese's Pieces. My only justification is that it was fro-yo instead of ice cream ;)

Brian made dinner for us, and it was delicious! It was penne with a chicken pesto cream sauce, and sauteed kale. The perfect pre-race dinner.

All-in-all, it was a great day. I can't WAIT for the race to be over tomorrow, so we can really relax and enjoy the time away from home!

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Weekend plans

I chose not to run today. I made the decision yesterday, because I noticed that every time I sat down and then stood back up, I felt a twinge in my knee. Normally, I wouldn't think anything of it, but I'm terrified of injuring my knee again, so I'm extra-cautious. I'm going to listen to every little message from my body, no matter how small it is. Since I'm running the half-marathon on Saturday, an extra day of rest this week won't hurt at all, and may actually be helpful for the race. I'm praying that the twinge I was feeling yesterday turns out to be nothing at all.

I had to take Noah to the dentist for his third (and final) appointment to fill his cavities. You should have heard the drama in my house yesterday when the dentist called to confirm! They asked if I wanted him to have silver or tooth-colored fillings (the tooth-colored cost more)--I insisted on tooth-colored ones. Noah completely flipped out. He was SO angry with me because he wanted to have silver fillings! If it was a baby tooth, I probably would have just let it go, but it's not. So he'll just have to thank me later, when he understands ;)

On the way home from the dentist, I caved in to the doughnut craving I've had all week, and stopped for a peanut butter cream filled doughnut. I don't really feel guilty though--I don't eat them often, it was my lunch (better than having lunch AND a doughnut, right?), and I didn't use it as an excuse to binge. Now that craving is out of my system. It's just funny, because I used to HATE doughnuts until a little over a year ago. Now I'm craving them?!

I've been a nervous wreck all day (maybe that is why I caved in to the craving?) about my flight tomorrow. As everyone knows, I'm terrified of flying, so there's that... but I'm also super nervous about not getting on a flight, since we're flying stand-by. Jerry is going to drive Renee and I to the airport super early--we're leaving at 5:15 a.m. If all goes well, we'll be in St. Paul by 9:30.

I either need wine or Xanax to get me on the plane--I'm leaning toward wine, but I'm a little embarrassed to order wine in the airport at 6:30 in the morning ;) But the Xanax makes me super tired for about 5-6 hours, and I don't want to be tired when I get there. Renee and I are going to the expo to pick up our packets, and then we'll probably go to the Mall of America in the afternoon, since Renee has never been there--and I love the MoA! I'm not a shopping-person, and certainly not a mall-person, but the MoA is fun.

Saturday is the half-marathon. My plan is to stick with the 2:00-pacer for as long as possible. If I can't keep up, then I'll slow the pace way down and just run for fun. If I actually CAN keep up the whole way, and finish sub-2:00, I will be totally surprised and thrilled. Just trying not to get my hopes up, because it will be tough. Not sure what we're going to do Saturday after the race, but I think we may go to the beach. And then we're coming home on Sunday.

I haven't decided whether to bring my computer with me or not. I think I may just leave it at home, and take a blogging break for the weekend. But I'm sure I'm going to have a lot I want to write about, so I might want to bring it. Anyway, if you don't see a post from me for a few days, I will catch up when I get home. I will definitely try to update on Twitter, though.

I have a busy week when I get home. I'm coming home on Sunday, then Labor Day is on Monday. Tuesday is open house at my kids' school, and then Wednesday they actually start school. I cannot believe that it's time for school already! I have to admit, I am very ready for it, though. The kids are driving me (and each other) crazy with their constant fighting.

Well, I may or may not blog tomorrow, so have a good holiday weekend! I just realized that I have no pictures for this post, so I'll leave you with a picture of Phoebe ;)

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Weekly goals summary

First, the winner of the PlantFusion protein powder giveaway is:

Congrats Xtina S! Please send me an e-mail at SlimKatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com within 24 hours with your name and address so I can pass it along to the nice people at PlantFusion.

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Believe it or not, I actually made it through an entire week of counting calories! It's been a very long time since I've done that, but I know it was necessary to get back on track and lose these extra 10 pounds I've been hanging on to all summer. Unfortunately, I didn't lose a single pound this week, which is totally disheartening. When I saw the scale, I immediately wanted to go buy a doughnut... but then I asked myself, "Will a doughnut really make me feel better for not losing weight?" And I knew the answer was no.

My three weekly goals were:
Food--Log all of my calories on SparkPeople
Fitness--Do the Wii Active twice, along with my scheduled runs
Misc--Complete the sewing project for my sister

I did it--I completed all three goals! Having weekly goals instead of monthly or yearly really helped me to stay focused. And announcing them on the blog helped tremendously, because I would have been too embarrassed to admit if I quit on the first week ;)

My Wii Active calendar:

Workout on the 23rd and the 27th

And finally, the project I had to make for my sister...

She needed (two pairs of) chaps that were easy-on, easy-off, and one-size-fits-most. This is what I came up with--they can fit over any jeans and are adjustable with velcro, so they are easy to put on and take off. Note, these are obviously not "real" chaps--just for photo opps. I don't ask, I just do what I'm told ;)

I had a really hard time coming up with goals for this week, since I'm going to be in Minnesota for three days. But I will try my best to complete these goals:

Food--Not to go too crazy in MN. I will be eating out, I'm sure, and I WILL make healthy choices. I will NOT eat ice cream three times a day like I did in Illinois!
Fitness--To really try for my sub-2:00 half-marathon goal. It's totally okay if I don't make it, but I want to at least say I tried.
Misc.--To clean out my bedroom closet (last time, I got too wrapped up in all the stuff I found that I didn't actually clean anything).

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I'm getting a little worried about getting to Minnesota on Friday. Renee and I are using buddy passes from my brother, which means we have to fly stand-by. The flights look "okay, but not great"--meaning there are some empty seats, but not a whole lot. The plan is to try and take a flight early Friday morning, and hopefully we'll get on. But if it's full, we'll have to look at other options--either a later flight or a layover (probably in Chicago).

I've flown with buddy passes plenty of times, and never had a problem getting on a flight, but I imagine that since it's a holiday weekend, the flights are fuller than usual. Brian said one way or another, we should be able to get there, but I hate that there is no "guarantee". I knew that when I registered for the race though, so I really can't complain. Just hoping that we don't have any trouble on Friday morning!

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Critters

Someone asked me on yesterday's post how I am able to make myself get up early and run. You'll notice that I usually start my posts with, "I really didn't want to run today, but I did anyway, and it was great, I am so glad I did it..." I always have a hard time making myself run, but not running is no longer an option for me.

Somewhere along the way of my weight loss/running, I started to see running as a part of my life--just something I would do, and there was no option to NOT do it. I still wake up and dread running, but the worst part of it is actually right before I start. I try to think of excuses to put it off until tomorrow (and my excuses are never legitimate), and I remind myself it's only 60 minutes of my entire day (or however long it will be). Most importantly, I think about how I will feel if I DON'T run.

On the few occasions that I've skipped a run for a non-legitimate excuse, I felt like crap--mad at myself for making excuses, like I failed on the small commitment I made, and very anxious. Running is the best way to relieve my anxiety, and since I have a lot of anxiety, I can't afford to skip runs. When I go more than two days without running, I get very edgy and irritable.

So anyway, about exercising in the morning (versus later in the day)--I like to get it out of the way first thing, before I do anything else, because then I feel like I can relax. I like to run before breakfast, so that I can get it done and shower, then sit and relax with my breakfast and tea while I read e-mail and blog comments. If I tried to relax that way before running, I wouldn't truly be able to enjoy it, because I would be thinking about (read: dreading) the run.

Honestly, the hardest part is just starting. I put on my workout clothes as soon as I get out of bed, before I can talk myself out of it, and then just do it. I have never, ever regretted a run. Once I start running, I play little mind games with myself to keep going. And when it's over, my body feels fantastic for the rest of the day! Totally worth the pay off.

So today, I really didn't want to run, but I did anyway. I had intervals on the schedule: 20 minutes easy, then 6 repeats of (3 minutes hard, 3 minutes easy), and then 10 minutes easy (66 minutes total). I was feeling really tired today, and I wasn't sure how well I was going to do with the intervals.

I ran the first 20 minutes at 6.0 mph, and then the first interval started. I took it up to 8.0, and after a minute or so, 7.5, and then 7.0. I was feeling really rough, but I didn't want to quit early (I knew I could at least finish the run, even if I chose not to do the intervals). I started thinking about the half-marathon on Saturday, and decided to see what a 9:05 pace felt like for a while.

I've had a goal to run a sub-2:00 half-marathon for a long time, and to do that would require a 9:09/mi pace. I chose 9:05 today just for a buffer. I told myself that if I could hold a 9:05 pace for the rest of the run today (while fatigued, as I was feeling), then maybe I could go for a sub-2:00 on Saturday. I pushed the speed to 6.6 mph (leaving the incline on 1%, which I always leave it on to imitate running outside the best I can), and tried to forget about it.

I was watching The Biggest Loser (just started Season 2), but today was just really hard to take my mind off the fact that I was running. I struggled mentally, and I felt tired, but I knew I could hold pace. When 66 minutes came around, my heart rate was 157 ish, which isn't bad at all for having just run 7 miles. I think if I'm feeling good on Saturday, a sub-2:00 may be in the cards for me after all.

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I totally forgot to write down an appointment for today--our home alarm company was scheduled to come and fix a problem. At 2:30, I got a call saying they would be here in 40 minutes. Naturally, my house was nowhere near clean, so I rushed around like crazy trying to get it done. The litter box is in the same room as our alarm box, so I made sure to clean the litter box out. When I was done, I brought the bag outside and lifted the lid of the trash can, dropped the bag of cat poop inside, and saw two glowing eyes looking at me.

I screamed (yes, screamed), dropped the lid, ran into the house, and shut the door. I knew it was a raccoon, but I am terrified of them. The trash can is super deep, and there was only one bag of trash in there, so I knew it had crawled in and gotten stuck (just like last time). I wanted to get a picture this time, so I grabbed the camera, and lifted the lid just the tiniest bit--expecting it to jump out and grab onto my face, like they do in the movies--but it just sat there and looked at me, like, "Help me!"

Or maybe he was saying sarcastically, "Cat shit? Really?"  I dropped the lid back down and worked up the courage to tip the garbage over, so he could run back into the woods. I tipped it until it fell to the ground, and then watched as he ran out, looked around like he was totally confused, then took off for the woods.

Now, I titled this post "Critters" (plural) because he wasn't the only one we came across today. My dad called me and said that his friend trapped a huge snapping turtle and gave it to him. My dad said he was going to make turtle soup, and he was wondering if the kids wanted to come over and see the turtle.

I kind of freaked out, because the turtle was still alive--I was sad for the turtle, but my dad is a hunter and fisherman, and this was totally normal for him. I told him the kids could come see it, but I didn't want them to watch him kill it. He said, "Why not? The kids are going to have to learn to do it someday, when they're grown and want to make turtle soup."

source

I said, "Dad? I'm 30 years old, and I can assure you, I've never had to kill a turtle before... or had the desire to make turtle soup." So he said fine, he would kill it tomorrow. I took the kids over there, but I didn't even go look at the turtle, because I felt so bad for it. My dad tried to make me feel better by telling me that it was eating all the baby ducks around where it lived.

A couple of hours later, Eli called and begged me to let him watch Pay (that's what he calls my dad) "clean the turtle", because it's "just like cleaning fish, and I'm going to have to learn how to do it someday". Basically the same words my dad used! I thought about it, and asked Eli, "Is Pay going to kill the turtle before he cleans it?" and Eli was trying to think of what the "right" answer would be--whatever answer would make me say yes. He said, "No, he's not going to kill it, he's just going to cut the shell off and make the meat into turtle soup!"

I couldn't help but laugh at that. I asked to talk to my dad, and he said of course he was going to kill it first--that it would snap his fingers off if it was alive. So I agreed, as long as he killed it quickly and humanely. My dad reminded me of a time when I was little, and he was cleaning a deer carcass in the garage--I sat there and watched, all while eating a piece of pizza.

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PlantFusion Review & Giveaway

I thought for sure I would be sore when I woke up this morning, but my legs felt great! So I decided to do my second Wii Active workout of the week. I chose one that was focused on the legs, all strengthening exercise. Basically all of the exercises I love to hate: squats, lunges, jumping squats, jumping lunges, inline skating, kick-ups, etc. But I figured those would be most beneficial to keeping my legs injury-free for the rest of marathon training.

Speaking of marathon training, I am now less than eight weeks away from the race. This time around, training is much better--I don't have to deal with the knee pain, and it's made such a big difference in my spirit. And I'm super excited about running in the fall. Michigan is gorgeous in the fall, and I'm sure the weather will be great for the race in mid-October.

It was pouring rain today, so I took the kids to the pool at the rec center. I didn't really feel like swimming, but I did tread water for a while when the kids were jumping off the diving board. Treading water gets tiring after a while! It reminded me of an episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive", where this guy is stranded in the ocean without a boat or raft or anything, and he survives for a crazy amount of time--like 36 hours or something. That's a very long time to stay afloat!

On to the review and giveaway...

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Recently, a company called PlantFusion contacted me to see if I'd like to sample their protein powder. Since it wasn't whey based (I break out badly when I drink whey shakes), I was excited to try it out. It was hard to find a good-tasting alternative to the whey powder, but I eventually found one I really liked (it's an egg protein powder).

Anyway, PlantFusion sent me four single-serve packets, one in each of their flavors: vanilla bean, chocolate, chocolate raspberry, and unflavored. The powders are unique in that they contain:

• No dairy
• No soy
• No eggs
• No wheat
• No peanuts
• No tree nuts
• No fish
• No shellfish
• No animal
• and are Hypo-gluten free

First, I tried the vanilla bean. I made it the way I usually do my shakes--in a blender, with milk, some pudding mix, ice, xathan gum and guar gum (to make a creamy texture). I used Oreo pudding mix, to try and make a "cookies 'n cream" type shake.

1 serving vanilla protein powder, 1 cup milk,
2 Tbsp. Oreo pudding mix, 1/4 tsp. each
xanthan and guar gum, 10 ice cubes.

I have to say, I was impressed with the flavor! The protein powder is vegan, and I didn't have any luck with the other vegan protein powders I tried before, but this one was good. The next day, I tried the chocolate in one of my favorite go-to shake recipes: the Chocolate Cherry Almond shake. I wasn't quite as impressed with the chocolate. The flavor was really good (it reminded me of chocolate cake batter), but it left a strange texture in my mouth.

I had no idea what to do with the chocolate raspberry flavor, so I decided that to be fair, I should mix it according to the directions on the package--add it to 10-12 oz. of water and shake. I've never had a protein shake made that way before, because the thought of it just grossed me out. But I know a lot of people drink their shakes that way, so I gave it a try.

I wasn't crazy about the flavor. The texture was actually really nice, and the powder mixed into the water without any clumps at all, but the raspberry flavor was overpowering--it reminded me of raspberry Jello. Which some people may really like--it just wasn't my thing.

I haven't used the unflavored packet yet, because I'm not sure what to do with it. I'll have to search some recipes, but I'll probably try it in oatmeal or something.

Overall, I would have to say that the PlantFusion powders are definitely the best of all the vegan protein powders I've tried. The vanilla bean was my favorite flavor. Usually what I do with my egg protein powder is buy just vanilla, and then when I want a chocolate shake, I add 1 Tbsp. of cocoa powder to it. No need to buy both flavors.

PlantFusion has generously offered a bottle of protein powder to a Runs for Cookies reader!
To enter the drawing:
1) "Like" the PlantFusion page on Facebook (their requirement, not mine), and
2) Leave ONE comment on this post

I will accept entries until Wednesday, August 29th at 7:00 a.m. EST. Winner will be selected by random draw. Good luck!

PlantFusion website
PlantFusion on Twitter
PlantFusion on Facebook

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post; PlantFusion gave me four free samples to review, and all opinions are my own, honest opinions.

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1573 calories

18 miles on the schedule today.

Last night for dinner, I knew I wanted to eat a lot of calories (mainly carbs) and salt. I decided to make homemade whole wheat pizza crust and top it with my favorite pizza toppings--sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and feta cheese. And a No Pudge Brownie for dessert. It was heavenly!

I was trying not to think about the run, because when I get worried about it, I don't sleep well. I set the alarm for 6:00 a.m., hoping to be out the door at 6:45 and start running just after 7:00.

This morning, I had oatmeal and a banana before heading out; and I took along Gatorade and two Gu's (one chocolate, and one peanut butter). My plan was to do pretty much what I did for my 16-miler (a T-shaped run), only adding an extra mile on the first out-and-back part. So I would run 4.5 miles from my car, turn around, run to mile 13, and then turn around and run back to the car. If I did it that way, I would have a water fountain to refill my bottle at mile 12.

As soon as I stepped out the door, I nearly choked on the humid air (okay, I'm totally exaggerating, but it was VERY humid this morning compared to lately!). Just as I was pulling out of my driveway, I realized I forgot my extra water bottle--I don't always bring it, but it's nice to have a bottle to drink on my way home after my run, so I stopped and went back in for it.

The sun was just coming up when I started

After I parked, I started running, and the first couple of miles went by really fast. I was really hot though, and sweating sooner than normal. Usually, I don't even take a sip of Gatorade until about 8 miles into the run. After just 5 miles today, I noticed that I had gone through half of my Gatorade... which was a bad thing! There aren't any water stops (water fountains, public bathrooms, etc) until mile 12, inside the Metropark.

I started to worry about not having enough water, and that I would dehydrate like I did on the last 18-mile run I did. I was debating whether to try and ration what was left of my water and try to make it last, or to go a mile out of the way back to the car and refill with my other water bottle (the one I had run back in the house for!) before heading to the Metropark. I decided to play it safe and go back to the car. I ate my first Gu at mile 8, a mile before the car.

I really didn't want to have to go to the car and then head out for another out and back, but that's what I had to do. So I followed the same route back to my car, refilled my bottle with water, and then started the next 9-mile out-and-back. It was right after that when I really started to feel horrible. I was so tired, and I was only halfway done.

I kept thinking, I could just go home and finish it out on the treadmill, in the air conditioning... but regardless, I would have to run 18 miles today (outside or inside), so I just stuck it out. There were a ton of people riding bikes on the path today. It was a nice day for riding (not so much for running). I just kept focusing on making it to the water fountain at mile 13 (it would have been 12 if I hadn't had to go back to the car).

When I got there, I refilled my bottle, and also went in to the bathroom (better than peeing in the woods, like I had to last week!) I splashed water on my face and arms, to cool off a little, and then kept running. I turned around at mile 13.5, and then it was a straight shot to the car from there.

I was tempted to call Jerry to come pick me up, but I knew I was just being a baby about the humidity, and that I could finish it out. A couple of times I was completely exhausted, and I noticed that my heart rate was pretty high (high 160's, which is almost 90% of my max!). When it got up high like that, I took a short walk break to bring it down to 155. I told myself I could do one short walk break each mile of the last 4 miles--and that really helped me, mentally and physically.

I finally reached the car, and somehow screwed up the mileage when I recalculated things in the beginning, and I had to circle the parking lot once. That was kind of like torture, but I wanted my Garmin to hit the 18 mark, so I did it.

I'm really happy with my pace. For my 14-miler and my 16-miler, I kept a 10:20/mi pace. Considering I really struggled on this run, a 10:28 pace is really good!

My splits were really inconsistent, but all things considered, I don't give a shit how inconsistent they are!

I was super excited to see my calorie burn of 1,573. That's a LOT of calories burned! But I just wish that I was able to burn more, like a "normal" person. The average person would burn more like 1,800 calories on this run. And an overweight person would burn even more than that. My metabolism just sucks! But I've learned to live with it--I just like to bitch about it sometimes ;)

I'm so glad this run is over, and next week "all" I have to do is a half-marathon! I haven't decided if I'm going to run hard or not. If the atmosphere is super fun, I may just treat it like a training run. But if there isn't much going on, and I feel good, I may run hard. We'll see on the morning of, I'm sure. I'm super excited to go! Not for the race, but mainly to hang out with Renee and my brother's ex-wife, Danielle (oh, and I guess it would be cool to see my brother, too ;) ).

I'm already getting uber-nervous to fly again, though. Last time I was on a plane was coming home from The Dr. Oz Show! I'm getting better about it though. A few years ago, I wouldn't get on a plane for a million dollars, and now I'm doing it voluntarily!

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