Last long run before Chicago!

Another very rainy day. It wasn't a total downpour, though, so I decided that I was going to run outside today. Sunday is my long run day, but since I'm tapering, my long run was only eight miles today! I thought it was funny that I was relieved to see only eight miles on the schedule--in August 2010, I ran my very first eight-miler, and it had taken me three attempts to finally finish it. Eight miles seemed nearly impossible back then! And day, I was like, "Pshh... I could run eight miles in my sleep!" (Well, not really, but relative to my training over the past few months...)

I headed out at around 8:00, and the rain was steady, but not bad at all. As soon as I started running, I couldn't remember if I was supposed to run at long run pace (9:38/mi) or easy pace (10:00-10:40/mi). Since I'm tapering, I guessed it was probably easy pace, but I decided to try to run somewhere in the middle, between 9:38-10:00.

About three miles in, my left foot was soaked. Since I run against traffic, my left foot gets more of the slant of the road, which meant more rain water. It made me start to think about what I would do if I was running a marathon and my feet were that soaked so early on. I honestly don't think I could finish like that. I ran a 20-miler in the rain once, but I changed socks mid-run, and that helped a lot.

I turned around at mile four and headed home. I couldn't believe how many dead frogs and snakes I saw! I have no idea how they die (they weren't in the road, but on the shoulder). They didn't look like they were run over by cars or anything. The snakes are the little baby ones, about the length of my forearm. And the frogs were anywhere from the size of the tip of my thumb to the size of my hand. Anyway, I just thought it was weird.

Made it home, soaking wet, and immediately took my socks and shoes off.

I always treat myself on my long run days, and even though I "only" ran eight today, I still felt I deserved to splurge a little! I went to Monica's, a local bakery, and my eye was immediately drawn to peanut butter brownies. The problem is, they were HUGE. I've gotten a brownie there before, and it ended up being 23 PointsPlus. Since these had peanut butter, I would estimate them to be more like 25 PP. Since I only earned 12 on my run, I could hardly justify spending so many on the brownie ;)

I ended up getting a chocolate chunk cookie for 14 PointsPlus.

It was fantastic! Much better than the one I got a Panera last Sunday. The one from Panera was decent, but I wouldn't get one there again.

I was in a ridiculously good mood today, for some reason. All morning, I was checking the live tracker of a friend who was running his first marathon (to be posted about on Motivational Monday tomorrow). In the afternoon, since it was still raining, I cranked up some music and deep cleaned the house. Jerry was off today, after working five days in a row (after being in San Diego for five days). I feel like I haven't seen him in forever! So it was nice to be able to spend some time with him.

Tomorrow, I'm supposed to see my friend Sarah, who came in from Arizona yesterday. I'm a little nervous, because she had a fever the day before she left, and she figured it was the flu. Since I'm running the Chicago Marathon a week from today, the flu is the last thing I need to deal with! But she's my best friend, and I only see her a few times a year... I'm just hoping she's feeling better!

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Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday, so if you have a picture you want to share of a health/fitness accomplishment from this week, you can e-mail it to me (along with a short description) at SlimKatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com with the subject "Motivational Monday". I may include it on tomorrow's MM post!

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A 16-mile half-marathon

Today I had another six-mile run at easy pace. When I woke up, it was thunderstorming, and the rain was a downpour. I briefly thought about waiting it out, but it was supposed to rain on and off all day, so I just decided to run on the treadmill.

A few days ago, Jerry signed up for a free trial of Hulu Plus. We're thinking of canceling cable and just using the streaming from Hulu and Netflix, which would save about $100 per month! Since I was going to be running on the treadmill, I checked out Hulu for a show to watch--and I was ecstatic to find all of the seasons of The Shield. That show was one of my all-time favorites, and since it's been so long since I watched it, I don't remember much; so it will be perfect for treadmill running for at least a few months.

I wanted to try out (once again) exactly what I planned to wear for the marathon, including carrying my Gu and Shot Bloks, and even my phone. I wore the Under Armour capris I bought yesterday, and a pink tank. I put two Gu packets in the pocket of the capris, and I put another Gu and three Shot Bloks in the mesh pockets of the belt, and in the center zippered pocket, I put my phone (which was in a Ziploc baggie, so it wouldn't get ruined from sweat). Everything felt very comfortable! I hoped it would work out while I was running.

My easy run pace is 10:00-10:40, so I set the treadmill at 6.0 mph (10:00/mi) and just left it there the entire time. I was tempted to bump up the speed, just to get the run done sooner, but I really want to try to take it easy while tapering, so I'm going to try and stick to the recommended pace. Even though I didn't touch the speed the entire time, my Garmin showed negative splits... not sure how that happened!

The belt didn't bounce, ride up, or move at all the entire run. I honestly forgot I was wearing it! So I'll wear it during the race. I know I don't need my phone with me, but I'll feel better having it.

My sister, Jeanie, had a rainy day for her run, too. She ran her second half-marathon today. After her last one, which she finished in 2:28, I wrote up a training plan for her new goal time of 2:15. She's been doing really well with it, so I hoped she'd have a good race and hit her goal today.

When she signed up for the race, she didn't realize it was mostly a trail race, going through the woods (and there were some monster hills that she wasn't expecting). The course wasn't well marked at all. Shawn (her husband) was in third place overall when he got lost in the woods... along with the first and second place runners! The group of them eventually found their way back to the course but they'd added nearly three miles to the course, so they ran almost 16 miles total.

Shawn didn't quit (I probably would have been pissed, and quit on the spot!) and when he found the race course again, he happened to see Jeanie. So, he ran with her for the rest of the race, and the two of them were able to finish together. The good news is that Jeanie hit her goal time!! She finished in 2:14-something, just under her goal of 2:15. With the difficulty of the course she did today, I wouldn't be surprised to see her run 2:10 at her next road race.

Speaking of my Jeanie, I leave on Thursday to go to her house. I'm so excited! I'm driving out there with the kids on Thursday; then Andrea's plane gets into Chicago early Friday, and she's going to go to Jeanie's house from there. We'll spend the night at Jeanie's on Friday, and then Saturday, Andrea and I will head into Chicago, while my kids stay with Jeanie and Shawn. Andrea and I will go to the expo and have dinner Saturday, and the marathon is Sunday morning (a week from tomorrow--eek!). There will be lots of celebratory drinks on Sunday after the race. Then Andrea is leaving Monday morning, and I'll go back to Jeanie's, then head home on Tuesday with the kids. My kids always love hanging out with Aunt Jeanie, so they are super excited, too. It's hard to believe the marathon is a week from tomorrow!

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Gu'd evening!

I had to turn our air conditioning back on yesterday... bummer! It's been in the 80's for the past few days, which is not nice fall weather for Michigan. I'm hoping it's a little cooler in Chicago (at least by next Sunday)!

This morning I had a six mile run at an easy pace on the schedule. I ran an out-and-back, and didn't even glance at my watch once while I was running. I just wanted to go slowly and try to enjoy the run. It was already 72 degrees, though, so it wasn't very enjoyable! But it did start to rain (just a light drizzle), which was nice.

I've been trying to figure out exactly how to carry my Gu and Shot Bloks during the marathon. For the last two marathons, I wore my hydration belt, but I really don't like wearing that (it hurts my back after a while). The Chicago Marathon has water stations just about every mile for the last 10 miles of the race, so I don't feel the need to carry any fluid. The SPI Belt is not even an option for me--that thing bounces like crazy. I bought that other belt from TJ Maxx recently, which works great if I'm just carrying my phone and a Gu or two (more than that, and it bounces a little).

So this morning, before my run, I put on a pair of running capris that have a tiny zippered pocket in back. I stuffed two Gu's and three Shot Bloks in there. Then I put on the new belt, with my phone and a Gu in the pocket. It ended up working really well! None of it bounced, and I thought I'd found a good solution.

But the capris were HOT. They weren't my beloved Under Armour Heat Gear capris; I recently bought a few other brands to try, in order to save some money on running clothes. I realized that the UA gear is well worth the extra money! I love the fabric of the Heat Gear clothes, and they really wick sweat better than any other brand. So, I was back to square one.

Anyway, I finished my run with a 10:00/mi average pace. It felt good to take it easy compared to yesterday.

This evening, after dinner, I took the boys out for ice cream at Cold Stone, but first we stopped at Dunham's to see if I could find some capris that worked for me. The UA Heat Gear capris that I had at home didn't have any pockets; I was hoping to find a pair with a pocket or two. And I was in luck!

They had these pink ones, and the same ones in a neon yellow color. I liked the yellow more, but I didn't have a shirt at home that would go with them, so I just got the pink. There is a tiny zippered pocket in the back. Just for shits and giggles, I decided to see if I could stuff FOUR Gu's in the pocket...

...and it worked! It wasn't even that hard to fit them all in. The pocket is very stretchy.

It looks a little goofy when I'm wearing them, because it sticks out in the back (from the Gu being stuffed in there), but I don't care. I jumped up and down over and over, and there was no bouncing. So, if I don't mind not carrying my phone, I won't have to wear any sort of belt during the race. If I really want to carry my phone, I can just wear the belt I got from TJ Maxx recently along with these capris. I'm going to try it all out this weekend on my runs, and see how it goes.

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To add on to yesterday's story about the lotto ticket...

Today, Eli was reading his book after school, and he set aside the scratch off ticket that he was using as a bookmark. Jerry was sitting next to him, and picked up the ticket, mindlessly looking at it. Then he said to me, "Man, I SUCK at scratching off lotto tickets!" When I asked him why, he said that the one he was holding was a $5 winner. BAHAHA, that's $105 that would have been thrown in the trash if it weren't for Noah's discovery yesterday. Don't ever buy Jerry lotto tickets for a gift! ;)

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Where's fall?! A humid run.

I had a very rough night last night, which resulted in pretty much zero sleep. When I put the kids to bed at 9:00, Eli told me that he had "growing pains" in his calf. I didn't think much of it at all, and I told him that resting it overnight would make it better.

At 1:45 in the morning, Eli came into my room, limping pretty badly and complaining that his calf hurt SO bad. It was just one calf, not both, so I didn't think it was from normal play/running around. I told him he could sleep in my bed. Once he laid down, I remembered reading that calf pain in one leg, particularly pain that starts as a dull ache and continues to get worse, could be a blood clot--very serious.

Once I got that thought in my head, I just couldn't stop thinking of it. I called my parents to see if one of them could come stay with Noah (Jerry was at work) so that I could take Eli to the ER to get his leg checked out. Overreacting? Probably. But I was worried! So my parents came over (my mom was going to come with Eli and me, and my dad was going to stay with Noah). I had gotten Eli (and myself) dressed and ready to go. Once my parents came in, we talked about it, and asked Eli a bunch of questions about his leg pain, and he seemed to be walking better. He didn't have any other signs of a blood clot (redness, swelling, warmness, etc.). So I ultimately decided not to take him in.

I felt bad that I called my poor parents over for nothing, but they didn't seem to mind. I let Eli sleep in my bed, and he fell right to sleep. But he was breathing really heavily, and I couldn't get back to sleep for anything! I was tossing and turning until around 4:30, when I finally fell asleep, only to get up at 6:00. Needless to say, I was SO tempted to skip my run this morning!

I asked Eli if he wanted to stay home from school, but his leg was feeling better (apparently it WAS just growing pains!), and he wanted to go. So they went to school, and I headed out for my last double-digit training run for the Chicago Marathon--10 miles at 8:58/mi. I brought my handheld water bottle with me, along with three Shot Bloks to have at miles 4, 6, and 8.

I really wanted to stick as closely to 8:58 per mile as I could without going over. My first mile was too fast, per usual, but after that, I tried to come as close as possible. It was a tough run today! After two miles, I was SO hot, and pouring sweat. It was a really tough run today! I kept focusing on the shorter goals--at mile four, eat a Shot Blok; mile five, I could turn around (out-and-back route); mile six, another Shot Blok; etc.

During the eighth mile, my legs started to feel REALLY tired. It was hard to keep pace, and my legs got heavy. I ate a Shot Blok at mile eight, hoping it would give me a little boost, but the farther I ran, the more tired I became. I think it was a combination of the lack of sleep and the humidity (94% this morning, ugh). But, I stuck it out and finished, meeting my goal pace for all ten miles!

When I looked at my stats on the computer, it was no wonder the run felt so tough--my average heart rate was 163. That's pretty high for me! Usually it's 145-150. I definitely think the humidity had something to do with it.

I'm so glad that I'm running the marathon without a goal in mind. During today's run, I was thinking about how miserable it would feel to try to run this pace the entire marathon! I think physically, it's a possibility that I could do it (considering I've been training as if I'm going to); but it would take everything I have (mentally) to get through it.


I got to try the Pink Ribbon bagel from Panera! This time, I called at 7:30 in the morning and asked them to hold a couple of bagels for me (Jerry wanted one, too). They were in the shape of ribbons, which was a cute idea (although pretty hard to slice).

I toasted it and put fat free cream cheese on it, and it was really good! Not my favorite bagel, but I would definitely get it again. Jerry really liked it, too. It's 10 PointsPlus, which is pretty steep, but it kept me full for a long time.

The next nine days are going to be nice--I don't have any "substance" runs--just easy paced runs and less miles than I'm used to. I know a lot of runners hate tapering, but I could definitely use a break. It's been a tough training schedule! I'm not complaining, though--I feel more prepared for this marathon than I was for the previous two, and I feel like I'm in better shape than ever.

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Funny story: Jerry's sister gave him some scratch-off lotto tickets for his birthday a couple of weeks ago. Jerry scratched them off, saw he didn't win, and set them aside. Noah was looking for a bookmark, so I gave him one of the lotto tickets and he thought it was really cool to use for a bookmark. Naturally, Eli wanted one, too. So the boys have been using them in their books, bringing them to school and back every day.

Today, Noah came home from school, and it was time for him to read. He took out his book, and was looking at the lotto ticket for a minute. He said, "Daddy, did you know you won $100?" Jerry said, "No, Bud, I didn't win." And Noah said, "Yeah, you did. My friend was looking at this ticket at school and noticed that the numbers matched. You won $100." So Jerry grabbed the ticket to show Noah that he'd lost, but then he noticed that he did, in fact, win $100! I told Noah that he should charge a "finder's fee" of at least $25 ;)  Jerry's going to split the money with the boys. I just thought it was so funny that our nine-year old knows a winning ticket better than Jerry!

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A great weigh-in!

I was very happy when I got on the scale this morning for my Wednesday Weigh-in, and saw that staying on track all week had definitely paid off....

Down 4.5 from last week--I'll take that! My next weigh-in will be the day before I leave for Illinois. I would have loved to be back down to goal for the marathon, but considering I had such a big loss this week, I'll be happy even if I just maintain next week.

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When I scheduled a dentist appointment for this morning, I purposely chose a Wednesday because it's my rest day and I knew I wouldn't have to run. I was really excited when I woke up this morning, because I had plans of just staying in my pajamas all morning, sipping tea, maybe reading some of my book. Then I remembered I had a dentist appointment at 9:00--so much for a relaxing morning off! ;)

When I got my teeth cleaned a few weeks ago, they told me that one of my bottom molars is getting a crack in it from the way my teeth bite together. The alignment of my teeth shifted a little when my jaw was reconstructed, and even though everything felt fine to me, there was an issue with the way my molars came together. When my hygienist said that there was a "crack", it scared me to death. That sounds extremely painful and I was just picturing my tooth falling apart. But the dentist told me it was just a filling, and I would be fine.

I asked if he could do it without numbing me, because I hate that feeling of being numb for hours afterward. I've have several fillings without being numbed, but he said it was a little deeper than a typical filling; I still wanted to try it. He said if it was too painful, I could just wave my hand and he'd stop. The anticipation was SO nerve racking! My hand was shaking, and I was ready to wave it, but it wasn't bad at all. After having a broken jaw and a couple of jaw surgeries, I don't know why I was so nervous about a filling! I just hope I never have to have a root canal or a crown or something--that is terrifying to me.

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Are any of my readers running the Detroit Free Press half or full marathon on the 20th? I would have loved to do the half this year, but since it's a week out from the Chicago Marathon, I decided to be a spectator in Detroit. I'm going to make signs and bring cowbells, and all that good stuff. I've never gone to a race just to be a cheerleader, but I think it will be so fun! Let me know if you'll be there, and maybe I'll see you :)  I even started working on my signs today...

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I ran the Detroit Free Presss Marathon with Rik! It seems like just yesterday. I remember thinking what a fun atmosphere it was, and how great it would be to go just be a spectator instead of a runner. Maybe next year I'll be a volunteer--that's something else I'd like to do at a race.

Tomorrow is my very last double-digit training run for the marathon :)

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Bagels!

Happy October! October is my very favorite month--especially living in Michigan. The leaves change colors to gorgeous shades of red, orange, and yellow, and the air has a great crispness to it that's hard to describe. I love everything about fall: jeans and hoodies, apple orchards, pumpkin patches, pumpkin- and apple-flavored everything, going for walks and hearing the crunch of leaves, drinking hot tea outside, making all different kinds of soups and chilis... Nothing puts me in a good mood like this time of year!

Anyway, Jerry is home now. I didn't mention that he was gone (for safety reasons--not a good idea to announce that my husband will be gone for several days), but he went to visit John in San Diego. The whole thing came about in August when John and I were planning the Ragnar SoCal for April. Jerry was really bummed that he won't be able to go, due to work, and I would feel bad going without him. So John and I planned a surprise trip for Jerry for his birthday! He went to San Diego on Thursday, stayed at John's house for four nights, and came home yesterday.

Joe (a friend of John's), John, and Jerry

They did a Boot Camp Challenge race on Saturday morning. He had a BLAST the entire time he was there. I'm so glad that he got to go, because he's never taken a trip by himself like this. I go on little trips here and there (for races, usually), but he doesn't really get away. He said he felt guilty going without me, but I am really happy that he got to get away for a few days, and that he had so much fun. I missed him like crazy while he was gone, though, and I was excited to pick him up from the airport yesterday!

So, back to the norm today. This morning, I had my very last interval run on the schedule for marathon training! On the schedule was 6 x 1 mile at 8:48 pace with 400m jogs. Basically, that means I was supposed to run 1 mile at 8:48 pace, and then jog 1/4 mile to recover... and repeat for a total of 6 times.

As soon as the kids left for school, I headed out. It was really foggy this morning. I did an out-and-back route, turning around at the 3.75 mile mark. I was really determined to hit all of my goal splits. I felt really good, except for the fourth interval, when I got a sharp stitch in my side. I just ran through it, and when I started the fifth interval, it went away.

I'm amazed at how fast the run goes by when I do intervals! While I'm running, I'm only focused on reaching the end of that interval, rather than the end of the run. Before I knew it, I'd reached 7.5 miles and I was back home. I surpassed my goal on all of them!

I only have one more hard workout, and then it's all easy runs until the marathon. Tomorrow is a rest day, and then Thursday is my most dreaded run of the week--10 miles at 8:58/mi pace. After Thursday, though, I should really start to feel like I'm tapering, because my runs will be shorter and at easy pace.

I don't know what started it, but I have been kind of obsessed with bagels lately. Today, while I was running, I kept telling myself that if I hit all of my splits, then I would get a Pink Ribbon bagel from Panera (only available in October). I've never tried them, but have heard they are amazing. So I was very happy to hit my goal paces! On the way to Panera, however, I called to make sure they had them. They told me they sold out by 9:00 this morning :(

I still really wanted a bagel, though, so I got a jalapeno cheddar one from Kroger. It was good, but I don't think I'd get it again. I'm going to try and go to Panera first thing on Thursday to get a Pink Ribbon bagel, and then I'll eat that after my 10-miler.

Tomorrow is my weigh-in, and I'm actually looking forward to it. I've stayed 100% on plan all week!

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Motivational Monday #34

Happy Motivational Monday! I've had a GREAT back-on-track week, and I'm feeling very motivated to keep the streak going so that I feel my best during the Chicago Marathon. It looks like this was a great week for lots of you as well...

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Amanda ran her first half-marathon! At the beginning of this year, she was 227 pounds, tired, and sluggish; she decided to make some changes, and joined Weight Watchers. She also started running. She's now 45 pounds lighter, and finished her first half-marathon in 2:35! She's very excited to do another :)

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After losing 90 pounds, and keeping it off for the past 2 years, Carla went on a 30-mile bike trip around Grand Traverse Bay! Best of all, she was able to keep up with her brother and sister-in-law, who are avid bikers. She said it felt great to join them on their family vacation, rather than sit back and watch!

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Dawny recently reached a year of maintenance after losing more than half of her body weight! In 2004, she topped out at over 415 pounds; last year she reached her goal weight of 155, and she's maintained her weight ever since. She had several ups and downs throughout her journey, but she never gave up. On her one year anniversary of being at goal, Dawny completed a half-marathon... a challenge she never dreamed would be possible!

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Katie ran her first half-marathon in 2:26:38! She went into it very unprepared, and while she doesn't advocate not training, she didn't want to skip the race. She took a few walking breaks throughout the race, and was very excited when she caught up to the 2:30 pacer. She says being a Jazzercise instructor probably helped make up for the lack of training ;)

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Katie ran 5 miles at a sub-10:00 pace... while 34 weeks pregnant!! She says it's been challenging, but she keeps going out for more.

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Stephanie just completed her third 5K with a shiny new PR! She took 3 minutes off of her previous best time, finishing in 52:32. She said it rained the entire time, and she was soaked to the bone!

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Ashley completed her first race ever--a half-marathon! She claims to be "as slow as molasses in January", but she is very proud to have finished. She plans to train for a marathon next! (Ashley's race recap on her blog)

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Carol ran a 5K race with her 19-year old son! She was very happy to have run the entire thing, something she says she hasn't been able to do in over 20 years. She's thrilled with her finish time of 33:15, and average pace of 10:43/mi (her goal was to run sub-11:00 miles). She said the best part of the whole experience was getting to share something she loves doing with her son. 

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This month, Carolyn participated in Alex's Lemonade Stand's Million Mile Run. Alex's Lemonade Stand is a non-profit that was started by a girl named Alex who was fighting cancer, and opened a lemonade stand to raise money. Before she died at age 8, she raised over $1 million in the name of pediatric cancer. The Million Mile Run challenge was to get 10,000 people to run 100 miles each throughout September, in the hopes of raising $1 million in honor of Alex. Carolyn lost her 11-year old nephew last year to a brain tumor, so she was eager to sign up. She'd never run 100 miles in a month before, so it was a challenge for her, but she did it!! She raised $920, and completed her challenge with a half-marathon yesterday, finishing with a PR of 2:23:52. And as a bonus, they were serving her favorite pizza at the finish line! (Carolyn's blog about the experience)

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Hilary (bib 2806 in the photo) had been planning to send in a Motivational Monday share once she completed the Couch to 5K program in a few weeks, but she had a big accomplishment that was definitely worth sharing now. At the beginning of the summer, she signed up to WALK a 5K race. As she started eating better and exercising, she decided to start the Couch to 5K plan in late August. She was only midway through the program when she attended the race, and she hoped to make it through two miles of running before walking the rest . She said when mile two came around, she felt good enough to keep going--and she ended up finishing the entire race without a single walk break! Throughout the training, she's also lost 28 pounds, and now she's already planning a couple of more 5K's this fall. (Hilary's race report on her blog).

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Yesterday, Jess ran her first race, a 5K MADD Dash (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), after raising $170 for the cause! She sadly lost her cousin in an alcohol-related car accident, and she was happy to raise money to help raise awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving. She wasn't even able to run for a full minute when she started, but at yesterday's race, she ran the entire distance, including her fastest mile to date! She's also lost 14 pounds during her training.
  

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Over the past year, Sarah has lost 138 pounds! To celebrate the anniversary (as well as her 42nd birthday!) she went for a walk on her local bike/walking path. Her ultimate goal is to start running!

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Ivayla ran her farthest distance yet--12 miles! In January, she couldn't even run one mile, and now she's running 12. She says that her new hydration pack and Gu helped get her though the run, and she felt great!

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Elizabeth has done several races throughout her weight loss (she's lost over 150 pounds!), but she'd never done an obstacle race; so when she saw that a Warrior Dash was going to be near her home, she decided to go for it! She was very nervous she wouldn't be able to complete all the obstacles (a rope wall was particularly intimidating for her), but decided to do her best and attempt them all. Well, she completed each and every obstacle during the race, including the dreaded rope wall! She says that at 325-lbs, she never would have been able to do this; she's very proud for facing the challenge! (Elizabeth's race report on her blog).

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Katelyn has been running to maintain her 50-pound weight loss, and she just PR'ed her second half-marathon! In April, she ran 2:19:17, and she set a goal to run 2:10 this time. Well, she crushed her goal, finishing in 2:03:41! Her parents, siblings, friends, and running buddies were there to cheer her on and push her to work really hard for this goal. Next up? Sub-2:00!

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Michelle completed her first 20-mile training run! She's running her first marathon in November, and she had a 20-miler scheduled last weekend, but she wasn't able to accomplish it then. She was extra proud this weekend when she did it! (Michelle's blog)

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Naleen and her husband, Karl, have lost a collective 120 pounds; and they just completed a six-mile bike and run relay race, with obstacles every mile! Naleen was very nervous about this race, because she admits she's not very good on the bike, and she's terrified of heights (an issue with most of the obstacles). But not only did the pair finish the race, they placed third in their division, earning a trophy in addition to their medals!

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Don't forget to check out the Motivational Monday Facebook post for more stories!

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Feeling very "Panera" today

Today I "only" had 10 miles on the schedule :)  Of course the "only" is all relative. Last Sunday, I ran 16, so I really wasn't even thinking of today as a long run. It was my second-to-last double digit run until the marathon, however!

I had to wait until 8:30 to head out, when the kids went to church with my parents, and I wasn't sure if I should eat breakfast beforehand or not. I always regret it when I do, because it makes me feel crappy during my run, but I knew I wouldn't be home and showered until about 10:30, which is nearly lunchtime for me. I decided not to eat before I left, but I brought a Gu with me to have at the halfway point. I also made sure to bring water with me this time; I didn't want another run like Thursday's!

I chose the same lollipop route that I did for my 16-miler last week (only just the out-and-back part, to make it way shorter). I was really hoping that I'd feel as good today as I did last week. I didn't feel GREAT, like last Sunday, but I had a good run. I was aiming for my long run pace of 9:38/mi (or less, if I felt like it). At the five mile mark, when I turned around, I ate a Salted Caramel Gu. My stomach felt totally fine the whole run.

When I turned around, the wind was in my favor (I had a headwind on the way out), so I picked up the pace a little. And, just to prove to myself that I still had some fuel in the tank, I ran sub-9:00 for the last mile.

Today's run put my total mileage for September at 198. Tomorrow, I have 7 miles on the schedule, so that will put me at 205 for the whole month. I'm in disbelief that I've run that many miles! I ran 200 in August, which blew my mind. And now 205 for September. AND, the best part? I've remained injury-free! I'm convinced that this Hansons' method of training has helped me stay injury-free.

When I got home, I was texting Jerry for a little while before getting in the shower, and by the time I was done showering, it was 11:00. The kids had asked me yesterday if we could go to Panera for lunch today, and I said sure. Since I hadn't even had breakfast, I decided to take them to lunch, and I would get a bagel for breakfast. I got a blueberry bagel with reduced-fat cream cheese, for a total of 13 PointsPlus.

It was DELICIOUS. The perfect post-10-miler breakfast!

While I was there, I decided to get some soup to go for lunch later. I adore Panera's Broccoli Cheddar soup, so I got a bowl of that with a 2 oz. baguette to bring home. The soup is 8 PP, and the bread is 5 PP--both totally worth it!

And, because I have a lot of PointsPlus saved up from this week (I've been trying to eat only when hungry, rather than eating "just because I have the PP to spend"), I got a chocolate chip cookie to have tonight. I've never had one of Panera's cookies, but it looks good and I can't wait to eat it during the Breaking Bad series finale!

The cookie is 13 PointsPlus, and hopefully it's worth it! On the way home from Panera, I was stopped at a traffic light, and there was a sign on the side of the road advertising a "Poker Run" and party.

Noah: "Mama, do you know what a poker run is?"
Me: "No, but I'm curious if it's an actual RUN or if it's something to do with Poker." 
Noah: "It's when a bunch of motorcyclists go from one bar to another, collecting a card from each bar; then at the last one, they have enough for a hand of poker, and they play."

I laughed so hard when he said that. I was completely shocked that he knew what it was! I'd never heard of such a thing. When I asked him where he heard that, he told me that my dad explained it to him once.

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I cleaned the hell out of my house yesterday, and I found something while cleaning out a drawer in my bedroom (no, not THAT)... anyone recognize this?

That would be an iPAQ. A long, long time ago, before iPods, and smart phones, and all that, there were little PDA's (Personal Digital Assistants). I remember spending a small fortune on this one, because it was in COLOR (gasp!). When I took it out during a college class to schedule a reminder or something, everyone used to stare and ask me questions about what it was. No, I'm not joking. I ended up using it mostly to play games, though ;)

Anyone else watching the finale of Breaking Bad tonight? I can't wait to see how it ends! (Although, really, there isn't a great way for it to end...)

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Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you have a picture you want to share of a health/fitness accomplishment you achieved this week, you can e-mail it (along with a short description) to SlimKatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com, subject "Motivational Monday", and I may include it in tomorrow's MM post. Can't wait to see what you've all been up to this week!

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Two weeks out

I ran on the the treadmill for the first time in a long time today. The last time I used the treadmill was when I was watching American Horror Story. After I finished that, I couldn't find anything that interested me on Netflix, so I was doing everything I could to avoid the treadmill. Today, I didn't have an option, though. Jerry wasn't home to stay with the boys, and there was no way that I was going to run circles around the block ;)

I decided to try watching House of Cards. I've heard nothing but good things about it, but I was avoiding it because I HATE politics, and it's a political drama. I figured I would give it a try, and I really hoped it would suck me in to make the treadmill more bearable.

I wore the new belt that I bought yesterday, to see if I could run without it bouncing. I wasn't sure how much stuff I'd be able to fit in there, but I think it'll work well for the marathon--I could fit two Gu's and 2 full packs of ShotBloks, along with my iPhone.

I had eight miles at an easy pace on the schedule, so I set the treadmill for 6.0 mph and tried to lose myself in House of Cards. The belt worked perfectly! First, I wore it with the pouch in front, and there was no bouncing whatsoever. It was very comfortable, and I honestly wouldn't have even known it was there. I decided to try moving the pouch part to the back, to see how that felt, and it wasn't as comfortable. It didn't bounce, but it felt a little weird with it resting on top of my butt. So I'll wear it facing front, and it's flat enough to fit underneath my shirt.

I wasn't as thrilled with House of Cards, unfortunately. The political stuff is very prominent in the show, so it definitely wasn't my taste; and I really didn't understand it. Usually, for shows like that, I end up asking Jerry a million questions about what is happening ;)  I watched the whole first episode, and then quickly (and totally randomly) picked something else to watch for a half an hour. I ended up with Gossip Girl, hahaha. I'd never heard of it, but it was entertaining enough for a little while.

Thankfully, my legs felt much better today, and I didn't feel as fatigued as I did the past couple of days. Physically, I actually felt really good today. Mentally, the treadmill was a big struggle, though. Anyway, I finished out eight miles.

My heart rate chart was back to normal today, without huge spikes and drops. It's interesting to me that my average heart rate was 135 today. It used to be so much higher when running at the pace! It shows that I'm getting more and more conditioned the more that I train. My resting heart rate has dropped quite a bit, too--it's now in the high 40's.

I'm now two weeks out from the marathon. This afternoon when I got the mail, I noticed that this came for me:

It's the participant guide for the Chicago Marathon. It's kind of scary! There are 38 pages in this book, all about the expo, and race, and directions, and start times, and all that. THIRTY-EIGHT pages. That's a lot to remember. I get really stressed out and anxious trying to find my way around unfamiliar cities, so the thought of getting to/from the expo, the hotel, the race, etc. is making me nervous now. I'm actually more nervous about that than I am the race itself!

Eli saw the guide, and was studying the pictures on the front. He asked me, "Mama, do you think you might win this race?" (Clearly, I look just like the Kenyans on the cover); I told him I would be happy to finish in the top 75%, hahaha. The kids really don't understand why I would run races if I don't plan on trying to win them.

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Pizza Friday and movie night

Another rather sleepless night. At around midnight, Eli got out of bed and came into my room to tell me he was thirsty. I must have been sound asleep (normally, I wake up from any little noise), and when he started talking, it scared me half to death! I'm sure other parents out there can relate to this...? Nothing is more terrifying than waking up in the middle of the night with someone standing next to you, hahaha. Anyway, after that, I had weird dreams and just couldn't get much rest.

I only had five miles at an easy pace on the running schedule today, so I expected it to be a breeze. After I got the kids off to school, I headed out for a loop around the neighborhoods. Unfortunately, I had another bad run today. I was feeling very fatigued again, and my legs felt heavy. I'm not sure what's going on with me--it's not unusual to have a bad run, like yesterday's, but surely today's should have been better. The farther I ran, the more my pace dropped. It was a relief when I hit five miles!

When I uploaded the info from my Garmin, I saw the problem. Clearly, my heart is disfunctional:

Hahaha, I have no idea what went wrong with my heart rate monitor today, but I know I wasn't reaching 220+ beats per minute! The battery in it is fairly new, so I don't think that's the problem. I'll see what happens tomorrow. Just for comparison, this is what the chart USUALLY looks like for a five mile easy run:

All week long, the kids have been looking forward to tonight. I promised them Pizza Friday and a movie night. I picked them up from school, because I wanted to go get some sort of a fuel belt for the marathon (after yesterday's disaster with the SPI Belt, I wanted to try something else). I was going to go to Dunham's, but decided to check TJ Maxx first. And luckily, I found one! It was only $8, so I figured it was worth a try.

I like that it's very wide and flat, so I'm hoping that will keep it from bouncing. I'll give it a try tomorrow and see what happens.

For Pizza Friday, I was planning to go to the dine-in pizza place we usually go to, which is a good 35 minutes away. There are very limited options around here, and that one was the only dine-in pizza place (that I knew of). But Noah asked if we could pick up a pizza on the way home instead. There was a place nearby that I'd never been inside, but there are like five others around here, so I figured it was just like the rest of them.

When we walked inside, I was really surprised at how nice it was inside! I had NO idea that they had tables in there, and from the outside, the place looks much smaller than it is.

So we ended up staying there to eat, and it was great. Every time we get pizza, I plan on having two slices; and inevitably, I end up eating three, and then regretting that third slice. Today, I'm proud to say that I stuck with two! I certainly could have eaten more, but I knew that I'd regret going over my PointsPlus for the day.

We stopped for one more treat on the way home--popcorn from Target ;)  Since we were having a movie night at home, we picked up some popcorn from the little Target cafe. Sounds lame, but their popcorn is SO good! It's 8 PointsPlus, and I had already figured it into my meal plan for the week. Today was another day on track--that's three in a row! :)

We ended up watching Where the Red Fern Grows. Believe it or not, I'd never seen that movie before. It was the perfect movie to watch with my boys! It was hilarious how they couldn't believe that there was no electricity or TV or computers in the movie, though. They asked me if it was from 1,000 years ago--bahaha! 

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