Morning Run

Went for a 9 am run this morning, thinking I would beat the heat.  Right.  I had sweat running in places I didn't even know it could run in.  Yuck!  There are some pretty long stretches of the run from my house to the park (through the park) and back that are sun, sun, sun.  No shade to be found.  And pushing Sky just makes me work that much harder and sweat that much more.  It's really great when I start to slow down and Sky looks up at me and starts laughing.  And I mean the kind of laughing that resulted in her blowing snot all over the inside of the jogger.  That was super fun to clean up. 

I decided today was a GPS free day.  I did run with my phone, so used Runkeeper, but put it inside the jogger so I couldn't hear it.  I just needed to get out there and run a pace and distance that feels good.  I know the loop is close to 4 miles and I know how many extra laps to make around the lake to get up to 5 if  I want to.  But, like I said I was hot, and my foot has been sort of giving me flashes of pain out of the blue every few days, so I decided to stop while I still felt good, which meant 3.96 miles in 43 and some seconds.  If only I had run a few more steps instead of doing a cool down I would have hit 4.  Oh well. 

I used my phone so I could track my run still, but not look at my pace etc every 60 seconds, and because there are some crazy racoon's near the park, check out the story here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48142414/ns/us_news/#.T_3EOZFF-Sx and if I was attacked I figured it would be good to be able to call 911.  Should have run with Bishop...he would eliminate the problem in about 10 seconds! 

 My new Ballys running top that I LOVE!  I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but all but one of my running tops eventually ends up riding up to almost under my armpits during my runs.  They just don't stay put.  So when I came across this for $5.99 while discount shopping I thought what the heck I will give it a try.  So far the only two tops that stay in place have been under $10 and got them at Ross and the Ballys top is from Burlington Coat Factory.  My Lululemon stuff stays in place as well, but it's all cold weather running stuff, I don't have any of there tanks or t-shirts.  (Oh and yes that is new short hair for me!  I have had it for a little over a week now, jut haven't had a chance to take a good pic of it to post, so don't judge by this pic.  This is post run full of sweat bed head!)  There will be good pics soon!  Very good pics, that's all I'm saying. 

 A better look at the details of the tank...I like the grey and black faded stripes. 

I only took this pic because my sister takes pics of her shoes like this all the time, and I never do.  So there you go, my new shoes that I LOVE and want to get a second pair for rotation purposes, pink compression socks that are way hot when the sun's out, but my shins don't hurt!  And my zero muscle definition legs.  I should have thought to flex before taking the pic.  My legs actually do look better than that. 

Now for a shower, Sky is finally asleep.  I find it sort of gross that she still wants to cuddle with me even with sweat dripping off me and the smell that goes along with that.  But, she needed some snuggles before going down for her nap. 

Camping Picks...That's All

Sky testing out her new bike helmet.  We have not been able to bike with her because we didn't have a helmet for her.  She seems to like it.  Love that smile!

 Look at how excited she is and she hasn't even found the tickets yet!  

 She killed that corn on the cob.  May be her new fave thing to eat! 

Mark peddled, Sky rode, and I ran.  Nothing like keeping up with a bike to speed up your pace!  

I kept up pretty well/Mark peddled pretty slow until the last hill, then he lost me.  

 Fun at the little park near camp.  

 She so wants to push buttons she should not be pushing. 

Tickets...she has her tickets.  "My friends are going to be so jealous." 

Bieber Fever

Grace has it bad.  Really bad.  (Michelle and I may have it a little bit as well.)

She is going to marry that guy when she is grown up and has promised to invite us to the wedding. 

She sings his songs constantly and has been talking non stop about how Justin is going to be at the T Dome.

(I DVR'd the JB Today show concert for her.  While we watched it she was glued to the TV, talking about how much she wishes she could go to the concert, and how she hopes Justin will pick her over Selina to marry.  It was pretty darn cute and so hard to keep the secret.)

Little did she know Mark and I had been sitting on concert tickets for her, waiting until there was a good opportunity to give them to her.  (I am going to miss her B-Day party as I will be in E WA helping to clean out Grandma's stuff.)

We decided that the first night of the camping trip would be the perfect opportunity.  We got her the new CD and put the tickets inside it.  She was pretty darn excited about the CD and as soon as she saw the tickets she knew exactly what they were.

She was so excited!  She was also pretty excited about the poster that came with the CD.

The best part is we were able to get three tickets, so Michelle and I both get to take Grace to her very first concert and see the craziness that is a T Dome full of screaming little girls.

Thank you to Mark for making it happen.  Michelle and I had been talking for months about when JB does a tour we would love to take Grace.  Of course he announces his tour after Bob is unemployed and with me not working I didn't think we would be able to take her.  We are careful with our money and don't spend money on things we don't need/cant afford, especially now with me not working.  But, Mark is also good at finding a way when it's a once in a lifetime thing.  And, Graces first concert is once in a lifetime.



  

Link Love

(Yes we are back safe and sound from a fun week of camping.  Pics etc to come later.)

There are not very many sports figures that I follow/endorse/am a fan of as an individual.  I may enjoy their skill or like them for always making that catch or scoring the points, but as people they are just as messed up (if not more so) than the next person and not worthy of being someone to look up to.  (As always speaking in general here.)

And, not that I look up to or think of him as a role model, but I am pretty impressed with Baron Batch, running back drafted by the Steelers last season.  He tore his ACL in training camp and missed all of last season.  To get through the disappointment of all that he started a blog.

He isn't perfect and has had to work hard to change some things about himself so he doesn't end up a rich young punk, and he has shared it all on his blog.  There has not been a single post I have not enjoyed.

Given all the "crap" out there on line it was nice to stumble across this blog.  Check it out:  http://baronbatch.com/blog/

I can't wait to see what he does in the NFL! 

Gone Camping!

We are camping for the 4th!  I can't wait for some extended camping fun!  I will be supper busy tomorrow getting the last minutes stuff done (although I am squeezing in a walk with Jodi and Reagan in the morning), so this is it until we are back the end of the week.  So thankful Mark can work from camp so we can have a longer trip!   

Best part is....it's going to be sunny and warm!!!

Happy 4th all.  Be safe, don't burn yourself on sparklers and watch out for drunk drivers!

I leave you with some Sky pics (sorry you can't actually see her face in any of them) from our trip to E WA weekend before last....

 The boots were mine when I was 2.  They were way too big for her, but we wanted pics of her in the boots wearing her Wrangler shirt and little shorts.  I have them tucked away for when her feet are a little bigger.  

 Sky and Sam (Great Grandpas dog) working it out.  

Great Grandpa taking Sky for a spin in the brand new wagon he got her.  We asked if he could have one of his old ones (he has several of them around the property) ready to go for her visit, but Great Grandpa decided nothing but the best would do.  So he got her a brand new one for her and a miniature one for her stuffed animals.  So far she likes turning the small one upside down and dragging it around the house. 

Training Makes A Difference!

I learned an important lesson this weekend.  Training matters!  A lot!! 

I felt pretty amazing running my 1/2, even though I had injury issues, conditioning wise it felt pretty easy to run.  Up to my mental issues on the water front anyway, but that was in my head and not really anything to do with my body, ok other than the muscle cramps.  But, still I felt pretty good overall. 

Yesterday I felt like crap by mile 3 and wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.  So, putting in the miles and training appropriately really matters!  Plus 10 miles trail running is WAY different than 10 miles road running for sure!  What little running I did should have been on trails!

I also learned the value of electrolytes and really need to work on my hydration situation when I go on longer runs.  I'm always scared I'll have to pee during the race if I drink too much, or that I'll get a migraine if what I drink has too much potassium.  So I opt for a few sips, if that, and most of the time don't drink anything at all. 

Not good.  The fact that my first drink of Gatorade made my vision not be blurry and not be all black was new running/training information for me.  I will have to be better about drinking the right thing at the right time.

The great thing is that while my knees hurt a bit from all the downhill I feel pretty great today.  I remember hitting 10 miles during my 1/2 training and not being able to walk the next day.  So some of that conditioning stuck with me at least.

Given that I already know July will not give me much time for training runs I have decided not to run a race in July.  I am however going to see about volunteering for a race instead.  I sort of feel like that should count towards my race a month goal for the year.

It's important to give back, and this weekend there were a lot of volunteers that would have liked to have been running.  But, they decided to volunteer to make sure we all had a great experience and had support when needed.  There is a 5K the end of the month at Ft. St. Park, I run there several times a week and do multiple races there every year.  So it seems like a great opportunity to volunteer, give back, and cheer on some runners.  And, in a roundabout way keep my streak alive.