The Christmas Rush

Yesterday I ran a 10k called "The Christmas Rush" in Kent. The Dr. said that I shouldn't let my heart rate get above 140. Since I don't have a monitor and I have no way to know what that means, She told me if I can talk that I am not at 140. So we took it slower and just talked and jogged. It was great! After I finished I was STARVING, but other than that I felt really great! The top picture is of friends from my ward who ran. There were 8 of us. The one I am standing next to(BYU sweatshirt), ran it in 36 minutes!! WOW! He won first in his age group and 5th overall. I was just happy to be running not in rain or snow, it was perfect!

I am thankful for perfect timing.....almost.....

Mom called this morning to remind me that she and Shannon were running in a 2 mile fun run and it was a nice morning if we wanted to come watch. We didnt have much time, so I was RUSHING the kids to get dressed....lets go!! Well, the roads were all blocked off, and I wasn't sure we'd make it since we had to go the LONG way. While we were driving, we SAW mom and Shannon running!!!! We yelled to them from the car, but now I was SURE we wouldnt make it to the finish line before they got there. We parked (far away) and began our own mini fun run to try to make it from Red Mountain High School main entrance to the center of Red Mountain Park before mom and SHannon did. We got our hustle on and got there JUST in time to catch this.....

a few seconds later, I found out we actually did miss mom crossing the finish line the first time. She finished just slightly ahead of Shannon and went back to run in with her. GO MOM, GO SHANNON!! They were exhilerated (sp?) at the finish, and we were happy to be there to cheer for them (and we got a little run in too, LOL)

Running in AZ! What?

Well I really, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY did not want to get up and run this morning. But I did and it was awesome. When you don't feel like doing it and then you do it anyway, it is the best. Well to make it even better it started raining on me about half way through my run. I felt like I was in Seattle or Indianapolis or somewhere else. Except it wasn't cold. It was actually kind of exhilarating to run in the rain. Now I know why so many people in Seattle run. It really feels good and they need something to make them feel good on rainy days. :)

Anyway, just a little :) wet.

First Baby Step

Well, I did it. I ran in the 2 mile food can drive sponsored by our stake. It was harder than I thought it would be but I still had a burst for the finish line. Of course I did not run the entire time. But I finished in 22 minutes and 21 seconds. I did run more than I walked. I am definitely not ready for a marathon but, baby steps....... It felt good!

Running is easier than computers, I think!

Aha, now I am on. Thank you Shannon. I am running in a 2 mile fun run sponsered by our stake this comming Saturday morning. Call it a baby step but that is how I need to do it. Maybe I will join Shannon and Donald on Thanksgiving morning in the 10k at Red Mountain Park. Is anyone else up for that? We will see if I am after this Saturday. ;) Anyway, it just feels good to be moving. Come on people, we can do this thing!

I was thinking the same thing!

I'm alive. :)

I am still going strong. I got really sick for 2 weeks with a hacking cough that was keeping me up all night and wouldn't let me run a step with out choking. That was a huge set back. But I decided that I wasn't going to start over with the training I was going to pick it up right where I left off. SURPRISINGLY it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. :) I'm still planning on running the 10k on Thanksgiving morning and I'm SO nervous about that because I've been doing all my running on a tread mill. So we'll see how it goes.

Donald is the slacker. Ha ha. He has a new job with Fed Ex and he gets up at 230 in the morning and lifts boxes all day. He's been pretty wiped. But he'll be fine. He's one of "those." He's a natural athlete but he's not ready for Ragnar if he wants to do well. And he knows that. He can run a mile in 6 minutes or something like that but he cant keep that pace up for too long, yet. He will get back to training with me when he gets used to his job.

I don't know about the others down here in AZ. I think they think they have all the time in the world. That's scary way of thinking. Build up enough tomorrows and you'll look back and find you've got a whole lot of empty yesterdays. Said Professor Harold Hill.

You're gonna have to be the motivator.

Hello...Is anybody there?

So...I am in the 3rd week of Coleen's running schedule. I started out barely doing 3 miles in 60 minutes, and today I did just over three miles in 50 minutes! It is still slow, I know, but I am getting better. It sounds a little crazy and obsessive (or something), but feel so alive! It is hard to get started, I have to admit...but driving home from the YMCA, I can't think of any other way to say it...I feel alive and like I can do anything! So...is anyone else training? Where are you? How is it going? I need motivators here...

FMX should be FM/WX Right?

Running Shoes...$54.95 (a few years ago - I might need some new ones soon)

Light Sweatshirt...$4.50 (off the clearance rack at Old Navy at the end of last winter)

Wall E Watch (to meticulously time the 2/3 minute run/walk)...FREE (plus the $14.00 it cost our family to get in to the drive in theater a few months back)

The ability to put one foot in front of the other (sometimes it was iffy I was going to make it, though)...PRICELESS

(Oh, and the 55 minutes that I got to spend BY MYSELF where James didn't even grumble one time and practically shoved me out the door...also PRICELESS.)

Yes, I started Coleen's training program, mostly because I needed a break from my regular life (which is all diapers and feeding and such--which I love, but need a break from every so often). I figured the first week would be a piece of cake (ha, ha) and for most it probably is. I need to give myself a break and remember I had a baby just 5 weeks ago and it will take a while to get back into it...but I did it...I am SORE...my legs don't want to move...even my arms are sore (that seems odd)...but I am proud of myself for getting out the door! All of you veteran runners/marathon runners/armed forces retired runners...I know this is nothing for you, but for me it's a huge deal. Thanks for the encouragement...and if anyone needs encouragement to get started (Susan, Nancy, Christi, Rob)...here it is...I did it, so you can, too. Just do it. Luv ya.

The Shore to Shore 1/2 marathon

I ran in a 1/2 marathon yesterday in Lake Chelan. It was soo much fun and it feels good to have accomplished it. If you're like me running for 2 1/2 hours doesn't really sound all that fun, so grabbing a friend (or a couple of them) worked for me! These girls and I have trained together since May. We always have great conversations and a lot of fun. On this run we came up with sooo many mataphors that are true in running and also true in life. There were people of all shapes, sizes, and ages on the course. Mom, you can do it, because tons of 70 year old men were running the full marathon!! Some were barely moving their feet, but they were in it for 26! So I guess now what's next????

Running Schedule

OK - finally I have the forever awaited running schedule for you guys! Sorry it took me so long!! I also found a way to post a link to the document here so everyone can get it print it and start running with it! :)

GOOD LUCK!!

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pmnSyzSmLcXv2oEdLy4hgNQ

Remember, if you need to start out slower, thats fine too, just start!

Also, you don't have to be speedy, keep it slow so that you can finish it! :)

Love you,

Coleen

Welcome new Team Members

Scott, Dixie, and James.
Scott is Mine and Donald's bother in law. He has already run 2 Ragnar relays! He's a good runner and we are so happy to have him!
Dixie and James are running with us and they don't even know it. :) J/K. I talked to Dixie today and even though she is 9months over pregnant, she still was willing to talk to me about running. What a woman! They didn't exactly commit but... they'll do it ;)

Shannon
Donald
Susan
Lois
Coleen
Todd
Jaba
Rob
Megan
Sally
Jay
Scott
Dixie
James

14 runners!

OUR NEXT GOAL REMINDER:
Find a 10k (or 5k at least) by Thanksgiving! And run your personal best. Don't forget to take pictures! We want to see them.

Starting our Training Plan

Jay and I are "The Biggest Loser" junkies so we are staring our training and weight loss plan today with the season premier. I know this sounds very cheesy but we find it very motivating. We will be weighing in evey Tuesday. I also started looking for a 5K race in October, I'll let you know when we find one. Also Coleen will you send me that running schedule. We are so exicited about this!!!! ahhhh what did we get ourselves into?

OUR 1ST Goal! Thanksgiving 10K!

Yeah! Lets get training! We are going to run a 10k on Thanksgiving morning at 9am! What a way to work up an appetite for food :) 10k is about 6.2 miles so it's a lot to train for if you're not running yet. But you have 10 weeks to get in gear and you can do that! And then when November 27th comes around if you are not there yet, you can always Run/Walk the 10k you don't have to run the whole time. The point is that we do our best!

The Race Location: Red Mountain Park

Fee: 18$

Date: November 27th Thanksgiving Day @ 9:00am

http://www.raceplaceevents.com/event.php?event=401002

I will sign everyone up that wants to run if you just let me know. Or you can do it on your own. It would be really cool to go together obviously. And Christi, there is a 2 and 1 mile run that your kids or any one who wants to can do with us!

-Shannon-

NEW MEMBERS!

WELCOME SALLY AND JAY!

Our new runners are going to come down from Colorado. They wanted a kick in the pants to get moving and this is it! I'm so excited!

So now we have:

Shannon
Donald
Susan
Lois
Coleen
Todd
Jaba
Rob
Megan
Sally
Jay

Committed!
And more that haven't commited yet but are going run with us :)

Lets make sure we talk to each other about work outs and get going NOW! We can't afford to wait til tomorrow. If you wait til tomorrow it will sneak up on you and it will be 2010 Feb.

"You may be on the right track, but if you just sit there you'll get run over. " - Paul H. Dunn

Sign up for the 5k...

Ok - I am really excited to be a part of the team! This will be a fun adventure. My recommendation for all you guys together in AZ...Since the race is a long ways out...to get the training started and stay focused...find a 5k right now and sign up for it. Then you'll have more motivation to get started. I started running in the end of April and did a 10k in the beginning of June. At the time it was a push but I finished it. So find a local 5 or 10k and sign up! You don't have to go for time, just finish it. This is so fun! :)

Email from The Coleen

(This is an email I just got from Coleen she's the wind beneath our wings)


Shannon

Ok check out these pages on the ragnar site for the specifics of the AZ run. It gives all the breakdowns for the runners and then the entire course map.


http://www.ragnarrelay.com/delsol/runnerchart.php http://www.ragnarrelay.com/delsol/coursemaps


I am SO excited that everyone wants to do it! It is so fun and so fulfilling! A lot of it is mental. Before I ran the ragnar, I Never thought that I could run a 1/2 marathon, I serioulsy didn't think I could ever run that far. It feels so empowering to do something that you thought was not attainable. So, I will email you the training schedule that I did. If you don't use it thats fine too. Its just a resource for you and you can get others fired up to! :)

Tell Suzi that Runner 8 has 3 easy legs of 4, 3, and 3 miles. She should go for it! :)

Go Ragnar Team Daly 2010!


Coleen

WELCOME FMX RAGNAR RELAY TEAM MEMBERS!

This is so exciting!

First off I wanted to tell every one a little bit about how everything is gonna go down. The basics are these:

RAGNAR RELAY

You need 12 people of course. Each team member runs three legs, ranging between 3 and 8 miles. The race is physically demanding, but legs vary in difficulty, and we can choose which legs we run. I'm not gonna lie. If you are thinking you are gonna be the one to get the "easy" leg, you're kidding your self, I looked at them, they are all hard. But we can train! And WE CAN DO IT! If you want the easiest leg then that can definitely be arranged. The race is 24 hours and is run from Wickenburg to Mesa(181.7miles).

The race we're training for is in 2010, February(I think) so we have plenty of time. But the one thing I don't want is for people to loose their focus and get unmotivated because that's so far away. So I have put myself in a leadership position here and I am going to keep you going. Even if I have to annoy the crap out of you. Sorry. But NO that wont happen cuz this is gonna be FUN!

So the purpose of this blog is so that we can come here and post pictures, ideas, recent events that we've run at... stuff like that so that we can have a little runners support group. Cuz we're all over the place. Like for instance I know Coleen is running a Half Marathon soon and so is James and I'd like to see pictures and know how they did.