4th of July 5k in Nashville, Tn 2011

My Daughter and I had an awsome run. It was about 78 degrees. The race started at 8 am, Allyson and I enjoyed starting off the run together. The run was so scenic, we crossed 2 bridges, the first being the Woodland bridge and the second being the Shelby bridge, both crosses the Cumberland River.

After crossing the second bridge the course then took us up past the State Capitol Building which included a very intense hill. This is where the 2nd water station was and where Allyson found her second wind. The last mile took us down Broadway and the down 4th to the finish line. Allyson finished around 45minutes and I crossed 46 at around minutes. Great way to start the 4th of July. 

Allyson's Time 44:35

My time: 46:40

Are the lifes gifts in the Journey or Destination ?

So, time for a quick evaluation.

Where am I at after 5 months of traveling down this road of transformation?  I have lost 36 pounds after 5 months. I feel pretty good about that.

Activities, I have logged just over 100 miles of running from the last 2 months.

May Completed my 1st 5k in the Nashviille Gulch in 51:15.


5K Run July 4th, 2011

My daughter and I are signed up for a 5k on the 4th of July.

I have signed up for my first Half Marathon, November 6th.

Yesterday, I had the day off for Memorial day and ran 6 miles in 1:30 in the morning. That was a fun run, I was able to venture out of my regular 1.1 mile loops around Stoneridge Medical Center. Using MapmyRun I laid out a 2 mile course which took me past the Smyrna Fire Dept., the Rocky Ridge Middle School and through a neighborhood park and back and then lapping the Hospital twice for a total of 6 miles.

After my run, I ran into Starbucks to pick up a  Coffee Traveler to take home. I am not used to getting alot
of looks when I go in places. I was fresh off my run and not fully cooled down yet. I felt like I was drawing alot of glances because I was still perspiring heavily, plus I still don't look like a runner.

Allyson, Zach and Eli came over for the day. At the end of the evening my daughter and I decided to go to the gym for a quick run. We each got on a treadmill and ran a 1 mile in abought 14 minutes. Now, that is a transformation. Many many holidays have gone by and I have never gone on a fun run. I look forward to many more activities with my daughter. I am just so sorry it took so long for that to happen. 

My outlook is,  fantastic.

Goal for June , work on month 3 of my running base.

For me, Fun Run is no longer an Oxymoron.

Saturday morning and the cat is meowing at 5:00 am. Oh man, I don't want to get up, this is the first weekend I have had off in months.

Maybe if I just lay hear and act like I am sleeping Caryn will feed the cat.

Trixie:Meoooow..., Caryn isn't stirring...

Me: Ok, I will get and up ... 
30 minutes later: Ok, the cat and dog are fed, Tiffy the dog has just been taken out.

Caryn wakes up as I finish getting dressed and open the door. What are you doing ?

Me: Going for a Fun run.

Caryn:What? Why don't you come back to bed and sleep.

Me: I want to do my long run today.

This is a conversation I would have never dreamed would be taking place between me and anyone else.:)

I ran 8 miles this morning and it felt great. ( sure there were glitches like my left foot started cramping up at mile 7.5. I had started out not knowing how far I was going to go. I was thinking maybe 10 miles would be a good goal. But, I listened to my body and stopped at 8.) Feels so good to be able to maintain a pace for a long duration. Took me 2 hours and 17 minutes to finish the 8 miles, but I had to stop and answer a page at mile 3. At mile 7, I got a free High 5 by an experienced runner passing from the opposite direction.. Those little things count more than you think. That reminds me of a picture I saw when I was looking at the results of the Music City Marathon. Yes, I had a Fun run.

That gives me 14 miles for the week, 22 miles for the month of May. 74 miles since I started logging my runs.  But, who is keeping track,  Me. :)

Cinco in the Gulch 5k Run, 2011

Wow, what a day yesterday was. I woke up with race day jitters, which I found to be funny. I new
I wasn't expecting to win anything. I new my time was going to be slow. But there it was in the pit of my stomache, a little ache.

Also, a little voice in my head that kept saying, "You have already done all the hard work, you don't really need to do this.

What is happening, all this negative talk going on in my head. Stop, no more, I am going to do this. The journey from the Couch to the 5K was a big step for me. I have worked hard for this and today is my reward. I want to Run the 5k and to be able to mark my 1st goal as complete.

So, I had to work in the morning and again in the evening at 10:00 pm. My family is 7 hours away except for my son who really needs to stay home. I would love to have brought him to the race, but I didn't have any definate plans to have someone there to stand with him while I was running. So, I had to plan accordingly to make the day work out so I could run the 5k. Everything did work out and I made it to the race.

What a great turnout, well over 2200 people were there. Most people didn't pick-up the packets on Thursday. So, registration was slow and we ended up starting the run 20 minutes late. That was fine by me, I was thinking about the past couple of months of preperation that lead me to this point. I wasn't going to stress over 30 minutes.

A friend from Church and our Small Group came out to support me. Caryn, mentioned to him I was going to be alone out there. Marty, took time out of his Saturday and came out. Having Marty out there meant more than I realized. I am not sure why I like to think it is ok to be an island. Maybe because I never want to be an imposition on anyone. I want to be independent and not have to lean on anyone. Is that just a Male Ego thing ? Well, it was very nice to have Marty out there.

The Race finally started and wow what a start. It was like a heard of cows getting under way. Many, many people passed me. I couldn't believe how fast so many people were starting out.  I knew the pace I had practiced would bring me to the finish line in about 50 minutes. I have been listening to podcasts done by Angie Spencer from Marathon Training Academy. Her voice was in my head, don't let your emotions take control. Run your race. 

After about a half mile the crowd had thinned and I had an ear bud in my ear listening to the music I had been practicing to. The music was something familiar for me to keep my minds eye on.

This 5K route took us by the Tennesse State Capitol building which is on a high hill. That was the toughest part for me. I hadn't practiced on any hills yet and for me, this was tough. According to the map the road elevation 425' to 540' in less than a mile. I passed many people in the first mile and had to walk the last few feet to reach the top. I was then able to catch my breath and find my pace.

I thought my finishing time was 52:30, but the results showed I ended up finishing the race in 51:15. Then I remember the time difference was when the clock started and when I crossed the finish line. So, I did better than I thought. No matter how much I tell myself this race wasn't about your time, my mind ends up focusing on the numbers . I was very happy about that time, my body was tired and I new I gave it my all.

I had heard about marathoners getting emotional after they complete their runs. I found myself doing the same thing after this 5k. I hadn't expected those emotions to be welling up inside me after only finished the 5k. Not wanting to get emotional I was thinking why am I feeling this way. Then the positive side of my brain tells me , "You finished your 1st 5k, that was a great success and you deserve to be proud. Stop with the negative talk."

Then I see Marty and it was just so nice to have someone there. Marty is a very compassionate person at our church and he has the most contagious smile and laugh. His heart for the Lord shines through his core, Thank you again Marty for your support.

Cinco in The Gulch 5K RUN: 51:15
Completed.

When I first saw this video, I didn't think I was going to post it. As the negative and positive voices in my head continue to battle, I give it to the Lord and remind myself, "I can Do Everything Through Christ who gives me strength." Phillippians 4:13 

So, here I am, giving it all I have acheiving my First in hopefully many Successful steps in acheiving a healthy lifestyle. Thank you again Marty for taking the video.  

Not much time passed by and my family did call and I know they all support me.

Allyson, thank you for your on going support. You have a heart of gold and what a great Mothersday weekend for you to be able to be able to share it with so many special people. I Love you and I am so proud of who you are. 

Caryn, I appreciate your on going support. Our marriage has been a blend of us working together and also independently through Lifes challenges. I love you for who you are and celibrate your strengths as a great caregiver and wonderful mother. Our childeren and grandchild are very blessed to have you as a mother, Happy Mothers day.

59 and Dodging Tornadoes

Wednesday morning was very stormy and Tornadoes were passing by, so I was forced to run inside on a treadmill.

I didn't want to change my routine, I feel protective of my slice of time and the motivation that is burning inside. I have to keep the fire burning.

Ran 3.1 miles on the treadmill and ended up getting a much sweatier experience. My Ipod nano even died. The lil' voice in the Nano said battery was low till finally no music at about 2.8 miles. Oh man, pulled the ear buds out and kept my pesonally fast pace going. Wow is it loud without the buds in the ears.

(The Nano later on didn't power back up. After lots of resets etc, took it to an Apple dealer. They looked inside the connector wher the earbuds connect and a little red indicator said it had been exposed to water!!! I had only had it for a month. The guy replaced it for free. I was so relived, but still frustrated because the only water was my persperation. We will see what happens with the new one.)

Finished up 3.1 miles in just under 50 minutes. Great time for me. Reminder to my self, its not about the speed, just need to get the miles in and stay injury free.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a long run. Last Friday was 6.6 miles, tomorrows goal will be 8 miles.

Find myself going through the day looking forward to the next run. Tomorrows milage will put me over 50 logged miles for April. Wow, I feel good about that.

That same day I was dodging tornadoes, the tornadoes went past us and hit our Alabamians hard. I will post one video tyhat got uploaded from Tuscaloosa. Our prayers are with them.

New week

Monday: 3.3 miles, 1st mile was tough, the rest was ok. Feeling tired after the weekend.

Cloudy, 59 degrees.

Happy Easter, 2011

Today, is a day of rest. Today, we observe Easter and have Zach and Allyson and Eli over for the weekend. Eli, still can't be out in public yet, so we will spend Easter at home.

I am the first one up this morning and am enjoying some quiet time and am able to reflect on the changes that are happening in my life.

Eli, my first grandson, is 3 weeks old today and very special to me. He isn't able to do much but sit and be cared for, but oh what a feeling that little guy creates in my heart. I thank the Lord everyday for his safe arrival and for keeping Allyson healthy. I am very proud of Zach for how well he is taking care of his family, my family.

Easter, for me brings many wonderful family memories. What a great holiday to remember the resurrection of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know I am not the perfect christian, what a great day to remember there was only one man who lived up to that and he died for all of our sins and then rose to heaven. He lives in my heart and I find his evidence in so many areas of my daily life. He gives me strength and is my rock.

We sat as a family and watched 2 Gaither Videos Friday evening. I am posting below one of my favorites.

Happy Easter, I miss all family that is not with us today. :)