YAY!

Let me be honest..
one thing I had been telling myself throughout this semester was..
"I just wanna get done with this marathon! and never do it again!"
...
NOT...
I actually LOVED every moment of the race.
Of course, it was not easy. However, it was one of the best experiences in my life.
The feeling of sprinting the last mile and running into the finish line was the best.
Congratulations to all the others who have accomplished this together :D

Jade

we did it!!

Guys,

So, it was pretty darn rewarding to check something as big as a marathon off of my bucket list. There were some points when I felt like I wasn't going to be able to finish, but by God's grace and my friends' and family's support, I crossed the finish line at 4:51. I'm still a little sore, but I suppose that being 19 helps with the whole quick recovery thing.

I've had so much fun running with you guys... Thank you Dr. Wright for all of your teaching and support. I look forward to seeing you guys around campus (not necessarily at 7:30 am)... Happy holidays, and congratulations to you all for being brave enough to attempt something epic! :-)

Thanks everyone.

Hello,

While not officially in the class, I truly appreciate being allowed to train and learn with all of you. I've enjoyed running with you and getting to know you. Congratulations to everyone! If I can ever do anything for you, feel free to drop by my office in the Physics Department. Thanks so much Dr. Wright for all of your encouragement.

Grace and Peace,

Rusty

We finished.

Congrats guys! I'm running the Austin Marathon on 2.14.2010. I hope to see you there.

S.

So, I finished the half-marathon in under two hours, after the soles of my feet started killing me at mile mark 6. However, I didn't really realize something was wrong, until someone came to me after the race and asked me if I knew my feet were bleeding through my shoes. I was bleeding from the first two toes on both feet and will end up loosing two toe nails. I honestly never thought that I would run more then 2 miles, being a sprinter my entire life, and so I was excited to perform as well as I did. I actually think that I will one day run the entire marathon. I appreciate everything Dr. Wright and am glad you were able to finish. 

el fin.

Okay, I never thought I'd be saying this, but running a marathon was kind of fun. I mean, I felt really exhausted at some points and I can barely walk today, but it was definitely worth it. I ran most of the way with Jade and Cindy, which was absolutely awesome! Having people you know around you to push you is so great. We would run three minutes and then walk for one minute, which worked out really well, I think. And Jade was running the stopwatch (I forgot mine), so that was a huge blessing that she did that for us!!!!! I was feeling pretty good up until mile twenty, and then I was like, 'Yes, almost finished, but not really because five miles is still quite a ways! Ah!' But you know what, who would have thought that random strangers could be so encouraging and convicting! Seriously, it was so awesome having those people there! They were so great. I also really liked the orange slices; they were also very encouraging. I'm back in Abilene now, so I'm going to break out the ice and see what I can do about all of these achy muscles!!!

Congrats everyone! You guys are just so great and class has been really fun with you guys....really, it has. I hope I'll see you around in the future (I may not recognize you unless you're wearing running garb and looking rather sleepy, but I"ll do my best).


Dr. Wright!!! It was awesome seeing you at the race! Your perseverance inspired me! Thanks for practicing/running what you teach. You rock (white rock, that is).

kristen

Dec. 7th 2009...thoughts from last week, though written this week.

Well!!! This post is for last week...I'm sorry I'm a little but behind. Well the week before the marathon, I ended up running about eight miles before feeling that I really needed to be studying instead of running. I did try to push myself at a faster pace than I normally do (so as to maybe make up what I lacked in distance...if that's even a valid thought). Anyway, a few days after that I played racquet ball with a friend for almost two hours; that was a really great cardio workout in disguise, and I woke up the next day feeling really sore, with a big ol' blister on my right big toe. Yikes! Not worry, though, it healed up really quickly. Whew. Also, I tried really hard to eats lots of healthy food during that whole pre-week. (jumping to present tense something......)At this point
I am beginning to wonder if Sunday the 13th is going to become the next Friday the 13th, or something like that. I am terrified and my goal is to finish in under six hours, five and a half if possible.
Anywho! Hopefully I'll see all of you guys around! Best of luck!

kristen

Recovery

Finish that marathon was awesome, but it really took a toll on my body. I started out at a very conservative pace and progressed through the run. That strategy made sure I didn't die at the end, but it meant that I had to pound hard towards the end. I ran the majority of the race with Wes, which was a real psychological benefit. It's amazing what teamwork can do, considering that running is technically an individual sport. I was really nervous about my knee, but thank God my it held up fine during the marathon. Immediately after the race, I felt pretty good, but as soon as I sat down in the car and then got out again, I felt really sore. I took an ice bath, which really helped. I would definitely recommend doing the same for anyone who ran. Hopefully the soreness will start to wear off tomorrow.

Preparing

To prepare myself, I've been doing more walking this week to give my legs a rest but still get up on my feet. I've been using my GPS watch to get a feel for the pace I need to walk/run at to finish within the 6:30 time limit. I've also been abstaining from sweets and carbonated drinks. Getting pretty nervous, but I did check the weather and the forecast is cloudy with a high of 68, which is pretty much perfect for me.

I DID IT!!!

Hey guys!! So on sunday dec 6th I ran the Austin Double decker half marathon!! I ran a half instead of a full do to injuries, but I did it!

It was about 34 degrees when I ran, and raining so the conditions were awful and when I finished I was freezing and soaking wet. The course was pretty much all hills from mile 5-11 and I was in a lot of pain but I still finished strong. I ran very slow though because of the conditions and finished in 2 hours and 32 minutes. Before the run I ate two protein bars, and didn't eat anything at all during the run so I was STARVING after. I drank HEED at every water stop, and there was about 4. I took 3 walk breaks for 3 minutes each at miles 4, 7, and 10. 1400 people ran this race and it was just so fun to be a part of. The race atmosphere makes everything different, but in a good way and its just great!

At the end I was so tired, and so cold, and so wet but so glad I finished-even though it was a half marathon. A few hours later the soreness kicked in and to this day (2 days later) my whole body is sore. My knees ankles, hips, and back really feel a lot of pain but I have been stretching and drinking a lot of water to get through the soreness.

My advice is to pace yourself, run with someone if you can, stay positive, and most of all HAVE FUN. This really was a great experience and I am SO glad I did it, even if I could only run a half.

Stretching and Nutrition

I have been stretching and working out my IT band consistently this week. It turns out there are some really good stretches and exercises to help in recovering from ITBS. I wish I had know about them earlier, but better late than never! My goal is to stretch three times a day, ice twice, and do strengthening exercises once. I don't imagine that all this will do very much to help me finish the marathon, but it is worth a shot.

I've started trying to watch my diet in preparation for this weekend. This has been a challenge, since tons from really bad but really tasty food has been offered to me. I've been doing well though. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to make sure to get 6-8 glasses of water per day to make sure that I'm fully hydrated for the marathon.

Looks like it will be great weather! Best of luck to all of you!

Hiding from the Cold

I really hate the cold, and therefore, I have did another workout in Powell, instead of trying to acclimate my body to the possibility of cold weather. Right now the weather channel claims that Sunday will be in the fifties, and I pray that it doesn't get any colder then that. Good luck to everyone that is feeling banged up. I have been in the very same position several times, while on the track team, and I know how disheartening it is. I hope you feel better and are able to show how hard you have worked this semester. 

Under the weather

Hey guys...
Sounds like there are some injuries and not-fun things occurring pre-race. I hope that everything goes as smooth as it possibly can for everyone.

Last week, I did a little running and walking on most of the days. Instead of running 8 miles last weekend, I had an ultra-fun basketball throw-down. I haven't done any running, and I don't know how much I'll be able to do, this week. I'm feeling a little sickly, and my nose and eyes are acting like running water faucets. So... sleep, fluids, repeat. A marathon is hard enough when you're healthy.

Best of wishes to everyone. I've really enjoyed being in class with all of you, and learning together along the way. Keep on loving... And be ready to scoop me off the side of the road in Dallas on Sunday. :-)

On Saturday I did the Run for Respect 5k on campus in lieu of the marathon. It's a good thing Dr. Wright let me do that because I only jogged about .5 of a mile before I had to stop and walk because of my knee. I ended up waking the rest of the race, which was freezing! Strangely, I was ok with walking the rest of the way and got to enjoy some good bonding time with my roommate and another friend. I would not have had that if I was worried about finishing as fast as possible. You learn a lot more when you just slow down, enjoy yourself and forget the fact that you are in something labeled a "race." Whether I finished in 25 minutes or 48 minutes, my money and support still went to the same cause, right? This semester has definitely been difficult not being able to run, but I have learned a great amount of patience and how to rely on other things beside my physical ability. Anyways, good luck to everyone on Sunday! I am hoping to be there cheering yall on!

ITBS

Well, I tried an 8 mile run today. At about 5.4 miles, my IT band syndrome returned in full force, and I had to stop. This is not an encouraging sign. I'm feeling pretty discouraged about the upcoming marathon, and I'm honestly questioning whether I will even be able to finish.

I'm also feeling a little stupid. I've been researching ITBS online, and I've found a variety of stretches and exercises that I could have been doing over the past month if I had recognized that what I am experiencing is a really common problem for runners and is NOT something that just goes away with rest. It takes intentional methods to get rid of ITBS, methods that aren't very effective if you start them the week before the marathon.

All that said, I just remind myself that in the grander scheme of things, my completion or non-completion of a marathon is not all that important. It is valuable for the things you learn in training and the relationships that are built along the way; but I like to think that I have learned some things this semester, both through training and through injury, and have built some valuable relationships. And when all is said and done, God is still God, we are His children whom He loves, and He is redeeming all the earth through his son Jesus. With that truth fixed firmly in my mind, I am ready for success or failure.

New Shoes

Hey everybody! One week until the big race! I hope all of your training (and now rest) is going well.

As you know, my knee has been giving me trouble for some time now. I talked to a very experienced marathoner and he said that my shoes were likely contributing to the problem and preventing my recovery. So I finally broke down and got some new running shoes. I took them for a 3.6 mile spin yesterday, and they felt good. So far, I have felt a little tension in my knee, but no pain anywhere near the previous level. I hope this means that they really are helping with the problem. A longer run will help determine that. I am going to try to go for an 8 mile run tomorrow, and then I will rest until the marathon.

On a less positive note, I was (not surprisingly) able to tell a huge difference in my level of conditioning due to the time off. I have dropped any illusions of a sub-4 hour marathon, and I will be very happy just to finish on my feet. :)

Best of luck as you continue to prepare by eating right and getting in a good state of mind for 26.2 miles!!!

Wes

I Hate Cold Weather

I know, I'm from the Washington D.C. area, but I still hate cold weather. Running just isn't fun when your whole body feels like your legs after an ice bath. The worst part is when you have to second guess yourself on whether or not to inhale because you know the frigid air will freeze your lungs. In my pre-meal prayers, I've already started adding a request for good weather on marathon day. On the plus side, I'm cleared to ride by bike on Saturday. I haven't been able to ride since October, so I will be doing some serious cross training over the weekend.

First Post!

So, I am officially a blogger. Anyway, I weight lifted today at Powell for about an hour, which is quite routine for me. I've average two to three visits a week, which is not as much as I would like, but it's all I have time for. 

Catching Up

Nov 16-19 - my foot was at its worst, so I pretty much just walked at least 2 miles each of those days. My hope is that I can at least walk the half if my foot, or my lack of training because of my foot won't let me run it.

Nov 21 - I biked about 4 miles around Lunsford. Would've loved to get off the trail, but it was getting dark and I don't trust Abilene drivers...maybe I am one, but whatever haha

Nov 23 - walked in class, foot not as bad, but not good

Nov 24 - biked for around 30 minutes through some hills...felt good to really use my legs

Nov 25 & 27 - walked with my mom for about an hour each night

Monday, Nov 30 - started our 25 mins jogging and actually made it about 7 mins before my foot bothered me just a little bit. I know by now to stop right when I feel it or it'll get bad...this is how it happened in the first place. But I walked the rest of the 25 mins and my foot didn't get worse after that.

And then today...we didn't have class this morning, but since its kinda semi- snowy outside, I think I'll go to Hendrick and use the eliptical today.

The Rumors are True, I'm a beach bum

For those of you that don't know me well, I am from a little paradise called the Rio Grande Valley. I live in a city near South Padre Island, TX. If your wondering, "Do you go to the beach all the time?" the answer is YES. I love the beach. I love the sun. I love wearing nothing but shorts and shades on the beach playing volleyball, I feel I could do that all day. The reality folks is that I'm living in Abilene,TX. It's pretty cold here.

In Abilene, my hands and ears are cold all the time, I get a running nose regularly, and I have to wear a jacket. Not my ideal way of living.

However, I realized something the other day.

I LOVE running in cold weather. Don't get my wrong, I am perfectly comfortable running in 80% humidity, but there is something special about running in 45 degree weather. Does that sound crazy? Absolutely. Let me explain.

Picture this: Its 6 A.M on a Saturday morning (my favorite morning during the week), its 39 degrees outside and the world is completely silent and completely still. You step outside and ask yourself, "Self, why are you doing this?!" then you remind yourself, "Because I am runner, I persevere." Sounds cheesy, but that's me. You begin running up College St, turn on Cedar Crest, then onto 18th street, then onto Campus Court, then off to running a very strategic route you carefully designed. As your running in the cold, your feeling like your gonna quit and turn around, but somehow you just realized that you just ran 1 mile. You keep running. Two miles, you keep running. Ten miles, your still alive. It is still cold.

Running in the cold is sort of like a test for me. How much do I really love running? If I call myself a runner I should be running whenever I planned on it and when it is safe to go out. Right?

There is something about running in cold weather that pushes me; that tests my passion about running.

Yes, I am a beach bum;however, I'm thankful for the cold weather in Abilene, TX. Go figure.

S.

April showers bring May flowers but what do May flowers bring?

Pilgrims!

Ahahaha. Just thought I'd share the most recent joke I heard. Anyways, I hope everyone had a good break and is geared up for the last TWO weeks! I worked out over the break, but since I am not running the marathon it is getting harder and harder to stay motivated. I still managed to get my daily dose of endorphins, though. On Wednesday I went on a hour long bike ride with my brother and did an ab routine and some pullups on the monkey bars at the playground. He was quite embarrassed. On Thursday (before the vast quantities of food, mind you), I rode our stationary bike for 30 minutes then did my brother's weight training program, which left me sore until yesterday. On Friday I walked for 30 minutes then took Saturday and Sunday off. On Monday I was back on the bike for 20 minutes. Today I became a fan of indoor machines when I looked out the window. Yay winter!

Enjoy the December showers!

Finally it works!

Hey everyone. I’m the idiot who works on computers editing videos every day and couldn’t get a blog login to work. Now it’s finally working so here are all the entries I’ve missed. No hard feelings for not being compelled to weather through them all.

November 4
The haircut I got yesterday makes running a lot less annoying. I was also able to get some warmer clothes from my parents’ house over the weekend, which helps. The 35-minute class run wasn’t bad. It’s nice to feel able in class runs now. I remember dying the first few mornings back in August and September. Walk breaks help a ton.

November 7
I ran 19 miles. It was killer, but it was so much better than running however many awful laps that would’ve been around Lunsford. Morgan and I ran from my house ( I live at the intersection of College and Lincoln) through the park (whichever one is off Ambler down past Hillcrest), down Ambler to Treadaway and then back to my house is a huge loop. Stopping by my house gave us a chance to snack on some Snickers Marathon Bars and drink some water. We were planning on doing the rest of our run around Lunsford, but I have come to resent that strip of sidewalk soo much. Haha. We ended up taking Lunsford to a right on Judge Ely and then running down Judge Ely until we hit the road that takes you down past MSJ and to the highway. Then we ran all the way back to my house and got more water and another bite of Marathon Bar. Then we still had to run a few laps around Lunsford to finish up our distance. It was crazy because we were both feeling fantastic until we hit that stupid trail and then we started aching. One thing I learned for sure though: don’t get off your walk break pace. We walked our entire last lap around Lunsford and it was worse than the whole run had been up to that point. I’m never doing that again.

November 9
The weather was fantastic today. The 20-minute run is class today felt great. It’s weird that 20 minutes is almost relaxing now. When compared to the 19 miles this weekend, it was an absolute vacation. Haha. I still wish I enjoyed running, but at least I don’t hate it anymore.

November 14
Ran for an hour today at home. I forgot how far I was supposed to run, but I didn’t feel like killing myself so I just took an hour and ran. It was really cool to run the same path I ran this summer, when two miles was murder. I was able to go so much farther and actually use the running sidewalk along Hall-Johnson (that’s a road right outside of my neighborhood). It was weird to run alone, but a lot of fun to get out and see the place I lived for so many years from a whole new vantage point.

November 19
Did some good cross training today. My bike was stolen off my porch a month or two ago and I finally got a new bike from a pawn shop so I’ve been able to ride back and forth to school and I’ve really felt it in my legs. Tonight though, I’ve did some sit ups and crunches for my core push-ups (because I always seem to pair the two together) while I watched a DVRed episode of Big Bang Theory. No explicit or focused leg workout, but I’m hoping the bike riding back and forth all week is making up for that somewhat.

November 21
The big one. The 20 mile run tonight was incredible. I can barely move, but I feel so accomplished. This time Morgan and I started from her house (on Ambler down past Wal-Mart) and ran away from Abilene, past the city limits and down a beautiful country road. We had to run back sooner than I would’ve liked to because the sun was going down, but watching the sunset was gorgeous. Then we ran down to her house where we had Gatorade and Marathon Bars and got a little refreshment. Then we ran down to my house, which meant running under the highway on the shoulder of all those busy roads, in the dark. It was horrifying. We made it safely, and got some water at my house. Then we ran the same route that we ran for our 19-mile run, except without all of the Lunsford laps. We actually ended up being closer to my house most of the time and isolated from our Gatorade and Marathon Bars. When we finished we were stuck at my house without a car, but got a ride back to Morgan’s. It was an amazing night and a personally gratifying accomplishment. God was incredibly gracious to carry me so far.

November 23
We played bucketball! I love bucketball! Running with purpose and competition and without a time limit or far-off distance to achieve is fantastic. The game was lots of fun and everybody played awesome. It really reemphasized to me how great the group of people in our class is. I kinda wish I knew everybody outside of class a little better, but the glimpses of awesome suffice quite well. ;) You guys rule.

November 28
I ran with my dad and my uncle, JR, today. We ran 4 miles and I don’t think I breathed out of my mouth or even sweated very much the whole time. The weather was great and the company was awesome. Both my uncle and my dad used to run a lot but have kind of gotten out of it. It was cool to be able to keep up with guys whose athletic abilities I looked up to and to even feel able to continue past the point where they chose to stop. I didn’t want to after they stopped, because that would’ve felt like it went against an unspoken “man-code” or something, but I really enjoyed getting out and running with my family after having such a feast only a day or two earlier.

November 30
Today I ran with Morgan around Lunsford Trail in the piercing cold. It was a nice jog until she started having some severe stomach pain. She went to the doctor and everything turned out alright, but it was really scary for a second. The run felt good, but was much colder than I would’ve liked. I like it to be brisk, but biting cold just makes it hard to breath, even on short 25 minute runs. It’s weird how different the runs were between today and last Saturday. I sincerely hope I am not losing my running capacity. This is no time for that. Haha.


So yeah, I don’t think I wrote those how everyone else did, now that I’m reading some of ya’ll’s. Hope anyone who read them wasn’t bored to death. I didn’t realize this thing was so conversational. Anyways, you guys rock! We are so close!

Take care,
-|- Lawson

Biking and Turkey

Hey everyone,

Well, my knee is still recovering (at least I hope it is!). I haven't been running in hopes that I can get over the IT band problems completely before the marathon. Last class, instead of running I spent 20 minutes doing a workout on a cycling machine. It felt good to get my heart rate up again after so long off, and it was a good workout for my legs as well.

I really did my best to watch my eating over turkey week. I limited myself to 2 sodas over the entire break, and I tried not to overeat too much at each of my not 1, not 2, but 3 Thanksgiving meals!

My goal is to try a short run tomorrow morning and test the waters. If my knee is feeling good, I will try to put in a decent workout this week, with a 5-7 mile run this weekend. Then I'll rest for the week before the marathon. Please be praying that my knee recovers fully!

Wes

Thanksgiving Runs

Well my knee seems to be improving slowly but surely. I got through two 30 minute runs over the break. The first run was a bit rough because it was my first run on asphalt after my knee started bothering me. The run started out fine, but I felt a little pain towards the end of the run. On my second run, my whole body felt much better and I was definitely able to keep a much faster pace while still being relaxed. Incidentally, my second run was three hours after my Thanksgiving meal. Both runs were all on either concrete or asphalt, and I felt like my form was different from my form on grass and dirt trails. After asphalt runs, my lower leg seems to be much more tired, and I feel like I have to put a lot more energy into absorbing impact in my lower legs. Hopefully my legs will be able to cope with 26.2 miles of asphalt.

Holidays

So I kind of slacked off during this Thanksgiving break, I was so busy with family I barley had time to work out. I ran about three miles on Tuesday night and did a run with my best friend yesterday, which was so nice because we used to run cross country together so it was just like old times. I know that I did not do much at ALL but I honestly think my body needed it. I have been going and going for so long with out proper rest that I was just tired. The break was a good rest for sure. I run the half marathon one week from today and I am so nervous! I wish I was not doing it alone! See everyone tomorrow!

Ashley

weather and eating healthy

I just came back from 8 miles running.
It was 47 degree F, meaning it was kinda of chilly.
I hesitated, but I thought it would be a good idea to see how I feel out there running in my shorts and a long sleeve shirt.
I thought running would warm me up soon.
But.. no.. even though I was sweating I felt cold till the end.
Now I know how to dress for this kind of weather if the marathon day happens to be around 40 degrees.
Since we have two weeks till the marathon and we just had Thanksgiving.. I thought yesterday would be the perfect day to start eating healthy.
I went grocery shopping and got good sources of veggies, fruits, carb, and protein.
If you see me eating at fastfood restaurants...please take my food.. :D
-Jade-

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a blessing this week has been! I think everyone really needed this break and it's been so good to finally relax a little! Finding time to squeeze in workouts this week has been a challenge, though, with all of the traveling around to see family. It seems funny to me now that yesterday's run was "just" nine miles. It seemed like nothing, when only a couple of months ago it would have been a big deal. We've grown a lot in this class! How awesome.
I did some Billy's Boot Camp for cross training! :) I highly recommend his workout video series to all of you...it's hilarious and lots of fun. Plus you get to attempt tai bo/karate/whatever it is and it makes for some good times, especially if you do it with friends.
I read this article about a guy from the Abilene area who just ran a 50 mile marathon (wow!) and it really got me to thinking. I definitely, absolutely want to keep running after this class is over, and probably do more marathons. But why stop at 26.2 miles? Just something to think about.
http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/nov/26/runner-feels-joy-pain-pride/

Turkey turkey

Friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving rest. It's nice not having to face any upcoming long runs... except for the 26.2, I suppose. That's coming pretty fast!
Wednesday I went for a beautiful swim at the Amarillo Town Club (I haven't had the chance to swim in weeks due to the water-ball festivities on campus), and Thursday and Saturday I ran a wonderful 5 miles. I also played tennis on Friday... It's a true gift and blessing to be healthy and to have the ability and opportunity to exercise/ train for a marathon. A true gift.

God is good! See you guys soon :-)

Catching up

Last two weeks have been crazy with school and jobs.
I had not been able to do weekend long run since 18 miles.
however, I have been keeping up with cross training (usually cycling for 45 mins) twice a week and running in class. On weekends, I ran 10 miles instead of 19 miles.
Finally this week I had all the time in the world.
So today I decided to run 20 miles, meaning 11.1 laps around the Lunsford trail.
I did 3 min run and 1 min walk break. so I didn't feel so tired till the 11th lap.
It feels great now and I am planning to take a day off tomorrow.
But on sunday I am going to run 8 miles or so.
-Jade-

I finally made it 20 miles last night. Yes! (therefore I did not feel guilty about eating a healthy helping of food today). I ran on the Lunsford trail, and I took walk breaks about every five minutes for the first 14-15 miles, and then I went down to every four, and then every three for the last miles.
I did take some ibuprofen before and after the run (i'm not a big fan of pain medication at all, but it did seem to help). I was surprised at how good I felt today. I iced my knees and my arches after running last night and so I think that helped a lot too.
Anyway, I hope it's about 34 degrees when we run the actual Marathon...that seemed like a really nice temperature to me.
Okay! Well, I hope you guys had a great thanksgiving. See you monday for our last week of class!
-kristen

Seeing as this is my last time on a computer (I hope) for a couple of days at least, I figured I would go ahead and blog. On Saturday I got to go to Mineral Wells and went on a 3 hour "hike." It was flat, of course, but called a hike nonetheless. On Monday I walked for about 30 minutes, and my workout for today is cleaning this house so I can GO HOME FOR THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

being healthy

So in attempt to really buckle down and get serious about this thing and also for weight management I have cut out all fast food, coke, and dessert from my diet. I have not had any of that stuff in over a week now and I can already feel a difference! By eating healthier and concentrating on protein intake I have been more energized and had way better work outs! This is ridiculously hard though because I work at sonic and get free drinks and half priced food.

As far as cross training I have done P90x almost everyday with an ab work out 2 days on top of it and the running (or bucket ball) in class. I really love P90x, it makes you work and you see results.

LONG RUN- since I am only running the half I ran 12 miles this week and actually felt decent. I try to take as few walk breaks as possible since I am only running the half. This time I took 3 walk breaks every 4 miles for a minute and a half. I felt accomplished when I was done! I am getting excited about running this thing! I am running a week before everyone else in Austin because my sisters wedding is the weekend of whiterock.. so my run is literally right around the corner!!!

A little late, but here goes!

So I know I was supposed to be blogging for the last couple of weeks, but I'm finally jumping on this bandwagon! Sorry! :)

My runs--especially the past couple of weeks--have been amazing. This class in general has been such a liberating experience for me. I had never been a runner before--well, I joined the track team in high school but was soon forced to quit because I was dealing with a serious eating disorder that was messing up my heart. So under doctor's orders (and after coming in last place at every track meet!) I stopped running. I've always been the kind of person that wants to do my best at everything I attempt, and running had since been the one area of my life in which I'd felt like a failure. So this summer I decided that I wanted to overcome that by training for the most ridiculous feat of physical stamina I could think of: a marathon. Before this summer, I couldn't run a mile nonstop. Last night, I ran a full twenty miles.

It's been hard work. There have been times when the thought of that 26.2 miles seemed overwhelming and impossible. But through this training I've been pushed spiritually, mentally, and emotionally--as well as physically. There's a kind of deep spirituality that comes when your body is being pushed beyond its breaking point; I'm finding that my best moments with God recently have been on my long runs.

Last night when I finished that twenty miles, I felt more empowered than I can ever remember. Even though my legs were cramping terribly, I felt strong and I felt like I could overcome anything. Throughout the whole run, I focused on my breathing and on connecting with God and feeling centered, and I finished in just over four hours--not fast I know, but a miracle compared to where I used to be. I feel like I am finally being good to my body, pushing it to build up rather than trying to tear it down.

I found this verse this morning while sitting in Sojourner's class at Highland:

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Morgan

Still Battling My Knee

Hey everyone! I haven't been blogging much lately because, unfortunately, there hasn't been too much exercise happening. Ever since doing 20 miles with Sam a few weeks ago, my IT band has been getting very inflamed even on short runs. So for the past week I've just been resting and icing.

After the conditioning workout this past Monday, my knee was feeling pretty good, so I decided to try to run around the track a couple of times. After only one time around, I could feel it beginning to hurt. It is definitely disheartening to not be able to run even a quarter mile pain-free.

Last night I went for a run with a friend of mine named Kendrick. We ran/walked around the Lunsford trail once. After those two miles, I could feel a little twinge in the knee, but luckily there has not been any prolonged pain, which is some improvement, I suppose.

As of right now, my plan is to still run the marathon, but I have dropped any time goals and will probably take very frequent walk breaks. Please be praying my knee gets better!

Keep running, and stay healthy!

Wes

Friends,

I'm not sure about you guys, but long runs on weekends render the rest of the week pretty laid-back... Ha, I honestly didn't do too much cross training besides walking this past week. I just attempted to run my 20-miler tonight, but only got to about 17.5... It was cold out there!

Looking forward to running this marathon with you guys... It's gonna be memorable! :-)

Ahoy.
I've been trying to do some more ab workouts and stretching since my knees have been killing me lately.
This might be a little dorky, but I found this video on youtube and it included a couple of ab exercises that I've never heard of before. So, if you're just dying to try some new ab workouts....well, be my guest!!! I liked this little video, and I hope you do too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9Ws7DpDoOY

How often are we supposed to write on this thing? I haven't since Monday but no one else really has either (minus Asa). Anyway, here is what I've done since then
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: 30 minute bike and circuit training
Thursday: 1 hour walk
Friday: rest

Travel safely this week. Happy Thanksgiving!

Rest

After my last long run two weekends ago, I decided to back of because of my knee. I've only run twice since then, but I've been doing a lot of cross training. For core strength I've been rock climbing and conditioning for rock climbing. For my legs and cardio I hop on my bike and do some pedaling. Tomorrow will be my first run in a week, hopefully my knee will be silent.

I love reading everyone's blogs! Sam, have I told you about marshmallow bananas? Well, what you do is split the banana (already peeled), fill it with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, wrap it all back up in some foil, and put it in the oven (whatever temp) until it's gooey. Yes, it sounds disgusting, but it changed my life. Anyways, my workouts for the weekend included a 45 minute walk on Friday, a 2 mile walk on Sunday and 30 minutes of the elliptical machine on Monday followed by some strength training. Keep up the good work everyone!

I love Bananas

I have always been fond of bananas since I was a little kid. Bananas with ice cream, chocolate, peanut butter, jam, frozen, almost any combination I love it. Since I started running more seriously, I noticed that my cravings for bananas has increased significantly. I go through about 10+ bananas a week. Bananas before a run, during a run, and after a run. I love bananas.

I recently read that bananas are actually good for runners. Bananas can have up to 500 milligrams of potassium, which can help you prevent cramming. If you guys like bananas as much as I do, it wouldn't hurt to start eating more of them especially before our big race.

This week I have done a 4 miles run on Monday and a 9 mile run on Wednesday. Just yesterday, I ran 20 miles. I thought I did pretty good, but two hours after my run I felt my leg muscles caught in a knot. Not fun let me tell you. I'm massaging my legs constantly; however, I still feel a knot. Hopefully, I can go to somebody soon who can give me a good stretch, or some good drugs!

Despite feeling a little hurt, I feel that I have become a stronger runner this semester and I look forward to a strong finish. I don't know how exactly how bananas are suppose to help in leg knots, but either way, I love bananas!

S.

weekend long run

Because I was unable to run the 19 miles last weekend, I completed them last night... Probably one of the most gorgeous nights I've ever run. It's a very interesting feeling to break your personal record for distance running on a weekly basis. 19 miles was very difficult for me... I don't know about you guys, but towards the end, all I could think about was FOOD! Post-run, especially the day after, I get this soreness that's so deep it feels like it's in my bones. I don't know if that's common... But anywho, running is a blessing and I'm constantly encouraged by all of you! Keep it up :-)

Long Run and such

So this week I came down with a pretty awful case of strep throat. NO fun and defiantly put a damper on my conditioning. However, outside the class workout I did manage to run about five miles total for the week and work in some yoga. That was all I could do because of the sickness.

Last night though I did manage to run 9 miles, it was very hard because I am not all the way well yet and my throat was killing me. I made it though! My hips are sore today but more so my lower back, I have to sleep on my back in order to be comfortable. Today I plan to walk a few miles to get the soreness out and the blood moving.

Last day I blogged for was Nov.9, so...

Nov. 10 I walked 3 miles with a friend...good social time

Nov. 11 we were in class...I think it was a 25 min run, but I made it about 5 minutes, felt pressure in my foot, and walked the rest of the time

Nov. 12 biked about 25 minutes

Nov. 14 walked about 2 miles with my sweet mom who is trying to be a diligent walker (hope I spelled that right)

And this morning....I woke up early this morning to run and first step out of bed, I felt my foot...ughhhghghg!
It's pretty unusual that I just wake up feeling it, so I didn't run...so irritating...but I did bike some hills for about 30 minutes just to get me breathing.

It's so frustrating, Dr. Wright! But I am learning a pretty good lesson about how little control I really have.

Life, GRE, school & a marathon..

Life has never been so different for me as it is right now..

The Wednesday twenty was so beautiful!!! Wow, does the different weather patterns show the beauty of our Creator! The run was refreshing & reminded me of something pretty interesting. The flog blocked my view, I could only see about 15ft in front on me. But I never doubted that the trail was going to not be there or that it would take me to a place of being unsafe. I ran confidently into the seemingly unseen.

I wonder if that confidence is available for us to run in as far as life goes. To truly not trust in our understanding of things or our sight of things, but lean on His.

..p90x everyday takes a tole. Have been faithful though. I say to myself, "The cost is worth the reward."

.. if I dont run 18 miles the weekend I will go on feeling defeated. Which is no longer an option.

Brittney Sky Newton

exercise update

Hello All,

Monday was a beautiful day to run, and I ran 35 minutes or so during class- morning runs are so refreshing. Monday night I played my first intramural ultimate frisbee game, and the other team suffered severe domination. :-) Tuesday we had our second game, and it was incredible how out of breath I became throughout the game. I suppose that short bursts of speed and footwork in different directions is very different than sustained, slower-paced endurance running.

The reason that I didn't run in class on Wednesday is because on Tuesday night, an opponent frisbee player and I both went up for the frisbee, and she came down right on my ankle. I heard it pop- never good. Anyway, it feels better today- we have our last game tonight, and then I will ATTEMPT to run 19 miles on Saturday night. We'll see about that.

The marathon is one month from Friday, by the way... Over and out!

just keep running... :)

Hey guys!!

Ok so due to some pretty serious injurious in my IT bands and lower back I will only be running the half marathon in Austin Dec. 5th because my sister is getting married on the weekend of white rock. So my long runs have been a bit different, this past weekend I ran 10 miles with walk breaks ever 2 miles for about 1 minute. My hips were THROBBING afterwards and I have started to have a lot of issues sleeping because the work I am putting on my back. However I have been trying to balance out the injuries by doing a lot of yoga, I usually do the P90X yoga program on Tuesdays and Thursdays then in class workouts plus ab and strength training. Hopefully I will be able to continue to push myself further and work out more with the injuries.

Well friends, I have decided to not run the marathon. I'm not too happy about it because running it was my biggest goal of the semester, but I can't physically push myself because of my knee. Has anyone not yet registered? By that I mean has a female not yet registered? Maybe we can work something out because I have paid $105 for this thing! In the mean time, I am still working out in any way possible. I rode a bike for 30 minutes yesterday and today I did the elliptical for 30 minutes and the Nautilus machines for 20 minutes. Stay healthy these last few weeks! Yall are doing awesome staying disciplined!

Log Blog!

Okay...it did post on my other blog, so here's what I wrote there

November 4 - 35 mins jog in class. Took frequent walk breaks (every 4-5 mins). Foot didn't bother me on the run, so that was great.
November 5 - walked 2 miles this morning.

Over the weekend, I ran about 6 miles. Today (Nov. 9) I ran 20 mins in class and it was a great day outside.

Stuff

I went home to the DC area last weekend and did my long run around a lake near my house. The weather was great, with temperatures in the low 60s. As recommended by Dr. Wright, I decided to try out those Cliff Shot thingies. I picked up three flavors, French Vanilla, Raspberry, and Chocolate. All of the flavors seemed to work and I felt good after eating them during my run, but Chocolate was the only flavor that didn't taste gross. On my run, I took a 15 second walk break every 5 minutes, and a 1 minute walk break every 45 min to down a Cliff Shot. I borrowed my dad's water belt, so I was able to drink some at whenever I wanted during my run. I think this really helped, but I'm looking forward to being able to have water handed to me every mile instead of having to carry the water myself. I've been behind on the running schedule, so I aimed for 18 miles at under 10 minute pace for my run.

I was able to complete my goal, but I was really hurting at the end. I made myself walk for a mile, stretched, and took an ice bath afterwords. The ice bath really made a difference, I would highly recommend them after long runs. If you don't have an ice machine, you still can get ice a couple of ways. First, you can just buy ice. Or, you can fill up 2 liter bottles of soda (which you get from a friend because runners don't drink soda) with water, put them in your freezer, and then cut off the plastic bottle and make use of the ice. Anyways, my knees really hurt the day after the run, which has never happened to me in five years of running. I was a little nervous about his so I decided to hold back on running until this Wednesday. Hopefully I can get through our last long run without any knee pain.

oh Boy! A Blog! I'm terrible at blogging....I guess it's time for that to change.
Well, the most I've run so far has been about thirteen miles. After about twelve I feel like my knees have been run through a hamburger grinder or something. I've been working on the new shoe thing (because I think that will help) but progress has been slow. I run in class with you guys, and I usually run 4-6 miles three times a week outside of class. But, new shoes should be here monday...looking forward to seeing how long I'll be able to go! I've gotta get some miles in...we've only got another month! Oh, and yoga is really great too. Three cheers for yoga. See you guys monday.

Running and Such

Hello all, this weeks has been pretty laid back as far as running is concerned. This past weekend Wes and I broke 20 miles which was pretty awesome despite the fact that we were extremely sore. I ran for 35 min on Monday/ recovery run, on Tuesday I took the day off because I could still feel a little ache in my joints. Wednesday morning I did a hill workout ( I ran the "hill" near Sherrod Apartments 4 times) which was great. Thursay and Friday I am resting in lieu of a workout because I plan on running 22 miles this Saturday! Its gonna be awesome. That is all I have to say about that. Peace.

Keep running. Stay Strong.

S.

Hi everybody. It's blog time. From this point until the end of the semester, please post twice a week. You can tell us about your training progress, new trails you've discovered, summarize articles you've read, thoughts and feelings about your upcoming marathon, asking for a running partner for your next long run, new gear or food stuff you've purchased, etc. This blog will also serve as your log for each week until December 14, 2009. On December 14, tell me your time for White Rock and how you are feeling now that it is over.