I ran today!

Yes, I did not XT but in celebration of my news I went out and ran! Yes, I raaan, I ran so far away... had to get away.

It felt great and I got in 3.5 miles. I liked running knowing what that ache was and not "stressing" about it. No pains other than a twinge and that is what Ibuprofen is for!

I am going back to work. Blog on Marathoners!

Oh Beautiful Shin Splints!!

I have never been happier to be diagnosed with shin splints than today! Yes... I have shin splints!

A little history: With my second marathon, I developed a stress fracture. Why? When I was 12 years old, I got run over by a '76 Monte Carlo and broke my leg really bad. Actually the bones came out in three places - really bad!

After my first marathon I ramped up for my next marathon with too much, too soon and too fast. I actually tried to run a mile at a 7 minute pace. I pulled my hamstring, didn't rest and it cascaded into a stress fracture. I still healed and I still finished the marathon and I started training for my third marathon in the January of 2006.

In the middle of the night, January 2006, I ran into the couch and little did I know, I broke my toe. I still trained and in the middle of the summer I felt something like my stress fracture on the opposite leg. Being skidish, I dropped way back, self-diagnosed a stress fracture of the tibia and hit the elliptical. I still did the marathon and I layed off until Christmas and started running again.

I started feeling the pain again and a radiologist friend offered to scan me to make sure. It's been a stinking shin splint. I definitely had one in 2005. But not last year and not now! How cool!

Yes, the shin splint is sore, but how do you like them apples?! I'm healed! I'm OK! I can keep running! cool, Cool, COOL!!!!

So what do you learn from this. I know what I'm talking about when I say to watch out for too much, too soon and too fast. I've made the mistakes and you can learn from them!

That's all for now! Blog on Marathoners!

Beautiful!

What a beautiful morning! The temperature was cool enough to wear shorts but I still wore the long sleeve shirt, fleece vest and a glove. I love this weather! I ran for 38 minutes and got in 3.5 miles and enjoyed my 2:1 walk:run interval. Nice!

I just finished eating my oatmeal taking my calcium and I am about to get ready for a long day in Vicksburg. I hope all of you are stretching before and after your runs and I hope you are focusing on the small steps, not the big picture! To sound like the Christmas Abominable Snowman and Kris Kringle - Put one step in front of the other and soon you will be walking out the door!

Blog on Marathoners!

One Hill in Chicago!

Do you remember that last hill on Saturday's run before you got back to the Activities Building? Up the last hill and you're home? Remember the hill - that is as bad as it gets in Chicago!

One problem - it is at 25.9 miles and is right before you turn the corner for .2 miles and the finish line BUT that is as bad as it gets. The rest is F-L-A-T!

We had a great meeting and all of you are so inspiring! We love leading Marathon Makeover and we (Robin, Matt and I) are here for you. If you need anything - anything - contact us. We are committed to your success!

Another week on the simple steps to marathon glory. Blog on Marathoners!

Mistake at Chic Fil A

OK... I went to Chic Fil A tonight to give Robin a break and I ordered food for Robin, Caroline (youngest daughter), Matt (should be our son) and myself. I didn't do well, I ordered a fried chicken sandwich (Combo No. 1) and was going to enjoy every last bite of it.

I got home and they left out my order!!! So, I ate a ham sandwich with lettuce and Kashi 7 grain crackers. I ate healthy!!! The Super Foods gods were watching out for me!

I didn't get to XT today so I ran for 30 minutes and listened to my daughter's rap music (KJ52) and had a good time running to "Yo Bref Stanks!"

I hope you all are doing well and how do you like my pacman game on my blog?

What a Wonderful Morning!

What a great morning to run! I had a great 3.5 miles run/walk and it felt great out there! I love this weather and yet the rain is coming.

Now I am sitting here eating oatmeal with wheat germ, blueberries and walnuts. Super Food! The exercise gets me ready for a long day and I am amazed at how expending energy creates energy! Get your time in!

Rested

I do believe I have caught up on my rest! I took today off and just did a little bit of work but mainly vegged out and relaxed. I needed it!

All of you are doing so well and I also know that many of you are beginning to experience some doubts. That is OK - doubts are to be expected. But if you have successfully finished one of the weeks of training you can do this. The weekly training is very doable and the Saturday training will gradually increase - gradually!

This is well within your reach and all you have to do is stick with it. What you are going to start experiencing is your stuff starting to surface.

Stuff is the stuff you stuff with stuff. What?

We all have things we have struggled with that we really don't want to face. So what do we do? We keep the stuff down by keeping busy, or staying lazy, or by over-eating, or over-working, or addictions, or many, many more things we do to avoid the stuff going on inside of us.

When we start the Marathon Makeover process the daily steps of getting healthy starts to shake loose the stuff that has been stuffed down. At first it scares us, but if we will push through we will get free of the stuff and move on to healthiness. Everything in us will try to revolt but don't let the stuff win!

I will podcast on this this week! Blog on marathoners!

42 Minutes - 4 Miles

I just finished 42 minutes in my favorite weather and did 4 miles. Listening to Reliant K on my daughters iPod and having a great rum/walk. Now I am eating a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon, walnuts, blueberries and little bit of brown sugar - yum! Yes, I've stretched and now I have to go to a professional conference for my marriage and family therapy CEU's. Whoohoo!

Please everyone, if you have been sedentary before MM, do not run yet! I know you are feeling good and thinking "just a little running" but wait, Wait, WAIT! There will be plenty of time! AND, if you have been properly fitted for your shoes, get them today! The proper foundation has to be laid to build a sturdy house.

You SHOULD be feeling some aches and pains - that is normal - just be sure to ice! Listen to my podcast on icing. Gotta run to the shower then to the conference. Do I hear a cold bath calling?

No Rain this Morning!

The early weather reports stated that Monday would be wet. I am so glad that it was dry this morning. I walked and ran for 40 minutes and enjoyed myself thoroughly. The rain will probably come in tonight, but then I can run tomorrow in the rain - it's inevitable!

I hope all of you are enjoying your training and a special thanks to Matt for redesigning the website and making it look all spiffy! Way to go Matt!

Saturday we will get into eating healthy and speaking of which, I almost blew it today. I was running late for a meeting and only had time to stop in McDonald's. I didn't get the Quarter Pounder with cheese - I got the grilled chicken wrap. Not bad! WWMD? (What Would A Marathoner Do?) as Onetta said - I ate healthier!

Small steps of healthy choices compound over time to success. There was a time when I would have upsized the Quarter Pounder meal and felt sick all day - BUT I am a marathoner and I make healthier choices these days... mostly.

Blog on Marathoners!

Cars and Bikes

What a great day! The meeting turnout was fantastic and to see all of you moving up and down my streets is awesome. We will get even more stretching info to you and be sure to post your questions in the Forum.

After the meeting, I took my twins to learn to drive. It didn't go well. Teaching 14 year old girls how to drive a stick shift and maneuvering on a hill is crazy. There were tears and frustration and an overheated car from all the idling - yikes. We will do it again and this time I won't cry! (Wait, that wasn't me.)

Later, I flipped to the other side of the coin and removed the training wheels on my youngest daughter's bike (7) and she learned to ride without the training wheels. She did it! It felt great to be able to run up and down the street next to her and experience this with her.

I am pooped and the two oldest are going to the Sadie Hawkins dance tonight. Yikes again! I'm getting older and younger at the same time. Teenagers make me older, 7 year olds keep me young and Marathon Makeover keeps me stress free (almost) and in shape.

Blog on Marathoners!

Got my tires balanced...

I got my tires balanced today. Well, actually it was my spine and legs. Dr. Virgil Taylor is my chiropractor and he is very good at keeping me all aligned and just right for the miles. Every few w eeks I like to go and get him to work me over and it really makes a difference when I'm out on the road. I like the fact that he has experience as a personal trainer and is a knowledgeable athlete. Dr. T will be there Saturday and you will get a chance to hear and see him demonstrate what we need to do to keep ourselves stretched and free of injuries.

I had a good run this morning for 38 minutes and did my 2:1 intervals. 3.5 miles whirred by and I felt great afterwards. I love running!

I am looking forward to tomorrow's day off but I am more looking forward to my daughter's induction into the Honor Society. Way to go Kate!

Blog on Marathoners!

XT 4 ME

XT on the elliptical is always a joy. I listened to the Los Lonely Boys and kept having to slow myself down. Saw Dr. Virgil Taylor and we discussed this Saturday. He is ready to go!

This is always a good day and I find it relaxing and a great prep for the rest of week. Running tomorrow, off on Friday and then the big day on Saturday. What a life!

I'm excited about all of you doing this and I love to read your blogs and see your stories unfolding. You can do this marathoners!

Road Rules!

Here is a link to a new podcast:

Road Rules!

Breathe Like a Baby...

I get asked a lot how to breathe when running or walking. Do I breathe through my nose? Can I breathe through my mouth? Here is the best answer:

Breathe like a baby!

Watch a baby breathe and you will see their little tummy rise and fall. They are breathing from their diaphragm. Deep breathing brings in the good air and circulates it throughout your whole body. Put your hand on your stomach and breathe and try to push out your hand. That's how you want to breathe will training. Through your mouth, through your nose, it doesn't matter. I breathe through my mouth - the key is not to go so fast that you are sucking wind!

This morning, I focused on my breathing and intervals. I ran for 2 minutes and walked for 1 minute and repeated that for 32 minutes. Funny thing, you would think that taking walk breaks would slow you down - it doesn't! I actually ran my mileage faster taking walk breaks than running the whole time and I recovered faster.

The intervals are good for your heart and will help you recover from the distances quicker. If you are not running yet, just go a little faster for some intervals.

You are marathoners and you are doing this! Keep it up!

Brrrrr!

Did you see the headline on the Drudge Report? "Windchill 30 Below: Chicago"! I am so glad we are not running the marathon in February!

Usually the marathon starts at about 45 degrees and warms to high 60's. Last year was colder but also started two weeks later.

Yesterday was a great day and also felt like a blur! So many of you were there and I am so glad that all of you are training for the marathon. Throughout the training, you may be tempted to let some early aches and pains discourage you, but it is par for the course. Your body is going to react some to the changes you are going through.

Homeostasis - to remain unchanged - is the word (and concept) you must understand. It is the nature of any system to try to remain unchanged. As you begin your changes, the systems around you will exert pressure for you to revert to the old status quo. Your body, friends, family, etc. will all do their best to dissuade you from the changes you are making. If you will persist and break through the systemic resistance, you will achieve a new "status quo" (health), and your body, family, friends, etc., will seek to maintain that new way of life.

Keep focused on the simple steps and if you face and problems or have any questions, let me know. Also, use the Forum to post questions and let others in on your journey. If you are wondering about something, others probably are too!

Finally, when we get together on Saturdays, do your best to introduce yourself to new people and learn about their story. I already learned that Stan and Anita Hilton have quit smoking and are a week smoke free. Way to go!

Share your stories and let's do this together!

Slashing Tires and Making Up Days...

If you get a flat tire, I doubt any of you will get out of your car and slash the other three tires - that wouldn't make any sense. No , you would get out the spare, jack your car up and replace the flat tire. No big deal, just a minor inconvenience. The thought of slashing the other three tires is ludicrous.

Throughout this marathon training, you are going o have some blowouts. I've anticipated those in my schedule and I want you to know that is nothing to stress out over. When the blowouts occur, don't slash the whole program, or the rest of the week, just fix the flat by getting back on the horse the next day. That's all you have to do.

If you blow a meal and gorge on a whole pizza, don't gorge the rest of the day. Fix the tire and eat healthy the rest of the day. We ALL will have blowouts - that is to be expected. No biggie! Don't quit!

Just as it is important not to slash the three other tires, it is imperative that you don't try to catch up for lost time. If you miss a day to work or other things - you missed a day. Let it go! Don't try to make it up. It is passed and you can get back on the horse with the next training day.

Perfection is not needed in training for a marathon - just progression.

Met a Friend on the way

I was hitting one mile this morning, when off in the distance I saw a familiar frame. It was Scotty Rogers. He turned, I turned my ipod off and the two of us went two more miles together - running, walking and much talking. This is what I love about chance encounters along the marathon training journey.

I enjoy the conversations in my head and the serendipitous ones with friends. The weather felt great. I walked backwards down my street and worked out the shins. I am looking forward to Friday off.

See all of you Saturday at 9AM at the Jackson Baptist Healthplex.