monday's frigid run

stats:
34.30min
3.09miles
11.10min/mi avg
8.16min/mi best

brrrrrrr! a colder than cold 30 degrees out today when we went for our run. i say "our" becuz my young son, who, SPORT THAT HE IS, rode his bike along w/ me on "my run" but after stowing his bike in the back of the van, he JOGGED w/ me for .7 miles! yeah for him! first time ever! i was teaching him how to run heel to toe and breathe easy, etc. he did ggggreat! made my heart swell cuz i envision us doing that for yrs to come! i'd like to enter events w/ my family in yrs to come!

man, my legs felt sooo tired! i felt like it was all i could do to imitate a cross country skier! i could barely lift one leg in front of the other the whole way! whassup w/ that? it might have something to do w/ this chest cold i'm still fighting! ugh. but i'm determined to still go out there and run becuz i'm sure of exercise's BENEFIT to my health!!!!

God Bless y'all! ~kt

Portland Beautiful

stats:
46.06min
4.36mi
10.35min/mi avg
6.20min/mi BEST

Well, we made an impromptu trip to Portland day after Thanksgiving. Our Portland relatives came to TriCities for the big celebration. My dear son LOVES my young cousin (they are same age) and had so much fun playing...we decided to elongate the visit by following them home! Quite outta the ordinary. But it seemed doable so we talked it over and made our move. Dear sweet, SEXY hubby stayed home...to work...but we hit the road, jack.

So here we are in their GORGEOUS new home...trying not to covet. I do miss this area. Have always loved it. Alas, do NOT miss the rat race! Traffic, i mean.

But dear Unca Dean took me downtown today in BEAUTIFUL, abnormal, clear weather and we parked and took a 4 mile run...thru downtown, over the steel bridge, along the "Eastside Esplanade" and back over the Hawthorne Bridge. Quite the run. All the more aerobic and interval-y by the stops and starts whilst on the city streets (lights and traffic). We finished strong w/ HILLS, thankyouverymuch. As usual, I'd say he "kicked my butt" cuz it was hard. But our pace was pretty normal for me.

I'm fighting a chest cold AGAIN, and i have lost my voice! First time in my life. It's pretty impairing! So, this a.m. I took a dayquil, then drank lots of my auntie's coffee....she doesn't mix it w/ decaf! Then the run...and afterwards I was pretty puny for a couple of hours. I still feel a little shaky! Weird! I guess i really tone down our coffee more than i thought!

UPDATE ON THE KNEE:
I'm hesitant to write anything too soon. I don't believe in jinxes or the like...BUT... i just don't wanna report too soon. I'm extremely WARY after my knee episode... i've been slowly running.... just 2-4 miles...and i'm following aforementioned sexy dear hubby's advice and running every other day. So, basically I've cut out one run a week. Well, truth be told, my knee feels TERRIFIC. Whassup w/ that? Miracle healing by God? That's what it has to be! Thank You, Lord! You are the mighty Healer. All glory to Him....in all areas of my life. I'm so ever-thankful.

love my enell, love my Brooks Beasts (shoes). ran 2 times this wk SANS ipod! big deal for me.

g'nite, all. ~kt

Turkey Trot

stats:
31.36min
3.07mi
10.18min/mi avg
best: 7.32 min/mi (?WOW! i'm still not so sure how it calculates this! =) i highly doubt i'm running a 7.32 mi but, that's what the display reads, so i'm recording it here)

Well, did my 2nd "road race" in one month...after not running one in 9 yrs! It was the Thanksgiving "Turkey Trot!" Cute, huh? Fun fun fun. ** a TON of PEOPLE there! **

I planned to run it all along...thought, what better way to get a workout on the day you spend mostly lazing around and eating! So a few wks ago, called my unca Dean, whom i knew would be in town, & asked if he wanted to run it w/ me. He was the ONLY fam member i could think of who'd be up for it. Turns out I shoulda asked a few more folks...if only for the walk. But i think they woulda had to pay $10/ea. No, i guess they just coulda walked the path on their own. ANYhoo, despite FRIGID temps, we did our little 3mile run in 30 minutes. It was fun and a ggggREAT way to start the day! THANKS, DEAN!

We were going along just fine, nice casual 10/min-mile....for about 2.5 miles. Oh, sometimes it showed 9, but mostly 10. Then about 2.5 miles he starts picking out peops ahead of us to "take!" Okay....I'm thinking....uh, nope, there's no "kick" in me! But I pushed myself to stay w/ him and each person he picked, we passed! So there!

I love being a runner w/ my 58-yr-old uncle!
Fun fun fun.
Thank God for our freedom, for our food, for the roof over our heads! We are so thankful today!
bye4now,
kt

Tues

stats:
3 min walk b4 and 3 min aft run
35.24 min
3.17 mi
avg 11.09min/mi
best 7.36min/mi now, that's more like it...and i KNOW when those times were!
in heavy traffic, on main roads. UNDER PRESSURE! then, once i hit the back streets i pilter out and die~! plus i had a homeward stretch never-ending hill!

but GUESS WHAT? i always knew there were some sort of bike/motorbike trails behind our neighborhood! well, i went out to them and 'ran' them 1/4 or so of my run today. i ended up coming out in another neighborhood, then running around and back home. pretty cool. break from the norm and SORT of better for my joints, RIGHT? it was SOFT at points. not too easy. and lots of little tiny hills (for the bikers to jump, i guess). i wish i could wear my contacts. i think i'll try the next time i try those again. my eyes were all watery cuz of the cold and i REALLY had to focus on the ground! i even saw coyote footprints. what do they do/where do they hide during the day? i hear them at nite. did i feel eyes on me? nope. just eyes peering out of windows of houses! THAT is the IRRATIONAL fear...the coyote fear would be more rational, eh?

so, i've now done a trail run...such that it was!

God Bless you all!
kt

Sunday

stats:
42.06 min
4.10 mi
avg 10.29 min/mi
best 4.10 min/mi whaaaaaaaaaaaat? wow I was bookin/smokin OR the cold affects my garmin!

7 min walking 5 b4 and 2 aft...not much, huh? i just can't seem to walk for long!
what i need to do is run my mileage but END like a mile from home or the car!


i'm starting my EVERY OTHER DAY program. don't know for sure how to do the miles. but i'll look at the marathon guide and modify it for me. i'm just really dropping ONE of the back to back days. i guess i'll have to do like a long run every 4th day? every 5th? i need you amber!

i'll figure it out. but i'm SCHEDULING it! same w/ eating plan! thx amber!
God Bless and to Him be the glory!

kt

AMBER'S Marathon

WOWEEE!
Our Good Friend, Amber, has RUN her marathon! She ran the Philidelphia marathon today!
This person...whom I know...who only began running THREE months ago...
has, today, completed her first marathon! TWENTY-SIX point TWO miles!
She only walked for THIRTY SECONDS the whole race!
She did have to stop and WAIT at a port-o-pot...for an interminable SIX minutes!
But other than that, NO OTHER WALKING! ! Isn't she amazing?
I AM SO PROUD to know Amber!
I want to be like Amber!
She is actually coming ALL THE WAY OUT HERE (WA state) in April for a marathon.
I hope I can do it w/ her... or at least the 1/2!

Yeah, Amber! YOU GO! and don't let any post-marathon-stuff get you down!
keep running...lite !

God Bless y'all!
kt

Little Walk

walked today, just a little short walk. just from one friend's to a relatives where my fam was visiting.
misty outside. CCCOLD!

stats:
21.14min
1.46miles
14.32min/mi

it was weird, sometimes it would say i was walking 20min/mi and sometimes 9. i don't think my pace changed all that much. it might have been the extreme cold affecting my garmin!

God Bless you all!
kt

IT'S A NEW DAY (and i thank God for the weather)

(that's a song btw)
well, I HAVE STATS TO REPORT once again!
22:27 minutes (running SLOWly)
2.02 miles
11:06min/mi avg
9:01 best min/mi

also walked b4 and aft (my new thing) a total of .77 miles...so my week total? a WHOPPING 2.79 miles! WHOOOO-HOOOOOO!!! =) ah well. it's sumpin'.

i have had THE hardest time getting back into it. since i began running in earnest, at the beg. of this fall, i had a little daycare charge--in mornings--before her p.m. kindergarten started each day. well, THAT was GOOD for my SCHEDULE. not so good for the family as a whole, but GOOD for my schedule, cuz it got me up and out EARLY each morning. when she was done, and after my race, it all fell apart. ugh. somehow, also, thru my injuries and nursing them back to health, i could NOT stay on the bandwagon of good eating habits. (there, i'll put it that way. U don't need 2 know the gory details.) i've also (and it's ALL intertwined) gotten into the very bad habit of staying up to watch t.v. ugh! i have CUT this out before and life is SO much better. i found myself, the other nite, watching law and order (SVU) feeling like i was meeting with my FRIENDS. like i KNOW that girl detective and Stabler. (& look: i know HIS name and not her's! yet it must be becuz it's easier to memorize, i really feel more like FRIENDS with HER, NOT him) isn't this WHACKED? good grief, gerdie! YUK. i can't stand it!

yet when night falls, and i tuck in the last kiddo, I TURN STRAIGHT TO THE TUBE. we don't have any cable to speak of...so it's just whatever show is on cbs, nbc, or abc. i've been glued to csi (every nite? used to only be thursday nite, las vegas, and that's still the only one i REALLY like: that guy who plays horatio is SUCH a weirdo and is SO full of himself and then the NY one: the guy who played Dan in Forrest Gump WON OUR HEARTS in THAT movie but he is SO LAME in csi:NY!!!! alas, i still watch); ER (i switch back and forth, yet record csi:LV for brad for later); w/o a trace (longtime fav!); THREE WISHES (the best since popcorn); and NOW I'M ALSO stuck (sorta) on supernanny. ugh! what am i turning into?????????? come sat i'm a little befuddled cuz i don't have a nitely show to watch. yet we have determined i should be in bed no later than 9:30 to have a run in the a.m. and a good day the next day!

[did you really need 2B involved in all that?]

oldhall posted on my blog that his wife's ipod had trouble on cold mornings. i have yet to have probs w/ that pc of technology. it is ggggreat! but my garmin i noticed was a tad affected by the coldNESS this morn. it worked but seemed to be a tad slow changing screens/functions. i could be wrong, but it seemed that way. funny thing is, i CAN cover it w/ my sweatshirt and it seems to not affect the gps signal. weird, huh? so, i do that, then uncover it occasionally to let the satellite get to it...(might be in my mind).

the garmin wasn't the only thing affected by cold this morning. OMYGOSH. my legs, i think, were frostbitten! i ran in shorts (okay, dumb) and came home, KNOWING my legs would be red and cold...that's okay, but i sat in ds's room, warming up and talking to him, and they began to ITCH!!!!!!!! ugh! like ccccrazy! it was awful. i tried not to scratch too much and in the steamy shower, later, i lathered them w/ baby oil. no more shorts. stupid! i just hate getting too warm.

AND THERE WAS MY ENELL! yeahooo! it feels a tad stiff but that will change. i did read on the instructions that you should NOT use fab.softener when washing. i'd forgotten that bit of info the longer i had my other enell. so, i'm back to wearing one bra (count 'em, sarah and amber) yeaHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! i did not even know i had a bouncy chest whilst running. woopty wooo!

here's to saying NO to temptation today--pray for me and i'll pray for you --if you tell me who you are. say No to:

1. sugar/flour
2. eating beTWEEN meals
3. staying up to watch the tube (the alternative is taping and watching W/ dh on sat nite)

God Bless

kt

Where has the week gone?

dear diary...
i have walked a few times this wk, but have been neglectful in writing, i suppose.
so, now it's Sunday. my shin pain seems to be gone. i've had off and on heel pain all wk,
but dealing w/ it nicely. SHOES SHOES SHOES! ALWAYS wearing shoes these days!
good thing i was able to find cute (enough) ones!

i still think i'll go back to A-1 sometime this week, tho, and see if i can change out my
Beast running shoes for a LESS WIDE width! it's cccrazy how wide they are.
when walking, TEN TOES would fit in one toe box! isn't that a bit silly? it's kinda hard to tell, since i'm not doing a LOT of mileage at the moment. but it's enough to make me a little paranoid. that would be paranoia that i'll RUN OUT OF TIME to take them back. sooner the better, i guess.

now, i guess my dilemma would be whether to just go for it again: try to run 2-3 times this wk, slow, steady 2-3 miles each time. or maybe run 2 times, walk 2 days. perhaps walk 2x a day? whatever it is, something each day, but slow and LOW enough to not overdo it...on my legs. it's a bummer cuz i WANNA work out my heart and off this flab...and i CAN do it...if it weren't for my shins, knees and heels!

i guess i had BETTER take care of THOSE and take it slow. or i won't be doing ANYTHING!

and, good news, for those of you who follow: ENELL is officially paid for (actually came OUT of debit acct this time! and i actually talked to a LIVE person!) and ON IT'S WAY! wowee, huh?
so, there is hope, gals...those of you who WANT one! =) i'll keep ya posted on that.

happy bday, my beloved, beauteous daughter, J! 7 on tuesday. you are my sunshine!
kt

Sore shins, sick kids

i've been slow to write, of late...sick kids, etc.
STILL.
well, i've had shin pain the last 3 days.
today i did my walk down to the tannery and back.
my legs felt great the rest of the day and tonite.
methinks I will be running even less than i originally thought!

okay, switch gears...turn into a walker for now.
can i do that thru the winter?
one thing I realize around here of late...
the days are pretty nice in the morning...but EVERY afternoon it turns cold.
so i need to TAKE ADVANTAGE of the morningtimes!

my ipod, btw, is a little white number...size of a stick of gum. dunno what else it's called.
love it!i think it's like 500+ bytes, or giga or something. it's a "528" i think. whatever that means. my bro has a friend who picked up some "skins" in an airport gadgets store. so, dear bro bought ME a pack and sent it. there is a leather case w/ a finger ring, and a rubber 'skin' w/ a lanyard, stuff like that. i use the plastic one mostly. THANKS, G!

on the marathon front...AMBER'S marathon is coming up! go Amber!
Did i report that C (here) qualified for the Boston at our local marathon a couple of wks ago? so C and H are planning a trip to Boston in April. would you believe they CAN'T WAIT?? i'd be happy for the reprieve!=)
God Bless you all!

To Walmart

Stats:
1st "lap": walk 1 (warm up and to get to a good place to start...mostly flat)
17.47 min; 1.16mi; 145 cal

2nd "lap": run:
45:39 minutes
4.12 miles
11:05min/mi avg
8:07min/mi best
534 cal burned!!

3rd "lap": walk 2 (cooldown)
9.29 min
.47 mi
61 cal

i guess that was 72.15 minutes all in all! yeahoo!
have i mentioned that i love my ipod and my garmin!
this time i even ran w/ my new and improved cell phone!
i actually got a call on the run but didn't take it.
i couldn't huff, puff, take a call, and keep an eye on traffic.
my bad. =-) (i called dear bro back later)

my deal today was trying to kill 2 birds w/ one stone. i like that. my run was to end up at walmart, shop, then have dhB pick me up, pay for items and drive us home! Thus the cell phone. Had to bring it. Also, it is cold here, already, in November. So, since i knew i'd be sweaty, then get cold w/ wet shirt, i wore my pullover jacket-thing around my waist. had to wear my long run.tights, then my big shorts (dh's) for the POCKETS. (pockets for my ipod and my cell phone.) i decided to leave the checkbook at home....part of the reason i needed B to come get me! i suppose, someday i could run w/ some sort of fanny pack. but can you imagine the sight i made as it was?? i almost didn't make it out the door.

but i sucked it up, took some encouragement from B, faced my paranoia and headed out the door. (oh yeah, i wore my hat. nice cover.)

of COURSE--AS ALWAYS--it felt great as soon as i got going. at least, the walking part. the jogging wasn't all great. but i kept it slow and easy. i had one LOOOOOOng hill. a little bit of traffic. can't get away from 'cambered surfaces.' sidestepped the roadkill (thank God only one of those...and NO SKUNKS! yeahoo).... tricky overpass to cross. but all in all...a good, relieved run!

icing right shin tonite. no great knee pain! yeahoo!

i'm thanking God for my legs again! i am ashamed of any complaining, previously. pls forgive. ick. i HATE complaining! it is for whiners. even when in pain, at least i still had my legs. at least i could still get around. so what if i couldn't run a while? good grief. BE THANKFUL. Live in Thankfulness and appreciation! God is Great! and Greatly to be Praised!

ps: wow! i really DID make a sight. i was REALLY yucky. B actually was lying when he said i didn't look that bad. but i love him for it. he was right: what are my choices? go on looking like that and feeling a little yucky-looking, get it over with and feel great afterward....or let it stop me, stay indoors, do no exercise and feel yucky afterward?????

now i ask you!
'course, we did the right thing. (me w/ God's help!)

www.TheFatManWalking.com

Animal lovers, readers of author James Herriott, all my family members....
you MUST read this guy's most recent journal entries. "TheFatManWalking" is a diary of a guy who is walking from San Diego to New York...a spiritual journey of sorts and also cuz he needed to lose a couple hundred pounds.
Anyhow, of late he has had some encounters w/ animals that I found HI-larious! Gotta go there! Type it in or use my link on the right.

Funny!

BMX track

dh was a 'FUN DADDY' today and took his whole family to a local bmx bike track! you know, w/ lots of packed-dirt hills, jumps, curves, etc. it was a first for this family and the kids (and daddy) LOVED it! all fighting colds, but you know i'm a believer in good fresh air being BENEFICIAL! so, they couldn't get enough! i took my bike, hoping to cross-train by riding ... SOMEWHERE...but not on the race track! well, i rode around for a BIT w/ KK(4) but it wasn't what i'd call cross-training....or even a bike ride! that's okay. i did jog the course one time. nice hills! hurt my shin. hard packed dirt.

the track cleared (all the other 8 or so riders left), leaving just our family....and whatta blast they had! JJ even rode on it after LOTS of coaxing! KK (only 4) even rode it at her own pace, WITH TRAINING WHEELS! she had to get off about 3/4 way up each hill and push her bike, but in the end, SHE is the one who cried when time to go! dh B did it about a million times too! on N's bike! (we brought 2 bikes of N's size) his legs were pure jelly.

so, with snot running down their faces the FINALLY called it quits. we came home and daddy built a fire, mommy made sloppppppy joes, and we called it a fun-daddy day! =)

NYC Marathon

wowee! i'm GLAD I turned on the tube just now!
i got to see the END of the nyc marathon. i have some questions, tho!

i don't understand how they got the men to finish later than women, tho the men's times were shorter. they had to be on the same course, cuz when the top men were finishing, i saw a woman in the FOREground...and she wasn't a top finisher...and she was aHEAD of the guys. so they must stagger the start, for some reason (televised purposes only?) w/ the gals ahead of guys..like an hour? 1/2??? THEN in one shot, i saw on the screen where the paths diverged. did they have the guys take a different route? if so, that'd be hard for the pairs of husband/wife runners or whatever. but surely that can't be the case.

another question i have is did anyone see the 2nd place runner (susan?) as she was running, when still in 1st place, PUKING as she ran?? that was lovely! i can TOTALLY imagine feeling that way if i was running TWENTY SIX miles...and she wasn't running like i do. she was SPRINTING. how does a body sprint for TWENTY SIX miles????? I ASK YOU!!! I just don't see how it is physically possible. perhaps that is just ME! someday, right?

oh yeah, & SHE DIDN'T GET A BIT upon herSELF! i can't say as much for the folks behind her, tho i didn't actually SEE anyone get spewed on. it was pretty colorful & interesting!

those are my thoughts on that...answers, if you have them, please!
kt

"BEASTS" too big

okay, a few posts ago, in describing a walk, i mentioned wearing my "too big BEASTS." when dh read that, he thot I meant my 'too big' hmm-hmms. ta-tas. chesteseees. nope. my BEASTS are not my boobs! my BEASTS are my Brooks Beasts, my running shoes. I described, a while back, my new running shoes. Bought from wonderful people at A-1 Shoes in Kennewick, WA. They really are great shoes. In spite of the fact I'd never run in them, I was able to run my race (6.3) in them and they were great. I was worried about this cuz in just walking around the house in them, the toe box seemed way too big. In factoid, they fitted me w/ WIDES! And I NEVER buy WIDES! IN factOID, they sold me 2E which, i think, is double wide! Whassup w/ that? Well, they are way big. He actually went DOWN 2 sizes lengthwise, but up 2 widths. Well, to walk around, this would not work. But on my runs...it ends up working out. Dunno. Don't understand. But somehow...

i read about blisters from too-big shoes. no problems as yet. of course, except for my race day run of 6.3 miles, i haven't run more than 3 in them! and i've walked 2. so, we're still talking small potatoes. A-1 has a great return policy (it's Brooks) so if i have any trouble, i'm sure they'll take 'em back. But if i can, when i can run more, if i have trouble, i think i'll try 2 pairs of socks.

and that's all i have to say about that! (some of you are SO glad!)
love ya!
kt

Fun nighttime rituals of parents

Stats:
3.02 miles
36:16 minutes
12:01min/mile
best: 8.01 min/mi
366 cal burned

I did NOT get up and meet the gals today in the park to run. Am not even sure they met. Felt bad but we are ALL (mi familia) still fighting this cold. Makes nites pretty NONrefreshing. Wake up off and on to a THROBBING head and a throat that, IF i CAN swallow, feels like KNIVES going down. So, when the alarm ALARMED (emphasis on LOUD) went off, i'd of course JUST gotten settle down to some REAL sleep and couldn't make myself get dressed to go. Of course, i REGRET it! I LOVE the feeling of HAVING DONE it! But nope. I even had all my clothes out. And i purposely have my aLARM clear across the room so i have to get up to turn it off.

As an aside (so i am not just rambling endlessly) my 'sleep' (i use the term loosely) is already broken up in the following manner: anywhere from 2-4a.m., Sam, the one cat we let stay in the house at night, awakens me by meowing, purring, and alternately walking all over my body and jumping off and on the bed. After a while of this fun activity, I get up, take her downstairs and put her out in the garage w/ the other two purring felines. I then proceed to ds N's (9) room, and ATTEMPT to awaken him to go the the bathroom. This proves to be a feat, since, for instance, last nite he sort of half sits up and keeps saying, "i don't know what you're talking about!"
Me: "i just want you to get up and go to the bathroom." (i pull the covers back)
He: "i don't know what you're talking about!"
Me: "just get up and go to the bathroom." (i bring his feet outta the covers)
He: "i don't know what you're talking about!"
Me: "get up, honey, and GO TO THE BATHROOM." (i start to TRY & pull him outta bed)
Finally, he gets it, leaves and i fall into his bed.
(mom, does this encounter remind you of anyone? auntie susu, what about you?)

Then, I go up and awaken dd J (almost 7). She is MUCH easier! She wakes immed., I guide her to the pot, then i tuck her back in.

Then there's dd (4) K. Well, she's already moved in to our bed for the nite. I do have to drag her limp body up into my arms...while she stays asleep. She's like a rag doll. I put her feet on the floor but she crumples right down. This SORT OF wakes her. I prop her on her feet (she's just too darn heavy to carry around in the middle of the nite anymore!) and guide her to the bathroom. In her slumber (I don't think she ever woke up!), she DOES now pull her own pants down! Yeahoo! She sits, falling forward ( I think she STILL slept!) and then i wipe. (details details!) Now, if i carry her to her own bed, even tho she never seems to awaken for the potty, she KNOWS i'm not putting her back in mine, and starts wailing! Anyone who knows her, knows this is the highlight of my life. Dealing w/ my screaming meemie! (i made that up=))Then, some nights I just don't fight it at all and just take her straight back to my bed! This was one of those nites.

THEN I get to go POTTY (will we parents ALWAYS call it that???)(yep, even when they're 15!) and tumble back into bed.....MY LITTLE SLIVER OF BED SPACE!!! =)


now, i'm NOT COMPLAINING. i LOVE my life. and i LOVE being a mommy. i don't even MIND these mid of nite rituals! i'd much rather that then the LOADS AND YARDS of laundry when someone pees the bed! UGH, YUK, DOUBLE UGH!


ALL THAT TO SAY, i did not meet girls to run. BUT, after daddy left for work, i bundled up the kiddos, packed 2 bikes and a scooter into the van, headed to the park-w/-path for a WORKOUT! (yes we're sick...but exercise is GOOD for sick people!....their ears were tucked under woolen head bands, mittens and coats on, and j even had 2 prs of sweats on!) I got to slog/run/jog and the kiddos rode and scooted! You can see by the stats it wasn't so bad.

AND THE GARMIN IS SO GGGGGREAT! no more guesswork. No more "okay, the NEXT landmark...no, I'm here, i can make it to the NEXT landmark" always wanting to go FURTHER, so after i turned around and ran back, i'd be sure to make it past 30 minutes and it will have been over 3 miles and i could feel good about it! NOW, i could run 1.5 miles and turn around. I knew the kids (poor N on the scooter...it's harder than it seems. And K on the bike w/ training wheels...tho she's a sport, sometimes her little 4 y.o. self just gets tuckered out!)

So, I turned around at 1.5 or so (yes, i did go to 'that next land mark' but i think it was early cuz w/ my garmin, after we got back to where we started we could just KEEP on going till the GARMIN told me we'd gone 3 miles which was my goal!!! ..am I explaining this right? DO YOU GET IT??)... and, then we wound back around the playground that i wanted to end up at, came to right around 3 miles (yeahoo! so liberating) put the paraphenalia back into the van and went to the play stuff. I was too cold to stay long. What with sweaty UNDERTHINGS (didn't sweat too much. wasn't long enuff or hard enuff) and lots of bundled up over. But even that was perfect: as soon as we left, it started to sprinkle! all in all a PERFECT OUTING!

And, to top it off, we got to head straight for my parents' HOT TUB! Oh boy! What a great day! Like I've said before, even tho it is so mighty GLOOMY out, the day is GLORIOUS once i've run or exercised! Serious! YOU REALLY SHOULD TRY IT! AS hard as it is to GET OUT THERE, it is VICTORIOUS, GLORIOUS, absurdly AWESOME AND WONDERFUL after you've DONE IT!

And, to top THAT off, my mom was cooking and we ate chicken w/ WHEAT, some salad, beans, ...and, good parents that they are, they EVEN had a diet pop there for me!!!! (just for ME, i'm sure!) Too cool. Okay, about that wheat up there? Well, i know you expected I'd say "rice." NOpe, she cooked up WHEAT. Looks like brown rice crispies. It was sooo good! I'm sure I'd manage to butcher even that dish, but she made it in her rice cooker and it was vunderbar!

life is grand.
except for the fact that J is getting sicker and we had to MISS my dear nephew's dedication afterwards. had to come home and hit the hay after doling out the medications. NOTHING TO DO W/ THE EXERCISE OF THE DAY! i know you naysayers are out there. I truly believe that working out is beneficial. Outside, fresh air is GREAT for us! And the whole outing was only about an hour. So, it's not like I worked them to death or anything. J did great on her bike. And she was the most bundled of us all.

in Him,
kt

Walk to the "Tannery"

stats:
38:29 min
2.39 miles
16:07min/mi

the tannery...the place where you lie in a 'bed of bulbs' & attempt to darken your flab.
cuz, yknow, fat isn't as offensive-looking when it is bronzed.
dh B has done some work there 4 the owner... a perk is free tans.
it's just down the hill from us...approx 1.2 miles....downhill (did i mention that?=)

so, in jeans (this is a 1st for me) & the new awesome (too big*) BEASTs (my shoes)(more on the 'too big' later), garmin, ipod, windbreaker, and snow hat (i left house w/ wet hair),
i was on my way.

:> a GLORIOUS-- albeit windy/threatening-rain-- day! <: dint stretch b4 leaving but had been stretching @ intervals each day. felt ggggreat! fast clip. altho...going downhill... well, when you've had your coffee, you feel great, you're trying to walk fast, AND going downhill WITH THE WIND BEHIND YOU....well.... i got to the bottom of the hill and had to cross the road. i saw a break in the traffic so decided to make a go for it. i tried to jog over... and about bit the asphalt!
my legs were all jelly and rubbery! i was walking so fast, and with the wind and hill MOMENTUM behind me... recipe for disaster! i think no one noticed! =}

got there in record time...15 minutes or so--sweaty, hafta pee, and my 'transition glasses' that don't transition back very well WEREN'T transitioning very quickly...
prob looked a sight for that little 18 yr old tannery worker!
into the bed for 12 minutes. (i'm just starting...tanning)
well that was ANOTHER FIASCO! i have to write about it:

"lie down in the bed" ... a feat cuz it's been about 8 yrs since i've really done any artificial tanning....3 babies and like, i dunno, a thousand pounds later?? well, it's a little comical. but i won't fill you in on any of the too-obscene details. suffice it to say, i feel like i roll in... then, when i try to get out, i wish the door wasn't at the FOOT-end of the bed!! i'm terrified someone will peek in as i'm attempting to huck myself outta there, feet flailing in the air! don'worry, 'tis locked. but y'know, that's the deep-down fear! =)

anyhoo, just settling in, listening to ipod, still, and i swear, JUST LIKE THAT, the bulbs turned off! WHAAAAA??? what do i do? i'm naked ... it's not like there is an intercom so you can communicate w/ the workers out there. when i came IN, there were no other customers, but IF i went to the door, and peeked out, I GUARANTEE THERE WOULD BE LOTSA PEOPLE LOOKING IN!!! (that would be 'my luck' yknowwhatImean.)
So, i slipped on my shirt & jeans, and peeked out. No one in sight. I shut the door. COULD I have lain there 12 minutes and it just SEEMED fast? I started to get ALL dressed.

Then I thought, "No. I only listened to ONE song! How long is ONE song? 3 minutes, 4 minutes? No, my time really CAN'T be done!"
So, I put back on my top & jeans, held my jacket up over me so my lack of brazierre wouldn't be noted --- I was sure if I expected no one out there, there'd be a crowd!
I poked my head back out and questioned the gal (she was alone) and she agreed that mayhap she only set it for 2 instead of 12. !!
Good grief! I mean...this is no trauma. It wouldn't be the end of the world if i tanned for 2 instead of 12. But I MEAN! It was just weird. And more of a "am I losing my mind?" type of thing!

Okay, so I got my tan, put back on my sorta sweaty duds, and headed home. I love that garmin! Mine seems SUPER-COOL, not just cool. If I'm cold, and keep my jkt sleeve up and over my garmin so I can keep warmer, it doesn't lose the signal! It even seems to keep a signal in the house! I don't know how long it might do that. But I thought you had to have it directed at the open sky to keep its signal. Dunno. But mine seems like it's a super good one! Must be because my loving family got it for me!

Headed up the hill. Much harder going up. But do you know, when I moved here in Feb., a group of gals and I walked once...and our route included THAT HILL. I could barely walk up it! Now, not only can I walk up it, unwinded, but it feels GGGREAT all the way up,....and I know I could 'run' it too! (i use 'run' loosely)

All in all ~16 there and back, tho separated by about a 1/2 hour stay at the tannery (fiasco time included), about 38 minutes of walking today! yeahoo!

And the clouds waited until later to release their raindrops! =)

in Him,
kt

No Knee Pain

thank God, i'm still NOT suffering from more knee pain.
i did not run today, nor yesterday.
i still have a bit of right shinny-splinty pain from tues
(and prob sunday's race-after-15-days-of-no-running)
so i thought i'd play it safe this time 'round.

i will set my alarm tonite & attempt my first morning outing in 2 1/2 wks.
good thing: it's no longer BLACK AS NITE that early...
bad thing: it's COLDER and i'm outta practice...

shall i go for a long walk? or shall i jog?
i'm determined to take it easy.

problem is i 'can' lose more weight, running.
running slowly and lightly, and INfrequently,
i must be much more careful w/ eating and
give up much more. UGH.
"and there's the rub!"

ah me.
Help me, Lord.
kt

ENELL...not coming?

the newest development?
now there are NO charges from ENELL listed on my debit card.

i dunno WHAT THE HAY is up w/ the folks at ENELL
but i SHORELY would call, write, and SCREAM complaints...

iffen it wasn't such an awesome bra...
upholding such a worthwhile cause.

for 4 days or so my debit acct listed TWO charges (~$65~ each)by ENELL...
i think they did that before, but just to hold it or some such thing.
then, they took off one charge, and held the real one until they sent me the note saying that my order MIGHT be shipped by november 20th.
well, this time, there was NO WORD from them.
they just held out 2 charges of approx. $65 each for days...
now, they are GONE!

WHAT IS UP???

until i have word (or a bra) (dd. almost 7 calls it my bosom)---
kt

On the Run Again

stats:
3.07 miles
33:55 minutes
11:03min/mile
BEST 8.57min/mi
411 cal burned

ran today. after one day rest post race. still sore from race since hadn't run in so long. but it felt GGGREAT to get out there today. it is a dismal, gloomy day in the T.C. but i cannot begin to express the WEIGHT that lifts after doing something like this for your body! it's like there is no gloom. there is only LIGHT and refreshment!

it was raining, sprinkling, and windy. i used my GARMIN FORERUNNER 301 for the first time since i was given it! yeahoo! how liberating was that?! i could just run and not worry about a route! i went to a path, so as to avoid cement and 'cambered surfaces'... i was just gonna run 1.5 out and turn around. but on the way back i decided to go off the beaten path a bit and SINCE I HAD THE GARMIN that was totally okay!

i was feeling so good i knew i could keep going once i hit 3 miles but i restrained myself. i'm babying my joints...going sllooow...felt a little shinny-splinty on the right leg, kind of tingly on my left below THE knee, AND (this is a new one and you'll love this:) bottom my left foot, outer side of like ball of foot, there is this new thing: a nerve thing. like every time i step on it feels like a nerve being pinched between 2 bones! that's fun.

so quit at 3 (or just to that next landmark!) and walked uphill back to car. since it was rainy, i worried about my garmin. i kept my long sleeve over it to protect from rain. then worried about keeping a signal. but every time i checked it was fine. mine seems to be REALLY GOOD!

love it!
love the freedom.
and the high THE REST OF THE DAY!

to God be the Glory!
kt

ps: trying to find a new doc for my "pcp" (primary care physician) who does fam.practice AS WELL AS sports med. there are those here. then, once i get in, i will discuss my knee/feet problems. so that is still in the works. my PLAN, meantime, is to run easy every other day. not upping my mileage till i see him/her. also, i will quit again if things go SOUTH. i'm trying to diligently stretch. ice. ibuprofen. (ugh: i ABHOR taking meds all the time!) family is going to start doing strength training together. hopefully on my off days.