Big (Little!) News!!

I almost forgot my BIIG news!  I made it to a Size 8!  I've never been a size 8!  WOO HOO!  AND, Old Navy has a $15 Jeans Sale, so I got myself some new ones!  YES!

The Best Christmas Gift Ever!

I got a fun new toy for Christmas!!!  A GPS Watch!  I'm still learning all that it can do, but I'm mighty impressed!  I love RunKeeper, but it's not always accurate, and I have to use my phone in order to track it (I'm out of luck if it's raining!)-- or try to put it in manually, which is a pain in the butt.  This keeps track of everything for me!  Split times, heart rate, distance, maps... and I can even race with or against a virtual partner!  I love it!  I am really hoping it helps with my upcoming half marathon training-- beginning January 1.  I'm really struggling running without music, so I'm hoping this will help!

Running without the Tunes

I meant to post this last Thursday... but alas I didn't have time to think until today (when 1 child is sleeping, and the other at preschool!)

So on Thursday, I did my first 4 mile run without the music.  Man, once you are used to it, it's CRAZY how much you depend on it!  I made it though... but I definitely don't think I could have a few months ago.  It was a lot harder for me- not impossible- but I actually felt like a Biggest Loser competitor when they have to strap the weight that they lost back on, and then complete an assignment.  I felt like I had weights on me.  Music always seemed to just carry me, to get my mind off the pain/ uncomfortableness, put me in a good mood, gave me that extra boost to make it up the hill, get me fired up when I was ready to quit, whispered those words in my ear, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger...".

But, for safety purposes mostly, I feel like I need to learn how to do it without the music.  I'll save music for gym workouts and elliptical.

On another note, I've been able to make it to Run Club a little more often, and I'm learning how much running with others helps, and makes it more enjoyable!  Yesterday, we made it almost 6 miles, and I literally felt like we went 2.  I'm so thankful for having found this group!

Reminiscing the Pre-Running Days

So  I ran into my best friend from childhood/ high school last night at Applebee's.  Amid our discussion, the topic of me starting to run came up.  She kinda laughed and said:

Haha, I remember when we used to take Kickboxing at the Y in high school, and had to run laps around the gym to warm up.  (The gym had a large divider down the center for other classes, but we were able to navigate around them to get our initial warm up in.)  We would run passed the teacher, and then when we got to the other side of the divider where the teacher couldn't see us, walk.  I believe I even recall walking along the divider, instead of the perimeter of the gym!  Did I mention we were totally pooped after this as well??

I have come a-looooong-way!

I survived!!!

I survived my first 17 degree weather run this morning!!!  I had no idea how I was going to make it through the winter... yet alone running at 5:30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays...  but I really did okay this morning!  

I do NOT like the cold... whether it's the MS or just the way God made me, but cold weather literally HURTS me, actual physical pain... I despise the wintertime.  But with the layers I had on this morning, I heated up pretty quickly, and the cold didn't really cross my mind, despite seeing icicles in everyone's hair and eyelashes!

Along our run, this little kitty started following us, and running right along with us for a good mile or two.  So cute!

Boy am I bad at updates!

One quick thought from Run Club:

Joella says, "Think 'bad posture' when you're running!

Apparently, I arch my back too much, and you're supposed to be 'hunched over' and leaning forward a little bit.  lol... Guess I have my posture timing backwards, because, that's how I do everything else!

Mantra Maker

So, I got a little excited last night when I found a facebook listing of Running Mantras.  I haven't picked my own yet, but I totally see the point of them!  ---and then I got REALLY excited when this HTML clueless girl figured out how to make a Scrolling Mantra List for my blog (see lower right sidebar)!  Here are some tips that I thought were helpful:

From:  Runner's World


Mantra Maker
How to put together your perfect phrase

Keep it short
Your mantra should be an affirmation, not a novel. "When you're tired, you don't want something elaborate," says Stephen Walker. "It's too hard to remember." Keep it to five seconds or less.

Stay positive
Think of the problem you're trying to counteract and turn it around. "If you're feeling weak, your mantra should be I am strong," says Walker.

Make it energetic
Your mantra should center on action verbs or strong adjectives, not abstract phrases, says Robert J. Bell. Look for words that convey energy, like "fast," "strong," or "power."

Embed instructions
Use the mantra to remind yourself what you plan to do or how you want to feel as you're running, says Walker. Now is the time; go for it. Or, Run relaxed. Finish strong.


BUILD IT, BELIEVE IT, BECOME IT
Choose one word from each section below to create a motivational, get-it-done power chant.

A
Run
Go
Stride
Sprint
Be 

B
Strong
Fast
Quick
Light
Fierce

C
Think
Feel 
Embrace
Be
Hold

D
Power
Speed
Brave
Bold
Courage

Lose It!

A few days ago, I posted that I started using a new calorie counting program- "Lose It".  I wasn't all that impressed at first, I just wanted something new.  But the more I use it, the more it interests me.

 So I just found something new that I haven't seen on other sites I've used (My Fitness Pal, Sparkpeople, Weight Watchers)!  I think will be really helpful!  On my friends page- (notice, I am my only friend right now :-( ... more people should sign up so I'm not so lonely!)  -IF I am totally honest with what I'm eating and how much I'm exercising- it keeps track of how many calories that I'm under my target through out the week.  Note: It takes 3500 calories to lose 1 lb.  That information alone gives me a running total to shoot for... otherwise, I just aim to be "under" my goal each day.  NOT ONLY THAT, but it posts it on my friends pages, so THEY can see how much I'm under... hmmm, pressure and accountability!  I need that!

Performance Thoughts

Just a couple thoughts today...  pacing.

Since recovering from my ankle injury, I've been pretty slow, and it was really bothering me.  I was running around a 12 minute mile.  (My previous 5K pace average was around 10:30).  But, just within the past couple weeks, I've been noticing a little turn around!

• Running at North Park, my phone was giving me split times of 10:15 for my first lap-- and I had intended on really taking it easy, knowing how far I had to go.  It was fun making times like that without trying!  My second lap went slower because I was pretty tired, but I averaged 11:27 for the whole 10 miles.  I thought that was pretty good for as many walk breaks I included the second lap!
• My 5 mile yesterday, I was hitting times close to that.  When I realized how well I was doing, I set a goal for averaging under 11, including warm up and cool down walks.  I hit 11, on the dot.  Bummer.
• Today, my "assignment" was 3 miles at half marathon pace- which is significantly slower than 5K pace. However, it was beautiful out (for November) the sun was shining, and having only 3 miles to go, I got a little over excited when I was doing 9:50 splits!

Then I recalled I was supposed to be doing half marathon pace.  Bummer.  I tried to slow myself down- but that's really hard knowing you only have 3 miles!

A HA!  That was the point!  I need to learn how to control my pace- no matter what the weather's like, no matter how far I have to go- I need to learn to control it.  Me.  If I start out too fast in the Half next year, I won't make it.  I'll have to control myself- and really not take into account all the people around me.  My goal is to complete it, and that will be winning for me.



Mind control.  It's going to take some practice.

Hartwood Celebration of Lights- WALK THROUGH!

Last night, we did something truly special!  A 3.2 mile walk!  Yay!

Standing in front of Princess Elena's Castle

What made it special was that it was through Hartwood's Celebration of Lights Christmas display- which is typically only a Drive-Through event.  My family's driven through it every year since I was very young!  It was great to continue the tradition (my Dad came too!!!), and add something special to share it with my own kids!

The girls loved that we were shuttled to and from Hartwood in a SCHOOL BUS!  When we got there, Makenna was just about jumping out of her skin, she was so excited!  They gave us jingle bell necklaces, and a fun glow-y bracelet to wear!  Walking through the twinkling lights of the Candy Cane Forest, finding Rudolph hiding in the trees, while other reindeer were jumping over us, walking through the lighted tunnels, (Makenna and I tip-toed through one of them!), visiting Princess Elena's Blue Castle- the mansion (if it's blue, it's Elena's, if it's pink, it's Makenna's- girl's rule) and her Blue forest, hot chocolate and cookies half way through, and soooo much more!  The best part-- the RAIN STOPPED just in time for our walk!!!

What a wonderful evening!  I can't wait to do it again next year!

Lose It!

‎"The price of excellence is discipline. The cost of mediocrity is disappointment."  - from the Weight Watchers facebook page

So, I realized that I just don't have enough discipline right now to step away from my caloric numbers just yet.   Boo.

I still needed something new to get me "excited" again, well, as excited as you can get about counting calories.  So, in my internet searches, I came across Lose It.  It seems interesting, but a little less comprehensive than MyFitnessPal.   It focuses primarily on calories.  I'm having some troubles entering recipes (ex: entered a muffin recipe, but it won't let me divide it into 12 servings!), but I'm still new, maybe there's a way that I just haven't found yet.  However, it does give you fun little pictures for each food you enter!  I'm a sucker for pictures!

Update: I figured out the recipe issue!  All is well!

I'm still looking for some friends on there, so if you sign up- look me up!

I'll give an update after I've used it for a few days!  I'm off to Spin!

My First 10-Miler!

I've been slacking a bit in my updates.  It's been a crazy week.

Let me start out by saying- I love my children more than life itself.  But this week, man, they drained me of every last bit of emotional energy I had, and then some.  (My husband just asked me if there was a full moon tonight, to which I've replied-- "No, this is how they've been all week long!")  Being a stay at home mommy, I get very little breaks.  Without getting into too much detail, lets just say, I could go crazy eating junk, I could drink, or I could run.

So I ran.

10 miles.  My new personal record!!  Cranked up K-Love and just ran my stress out.  I proved to myself that I could do it, and showed myself how far I had come this year.  It's such an awesome feeling!  Not to mention, an awesome way to start the holiday season!



I have a neat little story to go along with it too!  Okay, first of all, I decided to run at North Park- a 5 mile loop around a lake.  I figured if I was too tired after the first 5 miles, then I could just call it quits at that point. So, as I was looping through the Boathouse area (about 3.5 miles), they were preparing for a race.  The road was closed, and a cop had driven up to block the road.  I was afraid he was going to tell me to go around, so I took out one of my headphones.  He didn't say anything, so I put my headphone back in, went to fix my hat to come down over my ears, and the darn thing popped out and the cover fell off and rolled somewhere in the grass.  You can't use the headphone without them, so I spent like 5 minutes looking for a tiny blue ear piece.  No luck.  I gave up, and kept running.  About another mile or so, would you believe that the cop stopped his car in the middle of the road, came over to me, and asked, "Did you lose this?  I saw something blue on the ground, and knew that you were looking for something."  Not only did he find it, but he had to drive the entire way around the lake to give it to me!  That rocked!  I took it as a sign I needed to do a second lap ;-) .  I survived!

Wipeout Hill

Took the kids to the park yesterday.  It's the first time I've been back since my wipeout in September.  (that caused me to miss two races! UGH!  ... and not run for like a month!)

So how 'bout, shortly after my fall (running in the dark w/ Run Club, attacked by a HUGE rut while running down this hill), they decide to PAVE the path??

Ah, well, at least it there for next spring.  *sigh*

Got my Butt Kicked

Okay, so, I feel really bad about saying this, but I almost feel like I took a step backward in going back to the gym.  I mean, running makes me feel so powerful-- going back to class work seemed like it would be no big deal.

Boy, was I put in my place!

I took a Medball Madness class yesterday morning- basically, it was a strength class with cardio incorporated, and I used a 6 and 8lb medicine ball.  Whol-ley smokes!  Now I remember why it was my favorite class when I went there before!  (Wait, maybe that was Spinning... or Zumba... oh yeah, I loved it all.  Not Step though, hated that!)  My legs were sore before the end of the night, and now my entire upper body- including my entire back, are crazy sore.  In my head, I hear echos of teachers and trainers saying , "When you're sore, you've gotta keep moving, Amber."  Well, I suppose it's a darn good thing it's going to be almost 70 today!  IN NOVEMBER!  Love it!

On My Own

So, this colder weather just plain stinks.  I need to keep running through out this winter to make sure I don't lose all I've worked for- but it won't be 5 days a week (outside in the cold).  And no, I won't be running in a blizzard.

With all that said and done, I had to say goodbye to my wonderful running coach, for now, and I'll get to return to "No Excuses" tomorrow morning!  I absolutely LOVE that gym- I just can't afford them both.  It will be nice to get back and see some old friends... AND, it's warm... AND they have child care... AND they have music!  So, I'm on my own to navigate this winter running thing for a few months.  In January, I start training for the half marathon with the MS Team!  There's a non-official coach associated with that, so we'll see how that goes!

I'm thinking about doing another Healthy Holiday Challenge this year.  Anyone interested?

It's About the Numbers... or Not?

There is a time and a place for numbers.  I love them.  They control my life, and give me boundaries to work within.  But recently, I think I've become a little too obsessed with numbers and have started to grow a little resentful of them!

Culprit: Calories. 
For, I don't even know HOW long, I have been tracking (most of ) the calories that go into and out of my body.  Because when calories "out" (energy used) exceeds calories "in" (food eaten), you lose weight, right?  Simple equation.  'Cept it doesn't always work.  There HAS to be more to it!  Answer: All calories are not created equal.

There is definitely something to be said for nutrition.  Really, 100 calories of apples is exceedingly better for you than 100 calories of white bread.  Quality vs. Quantity?  Yet, my brain is so trained to convert everything I put into my mouth into a number (be it calories or PointsPlus, thanks Weight Watchers...) a lot of time, WHAT it is really doesn't seem to matter.  I've tried to eat healthier, but it all comes down to calories.  So, you may have noticed that the "My Fitness Pal" link has disappeared from the blog.  My plan is to FOCUS ON QUALITY foods this month, without counting calories.  (Note to self: Reread "Naturally Thin").

It's so frustrating to work SO hard to keep all the numbers in count, even to the point of feeling deprived.  (Which starts the binge eating... we'll leave that for another entry though.)  How am I supposed to make a "life change" when it constantly feels like I'm walking on a tightrope, and can slip off at any point.  I can't.

Speaking of calories "in"... calories "out" has also added to the frustrating factor.  I love to run, and I love how it feels to finish a good workout.  I hate that my brain loves to convert workouts to calories in order to determine if it was successful.  (And then, I think-- ooh, I burned 500 calories... now I can eat more!)

I need to just learn to eat healthy to BE healthy, and exercise for the love of exercise.  Because, really, I do love it.  I WOULD do it, even if it didn't burn calories!  It just feels good, relaxes me, and gives me a feeling of power and self confidence that I've never had.

Let's see how it goes.  GOAL: Lifestyle Change.

Motivation: Anne from www.fANNEtasticfood.com 

Sunrise Exercise

Getting my workouts in, in the morning is my favorite thing!  I've said before that I was a morning person, but, really, I think my body just really likes the sun.  When the sun comes up, I wake up!  When the sun goes down, I turn into a baby and want to go to sleep.

It is sooo refreshing to be out running as the sun comes up!  There is something very energizing about it!  Unfortunately, that's generally not possible this time of year... which would explain why I'm h aving so much trouble getting up in the mornings anymore.  It's cold outside, and it's so much nicer to be snug in a warm bed.

BUT, over the past few weeks, I'm being reminded again and again of how working out in the morning is just what "works" for me.  If I don't do it, I stress about it all day- about whether I'm going to get it in, about how to do it with the kids, about if something is going to prevent me from doing, about if I'm going to have enough ENERGY!  It's an extra ball to juggle through out the day, and it adds so much unneeded stress!

When I DO get my workouts in, I feel awesome, and energized!  It feels great going through the day, knowing I already kicked butt- and I did it without the interference of anybody in my fam-- (cuz they're all still sleeping-- this is MY time!).  It puts me in a good mood, and makes me feel powerful.  And, I don't hold any "grudges" through out the day, making me a much happier Mommy and Wifey!

Suck it up, Amber-- get out of bed.  You'll thank yourself later!

Just do it!

A few Healthy Tipping Point thoughts

A Healthy Tipping Point is when all the small decisions you make add up to something big.  I had a HTP moment this morning.

Confession: I am really bad at getting my fruits and veggies in.  Granted, the smoothies have helped me tremendously, but Joella says  that I need to be spreading my fruits and veggies out throughout the day as well... not just all in one sitting.  Apparently, this is the healthy thing to do  ;-) .  I know she's right, and I've been trying really hard, but it's almost as if my body goes into defiance mode sometimes.  I really do like apples.  But there are times of day when if I see an apple, I'll just want to throw it out the window, yet alone eat it.  


This morning wasn't one of those mornings.  I'm just not hungry, but I need to eat before I go out for a run.  First thought: If I just eat my yogurt, then I'll save some calories!  It's not often that I'm not hungry in the mornings.  Then, my HTP buzzers started going off in my head.  Recognize: this is a chance I have to make a smart choice.  So I ate the apple.  1 F/V down... at least 4 more to go!  It's so ridiculously simple, yet, the small decisions add up.


The thought that eventually pushed me over the edge to just eat the darn apple (with my yogurt) was 'parking lots'.  Yes, parking lots.


See, I've probably mentioned it before, but my head makes sense of things by using metaphors and comparisons.  So I compared the decision of eating the apple, to, when I run Graham Park- it's a basically flat, straight shot out and back.  But, I choose to run around the parking lots sometimes along the way instead of heading straight for the trails.  Those little 'ventures' add up, and make a significant difference in (okay, get this...) "the long run"!  AND, it's kind of a mind trick too, because it doesn't seem like you're adding that much to your run... but little bits add up!  (Since I'm being corny anyway :-)... and with the apple... little 'bites' add up!)  

This is pretty amazing...

Just keep watching the whole thing...  I'm speechless!

Homework

This is how it works:

Training is doing your homework. It's not exciting. More often than not it's tedious. There is certainly no glory in it. But you stick with it, over time, and incrementally through no specific session, your body changes. Your mind becomes calloused to effort. You stop thinking of running as difficult or interesting or magical. It just becomes what you do. It becomes a habit.

Workouts too become like this. Intervals, tempos, strides, hills. You go to the track, to the bottom of a hill, and your body finds the effort. You do your homework. That's training. Repetition--building deep habits, building a runner's body and a runner's mind. You do your homework, not obsessively, just regularly. Over time you grow to realize that the most important workout that you will do is the easy hour run. That's the run that makes everything else possible. You live like a clock.

After weeks of this, you will have a month of it. After months of it, you will have a year of it.

Then, after you have done this for maybe three or four years, you will wake up one morning in a hotel room at about 4:30am and do the things you have always done. You eat some instant oatmeal. Drink some Gatorade. Put on your shorts, socks, shoes, your watch. This time, though, instead of heading out alone for a solitary hour, you will head towards a big crowd of people. A few of them will be like you: they will have a lean, hungry look around their eyes, wooden legs. You will nod in their direction. Most of the rest will be distracted, talking among their friends, smiling like they are at the mall, unaware of the great and magical event that is about to take place.

You'll find your way to a tiny little space of solitude and wait anxiously, feeling the tang of adrenaline in your legs. You'll stand there and take a deep breath, like it's your last. An anthem will play. A gun will sound.

Then you will run.

- Jeff Edmonds (www.TheLogicOfLongDistance.blogspot.com)

MS Wine Tasting Tour

On Saturday, my sister, mother, and I hopped on a bus, and checked out some really amazing wineries on the PA-NY border.

Though it didn't do much for my diet, having to down a gazillion of those little ball cracker thingies to keep standing (I'm generally down after 1 glass), we had a great time- and it was wonderful to spend some time with my family, amid these crazy hectic lives of ours!

Pouring the grapes into the squishing bucket

While we were 'wining' my babies were Geocaching with Daddy!

...at a Frisbee Golf Course!

Ate lunch at the haunted Kelly Hotel

Mom taking a pic of me on the balcony, trying to catch a ghost

See any ghosts?  Me neither...

SOMEone's excited to get her wine!  :-)

We had a fantastic day!  Time to go home and burn it all of... that'll take a week or so....  :-)

Chocolate Pancakes for Breakfast!

Yes, we're running low on the breakfast materials, so the girls requested pancakes.  Again.

I try to make them as healthy as I can, by adding pureed stuff from the magical Vita-Mix.  So, with the Sneaky Chef in mind... today's goal: Chocolate Pancakes.

What goes into Chocolate Pancakes that could possibly make them HEALTHY, you ask?  Spinach and blueberries.  (and cocoa powder and a pinch of instant coffee to bring out the chocolate flavor).  Perhaps I put a little too much spinach in mine, eh?

Yes, I know, green pancakes, yuck, right?  I had the flash on the camera, so they actually look a lot greener here than they did in person.  Rather than keep adding stuff, and totally screwing it up, I just went with it.  (with a few added chocolate chips)  The verdict:  They tasted like warm, buttery chocolate CAKE!  No butter or syrup needed!  SCORE!!  

I know you won't believe ME, so...

Keep Going!

Healthy Tipping Point

I don't carry cash.  It disappears way too quickly.  A dollar here, a dollar there... it adds up SO fast!  iPhone apps and music... don't even get me started.

Calories seem to do the same thing.  WHY?  Why do those little things have to end up causing so much damage?  A few pretzels can't hurt.  A couple goldfish, what's that- 10 calories?  I'll just have a bite of cake... or just one chip.  That's healthier than eating a handful, right?   I am doing the right thing!  Right?  Yet, they all add up anyway... and they cause the scale to do the same.

I came across a website called "Healthy Tipping Point, when everyday decisions add up to something amazing."  For some reason, this revelation hit me like a ton of bricks.  If all the negative things add up, can't the positive decisions/choices add up too?  10 minutes on the elliptical might not seem like much  (a challenge I posed to my husband), but, you could easily cover a mile in 10 minutes... 1 mile = approximately 100 calories.  If he did this 6 days a week... that's 600 calories!

My brain makes sense of things by changing them into pictures/metaphors.  So with this thought in mind, I view this like a scale... FAT on one side, HEALTH on the other.  Each choice is like a tiny bean... I can add it to the FAT side, or I can add it to the HEALTH side.

True, adding one bean to the scale really might not make all that much difference... but, when you're daily adding beans to the HEALTH side, you WILL eventually get to a "Healthy Tipping Point".  Each decision counts.  (Just as adding beans to the FAT side will counteract your progress)  

What kind of choices will you make today?

Mind Games (2)- Carrie's Tricks

For a long run, one thing I do (and I don't even know if I can explain it well!) is I try to maintain the thought that I have just begun the run and still feel fresh. For example, during really, really long runs (including marathon day) I count "up" the miles as each is completed. Rather than thinking "I have 10 more miles to go" I try to think to myself that I'm heading towards mile 17, keeping a forward motion instead of a countdown. Near the end of a run it's difficult to NOT feel a little antsy just to be done. By holding back mentally and feeling like I've just begun, my patience remains in tact and I can enjoy the run better.

And you certainly can't go wrong with good music! I regularly do zumba and have quite a few of our zumba songs on my ipod. Then I can go through the song's zumba routine in my mind and at that point mentally I am in the zumba class...not running in thr pouring rain!


Thank You Carrie!  


What are YOUR tricks?  Click on the "Mind Games" link in the right column to share your secrets!  Thanks!!

Theme Song

Stronger  


This past month has been quite the struggle for me, not being able to run.  Granted, it was only a sprained ankle, and people go through far worse, but it hurt me emotionally much more than it did physically.  While I was out on my run this morning  (3 minute jogging intervals), this song came on.  Looking back, it truly was my theme song.  It always came on at just the right moment on my shuffling playlist, and it was exactly what I needed to hear!


Hey, heard you were up all nightThinking about how your world ain't rightAnd you wonder if things will ever get betterAnd you're asking why is it always raining on youWhen all you want is just a little good newsInstead of standing there stuck out in the weather
Oh, don't hang your headIt's gonna endGod's right thereEven if it's hard to see HimI promise you that He still cares[Chorus]When the waves are taking you underHold on just a little bit longerHe knows that this is gonna make you stronger, strongerThe pain ain't gonna last foreverAnd things can only get betterBelieve meThis is gonna make you strongerGonna make you stronger, stronger, strongerBelieve me, this is gonna make you Stronger
Try and do the best you canHold on and let Him hold your handAnd go on and fall into the arms of JesusOh, lift your head it's gonna endGod's right thereEven when you just can't feel HimI promise you that He still cares
[Chorus]
'Cause if He started this work in your lifeHe will be faithful to complete itIf only you believe itHe knows how much it hurtsAnd I'm sure that He's gonna help you get through this
When the waves are taking you underHold on just a little bit longerHe knows that this is gonna make you stronger, strongerThe pain ain't gonna last foreverIn time it's gonna get betterBelieve meThis is gonna make you stronger

Ouch, that hurts...

Epiphany moment...

Yes, I track my food on myfitnesspal.com.

No, I do not measure everything out- that would make me crazy.

I guesstimate, and I'm pretty sure I give myself the benefit of the doubt... most of the time.  Ouch.  Those few pretzels don't count- they weren't anywhere near a serving!  A couple M&M's (Elena's potty reward) won't make a difference.  Granola?  That only a 1/4 c.  Maybe even 2 tablespoons....

I think I need make this into a poster, and hang it in my kitchen- anyone else?

Mind Games- (1)

A friend once told me that running was as much as a mental exercise as a physical exercise.  That advice has proven itself over and over again in my training and learning how to run!  That's what helped me make it through the C25K program.  Going from an 8 minute run to a 20 minute run was quite the jump for an un-athletic person that could never run more than a 1/4 mile in my life!  And now that advice is going to help me get to the half marathon!  I'm going to need a lot of tricks to get me through that!

A Peek My Bag of Tricks:

• Focus on something other than the run- like planning an event that you are excited about, or listening to music
• Just make it to a certain point nearby- a stop sign, a tree, a car.  When you get there, pick another point- divide your run into managable sections.  
• In a race, pick one person in front of you to pass.  Pass them and pick another.
• Run each mile for a person important to your life.  Example: I read an article, once, about a girl who worked in the Twin Towers when they were destroyed.  She survived but many of her co-workers did not.  She chose to do a half marathon, and run 1 mile for each friend lost.  I have to find the link, it was a great story.
• Feeding your brain with healthy thoughts and VISUALS!  
• I love "Biggest Loser"!  It is so encouraging to me- sometimes, in the last leg of a run, I tell myself, "Come on, Amber- LAST-CHANCE-WORKOUT!
• Blogs!  My favorite running/health blog right now is fANNEtastic Food.  Her visuals, experiences, and recipes get me really motivated-- AND make me want to eat healthy!



Carrie- Pittsburgh Marathon 2011

• Friends.  Family. Workout buddies!  They're a great source of motivation and inspiration... and competition, if you're into that sort of thing ;-)
• Reminding myself that there's an iced mocha waiting for me when I get home!

• To be continued.....

Jen- Miles for Smiles 5 Miler

There are so many mind games that you can use to get you focused!  So I'm going to start a "Mind Games" series of blog entries.  I'm constantly looking for new ideas.  Would you please share some of your ideas so that I could use them in future posts?

My Baby Sister, Taylor- Great Race

Beth- SuperHero Race

Scott- SuperHero Race  

Princess Charm School: Balance

One of my girls' favorite movies is:  "Barbie: Princess Charm School", and I couldn't help but think about it as I was doing by balancing exercises this morning!

According to WiiFit Plus, I learned that Balance training is as important as Cardiovascular and Strength training.  Did I ever focus on it?  Nope!  But, my coach does.  And since all of this stuff happened with my ankle, she's showing me one reason why.  Not only does it help with injury prevention (though it wouldn't have helped this time, darn ditch), it would help with recovery time.  By balancing on one leg, small muscles in my leg, that aren't otherwise used as often in things such as running, would be strengthened.  I would have had more strength to compensate for my sprained ankle.  It wouldn't have had to deal with all of the pressure and strength to keep me upright, because other muscles would have taken over some of the work.

Because I never put much attention to it, my balance abilities are pretty sad!  It's surprisingly hard to stand on one foot with your eyes closed!  Here are my exercises from this morning if you want to give them a try!