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In the Zones...

My lack of recent blogging has been because I am currently in two zones.  First, the taper zone.  Yes, the big race, my first half marathon,  is almost here and I'm finally tapering.  I had some problems with my knee last week, (I'm pretty sure it's my IT band) and so I cut a couple of runs short and have been resting, icing, and foam rolling.  No one told me that foam rolling would be so painful that it would bring tears to my eyes.   The knee is doing much better now.  Big thank you to my Surf City pals for their words of wisdom on the knee.  ;)

 

The other zone I am in is the Twilight Zone.  No, not like the movie.  As in the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer.  I have to admit that almost ALL of my free time lately has been spent reading this series.   I finished the first book, Twilight, in four days, and I'm now halfway through the 2nd book, New Moon.  Both Jess and Jenny both said that once I started reading the series, I wouldn't be able to put it down until I read all four books.  Well, they were right.  I've already ordered books three and four and they will be here by the end of the week. 

Twilight is about Bella, a typical high school student, who moves to Washington to live with her dad.  As the story progresses, she must adapt to a new life -living with her dad, a new school, new friends, and a new boyfriend - Edward.  Oh, and Edward also happens to be a vampire.  That's where the story gets really interesting.  

I was impressed at the maturity of Bella.  I think I also enjoyed this book because like Bella, I had to move to a new town and a new school for my last year of high school.   I loved that this book had a little bit of everything in it - humor, romance, and mystery.  It's been a really long time since such a book or a series has drawn me in like this one.   Though it's marketed as a book for young adults, I think this story would appeal to all readers. 

I will post more about New Moon when I'm done with it - probably at the end of this week.

Have you read the Twilight series?  Without posting any spoilers, what did you think about it?

Hope everyone has a great week!

A Great Long Run with Running Buddies

Yesterday, I met up with Karen and Christina for our long run.  Long runs with buddies always help the miles go by faster, don't they?  While on our run, we all came up with the same too-much-information-this-may-be-a-little-embarrassing-but-I'm-going-to-ask-it-anyway question.  I'm pretty sure other lady runners out there in blogland have had the same question at some point, so maybe someone can answer it for us.  Has anyone ever tried the Under Armour moisture wicking undies, (or any kind of moisture wicking undies) and do they work?  I've wanted to try them, but $20 for one pair is a bit high - especially if I don't know if they really work, you know?  :) 

8 miles
931 calories burned

I finally got a copy of this today:

I had been wanting to read it for a while, and I started reading it in the bookstore and just couldn't put it down.  I started reading "The Time Traveler's Wife" a couple of days ago, but that may have to be put to the side now that I have this book.  I'll post a review when I'm done.

Hope everyone has a great week!

14 Miles, an ice bath, and a cowl

  Yesterday I did 14 miles along the same hilly route that I did last week.   This was probably the hardest run for me ever.  It seemed like it took forever for me to get into the groove.  I had to deal with side stitches during the first few miles, and then at mile 4, I had to use the little girls room REALLY BAD.  Thankfully there was a gas station near by, and the restroom was actually pretty clean.  No bathroom pics though - I'll leave those to Marcy.   Around mile 6 or 7, my hamstrings started telling me to give up now, but I wouldn't listen.  I was determined to finish, and in the end, I DID.

14 miles
Calories burned: 1668

When I got home, I took my first ever ice bath.  I followed Bobbi's tips on ice baths, and sipped on a mug of hot chocolate to take my mind off of the cold.  I didn't put as much ice in, but it was still pretty cold.  I figured the true test would be the next day, and if I didn't wake up sore, then I knew ice baths worked for me.  Well, this morning I woke up, and didn't feel sore AT ALL.  I'll be taking ice baths after all my long runs from now on.

I finished knitting the Birthday Cowl.  I used Malabrigo Worsted yarn and the cowl is really pretty. It's a birthday gift for my friend back east, and I know it will keep her warm during the winter.

Hope everyone has a great week, and for those affected by Ike, I'm hoping things get back to normal quickly for you!

An almost half marathon

I ran 12 miles today - my longest distance so far.  I was out there just as the sun was coming up, and planned out a route with some hills that I had run before.   During the early miles of my run, I was thinking about how 5 or 6 miles is a pretty short distance for me now compared to a few months ago.

Normally when I run this route, I drive there and do a 5 mile loop.  Today, to add to the distance, I ran there.  I knew that the route would be full of hills, but not until I got home and plugged in my route on mapmyrun.com did I fully grasp the elevation changes during the run.   Here's what it looked like:

No wonder my hamstrings are sore.   I'll be ready for those San Fran hills!

Thank you to everyone for your compliments on my latest knitting project.    I absolutely love it and for sure will be knitting up another one.  I started knitting a cowl and should be done with it in a few days and can post pics then.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Adapt. Improvise. Overcome.

The past couple of weeks have not been good. I developed an allergic reaction to some laundry detergent (note to self: even if the store brand is on sale, go with what you know) and developed a really bad case of hives. Think pain like that of a really bad sunburn. You know the kind where it hurts to just sit, or stand, or just be? Yeah, that kind. I've been taking a non-drowsy anti-histamine, which of course though it is non-drowsy, puts me out like a light anyway.

So no running for a little more than a week. I was able to get out and run a couple of times last week, and did a 5 miler today. It was enough to give me the sense that things are getting back to normal again and I am back in training mode. Seven weeks until the Nike Half!

Did you catch this segment on running being the fountain of youth?

I finished knitting the Clapotis, and I love how it came out. Here are some pics.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend!

Milestones

Running milestone: I ran my first ever 10 miler yesterday!   I need to find a north-south route for these long runs as running into the sun for the last half really zapped my energy.  But I just kept moving forward and I had such a sense of accomplishment at the end. 

Knitting milestone: I finished my 18th pair of socks, and this pair is for me.

 

Yarn: Wollmeise 80/20
Pattern: Twin Rib

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

8 on the 8th

Well, really it was 6 on the 9th and 2 on the 10th, but Nancy is cool like that and still let me run the race.  ;)

This week is a recovery week in my training, so the schedule called for 6 miles as the long run.  This worked out perfectly because I wanted to run a 5K race today.

So I did 6 miles yesterday, and added 2 miles from today's 5K, for my 8 on the 8th Olympic Race.  We're in the middle of monsoon season here, so on top of the heat, I had to deal with the humidity.  But, I GOT IT DONE!

I chose a flat course for the 6 miles, knowing that the 5K today was a much tougher course with hills.  Boy were there some hills.  The 5K was an out and back with the first half all uphill.  Since I volunteered to pass out timing chips, I was one of the last to start and at the back of the pack.  Just as I was getting to the first mile marker, the "elite" were already passing me in the other direction on their way to the finish.  "Just keep moving" I told myself. I knew I wasn't going to set a new PR, so I tried to just go at my own pace, and enjoy the run.

8 miles
1:51:09

Big thank you to Nancy for organizing another great race!

How was your weekend?

The weekend went by too quickly for me.  I did an 8 miler on Saturday (my first 8 miler ever!) and decided to run it on some hills.  Boy were my hamstrings feeling it.   Like POM, I think I'm officially in the "hungry all the time" phase of training.  I think I ate everything in sight this weekend: pizza, a cheeseburger, fries, and cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.  When you are in training, how do you manage to eat enough and not gain weight?  I haven't stepped on the scale in a few weeks.  Maybe I should put the scale away all together until after my half marathon.  :)

The rest of the weekend was filled with knitting (I'm almost done with my Wollmeise socks and I started the clapotis) and a Battlestar Gallactica marathon.  I'm only on season 3 so no spoilers please!  I never thought I'd like a sci-fi series, but the character development and plot on this one hooked me.

Have a great week!

6 Things and other random thoughts

Kai tagged me for 6 things, so here are mine.

1. I am trilingual.  I can speak English, Spanish, and Tagalog (Filipino).
2. I haven't eaten any pizza in several months.  Before that, I ate pizza at least once every couple of weeks. Surprisingly, I don't really miss it.
3. Places I have traveled to for family reunions: Guam, Philippines, Australia, CA, NC, MA, and Las Vegas.  Going on vacation with 30 or 40 relatives is always an adventure. 
4. My first "real" job was as a social worker for the state department of public welfare.  Oh, the stories I could tell you.
5. I have always loved writing letters and sending cards.  I'm the type of person who still sends "snail mail" whenever I can.  In this day and age of voicemail and email, I think it's always nice to get something in the mail that isn't a bill or junk mail.
6. We have three dogs: one beagle and two daschunds.  We rescued all of them and now they live like royalty.

    

I'm tagging anyone else who wants to play along.

**********

We went to see "The Dark Knight" and I agree with Viv and Jess.  This was probably the best movie I've seen in a long time, and Heath Ledger's best performance.

Yesterday was my 5 miler.  I started later than I planned, but still got out there and SLOWLY got it done.   I have to admit that I didn't think about having to train in the desert during the summer months when I signed up for this half.   But once I get through August, these early morning runs will get much easier.

I finished knitting one sock of my next pair.  It's been awhile since I've knit a pair of socks for myself, and I need to replace the pair that Xenia took from me while on her way to see the Wizards of Blogland.  So these are for me.  I can't begin to tell you how vibrant the colors are in this yarn.  It's so gorgeous that even Mr. Running Knitter said the yarn was beautiful (in all my years of knitting, he's never said anything about how the yarn looks).  I am using Wollmeise yarn and the color is called Pfauengague.

Hope everyone has a great week!

ARR 5K Race Report

Today was 5K number 4 of the ARR (Arizona Road Racers) Summer Series.  It was still dark when I left for the race, but already 89 degrees and very humid.

I got to the race fairly early, picked up my number and chip, and set off for a warm up mile.  I'm still building back up my mileage after the PF, and I knew with the heat that I shouldn't exert myself.  So I decided to just do the best that I could, and the goal for today was to finish.

I was already sweating like mad when I met up with Karen and Lisa  after my warm up.   Soon after that, we lined up for the start.

We lost sight of Lisa shortly after the start (she went on to get a new PR today so congrats to Lisa!).  We started pretty fast, and even though I told Karen she could go on without me, she stuck by my side, let me set the pace, and pushed me along when I needed it.  Thank you Karen!  :) 

The heat caused us to walk a little bit more often, and though it wasn't a PR day, I'm still pretty happy with my time.  The best part: no foot pain!

5K
38:54
12:33/mile

 

Karen, Lisa and me sweating glistening after the race.  
Notice that I made sure my white under armour top matched my black under armour shorts.  I knew Viv would be proud of me.

MizFit had the great idea of freezing a protein shake and then taking it with you on the go.  So last night, I froze a protein shake and left it in the car during the race.  By the time I was driving home, it was perfect.  Not so much frozen anymore, still cold enough to quench my thirst, and it gave me the important nutrients after an intense workout.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

More Socks and Week 3 again

I know I said I wouldn't post about what I'm knitting, but I couldn't wait to blog about these socks.  I think they came out gorgeous and are probably the prettiest socks I have knit yet.  They are not for me, and the lucky recipient has no idea they are for her, so I think it's OK to post them here.  The pattern is Socks of Kindness and the yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in color way Red Rover.   The yarn is great to knit up and I'm really happy with how these socks turned out.  I'm definitely knitting up a pair of these for myself.

 

Here's a close up so you can see the pattern.  Isn't it beautiful?

 

I'm repeating week 3 of the 100 push up challenge again.  Yes, this is my third time doing week 3.  Hopefully I'll be more satisfied with it this go around.

I went for another run on Monday.  We had another monsoon storm on Sunday night, so Monday morning was a cool 75 degrees but very humid.  I did 3 miles - slow and steady, and no foot pain.  Yay!  :)

Hope everyone is having a good week!

I had no idea

Yesterday, I went to a local running shop to pick up the Strassburg Sock in the hopes that it would help with the PF. Since I was there, I thought I may as well be fitted for shoes and see if the ones I have fit me right. I was never fitted before because I was told by more than one person that flat feet equals motion control shoes. Well, not only was I wearing the wrong shoes all this time, I was wearing the wrong size as well! After trying on a bunch of different pairs, and running outside in all of them, I settled on a pair of Asics. I also picked up a Pro-Stretch to help out with the PF.

We had a big monsoon storm here last night, which led to cooler temperatures this morning (75 degrees). So I went out for a couple of miles in my new Asics. No pain and the best run I've had since having dealt with the whole PF thing.

I have not blogged about my knitting because I'm working on a few gifts for people that I know read this blog. But I will post pics after the gifts go out in the mail.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and good luck to everyone who is racing!

To run or not to run...

My foot was acting up again this morning, so instead of going out for a run, I played it safe and decided to make today a rest day.  On Sunday, I went out for a slow two miles and had no pain at all so I know the foot is on the mend - slowly but surely.  I may have to move a couple of my weekly runs indoors to the treadmill.  That run on Sunday morning was at 5:45 AM and it was already 90 degrees. 

 

 

    I decided to do week 3 of the push up challenge again because I didn't feel like I was ready enough to progress to the next week.  The big jump in push ups from week 2 to week 3 really did me in.  My arms are still sore from yesterday but I'm already starting to see some development in my triceps.

 

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Check out this book giveaway!

Just a quick post to let everyone know about a great book giveaway.  Trish is giving away 14 books to up to five people (YES - 14 BOOKS PER PERSON!).  You have until Saturday July 12 to enter!

Running Knitter is running again!

My new running shoes came today and I promptly put them on and hopped on the treadmill. It's been a long 2 1/2 weeks without running and I couldn't wait to get out there again. I knew I had to start out slowly and resist the urge to run longer - even if I wasn't having any foot problems. So, my run was a slow, steady, and short 1.5 miles. More importantly - no pain! I even ventured outside in the 108 degrees and did a tenth of a mile outside. It felt so good to be out there running again.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July!

Where is Running Knitter?

Thank you to all who stopped by to check on me. The foot is doing much better - no more pain at all, except for a dull pain in the morning when I first get up. I have found that stretching before getting out of bed will prevent that.

No running as I'm still waiting for my new running shoes to come in. I decided to order the same shoes that I had before, and wouldn't you know those take 7 - 10 days to arrive. I was going to try running with my old shoes, but thought I'd better not risk it. So the new shoes will be here on Wednesday, and you can bet I'm going to try them out as soon as I get my hands on them.

Nike posted training plans for the marathon and half marathon. I was still searching for a plan until I found these, so now I'm all set.


Here are the socks I knit for one of the lucky winners of the IWLC. I love how they turned out. I used Fannie's Fingering weight yarn by Farmhouse yarns, and the pattern is Blueberry Waffle Socks. I've already made a note to get more of this yarn and knit some socks up for myself.





Last night, Mr. Running Knitter and I went to see Wanted. Great movie. If you like "Matrix" type movies, you'll enjoy it. Afterwards, we went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. The Factory Peach Bellini is probably the best drink invented - just my opinion.

I'll post again after I try out the new shoes. Have a great week!

A Minor setback...

I did something to my foot during last weekend's long run. The pain started Sunday night and though it's gotten much better, it's still there. Plantar Fasciitis. So I took 4 days off from running, and have been icing it, and stretching it, and icing it some more. I did manage to get in a mile and a half today on the treadmill, but then my foot started to bother me again so I listened to my body and called it a day.

No long run for me this weekend. Thankfully it's early enough in my training that I can still play around with the mileage. I'm following Mizfit's lead on being positive. Not running for a few days is MUCH BETTER than not being able to run for who knows how long, right?

I was going to get new running shoes, as mine are getting up there in mileage, but I'm thinking I wouldn't really be able to try them out properly until my foot is back to 100%. Any thoughts on this from my running friends?

In better news, I finished day 3 today of the push up challenge. I did a total of 78 push ups today. How are you doing with the push up challenge?

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend. Mary Gee, Viv, Southbay Girl, RBR- I'll be thinking of you! I know you will ROCK! :)

The key is to acclimate...

I finished these socks for my friend's birthday (a little late but it's the thought that counts, right?). I used Regia Stretch yarn and the pattern is called Twin Rib Socks. I made sure to start the second sock at the same place in the color variation so that stripes would line up.

I'm halfway done with the socks I'm knitting for one of the winners of the Independent Weight Challenge. I'm loving how they are knitting up, and I'm sure they will be oh so comfy.


I went out on my long run this morning and got 7 miles done. Since I started at 4:45 AM and it was still pretty dark out, Mr. Running Knitter came along with me. Pre-dawn runs are definitely going to be the norm going forward as now I can tell how much of a difference the sun really makes. I felt pretty strong during my run and it was one of those runs where your mind just takes off and you forget you are running. My running has gotten a little bit easier the past couple of weeks, so I think I may be getting acclimated to this craziness called running outside during the Arizona summer months.

Have you heard about the 100 push up challenge? We take a push up test every month at boot camp, and my numbers are usually in the 30s. Hopefully this challenge will help me improve.

Have a great week!

Gummy Bears

I followed the advice of this article and since I didn't have any gels or clif blocks for my long run today, I took along some gummy bears instead. They actually worked well for me and gave me a little extra boost at the end of my run. It was again slow and steady but I was glad I was done by 6:30 AM as it was already 78 degrees at that point.

Thank you to everyone for the advice on hydration. I'm going to keep experimenting and see what works best. Today I just held by bottle of G2 and it worked out OK.

Yesterday I met up with my local knitting group (and no it's not a bunch of old ladies) at a bakery. Another older woman (she was maybe in her 60s or 70s) comes up from behind me and asks what we are all knitting. Since I'm working on the 2nd sock of a pair, I had the first completed sock in front of me. This woman - a total stranger - says "Oh how cute!", picks up my finished sock, and walks back to her table with it!!!! As everyone around me says "SHE TOOK YOUR SOCK!" I turn around and see the woman showing the sock to everyone at her table. After a minute she came back with it. Good thing too because you know you shouldn't take anything from a table of women who all have knitting needles in their hands. Obviously this woman's mom never told her to ask first before just taking.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Learning new things

Now that summer is here, I'm sure we're all sporting flip flops more often. I wear them year round here in the Southwest. But after reading this article that said wearing flip flops affects your gait and can cause leg pain, I won't be wearing them anymore. I don't need foot problems or leg pain - I'm a runner! :)

My training runs this week have been productive (translation: slow but steady) and as Viv says, I'm still getting acclimated to the heat. I've tried running with a fuel belt (the kind with just one water bottle) and hated it, so I'm currently looking at other hydration methods. Not sure if any kind of belt will help me - I may just have to run with a bottle in each hand. I'll let you know how that works out after this weekend's long run.

How's everyone doing with the Independence Weight Loss Challenge? Here's some motivation for you - dropping as little as two pounds can help you run faster, according to this RW article. Check out this chart:



Happy almost weekend!


PS - I came across this video from this blog post. It's about the power of words and the hurt that words can do. It was very eye-opening, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pass it on. Be warned - you might shed a tear or two after watching it.

It's the weekend!

The lack of blogging this week is due to work overload. The lack of running this week is due to the evil Arizona sun.

Yesterday I foolishly tried to run at 8 AM, when it was already in the 80's. I got one mile in and decided it wasn't worth it. Today I went out for a run at 5:30 AM, and got in a great three miles. Still pretty warm, but I didn't have to deal with too much sun.

I refuse to let the sun keep me from running. I've already googled a calendar of sunrise times from now until September, so I know exactly when to run before the heat sets in. I'm not looking forward to running at 4:30 AM, but don't we all do crazy things just to get in a run?




I have no knitting pics to post. I'm currently knitting a gift for my friend's birthday, and since she reads this blog, pics will have to wait. But I did knit up another wee tiny sock for a swap that I'm doing. This time I put it on a tiny sock blocker key chain.





Anyone up for a weight loss challenge? Go here to join the Independence Weight Loss Challenge! The awesome Viv and Karen are holding a weight loss challenge for June, and there are PRIZES involved! Are you in? Hurry and sign up before June 1st, and let's cheer each other on!




Hope everyone has a great weekend and good luck to everyone racing. For Nancy, Viv, and Anna - I know you will run like the wind at your races! Go! Go! Go!

Cool weather + AWESOME running buddies = A NEW PR!

It's been unseasonably cool and rainy here the past few days. It's usually triple digit heat by this time of the year, so I was thankful that it was cloudy and cool this morning for my 5K.

Funny how a 5K race doesn't require any big prep work anymore. The race didn't start until 7:30, so I took my time with breakfast before getting into the car to get to the race.

I met up with Karen and Lisa in the parking lot and we went to go pick up our timing chips and numbers. If you think these ladies' posts are funny, try hanging out with them and not laughing. It can't be done. I think at one point my abs hurt from laughing so much.

After putting our numbers and chips on, we made our way to the start area. This race was handicapped by age and gender, so it was a little chaotic at the start line. We finally got to the front and off we went.

My pace was A LOT faster than my training runs. I didn't really pay attention to my split times. I knew a PR was in sight, but it wasn't until afterwards, when I looked up my previous 5K time, that I realized how fast I had run.

5K
Official chip time: 34:19 A new PR! (previous time was 39:09!!!)
10:58 min./mile

Me, Karen, and Lisa after the race
They ran out of water, so we were forced to drink soda!

Thank you and congrats to Karen and Lisa who also PR'd today! A great run with amazing running buddies and a PR! What more could a runner ask for!

And she's back!

Thank you for everyone's get well soon wishes. My stomach is back to normal, and I think I gained back those two pounds I lost while having the stomach flu, but oh, well.

Yesterday I went out for a 3 mile run, and it was a great run. The rest really did me some good because it was my fastest 3 miles so far.

Tomorrow I'm running a 5K with Karen and Lisa. Hopefully I'll have a new PR to report back to you.

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend. To Kai, Nat, and Amy - You gals will rock this weekend and I can't wait to read your race reports!

M.I.A.

I've been MIA for a little while. We were in Boston over the weekend for my cousin's graduation, and wouldn't you know, I caught a stomach virus while we were out there. I did manage to get in a 3 mile run before the virus hit, but our grand plan to run 6 miles along the Charles River did not happen.

My stomach is just now getting back to normal. That paired with jet lag just wouldn't let me get out of bed this morning to get to boot camp. So I haven't done any running or workouts in five days. I hate feeling this way but I suppose if I don't listen to my body now, it will probably just take even longer for me to get back to 100%.

I did loose two pounds and got to eat Maine lobster, so the weekend was not all that bad.

While we were in Boston, (and before the stomach virus hit me), we went to Finale for dessert. If you are ever in Boston, this is one place you MUST go to. We ordered the Whole Nine Yards and it was so yummy.


These are the socks I knit up for my mom for Mother's Day. I used Flat Feet yarn from Conjoined Creations, and just did a simple 3 by 1 ribbing. I think any other pattern probably wouldn't look right because the colors were just so rich and bright.


Hope everyone is having a great week!

6 is the magic number!

Quick post -

6 is the number of miles I ran on Sunday (actually 6.2).

I went shopping today for new pants. Can you guess what size I ended up buying? Can you guess what size actually FIT me? Yes, that's right...SIZE 6! It took me a few minutes in the fitting room to realize that I was wearing the smallest size I can ever remember wearing. I at first thought it was a fluke, because you know brands tend to run differently - until I went to another store and the size 6 from there fit me as well!

We're off to visit family so happy weekend everyone!
Oh, and good luck to everyone racing this weekend. Java - I know you will ROCK!

10K on the 10th

Plan A was to meet with Karen yesterday and do our virtual club run. But that was before the stomach flu got a hold of Karen. My hamstrings were sore from boot camp this week, so I made Saturday a rest day and went on to Plan B - run the 10K race today. Hopefully the race director, Nancy, won't mind. She's cool like that.

So I got up at 4 AM, ate two pieces of peanut butter toast, and was out on the road by 5:45 AM. I knew right away that this would be a difficult race for me. My hamstrings were still tight, and at times my legs felt SO HEAVY. The evil sun was already out. But I was determined to finish.

I chose a flat course this time, and after a couple of miles, I found my groove. I stopped to stretch a couple of times, and before I knew it, I was at the 5 mile mark.

Now, I've never hit "the wall" so I don't really know what that's like, but I think I hit it today. Once I hit that 5 mile mark, all of a sudden I felt like I just didn't have any more energy to finish. I'm not sure if it was my sore hamstrings, or if I just ran out of gas. I started telling myself "You are going to finish!" I walked a little more, and kept going.

Running is always a mental game for me, but even more so today. The mind prevailed over the body again, and I finished at 1:19, which is a NEW PR for me!

Special thank you to Nancy - our awesome motivator and race director.

Hope everyone has a great week, and happy mother's day to all the moms out there!

A Run in the Desert

Today I went for a run and decided to take some pics along the way.

Saguaro Cactus

Going up the long hill

Cholla Cactus (also known as Jumping Cholla Cactus)

Still going up that hill...

Prickly Pear Cactus

After 1.75 miles, I finally get to the top of the hill.

I went around a 4 mile loop, so of course, after going down the hill, I had to run back up to get to my goal of 5.5 miles. It was a little warm (65 degrees) but still a great run.

I am just about finished knitting another pair of socks and will have pics tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Healthy You Challenge Check In and the Cheerleader in me

I joined the Healthy You Challenge so here's my weekly "checking in" post. No movement on the scale this week, which is OK with me. This week it's back to boot camp, running, and clean eating. I'm training for Nancy's virtual race:

Pokey and I will be running it together, and we will be ready! Like Pokey says, NO EXCUSES!

This morning as I was leaving boot camp, I drove by a group of three runners. I wanted to say "Good job! Keep it up!" to them. But then I thought that probably wouldn't go over too well. Crazy women drives by runners and yells out at them "Way to go!". So I just silently cheered them on. Must be the cheerleader in me that wants to motivate everyone.

Happy Friday!

I finished the socks I was doing with yarn from The Plucky Knitter. I decided to go with ankle socks and a simple 3 by 1 ribbing. I love how they turned out and they are oh so comfy.

No boot camp this week so I got in a couple of runs and did some weights on my own. Boot camp starts up again next week.

Good luck to Dawn, Jess, Southbay Girl, Maryland Girl, and Valley Girl who are all running tomorrow in the Country Music Half Marathon. Have fun ladies and RUN RUN RUN!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Pat's Run Race Report

I got up at 4:30 AM today so that I could eat and get to the race an hour before the start. With 15,000 runners and walkers expected, Karen and I didn't want to take any chances being late.

We both got there with plenty of time to spare. Before we knew it, the crowd was gathering and it was time to get ready for the start.

Me and Karen at the start

We started out at a really good pace and before we knew it, we reached the first mile marker. I asked Karen if I was slowing her down, and she said "Are you kidding me?" I'm not sure if she knew how much that made my day.

The miles went by pretty quickly. We ran most of the way, except for a couple of hills here and there and at the water stops. Surprisingly, the crowd never really thinned out, and we were weaving through runners right through to the finish.

The finish line is at the 42 yard line of Sun Devil Stadium. 42 was Pat Tillman's number at ASU - thus the 4.2 mile run and the finish at the 42 yard line. I must admit running into the stadium for the finish was pretty cool.

Garmin time: 52:45. Not sure what the chip time was as they haven't posted the official times yet. Congrats to Karen for a new Pat's Run PR!

Good luck to Java on her tri tomorrow. If my car wasn't acting funny, I'd be down there to cheer her on! There is always next month when she does her next big Tri. GO JAVA!!!!

My Six Word Meme

I was tagged by Meredith for the Six Word Meme. Here are the rules:

1) Write your own six word memoir.
2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4) Tag at least five more blogs with links.
5) Don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.
6) Have fun.

I had a hard time with this. I thought of a few but they were all more than six words! But I did come up with one.

Believe you can and you will.

I at first thought that was too generic, but when I started to think about it, I realized that it applied to many aspects of my life. Changing careers and jobs, moving across the country, becoming a serious runner, sticking with boot camp and clean eating, even learning how to knit socks - none of that would have happened if I didn't believe that I could do it.

Now to tag five people: Jenny, Karen, Anna, Viv, and Bev.

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Tomorrow is Pat's Run and they are expecting 15,000 runners and walkers. I don't think I've ever run in a race that big. Thank goodness Karen will be running with me and can help me navigate through the crowds.

Have a great weekend!

A new goal and new sock yarn

My new goal: to be ALL MUSCLE like Ali.

Did you watch the Biggest Loser finale last night? I'm so glad Ali won. She is a lean muscle machine and she definitely inspired me.

Boot camp has been excellent this week. I love that even after all these months of camp, I'm still able to get a KILLER workout and know that I'm still pushing myself to the limits.

Oh, and remember how I was talking about turkey bacon and a few of you suggested trying Morning Star Farms Sausage Patties? So I tried them, and THEY WERE THE BEST! So yummy! They will definitely be a part of my regular eating.

Big thank you to Bev for the push up contest and my prize. I took 2nd place with 30 pushups in 60 seconds. Considering I was on my toes (yep, that's right - I did the "toes" pushups"), I was a happy camper.

Here's some new sock yarn that I got. Aren't the colors gorgeous? Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Winterberry and Wollmeise twin 80/20 in Pfauenauge. I've already decided these will be socks for me.

Hope everyone's having a great week. Keep on keeping on!

More Wee Tiny Socks and a new pair of jeans

I knit up two more wee tiny socks. These have to be the best (and fastest) knitted gifts.

Today was an unscheduled rest day. I just couldn't get out of bed early enough to run. The workout week is already planned out though:
Mon. - Boot camp
Tues. - boot camp
Wed. - boot camp
Thurs - run (3 or 4 miles)
Fri - boot camp
Saturday - Pat Tillman Run


I went shopping today for a new pair of jeans. I walked out with a pair of jeans in a size that I haven't worn in over 10 years, and yes, I did the happy dance in the fitting room.

I came across a couple of great articles this week that I thought I'd pass along.

• Women runners: Let fat be the fuel that helps you cross the finish line Doesn't that sound like the best news? Thanks to The Marathon Mama for passing along the article.

• "Last place is the girl who is laying on her couch Saturday morning, watching TV, and wondering what you are doing." - Corinne Crabtree. I'm going to remember that quote the next time I'm towards the back of the pack. Read more from Corinne here.

Have a great week everyone, and for Anna-omoly who starts boot camp tomorrow - have fun, kick butt, and don't forget to let us know how you liked it!

Sangria does not make you run faster.

Thank you to everyone for your great comments. My friends in blogland are the best.

Last night, the hubby and I went to Carrabbas for dinner. If you have not tried their sangria, it is the best sangria I've ever had. It was so good we ordered a pitcher of it.

So in case you were wondering, sangria does not make you run faster. I found that out this morning on my run, and boot camp yesterday was KILLER, so that didn't help my run either. My hamstrings were really sore, but I figured a short run would probably do the muscles some good. The hamstrings are much better now after my run.

I'm halfway done with a pair of Twin Rib socks in Plucky Knitter yarn. I love the colors and how it's knitting up. This pair is for me.

Happy almost Friday!

Time to do the happy dance!

I'm doing the happy dance today for a few reasons.

I got up early again this morning and had an awesome run. I got out there just as the sun was coming up, and it was a perfect 60 degrees.

Today is my birthday, and I am happy to say I'm in the best shape of my LIFE .

Six months ago yesterday, I ran in my first 5K. Little did I know, that race would be just the first of several more.

Six months ago today, I started going to boot camp. Who knew that I would actually grow to love getting up at 4:30 AM to do push ups, lunges, weight training, and circuit training?

Running and boot camp have made me stronger - not just physically, but mentally. Just when I think I can't run any further, or do another rep, I know I can do it, and I'm now able to push myself and get it done.

I've lost 30 pounds. Today, I can't even imagine life without running or bootcamp.

Why am I telling you all of this? No, it's not to brag, and no, it's not so everyone can say "Yay, go Running Knitter!".

I'm sharing this story with you to let you know - IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT TOO. Yes, it will be tough, and yes there will be times when you feel like quitting. Yes, there will be bad days. Just remember that even baby steps are steps in the right direction, and as long as you stick it out, you'll reach your goal.