My PT is a magician

I got to the gym this morning extra determined to get a great workout in, even if I couldn't run.  I focused on my abs and pushed myself on the spin bike. I was able to leave sweaty and tired. Thanks to an amazing friend watching my boys last minute, I was able to see my Physical Therapist this morning. I left the appointment with new hope that I'll be able to run all of the races I have planned over the next 7 weeks.

Check out this sexy tape job I got at PT. Could they at least use pink tape or something? I'm going to request that tomorrow when I go back. :)

 I have the most supportive kids. They make sure I'm not sloughing on my stretches and core work.

 And apparently I'm celebrating my birthday all week long, because the yummy food just keeps coming. My sweet mother-in-law made me brownies with frosting and Cadbury Mini Eggs on top. She knows me well.

 Dinner tonight was Terryiaki chicken meatball lettuce wraps. Costco was sampling the meatballs on Saturday, and the sweet old sample lady totally convinced me that I HAD to buy a package. Luckily I liked them just as much tonight as I did on Saturday.

 

Do you feel obligated to buy the products you sample?

Brownies or cake?

What was for dinner tonight?

I choose happy.

Yesterday was my birthday and I have had quite the amazing weekend! Date with my hubby, horse ride, all my favorite treats and possibly the best birthday presents I've ever received! Here's my day in pictures:

I was able to start my day off with an 11.11 mile run with the lovely Jocelyn. (More on this later)

My friend Jenna made me this medal and bib holder. Isn't it just perfect!!

 This is the current status of my medals, so I NEEDED this. :)

 When I got out of my ice bath, I was greeted by Kevin, the boys and these delicious cinnamon rolls from Shirley's Bakery.

 Cory picks out my card every year. This is my second favorite one ever. (Last year's CARD still holds a special place in my heart.)

 Our friend Bryce the Cowboy let us ride this little rescue mare named Cherry. She didn't have a straight leg on her, but she was such a little sweetie.

 My sweet sister-in-law brought me my favorites: cookies, PowerCrunch bars Nuun and Sports Beans. I also bought myself a new pair of Pro Compression socks. Runner's heaven right there my friends.

 Jocelyn delivered this amazing Magelby's chocolate cake. (I told you I was feeling the love from everyone!)

 Date night with my main man was so fun. After dinner we drove up the canyon and to a few of my favorite spots.

 The perfect ending to any birthday... Kazookie from The Chocolate.

Yesterdays run was suppose to be 14 miles, as part of a drop back week. 1 mile in I started having knee pain. I contemplated sitting down and crying my eyes out, but dug deep and decided that for my birthday I wanted to run at least 6 miles even if they hurt. The pain turned from sharp to dull so I went for 11.11 miles, hoping for some good luck. The knee still hurts today and I'm slowly accepting that I'm injured. It hurts to even type those words. I'm going to the physical therapist as soon as I can get in. I'm being a good girl and RICEing the heck out of it. I could be all down and depressed about it, but I have too many good things going on in my life to whine about this. My plan is to rest it for a couple of days, try to run on Wednesday or Thursday and decide if I can swing pacing the Alpine Half on Saturday or not.

Case of the sickies

 I've survived 2 nights of  Slim coughing all night long. Like everyone else on the planet, I really hate when my kids are sick. Hearing him cough all night long makes me so sad.

 

 The fever has only slowed him down a little bit. He still has enough spit and vinegar to keep me on my toes.

Slim tried to share his cold with me, but I can tell my body is trying it's hardest to fight it. I felt a little weaker during my strength training workout, but by mile 3 of my run I started to feel much better. I do, however, have an annoying eye twitch that I'm pretty sure is a result of the terrible quality of sleep I've been getting due to Slim's cough.

Today's Workout
3 sets x 10-12 reps
Plank up-down
Bar bicep curls
Overhead tricep extensions
Hammer curls
Preacher curls on ball
Cable tricep pushdowns
Seated underhand pull downs
Seated rows

One leg bench dips
Decline pushups
Shoulder Press
Bent over reverse fly
Bench Press

Ran 5.5 miles around Provo

Do you exercise when you have a cold or rest?

Do your eyes twitch when you're tired or stressed?

What are you making for dinner?

My favorite distractions

We've had a busy week around here, and it's only Wednesday. Total rest day, except for a short hike with Slim and friends. My legs have been a bit achy but no pain, which gives me hope that I may make it through these next weeks injury free. On May 24th I'll be pacing the Alpine Half Marathon as part of my 20 mile training run. I hear it's a hilly course, so that should be fun. :)

I can get quite obsessive about the running thing, so luckily I've had some of my favorite distractions this week.

Our 11 month old lab, MaeBelle, is a mess but very much a part of our family. I've tried to take her running, but it always end badly. Last time she pulled me so hard that she snapped the leash. I was well on my way to running the fastest mile of my life. 

Maybe I should see if they'll let me race with her, and I'd be in PR city for sure!

 This picture was taken right after Cory dumped a bottle of Windex and some dish detergent into my big pot. Pirate stew is serious business you know. He's taught me so much patience in the past 4 years.

Slim figured out how to open my favorite lip gloss and smeared it all over his face, while spilling a drink. He is such a gifted boy.

 

Thankfully we were able to get out and enjoy a beautiful hike this morning. Not every part of being a parent is chaos and damage control.

I'm eager to hit it hard in the gym in the morning. Rest days will do that for you - make you extra hungry for a sweat in your eyes kind of a workout.

Do you get obsessive with your hobbies?

Do you run with a dog?

What's your favorite non-running stress reliever?

JessBeCheap

Nothing can humble you as quickly as a Mother's Day card from your 4 year old. Apparently I'm cheap and spend all of my free time on the computer. It only hurts cause there is truth there. ;) I also need to learn to make meatball soup to live up to my reputation. Anyone have a recipe for me?

 At least he thinks I'm as special as an Alien on an autopsy table.

 This picture makes Cory look like a giant.

I got the best Mother's Day gift from my mother-in-law. 

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Little Golden Book

I'm seriously digging this book with it's wisdom and familiar illustrations.

 This one says, "Get some exercise every day." Today's scheduled "cross training" day turned into speed work at the track.  

 "Steer clear of shady characters."

 I usually run with others, but today I ran by myself. I always take my mace and leave my music off or turned down, so that I can be on guard against shady characters. I tell Kevin I'm not nervous to run alone, but honestly I'm quite a scardy cat, jumping at every shadow with my thumb securely on my mace trigger.

Today's workout:
Ran 2 warm up miles to the local track.
Did 8 continuous laps (2miles), sprinting the straightaways and jogging the turns.
Ran the 2 miles home.
Total of 6 miles and had to earn each one. My legs are really heavy from last week.

What was your favorite children's story growing up? 
I loved all of the Billy and Blaze books. My fellow horse enthusiasts may remember these.

Do you like to do your speed work on the track? 

Are you scared of the dark?
I'm as bad as a 5 year old.

Mondays make me do crazy ambitious things

Things just got real. I'm officially registered for the Utah Valley Marathon. 

Just typing that makes me a little sick to my stomach. In a good way I think.

 I shared the below status on Facebook (UVM gives you a 5% discount if you do.) and I love how my mama was the first to like it. She really is my biggest fan and supporter. She cares more for her children's happiness than for her own. She wants to give us the world and did a fantastic job making sure we had every opportunity in life that we desired to have (and some we didn't desire...like 7 years of piano lessons.)

It's a brand new week and a fresh opportunity to be a little bit better. I just sat down and read through my goals for this week, trying to make sure I'm focusing on the most important stuff (like my sweet boys and husband). Call me crazy, but I really and truly love Mondays and the fresh start they offer.

Today's Workout:
Warm-up
Walking lunges
Diagonal lunges
Skaters
Squat kicks
Jumping jacks

Using the Squat Rack
Front lunges
Sissy squats
Squats
Sumo squats
Calf raises

4 miles on the treadmill.

Doing work up in here

Janae, Heather, Jocelyn and I got dropped off at Vivian Park in Provo Canyon. I was doing a lot of positive self talk on the drive up the canyon, because I kept having thoughts like, "I really don't want to run 18 miles. What was I thinking?" and "What am I getting myself into? This is such a dumb hobby." 

Janae had this saying on the back of her shirt. So funny to me.

Luckily all those thoughts faded away as we started to run down the canyon. We ran the first couple miles all together, and then Jocelyn and I slowed our pace a bit.  

(Pic Source)

The first 13 miles were pretty uneventful and enjoyable. Miles 13-15 were a little more difficult to keep pace since my calf was cramping up on me. I took a GU at mile 6 and another at mile 12. This seemed to work great for me; my stomach and energy levels felt good.

When I started the final 3 miles I just told myself, run a 5k and you're done. No biggie right? Well those last 3 miles were physically and mentally tough. I got back to the car at mile 15.5, so I had to run past the car for 1.25 miles, which was tough mentally. I was really pleased with how I kept my thoughts positive. I even ended up the 18 by visualizing running 8 more, and telling myself I had it in me.

I love the mental aspect of running. I really believe it takes just as much commitment to train your brain to run 26.2 as it does to train your body. 

Oh.. I almost forgot to tell you... around mile 11 I passed The Hungry Runner Girl. I've been following her blog for a long time and it's one of my favorites. I guess I still haven't officially met her since our conversation lasted about 4 seconds as we ran past each other. :) 

Yesterday was a very productive day around these parts. I was able to do my long run, and I came home to the hubby building me a storage loft in our garage. (The gift of storage is what every mother needs for Mother's Day!)

My Mother's Day gift to myself was this yummy 10lb glazed ham. I don't necessarily love ham, but this baby will feed my family many times over. I froze 5 ziplocks bags of it, and will be able to pull it out for quick and easy meals on nights when I'd rather be doing other things than cooking. :)

 We ended the night with a trip to Yogurtland since we had some coupons. Slim was all business.

This is the face of a happy mama.

Do you struggle with storage space in your home?
Our home was built in the 50s and they must have only owned 5 outfits and a pair of shoes, because the closets are tiny.
What are your favorite ice cream/yogurt toppings?

What are your Mother's Day Traditions?