I did melt tonight

Yoga made me sweat SO MUCH tonight...I do not like to sweat that much unless I am running! Not sure if the A/C was set too high, or if there was something wrong with me. Have to say I was glad when it was over.

Well, my mom is not bouncing back like we had hoped so I am going back to Pensacola for the weekend. My husband is already down there working, so my son and I will drive over after the Saturday run. It makes me sad because she has always been so active and quite healthy. She has taken care of 2 ill husbands...one had Multiple Sclerosis, and the last one has Alzheimers and was placed in a nursing home this past spring. She has had a tough life...she is my hero. She coped with her challenges through her spiritual strength and her always positive attitude. Her glass is always half-full...and STILL is. She is not doing poorly, just not back the way she was. I know it will take time, but at her age of 79, it just scares me.

I am so upset about Kristy's heel problem. I sure hope she will be able to do the CM. I know with her determination she will do a marathon somewhere, sometime. There is still hope that the MRI will not show a fracture.

I know what the problem at yoga was...I wore the dreaded COTTON and it was a heavy cotton t-shirt...what was I thinking?! That skinny little halter top that Heather wore was a much better choice for comfort and cuteness. I can't do the halter thing but I will be sporting some kind of dri-fit shirt next class!

I did not melt for a change

Spent 45 min. at the park wogging and it was actually tolerable. At last, maybe we will see cooler weather from now on. I did 2:1 intervals at first but ended up doing 1:1. My goal is to be able to do 2:1 in Chicago after walking the first mile.

I am hoping and praying that Kristy does not have a stress fracture. She has worked so hard and like the rest of us has come a long way. We have all learned things about ourselves and realized that we have the discipline to do whatever we put our minds to. It really does make you think about going outside the comfort zone in other aspects of our lives. Gee, we can achieve ANYTHING...but first, the Chicago Marathon.

WE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES, FOLKS!

I guess I started out too fast yesterday because I gave out of gas around mile 8...stopped the regular intervals and just ran when the mood hit me...it hit me on a fairly regular basis because all I could think of was "I want to get this over with"...get into my AIR CONDITIONED car and drive to my AIR CONDITIONED house and crash into my wonderful bed. (after a cold shower, of course) Around mile 16 I started feeling rather jovial...almost there...and seemed to get my "2nd wind", albeit delayed. My metatarsalgia was not bad yesterday...the only complaint is EXTREMELY SORE quads today...the cold shower did not work this time. I feel sure that my energy level yesterday and my very sore quads are a result of not having run since the 18 miles. I will not neglect training from here on. I want to be completely ready for Chicago. I am worried about a business trip I have to take on Sept.18-21 to Los Angeles. As usual, our time will be scheduled from sun-up to way past sundown. It will be challenging during that week but I will have to get on the hotel treadmill I guess.

I am going to miss the Saturday runs after Chicago. (did I just say that?) There is nothing like the comaraderie of our fellow marathoners...we suffer TOGETHER...united we stand/run/walk.
It is awesome to see all of us out there struggling to meet this goal...we are learning we have what it takes...GO MARATHONERS...WE ARE SPECIAL!!!!!!! Another huge THANK YOU to our great leaders, Mark, Robin and Matt!

Back home

Just returned from Pensacola tonight. My mom is doing okay although she is still in the hospital. She looks like she has been beaten up with her eye swollen shut and the whole side of her face bruised as well as her ear is black and blue. She looks so pitiful but her feisty spirit is still intact! She apparently blacked out but they have not determined what caused that yet. She is lucky she only had a small brain bleed...this could have been much more serious. They will keep a watch on the brain hemorrhage to make sure it is not continuing and causing excessive pressure. Consequently, I have had no exercise since Saturday...how am I going to make 20 miles?! I am really not too worried about that...I know I can do it...just get out there, make up my mind that it has to be done, and VOILA, it's done...well maybe I am simplifying it a bit...ya think? I will be at Yoga tomorrow night. AND I will be at the Rez on Thurs. morning, that is if the Lord is willing and the creek don't rise.

Life has its bumps in the road

Hubby and I got up on Saturday morning and did our bike ride. I have not ridden my bike in over a year since I had the rotator cuff surgery on my left shoulder. Had forgotten what a great workout it is. It is rather hard going up the hills, similar to running, but with the constant breeze in your face, it did not seem as hot as it was. We did 18 miles and stopped at Starbucks for a break with a plan to do 22 miles and my phone rang. My sister from Pensacola was calling to tell me my mom had fallen in her home and was in the E.R. Long story short, she was admitted to the hospital with a broken cheek bone and has a small brain hemorrhage along with other bruises. Thank God, no broken hip, but I sure am worried about this brain hemorrhage. So, I will be leaving to go to Pensacola in another hour or so. My sister said no need to come but I can't not go...this is my precious mother who is 79. So, no tennis today, no yoga, and no running with the group on Monday morning since I plan to come back on Monday night. If all goes well I will be at the Rez on Tues. morning. You just never know what each day will bring...thank God, most days go well, and I thank HIM for my many blessings. Hope y'all have a pleasant Sunday and a good training day on Monday.

Need a break---taking it.

I have been in a major funk this week...with everything, the job, mm training, you name it. I have just wanted to sleep all week. Maybe it's the heat, I don't know. I, somehow, have scheduled myself for SOMETHING every night during the week...I played tennis on Monday night, went to WW on Tues. night, skipped yoga on Wed. night, went to a Beth Moore Bible study on Thursday night. Instead of going to yoga Wed. night, I went to bed at 7:30p. I have decided that I am going to have a normal Saturday tomorrow. I made a decision mid-week that I was not going to do the group run on Saturday...I want to spend the whole day with my hubby who travels out of town Tues. through Friday. He and I are getting up 'round 6am and plan to do 20 miles on our bikes. On Sunday I will play tennis in the hot sun from 1-3 again and then hubby and I will go to yoga at 4pm. THEN on Monday morning dark and early, I will run again. I am so thankful for Shannon, whoever she is, that she initiated a group training session every morning M-TH. This is exactly what I needed and I am mentally ready. Somehow I think I have to take control every now and then and do what I want to do and not something mandated by someone else...then I feel "all better" and am ready to conform and obey again. The rebellious teenager is still there, I guess. I was a "goody two-shoes" teenager and never displayed very much rebellion but I have made up for it since! I will miss seeing everyone tomorrow but I need a mental break. And I'm takin' it!

Dog Days of Summer--whew!

Lucky are those who get to work in an air conditioned environment all day long...I don't. I am in and out of my car all day. I am out of the car long enough for it to get re-e-e-ea-lly hot...then I don't get cooled off before it is time to park in yet another parking lot and walk sometimes long distances in the heat in high heels to get to the medical building. The good news is I get some exercise in those parking lots and I get some " heat conditioning" whether I want it or not. I did 40 min. on the ellipticisor tonight...just too hot to walk outside anymore today. I am going to "try" once again to get my lazy hind parts out of that bed in the morning and go for a wog at Strawberry Park. I know it is XT day and I will do yoga tomorrow night, but I have not wogged since the 18 miles. Boy, Strawberry Park is deserted in the afternoons now. It used to be as busy as a beehive with walkers and runners. Yesterday at 6pm I did tennis drills for an hour which is a lot of running in the heat. All I wanted to do when I got home was to take a shower and go beddy-bye...which is exactly what I did.

Well, it seems word has spread amongst my tennis community that I am going to do the Chicago Marathon. I have told a few, but you know how that grapevine works. It is amusing to see when someone hears about my project for the first time and they start looking me over from head to toe...you know how catty and jealous some females can be...well, after they give me the "once over" they relax...I know they are thinking "now, that girl can do some serious eatin' if she is still that size and training for a marathon! And she said she did 18 miles a week ago...she is either lying or spending a whole lot of time eating." I have no explanation...I don't understand it myself...the "why" behind no weight loss with increased exercise and the same ole eating habits. Any insight on this anyone?!

I hope to get some time this weekend to look at all the websites and videos MM'ers are referring to in their blogs and on the forum. I especially want to see the CM video. I am needing some pumping up these days. Good night all.

Hot town, summer in the city...hotter than a matchhead

I am blaming it on the heat. I had a plan to wog on Friday aft. at 6pm at the Rez by myself. Well, at 5:15pm on my way home from work, my car's temp gauge for "outside" temp. said 104 degrees. It was not difficult to talk myself out of it...simply said, no way am I doing this today! Did not go with the group on Saturday because we were leaving between 8:30 and 9am to go out of town for a wedding at 2pm. I knew that running on Sat. am would push me too much to leave on time. So, I guess I missed doing the 9 miles. Today, I went to Church, played tennis in the "hot brilin' sun" from 1:30pm to 3:15pm. Again, some of the girls cried uncle and we quit. I rushed home, took a quick shower and went to yoga at 4pm. It was a little easier today than last Wed. I am a little afraid that I am going to "pull something" during yoga and not be able to do the marathon. My lower back hurts and is achey after each yoga class. It doesn't last too long, fortunately. I plan to continue but I think I will take it a little easier and not try to do everything Heather does (like I could). Lord knows I could use some "loosening up". So, I did 2 XT's today and have not run since last Saturday. Not good. Tomorrow, I have tennis drills again and will get plenty of running in then. On Tuesday I should be back on training routine but I will HAVE TO get up and do in the early a.m. due to the unbelievable heat. When I got back into my car today at the tennis court, the temp. gauge for "outside" air was 113 degrees! Maybe there is something to that global warming chat. I have not watched that video yet...can't seem to find the time to sit and watch a video. I'll have to find the time since it is about our special life project...CM! Hope everyone takes it slow and easy this week with your training and don't forget to chug water EVERYDAY.

Do the pretzel.

Got back from Birmingham around 6:30pm, changed clothes and scurried off to yoga. What a great XT. I wasn't so sure I liked it Sunday, but it is a good work out for the tight muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc. and I SURE need it. I finally got to meet Queen blogger, Onetta, at yoga class. Also got to know who Micah is.
I did a lot for XT on Sunday by playing tennis and doing yoga. However, I have not wogged on Mon. or Tues.--this sales meeting in B'ham threw me off because I had to do some prep work for the meeting and then drive over to B'ham and go out to dinner with the group, got back in late, etc. Ann and I are going to run our 9 miles at the Rez on Friday morning if we can get a 3rd person...any takers? It is still rather dark at 5:30am and we would feel safer with a 3rd person. If not, we'll do "9" rounds at Strawberry park---boring!
I am so thankful that I have not had an injury--so far. I feel so badly for Jana, Queen, Sheila and others who have had setbacks. It is getting scary as the time ticks closer to the CM knowing that an injury may not have time to rehab. But if it happens it happens. As Queen said there are already many benefits of being a part of this whole thing. This is the best thing I have ever done for me, so I will continue to train with caution and on the easy side and keep the faith that I will make it to the starting line!

Too hot to play outside

Shish! I am still dripping with sweat and I have had a shower! I had tennis drills at RTC at 5:45pm and Susan, our instructor, had no mercy on us...ran our little tails off. There were just 4 of us in the class so we had PLENTY of practice. I thought it was hot Saturday, but running during tennis today was much worse...no breeze at all. Yesterday, after Church I played tennis for 1 1/2 hours in the hot sun. A couple of the girls cried uncle and said it was too hot to continue. I was glad they did but I had already planned to leave early so I could go to yoga class. I left tennis yesterday at 3:15, raced home, showered, slicked my hair up into a ponytail and raced to Yoga...and relaxed there...yeah right...well, maybe at the end playing corpse. So, I have had 2 XT days. I will definitely have to run tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon I drive to Birmingham to have dinner with my district co-workers and then a sales meeting all day on Wednesday. Drive back to Madison on Wednesday night so it doesn't sound like I will have any time to XT. Maybe I will do the dumbbells in bed while watching the 10 o'clock news. I am planning to do the 9 miles or is it 10 miles on Thursday morning bright and early with Ann and Janet at the Rez. Sure hope it cools off but at least it is early and it won't be that long. Well, I have talked an awful lot about the weather here...pretty boring...but it's my journal and I can be boring if I wanta. BTW, I was NOT SORE at all from the 18 miles on Saturday. HOWEVER, that yoga class....OMG, I was very sore later on that night. I guess it is a good kind of sore...stretched some muscles that needed it. Gotta get some computer work done for my job. Night-night!

Another one down!

Whoa boy, it was hot out there yesterday. I did the calculation using a calorie burn calculator and Kristy and I burned 1, 595 calories on our 18 mile walk...and no, we did not cancel that out with our gels. Now maybe I did at the party last night with helping myself to not one but two desserts...they were worth it. I figured if I laid off the alcohol I could eat more dessert...made sense to me! When Kristy and I started out at 5:15am and realized how hot and muggy it was at that hour, then we decided we would just walk most of the 18 miles. As time wore on, we decided to walk the whole 18 miles...I was so-o-o sore at the end. BUT with the help of the good ole Endurox, Motrin, and the very cold shower, I felt like partying last night. It was a great party and Cathy did a superb job coordinating and creating all the excitement about the "butt event". Those aprons were perfect! Today hubby and I went to the Yoga class with Heather and it was fun. I really needed to do all those stretches and look forward to becoming more flexible as the yoga classes continue. I was glad to hear at the party last night that Kristy and I were not the only ones suffering out there yesterday. Now, I don't like to hear about people suffering, mind you, but...well you know what I mean! Mine and Kristy's last 3-4 miles were pretty quiet...no conversation. Had no extra energy for small talk. But we have conquered yet another LSD with only 2 more to go before the big day...woo-hoo!

Whew! What a stressful morning yesterday!

Did not blog or XT yesterday probably because I was wiped out from the stress that occurred in the morning. I work for Johnson & Johnson, and they announced on Tuesday morning to the financial analysts, stockholders, etc. that there would be a downsizing of the workforce to the tune of 4,800 people! Bill Weldon (president) also said those affected by the layoffs would be contacted by their division vice pres. Well, our division VP notified us via e-mail that we had a mandatory web-ex meeting yesterday morning at 10am. We were all shaking in our boots, pretty much knowing that we would be part of that 4,800. For me, it wouldn't be that bad since I have raised and educated my kids, have an employed husband, and am close to retirement. BUT for my co-workers with huge mortgages, several kids to raise, big ole cars to pay for, etc. it would be devastating. It has happened to many of my colleagues for the past 3 years. We will be rolling along thinking everything is peachy king, and BAM, you are laid off from your job with little notice. Long story short, our division is safe, at least for now. This makes us all wish we were self-employed...at least a little more control of our destiny. Of course, the trade offs are huge like having to meet a payroll, losing sleep when business is not going well, having a lot more responsibility, and a lot more worry, worry, worry. Which is why I have chosen to be an employee and not an employer. But for the rest of the day, I was wiped out. Stress can do that to you. Today, has been much better. Nothing like coming close to losing your job to motivate you to get out and call on accounts to make sure you KEEP your job! I even got up and trained this morning for the first time in a while. Still hoping it rains on Saturday to keep us cool...as least a fine sprinkle--NOT the downpour we had at the whatever mileage it was. See y'all Saturday!

I won the pillow fight!

This morning at 5:30am my pillow was saying, NO, you can't leave me, I NEED you...so we went back and forth and the pillow won at first...BUT then I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up and went to the park to train, so I'm saying I won. I trained for an hour and walked the first mile, did 2:1 intervals the next 2 miles, and 1:1 the last mile for a cool down. I stretched before, during, and after the wog. It wasn't bad at first but was getting quite muggy near the end. I am SO GLAD I got up and got it done! I'll see y'all Saturday. Remember to chug that water today and tomorrow so all our little cells will be well hydrated and ready for the Saturday challenge!