Rookie on the Run

I know you have all been waiting anxiously for this day... the day the winner of "A Few of My Favorite Things" giveaway is announced. Before I announce the winner, let me just say thanks to all of you who took the time to read my blog and leave a comment.  I've "met" lots of fellow running/ fitness bloggers.  I'm looking forward to learning from each one of you! Now... back to the giveaway winner annoucement.  I made this giveaway as scientifically sound as possible.  Each person who commented had the potential to earn up to three entries.  I used Sticky-Notes to write down each name based on the number of entries earned.  Most of you had three Sticky-Notes. Mr. Big Stuff (my five year old) selected the instrument from which we would pull the lucky winner's name.  He decided a five-gallon Lowe's bucket would be best for the job. Here is Mr. Big Stuff, shaking up the names... just to make it fair. Here he is, pull...

Hi Blogger Friends! It's been a couple days... I've been living in a foggier state than usual because I have been fighting this darn cold.  I know I have lots of blogs to catch up on, and I'm looking forward to reading race reports from those of you who did races this past weekend. I am sorry if I haven't been by your blog to stalk catch up with you.  I know you all know how busy life gets sometimes. Anyway, here are some really quick thoughts from me: I'm thinking of pushing the giveaway ending date up to Wednesday.  I'm so excited about sharing some of my favorite things, that I don't want to wait until January 31.   I ran four miles with my running group on Saturday.  I was my usual slow self but it was a nice coastal run.   I'm thinking of getting a shirt made that says, "Don't talk to me.  I'm running!"   Seriously! I know people mean well when they try to strike up a conversation while running but I really, really prefer...

I don't do this very often, being the inconsistent person I am, but I noticed that today is: Three! Things! Thursday! ... Thursday! ... Thursday! ... Thursday! ... **In case you didn't catch that, that is my impersonation of one of those Monster Truck Rally commercials they show on TV** And I'm going to participate this week.  Here goes... Southern California has been pounded by storms!  I love it!  We have wind, rain, hail, lightning, thunder...  the works!  Sure, this weather has forced me to the elliptical machine at the gym, instead of running the streets.  But, I'm OK with that.  For now.  I'm still babying my heel so I figure the rain is a great excuse to give it more down-time.                                                                         ...

Happy birthday to Blog Happy birthday to Blog Happy birthday, dear Blo-ooog... Happy birthday to blog! One year ago today I posted my very first running blog post. If you feel so inclined, you can read it here .  The funny thing is, I thought I had come up with an original idea:  I would chronicle my marathon-training journey for all the world to see! It didn't take long to discover that there were lots of people out there with running blogs.  Did I mind?  Heck, no!  What I lacked in originality, I gained a hundred-fold in support, encouragement, and knowledge from this incredible community of runners. I believe there is a good chance that I would have given up on running and training if it weren't for my Running Blogger Friends.  Your stories, experiences, triumphs, trials, and heart-breaks have kept the running spark alive in me.   I consider each of my Running Blogger Friends a blessing. In order to thank you and to celebrate my b...

Hmmm... "Mommy Monday".  Has a nice ring to it.   Maybe I'll make every Monday a Mommy-related post.  Since today is my youngest son's birthday, I thought I'd take a break from writing anything running-related. Or heel-related.  Or Pigeon Pose-related. Instead, I'm going to share some pictures of the day my little "Mr. Big Stuff" was born. I can hardly believe it's been five years since I went in for my scheduled C-section... and got to see and hold my baby for the first time! A very pregnant me, just before heading out the door to go to hospital. It's amazing how much a stomach can stretch! I'll spare you from having to see the gore of the C-section (my husband took lots of pictures) and let you see Mr. Big Stuff cleaned up and fresh out of the womb. The first time "The Professor" (my oldest) saw his new baby brother. He wasn't all that impressed. All of my men together... a couple days later ...

It's been almost a week since my last post! Where did the days go? Mostly, my days were consumed with my preschool job, trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, planning my youngest son's fifth birthday party, and not running. Preschool I'm finding that I really like working with preschool-aged kids.  The problem is, I'm not educated enough to teach my own preschool class.  I am only qualified to be an assistant.  Never mind that I'm educated and certified to teach a class of 34+ students... as long as they are in kindergarten through eighth grade. Which leads me to... What Do I want to be When I grow Up? I have to be honest and admit it's difficult to take a back seat in the classroom and let someone else be the up-front person.  I love being the one who holds the kids' attention, who reads the stories, who teaches the letter sounds, who manages the the behavior, and so on. Let's all say this together:  "Control Freak...

  San Diego Rocks! I have great news! The San Diego Rock 'n' Roll is offering the  Half Marathon option!!     and I am registered to run it!   That's right, before it has even been "officially" announced, the Competitor Group showed up at our first running group meeting and gave us all the chance to sign up.  They were even offering a free T-shirt for signing up.  I love free T-shirts.  How could I resist?  After all, I've been hoping for the Half option ever since I crossed the Full marathon finish line last May. Now on to other things... Pigeon Pose Guy, Part II In my last post, I mentioned the trainer at my new gym who said he likes my Pigeon Pose.  It gets even better... I ran into him again at the gym on Friday and he noticed my Chi Running book.  Mr. Pigeon Pose gave me a double "thumbs up" and performed the happy dance when he saw my book.  He's a very animated person, I'm discovering. We s...

My New Gym In my last post, I mentioned that I was going to check out a new gym. For $10 per month and no commitment, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was impressed! The gym is large, clean, filled with new equipment, and not filled with big egos. The staff is friendly and didn't try to pressure me into upgrading my membership to one of the more costly options. There are plenty of free weights, weight machines, and lots of cardio machines! At my old gym, there were too many grunting, sweaty, guys with egos larger than their overworked biceps.  The staff & trainers wouldn't give you the time of day unless you had an appointment... or if they were trying to get me to recruit my friends and family.  There were times when I'd notice at least three or four broken machines.  While the group instructors at my old gym were great, the rest of the gym wasn't worth the money they took out of my account each month. I had a great workout last night and can't...

"A peacefulness follows any decision, even the wrong one."  ~ Rita Mae Brown I am excited!  I made some decisions today regarding my running and training.  Running Group I decided to sign up with the West Coast Road Runners.  This is the same running group I was with last year.  I was hesitant at first because, as I mentioned in a previous post, I didn't really feel like I connected with the group.  It probably didn't help that I was too slow for the pace group I joined... and too fast for the walker group.  I sort of felt like I was my own, unique pace group and I ran alone. There are a few reasons why I decided on this group: I like that I know what to expect with this group.  I know the routes they run and how the group works.   This year, it looks like they are including run/walkers as a group.  When it comes to injury prevention, I like the Galloway way... if you aren't familiar with this training method, it's basical...

I really dislike not being able to run.  And I have mixed feelings about bike riding:  Cycling is fun, fast, and satisfying.  I love the sound of the wind blowing past my helmet-clad head.  I like thinking that I may be able to out-ride even the meanest rabid dog, should one choose to try to take a chunk out of my leg.  I enjoy being able to go relatively far distances on my bike.  Mostly, I love the speed I can get while going down a steep hill. So, why do I get on my bike somewhat begrudgingly?  Because it's not running.  The thing is, I love to run.  I only like to bike. I like the solitude I get from running.  I love the control running gives me.  I can control my speed (as long as it's set on slow).  When I run, I can see cars coming toward me because I can run facing on-coming traffic.  I like knowing that I won't get a flat shoe when I run.  I feel secure in knowing that if I fall while running, I proba...

I'm caving into the peer pressure and decided to blog about my goals (or "resolutions" if you prefer).  I don't usually make New Year's resolutions but, as always, I've been inspired by my Running Blogger Friends. Health Goals Eat more fruits and veggies... in fact, as of three days ago, I'm a vegetarian.  I'm going to go month-by-month on the whole vegetarian thing.  I'm trying it out to see if being a vegetarian makes me feel any different.   Eat more raw foods Drink at least 60 ounces of water everyday Cut back on sugar Training Goals Ride and Run a total of 2010 combined miles Strengthen my core, ankles & feet, and upper body Join a running group Run or cross-train five days a week Get custom orthotics if current injury-eliminating endeavors don't work   Personal Goals Get clean laundry put away before the pile turns into Mt. Everest I try to be realistic when I set goals.  I think all of those goals are do-able.  We...