Running again

Spent 40 minutes outside in the beautiful cloudy, foggy Northwest this morning with my first walk/jog in a lonngggg time!

Things I was reminded about today that I love while running:

-Waking up early and lacing up my old, faithful running shoes

-Getting to wear cute running clothes

-The beauty of spending time outdoors

-How walking/running past something forces you to examine it closer and appreciate it more than when you drive past it everyday

-Inhaling, GULPING down fresh breaths of air from being outdoors!

-Feeling happy endorphins be released... ahhhhh

-Clearing my mind and sorting out problems

-Inspiration in all shapes and forms

-Getting home from a run and wanting to conquer the world because you're so happy and feel that sense of success and accomplishment and you want to carry it in to all the other aspects of your life!

Things I was reminded about today that I do NOT love while running:

-Being reminded you're out of shape.. oy, that hill nearly killed me!

--The BURN in your lungs when you are doing what USED to be easy!

-Experiencing my old side-aches again that I have when I haven't ran in awhile :(

-Feeling sore spots

--my right ankle has bugged me since high school but never TOO bad. And also my left knee from all the problems in the past

-Smelling sweaty and gross after (mmm mm mmmmm!)

Jonathon, me, and my Father and Mother in law (Bob and Susie) signed up to run a team relay race in August 2012 called Hood-to-Coast. It is like Ragnar for those of you who are familiar with that. It sounds pretty awesome and I'm excited!

I think I want to sign up for a little race (maybe a half marathon?) in February. I want something to train for NOW and through the holidays to keep me half way healthy. It feels good eatin cookies and tons of yummy food but your body always feels a little gross after. I need something to even it all out.

On that note, I am VERY excited to eat some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies very soon! Doesn't that sounds sooooo good?????? Mm! Okay... bye!

Running to Jesus

Sorry for the lame title. It is late. And I am tired!

I decided that now since I'm not training for any big physical race, I'd start writing about this big race we all run in each day called LIFE. (Deep, I know!)

I had a mini mid-life-crisis last week and it got me thinking about things. I decided to make some CHANGES. There are four main areas in life to focus on:

1) Spiritual

2) Physical

3) Emotional/social

4) Mental

I made mini goals to go with this mini crisis and I plan to write periodically about how this is going.

1) Spiritual:

Yesterday was Sunday. I am notorious for being late to church, whether it is at 9:00AM or 1:00PM, I will be late. And I HATE IT!!! So, me and Jonno tried REALLY HARD on Sunday and we made it there a minute before it started! YAY! This made me really happy! :o)

I'd told Jonathon about how I need to carry a notebook with me so I can write down all these little thoughts I've had bombarding into my head lately. He told me about a talk he heard while serving his mission that those "little thoughts" are often the Holy Ghost and if I don't write them down or do something to act on it, Heavenly Father will stop trusting me with them.

Needless to say, I wrote in my notepad all day!!

It is amazing how much more you learn when you pay attention. I began reading To Draw Closer to God by Henry B. Eyring and it's great so far. The main point he made is to LISTEN for the Spirit to teach you-- search for it and invite it into your life.

I also began the 99 day Book of Mormon challenge!

Day one: Read Preface, Intro, Testimony of 3 witnesses, 8 witnesses, and Testimony of Joseph Smith

"I would like to urge [everyone] to again read the Book of Mormon... there is nothing we could do of greater importance than to have fortified in our individual lives an unshakable conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Living Son of the Living God. And, my brothers and sisters, that is the purpose of the coming forth of this remarkable and wonderful book."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

These men had real testimonies of the truthfulness of this and it is PROOF the Book of Mormon is real and true. I desire this same level of testimony.

I also prayed both morning and night a sincere prayer. And here is the result:

I got called into work today to cover for Flower. I prayed yesterday for more opportunities for work so I can pay back student loans and BAM! I get to work today! And I had a great day at work and met lots of great patients.

I was happy today. Nothing too special happened throughout the day today, but I had the Spirit with me because I INVITED it. It's amazing what a difference you feel just by doing the basics:

Read your dang scriptures and pray.

It's like flossing; we all know we're supposed to do it, but for some reason it can be soo hard! But it's worth it!!

2) Physical

I ate really healthy today (no sugars aka my weakness!) and after work, I did a Plyometrics class at Lacamas Swim n Sport (thanks to my little sister Jenny!). OH MY GOSH. It kicked my butt. Literally- we did butt kicks for a minute straight. It showed me just how out of shape I am. BUT I DID IT! And my body will thank me later after it stops hurting. :)

I feel SO GREAT getting in bed now from these two important things:

Eat right and exercise.

3) Emotional/Social:

I made a goal yesterday to meet at least one person at church each week. I met two: Joy Periman and Amanda Houston. They are both so sweet and I'm excited to see familiar faces at church next week!

I also am signing me and Jonathon up for a DANCE CLASS!! SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!! And I'm signing up for a basic sewing class. I've wanted to do this for a long time and happy to finally learn how. :) :) This is great for my emotional health.

Oh and I called and talked to my cute Grandma Richards last night on the phone. Not about anything in particular but just chatting. Emailed Grandma Roush. And talked to my Mom today on Face time. It is important to stay close with family and makes me happy to chat with them.

Meet at least one person each week,

Learn new skills,

Keep in touch with your loved ones.

4) Mental:

-This kinda includes the book I've been reading and the scriptures. Oh and I used the CO2 laser at work today. Does that count? Yes, I'm gonna count it. Good job Nancy!

Make the time to Read Good Books.

Okay, now I am going to read Day 2's assignments in the ol' BOM and zonk out.

Good night world!

Prepared to be Unprepared

In preparation for the race, I got my "Marathon Checklist" and made sure I was ready to go.

About 6 weeks before the race:

-bought new running shoes

-bought inserts for the shoes

-bought a deep tissue foam roller

-began painful deep tissue massage therapy for IT bands

-Bought a strap for my knee

-Bought my funny $19.46 red robin broach (you can see it on my upper left in pictures)

-Supposed to be $4.46 but I got charged an over draft fee from a closed account LOL

About 1 week before the race:

-Bought KT tape wrap (love this!!)

-Got my other knee strap (also love this!)

Day before race:

-Bought all last minute goods:

-Nike + adapter for my Ipod Nano

-Got a little strap thing for around my waist to hold a phone in (in case I couldn't finish the race and needed to call Jonathon for help)

-Bought candy (mints, gum, skittles for when I got bored)

-Water, gatorade, Gu with caffeine

-Got my carbs load with the CUTE Ms. Shannon Nelson at Olive Garden! We had so much fun! We decided our theme this year was "Prepared to be Unprepared" since we both knew we could have and should have prepared more to run, yet, we were confident we were going to finish, even if we had to limp through the finish line! So we were prepared to be unprepared by expecting we might have to walk, might need ice at the end, might be struggling, but it was okay! Love that girl!

.-This was a really fun lunch. We went to pick up our runners packets and bib numbers at the expo in Provo and then ate. I loved having a friend who I could talk with and help each other be confident and get excited for the big day!

-Jonathon recorded cute little memos and put them on my IPOD so that when it was on random during the race, I'd get little words of encouragement and songs he sang for me. That was SO CUTE and SWEET! I love that man.

-He also put a couple conference talks. I listened to one while running by Elder ___ about having Faith in Christ. He talked about how Christ suffered for us and if we ask in Faith, we will succor us and relieve us of our suffering. I kept thinking "I know He will help me get through this race and He's taking on my suffering right now! And He'll help me finish!" And He did!

The most amazing thing of all...

-Jonathon also gave me a priesthood blessing that I'd be able to have the strength to finish. He blessed me that my body would be strong enough to carry me to do the things it needs to. And the aches I've had will not prevent me from completing the race. This helped me more than anything else. It provided so much comfort and amazingly, I had VERY FEW aches during the run and after.

.-Some runs prior to the race, I even had to stop during the run because different body parts would be hurting so bad. Specifically my left knee, right knee, right Achilles, and right hip flexor. During the race, I used the KT tape and my entire right leg was COMPLETELY fine. It never hurt once-- highly unusual. My left knee was mostly good and I didn't even have to put on my knee strap until Mile 16. AMAZING!! My left hip hurt for awhile, but luckily I had a strap I could put there to help me through it (100% due to the blessing). I couldn't believe it. My toe BARELY bothered me at all and I didn't even notice my blood blister.

.-After the marathon, I stretched good and followed all directions to have a quick recovery. I did just that! I only took about 2 1/2 days before I was able to walk and do things as normal. Because I was feeling so good, I stopped stretching so much. This made it so about 5 days after, my foot started hurting and still does. Nothing terrible and much better than I ever expected I'd feel after running a marathon!!

I set out my clothes, shoes, and bag the night before so I would be ready to go. Since I had to arrive to the bus in Provo at 3:30, I left my house around 2:40 AM. I was soo nervous so I went to bed around 12:00. And even then I couldn't sleep. I wasn't tired at all though! I felt great!

Whether you think you can or cannot, either way, you're right

I was really nervous before this race. More nervous than I let anybody know. I wasn't sure I could really do it.

The week before, I seriously considered not running it and could think of a hundred reasons why I'd be justified in doing it. Here are a few:

-My IT band has hurt the entire time I've been training. It was HORRIBLE after my 14 mile run

-The longest I'd ever run was 14 miles

-My sideaches had come back

-My RIGHT IT band started hurting and right achilles

-Due to my new shoes, I had a bad pressure point on top of my left foot that would hurt real bad after 5 miles or so

-I'd been sick THREE times in the last couple months, including a bad cough and fever/tooth ache

-I hurt my hip while packing and moving boxes less than a week before

All of these things and more prevented me from training as much as I'd liked to. Whenever I'd tell runners/physical therapists I had any of these problems and ESPECIALLY when I told them my longest run was only 14 miles, they'd give me this horrible look of "and you really think YOU are going to finish a MARATHON? You must be crazy."

And I don't blame them. I would probably think the same thing if someone told me all that! However, as I was debating whether or not to run, I thought of the reason I decided to run this race in the first place: for Grandpa Huckvale. He isn't able to change his goal and decide "learning to walk and talk is just too hard- I'll just give up on it" and I can't either. And I've worked SO HARD and for SO LONG training for this day. How can I not even TRY??

And why wouldn't I try? I kept thinking "What if I can't make it? What if something happens and I get hurt and I can't finish?" Then I realized.... So what? I realized I was worrying about how OTHERS would view me and how I'd feel embarrassed to tell people I didn't make it. And WHY? Why does anyone else's opinion matter?? I'm doing this for ME. And heck, maybe I'll be there two hours after they close the race but I don't care, I'm going to give myself the CHANCE.

I learned a very empowering lesson:

People limit themselves much too often.

When I was running, I kept thinking "I can't believe I almost didn't give myself this opportunity." This is true for many aspects of life. Sometimes people won't apply for a job they'd really love because they are scared they won't get it. Or like how Jonathon waited until his very last semester to take statistics because he was scared he would do poorly. And guess what? He did better in this class than he's EVER done in school before! ALL BECAUSE HE GAVE HIMSELF THE CHANCE!

If you can know this, you know you can do WHATEVER YOU WANT in life, if you want it and are committed enough. What an amazing thought! If you want to be a doctor, you can be a doctor. If you want to learn a new language, you learn it.

And if you want to run a marathon, you can run a marathon.

"Whether you think you can or you cannot, either way, you're right."

My Marathon!

I DID OT!!!

All my supporters:

Me and my Momma

Me and my cute husband with the balloons and flowers him and my mom got me

Me with my Grandpa and Grandma Roush. So cute!

Just about to run through the finish line

Me and my "partner" Alicia through the race-

I followed her during the race because she had a great pace that I worked well with. She looked so calm while she ran. She stopped one time to stretch and I told her she had to keep going or else I wouldn't be able to! We ran/walked the last three miles together to help each other survive!

Limping off, hand in hand

Sad duck

-Right after I took off my socks and shoes for the first time and saw my big blood blister and deformed toe nail

My huge blood blister and hunchback toe nail

-Side of the right foot and 2nd toe

I'm too tired to write all about my experience today so I'll summarize it by saying that this was one of the best days of my life. It was a perfect day. Beautiful surroundings. My body had hardly any aches and pains (during the run itself). Great people. Great day.

Here are a buncha pictures. I will label them tomorrow!

Two weeks away

Well, the ol' marathon is two weeks away from today.

I've had a mix of emotions the last 6 weeks since I posted last. After that 14 miler, I had ice on my knees for four days and when I tried to run even just one mile, my left knee was in horrible pain.

I was so discouraged. I even considered dropping out of the race for a bit so I wouldn't waste my money. Not sure what to do, I decided to stop running for a month and give it a chance to heal up. I worked on strengthening and stretching my hips and glutes and did some cross-training with the stair stepper.

Well, here I am! So obviously I stuck with it! And I'm glad I have. It was rough getting back into the running groove. My side aches came back full-fledged and I got tired pretty quick- it felt as if I'd never run before! Agh!

I also developed pain in my RIGHT knee likely from overcompensating for my sad and weak left one. Here are some recent purchases that have helped to help me prepare for the big day:

-Knee braces (one for each knee)

-I know this is not a permanent solution to the problem; it is a band-aid to help me through the race and has helped quite a bit!

-New running shoes

-Jonathon says they make me look like a "real runner" now- You know what they say, fake it till you make it!

-Inserts for my new running shoes

-Deep tissue massage

-I had BRUISES on my IT band from the pressure. It felt SO GOOD to release all that crap that was in there.

-I'll be going for a 11 mile run on Monday and getting an ice massage right after... we'll see how that goes. Makes me cold just thinking about it!

-Anti-chafing gel for my underarms

-AMAZING! I've been SO HAPPY with this purchase!

-The CUTEST yellow running shirt to make me an OFFICIAL happy running duck!!

-Cute pink socks

-A cute yellow head band to keep back my hair!

And they say running is cheap??

I have LOVED getting to run again. I wouldn't go as far to say I'm addicted, but I do quite enjoy it.

This is for you GRANDpa Huckvale!

Some of my favorite things - 14 miles

4/9/11 - 14 miles in 155 mins (2 hours 35 minutes)

I had a really fun run today. Which lead to my decision that.. I LOVE RUNNING!

I've created my own little route that is nothing special to anyone else but I've found my own little things I've loved about it. I'll try to name as many things I thought of today as I can remember.

1. I love my playlist of happy songs, er, songs that make me happy. Ask Jonno- I can relate any song to my life in one way or another. Today after having this thought, I listened to the song "You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Song is About You" and laughed that in a funny way I do!

-Other examples: "I am an electric light- if the sun can radiate, I can too!" "Families can be together forever" "The race isn't to be swift, but to endure" "The Best Day" by Taylor Swift is my FAVE!

2. I passed something written in a sidewalk cement that said "I am da master" and I read it, then said it out loud to confirm that, yes, I AM da running master!

3. I LOVE RED ROBINS!!! They are just SO CUTE! Whenever I'm starting to get tired, I look up and see one of these cute birds hopping or tweeting or flying and it instantly brings a smile to my face. With this realization today, I decided I'm going to get a pin or something of a little red robin to wear so I can always look at it to bring me happiness.

4. Deer are cute. Not as cute as red robins, but still cute. I've seen them on my last two long runs- they also make me very happy.

5. This app called "IMapMyRun." It was a free download and it recorded my run with a GPS today and was dead on. I didn't have to waste any energy messing around with it once I started. This allowed me to focus all my energy on just RUNNING. It was nice! Here's my run info:

6. I love my cute running shoes (see below... cute, huh??). I need to get some new ones soon. I got these back in January in the clearance section of DSW for only $40. They have been AWESOME! They are finally coming to their end though. :( I tried Kayano's for $140 and they weighed me down and hurt my legs like crazy. So I'll probably search again this week.

6. This 15 foot tall metal dinosaur. It is in someone's backyard along the trail I run and they decorate it for each holiday (Note all the giant easter eggs surrounding it). Random and lovely.

7. It was snowing today. I did not like this, I did not hate this. It was just fine. It started out light and beautiful and around mile 5 it was SNOWING and I was soaking wet. I kept getting hit in the eye with these giant flakes. Yet, when I tried sticking my tongue out to quench my thirst, I got one or two per 30 seconds. Ha.

8. I should eat pizza, cookies, and candy every night before a big run! I felt so bloated from all the crap last night but felt GREAT with my run! I guess it provided all the energy I needed today. :) Ahhh freedom to eat all the good stuff!!

9. My left knee started hurting around mile six. I've been having IT band pain. :( I took it easy this week and my physical therapist adjusted my hips and reminded me to continue my stretches and strengthening exercises. I also took an NSAID to reduce the inflammation before the run and wished I had one to take halfway through. Next time! I was so happy that I was committed enough to continue even though it wasn't easy. Which leads to my next event...

10. I had my FIRST ICE BATH TODAY:

Jonno bringing in the resources for the tub..

He's been SO NICE and sweet in helping me prepare for this marathon. Every week, he is right there rooting me on and helping me with whatever I need (usually when I first get home, he instantly greets me with food, water, and some sort of icing device!). I love him. More than words, or photos can say.

First getting in...

After soaking for 15 minutes!!

All I can say is WOW. It really did help my knee, hip, and elbow to not hurt as much. Mostly since I was SO NUMB! I think this will be a weekly ritual. I am really trying to take extra care of my body from here on out to keep me healthy for the Big Day!!

11. Here is a cute snowman my mom made in our front yard that I came home to after my run today:

All in all, today has been a good day. I will say though.. I will be happy when this marathon is over simply to have more TIME in my life. A typical day for me:

8- 5:30 - Work dental hygiene

5:30 to 6:00 - drive home in traffic

eat a quick snack and change

7:00 - go to the gym to RUN, sauna, stretch, shower

9:15 - arrive home, drink protein drink

10:00 - watch a tv show/movie

10:30 - get ready for bed, read, MAYBE catch up with Jonno

Before 12:00 - try to be asleep by 12

Next day - do it all over again!

Don't get me wrong, it's been fun, but I'm ready to spend more time with Jonathon. Not feel so tired. And be able to feel like I have time and energy to keep our house clean! :)

My first double-digit run!

3/5/11 - Day four: 10 miles in 113 minutes (1 hour 53 minutes) Scheduled: 10

I got frozen corn strapped to one knee and green beans strapped to the other with a huge milestone reached today- my first double-digit run is complete!

I borrowed Jonathon's Iphone and used a GPS app I downloaded a month ago. It worked great last time so I expected it to follow the pattern today and didn't check it to be sure. About three miles in, it stopped working consistently. :( This was frustrating because I really wasn't sure how far I'd gone. I didn't want to short change myself, yet I didn't want to go any further than I needed!

I decided I'd just run about 110 minutes and that should be around 10 miles if my calculations were right. Luckily, they were! I got home and checked the map and realized I'd gone 10.3 miles with my cool down walk of .2 miles.

What a great feeling. My knees started hurting around 8 miles but I pushed through it and I'm sure glad I did.

I Love Running!!

REVIEW: MUSCLE MILK

I am obsessed with Muscle Milk. It is SO AWESOME.

On my personal rating scale from 1-10 (1 being the worst, 10 being out of this world awesome) I rate it:

10

No question. It is SO TASTY like a dessert. It is low calorie, high protein. You can get the "light" kind for even less calories and fat. And they've got tons of great flavors to choose from. My personal favorite is the Banana Cream. YUM!!! I can't believe it is so good for you. Oh, you can also buy the little on-the-go size at Costco in a "light" version. These are also delectable.

It's a little pricey, but VERY, VERY worth it!

New running clothes

I went to Sports Authority earlier this week to buy a surprise gym bag for Jonathon as a reward for doing so good in his goals of being healthy and exercising.

I walked into a GOLD MINE in the women's clearance with all sorts of great running shorts! I bought 4 pairs for $35 (Many I've seen are around $30 for ONE) and they are even CUTE!!

I am thrilled! Ecstatic. Happy! It makes me WANT to run even more now that I have some shorts that are high-quality and don't ride up to my stomach. Nothing is more annoying while running than having to adjust things (well, maybe side aches..) like head phones falling out of your ears or shorts riding up to your tummy. You just wanna focus on running. That's it. Plain and simple.

I will post pictures soon of my great new running gear!

Oh, and Jonathon LOVES his UnderArmour gym bag!! Excellent work, Nancy- you've done it again!

Meet the newest member of 24 Hour Fitness.....

JONATHON!!

Yep, my husband is a work-out, running, sweating, protein-drinking machine!

We got him a membership from Costco (they have the BEST deal, seriously. $12.50 per month for 2 years- that cannot be beat!) and he has gone every single day. He's caught the itch. I had this same thing happen when I got mine back in September. There were a couple times Jonathon actually had to come to the gym and drag me out because I just never wanted to leave - I was having so much fun finally working out again after 4 long years of being stressed out studying all the time in school!

I'm so proud of him! And he is so cute. And great! It's been a lot of fun going to the gym with him and encouraging each other.

Oh, he's only worked out for about 1 1/2 weeks and he is already almost up to the same speeds in running as me. Men are so lucky to be able to do that. It's crazy.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

Week Seven:

3/1/11 - Day one: 3 miles in 33 minutes Scheduled: 3 miles
3/2/11 - Day two: 5 miles in 56 minutes Scheduled: 5 miles
3/3/11 - Day three: 3 miles in 34 minutes Scheduled: 3 miles

I am not sure I ever posted the cure to my side aches so here it is:

For my Saturday long runs which I run outside versus during the week that I run on a treadmill, I never had side aches. I thought this to be strange since I run so much further. I realized that while outside, if I start to get a stitch, I automatically slow down until it goes away. While running on a treadmill, you have to physically raise your hand and adjust the MPH to lower it. This is tough to do, mentally, because it makes you feel like you're not doing as well. So you just gotta get rid of your PRIDE and do it. It makes the rest of the run much better if you sacrifice five minutes of going slower to adjust to the run.

I usually start out my run around 4.5 MPH and if I start to cramp a bit, I'll slow it down and walk. This is my warm up. Eventually I will stay pretty consistent around 6 MPH for the rest of the run. About half way through or just past, I adjust it in 30 second increments up to around 7.5 and back down to 6 to work my heart and challenge myself so I can get stronger. It also seems to help the time go by faster.

Saturday will be my longest run ever: 10 miles! Getting into the DOUBLE DIGITS!!! Yah!!!!!

The duck is waddling around once again!

Week Six:

2/21/11 - Day one: 3 miles in 38 minutes Scheduled: 3

2/23/11 - Day two: 4 miles in 50 minutes Scheduled: 4

2/24/11 - Day three: 3 miles in 35 minutes Scheduled: 3

2/26/11 - Day four: 7 miles in 76 minutes Scheduled: 7

I am VERY happy to say I am up and running again! This has been a rough couple weeks. First I hurt my ankle by pushing myself too hard and too fast. Lesson learned. The next week I got food poisoning and was nearly DYING the next four days (I can never eat yogurt again...) See the bottom of the post of you want the details of that lovely story! And this week my knee was hurting pretty badly so I iced it and rested a few days but it's doing okay now.

It felt so great to run again. It's amazing how much I felt I "fell behind" and how tired I was starting up again. Oh, I also tried using Clif Blocks during this long run and it really helped me keep up my energy. Next week I'll try Gu for the first time. I'll keep you updated!

I bought my first marathon sticker this week too... 26.2 will be posted on my car to remind me daily! :D

FOOD POISONING...

Last Friday around 9:00 AM while working at Dr. Ellis's office, I got pretty hungry. I only brought leftover Texas Roadhouse (YUM!) for lunch and didn't want to ruin it and eat that so early. So I decided to eat my healthy, dumb little yogurt I'm never tempted to eat. I opened it up and it looked a little... chunky so I looked at the expiration date. It said MARCH. Being early February, I thought it MUST be safe! So I took a couple bites.. and it tasted kinda funky. I took one more bite and threw the rest away. (Note, it was "Carrot cake" flavor [I know, I know- I don't know why I thought that would be good!] and I wasn't totally sure if that was the reasoning for the weirdness) About 2 1/2 hours later I started feeling funny. I didn't want to eat anything, not even my leftover Texas Roadhouse!! About an hour after that, I had to RUN to the bathroom and I started throwing up non-stop. Then the other end started.. I had two more patients for the day and after each one, I ran to the bathroom again. Dr. Ellis joked and said I was "Glowing" and asked what me and Jonathon planned to name it. LOL. I was 98% sure I wasn't pregnant, but you never know for sure until Aunty Flow comes each month! Anyway, the next two days were hell. I was so weak and couldn't eat anything without it coming back up/out. The next couple days after that were better but I still wasn't myself and couldn't do much of anything. I tried going to the BYU vs Utah basketball game and had to sit most of the time or have Jonathon help me. I even went out and laid on the sidewalk during half time and had to finally get up and go back in after five people asked if I was okay! ANYWAY, I will never eat yogurt again. OR at least not for a LONG, LONG time!!

8 Miles (No, this is not a tribute to Eminem)

1/29/11 - Day four: 8 miles in 85 minutes Scheduled: 8

-If you are wondering how I ran this faster than the 7 from last week (I know you are) it's cuz the last .65 miles from last week were UPHILL so I basically did a fat man shuffle all the way. AND I ran an extra .3 miles last week. Thus, the shorter time today!

I've successfully ran 8 miles - wahoo! Jonathon and I are house/dog-sitting for his cousins in Highland so went for another long outside run today. I loved it! Outdoors is definitely better than on a treadmill and the time flies by.

I was on the verge of a sideache the first 3 miles then it kinda subsided, which was very nice. I noticed the last couple of miles my legs seemed extra tired and it took a lot to keep them going with proper form.

I think next week I'll need to bring some water with me and/or some food for energy.

Oh, and my tummy was kinda cramping and had to be shed of goods (if you know what i mean) when i got home. My doctor told me about his son running a marathon and this common thing called "Runner's Diarrhea" when you start adding big miles in. I'll have to read more up on it so I don't have any OUTBURSTS down the road! :)

---Actually, it might have to do with the fact we ate at Pizza Pie Cafe last night and I've ever ate so much pizza, dessert pizza, ranch salad (with fishy nasty little processed meats-- Jonno and Susie, you know what I'm talking about!) soda, and pasta..... yes. It might.

Happy running!

Lame-O side aches.

1/27/11 - Day three : 3 miles in 35 minutes Scheduled: 3

Facts of my stupid side aches:

*They seem to lighten up when I slow down

* Sometimes they go away when I take an acid reducer before I run; sometimes they don't.

* I am almost always on the verge of one, if I don't already have one.

* When I press into the area, it doesn't seem as severe of pain.

* It is always on the right side about halfway down, just medial to my ribcage.

*Dairy seems to flare it up

* I ate pizza today and yesterday and had bad aches.. I had tons of crappy food last Friday night before my 7 mile run the next morning and I was absolutely FINE.

* They are worse when I eat really close to running

It could be a number of things. I read an article while researching once that said this lady won the olympics twice as a runner and she has always had a perma-side ache while she runs. Nobody could figure it out so she just was in constant pain but ignored it because she loves to run.

I'm worried I am the non-olympian version of that woman. :( The other difference is that when I keep running at a faster pace (since my lungs and cardio are JUST FINE and could go on forever!), the pain intensifies. I am being forced to stay at a fat-man-shuffle pace. Gah!

I wish I could just get it figured out. I guess I'll set up that appointment at BYU health center next week to get an ultrasound of my intestines to make sure that is all running properly. In my heart, I don't feel that is what is wrong. But I can't figure it out. Lame-O.

Week Four - Stupid side aches :(. And achieving your goals.

WEEK FOUR

1/25/11 - Day one: 3 miles in 33 minutes Scheduled: 3

1/26/11 - Day two: 5 miles in 59 minutes Scheduled: 5 (sucky, stupid run.)

Today I had a really hard discouraging-in-one-way/encouraging-in-another-way run.

Reason for discouragement: I had a TERRIBLE sideache for the first 4 miles not allowing me to run as fast as I wanted (not to mention making it so I missed the first half of the BYU vs SDSU basketball game!) and just plum hurts!

Reason for encouragement: I still did it. I so badly wanted to stop running at 1.2 miles when I had to begin walking because it hurt so bad. I decided to just go until 3 miles... until I got to 3 miles. Then I decided I might as well finish if I'd come this far. AND I am sick. Yet I still went and did it! You go girl.

I am following every single thing that book tells me to do to be totally prepared for this marathon.

SUCCESS.

I've learned the value of setting attainable goals. I started out running 3 miles (VERY slowly I might add!) and if I had set the goal too high, I would have quit training for this marathon the first week. Because I've had easy-to-reach, progressive little goals, I feel so proud and happy and victorious each time I finish one of my runs and feel ENCOURAGED to continue in my training.

This must be true in everything in life. So if we all want to change, we need to set attainable small goals and just make sure that NO MATTER WHAT you stay committed to that goal and accomplish it. It will give you the courage and strength to continue on the path towards that ultimate goal and you'll eventually get to it!

Week Three - I've officially run 1/4 of a marathon!

WEEK THREE

1/17/11 - Day one: 3 miles in 30 minutes Scheduled: 3

1/19/11 - Day two: 4 miles in 44 minutes Scheduled: 4 (watching "24" on IPad: like)

1/20/11 - Day three: 3 miles in 36 minutes Scheduled: 3 (early morning runs: dislike)

1/22/11 - Day four: 7 miles in 86 minutes Scheduled: 7

I've officially ran the distance of 1/4 of a marathon! My run on Saturday was AWESOME. Totally side ache free. Fun. Outside in the brisk cool morning. The streets were kinda icy at first but it wasn't too bad. Jonathon and I slept at his Aunt Tina's house in Alpine because all his family was in town for Grandma Session's funeral. We stayed up really late that night talking so I only got about 4.5 hours of sleep and ate a bunch of junk food and candy.

I realized this day just how committed I am to this marathon. I couldn't sleep because I wanted to make sure I got up and run so I don't fail at this. I wasn't necessarily excited to run, but I have this burning desire to stick to this commitment and prove to myself I can do it. It's given me an enormous sense of confidence to show myself each week to not make excuses and just get it done.

6 Miles - My longest run EVER.

1/15/2011 - Day four: 6 miles in 1:09

My run today was great! I have never run this far before (seriously, over an HOUR of straight running??!) so it was fun to accomplish this. And my average has been about 12 min miles. Not anything special but heck, I'll take it! One of my patients yesterday suggested two wonderful ideas:

1) Run a half marathon as part of my training for the marathon

2) Try strengthening my abs to help with the side aches

I did sit-ups today before my run. I'm going to try and get them stronger. I still felt like I was on the verge of a side ache the first two miles but eventually it mellows out. This is the same that happened last Saturday with my 5 mile run. Weird how my side aches seem to actually do BETTER on the long runs.

I also learned today that the treadmills at the gym automatically turn off after 60 minutes. :( I had to stop and reset it and by that time, I was thrown out of my groove and felt side-ache-y again.

I ALSO learned that eating healthy and drinking more water has helped with my energy during the run. (Oatmeal, brown sugar, stevia, water, and an anti-acid pill will be my new pre-run routine!)

OH, I ALSO learned today how happy I've been. Not that I necessarily love or enjoy running, but that I'm following through with my commitments. This brings an enormous sense of accomplishment and confidence.

So, I suggest everyone choose a goal - it doesn't have to be big. But whatever those goals are, follow through with them. It will bring great happiness and open doors for you to accomplish even more things as a result.

Mom's birthday

1/13/11 - Day 3: 3 miles in 36:30 Scheduled: 3

Today was my Mom's birthday (Happy Birthday, Mom!). I had my working interview (which went great) and then Jonathon and I had to hurry to Best Buy to buy her birthday present (a new 42" plasma TV) and we finally got home and got it all set up pretty late. I HAD to run because.. I am committed! But it was 10:45 at night when I got to the gym, stopped by the grocery store to get some healthy food to keep me energized, and about 1:30 AM when I finally went to sleep with another long work day scheduled (but at the Ellis's office which I LOVE).

Lessons learned:

1) I'm proud of myself for committing this much so far. I have not wanted to run, and my side aches have come back. But here I am running. I'm not the fastest, but I'm out there gettin' it done.

2) I finished Jeffrey R. Holland's talk "How do I Love Thee?" and learned that A) we need to give people the benefit of the doubt more often. B) View them the way Christ would. C) Don't put people down and especially don't put someone down and try to say it was a joke-- this has always bothered me when people do that. How do people really think that's funny? D) Be selfless. And lotsa other stuff I'm too tired to write now.

Saturday is my long run at 6 miles. I hope my side aches will stay far away for it!

My playlist today

1/12/11 - Day two: 4 miles in 48 minutes Scheduled: 4

My run today went well. I took advice from a couple of my patients from work and decided to listen to LDS conference talks/BYU speeches. I learned I like to switch it up to keep me from getting bored while running.

My PLAYLIST today:

1. Begin by getting pumped up with: BLACK-EYED PEAS

2. Switch over to Jeffrey R. Holland's talk "How do I love thee?"

-I learned I need to pray to have more charity. If we sincerely pray to LOVE people the way Christ loves them, we can see past imperfections and see people's intent and Spirit.

3. Watched "Minute to Win It"

4. Listened to more of the talk (to inspire me to not GIVE UP)

5. Watched "America's Funniest Home Videos"

-A little dog walked up to a big dog and the big dog snapped and got mad. So when the big dog laid down, the little dog walked up and peed on him. LOL - he showed him who's boss!

6. Finished with some T-Lovin' Swift. (I LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT!!!!!!)

7. Actually, I then did my "cool down" by not watching or listening to anything to just allow my brain to shut down and "cool down" too.

Oh, and I started getting little blisters on the side of my big toes today. :( I'm going to try moleskin tomorrow.

P.S. I have a working interview tomorrow to bump my dental hygiene hours from part-time to FULL-TIME about 42 hours a week!!!!!! I'd be so happy. :) We'll see how it goes!

Healthy Eats

WEEK TWO

1/11/11 - Day One: 3 miles in 40 minutes Scheduled: 3

Lessons learned from this run:

1) The value of healthy eating

-I ate a bunch of junk food the day before and not enough healthy carbs. I felt myself really dragging. I felt sick, hot, and dizzy. I also felt especially thirsty. I need to eat/drink better.

2) The Importance of staying consistent in my runs

-Today is Tuesday. I ran last on Friday. So in just three days of not running, I felt like I had lost a huge amount of stamina and momentum that I'd worked so hard to gain. I need to only allow at MOST two days between runs and ideally only one.

3) I don't like running in the morning

-I woke up to 6 degree weather. Had to drag my cold butt outta bed and waddle into my cold car. Didn't want to eat breakfast because it will cause side aches, so I didn't have energy. Then, because I had to finish by a certain time so I wouldn't be late to work, I had to run faster than I would have liked when I wasn't feeling well. Yuck.

I really wanted to stop at two miles but I am COMMITTED.

Running in the great outdoors > treadmills

While I'm waiting for my ipod to sync my new music, I thought I'd share an experience I had last week.

I have a membership at 24 Hour Fitness, which I LOVE. So all of my running had been done there on the treadmill. It is noisy and there are many distractions. I usually listen to pop or the Black Eyed Peas radio station on Pandora.

Last week while up in Washington for Christmas break, I went running with my Father-in-Law Bob. We went for a morning run down on a trail along the lake. While I was running, I couldn't help but notice all the beauty surrounding me. The lake, trees, ducks, bushes, everything was so beautiful. I almost felt BAD listening to this loud, vulgar music, like it didn't fit the place I was.

AND my run went GREAT. I ran for three miles without even noticing because I didn't know where the mile markers were and couldn't see my ipod to see the time so it was just a free-as-can-be run out in the woods!

I thought that was really interesting. I think Heavenly Father created this beautiful world around us for us to enjoy and it's easy to not notice it when we have a lot going on in our lives.

I plan to do more running outside now for this reason.

Gas-X (aka Miracle Pill!) > Side aches

I finished my last run of Week One today:

1/7/11 - Day 4: 5 miles in 57:20 Scheduled: 5 miles

I gotta say, I'm proud of myself! I think that is the longest I've run since I had to run it my senior year of lacrosse and it was our "death run." I was bored of running around 1.3 miles so I definitely hung in there and got it done.

And now the reasoning for my title: Gas-X > Side Aches

I actually began my training back in October. I kept getting side stitches on my right side. I thought it was just because I hadn't ran in awhile so I kept stretching and going a slow pace to keep them under control. After a few weeks, I knew they should have gone away so I began looking at other causes:

--eating dairy prior to running, eating/drinking too close to a run, not warming up, not stretching enough, hunching over while running, not eating/drinking ENOUGH before the run, inhaling only when my left foot hit the ground, etc etc etc.

Yet NOTHING worked! One day Jonathon suggested I "run through it" and just ignore it. I'd tried everything else so I thought "why not?" Worst. Idea. Ever. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband, but I got a non-stop ache for three days straight! I couldn't even breathe without it hurting, let alone run. I took a break from running to let it heal up and get things figured out.

I researched and found a column chock-full of people describing the same problem as me. It came down to one of three possibilities:

1) Costochondritis - inflammation of a rib or the cartilage connecting the rib

2) Gas

3) Malfunctioning Gall bladder

When it comes to deciding between REMOVING GALL BLADDER vs. Take one Gas-X tablet before a run, I think it is clear which one I tried first. :)

I've taken Gas-X before my last two runs and for the first time in as long as I can remember, I've been SIDE-ACHE FREEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not quite sure why this has worked so far (normally gas would present an ache on the left side.. and normally someone would know they HAD gas! I promise that stinky smell the other night at the gym wasn't being expelled from MY duck tail), but I won't argue with what works.

The doctor said if this isn't working, he's already ordered an ultrasound for my gallbladder in case I decide to check that route. I've been with my gall bladder 22 years now and have taken a liking to it so I hope that miracle pill Gas-X keeps on doin' its thang!

I've loved running this week. Even though it's been rough starting back up again, it feels great doing something good for your body. And I'm excited I convinced my friend Nikki to come with me to Zumba tomorrow morning bright and early so we can both wobble into work next week with sore.. everything!

My first post - Week One

I am proud to announce that I will be running my first ever marathon in this new year of 2011!

Here is how I came about this decision:

A couple months ago, Grandpa Huckvale had a stroke which resulted in his right side being partially paralyzed and left him unable to walk and talk. He's still Grandpa Huckvale through and through and it's amazing how you can still communicate with someone even when they can't use words. Grandpa made a goal to be walking and talking by the time of the Huckvale Family Reunion in July. My Father-in-Law Bob came up with a great idea and encouraged everyone in the family to choose one big goal they can accomplish individually so that we are all working on something at the same time. When July comes, we'll all share our experiences.

I knew right then that my goal would be to run a marathon. I've always wanted to but never had a reason big enough to finally decide on it. And now is my chance! I decided on three goals all together:

1. Run a marathon
2. Read the Book of Mormon
3. Pay off my student loans

To help with the first, I researched and chose to purchase the book "The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer." I've decided to read it and basically do whatever it tells me to do! :) You run at least four times per week with two easy runs, one medium, and one long. The number by "scheduled" means what I was scheduled to run according to my book and the numbers next to the time is how far I actually ran.

Week one:

1/3/11 - Day 1: 3 miles in 30:39 Scheduled: 3
1/4/11 - Day 2: 4 miles in 49:35 Scheduled: 4
1/5/11 - Day 3: 3 miles in 33:04 Scheduled: 3

1/6/11 - Rest-from-running day... ZUMBA! I LOVE zumba!!

Off to a great start and excited for this adventure. :)

The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer Book

The newest proud owner!