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!