Oh walking boot, oh walking boot, how I loathe thee oh walking boot (apparently it's been made famous by Tom Brady).  But, you have saved me many times from myself, that is for sure.  I told my sister two weeks ago, I was pretty sure that after my half marathon I would end up in the boot for a few weeks after the race one way or another. 

Sure enough - visited my orthopod on Tuesday and posterior tibilias tendonitis is the verdict.  I am severely pronated, so I have to use orthotics.  It must be time for new ones, but regardless this is why I started getting that intense pain in my inner ankle and lower left leg.  My doc diagnosed it pretty quickly and said I was lucky it didn't rupture because it is one of the tendons in our body that if we mess it up, it's very hard to get it back 100%.  Okey doke, then.  I guess I'm lucky and glad I scaled back as much as I did in the last few weeks of my training and sacrificed the speed and a little of my pride.

So, word to the wise, take care of that tendonitis.  This particular injury is in the area in our leg that is referred to the watershed area which is a place that gets little blood flow for healing.  I ordered this fancy heating unit from The Mend Me Shop right before the race, and I think it helped and continues to help.  So, although they aren't paying me to recommend them (and I can only vouch for myself), it's worth checking out for those of you out there who are looking for some good heating/cooling methods: http://www.mendmeshop.com/.

So, boot, here I come.  It's good I have one purchased already, so at least its not an added expense :).  I also have a couple of pair of crutches if it comes to that.  The perks of being stubborn.

Any good boot stories out there? 

I'm glad I did the race, but I'm not so glad to be having to use my friend again.  Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.

 

So it isnt the BEST picture of me but it was one of the best running experiences I've had. I've been wanting to get into trail running for two years and I finally got the chance. My friend Melinda invited me out to her 25 acres to run. It was so beautiful as we went up and down inclines. Next time, I am wearing my Vibrams.

Melinda ran the farthest she has at almost 2 miles. She is doing so well with all of workouts and it is so encouraging watching her get stronger and believe in herself that she can indeed do anything she sets her mind to. She accomplishes this in the business world with no problem but is learning to do it with her body.

I had to wear the "Elmer Fudd" hat in case we got shot at by people like my good friend Summer:) It was such a cool experience and we plan to do it early morning each Sunday morning,

Have you gone trail running? Which do you prefer? Road or trails? Trails are such a different and delightful experience and the road is something totally different. So if you are looking for a zen run, trail running is for you!

Life has a funny way of working out.....always.  Just when you think you know something, life comes around and lets you know that you don't know anything.

Last year I ran my very first half marathon with a horrendous training schedule.  The longest distance I ran was 8 miles.  But, I finished at 2:48, walking about a mile of it, so it was under a 13 minute mile, and I was happy.  All winter, I did very short runs at faster paces.  By the time I started running in earnest for training I was doing 6 miles under 11 minutes.  I thought - oh yeah - I'm going shave a good minute and a half of my per mile time.  Hah.


I'm not exactly sure what went wrong.  I think maybe it was that I had to do too many of my runs on the treadmill because of the dark unitl I started a running club.  And, then after my 8 miler, I felt great everywhere else except for in a weird spot near my ankle where I had an old break.  The cycle would be feeling ok on long runs, horrible on recovery run, better at my 2nd run of the week and then ok for long run.  And so the cycle continued.  Tendonitis, arthritis, stress fracture?  I'm still not exactly sure, but after my long run last week of 10 miles, I couldn't even walk on Monday - I was limping bad.  Terror set in even thought I wanted to pretend it didn't.  I decided to not run during the week, do some biking and strength training and leave the race to God.  I ran a quick mile yesterday just to remind my body how to do it.  It was painful, but ok. 

I woke up this morning just promising myself to have fun, take in the scenery and see what happened (although part of my brain did envision ending up on a stretcher). 

And, I did it, running the whole way which was really my goal all along.  The great irony?  I did it in 2:47 minutes.  One minute better than my time last year (where I walked for a mile or so). 

What does this tell me?  Well, I don't think I'm really built for speed, but if I am, then I need to do more longer runs than I did this year in training and more speed drills in longer runs.  What is the other thing that it tells me?  It ain't about the time, it's about the training, the commitment and getting er' done.

My proudest moment - there was a quarter of a mile hill at mile 8 that most people in my pack walked.   I just put my head down and somehow found the energy to keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with walking, but my goal this year really was to run the whole thing.  I did it.  I really did. 

Thanks to everyone for all of their support.  And thank goodness it's over :). 

My sister Melody is someone who I greatly admire. She works in management about 60 hrs a week, is finishing her second masters in one more class. She has 20 page papers due almost every weekend. Yet, she still finds time to give back to causes, support me, and start a running club. Sound familiar? Well, this is where I get it from.

Honestly, there's no comparison and she's taught me all I know. She basically raised me.

Tomorrow is her second 1/2 Marathon in Philly with donations going to the homeless kids at Covenant House. She visited and her heart was bleeding for those kids and I'm sure she will be back to help them.

She has tendinitis but I pray it is relieved during the race, I know she is a fighter and thus will kick butt.

I dedicated this blog to her to let her know how much I love and appreciate her not only for spurring me on to greatness in running and many other areas-this blog for one but b/c her strength is out of this world.

I love you Melody and I know you will rock it tomorrow. Just breathe and believe. You've got this sister!. I can't wait to read the race review and see the beautiiful smile on your face like in the

Yes, yes we began bootcamp over five weeks ago. We started at my house but just like God, he opened up two locations for free right away!! We grew from two people to ten and will continue to grow.

I pray before every workout what we should do and the other night Val burned 800 calories even! Wow!!

The girls' favorite part is "recess" where we master Yoga moves. They absolutely love it. Each lady is taking AdvoCare and just go on and on about how amazed they are that it works.I would NEVER pressure them to buy it-its just come from hearing other ladies talk about it.

Personal training is something I've done since I was 19, I owned a franchise of Jazzercise and also personal trained. I took a brief respite but still worked out while we served in inner city ministry and fostered kids. It's funny how God brings you back to things.

My favorite thing is to empower people and show them that they can do more than they think they can. If you are interested in attending class, we are starting and early morning, mid morning and night classes. We also are holding classes specifically for the elderly so if you have a grandparent that needs to do some light exercise, send them our way. You won't regret it!

Although, I am still just relishing in the fact that I ran 26.2 nmiles (to God be all the glory) I guess its time to move on and post some pics of what's been going on.

We were going to take a rest week but hit it hard that very next week completing out 25.23 miles according to Daily Mile. Some of those may include workouts

I have still been leading bootcamp and Val burned the most calories yet at 800 in one hour. We are getting somewhere people! I've had four new people join this week and we are looking at also expanding to do classes for the elderly.

We've been running three to four times a week as usual but now the girls want to run for speed. Last night was our first night of Yasso's after bootcamp, and they rocked it!~

This morning, I ran with my new OG"S and it was so great to laugh and converse with them again...now that I can somewhat keep up.

Still doing spinning on Monday and loving every minute of it. Vinyasa on Thursdays with Summer is oh so relaxing and tough.. And bootcamps on Tues, Thurs, and Sunday. Running Tues, Wed, Thurs X 2 and a long slow run on Saturday. God is so good! Without him, none of this would be possible.

Val's daughter Hailey has been joining us and is training to get to 3 miles. She is also doing bootcamp and has mastered several, hard yoga positions. So proud of her!

We have been blessed with warm afternoons and barely chilly mornings. The stars are out and its just gorgeous...although, I was afraid I wouldnt wake up this monring.

What are your workouts looking like? If you are in the area and want to join us, hit me up on Facebook. And don't forget our secret weapons are Spark and 02. If you want more information, hit me up or visit www.advocare.com/110110091 or check out the Advocare tab!

Please do share your workouts! And remember, working out is fun, but the best part is the endearing relationships you make. I love my girls!

So how do I begin this Monunental Race Review. Do I begin with how God had to teach me many lessons to get there.  I used to be worried about speed. Don't get me wrong, speed is awesome. But, I don't think God wanted me so focused on myself and my pride.


After training 18 weeks last year without missing one run, the day before the Monumental, I found out that I had a hip stress fracture. It was devastating. But, I didnt let myself get down. I went on crutches and cheered on my friends....and Freeing Sisyphus of course.

After 10 weeks off, I began training for the Mini. I trained 14 weeks. I was again focused on speed and decided to give it my all. I ran the 1/2 at a 10:14 pace. That may not seem like fast to some, but I worked....

The next day, I couldn't walk. I found out that I had an IT injury that put me out for again 10 weeks.

When I was finally put on steroids, I was better.My podiatrist told me I was made for speed and asked me to join their triathlon team. I was pumped.

The next day, Jenny and I went for a brick workout. Again, just not getting these lessons. We rode 30 miles. Within the first few miles, I fell b/c I couldnt get out of my clips at a  crossway. My wrist hurt so bad and was swollen. Jenny suggested we stopped but I was too stubborn. I was doing this thing.

I continued to ride then run. I was in a parade that day and didnt want to let my husband down. It was July 4th. I rode in the parade in severe pain. As soon as it was over, I went to the ER. Sure enough, while lying on a gurney, they told me that I broke my wrist in five places. I remember crying and a nun from Africa coming to hold my hand and give me words of encouragement.

I ended up having surgery on my wrist. This time I was only out 4 weeks. But surgery, is no fun thing. So, if you are still with me that is 24 weeks this year that I was injured.

Once I came back, I finally learned that God wanted me to rid me of myself and help others train. I ended up training 8 girls. Two of those girls, Val and Stacia have lost over 100 pounds together and went from 1/4 mile running when we started to running the 1/2 the entire time. In 3:08

Lesson learned. Now, I don't care about pace so much but teaching others to run and workout. I am more blessed helping others achieve what they thought they couldn't., I like to show them that they are strong women who can do anything. When I speak to them, I speak to myself. Funny how God works like that.

When I signed up for the Full, I was nervous. After all my longest run was 10 miles b/c I was training girls for the half. But my heart told me that b/c I had done the right thing and finally listened, God would carry me through the marathon, I don't kow how to explain it except it was a knowing....a peace.

I didn't care about my pace and just enjoyed the run. I wasn't sure I would even make it to mile 13. But, I just kept peacefully enjoying the beautiful scenery around me. Trees with red leaves, yellow, green. Houses that had character.

I had prayed for angels to keep me going and they did. One lady, kept running ahead then I would. But, it was friendly and we talked. At mile 10, my friend Christy brought Chase to see me. I kissed him and it made my day,. I told her that I felt strong.

I knew my friend Sarah would be at the IMA which was mile 19, so I focused on getting there. Once there, I saw her and all my friends that did the half. They cheered for me and at that point, I knew I could knock it out.

Mile 20-26.2 was the longest of my life, but I kept telling myself what I tell my trainees., When, I finally came around the corner to finish, all of my friends cheered for me and it was a beautiful moment.

Will I run another marathon? Of course, as long as God is by my side, not to lift myself up or be proud, but to glorify HIm,.

For the past four weeks, I have been leading a fitness "bootcamp" Within the first two weeks, we secured two locations...this was because of a dear friend opening her buildings to us. The second location is in Danville and begins in January.

By the grace of God, we are growing and I am just so amazed that even though I am such a sinner, God continues to guide me and bless the work He has given me to do.

I love to help people push their limits and acheive what they thought they couldn't.

During our workout, we make sure and work all major muscle groups, run, and mix in Yoga. We get to faiilure and then rest. Then repeat.

Our class is doubling in size on Sunday and I am so enocouraged by this! I love it so much and am just so thankful for my dear friends who trust me to get them the results they want. Val even burned 686 calories tonight! Wow!~

Here are just a few pics from tonight and there will be many more to come.....you already know:)

Come back to read my race recap of the Marathon I ran this weekend~!

PS What are your favorite workouts?

After crying to Val I guess she felt sorry for me and gave me a note om marathon day. I just had to share. It states:



Thank you from the bottom of my butt. Oh sure, it doesn't sound like much , but it's a good eight to ten times of my heart. 

Inside says: So you know, BIG THANKS!

Then she wrote all the sayings I say to her and my other trainees while we run:

"We are strong women!"

"Think about how far you have to go not how far you have to go"

"I am a strong warrior"

"We can do it!"

"you are out here while others are asleep"

'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"


Then  she wrote:

j.J,

Couldn't go through today without thanking you for all of your help, support, words of encouragement, etc.

I'm so glad we've become friends and cherish our runs where we can just unload all of our stress and fears