The customer is always right. Wait, did I say customer? I meant wife.

The more and more I run the more I want to run in different places around the world. I think it would be so cool to do something that I love all over the world and share that love with other people. So why do I not want to combine a race with a vacation? Cause some things have to be separate. On one hand I would really love to have the opportunity to run in one race in every country (or continent) around the world. One the other hand I don't want those races to be a part of family vacations. I know that doesn't make sense but hear me out.

When you plan a family vacation with kids activities and such, the plan is to do things that the kids and adults would enjoy. In my mind this would be a "relaxing" vacation. I know, I know, kids and relaxing cannot be used in the same sentence with vacation but that's what I think about. Our standard family trip was California. We went there a couple of times and really had a great time doing all sorts of activities as a family. Now if I were to add a race somewhere in those vacations I would think that I had lost my mind.

I'm still a race newbie and I'm sure that the more I do races and the more I run longer distances, I'll get used to all the running and my recovery time won't be as long. But for right now all I can see is me running a race while my family is on the side cheering me on, then being so exhausted for two days after that I wouldn't want to do anything let alone move. I mean that's how I feel now when my races are close to home. My wife kind of chuckled at me and told me, "You know we are going to plan a vacation and you will find a race to do during that vacation. It's going to happen. And it doesn't even matter if you don't try and plan a race because you're going to have to run anyway so just don't fight it." What!? I have self control I can save family vacation for the family and race vacations for races.

So when a friend of mine told me about a website called Vacation Races, why did my ears perk up a bit?

Because try as I might I have not be able to resist the urge to plan vacations around one of the races later in the season. Wife is always right.

Talk about motivation!

During my down time from running I've been able to fill that time with more television and internet crap than I've been able to handle. One article that I came across was a breath of fresh air and really touched me. It reminded me why I love running and helped keep me focused on getting better. If you haven't heard about Kayla Montgomery or came across this article but didn't read it, you should really read it. Kayla's story is inspiring and makes you believe that anything you want to do is possible. Check it out!

For Runner With M.S., No Pain While Racing, No Feeling at the Finish

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/sports/for-runner-with-ms-no-pain-while-racing-no-feeling-at-the-finish.html

Out of the frying pan, into quarantine

I have finally made it out of the land of the undead to the land of the living. No I did not become a zombie and was miraculously cured, though I certainly felt like one for the past four days. I have officially gotten over my cold. After my long run two Saturdays ago I was gearing up for my two week taper. I was actually looking forward to my shorter runs. I was counting the days till my taper and kept saying that I couldn't wait till I could dial it down a bit and really rest. Well I should know by now that I need to be careful of what I wish for because I got some serious rest all right.

Sunday morning my wife got hit with a super mean headache which transformed into a head cold. Unfortunately that very same day my little one started getting the sniffles and had a runny nose. This was her first cold. For eighteen months I think we did pretty good by keeping the germs at bay but she wasn't able to escape the cooties this time around. My oldest daughter and I were on nursing duties and I was determined to not get sick. I drank tons of water, ate lots of oranges and gobbled down any healthy remedies that I knew of. I made some chicken soup for the entire family and kept making sure that my wife and the little one were doing all right.

By Tuesday my wife started feeling much better and my little one (who did not let a runny nose stop her) was doing well. But then late in the night I felt it. I didn't want to say it out loud because I didn't want to confirm what I was feeling. The damn scratch in my throat. NOOOOO! What went wrong? I was drinking water like a fish, I was eating healthy, I even quarantined my wife (sounds so harsh but I did it with love). Why was this scratch in my throat? Then to make matters worse my oldest daughter said SHE started feeling bad and noticed her throat was sore as well. Great!

Wednesday was not that bad and though my throat was a bit sore I could still function. There was still hope that this would pass me. I kept drinking water and eating chicken soup. With my wife feeling much better she decided to take charge and made me take it easy. Our oldest daughter stayed home from school and we were all on a mission to kick this cold. But by Wednesday night the minor sore throat I had was becoming a full blown head cold with sinus pressure like you would never believe. My face felt like it was in a vice. Yeah, my face, not my head. It was as if I had gotten cement injections. Forget Botox ladies, this will make you look young forever! Oh, but you'll also feel like crap.

Thursday and Friday were complete hell. Whenever I get a cold my hip joints always feel like they're on fire. Walking is painful and there is no resting position that feels good. I'm miserable. By the time Saturday came I told myself that I HAD to get better. There was no choice. My race was coming up in a week, Thanksgiving was less than a week and I hadn't even touched the pavement since last Saturday. My sore throat was gone but I still had a lot of sinus congestion. I took more medicine (which I hate) and just kept thinking positive thoughts. Fortunately my oldest daughter was already starting to feel better and was tackling the work that she had missed in school. My wife still had a cough but was getting better with each day. Little one (who only had a runny nose, thank goodness) still hadn't stopped running around and was kinda confused as to why everyone else wasn't their normal happy selves.

Sunday morning came and I could finally feel some relief. I was able to breathe through one nostril and the sinus pressure that was plaguing me was a mere fraction of what it was days ago. My mom and step-dad came by and I think having them around with the change in routine helped lift my spirits. Later that night I was back to my old self again. Well not completely but close enough that I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. As for my taper, the first week was non-existent. I didn't run one single mile for the entire week. I did get a chance to workout on Tuesday before the cold really hit me. I think that made matters worse because I did weight training and for the bulk of my cold I also had to deal with soreness. Not fun.

So now my race is on Sunday and I still have to taper for this week. I will obviously keep it very easy considering I'm just getting better from a cold but wow! Talk about an ultimate taper!  

Next stop... fashion week.

The trainer for the moms workout group that I go to got a call from our local Fit 2 Run store to recruit some of the moms to model their new workout clothes. When she asked me if I would like to model I said hell yeah! I mean have you seen my amazing muscles?! Actually I didn't say that. I just said yes. I'm always nervous to step outside of my comfort box and this was certainly a situation where I would be out of that box. While my mouth said yes my mind was yelling for me to take it back.

Since I've been running I have lost about thirty pounds but in my mind I'm still that overweight frumpy woman. Even a couple of weeks ago when I went to buy new clothes I felt myself wanting to reach for my old sizes. Habit of course but I didn't realize how hard it was to break. My goal for running wasn't to loose weight. I wanted to do something that would be just for me and make me feel good, weight loss was a by-product of the ultimate goal. During my training for the marathon I got so wrapped up in the miles and cross training and eating healthier that I didn't even realize that my clothes were no longer fitting me.

My family was telling me how great I looked but for whatever reason it wasn't clicking. Then to be offered an opportunity to model in skin tight clothes made me a bit weary. To say that I wasn't nervous walking into the store would be a lie. I was petrified! But there I was stepping out of that box and challenging myself to do something I wouldn't have the courage to do before. Plus if my friend/trainer suggested that I come than clearly what my family has been telling me all along was right. So I got in the clothes and this is what happened.

Who is that sexy mamma wearing those amazing running clothes?! Hmmm... could it be ME!? In case you're wondering who the gentleman is in the collage with me, he's the owner of the Fit 2 Run store. Let's just talk about the picture in the middle which I can't seem to get enough of. There's something missing from this picture that has me going bonkers. What could it be? Back fat! I thought I would NEVER get rid of that back fat and look, I don't see any trace of it. In fact you can actually see my waist go inward rather than out from the back. Oh and I don't have any fat hanging out from my sports bra either. Who is this person?!

Procrastination is key when it comes to projects

Before I made running the focus of this blog, I used to write about geeky stuff that I liked (hence the title of the blog which I like and decided not to change). One of my earlier posts was about a new project that I had been working on...

For those of you that don't know what that is, it is a crocheted TARDIS blanket. And if you don't know what a TARDIS is...well give me a second and I'll get to that.

Me and my oldest daughter are huge Doctor Who fans and I decided that I wanted to make her a blanket. When I was a teenager I taught myself how to knit and made some very basic scarves and blankets. I never learned how to crochet and was told for years how easy and quick it is. Finally in my thirties I decided to learn how to crochet. And my first project was going to be this somewhat "simple" blanket.

When I posted the first picture of my blanket I think there were only ten rows and now I have made it up to about thirty five rows.

Now I would like to add that these thirty rows have been quite an undertaking. I guess because I decided to make my first project a challenging one it has taken me longer than I anticipated to finish this blanket. The blanket that you see isn't even the same one that I started out with. That original is stuffed in a box on my bookshelf forbidden to see the light of day. I have restarted this project so many times but each time I get better and better. I hoped to have finished by the time my daughter started high school. Well, looks like I won't be done till the end of her freshman year. Let's all start the clock and see exactly when I finish.

Ohh.... I forgot about to talk about the show Doctor Who. In a nutshell Doctor Who is a science fiction television show on the BBC channel. If you are a geek/nerd then you already know about this show, but if you don't you should certainly check it out. It's a fun show. I could really say more but then I'll get excited and go off on so many different tangents about this show. Maybe I'll do a separate post only about Doctor Who.

Training plan for Space Coast marathon

As my training for the Space Coast marathon winds down I wanted to post my training plan. I will also be adding an additional page on the blog for any and all training plans that I will be using.

*DISCLAIMER*
I am not a running coach (yet). I am an average runner who uses various training plans from various sources and tailors them for my own needs. Before you start any training plan you should speak with your doctor and/or running coach to see if a plan works for you.

Now that I got that out the way, here is my plan for the Space Coast marathon:

WEEKS TO GO	MON	TUES	WED	THURS	FRI	SAT	SUN	TOTAL
18	Off	4	4	3	off	13	3	27
17	Off	5	5	5	off	10	5	30
16	Off	4	4	3	3	15	3	32
15	Off	5	5	5	3	12	4	34
14	Off	5	4	4	off	18	4	35
13	Off	5	6	5	4	13	4	37
12	Off	6	5	5	3	18	3	40
11	Off	6	6	6	6	13	5	42
10	Off	6	6	6	4	20	3	45
9	Off	6	6	6	6	13	5	42
8	Off	6	6	6	4	20	3	45
7	Off	6	6	6	6	13	5	42
6	Off	6	6	6	4	20	3	45
5	Off	6	6	6	6	13	5	42
4	Off	5	6	5	4	22	3	45
3	Off	5	5	4	3	15	3	35
2	Off	5	5	5	Off	8	4	27
1	Off	4	4	3	Off	3	26.2	14+race

I got this plan from my training book

I bought this book about five years ago when I thought I was ready for running but really wasn't. This book has been my life once I committed myself to running. There are pace charts, heart rate information, training plans for ALL types of runners and half of the book is devoted to a running journal where you can record all the information for your runs. This book follows me around the house and  has been a great help and resource for me. As I said earlier, you will want to check with your doctor before you choose a plan but the good thing is that there are more than enough plans to choose from. 

I will say that I did not follow this plan as it is laid out. I started out following it to a T but realized that I couldn't keep up with running six days a week. I altered my runs so that I could have two days off instead of one with one of my rest days before my long run. I found that if I took a day off before a long run I was able to tackle that run a bit better than if I had run three or four miles the day before.

So what plans are you following and what are some tips you have for training?

How sweet it is to be done with that run

Well this last week of my serious long runs went out with a bang! 22 miles on Sunday and I can still live to tell the tale. I was feeling a bit nervous but overall confident in the run. I had done two full twenty's and one split twenty so I knew that I could do that distance. I just had to run two more miles. Of course it didn't help that the forecast called for rain all day yesterday and rain it did. From the moment I left the house till I got back it rained for the entire run. I usually like running in the rain but this was a bit much. I was, however, very appreciative that there was no sun and at least the clouds would provide me some relief from the heat.

Even with the rain I was able to beat my half marathon time by four minutes which was SWEET! All in all I was feeling good and really didn't mind the rain until... mile sixteen. I'm not sure what happened but my mental strength was starting to weaken. I was able to maintain my pace but it was a bit of a struggle. For this run I wanted to mimic what I would do during the race as much as I could. I tried to run at my goal pace for entire run but I started floundering around mile eighteen. Once I got to eighteen miles I took the rest of the run in bite sized pieces. I told myself just get to mile twenty. Only two more miles to mile twenty, you can do that. My pace started slowing down but I told myself at that point that speed was not important, all I needed to focus on was finishing.

I got to mile twenty and felt excited because two miles was all that remained. I took a brief pause and collected my thoughts. By this point I was soaked to the bone and a bit cold. It felt as if I was running with a weight vest on with all the water that collected in my clothes, shoes AND hair. Yeah I have looong locks so when water collects in my hair it can seriously add about two to three more pounds.Once I got myself together I got back to running. My legs and knees weren't feeling too bad but I could feel the ache with each step. By mile twenty one I had to got to the bathroom, BAD! So that motivated me even more to finish.

Finally I finished my run. 22 miles in three hours and twenty eight minutes. I did it! And now I couldn't walk. I finished my run right at the entrance of my subdivision and still had to walk to my house which is in the back. I wanted to cry. In fact I think I did for a bit. I looked around for a bench to sit on thinking I had seen some people in the neighborhood sit at the front of the complex but there were no benches. So I started walking. You know, when you're running and your body is working all of the aches and pains feel minor but the minute you stop running everything hits you all at once. Suddenly my legs felt like lead. I couldn't believe how difficult it was to walk. My pinkie toes on both feet were aching horribly. I thought that once I took my socks off that my toe nails would just fall off. I decided to take my sneakers off and walk in my socks.

It was still raining and cool. The puddles provided some slight relief to my feet as I walked through them. A couple of times I contemplated calling my wife to have her come pick me up from whatever spot I decided to stop at. Then I realized that was stupid because I see my house and just needed to keep walking. I had to laugh at myself for a bit because my walk was a combination between George Jefferson and Red Fox. I could have been mistaken for an old man. Once I got to my door I completely shut down. I sat by the front door, took off my socks, my hat and my fuel belt. My calves were screaming at me. I was hoping that someone in the house saw me walking towards to door and would open it but everyone was upstairs. I got in the house and laid on the rug in my living room. Everything hurt. I didn't want to move and I didn't want to talk. After a couple of minutes of lying on the floor I got up and made my way to the stairs. The damn, evil, why do we live in a two story house, stairs. I started crawling up the stairs and shouted to let everyone know I was home.

After I got up the stairs I got all my wet running clothes off towel dried myself and took a minute to lie down with my feet propped up. I wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do but it felt great. All the blood that was pooled in my legs was starting to circulate back through my body. Now I could start the healing process, stretching, cold water for my muscles and a light massage. I camped out in my teenage daughters room watching television with my feet propped up. I don't have a t.v. in my room but I think we'll be getting one now for days like these. After about an hour or two I was able to feel like a human being again. I could even go down the stairs without looking like Penguin from Batman. I had some hot tea, foam rolled my muscles a bit just kept moving around the house.

I was amazed that two extra miles (and some crappy weather) could have such a huge impact on my run and recovery. And to think... the marathon is 4.2 more miles!

Talk to me

When I started this blog I wanted it to be a place to talk about various things that I experience in my life and have people share their experiences. I realized that my posts have been about me and my running life. But I would like to hear from you all, the readers. Tell me about any races that you have coming up. If you don't run maybe you have a fitness goal that you would like to attain. Maybe you just want to talk about toe nails (random, I know). Whatever the topic, I want to hear from you...

So let's all share!

So what did you dress up as for Halloween?

Sorry for the radio silence ladies and gentleman. I spent the days leading up to Halloween preparing for it and then the days after recovering. Halloween is by far my favorite holiday and I love dressing up. Last year I didn't get a chance to pull off the costume that I wanted but I was prepared this year. Oh and in case you weren't sure, this post is not going to be about running. Shocking right?! I know.

My little one was supposed to be a pirate but she didn't want any part of Halloween this year. She's 18 months now so hopefully next year she'll be more interested. As for my oldest daughter she decided to pair up with me and dress up as Day of the Dead skeletons. Most of the items for our costumes we already had but for the things that we were missing I went to Goodwill and picked up the missing items. One of the things in this world that make me happy is a great Goodwill store close to my house. Win! The face makeup we had from the year before and... voila!

My daughter is the taller one with the red shawl.

We weren't smiling on purpose.

My daughter did some mini research on the Day of the Dead holiday because we wanted to make sure that our costumes were authentic. As far as the costume goes there aren't any specific rules. The face makeup is synonymous with the sugar skulls that is a part of the Mexican culture for the holiday. We got a lot of great responses about our costumes. We will certainly have to up the ante next year. Let me know what you think about our costumes!