one year later

Good morning friends. Sorry for the radio silence the past week or so. Life, especially the part outside of running, has been beyond busy. Running is going well. I ran a fairly hard ten miles on Saturday in 1:34 by myself. I love love love running with friends, but I find I push myself harder when I am alone. It is thunderstorm season here in green country and the last two nights have been noisy ones, upsetting both the kids and the dogs at various times, which in turn wakes me up. Soooooo...instead of running this morning I wanted to talk to you guys.

Today, May 1, 2012, marks my one year anniversary of becoming a vegetarian. Man, that title, "vegetarian" still sounds weird to me. I think I prefer plantstrong. Vegetarians to me growing up were always this militant brigade of angry mobs throwing paint on people. (social stigmas at its best, I suppose) Actually, I prefer "No Meat Athlete" thanks to Matt over at, you guessed it, nomeatathlete. Seriously, if it weren't for Matt, Susan, and Ben over there I doubt I would have even given this a shot, so to them I say THANKS. They are non-preachy, friendly folks who answer questions and do awesome things like qualify for Boston and complete Ironmans. I also want to publicly thank LaDonna, a friend from church. She has been vegan for several years and has been a wealth of information, encouragement and recipes. Thanks, LD.

Anyway. Last year I had been reading and scouring the Internet. I had watched the documentaries, read the books, and found the blogs. So with a simple facebook post, I declared May to be "Meatless May". Two friends even joined me on my veggie experiment (thanks Alyson and Heather)! It was a great way for me to dip my toe in the water. On one hand, I got the extreme "shock" to my system of dropping meat out of my diet, but on the other hand I made only a small time commitment. It was perfect. (When June hit, I saw no reason to go back to meat eating, I had no desire for it.)

I won't rehash the whole month, or even this whole past year, but I do want to share a couple of thoughts.

Have I been "perfect" and not had ANY meat in the last year? NO. But I can count the times on one hand. I really, truly don't miss meat. I don't have an extreme testimony, I didn't lose 200 pounds, become tan and win a body building competition. BUT, I did knock 27 minutes off my half marathon PR, my knees don't hurt anymore and I am hardly ever sore even though I am able to run much more often than before. And those things, to me as a runner, are super awesome. I know it is the least useful statement possible, but here it is anyway. I JUST FEEL BETTER.

I have made new friends and found a generally nice and encouraging community of not only herbivores, but herbivores who are incredible endurance athletes. My family doesn't seem to mind too much either. My family still eats meat, but much less so since I am the main cook, and it has been okay.

So where do I go from here? What I really want to say is that I am now a total vegan. But that's scary to me. Scary, in that, I'm not sure if I can do it. I've tried before and failed miserably, usually within a couple of days.

I am a self professing cheese addict and so many of my meals have dairy in it, in one form or the other. But I also know, that I really want to TRY it and see if there is a notable difference in the way I feel and my running performance. I know I have a sensitive tummy, and I suspect cutting out dairy would be a positive step.

So what better way to explore the next step than to repeat last year's little experiment, but this time with dairy? So, for me, and any of you who may want to join, I am declaring May to be dairy free. Maybe, you want to make May, meat free? Or drop red meat, or whatever it may be that you have been curious about and not sure you could do long term. Let's give it a month. A mini commitment. We can do that. (Tell me in the comments if you plan to play along and give up dairy or something else entirely.)

As for me, it looks like this week is going to end up as a step back in mileage week. I will try to post tomorrow about April goals and what May has in store, but until then...

Happy Running.

wordless wednesday

I love this stuff!!

marathon monday dreams

Happy Marathon Monday! The kiddos and I enjoyed live streaming the Boston Marathon on the computer (hooray for home school flexibility) and was actually able to watch the Wave 2 start while FaceTiming with my Dad who lives about a quarter mile from the start! It was so cool!

As I have gotten more into running, and learning about running my dreams have evolved and grown. My honest goal for my first half marathon was to "finish and not die". That's it. That was the only goal I had.

When I survived RnR Arizona, I then wanted to break 2 hours for the half and squeaked that one out in November, with a 1:59:59 (seriously, I practically dove across the finish line), knocking over 27 minutes off my time.

And now...Now my dreams/goals have shifted again. I want to run and finish the Route 66 FULL marathon on November 18.

But with each goal I set, I also knew in the back of my mind what I would want to do if when I accomplished the current goal. So when I toed the line in Arizona, I very much just wanted to finish and stay alive, but I already knew that if I did it, then I would someday work to break 2 hours. And when I started the training cycle to break 2 hours, I knew that whenever I finally accomplished THAT goal I would turn my sights towards running a full.

So what's on the horizon after I finish my first full? Good Question, so glad you asked.

My gut answer is to say I want to hit that 4:00 mark for the marathon. That will be my next goal. I want to run my first one and finish. If after that, I want to run again, I will shoot for 4 hours. (no idea what I will be training at for November right now, still building base fitness, but I will venture to guess 4:30-5:00)

But I'd be lying to you and to me if I didn't say that I already envision someday taking a very serious crack at a BQ (3:35 for my age). Audacious, I know, but the more I run, the bigger my dreams become. And frankly, that is one of the best things to come out of this journey into endurance sports.

Dream Big Dreams, and run after your goals. And like that saying, about how to eat an elephant? Just take one bite at a time. My first bite is finishing a marathon, but the dream continues to grow. And sometimes when dreams grow, they change. Maybe I will finish my marathon and decide to move into another sport and never take a crack at 4 hours or a BQ and that will be okay too...that's the thing about dreams, you never know where you might end up.

I hope you are dreaming big in your life, and if you have forgotten what your big dream was, remember it. Start from the beginning, and remember: All good stories start at the beginning, but they all have to start somewhere. Go write yours, whatever it may be.

Dream Big, Run Happy.

3 thankful things

Today, I am thankful for these things:

1. I get to go to dinner with two of my best friends tonight, withOUT kids. Yippee!

2. I know that not all of my runs will be as hard as today's.

3. Running as the sun comes up. It always reminds me I have been given a new day full of new mercies.


Happy Running!

Are you thankful for anything in particular today?

green juice and my inability to eat salad

I am intrigued with the idea of juicing. Not the Jose Canseco or Barry Bonds kind, but you know, the I smooshed a bunch of vegetables and then drank what was left kind. One of my favorite people had a juicer she isn't using right now and said I could borrow it and give it a whirl. (Whirl. Juicer. Ha, I crack me up) 

Coincidentally, the day I picked up the juicer I forced asked the husband to watch a documentary with me that is on Netflix, called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead". Turns out, it's a film about an Australian dude bloke who came to America, drove around in his car and did a 60 day (!!) juice fast. It's an interesting film, and the animation is cute in it when he is explaining the medical stuff. 

ANYWHO...After watching that and borrowing this new toy I was excited to get after it. I found a recipe for green-something-something-lemonade and decided to try it. Please to enjoy.

Awesome use of Instagram, no?

The contents of this juice is kale, spinach, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 lemon, green apple and celery. Which for the record, I loathe celery. It's stinky and no peanut butter does NOT make it better, it ruins perfectly good peanut butter.

This neon concoction was actually surprisingly light and pleasant. It tasted fresh and summery and tangy. (yes summer has a taste, I think it's cucumber/grass)

Look Ma! I'm almost finished!

Without getting too much into the nutritional arguments I'm not sure what I think. On one hand, it is certainly more vegetables than I would normally consume, so that has to go in the pro column, but on the other hand, a whole BUNCH of pulp was flung out of the back, which I would assume has nutritional value like...uh...fiber.

What I'd really like is one of those fancy-shmancy Vitamix blenders that is so powerful you can throw all the veggies you want into it and it pulverizes all the veggies into a juice/smoothie and you don't waste anything. BUT until one of the two of you who reads this wants to buy me one or give me the $500+ so I can buy one myself I doubt there is any vitamixing in my near future. 

I can hear you saying, "MB! Eat a salad and get over it." Good point, but honestly, I just don't really like salad. Not everyday anyway. I need some other conduit to move the leafy goodness into my belly. I eat a lot of veggie wraps, but that doesn't have the volume of the good stuff I'm looking for.

So no point to this post really, other than to share my latest nutritional experimenting.

What do you think? Yay or Nay on juicing? or blending? or salad hating? What say ye interwebs?

the foot (fixed) part 2

So if you missed my last post go read it and catch up. And now to the conclusion, because I'm sure my precise and expert use of foreshadowing has left you with bated breath.


The cardboard box doctor said not to run for 2 weeks. And so...

I didn't run. At all. He said two weeks. I went two months. Everything hurt. It was all I could do to get through the day, much less try to run on it. Eventually the pain lessened in day to day activity, but I was always aware of it. I didn't take it well. Most of you would have probably put your big girl (or boy) panties on and rode a bike, lifted weights, anything to keep your base fitness, to cling to your hard work. Not me. I went head first into a package of DoubleStuf Oreos.

I'm not proud of that. I wish I had made wiser choices, but I didn't, so I might as well own it. I got lazy, ate like crap, lost my fitness and gained 10+ pounds. Yikes.

People kept asking me about my foot, and mostly I avoided the subject and answered generically. "It's still there...blah blah blah." Deep down though, I was really really afraid I wouldn't ever get to run again. Ever.

****Perspective Alert**** I know there are FAR greater and more severe tragedies in this world. My children are healthy, my husband loves me and has a good job providing for us. My problems are nothing on a global scale. I know that. But I was sad.

Anyway, someone mentioned to me that I should go see a chiropractor. I dismissed my friend's suggestion inwardly, thinking, "uh yeah, that would be great if I had hurt my BACK"

The weeks went on and now it is February. I never went back to that doctor because I knew he wouldn't do anything for me. He would just say to stop running, and although we actually have spectacular insurance coverage, changing doctors or seeing a specialist is nothing short of a miracle.

I came across the chiropractor's card in my bathroom drawer and decided to call. No Answer, the office was closed for the day. OF COURSE IT WAS!!

Frustrated and not even sure if I should pursue it I decided to message someone that I knew a little, and who I thought was a nurse. My thinking was, well maybe she can at least tell me if it's worth my time to even try and schedule an appointment. I sent her a whiny facebook message asking her opinion. And do you want to know the response I got?! It was something along the lines of, "Yeah, I do think it would help, and my husband is a chiropractor and I'm sure he'd be happy to see you tomorrow afternoon!!"

Cue the hallelujah choir...almost. I had never seen a chiropractor before didn't know what to expect and certainly didn't want to get my hopes up. I went to the appointment and as I was taking off my shoes and socks and beginning to explain what was going on, Dr. Awesome (that's what I'll call him, I doubt he'd mind) said, "Hmmm is this where it hurts?" as he pointed to the EXACT spot.

Me: UH HUH ***nodding head like an idiot***

Dr. Awesome: I think you have a bone that has just slipped out of place, we can fix that.

And fix he did. Over the course of the next few weeks he reset my foot several times a week (not to mention my wonky hips and back that I screwed up limping around on my foot for 2 months) and the pain IMMEDIATELY went away. Instantly I could move my toes again that had been immobilized (I thought it was swelling). And now, all has been well and the bone is staying in its bony home!

But the best part of this whole thing is that his wife turned out to be a SUPER DUPER running partner AND they live in my neighborhood! I get to run again AND I now have someone to run with most days!

Thanks Dr. Awesome, from the bottom of my heart and the top of my foot.

Happy RUNNING!!

the foot (problem) part 1

Some of you know the saga of my right foot, and some of you don't, so I thought I'd share a little about what happened and give an update.

Take it from the top, Sparky.

I ran the Route 66 half marathon the Sunday before Thanksgiving and knocked an amazing 27 minutes off my PR. Needless to say, I was flying high (on running endorphins of course) and feeling good. In fact, I would argue that I was as fit as I had been since high school and knew that I still had a lot more in me. I rested the few days following the race and set out Thursday morning for my first recovery run. A leisurely 4 mile run around my favorite loop here where I live.

As I clicked past the first couple of miles I felt good as I did a mental run down of all my working parts. Quads, good. Calves, still a bit sore, but good. Knees, stiff to start, but warmed up. Pace 9:47 and it felt EASY. (remember that I was knocking out a blistering 14 minute mile when I first started waddling running) Then, it happened, but I can't tell you exactly when or where or how. I just know that part way through my run that day the top of my right foot started to hurt. A lot. I chalked it up to race day soreness and maybe I had tied my shoe too tight.

I drove sore foot and all to Minnesota the next day to visit family and was very thankful for cruise control. I took it easy all weekend, icing and generally laying around. That Tuesday I went for what was supposed to be a 6 mile run with my mom. My foot started hurting so badly during that run we cut it way short and ran probably about 4. I could barely walk.

I iced. I elevated. I rested. I worried. I really truly thought that I had a stress fracture. My foot and toes were swollen and nothing seemed to help. I managed to get the kids and I back home and resorted to going to see my primary care doc.

My doc's personality can best be described as a wet cardboard box. Seriously. He seems nice enough, but after gazing at my x-ray, sheepishly prodding my foot with one index finger and shrugging his shoulders, he said, "I guess maybe you strained it. Don't run."

DON'T RUN?!?!?!

I was devastated. And mad. He gave me no answers (or even actual diagnosis), provided no real help and told me the worst possible solution. No running. Sadly, I didn't have much choice, or so I thought. (see that, that right there is foreshadowing. High fives to all.)


Stay tuned. Part two later this week....