I have been using my TENS machine on my knee after Saturday's long run. I have also been icing. The chiro said to do both. Well, dumb me forgets that the feeling is warped with both TENS and ice. So I didn't feel the ice "burn" until too late. And the other bad thing is that my favorite ice bag got a hole in it.

I haven't run yet tonight. I really wanted pizza and there was a buffet tonight so we all went. I ate more then my stomach is used to having so I am not feeling so good. That and the fact that it is still 95 at 8:00. I may still try to get it in but it will be close to the house for sure.

Ice "burn"

Great day for a long run. Got up early. Got it done. 12 miles, finished. Took an ice bath, ate a good breakfast, and spending the rest of the day with family.

This has been a busy start to the school year. My new job duties require more of my energy and time so I have been coming home exhausted. I don't want to get up in the mornings and want to go to bed as soon as possible in the evenings. So I am behind a run this week and I cut one run short or I am behind a longer run and ran too much on a short one.  Either way, I should be 12 miles into the week and I am at 8.

I went out today at 6:00 and it was 98 degrees. I ran on the black ground up ash track so no telling how hot that was. I was dragging. Not anything on my body so much, just mentally tired. The heat got to me at the end and I had to walk more then I should have.

Still working on the dieting and running. I know I need more food but am really scared of it.

I got my new shirts from Run Pretty Far, (need to add the link). I had a yellow running skirt from Jo that went perfect with my Sound of Music tee.

Climb every mountain...
Sorry they are sideways but that's appropriate since I have spent most of the week trying to lay down.

I could breath tonight. I ran through puddles. I kicked mud up on my legs. My oldest had a scrimmage tonight and it sprinkled off and on for about an hour. Just enough to get the umbrella out and then it would stop long enough to put the umbrella up. Up and down for an hour. As soon as it was over we went under the bleachers to gather everyone up to go eat and it started pouring. Soon the bleachers and the field cleared. I would guess we were in a heavy downpour and rain delay for over 30 minutes. We finally braved the wind and left before the next game ever started. Crazy!

I had a good clean day of eating. Resisted danishes, chocolate, brownies, banana bread, sopas, and everything else. Took my salad for lunch and my fruit for snack. It was a very stressful day at work due to some training/technology issues all over the school district. I literally did not sit down for longer then 5 minutes until 2:00.

I wanted to run but my legs said no. I wanted to run but no one was home to watch the youngest. I wanted to run but I thought about eating. I put on my workout clothes. I laced up my shoes. I called DH and asked him to come home so I could run. I needed 5 but was aiming for at least 3. I know if I can get 2 then I feel fine after that. I ran away from the house figuring the further I could get the further to get back. I didn't take my phone so no chance to call for a ride. I got my 5 in just barely. But I got it in. It was a good pace. And thanks to the rain and the humidity it was an easy 5. I wanted to run so I did. Did you?

Technically they are but tonight the distance and time seemed to pass quickly even though I walked my 3 miles. My legs are beat. First day back to school with teachers and I bet I walked a marathon today trying to appease everyone. We do breakfast and lunch everyday this week for the teachers. Its nice but it takes a lot of work to pull it all off. Today we also had a guest speaker. I am thankful to all the help we had today but I am not sure I delegated enough.

I wore my small dress and got lots of compliments. Tomorrow will be a district wide meeting so that will be another long day. Shouldn't be as much walking for me but it will be hectic until 1:00.

Tonight DD and I walked the dogs. We went a mile before the puppy was tired and DD was bored. I took them home and headed out to do my 3. For no particular reason I decided to walk it. I may count it or a may trade Wednesday's rest day and make it up. I have 5 on schedule tomorrow. If I sleep better then I have been I am going to go back to mornings. Seeing as how it is almost 11:00, it probably won't happen tomorrow.

I haven't mentioned weight in a while. I was able to remain pretty steady over the summer months. I am down from May but not really where I thought I would be. Don't get me wrong I am where I deserve to be. There is no finish line in this race though. So I must keep moving forward on this journey of health.

After yesterday's race I had to decide how to get my scheduled long run in. I contemplated running the 5 mile course twice but that was before the race. I thought about switching this weekend's 10 with next weekend's 7.

I thought about skipping the entire thing.  I am so glad I didn't. For whatever reason, things are stressful around the house right now. Lots of things going on. So I decided some running would be good stress relief. I told myself I would get at least 3 and go from there.

I got 2.5 and had to take a pit stop. I also grabbed some money and traded ipods. I had wanted to stay on the park trail for a little less stress on my legs but decided to detour by the store for a little caffeine. Then back to the park to finish. I got 5 in before it got dark. Again I hadn't wanted to run much on the roads so I stopped at 5.

It really was the best feeling run I have had. I hated to stop. I am proud to be in the shape I am in. I don't want to lose this feeling again. I am doing everything I can to keep it. Tonight's routine includes ice as always.

Great training run/race today. I did the 5 mile run, TJ did the 2 mile, and my aunt and uncle also did the 2 mile. Over 300 entrants, 100 more than last year. The good news, we all placed. The timing system was a mess. The printer wouldn't work. The director got confused in the middle of announcing the results but after a little bit of help supposedly they got it all straightened out. Medals were traded and everyone in our group ended up with one. TJ won first in his age group and may have broken the course record. I ended up 3rd in the Athenas even though I only saw one ahead of me. Aunt and Uncle finished 2nd in their groups. 

We didn't end up with shirts but with entry being only 10 and 5 I can live with that. Aunt won a door prize. After pictures we rushed home for a football scrimmage. And now on to my favorite part of the day, ice packs, movies, and maybe a nap!

I got this treat for myself while I was in San Antonio at a real running store. We don't have such a thing around here. This skirt is great. It is a Lululemon running skirt. It has cute pleats in the back, a zippered back pocket, and two front little pockets. The compression shorts are great. They have a special elastic with little grippers that held the shorts in place.

I wasn't sure about what shirt to wear with the skirt. I bought a grey tank from academy to go with it but it was really really the wrong color. For those of you that know me, you should know I am a freak about colors matching. Anyway, I went with purple cause my sister had sent me a new purple headband so why not?

We had a pretty good rain shower this afternoon which helped cool things off considerably. It was in the 70s when I ran. The run felt great. I was going to do no less then 3 and felt like doing more when the bathroom woes hit me. I saw one of the neighbor girls about 1/2 mile from the house and told her I might need to borrow her bike to get home. I made it though, without the bike.

My DH is out working due to the storms and a lightning fire, my DD is at a slumber party and the two DSs are playing with friends. Beau is finally big enough to go out in the back yard with the big dog so I am enjoying the front porch alone. Wish I had some coffee.

It's a great run when it accomplishes more than one thing.

Borrowing from JoJo...the end of my run looked something like this.

Although it wasn't dead, it did not have enough juice to go for a run. Based on the last few runs I can get nearly a half mile in every 5 minutes. Since my garmin was brain dead and my phone was also, I opted for that run just for the sake of running. Well, sort of. I set my watch for 5/1 intervals and pushed during the runs so I felt like I getting .5 everytime. I ran the first 1.5 on a route I sort of knew was that far based on a run DD and I did. I also knew my son was there and I needed a ride to a bathroom quick. So quick I was about to opt for the ditch until I saw a trucker trying to get parked for the night.

After DS took me to the grocery to use the restroom(I just had him drop me off), I headed back along the same path towards home. Just for good measure I added a 1/2 mile I knew to be accurate.  All in all I ran for 35 minutes. Probably not quite 3 but maybe it was close.

It is not the smartest thing to start a 9 mile run at 3:30. It was 85, overcast, and stormy looking. I had the youngest with me so she loaded up the basket on her bike and we headed out. My DH was working at the ag barn so I had planned to run until daughter was worn down and then drop her off with him. We made it 1.5 miles before she was ready to go to her dad. However, after changing routes to get there she decided to stay with me.

To get 9 miles in while in town you can either see lots of the same or lots of the town. We opted for town. I tried to find sidewalk for her, middle ground for me. We avoided as many hills as possible and had to avoid two dogs. DD made it 6 miles. After about 5, she walked her bike during my walking break. I got her settled at the house to wait on her brother. I went out to finish the last 3.

I don't know if it was the break when I went in the house. Or if it was because the last loops passed by the house. Or if it was the fact that the temp went up 13 degrees from when I started. Whatever it was, I had nothing left in the legs after 7.

I called for my oldest to bring home some ice and I laid on the drive-way to wait. I know 7 is not 9 but I will take it.

9 miles tomorrow morning. Football scrimmage, new heifers in the barn, school clothes and school supply shopping also tomorrow. Yikes, alarm is set for early thirty. My legs are still sore from the stair workout in the hotel.  I am so glad to be back home and getting back to my diet and workout routine.

I will have more time to update my blog tomorrow. I need to go back and edit the posts with my trip pictures. But for now, I am headed to bed so I can get up early.

Plus I have to work off the vacation meals like this one.

This is what I avoided

There is always lots of walking in San Antonio.  But there is always lots of eating also. Due to my stomach issues of the past few days, I was behind on my long run still today. I was nervous about running in the city by myself. I completely decided against it when my phone was dead. Instead I headed to the fitness center. I was not looking forward to 7 miles on the treadmill but I was willing to do it. Wrong, treadmill was broken. I got on the ellipitical and was about ten minutes into my workout, trying to figure out how to convert the mileage into running when the hotel came to close up the fitness center. What? It was only 9:00. I headed back to my floor and looked for the stairs.  They weren't in a stairwell like most hotels but out in the lobby or foyer of each floor. Not doing that either. I went up and down 5 flights once. So I finally came back to my room and started running in place. I did that for 35 minutes. I started having pains in different places so I decided that was enough. So instead of 7 miles I did 10 minutes on ellipitical, 5 flights of stairs up and down, and 35 minutes jogging in place. How many miles is that?

Going to try outside tomorrow before my workshop. Maybe.