Fair

We had a great time at the fair, it has really grown since I was a kid. When it started it was just livestock and crafts, now they have carnival rides, dog shows, a rainforest show with monkeys, leapords, and a tiger. They also had a hypnotist, very funny, and a kid town with various things like bean bag toss and bowling. The kids had a great time and of course they loved all the animals. I was really glad for a happy day with them, this week has been a little trying. I think these long summer days are getting to them, they need a little more structure.

JR has a golf tournament this weekend so that meant running 6 on the treadmill last night. I was tired and it showed, I averaged a 9:35 pace. I was very happy when it was over. Today is a rest day, I might do a strength workout, and tomorrow is another 6 miles.

The kids and I are going to Brandi's house today. They are having a fair as well so we will do it all again, plus a trip to Wal Mart.

Hungry!

This is a rest week for running, the plan calls for easy 6 mile runs on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Carrie and I switched babysitting on Monday and had a great run while the kids played at the park. On Tuesday I did 3.5 on the treadmill at an easy 9:30 pace, then ran that evening when JR came home. That one was way faster than planned, I did 3 miles and I started out ok at 9:08, then picked it up to 8:52(uphill), and 8:17 to finish. I felt that run, my legs were tired afterwards. Yesterday I lifted and took the rest of the day off. This week I have been exhausted, not sure what the problem is. I have also been starving and maybe I am not eating enough. Yesterday I ate every 2 hours and I finally didn't feel like I needed to chug coffee all day long. I thought I had been eating enough, but maybe not. I have been eating a lot of junk, I am sick of food, bored with all of my regular food, the only thing I have been craving is big juicy cheeseburgers.

Today Carrie and I are taking the kids to the county fair. Should be a fun day and I just might have a cheeseburger after all!

Weekly Recap

This week has been great, very busy but with a nice balance of running, playing, and working. Monday I ran 7 with 5 at tempo, the pace was suppose to be 8:32, however I averaged 8:12. Then I had my long run on Thursday with some friends. We did 12 and I was really tired when we started out so I was nervous but I felt great throughout the run. Yesterday was an easy 4 and today an easy 5.

Yesterday I ran early, then went golfing with JR. We use to golf a lot before we had kids but I think I've only gone once since having Gavin 5 years ago. We golfed with 2 guys JR works with for a charity tournament. We did not do very well but we had fun. Our team ended up with the "most honest" award. Afterwards I took the kids to a friends house to play, they had a big bouncy slide set up and the kids had a great time.

Today we took the boat out and had a nice relaxing time. Gavin is getting braver, he likes to float in the water holding on to the ladder(with his life jacket on). He finally wanted to ride on the tube today and had a blast. He kept telling me he wanted to go faster. Brooklyn of course jumped right on the tube and before long she was sitting up and not holding on. She is not scared which of course makes me scared! Now we are waiting on pizza and are going to watch movies. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Speedy Long Run

Yesterday was long run day, Carrie and I had 11 scheduled and we found two other ladies to run with. We didn't know what pace we would be doing but we were supposed to do 10:00min/miles. One of the ladies was sick so she made it about 2 miles before she turned around, we couldn't believe she had even attempted to run. The rest of the miles flew by, we had a great time and when we stopped our time was 1:39:24. That is 9:02 avg! We could not believe we ran that fast, it felt like a great pace. Now we'll see what we can do next week!

The bad news is that my garmin is not working, it will not turn on. I tried plugging it into the computer-nothing. I'm hoping it can be fixed because I can't afford another one, and I have become addicted to it!

This weekend we are headed out of town for a family reunion. JR's uncle has some cabins and lodge in the mountains so it should be a good time.

Some Much Needed Sleep

This last week my to do list has been growing, both what I have to do and what I want to do. This means something had to go and it has been sleep! I have been averaging 6.5 hours of sleep a night which is not enough for me! I have been functioning alright but mentally have been struggling, especially with running. I just haven't wanted to run. When I do my times are ok, Monday I had a 6 mile run with 4 at tempo, 8:30 pace. Carrie and I switched off running and watching the kids. She went first and it was getting hot, when I set off I knew it was going to be hard. Within the first mile I was really wanting some water, I started the tempo and did ok but I only managed 3 miles. I just couldn't run anymore, I had stomach cramps and a headache and just couldn't mentally make myself continue, I know that I could have physically. My time for the tempo miles: 8:12, 8:25, 8:15, so maybe I was pushing too hard?

Last night my mil watched the kids for me so I could go for a 5 miler. The first 2 miles were hard, I just wanted to quit. The end went better and I felt good when I was done. The kids were wiped last night so I put them to bed early, did some laundry and went to bed. JR is out of town this week so I didn't have to get up at 5:30. I finally slept for 8 hours! Woohoo! I feel like a new woman today, which is good because I have a lot to do. I'd better get after it, have a great day!

New PR!

The last week has been very busy. My sis and her fam were here for the 4th and we had a great time camping, they stayed until yesterday morning. I have had a lot going on a more personal side, and just being summer time with the kids have kept me up later and rising earlier. I am tired! Thursday was my long run day and I managed 11 miles/9:35 avg, overall it went well although I think I picked the hilliest road ever! I did not feel like running that day and really fought the first few miles mentally, however the last half felt great.

This weekend is Rendevous and there is a 5 mile walk/run. The alarm went off this morning at 5:30 and it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed. My goal was to beat last years time of 45:32. The course is hard with the mostly uphill the first 2.5 miles, it's a tough way to warm up! When you reach the top of the last hill, the biggest one, and turn around it is easy. Racing downhill felt great, I was still tired but just let my legs go. I ended up finishing in 43:03. My splits:
9:03
9:14
8:54
7:58
7:36

Afterwards we went to the parade and tonight we are going to the rodeo. Tomorrow will be a 4 mile run and hopefully kicking back on the boat for the afternoon. Have a great weekend!

Hiking, Camping

I met with 4 other ladies yesterday for a hike. We had a great time, stopping at the base of the mountain where we watched the waterfalls. We have had a lot of rain and still have a lot of runoff from the mountains so the lakes and rivers are full. It was beautiful and a place I had never been before. We ended up hiking 7.5 miles and are already planning our next adventures.

Today we are going camping for 4 days. I can't wait, it will be nice to be at the lake without tv, computers, or the phone for distraction. I will miss reading everyone's blogs(I love all the motivation!), but I am ready for some downtime with my family. Now I have to go pack and I have a 6 mile run this morning. Hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend!

Easy Week

I can't believe it is July already, where did June go? This week is an easy running week which I am very grateful for. Cutting the mileage down is hard but I have been tired so I just keep telling myself that my body needs the rest. I ran 6 on Monday at 8:00 pm, the sunset was beautiful and I really enjoyed it. Yesterday I ran 5 on the treadmill, not as great but I made it. Today is an off day, I am planning on strength training, tomorrow is another 5 and I am planning on hiking with some ladies from church. We are planning on the same hike I did last Thursday. I'm sure it will be better without the kids, now hopefully the bugs will stay away!