Getting my MOJO back

Yesterday morning I  took my sweet time getting out of bed.   I was planning on running 6 miles, along with 30 minutes of  weight training.    I finally got to the gym around 7.30.  Got all my running gear on and hit the pavement. The first mile, my legs were feeling really tired an a tad bit sore from my 18 miler on Wednesday.   Mile 2, my legs are still feeling a little tight.  Mile 3, my legs were starting to loosen up.   Mile 5, I was feeling good. Than by Mile 6, I was  still feeling pretty energized so I tried picking up my pace a bit.  Low and Behold,  I was able to pull out a 9.44 on my last mile.  I know that is slow compared to some people. But Baby for me that is SWEET. 
 

Split	Hour:Minute:Second Time	Miles Distance	Minutes per Mile Avg Pace
Summary	01:00:32	6.00	10:05
1	00:10:31	1.00	10:31
2	00:10:08	1.00	10:08
3	00:10:04	1.00	10:04
4	00:10:00	1.00	10:00
5	00:10:00	1.00	10:00
6	00:09:44	1.00	09:44

 I just feel  that  my running this  summer hasn't been great.  I don't know if it was the heat or I just wasn't into it. I know I have been struggling with not having a running partner much this summer. But I'm feeling like I'm finally getting some of my MOJO back and it feels good.   We have however,  been doing a 10 miler on the weekend, so we can get ready for the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon in October.  Oh, How I enjoy running with someone.  


I'm not sure why I'm putting this out their, but I would love to do the IMT Des Moines Marathon.  If I decide to do the marathon, I would be running it solo.    I'm so torn, because I really want to do another marathon, to show to myself that I'm  not just a one time wonder when it comes to running a marathon. The part that scares me the most is the last 4 miles.  I know how tough it can be when your legs muscle are so tired and sore.     I know  at the end your mind starts to play with you.  Last year I had someone to help  keep my mind occupied, which help greatly. 


My running partner did say she would meet me at  Water Works Park and run with me to the finish. That is after she gets done with her half marathon.  I'm sure she will be done a long time before I reach Water Works Park.   That is  where it started getting  tough, around mile 22.  That's when  I started popping the IBP.  

I'm still undecide what I will do.  I'm just going to keep work on building  up miles. So far my longest run has been 18 miles. 

This morning I met up with my running partner for  a 10 miler   I didn't sleep worth a darn last night.  I was so tempted to call her and cancel.   I hate cancelling on people. So I just sucked it up and got out of bed.  I was glad I did, because it was a great run.  We talked the whole time and laughed alot.  Got to love that.


       Don't forget to entry my YMX - Tribal Sea Run Tee giveaway.

                                    How do you prepare for a Marathon?

                                   Does running a Marathon scare you?

                        The question is  should I do the  Half Marathon
                        or  the whole Marathon? 






Don't forget to entry my YMX - Tribal Sea Run Tee giveaway.

Another Confidence Builder/18 miles solo

 This morning got up early to get my long run in today.  OH BOY! It was 55 degrees  this morning when I got up.  What great running weather. I got some arm sleeve from YMX  that I have been wanting to try out.  This morning with 55 degree temps it  seemed like the perfect time to give these babies a try.  When I put them on, I couldn't believe how soft and light weight they were.  It felt like I didn't have anything on my arms.  They were perfect for this mornings weather.  I was pumped knowing I wasn't going to have to stop to take off my long sleeve shirt that I usually wear  over a tank.  By mile 9, I decided I was getting pretty warm so I decided to take off the  arm sleeve.  I was able to just pull one than other as I was running.  Boy, it doesn't get any easier than that.   I absolutely love them. The first 10 miles were great. I just got into my own little rhythm and went with it.  When I hit mile 12, it started to get a little tougher.  My knee and *SS  were starting to ache.  I went to the  chiropractor  yesterday to get a  treatment. Doing a long run the day after a treatment, is  probably not the smartest thing to do.  But, I was anguish to get a long run in this week.    By mile 16 my knee and *SS were killing me. I knew I had to dig deep inside myself to get 18 miles in the way I was feeling.  Each mile got tougher and tougher.  When I got to 17 miles, I just kept telling myself 1 more  mile you can do this. BOY, That  last  mile was hard.

Now, it was time to head home and get some  weed eating done.  By the end of August I'm ready to be done with mowing and weed eating. If my hubby had his way, I probably would be weed eating the whole town of Earlham.  He's  kind of  a perfectionist.   Me on the other hand in not a   perfectionist and he still married me. Can you believe that?  What is that saying opposite attract.  In my case that is true. After 23 years of  marriage " HE'S  STILL A KEEPER."    

         Don't forget to entry my YMX giveaway(HERE)



       How do you handle aches and pains on your long runs?

      Does it take you awhile to find your rhythm?

                                     What do you do after a long run?

YMX - Tribal Sea Run Tee - Review/Giveaway

I was contacted by  YMX to see if I would do a review for their Tribal Sea Run Tee .  I hadn't heard of this company before, so I went to their website to check  them out.   The first thing I noticed was the bright and bold colors on their clothing, along with the  amazing artwork.

 About YMX(source)

YellowMan founder, Peter Mui, started the concept of YellowMan under that premise that skin color should never be a barrier against social status. He should know. Chinese blood, and Oklahoma native, his identity breaks all the usual cultural stereotypes. He's true to all dimensions of his identity, proudly exuding his Chinese heritage on one side and down-home country singer on the other. Tall, broad-shouldered, and overflowing with confidence, Peter Mui can not be packaged into any preconceived category.

 Understanding  the value of tattoo art as a vehicle to represent cross-cultural attitudes, Peter Mui pursued the concept of creating wearable tattoo art.

YMX offers multifunctional garments that bridge the gap between athletic and fashion garments. Featuring high-comfort, lightweight MadKool fabrics and detailed, original prints, YMX garments can be worn for athletic use, or for casual wear. As a matter of fact, because of the moisture-wicking properties of the fabric, many people wear YMX in both active and leisure activities without having to change!

YMX also sent me the arm warmers that match the Tribal Sea Run Tee.  I have never worn a pair of arm warmer. So imagine my surprise when I opened up the package. I normally wear a tank with a long sleeve shirt over it, that way I can take it off when I start getting hot.  I cant wait for cooler weather so I can give these babies a try. 

Their is also a pocket on the back of this shirt for your I Pod, keys, Gu, or whatever else you might want to carry.

The fabric YMX uses is MadKool  fabric (source)

MadKool® technical fabrics enhance the athletic performance of the people who wear it. MadKool® efficiently moves sweat away from the body to the outer layer of the fabric, where it dries faster than with other fabrics.

In addition, MadKool® fabrics regulate your natural body temperature so you will stay warm in cool weather activities, and cool when your heart is pumping.

Some MadKool® fabrics, such as those used in YMX cycling jerseys, offer UV protection so you can wear them on your next outdoor excursion without having to worry about exposure to the sun's harmful rays.

MadKool® fabrics have a lot of stretch, hold their shape and are abrasion resistant. Although they feel delicate, they aren't. Wear YMX garments hard, they can handle it just fine.

As an added bonus, MadKool® fabrics are engineered to receive prints with vivid clarity and permanance, so you don't have to worry about wearing your garment hard.

Once you experience the comfort and performance of MadKool® fabrics you will never want to take it off.

I have always wanted a tattoo, but I don't like needles and once you get a tattoo you can't take it off.  So that said no tattoos for me. 

Imagine when I visited YMX website, I was elated with joy.  I could  wear  clothing, that had amazing tattoo artwork on it, plus I don't have  to worry about needles and it's  removable.

 When I opened the package I couldn't believe how soft and lightweight  the material was on this shirt. 

I couldn't wait to go running in it. 

I finally was able to get a couple of runs in wearing the Tribal Sea Run Tee .   I totally soaked this shirt and it handled all my sweat great.  I had no chaffing or  riding up.  It fits close to the body without  being  to

clingy, like a lot of wicking material does.    The MadKool fabric makes this shirt so  breathable. I didn't take it off right away when I got home, because I got busy doing other things. I couldn't believe how fast this shirt dried out

 This shirt is so versatile you literally could wear it anywhere.   I wore it to town to do some errands.  This shirt has a very trimming look to it to.   Can you tell I don't want to take it off.

The great people at YMX are  offering one of  my followers a chance to win a Tribal Sea Run  Tee .

HOW TO ENTRY

1) (Mandatory) Become a follower of my blog, if not already. 1 entry

2) "Like" YMX on facebook (Here). 1 entry

3) Visit YMX website and let me know what you like (Here).1 entry

4) Facebook, blog, twitter,etc about giveaway. 1 entry for each

The winner will be chosen by random.org on 9/9

 Disclaimer-The Federal Trade Commission mandates that I let you know that YMX provided me with the product free of charge. However, the opinion expressed is solely my own.

I need Light

Wouldn't you say getting up at 3.45 a.m. to run is crazy.  I would, but my  running partner has to be at work by 7.00 a.m.. Me on the other hand, doesn't have to be to work till 8.30.  But, you all know me I love to run with my running partner. So what the heck is a few more hours of lost sleep.  It's not like I've been sleeping great at night  anyway. 

We met at the gym at 4.15, because we needed to get started by 4.30. Just  what does one wear that early in the morning to run, so they can see where they are running.   It's just so happens that I took a picture of what I wore.  I use to only wear a reflective vest. But I had people from in town coming up to me and saying that they could  see me, but not till they got pretty close.  So I went out and bought a headlight to wear on my forehead.  I found my headlight in the camping section at Walmart. I love it. I use to have to run slower in the dark, because I could not see where I was running very well and gravel roads where out of the question way to dark.

This morning I got in 6 miles and half of that was gravel roads. The headlight gives you just enough light for you to see where you are running. Know one can say that they can't see me running now. But you still have your crazy drivers out there that you have to watch out for.

Now time to get ready for the rest of my day.

Do you run in the dark?

What do you wear when you have to run before the sun comes up? 

One Happy Girl/10 Miles

This week has been a great week  for running, weather wise and  motivation wise for me.  Wednesday I pulled off a 16 miler solo, which was just  the confidence builder I needed.  Friday  I was hoping for 8 miles, but my  knee was acting up, so only did  4 miles instead.  Saturday planned on only doing  3 miles, because  I was going to be doing  a long run on Sunday with my running partner.


                  WHY I'M ONE HAPPY GIRL
I got to run with my running partner this morning.   "OH BABY"  I have been looking forward to this all week.  We had a 10 miler planned today.   We meet up at 7.00 to get started on our run.   Tree has not been running very much at all, so we just took it slow and I let her pick the pace. HECK, I was so HAPPY I wouldn't even of cared if I walked 10 miles.  MAYBE NOT WALKED.     At 3 miles we're finally getting into a good rhythm.  We're  talking so much I couldn't believe when I looked at my Garmin and we're at 6 miles already.  BOY, this run just keeps getting better and better every mile.   At 8 miles she is getting tired, I keep on talking to keep her mind off how tired she is getting.  We got all 10 miles in this morning. I'm so proud of Tree she just kept plugging away at those miles. 

Tree is almost done with her Body Sculpting workout sessions.  We are going to try to fit our long runs in on Sunday mornings. Sundays seem to be the only day we both can get together and do them.  Heck, I'm  just so excited that we'll be training together  for our half marathon in October.   It's the small things that make me the happiest.  Life is good.


                                      ONE HAPPY GIRL

Split	Hour:Minute:Second Time	Miles Distance	Minutes per Mile Avg Pace
Summary	01:43:28	10.00	10:20
1	00:10:31	1.00	10:32
2	0:10:51	1.00	10:51
3	00:10:05	1.00	10:06
4	00:10:21	1.00	10:21
5	00:10:15	1.00	10:16
6	00:10:24	1.00	10:24
7	00:10:10	1.00	10:10
8	00:10:09	1.00	10:09
9	00:10:12	1.00	10:13
10	00:10:21	1.00	10:21

                     Did you do a long run or a race  this weekend?

                Did you run with a running partner or solo?

Confidence Builder/ 16 miles SOLO

I decide last week I needed to challenge myself.   I haven't  been doing any long runs, because my running partner has been to busy.  What a great excuse not to run any long runs.  I was starting to question ,why I even run.
 
Why I keep  running
1. I run to stay in shape.
2. I love the way I feel after a run
3. It makes me feel more confident
4. I love looking sexy for my hubby
5.Running makes me love myself.   I'm my own worst critic

I haven't ran more than 7 mile since I did the DAM TO DAM race the first of June.   I was just feeling like I needed to do a long run. So with no running partner I would be running this one  SOLO . My running partner is doing some other things right now and is not running as much.  DARN IT. 

I decide to do a 16 mile run.  Am I crazy I haven't been running long distance for a while.  Something in my head just keep telling me to do a 16 mile run.  So I said what the HECK, it might be a good run or it might be the run from hell.  God only knows.

I didn't sleep last night at all.  I hate to say this, but I must of ate something that gave me a hell of alot of gas. Because my  stomach  hurt and was so bloated.   Thank god for peppermint. 

As I am getting ready this morning I am  feeling a little nervous.  Can I really run 16 miles by myself?    My mind was going a hundred miles a minute. 

The first 3 miles felt pretty good, just trying to get into a rhythm.  At mile 8 I'm starting to fad a little, but I take a GU and keep on trucking.   At mile 10 my stomach is cramping a little so I  take a short walk break.  I was keeping a look out for the nearest cornfield..  By mile 13 my quads are starting to feel the burn as Jillian calls it. Decide to take another GU.   At mile 14 I  am thinking when the hell is this going to be over.   I  had to keep telling myself  2 more miles you can do this.  My mind is saying, I just want this run over with now.  At mile 15 I just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  16 MILES SOLO.  Holy Crap I did it.

All of you runners out there that run SOLO are amazing in my book. This was tough. When I run with my running partner the miles just fly by, because we are talking so much.   I thought this was never going to end. 
I'll not give up or use the word can't.  I will just dig deep within myself and get it done.

 

	Hour:Minute:Second Time	Miles Distance	Minutes per Mile Avg Pace
Summary	02:48:04	16.00	10:30
1	00:10:08	1.00	10:08
2	00:09:54	1.00	09:54
3	00:10:03	1.00	10:03
4	00:10:18	1.00	10:19
5	00:10:23	1.00	10:23
6	00:10:08	1.00	10:09
7	00:09:57	1.00	09:58
8	00:10:22	1.00	10:22
9	00:10:51	1.00	10:51
10	00:10:58	1.00	10:58
11	00:10:45	1.00	10:45
12	00:10:38	1.00	10:38
13	00:10:51	1.00	10:52
14	00:10:47	1.00	10:47
15	00:11:04	1.00	11:04
16	00:10:44	1.00	10:44
17	00:00:03	0.01

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOBBIE

Happy Birthday Bobbie

 Hope you have a great day.  Checkout Bobbie's blog over @ Journey in Running and wish her a Happy Birthday.

Birthday Celebration



My twin sister and I will be turning 49, on August 8th. We are celebrating early.  So this year for our birthday  we decide to go see Hairspray at the Playhouse.  The Playhouse  is a community Theatre in Des Moines.  



My sister and me



I picked my sister up at 4:00 to head to Des Moines.  I had a few stops to make before we went to supper.  I've been hungry  for the  salad that I seen on Julia's blog @  Pain,Pride and Perseverance;My Running Journey with strawberries, feta cheese, pecans,lettuce.  It called for crispy chicken, but I don't like breaded chicken on my salad so I got it with grilled.   We decided to go to Perkins, nothing fancy but we know they have good salads. This salad was so good.  I loved the fresh strawberries, and the pecans were awesome. I loved all the different textures in the salad, sweet,crunchy, soft.


Doesn't this look so YUMMY

From Perkins we headed on down to the Playhouse.   We were excited to see this play, because we love musicals.

Hairspray is about a girl that runs head-on-into societal rejection--because of both her appearance and ideas--she gains acceptance through steadfastly being who she is.  The person on the outside isn't necessarily the person on the inside, and bias against those who don't fit  in neat societal packages turns out, in the end, to be in correct. 

OMG, This was such a great play the message and the characters  in it where amazing.  The girls mom was hilarious.  She was a man dressed as a woman.  I would recommend seeing this play if you ever get a chance.

   

                      

This is the girls Mom and Dad.  He was so funny.

                          Do you like to go see musicals?

                          What musicals have you seen?

                      How do you celebrate your Birthday?