One Thousand Days Running...

The Runner In Me Lives!

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 00:40:00 +0000

I've come to realize that, while I love running, I'm less of a blogger than I had hoped. I am considering doing the daily blog thing again because I have talked to so many people who have started running because of my mission to be fit and healthy and all that jazz. I promise that if I can do this, you can too! Life is busy and out of control but being fit is a huge deal and prepares me in so many ways to deal with all of the stress life throws at me.

As for running, this is summer in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and there is no better time or place to surround yourself with the sound of your own footfall. I love it! I really need to get all of my mileages logged so I can update you all with my estimate of my progress. I have to admit that the couple of months I spent mostly unplugged from my Type A mileage tracking have been nice. I guess motherhood has left me with less patience for some things that once meant so much...

I will be back tomorrow with a race report for the Go Girl Trail Run. I haven't done much trail running as of late so I'm not expecting any miracles. Still, it should be a good time. Plus, I get to do it with my girl Aimee and I LOVE running with her! Prost to a good beer at the post race Widmer tent!

Peace, Love & Fitness,
Molly

Day 225

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 00:37:00 +0000

Yesterday was a busy day but I was able to fit in a couple of miles to and from My Buddy's baseball game. It was a total soccer mom (and dad) kind of day. First a soccer game for My Girl, then her end of season party. Then the baseball game and, finally, we went to a Timber's Reserve game and watched some semi-MLS soccer. I'm tired just thinking about it...

Today I got a 4.5 mile run in with a friend. It was my longest run in a couple of weeks and it felt pretty good. I'm pretty sure there's a good chance I have a cracked rib, but from what I've heard there really aren't any miracle cures so I'll just keep on truckin and it will eventually heal... Don't be too jealous. haha.

Day 225
473.61 Miles

Day 222

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:55:00 +0000

As for being sick? It sucks.

I have had a really bad running attitude for the past few weeks because I was so sick. Turns out it was a chest infection and cough that tore up some stuff in my ribs. That still hurts, but I can run and that's awesome. I also no longer cough up stuff that would put a smoker to shame (I am not a smoker...fyi). I stopped keeping close track of mileage and all that jazz for much of May.

I ~~ran~~ barely survived the first half marathon I was registered for. Instead of the sub 2 hour time I was hoping for I finished in over 2:30. I honestly don't even know what my time was. It sucked.

Then the hubs and I went to Vegas for a week. It was awesome and hot and dry and our hotel had a nice gym with lemon slices in the water cooler and fancy treadmills that overlooked the pool. It was heavenly.

Margaritas, sunshine and a week by the pool just can't be beat.

I did not, however, get better while on that lovely vacation. Too much alcohol, not enough sleep, and about 1 million chain smokers might have had something to do with that.

The half marathon I was supposed to run the day after we got back turned into a 4ish mile run with my Best Running Buddy. She ran the whole thing and I met up with her to keep her company for the last bit of the race. I have spent the last week or so just trying to get better. Thankfully, that's finally happening!

I can run at my regular pace again and my kids are so happy to be out putting in the miles with me or going to the kids club at the new fancy gym we joined while I run and sweat away on the treadmill. I'm so much happier now that I'm back in my groove! My ribs are still not quite up to par and I can't do much with my upper body yet, but I'm sure that will be better soon.

On a run home from school with my boys. This kid is punk rock!

As for my daily miles, I mostly stopped counting and there were days when I could barely walk, forget running. I'm back on track and I'm not going to say I failed. After all, the whole point of this blog was to motivate myself (and anyone else who might follow along) to stay active.

So anyway...Today is Day 222
I've run an estimated 465.62 miles

My new personal challenge to myself is I will not run less than 20 minutes on any given day unless I do other cardio. Even then, I will try to fit in a full 20 minutes of running/jogging/walking/crawling... You know movement and stuff. Gotta pack on those miles!

Sick

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Sun, 06 May 2012 05:28:00 +0000

So...I'm sick, my kids are sick, my husband is sick and this has been a horrible week all around. Fevers, croup, viral respiratory infections, trips the the doctor, and even 4 hours in the ER. This is all since Tuesday.

Should I change the name of my blog to "one thousand days running...except the days when i couldn't run because i had a fever and couldn't breathe so i walked"?

It's not so catchy and I feel that I have really tried to keep with the spirit of the whole program I've put myself on by making time to get out and ~~run~~ walk even when it was the last thing I wanted to do. I'm realistic and I know that this won't be the only time in the 1000 days that some nasty bug gets passed around our house. I think what I will do is add the days I blatantly walked onto the end of my 1000 days. My extra day tally is now at 3.

Cheers to healthy children and many more days running! (804+3 to be exact)

Days: 191-196
Daily Miles: 1 (x6)
Total Miles: 411.83

Two Weeks Until Vegas!

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:49:00 +0000

We are still super busy with spring sports around here. This past weekend, we had back to back soccer and baseball. Both kiddos won their games and they both scored. Go team! I'm also super busy this time of year with consignment sales (I sell kid clothes and gear in my "spare" time).

That's my cutie scoring a run...

The Hubs and I are really looking forward to a sunny, Vegas vacation in 2 weeks. Really!

The Pool!

When I see my daily mileage, it looks kind of pitiful. Lots of solo mile runs, but I've been doing at least 3 classes a week at the gym on top of running. I'm really tired of treadmill time so the fact that the weather has been semi cooperative with short outside runs most days makes me very happy. I've got 3 loops mapped from my house that are exactly a mile. I should probably mix it up more and make them a bit longer.

My weekly long training runs have been going really well lately. I'm hoping that translates into a good 1/2 marathon experience at the Hippie Chick on May 12th. The course is updated for this year so that it's not two loops. That's good, but I looked at the map and part of the course is on a horribly ugly and boring stretch of road that I have promised myself I would never run again. Oh well. Guess I'll run it this one more time.

Yesterday's 11+ mile run was pretty awesome, despite what seemed to be allergies screwing with my lung function and snot production. As usual, Aimee (my BRB) was there to inspire. Plus, another friend joined us for our first 6 miles. I guess now I'm as ready as I'll be for my 2 half marathons in the next 3 weeks. Seriously? What was I thinking?

Days: 186-190
Daily Miles: 1, 1, 1, 1, 11.58
Total Miles: 405.83

I'll Save You The Trouble...

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:46:00 +0000

A potentially great run can be ruined by a pre-run dinner consisting of turkey chili dogs and beer. I learned that one so you can save yourself the hassle the next time you're considering it.

These weren't mine. But I can't say I wouldn't eat them...

On a positive note, even with two chili and beer induced walk breaks, I was able to run 3.31 miles in 31:16. Not horrible.

Good night.

Days: 184, 185
Daily Miles: 1, 3.31
Total Miles: 390.25

Happy SPRING!

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:30:00 +0000

If you live in Oregon...you know what I'm talking about! Hello sunburn and good bye crappy rain (if only for a few days)! I have been enjoying this beautiful weather with my awesome little family and I hope you have too!

Yesterday was a day of sporting events. My Buddy had baseball, then My Girl had a soccer game (she scored one of their three goals and they won 3-0!) then we had baseball opening ceremonies and parade. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love watching my kids play sports. It's the best thing in the whole world to me. I...LOVE...IT!!!

I swear I feed this little soccer star.

How cool is this kid?

My mom was here to visit this week and my older kiddos didn't have school Thursday or Friday so running miles and miles didn't happen. That's ok. I more than made up for it with other activities and I think my IT Band is thanking me for the little respite from higher mileage.

We leave for Vegas 4 weeks from tomorrow so I will be a crazy workout machine from now until then. Gotta put my best foot forward at the pool and show 'em what this 30 something mom of three is made of!

Days: 177-183
Daily Miles: 1, 3.2, 1.8, 1, 1, 1, 1
Total Miles: 385.94

Good Running Mojo

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:55:00 +0000

Yesterday's run was awesome! It started out with me pushing snooze one too many times and texting my BRB to come 15 minutes late. We had planned on 11 miles, but by the time we drank some coffee and left my house, we had decided to just do half of our run.

At around mile one, we decided to switch up our route and do about six miles in a different direction. After that, we decided to head up the hill and add a bit more for about seven miles. At the top of the hill, we decided to keep going to the end of the road and ended up finishing with over nine miles! We only stopped at that point due to some time constraints. I love that we were both having a great running day at the same time. We so totally rock!

I still need to get in a 10+ miler before The Hippie Chick Half Marathon next month, but I know I could have totally knocked out 13.1 today. And that's a decent feeling.

That's a whole 1/2 mile difference. Come on Nike!

On a side note...Nike+ needs to come up with a way to recalibrate Sportwatch runs because mine has been off with it's GPS again lately. I can't begin to tell you how annoying it is to be shorted so badly on a run! I can use the FREE Nike+ app on my iPhone and it lets me recalibrate. Why can't I do that with my ridiculously expensive watch? Hmmm? I think Uncle Phil needs to make that happen for me...ASAP.

Days: 173-176
Daily Miles: 1,1,1.6,9.14
Total Miles: 375.94

A Week? ...What A Slacker!

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:34:00 +0000

I can't believe I haven't blogged in a whole week! I'm not good at remembering to do this sometimes. Maybe I should get back to the everyday thing so it's more of a habit.

I've been busy working out like crazy to reach my goal of weighing 135 lbs by June 24th. I joined a new gym that is closer to my house and has more activities for the whole family. The kids are loving the pool (plus the allure of the outdoor pool in the summer has me working even harder to get into swimsuit shape fast) and I have tried a bunch of new cardio classes. I'm loving BodyCombat more than I can tell you. It's awesome and I can feel my arms getting better looking by the minute! Today I discovered Cardio Sculpt and the instructor is WAY into squats of all shapes and sizes. Hello booty!

As for running, I'm getting ready for my 1/2 marathon season. Next up...The Hippie Chick Half on Mother's Day weekend. I only ran the quarter last year because I was having IT Band issues leading up to it.

On Easter Sunday, my girl Aimee (we'll call her my BRB--best running buddy) and I did a 9ish miler full of killer hills. This coming weekend, we have an 11 mile run planned. I'm getting pretty excited to run my first 1/2 since 2008! I can't believe I haven't run one since I was preggo with My Babe (who is now almost 3 years old) shame on me!

Days: 167-172
Daily Miles: 1,1,8.92,1,1,1
Total Miles: 363.2

It's On

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 04:35:00 +0000

In case you didn't know this, summer is on it's way. Even in Oregon. We will get a summer. Someday.

I've been putting in my due diligence and scouring Pinterest for the perfect body. Unfortunately, as you may have guessed, they all require a few more push ups and a few less cocktails than I am accustomed too. I used to be the girl with that body who drank little and worked out much. It seems my priorities have shifted over the years...

I've given myself a goal of weighing in at my wedding weight by our 12th anniversary in June. I'm not too far off, but I've got about 9ish lbs to lose and just less than 12 weeks to do it. If I'm going to get there, I know I will have to absolutely torture myself for the next 12 weeks (with little liquid gratification, which is the crappiest part). We were young when we got married. I had just graduated from college at the ripe old age of 21 and I never gained that freshman 15 (I waited until my early 20s to pack on that weight). Then I had three kids and that's never good for a girl's physique.

So far this week (since Monday), I've logged 11 miles and done Turbo Kick and BodyCombat classes at the gym. I have 2 (maybe 3) half marathons planned between now and then so I'll be running a bit here and there. Ha.

I don't expect a whole lot from myself. I'm pretty sure I'll only be as hot as this girl. That's all.

Image Credit

Days: 165 & 166
Daily Miles: 2 & 5.31
Total Miles: 349.28

I Will Continue To Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:26:00 +0000

It's been a busy week since I last blogged. I've been running and Turbo Kicking and Zumbaing (is that a word?) as much as possible. I also got a handle on the whole potty training thing for The Babe. No more diapers in this house! WoooHooo!!!

Over this past week, I had a revelation. Ready for it? ...I'm actually in pretty darn good shape! I ran 6 miles (of hills) with a friend on Sunday but felt like I could have kept going and going. The next day, I ran 3 on the treadmill and felt the same way (but I stopped because it was after 10pm and I needed to go to bed). Yesterday I went to Turbo Kick (my favorite workout in the whole world) and did a round with some serious plyometrics. I kicked it's booty! I was doing sumo squat jumps and felt like I could have done them for days.

Here's my concern... I've been to this place before. I get fit, I kick ass, then I let it slide. My promise to myself this time? I WILL NOT STOP! I will keep kicking ass and getting stronger and I will treat my body as if it is the only one I have. My bones will get stronger with age, my body will have more lean mass and less fat. I will be healthy for my kids and their kids. This 1000 days is not a burden, it is a blessing and I will not forget that. I have a healthy body that is capable of so many amazing things and I will not take that for granted.

After all, I have to be able to keep up with these helmet wearing, playground kings! Why do I let my kids be so cool?

So, now I'm done going on about that. I appreciate everyone in my life who tells me I have inspired them to do something when they were used to doing nothing. Tell me your story if you want to share, I really do love hearing them!

Days: 158-164
Daily Miles: 1, 1.26, 1, 1, 6.05, 3.01, 1
Total Miles: 341.97

Spring Breakin' It

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:41:00 +0000

The kiddos and I are visiting my parents for a rainy spring break. Yesterday we got some decent weather and took advantage with a trip to the local park for a bike ride and some hula hooping. Because we're that cool. If you look at this picture it actually looks like it could be spring here.

Truth be told, this March is almost twice as wet as an average March in Oregon. Nice.

I've been able to run outside by myself two days in a row (tomorrow will make three!) and even if it's been raining I'll take what I can get. As I've said in the past, I love running with my kids, but what I love most about it is how much it makes me enjoy running solo.

Days: 156, 157
Daily Miles: 3.25, 2.2
Total Miles: 327.65

I'm Green!

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:56:00 +0000

I hit Green (155 miles) with Nike+ today! I need to take my watch with me more often so I can actually reach Blue (620 miles) in this lifetime. Nike totally knows how to keep me hooked on using their stuff. This Nike+ thing is addictive!

This past week, the weather has been totally bipolar. We had snow (and the first 2 hour school delay of the year), some super cold rain, and two absolutely beautiful days with kids outside riding bikes and running around in shorts and t shirts.

I said back in this post that we weren't going to buy anything new for two months. Since then, we have run the the grocery store and Redbox more times than I can count. We've also decided to enroll My Babe at a preschool closer to our house for next fall so that I can run him in the stroller at least one way each day. We've only bought 4 things new (other than food) since the beginning of March as a family of five and I've only filled the tank on my sweet minivan 2 times since January if you can believe it!

My shoes needed to be replaced, can't really go used there. They're Brooks Ghost 4 and exactly the same as my last pair only blue. I love them!

My Bud got a new bike. His old one was the hand me down of all hand me downs. I don't even know how old it was (at least 15 years), but it's rusty and the tires only hold air for a day at a time. Plus it was too small for him. I did try to get this one used. I had been emailing people on craigslist for about a month with no luck finding the perfect bike (or something closely resembling perfection). So on Friday, with the beautiful sun shining, we gave up and headed to Target for his new wheels. He's already put in about 5 hours of riding time so I feel good about the purchase.

The Hubs got an iPad...because he "needed" one. Who can argue with that?

As for the fourth thing? Its a shiny new toilet!!! Exciting purchase, right?!

Today I went for an early run with a friend and it felt great. I am not a fan of getting up early. At all. But I do love the feeling of already having my run under my belt by 8am. Today is going to be a great day. We're getting a new toilet after all...

Days: 149-155
Daily Miles: 1, 2.48, 1, 1, 1, 3.14, 4
Total Miles: 322.2

Shamrock 15k Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:48:00 +0000

I can see why people do this race over and over. It's a fun Portland tradition...you get up early...stand around in the freezing cold with 33,000 other people...run...run uphill...run uphill some more...run downhill...drink...then drink some more.

After race. So cold!!! And looking freaking awesome? ;)

Overall, I enjoyed it. The route is pretty fun and really challenging. There were two things I disliked about the experience.

One. IT WAS COLD!!! As in, it was raining the whole time and started to snow around mile 6.5-7. Brr! It was so cold that I didn't even take two coats off the whole race. And I totally forgot to get a picture of what was supposed to be my race outfit (because it was covered up the whole time).

Two. It was full of people who don't train for the race. That's totally fine, but they need to start back farther in the pack. We figured we would run around a 9:40 pace, so we lined up behind the 9-10 minute mile pacer. Instead of being in the pack with other similarly paced runners, we passed people. The entire race. Thousands of people. If you look closely at my Nike+ route you can see that I ran back and forth around people the whole time.

It's hard to see, but the line is not straight. It squiggles all over the whole way up the hill (mile 2-6ish). According to my GPS we actually ran 9.48 miles. In 1:31:05 (that's a 9:36 pace and I'm happy with that)!

Here are our splits. Not bad... Not bad at all.

Mile one is fairly flat but you start making your way up the hill not long after that. Then it's pretty much a killer climb until mile 6.5 or so. It's Portland, so you're pretty much guaranteed to be entertained the whole time. There were guys on unicycles racing along with us the first couple of miles. Bagpipers along the course to cheer us on. A guy on a bike riding up the Terwilliger hill shouting race support and holding a huge box or Voodoo Doughnuts. People handing out cookies at mile 8 or so. And some seriously awesome race bling if you did the 15k.

After the race, you get a free beer (and some lukewarm salmon chowder if you want to wait in line for it). I've never been so cold in my life, so we chugged our beers and headed for the Paddy's tent to get some Irish Coffees and a Bloody Mary. The tent was huge and heated and like heaven.

I think I'll probably do the race again next year. Even though the whole time I was running it I was promising myself I would never do it again! I just need to remember to line myself up closer to the front of the pack and eat some food because that's a lot of early morning alcohol to consume on an empty stomach. Live and learn...

Day: 148
Today's Miles: 9.48
Total Miles: 308.58 (I broke 300 miles!)

Home Alone

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 02:54:00 +0000

I don't know what to do with myself. The Hubs took my little people to visit Gramma and Grampa for the weekend and I'm home alone. I think I'll work on perfecting tomorrow's Shamrock Run garb and call it a night. Well, I should probably have one green beer. I am a party animal, people!

I did take advantage of some alone time this afternoon and get in a quick(ish) run. It was actually sunny even if it was pretty cold. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain/snow for the race. Fun?

Day: 147
Today's Miles: 2.96
Total Miles: 299.1

I Am Momma...

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:43:00 +0000

Things on the homefront are pretty exciting for us right now. The littlest is (fairly hesitantly) learning how to use the potty! This is my third kiddo and so my third time doing this, but somehow this time around it is proving to be much more difficult.

Bribery at it's finest...Ironman and Wii Sports Resort helping out.

So I was a little worried about heading out for a run with a diaper on his little tushie (just in case) because I didn't want to ruin our progress. Luckily, no "accidents" so far today. Score one for momma!

My (adult) running buddy just happened to have a day off today, so we loaded up the little man and headed out for a morning run after the big kids got on the bus. The best part? No rain so far today!

Last night I did my Wii Active 6 Week Challenge workout and then set myself up with an extra 12 minutes of Wii Active running. I'm sure I look super cool running in circles around my living room. At least I didn't have to drive to the gym.

2 more days until the Shamrock Run. I'm so excited to share my race day outfit with you all!

Days: 145 & 146
Daily Miles: 1 & 2.77
Total Miles: 296.14

I Still Run. Promise.

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 06:33:00 +0000

Wow, Nike + and I are having relationship issues. I forget the footpod. Or I forget the watch. Or I forget them both. I said something last week about Oregon being solar powered. Since then, we have had rain and snow. Just about every single day. YUCK! I want to live in one of the states where it is 80 and sunny right now. It's never nice here for spring break.

This is our 5 day Weather Channel forcast...

Barf!

Just for the sake of pointing out the obvious...It's St. Patrick's Day on Saturday. That means the Shamrock run (my 15k) is Sunday and that happens to be the coldest day on the horizon. Yay!

Oh, and just so you have this song stuck in your head, too. Enjoy...

Days: 140-144
Daily Miles: 2, 1, 1, 2.38, 1
Total Miles: 292.37

Oregon Is Solar Powered

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:57:00 +0000

Wow! What a difference a few days of beautiful weather makes for us water logged Oregonians! I know the 60 degree temps and lovely sunshine are scheduled to disappear tomorrow but it's been so fun to have a week like this in the middle of our dreary rain.

Here's me, happy to be in shorts at 7:30am (even if it was only like 30 degrees out at that time)!

The kids and I got up early on this no school day and ran to the store so they could get donuts and chocolate milk for breakfast. Mother of the Year, no?

Then we ran back home and had some neighbor kids join us for 2+ hours of bike/scooter riding. We have some serious racers working on qualifying for the Nascar Sprint Cup Series.

Now they are taking a break and watching Puss in Boots. My kids are finally at the age where it is easier to have more kids here than just my own. Yay! I hear the laughter of 5 happy kiddos coming from the family room as I type. Love this season of life!

My day 137 run was split up into two. The first half running My Buddy to a play date with My Babe in the stroller, the second half running back home. Just have to say...My run home was 1.41 miles with the stroller on hills and my pace was 8:49. WoooHooo!!! The other two days were both runs with all of my kids so they were painfully slow. Oh well, gave me more time to soak in the Vitamin D. :)

Days: 137-139
Daily Miles: 2.88, 1.34. 1.29
Total Miles: 284.99

Pit Stop

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:13:00 +0000

On Tuesdays, the babe and I usually volunteer to make copies and other such things for the girl's teacher. Today we were late getting out the door, but we would still have enough time for a little bit of productiveness. That was what I thought...Until I went out to start my van and realized that somebody had turned on all the lights (and left on all the lights) when I was vacuuming it out yesterday. That left me with a dead battery and no neighbors home. I would have just waited for my bud to get off the kindergarten bus and skip school altogether, but this is a beautiful day and that would be an opportunity wasted!

I threw the little man in his stroller (which he was not happy about because he wanted to ride his dang cooter) kicking and screaming and we took off for a run to school. The route there is about 1.2 miles uphill. With the stroller, I ran the first mile at a pace of 9:12. I'm cool with that. We picked up a very happy to see us buddy man and headed back out for our run home. After a (15:30 pace) mile, he stopped and asked, "Mom, I wonder why I'm so much faster than you?" To which my response was, of course, "Because you are awesome, bud." And off he ran before stopping for his 82nd walk break.

He also stopped for a little pit stop. On a semi busy road. Good thing he's a boy. This is a theme for my children and it's WAY easier (and slightly less obvious) when it's a boy. But I got a picture cuz it was funny...

Then of course the the little man had to get out of his stroller and run along behind his bro when we hit the path near our house. That made the last 1/4 mile of the run take just as long as the rest of it. Short legs. Then he fell and this his how we ended our run...

So, basically, I had a great 1.2 mile RUN and an equally great (yet totally different) 1.2 mile saunter.

Days: 134-136
Daily Miles: 1, 2, 2.38
Total Miles: 279.48

Portland's Little Red Book Of Stairs

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 03:07:00 +0000

Today was pretty much perfect.

First, I got up early and did an 8.5 mile run with Aimee...aka my favorite running buddy!

Then, we spent some quality time watching the gym rats play basketball. Both kids and their teams did an awesome job today. It's amazing how fast they get better at playing as a team with good coaching and great kids to play with!

Last, I took my girl to ~~walk~~ run some of the old stairs in the NW Portland Alphabet District. She can't walk on those stairs, she has to beat me up and down every one of them and I, of course, just couldn't let that happen. Well, she won most of our races, but who's counting?

If you're at all interested in the many, many stairs that Portland has to offer, there is an awesome book that is almost impossible to find. It's a floppy, spiral bound book called Portland's Little Red Book of Stairs by Stefana Young. I've been trying to find a copy of it for almost 10 years (it's hard to find an independently published, out of print book) and I just finally found it (used) at Powell's. I've checked it out many times from the library, but I'm so excited that I'm finally going to have my own copy!

Now for some pics of my girl from our adventure...

One of the coolest things about the stairways in NW Portland is the neighborhoods they're in. Many of the houses that line the staircases are HUGE and were built in the early 20th century (that's old for Portland). They are absolutely beautiful and did I mention HUGE?

Days: 132 & 133
Daily Miles: 1 & 8.49
Total Miles: 274.1

Running and ReUsing

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:49:00 +0000

I was reading this blog post today and decided that we're on the ReUseIt wagon for the months of March and April (she's ambitious and going for 6 months...we'll see how I'm feeling after the next two months, who knows?). I'm already pretty thrifty and crafty but this is a great way to push that even further. My kids are way into repurposing and recycling and we already try not to drive when we make short trips to the grocery store or the park. The hubs doesn't know about this whole thing yet, but I'm sure he'll be on board (it will save money after all and that's talking his language).

Here are our rules for March and April (and hopefully more months to follow, we'll have to wait and see)...

1. Nothing new-with the exception of food or medications.

2. No short trips to the grocery store in the ~~car~~ sweet minivan. If we need something we'll have to add the stop to an already planned trip or run there (two birds, one stone).

3. ABSOLUTELY NO TO PAPER AND PLASTIC! If I forget to take my bags in, everything goes back in the cart sans bag and rolls around in the back of the van until we get home.

4. If it breaks, we will live without or find a replacement at a thrift store, craigslist, freecycle (you catch my drift).

5. No household paper products-except toilet paper (I've been to places where people go without. It's gross).

Any rules you can think of we should add?

Click the pic for some facts about plastic bags. Yuck!

I hope to check back in periodically and let you know how well we're doing. And I'll use the blog to let you know if we slip up. I hope that doesn't happen!

In the meantime, check out reuseit.com and use code rcm1gvg for $5 off your first order. Better yet, search my favorite source for reusable inspiration Pinterest for ways you can make your own reusable stash.

I'll be back with a running post later today.

Wii 30 Day Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:55:00 +0000

We had to get a new Wii (my little babe decided our old one was a great place for coins and playing cards...turns out those do more damage than one might think). Fortunately, there are some great deals on Ebay and we got one with a whole bunch of Wii Fit and EA Active games. They are so much fun!

I started a 30 Day Challenge on EA Active and it pretty much kicked my booty tonight. I seriously rocked it with the trick rollerblade jumping.

You basically squat to go down the hill really fast and then jump up in the air when you get to the ramps to do tricks. It's a killer quad and butt workout (not that I need work in either of those areas).

I ran a quick mile plus the running with the game. It's harder than you would think to run in place kicking your feet to your butt. I felt very Jane Fonda running around that fake track in my living room.

I need to get back into the habit of using my Nike+ Sportwatch. I've just been so frustrated with its lack of accuracy lately, I decided we needed a break. I'll use it tomorrow.

Days: 130 & 131
Daily Miles: 2
Total Miles: 264.61

Billy Blanks, Baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:44:00 +0000

My Girl and I found some Tae Bo DVDs at Ross this past weekend. I was so excited (and so was she even though she had no idea why-gotta love that she still thinks I'm cool enough to do anything I do) because I used to work out with a Billy VHS back in my college days when I was super skinny and thought I was fat. Not much has changed, except for Billy wears some funny shorts now and I remember him in a skin tight unitard.

Yep, like that!

Two days and 90 minutes of Billy later, I'm pretty sure I'll soon look like his daughter and right hand workout woman, Shellie. Can't you see it?

I will do Tae Bo everyday forever if I can rock this bod!

Well, I've only run a mile a day the past two days, but I'm sore and I'm definitely not slacking on the workouts. Rediscover Tae Bo for yourself, it's not bad.

Days: 128 & 129
Daily Miles: 2
Total Miles: 262.61

Early Morning Running

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:36:00 +0000

I am not a morning person. At all.

This morning, however, I was planning to meet up with a friend for a 4 mile run. My plan for today originally called for 9 miles (but I decided I was happy with 6 because I have a chest cold). What does a girl do? I'll tell you!

I actually got up early and ran to our meeting place so I could add on some extra mileage there and back. I was home for the day with 6 miles in the books by 7:45. Nice!

The past two days I have just done short runs but I've done some more workout videos on Netflix with my little lady. Someday I see her as a Jazzercise instructor! She's totally got the moves like Jagger. ;)

image credit

Days: 125-127
Daily Miles: 1,1,6.19
Total Miles: 260.61

Bonding Time

noreply@blogger.com (Molly (mom of 3/wannabe runner)) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:51:00 +0000

My knee has been bothering me the past couple of days so my runs have been short and slow. Well, if I had been running on my own they would have been short and a bit faster (my boys have tagged along a couple of days and my two year old has some pretty dang short legs). Plus, yesterday in the middle of our "run" we ended up stopping at a pizza joint for lunch. That's how we roll.

The knee felt better today so I did some Netflix workout videos with my girly (yay for some awesome bonding time...I loved it!). I really hope the neighbors didn't see too much of our awesome kickboxing through the window!

Tonight I decided to run to the store to get a Redbox. I'm usually kind of scared to do that because we have a bit of a coyote problem in our neighborhood. Didn't see (or hear) any tonight though.

Days: 122-124
Daily Miles: 1, 1.45, 1.3
Total Miles: 252.42