Two Year Run-iversary

Happy two years to us! It was two years ago that Abbie,Missy,and I decided to become runners. We've run many races together,acquired quite a variety of t-shirts,accomplished goals we set out to accomplish,and have gained lots of knowledge in the process.

For instance:

1~Dealing with shin splints or plantar fasciitis is no excuse to quit. I dealt with both of these for many months. While the plantar fasciitis was more of a nuisance reserved for mornings just after waking,shin splints were a different story. Sometimes hurting only when running,sometimes aching for days after a hard or long run,sometimes hurting too much to even walk. I used many methods to deal with my shin splints. Here are some do's and don'ts that I found to be helpful.

Do stretch more. Use many good calf stretches to stretch often and everyday. Not only on days just before or after a run. But don't leave those out either.

Do invest in a good pair of compression shin sleeves to add support while running. Don't wrap them with ace bandages for a race. Too tight and the cramps will force you to stop. Don't be afraid to wear your sleeves everyday under jeans if your shins are achy and walking is painful. They are sold individually because some people only have trouble with one leg but if you need two (as I did) do buy two different colors. It will look super sweet when you run.

Do make sure you are wearing the appropriate running shoes. At first I just ran in whatever I found under my bed (that was covered in dust bunnies),then I went to the store and tried on pair after pair until I found a pair that I could trot around in and sharp pains didn't shoot up my shins. Don't do that. Do go to a store where they watch you run and evaluate your step and set you up with what will work for your feet and your gait. Don't be picky about the style and color.

Do allow yourself time to heal and don't run past the pain. Do keep up your training with a fast pace walk,you won't forget how to run and your body won't either.

Do elevate and ice your shins after a run or whenever they are achy. It feels nice.

Do use ibuprofen to reduce swelling and to help with the pain but don't use it so much that you simply can't feel the damage being done to your legs. That will never do.

I took weeks off from training several times and I always came back to run whatever Missy and Abbie were running.


2~Music is a miracle. We all ran together for well over a year with out using ipods or music of any kind. We talked a lot. A. Lot. But often we did get separated from each other. Just because we train together doesn't mean we have similar paces. Each of our comfort zones and natural speeds are different. If you don't have a competitive spirit or a stubborn determination,running quietly in the back of the pack alone with your thoughts and heavy creepy peeping Tom breathing probably isn't going to work for you.

Abbie got her ishuffle (tiny music) first. She brought it along to a few runs but didn't always turn it on. When she did,we noticed quickly that she took the lead. Which is and probably always will be Missy's spot. And so when she turned to us exclaiming of it's amazing-ness we each took a turn trying it out. Whoever had the ear buds in took the lead,letting the catchy beats muffle our breathing and propel our feet forward. Somehow you forget you are tired. You can't hear your own negative thoughts (I can't...huff puff) and suddenly you are tuned in thinking the artist must have written this song specifically for you and specifically for this run.

I will,Pink. I will try try try!

That's right. Just because it burns doesn't mean your gonna die. And if you run to music you may not even notice it's burning.

Now we all have an ishuffle and I highly recommend it. It holds plenty of music for long runs,it's light,and it can clip anywhere. In case you are wondering,Abbie's is pink,mine is blue,and Missy's is green.

3~Diet is just as important in your training as the actual running. For me I've noticed how true this is. I went on an extended juice fast for almost three weeks and during that time I didn't run. I thought I wasn't supposed to and I didn't even try. When I came back from that fast I noticed I felt lighter and faster. Anytime I pay close attention to food and don't eat breads,pastas,meats,sugars,and dairies I can tell a difference when I run. It's just easier. More recently I've discovered that I can run while juicing and that I get my best times that way. I have TONS of energy when I'm not digesting food and itch to go out and run fast. While training for our half marathon early last year I kept to a diet of mostly salad after my juice fast. I didn't want to undo all that I had done during those 18 days so resisted carbing up before our race. I think it was helpful for me as I didn't feel slug-ish or heavy during our first 13.1 mile run. I can compare it to my second half marathon when  I was basically eating anything I wanted including pie the night before and that run was so slow and icky feeling. Everyone is different but you probably know your body better than anyone so don't be afraid to do what you think will be best and try lots of different things.

So what can you use for energy (besides pie and everything I listed above as no-good for me foods)?

Try these:

Our family calls them power balls but you can shape them anyway you want. They can be an alternative or an addition to gus and chews. In honor of our two year run-iversary I made a batch shaped like hearts for both Missy and Abbie. 

And packed them individually in sandwich baggies.

Keep them in the freezer and bring one along in your pocket. But the time you get to mile six it will have thawed and I promise it's better than a raspberry gu.

Eat them before a big race,during a long run,or for a mid morning pick me up.

 Using nuts and nut butters for protein,honey for energy,dried fruits for a natural sugar rush and chocolate bits for a brain watering surprise,these puppies can really keep you going. Just ask my two year old who was given two and then sneaked the last three one day last week and was then up until 1 am.

Whether you have been running for a few days or a few years you will want to eat these.

Here is how to create them.

Mix together equal parts honey,and a nut butter of your choice. Warm slightly in the microwave and mix thoroughly but don't get the mixture too hot.

Run some oatmeal and nuts through your food processor until it looks like this. 

At this point you can add dried fruit,chia seeds,flax seed,coconut,or anything else that comes to mind.

Then mix the two together. You want it to be moist throughout so that it can be shaped easily.

Then add your dark chocolate bits,test it with your finger first to make sure it isn't too warm. You don't want your chocolate to melt...unless you do,then go for it. 

...and that's it! The hardest part is not eating them all right away.

Though right now we aren't able to run together we still challenge each other and have found ways to challenge ourselves. 

Listen to your body

Find what motivates you

Challenge yourself

Eat a healthy diet

and soon you too will be on your way to running a marathon.

I'll leave you with these last few bits of knowledge.

~running in the rain is hard

~train on hills sometimes,most races have hills and you will be glad you did

~follow a 3 day a week schedule and you will soon be ready for any race

~the medal at the end is worth it,so don't give up no matter how hard you bonk ;)

~invest in good equipment

~drink lots of water everyday,it can be the difference between a good run and a bad run

~sign up for runs that sound fun to you or support causes you are passionate about

~don't let anyone tell you wearing a camelbak is nerdy



Happy Two Year Run-iversary,Missy and Abbie!

~Courtney

Six Mile Sunday

Long silent pause over!

What was that all about?

Anyway,maybe you're wondering what we have been up to.

Well, Abbie has moved far far away from our small town to a land that is not so flat after all. I know that because we ran a very hilly half marathon there not too long ago. And Missy is expecting! So our running,like our blogging seemed (for a bit) to have come to a screeching halt. But that is not really the case.

While Missy has slowed the tempo,she still makes time weekly for walking long distances. As any pregnant Mama should. :) And I know that that can count as training just as much as running does because I have dealt with shin splints in the past,pausing my running but still walking,and was able to come back to running as easily as I had left it. Sometimes I walk a bit with her and then run a bit alone.

The three of us are determined not to stop running and find many ways to keep ourselves motivated.

Abbie and I have a bit of competitiveness built in and we design solo runs (of specifics lengths and/or times)  on cute days,and then we text each other with our challenges. That along with our tiny musics is enough to inspire and encourage us to get the job done.

What't that? Oh,a cute day/run (according to Abbie,who loves her some cute numbers and will chose things like wedding dates and apartment numbers based on the level of cuteness) is say a 1.2 mile run in under 12 minutes on 12-12-12. 


Hmm? Good grief,try and keep up people. Tiny musics are our ishuffles that we pack with the music to our ears that is also motivating to our legs,which additionally covers the sounds of our breathing therefore distracting us in a way that allows us to run faster. We have tested this theory and I will write more about that later.  

Recently Abbie decided six miles(for the sixth) would be cute. The weather was nice, cool and sunny. Really perfect running weather.

Minutes before I set out for my jog I realized my phone had a red battery which would mean no pandora...or run keeper. Yikes! That would never do. So I grabbed my ishuffle/tiny music and headed out thinking I would let my phone charge while I ran a two mile loop. Come back home,grab some water and my phone and set out once more for the last four miles.

With my ear buds in once again set off.

My ipod was dead.

Yikes. Again.

So...plan C.

I grabbed Shiloh's phone which had a yellow battery (one step up from red),plugged in my phone and ipod to charge, turned on pandora but not run keeper (to save power),and again set out on my two mile loop. I did the loop hoping toward the end that his battery did not die because I really wanted the music to stay on.

It lasted just fine and then I stopped off at my house,traded phones,grabbed my ipod,took a drink,texted Abbie and another friend I was making plans with,drank more water,set up run keeper and pandora,and headed out again for the last four miles.

Heading out a different way for a change of scenery I found my groove. My pandora station seemed to be settled into a pattern of Fun,Mumford and Sons,and Of Monsters and Men. It lasted for a good mile and a half before I lost a signal. Thankfully run keeper held on. I switched to my ipod(that's why I bring two)leaving run keeper on in my pocket though I couldn't hear the updates,and had this series of thoughts:

This is the sidewalk where Abbie,Missy, and I coined our running name and decided we needed t-shirts.

That is the fire station where the firemen told up to 'keep it up,ladies'
and so we did

Cute store! I'll come back and shop later...

OK,car,don't back up yet.

Who is this dude dancing in the street?

I'll eat my gu at 4 miles.

I don't like raspberry gu so much...

I'm glad I'm not running around that track 24 times...

I really wish my ear buds would stay in...


I guess I would have to say it was a cute run after all.

Thanks,Abbie!

-Courtney

Making a Plan...Setting a Goal...

MARATHON here we come!

Chasing The Night

Last night the road runners ran for the first time with someone outside our usual group. Three someones actually. Part of Abbie's family,her father her brother and one of her sisters joined us at the third annual firefly run in Plano. However her whole immediate family was in attendance for moral support. Her mother her other sister and her brother-in-law. Oh and her hubby Blake. Missy's husband John also joined the cheerleader section adding extra support.

I had thought about how nice it must be to have family on the side cheering for you coming out to maybe or maybe not catch a glimpse of you as you along with throngs of other people pass the finish line. But it wasn't until I typed the sentence Oh and her hubby Blake that I realized that I did indeed have family there. It's not that I forgot he was my brother I just think to have described him first as my brother and then as Abbie's hubby wouldn't have been as smooth a transition for writing purposes to then tell about Missy's husband John being there.

Just rambling here. I guess I mean to say that I suddenly realized I did have my own sort of personal cheerleader there (of the blood related family sort) and that makes me happy. Although next time Blake could you wear that little red and white skirt and top combo and bring your pom poms?

Thanks bro.

We had an excellent time. Last year we ran a 10k at the firefly and it was our first and it took long and we missed the after party. We finished just in time to catch them dumping out the ice. We had an impromptu party of our own and took advantage of that pile of ice. Sticking our tired swollen feet in and letting our melody of 'aaahhhhhhhs' float off into the night.

The memory of being cut off from running the .2 because they needed to re-open the road and not truly finishing sticks with me.

But this year...this year was good. They only offered a 5k and we could relax as a 5k length race has become an easy race for us. We each casually mentioned to our husbands how this race was 'no big deal' or how it was 'just a little 5k' and each of our husbands reminded us that they remembered a time not too long ago when we sang a different tune.

That reminds me of huffing and puffing just trying to get to that blasted half mile mark on the sidewalk. One of us thought surely someone must have misplaced the mark. Or moved the sidewalk.

When I say easy race I mean to say easy distance. I wouldn't describe last night as easy. The runners all 7000 of us breathing in and out the same air made for a stifling run. Running hard the first mile dodging the walkers and strollers. Worrying about the little ones,hoping no one would trample them. Trying to remember the turns so we could save some distance and hug the corners. Avoiding stepping on dropped glow sticks.  Focusing on getting to a place where the people would thin out a bit,giving us some elbow room while also trying to stick together. Taking turns being in the lead. Who ever found a hole to dart into would shout an 'over here' or 'this way'. Continually checking in with one another Is Courtney here? I'm here! Where's Beth? I'm not sure I don't see her!  When it's dark and everyone is blinking or glowing you learn to look for clues. Missy: clump of glow sticks in her pony tail,blinking on her left arm. Abbie: belt of flashing lights,her pony tail swish a familiar sight. Beth: tall,look up. :)

After that first mile we spread out some. I was alone for a bit. Then I spotted Abbie and Missy. I ran hard to catch up. I relied on the entertainment from the man dressed in a grass skirt shouting from behind me telling us all to not give up and saying something or other about margaritas. Then an unexpected fire truck and ambulance distracted us and we all had to scrunch right letting them pass. A right turn,I hugged the edge. I lost sight of anyone familiar and was alone. Third mile done and in the home stretch. Someone said my name and touched my back. I thought it was Beth. It was Abbie. Not sure how she got behind me but glad she was there. I tried to get myself into our normal competitive end of the race show down but the air was hot and sticky and sucking air took precedence. She went ahead. People started shouting at us,we were almost done. I told myself speed up you might shave off some seconds and meet your goal! But the heat got to me. I didn't slow but I couldn't sprint it. I just wanted it to end.

I heard my name from the sidelines. I looked and feebly waved in response. I saw the clock. I heard the beep and then Missy was there. Someone gave me water and we moved away from the crowd to try to spot Abbie.

I'm always so glad when it's over but after I catch my breath and can feel the breeze again I wish I had just given it a little bit more. One extra umph.

It took a bit to re-organize our group. When we all came together some exciting news. Abbie's brother who had decided to start near the front instead of in a pack of sardines had placed 79th over all! Finishing in 22 minutes and some change. 79th out of 7000 is really really great. Oh to be 17 again.



Our finishing times if you care to take a look are below:

Anselm-22.45

Missy-30.41

Abbie-32.02

Courtney-32.08

Beth-36.34

Mr. Bradley-40.07

Great job everyone! Now when is our next race?

{Courtney}

A Nice Run

Today I decided it would be a good day for a run in Ethiopia. You can find out more about what I am doing in Ethiopia here.

It was dry and dusty but not any hotter that some of the runs I've had back in Texas with Abbie and Missy. It was a hilly run. I ran with my new friends Jonathan and Alex and Laura.

Ciao

Courtney

One Year And One Day

I planned ahead. I schemed. I was ready for our anniversary.  I found out some hard news about a friend and I got distracted. But today I remembered and today I would like to recognize the three of us for making it to our one year mark by remembering some more.

Remember the time we ran in a downpour?

Remember when Missy used to run in trail shoes?

Remember when we ran in COTTON socks?!?

Remember that we still do?

Remember when I fell and broke a nail?

Remember when our water was stolen?

Remember the 5k that was uphill both ways...barefoot in the snow?

Remember our passion for picnics and early morning smoothies?

Remember when we thought we won in our age bracket?

Remember our photo shoot that produced such embarrassing photos Abbie never even showed us?

Remember that man and the calves pushing the stroller?

Remember the lady who could walk half the time and still beat us?

Remember the chalk art that was most likely just for us?

Remember the Alamo?

I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

Remember the ice?

Remember quad-C's?

Please add you "Rememberies" if you would like. :)

Happy Anniversary and A Day!!!

Has it been a whole year already?!

Today marks one year since Courtney and I began running...who would have thought that we would still be consistently running a whole year later?! We now run 3 days a week plus have a day of strength (on our new training schedule) and have honestly only missed maybe 4 or 5 weeks the whole year (due to weather, holidays, sickness, etc..) even when Courtney was injured she would still walk while we ran until she recovered! Plus, especially at first, we were running more like 5 or 6 days a week (crazy, we know ;)). I am proud of what we have accomplished and look forward to reaching new goals and growing even closer in our friendships this next year! :) Happy 1 Year Running Anniversary!

-Abbie :)