Pulling The Plug

Hey there friends! Long time eh?

I just wanted to pop in and let everyone know what's been up with me lately. 

I know I just had a list of goals for 2015, and most of those goals will be met, except for the blogging goals...

I've decided to leave blogland indefinitely. I'm not sure if or when I'll return to this blog, but I will still be following most of the blogs I've made great connections with. 

My reasons for deciding to take a step away:

1. Time. I just don't seem to have the time to sit down and type up a blog post (let alone, an interesting one) every single day. 

2. My kids. I tend to feel bad when I'm so focused on getting up a blog post or replying to other posts when my kids are waiting for me to go play, or do something with (or for) them. I want to disconnect from the internet, and connect with my children.

3. My career. I'm a stay at home mom, but I have decided that I want to go back to work as a Dental Assistant and someday soon become a Registered Dental Assistant. Since I graduated in 2007, and only have about 6 months of experience, I am considering sending out some letters to local Dentists asking if they'd be interested in taking on an intern for a short time. This will be unpaid of course, just for the experience and for some recent references. Now that both of our kids are in school, I feel like I'm wandering aimlessly, so getting back into what I enjoy will be great for me.

4. I've never mentioned this before but I am part of a Prison Ministry. I write letters to women in prison in Arizona. I also send them Bible Studies and Bibles when needed. I have about 5 ladies that I write back and forth with so that takes up some of my time as well. 

5. My husband has been struggling with some things lately and it has really put a strain on our relationship so I'd like to put my focus on rekindling our relationship right now. (We are not splitting up or even thinking of doing such a thing!) Sometimes certain issues can just drain a relationship, but we're in this for the long haul and I want to make sure my mind is free from anything extra right now. 

If you feel so inclined, please follow me on Instagram: longhairedrunner87 and on Twitter: longhairedone 
It's much easier to do a quick fitness update on Instagram or post a picture of what I'm up to, than type up an entire post.

I am dealing with IT band syndrome in my right leg/knee (last winter it was my left leg) so I haven't been running much. BUT I will run a half marathon before the summer. I finished training with my personal trainer, but will still get 1 hour free a month, and I am loving the results! Any time I run I feel much stronger since we focused a lot on my core and upper body. 

So, farewell ole' blog of mine. We had a good go. I still love reading blogs and I'll do my best to comment regularly. :-) It sure has been fun, but I am really looking forward to the benefits of unplugging from the internet and plugging into life. ;-)

Goals For 2015: Re-Do

Good morning friends! 

After reading Jessica's (TheFitSwitch) post about going after your goals now, not waiting for the new year or even taking the entire year to reach certain goals, I wanted to re-do my list of goals for 2015. I want to take a big GULP of life at a time instead of a little SIP. I want to make the most of every day! Without setting anything in stone (besides that half marathon) because life is so unpredictable, I want to create a list of things I want to accomplish in 2015. I'm also loving her slogan for her upcoming fitness apparel: Love the Challenge! (I might be the first to order a shirt :-))

Life is too short to sit back and wonder if I'll be healthy enough, strong enough or good enough to do something amazing. I want to jump into 2015 with both feet and face it head on. If life hands me lemons, I'll make the best lemonade I've ever tasted! 

So here we go! 2015, watch out!

*First and foremost: Run a half marathon by April (depends on how my training goes) and finish in under 2:20. 

*Run a 7 minute mile. My current time for 1 mile is 7:46! I wish I could hold that pace for longer than one mile, but I'm just thrilled I can run a sub 8 minute mile! I'm one of those sick and twisted people that love speed work, so I will get this 7 minute mile! .... Getting butterflies just thinking about it!

*Increase posts on the blog and spruce it up a bit. ;-)

*Trail run! I have yet to do a trail run and I'm just chompin' at the bit! I really want to run up in the mountains and soak up the sun, breathe in the fresh air, and run with nature! ...Just without the mountain lions please. 

*Practice Yoga & gain flexibility. 

*Do Yoga outside more often!

*Spend more quality time with my kids and husband and make happy memories that will last a lifetime. 

*Increase strength in my core and arms, as well as my glutes and legs. So, I guess I want to strengthen my entire body. haha This could mean more personal training sessions..sorry husband. :-D

My motto/slogan for 2015 is:

I spent way too much time fearing, or worrying about the "what if's". What if I get injured, what if I don't finish, what if I can't lift it, what if I just can't do it?.. I'm done worrying. I'm done stressing. I'm just going to take the leap and spread my wings and fly through 2015. Just not too fast. ;-) 

Ready or not, 2015, Here I come!

Ps.

I'm linking up with Jessica & Jill since I happened to finally get this post finished! Join in on the fun and come dish the fit with us with our weekly link-up: The Fit Dish! 

The Fit Dish: Dear Body...

G'day mates! Welcome to another session of The Fit Dish where the fitfam dishes out the good stuff. Today we're gettin' all mushy and writing thank you letters to our bodies. Oh yes, we're goin' there. So sit back, maybe grab a tissue or two and enjoy! 


Dear Body,
     First of all, I need to thank you for putting up with me. I can be so stubborn and push you past your limits just to get that sick satisfaction of "ah, I ran my fastest mile ever and I don't even care that I'm limping now." And you still keep on moving. So thank you for not stopping when my mind kept saying go, go, go! 

Thank you for not giving up when my mind said, "Just one more mile, just one more push up, just one more..." 

Next I'd like to offer you a peace offering. I fully acknowledge that I have abused you in the past by feeding you garbage then expecting you to perform like a champion. I realize that most of my injuries were caused by my stubbornness and not your lack of strength. You're strong and more than capable to perform but it's high time I treat you with the care you deserve in order to keep chuggin' along. I promise I won't keep pushing if you raise your red flag by shooting me a sharp pain here or there. I'll stop, evaluate and reassess the situation. I know that the pain I'm feeling right now behind my knee is because of my own stubborn mind wanting to finish that speed work last week, and for that I'm sorry. I'm calling a truce. I'm promising to work as a team and no longer a slave driver. 

So thanks for all the miles, dear friend. You've treated me so well. You've gotten me through countless workouts, hikes, and runs but you've also created two miracles which is the biggest feat of all. You housed two beautiful, healthy children and withstood 16 hours of hard back labor at one point in your life. For that, I give you huge kudos. YOU ARE AMAZING. 

                                                                                                       Much love Body,
                                                                                                               -Self

Ah, that felt nice. :-) Your turn! Post a little, sweet thank you post-it sized note in the comments to your body. It's rejuvenating! 

Shout Out Sunday #2

Good morning friends! 

I'm back for another Sunday Shout Out! (I know it's Monday, but hey, spending time with my husband yesterday was more important than typing away on my computer.) Here are three more blogs that I love to stalk follow! These blogs are fairly new to me but I always enjoy reading whatever they have to say! I hope you find something you'll like as well!

It looks like I picked three blogs that all have something in common: pure motivation! 

Runner Unleashed
Here is where you'll find posts by Gelcys. She's a mom, wife and runner with Scoliosis. She is incredibly inspirational and I love her determination. I just recently started following her but I absolutely love everything she posts! She's such a strong woman and I always feel pumped after reading her race/run recaps! Go check out her page now!

Tri Hard Mama
This is where you'll find posts by Jennifer. She's a mom, wife, triathlete and fitness enthusiast who helps others get on the right track to leading healthier lives. She motivates me to try new things and step outside my comfort zone. You're sure to find some motivation from her blog just about every day!

Fit Life Wtih E
This is where you'll find posts by Elizabeth. She's a mom, wife, personal trainer and healthy living enthusiast. You'll find anything from posts about being a mom, to how to stay fit and everything in between! She's such a positive woman and I love everything she has to say! This is another blog that is fairly new to me but I'm enjoying everything about her (and her page) so far!

Have an awesome Monday everyone!! 

Am I Still a Runner If I Have to Walk?

Good afternoon friends! How's the weather in your neck of the woods? We're getting lots of rain here in Central California, which we desperately need! 

Today I'd like to talk about something that has been on my mind for some time now: walking while out on a run or during a race.

When I first started running I couldn't even imagine running a whole mile without a walk break. Once I finally pushed myself (thanks to my husband) to run an entire mile without walking, I felt like I had finally become a runner. As time went on I pushed myself and was able to run 5 miles without stopping. I had this weird way of thinking that if I stopped and walked, I couldn't say I ran such & such miles. I had to say I ran 2 miles, walked a quarter mile then ran the rest. Why did I think this way? I'm not exactly sure, but I felt this way up until recently.

Training for my first half has been tough! I'm not going to lie. With a year full of running related injuries caused by my stubbornness, it's been difficult getting my miles back up. Thankfully I'm going about it a lot smarter this time with a personal trainer helping me to strength train and me spending time foam rolling through out the week and most importantly, listening to my body! I have finally broken the 5 mile point and ran 6 miles on Monday! I went in not sure if I'd even do 3 miles but at about 4 miles I decided to take a break and walk for about a quarter of a mile and see how I felt afterwards.

That walk break changed the way I view walking while out on a run or during a race. Giving my body a small break helped give me a boost to finish 6 miles. I didn't stop moving, I didn't go home then run 2 miles later in the day. I ran 6 miles with a quarter mile walk break that didn't hurt my training one bit. It actually helped!

I want to be able to run 13.1 miles nonstop, and I know I am capable, but if I have to walk at some point to retain some energy in order to finish strong, I'll do so without feeling like a failure or "not a runner".

So what makes me a runner?

*The moment I decided to lace up my shoes and head out the door*

*The drive I have inside of me to finish what I started*

*The desire to push myself beyond my limits*

*The wisdom to listen to my body and allow it rest when needed in order to press on*

*The LOVE of the sport*

Side note: I never saw other runners as "non runners" if they chose to do walk/run intervals or have to walk while out running. This was just a weird way of thinking I had set up in my own mind for myself. What matters is that you keep moving forward. :-)