Oh great Yoda

I am following all the bloggers in bloggy world and doing the ABC's of me.

 Before we get to them,  My Heel has been feeling really good this week so I decided that I would do a 3-4 mile run at an easy pace.  PF has had me in the pool and on the bike and ice.  The weather was cold (26) so I headed to the mill.  I made it 4.5 miles at 10.30 pace with little pain.  I felt like I could go more but I got a little scared.  I do not want to make the PF worse.  My pace was not my desired pace but I will take it. I did a lot of stretching after and came home to ICE!  ICE! ICE!

Heel is a little sore.  UGH!  Good News though, Not as bad as it has been.  Lots of stretching tomorrow.  I will be doing Stretch X!

Please tell me I have plenty of time to train for my races...

I am running the TX/NM Challenge Half in New Mexico on April 23rd.  And then contemplating the OKC Memorial Half on May 1st.  That is back to back Half's. 

What do the Yoda's of running think?

Now on the ABC'S

(A) Age: 42.. Did I just say that out loud!

(B) Bed Size: King.. Everyone can fit in bed with us. Kids and dogs.  haha

(C) Chore You Hate:  Dusting

(D) Dogs? 2  Daisy (Jack Russell)  Bella (Chihuahua), Mr Incredible is the only Man in the house..

(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: Coffee

(F) Favorite Color: Pink

(G) Gold or Silver? Silver

(H) Height: 5 ft 4 in

(I) Instruments You Play: Does rock band or guitar hero count....Cause I can rock it!

(J) Job Title:  Accountant, Office Manager, Chef, Dog Walker

(K) Kids: First born (boy) 20yrs  Second born (girl) 19yrs

(L) Live:  Texas

(M) Mom's Name: Patricia Kay 2-3-1940 - 11-1-2003

(N) Nicknames: Kit

(O) Overnight Hospital Stays?  Three  2 for birthing children 1 for surgery

(P) Pet Peeve: Rude people and lying

(Q) Quote from a Movie:  "I Love You More Then My Luggage"  Steel Magnolias

(R) Right or Left Handed? Right

(S) Siblings: 2 brothers. 1 sister

(T) Time You Wake Up? 6am

(U) Underwear: Yup, have them and wear them

(V) Vegetable You Dislike: Radishes

(W) What Makes You Run Late: I am never late I am always at least 15 -30 minutes early.. Hate being late.. Thank goodness Mr. Incredible is on the same page. 

(X) X-Rays You've Had Done: Foot, Ankle

(Y) Yummy Food You Make:  I make a Incredible Lemon Sour Cream Pie
(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: I Love the Zoo!  Don't make me pick a favorite animal I just can't I love them all.

Congrats to you all on your mileage today. If you were lucky enough to run outside, Thumbs Up!

If your going to run, Run Half Crazy!

Stress Test Wednesday

I hope everyone's Wednesday was FABULOUS,  mine sure was..  Hello to all my new followers, thanks for stopping by, but more so thanks for staying. 

To start out my day I had my annual Stress Test.  You all may think I'm a little weird but I actually liked having my Stress Test.  It was really COOL to see what my heart did under stress.  And of course I thought I could break some kind of stress test record.  For longest on the mill, highest incline or something.  Then I could dance around the room to the Rocky theme song .  No such luck... They made me stay on for mill for 10 min max..

 Just in case your wondering... I passed with flying colors.   And the Doc told me my resting heart rate was 53 bpm. 

 He told me I am ATHLETIC.

 Me Athletic, Now that's  AWESOME!!!  

 The typical healthy resting heart rate in adults is 60–80 bpm.

Cyclist Lance Armstrong  has a resting HR around 32 bpm and Marathoner Ryan Hall has a resting HR in the mid-20's.  I'm not in their league but hey I'm Athletic.

Do you have an annual Stress Test?

What is your resting Heart Rate?

I am having to take my workouts easy due to the Plantar Fasciitis.  So today's workout consisted of:

1 mile warm-up walk,  2 mile easy jog, 1 mile cool down walk  all on the treadmill.  Followed by 30 minutes on the spinning bike.  I felt really good.  My foot pain was not as bad as last week so that's progress.  I stretched for 15 min and headed home to ice. 

 Tomorrow I will be swimming or spinning hard to say... I will also be doing the Ab Ripper X.  Love To Feel The Burn...

Maybe I should let you all help me decide....

Should I Swim or Spin?

Motivation & Giveaways

I thought I would start the week out with some Motivational Quotes to keep us all moving and motivated this week so we can knock out our miles! 


"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
-John Bingham, running speaker and writer

"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."
- Steve Prefontaine

"Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: 'Yes'."
-Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner

Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that some of us are in training, and some are not.

Dr. George Sheehan

"What distinguishes those of us at the starting line from those of us on the couch is that we learn through running to take what the days gives us, what our body will allow us, and what our will can tolerate."
-John Bingham, running writer and speaker

If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience another life... run a marathon.

Emil Zatopek

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.

Steve Prefontaine

Just do it!

Nike

I always loved running... it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.

Jesse Owens

Remember, the feeling you get from a good run is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were running.

Sarah Condor

As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are.

Joan Benoit Samuelson

You feel good while you're running and you feel even better when you're finished.

Fred Lebow

A few of the Blogs that I Stalk are having Giveaways... Go check them out..

Blonde Ponytail , Jogging With Friction  & Lazy Bone Running

Are you having better weather so you can head outside to run?

If your going to run why not Run Half Crazy!!!

Magic Bullet

To all my fellow bloggers out there I hope you had a LOVELY Valentine's Day with your Sweetie.  I came home from work to Roses in my water bottle!  AWE!!  It's been a while since I was given Flowers.  Long Story, will have to wait for another blog post... 

Lately, I cannot get enough Greek Yogurt Protein Smoothies.. I may need an intervention soon... I hate to get out the big blender UGH!  It is such a hassle.  And I really hate to clean it.  Mr Incredible got me the MAGIC BULLET!!    

It is a fabulous blender, that I can leave on the counter and mix my Smoothie right in my glass.  Easy to clean, he knows me too well.  Great recipe book so I can make more then Smoothies, may have to try Salsa..



Magic Bullet

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day watching re-runs in front of the TV snuggled up next to Mr. Incredible.  Drinking of course Greek Yogurt Protein Smoothies.  I know Romantic, you can be jealous.

What is your Favorite Smoothie?

To catch you all up on my training.  I have been sidelined for a few days... I ran my easy 8 miles on Sunday.  My foot hurt through Monday evening.  OUCH!  So I decided the smart thing to do is REST. It's okay, I keep telling myself that.  I will continue to cross train with swimming and biking.  I guess this will give me a chance to work on that flip turn in the pool.  

Totally Random Thought Of The Week: 

I keep thinking of Shoes!!!!

 

Plantar Fasciitis

Wow, I have 25 followers... I am so humbled.  Thank you for stopping by and reading about my journey. 

Well as you all know from the last post I have been having an issue with my heel. Thank you all for the diagnosis which was confirmed during my annual physical Friday. 

PLANTAR FASCIITIS! 

Definition:

Plantar fasciitis (PLAN-tur fas-e-I-tis) is one of the most common causes of heel pain. It involves pain and inflammation of a thick band of tissue, called the plantar fascia, which runs across the bottom of your foot — connecting your heel bone to your toes.
Plantar fasciitis causes stabbing pain that usually occurs with your very first steps in the morning. Once your foot limbers up, the pain of plantar fasciitis normally decreases, but it may return after long periods of standing or after getting up from a seated position.
Plantar fasciitis is particularly common in runners.

 

This is where you feel pain



Causes:

Under normal circumstances, your plantar fascia acts like a shock-absorbing bowstring, supporting the arch in your foot. But, if tension on that bowstring becomes too great, it can create small tears in the fascia. Repetitive stretching and tearing can cause the fascia to become irritated or inflamed.

I was pretty bummed, thinking I would have to stop running for a few weeks.  My Doctor is a fellow runner and gave me a night splint to wear.  He also told me that my shoes probably where a contributing factor.  So back to my Asic Gel Nimbus.  Asic's are the shoes  a running store fitted me in.

I did not run on Friday, Doc said to rest.  He told me to wear the night splint, ice as needed, and walk on Saturday. I could determine whether I should do my long run or head to the pool after the walk.  

The night splint was a little awkward but hey if it will keep me running I will try anything.  I woke up and took the splint off.  No pain when I went to walk!  No way it can't be that easy.

I headed out to walk later in the day.  Can you say slushy... I came home and my feet were soaking wet. My heel was sore after I sat for awhile but not too bad.  I will wear the splint again tonight and I will be running my long run of 8 miles tomorrow.

I would highly suggest the night splint if you ever get Plantar Fasciitis.  And make sure you have a good pair of running shoes. 

My Night Splint



Have you ever worn a night splint?

Would you wear a night splint for plantar fasciitis?



I hope you enjoyed the Medical Lesson!

Wicked Wednesday

Today had been deemed Wicked Wednesday!

  Why you say? 

Well to start out the day  the temp was -1.4 degree with a 27 mph wind making the wind chill -28.  I know, I know I am preaching to the choir but then Mr. Incredible had to dig us out of a 4 foot snow drift in front of the garage so we could get the cars out.  Of course I was supervising so, I just had to drink coffee and tell him what to do give him encouragement.  I was a good cheerleader. Really...

We had to run to Amarillo for an appointment, which is 60 miles one way.   And some roads were closed and they said to expect black ice.  Okie Dokie... Guess we will have to leave at least 2 hours before we need to be there. 

Roads were icy but we were so close when we came up on stopped traffic.  A Semi was jack knifed in the snow and had traffic backed up for miles.  Thank goodness no one was injured.  Back it up and take a different route.  Take our exit and another semi is stuck in the snow.  UGH!  Will we make it?  Of course, we backed out of the exit, hoping no cars will exit while we are backing up.  YEA!  We made it to our appt..  I know this may sound strange but...

 It was a Total Adventure and Wicked Fun!!!

Have you ever set out on a short trip that you thought would be stressful and it turned out to be fun?

DISCLAIMER:  The weather is nothing to joke about.  I hope you all are being safe out there.

Now on to Running, which is what this blog is about...

I had to run on the Treadmill to get my 7 mile long run in... Can you guess why???  You guessed it, Because there was a pack of angry dogs loose  Sub Zero Weather. 

I did an easy run, 70.42. When I finished my heel was hurting.  That has never happened before.  I was able to walk/stretch  it out.  I iced it when I got home. When I woke up the next morning and went to walk WHOA BABY!  I had a shooting pain in my heel.  What the heck!  I was able to walk it off.  The more I walked the better it felt.  I decided to swim for my cross training because the heel was sore.   Anyway, today I needed to run 3.  I had to get back on the treadmill, but I ran in different shoes.  It was a good easy run,  30.12. The heel hurt a little but not like before. 

  Any ideas why my heel would be sore?

Could the shoes have made a difference?

I'm Honored

Wow I'm Stylish who would of thunk.  I know that's not a word!

Mike

Tagged me with the Stylish Blog Award!  Thanks Mike, I am so HONORED.  If you haven't check out his blog, stop by and say Howdy.

http://chronicalsofmikeinmotion.blogspot.com

Now for the Rules, why do there always have to be Rules:



Rule 1.  Make a post and link back to the person who tagged you with
                the Award.

Rule 2.  Share 7 things about yourself.  Yes 7

Rule 3.  Award 7 GREAT bloggers the Award

Rule 4.  Contact these bloggers and tell them they have won.

And away we go! 

7 Things about Me

1.  I was a photographer in the US Navy for 6 years





2.  Love to play Scrabble, I seem to loose a lot. I need to increase my vocabulary.

3.  Growing up I had a Pig named Penny and a Cow named Samantha

     and a Horse named Tex-Ann

               

4.   Pink is my signature color

5.  I was a sprinter in high school and went to state in the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay

6.  I Love Coffee with Hazelnut Creamer and in a BIG Cup.

7.  I am totally addicted to my cell phone.



Now to the Awards

For Being so Stylish!

 eskimo kisses and air hugs

evolving through running

chasing k(m)s

running 2 sanity

secrets of a running mom

running with attitude

micki runs

So Many of my fellow bloggers have already received this award and I think you all are pretty Stylish.

I hope you all are having a Fantastic Super Bowl Sunday! 

Happy Friday

Happy Friday to all my fellow Runner Friends!!!    

Today was the day I needed to run my speed test for my Running Coach to set paces for my training.  I have to brag on myself if you all don't mind.  I had to do a 1 mile warm-up, 2 mile speed test and 1 mile cool down.  Weather was 32 degree with little wind, also had to watch for ice.  I was chilly but it had to be done today... 

Did my 1 mile warm up and I was ready to go.  I just started running, I did map out 2 miles so I would not look at the Garmin.  I felt great, but I did have to talk to myself a little.  When I saw the end I picked up the pace.  Yea finished, now to look at the Garmin.  WOW 18:43.... I did not know I could do that.  I think that's a PR... I finished with my 1 mile cool down with a smile on my face.

I don't know about you, but I always look at my Garmin and try to maintain the pace I want to run my Half in, doesn't matter the distance.  Guess I should quit looking at the darn thing and just run.  I have a lot to learn about pacing...

Have a Fabulous Weekend Runners.  I am off to a GREAT start!

Do you run with a Garmin or other training device?

How do you train with your device?

Champagne Thursday

Have you seen the Movie? Failure to Launch  It is a great date night movie if you ask me.

Mr. Incredible and myself have had a date night since the 1st and 2nd born arrived.  Sometimes we got lucky and were able to venture out into the public with other adults.  But most of the time we just stayed home for our date.  Which usually consisted of a quiet dinner and conversation after the little ones went to bed.

As the years went by and the kiddos got older, we still managed to keep up our dates. Which always seem to be on Thursday, and started to consist of having a well deserved drink.  We were watching Failure to Launch  one date night and there was a line in the movie that said It was Champagne Thursday.

We looked at each other raised our glasses to toast and said Happy Champagne Thursday.

Champagne Thursday had now become code for date night.  Even our kids would remember.  Every Thursday they would say Its Champagne Thursday!   I even had a teacher ask me what that meant, I just had to laugh. 

Our dates have changed over the years from a quiet dinner at home to dinner out and a movie.  To deep conversations about teenagers. To sometimes having a late date after a school sporting or band event.  But we always have a drink together every Thursday.  I think these date nights have kept us on the same page and have made us a stronger couple and better parents.

Even though we are empty nester's, we still have Champagne Thursday.  It has become a tradition in our house and I Love It! 

Do you have a regular date night?  

Do you have a code name for your date night?

Happy Champagne Thursday!

Stepping Outside The Box

I have been blogging now for 1 month.   Let me tell you that it is a lot harder then I thought it was going to be.   I started this blog to track my running adventures and to keep me accountable to my myself and my training.  I really thought I could write everyday, but my life is pretty boring if you ask me. 

I have been Stalking Blogs since I started.   Hello my name is Kittee and I am a blog stalker.  There I said it, I'm glad I got that off my chest.

Me

I love, love, love reading all the blogs.  I am learning a lot about training, hydration, nutrition, how much I don't know about running and that I am not the only one who has to juggle family, work and weather to get a run in.  The MOTIVATION is endless,  and I am so  INSPIRED!  We are all athletes to the core, doesn't matter if we run 5k's, Half's, Marathons or do Tri's.  

I wasn't sure how much of myself and my life I was going to share with the blog community. But after stalking for a month.  I figure what the heck.  I need to step out of the box so people will know who I am. 

Here it goes. I am married; 21 years... The Hubs, A.K.A. Mr. Incredible, is not and I repeat NOT a runner, he is a Golfer.  He is supportive of my running but doesn't really understand it sometimes.  He will always ask "How was your run?"  and brags to his buddies when I complete a race.  He is a keeper!



Mr Incredible





  We Love Football and are avid Dallas Cowboys Fans.  Don't Hate!



Game day











First Born is serving in the US Navy.  We are so PROUD of him.  He has found that he likes to run, well that's a start.  And says he hopes to run a Half with me someday. YEA!!! 

Second Born is in College and having the time of her life.  I was so blessed to have her run with me in the Disney Half Marathon in September 2010.  I cried when we finished I was so PROUD of her.  We had to walk the last 3-4 miles.  She had a stress fracture in her foot but wanted to finish.  Not sure she will run again,   she said "that was hard Mom...."





At the start




With our Bling



 I'm sure you all have a runner friend that keeps you on the path of running when you just want to throw in the towel and think you cannot run any farther or faster.  Mines name is JL. She will be making some appearance's in my blogs periodically.  She keeps me accountable and is on the same mission to run Half's in every state.  Actually she is the one who put this CRAZY idea in my head.  We do our Long Runs together and solve all of life's problems.  She is my running ROCK!  We try to run in the same races when our schedules allow.  She gets the reasons why I run. 





JL and Me



That is a little of me and my life in a nut shell.   

Does your family support your running?

How do they support you?

Do you have a running partner to keep you accountable and solve life's problems?