Fit with Ruthie

Just finished a GREAT weight workout :).... broke into a major sweat! sweeeeet! and had veins a popping out !!! :) woowhoo! Heres what I did. I did 4 sets of chest flies, bi curls, shoulder press.... 12 reps each.... did all those right after each other. and repeated 4 times... increasing weight each time... going up to 20lbs on chest and curls and 15 on shoulder press (still gotta be careful of my shoulder you know) ...... then i did burnouts for those three muscle groups :)... chest flies, hammer curls and shoulder flies. then I did tri extensions :)... 3 sets of 12 then... PUSHUPS!... 2 sets of 10!!!! mens pushups with feet close together :) then abwork.... lots of ab work.... leg lifts and hipups for 6 minutes atleast.... then more to Queens bohemian rapsody...(ha)... then I did some standing ab work... focusing on obliques.... with the Police song sincronicity.... then I did a few more leg lifts and crunches.. prob a total of 15 mins of ab work.. :) woowhooo! now .. I am SHOT. bu...

ran 4 miles in the snow..

Here is our group this afternoon up on campus :) This is after they did 3 mile long walk-run. Everyone did GREAT! I was excited to see we had 2 husbands show up too!!! :) We do have a few gals out of town so once the holidays are over I am hoping our group will be even bigger :) I did about 2.5 miles with the group and after stretching them etc and visiting afterward I headed home to get a bite to eat. I was hungry and I knew I wouldnt make it if I was hungry :) I did 6.5 miles around campus.. funny thing was ... I really wasnt in the mood to run. I knew I had to get it done if i wanted to not DIE this friday :) I continued to talk myself into continuing. hahha ... After about 2 miles I was feeling GREAT and felt like I could run forever!... about 4.5 miles I needed to go potty.... Sunday and no restroom but I kept going until 6.5 cause I really wanted to finish... I gave up and headed home to finish the last mile on the treadmill.. I ended up chatting with Jessica (my friend in Chin...

have decided to put off the 10 miler until tomorrow... let the snow and ice melt a bit more and hopefully my allergies will be better after a round of medicine :) More tomorrow after

Above is before (November 22nd) After :) (today) maybe a bit of difference ... I wasnt as good at getting the weights in as I should have... so.. I think I will issue ANOTHER challenge :) ... After pictures being taken on Jan 22nd! :) I ran 5 miles today... 2 and half with Su and then the rest by myself :).... I ran 7 sprints on the last mile... oh i was tired!... came home stretched, abwork and 10 pushups. :) ... it was amazing outside :) 70 degrees and sunny! just awesome!... My long run on Saturday and the first long run for our half marathon group will be in the 30s :).... it will be a burrrrrrrun.

I just finished watching Julie and Julia ... you know the movie about the girl who blogs as she cooks her way through Julia Childs cookbook? Interesting how some of the lines hit me like "writing and total strangers read it" and "it is all so self absorbed" etc.... makes me think... why DO I do this? My simple answer... because it is what I found that finally worked. I know some people think i am a bit nuts.. I mean, this is all so "out there" for people to read and see photos of me and hear my ups and downs.... but .... I was never one to worry a lot about what other people think... and more than anything I keep coming back to the memories I have of seeing THIS woman and her website and how I emailed her.. and she emailed me back and how she gave me the courage to start again and believe I could change. ------- So.. yet again is another post :) today I did do just a little bit of jogging at track practice. about 5pm I did upper body.... chest, tris, bis ...

Amazing to me that a run can be just the pill I need for a splitting headache! I have had sinus issue this past week.. today i woke up with a headache and it wouldnt go away. I decided to leave early for track practice and get a quick 2 miler in to see if that would get rid of it and sure enough it DID! after about 1/2 a mile it slowly went away! (arent our bodies amazing!) I ran 2 miles and then coached track practice (we had 32 kids there at the noon practice... AWESOME!) I am ready to be totally back to normal soooooooon :) it wont be long i know :) Guess what?? The half marathon group i started is up to 22 ladies! Cant you believe that! I am sooooo thrilled! Its is EVERYONES first time toooooo! so cool. Some walkers, some combos and some runners! We will have our first long run together this Saturday (they will be doing 3 miles)! let me know if you wanna join us! There are 5 virtual participants! sweeeet. Ok.. I am off to chill and watch a movie with the hubby :) plan on a bit of w...

How much sugar does it take to make Ruthie a sick little girl? NOT MUCH Yesterday I caved (again) and had two homebaked sugar cookies with some frozen blue berries....and 5 chocolate covered pretzels .... and today... yes today i am paying the price... Its just a shame that food that tastes that good can be so horrible on my tummy :( .. .slowly but surely I am learning my lesson.... Eat the sugar.. pay the price.... its that simple for me. I am fixing to head out on my long run (hopefully) and its just an amazing day out so I am hoping to really enjoy it. Just finished watching Food Inc .......oh the things it makes me ponder. (more on that later) see ya after a few miles are behind me :) (UPDATE) a FEW miles is right. I could only manage 3.5 miles :(... at three mile mark my stomach started hurting (again) so i turned around and came home... It is so interesting how one weekend I could have the best run of my life and the next feel like I couldnt run 2 miles. I guess that is why I lik...

well...I caved. chocolate covered pretzels were my downfall. Its ok though, still no sugar in my tea and no real cravings for the sweet stuff. good news is I made it through our Co-op Christmas party with no sweets! I took some peanut butter protein balls and an apple just in case I was feeling tempted to dive into a cupcake :) I didnt dive into a pretzel until after I got home :) I know its all about progress anyway so i am not upset :) I am trying to decide if I should run or not. I have been fighting allergies the last 4 days. Last night was a bad night with lots of coughing. I am a bit concerned that my allergy induced asthma is the culprit. I have no fever, and no congestion... just dry coughing and a little bit of a tickle in my throat. I slept till 11am this morning (after being up in the middle of the night) and I just can decide if a run would make me feel better or worse. I think I will just wait until tomorrow and see how i feel. so.. for now I will just rest and try not to ...

I have been having a bit of allergy issues the last two days.. no fever or anything just a bit of drainage that makes me sound like I smoke a 2 pack of cigs everyday LOL... yesterday i was feeling "worse" around three oclock ... i was a bit worried.... then at supper last night I realized I had been drinking DECAF tea all day LOL... I am such the dingbat sometimes :) feeling good today and my voice is on the comeback :) I have track pactice at noon.... then about 115 i will head out for my run.. planning on 4 miles :).. it cold (in the 40s) but NO WIND and beautiful out! I cant wait to get out there! :) I have been doing great still on no sugar... but its funny the things that "trigger" us... I had a few episodes yesterday where those durn M&Ms were calling my name... but I made myself get fruit instead :) .... all a part of the emotions of eating.... feels good to be breaking yet another one of those habits. I STILL want something sweet after my supper... but n...

Size 4 ladies! YES... size 4. Its been a LONG LONG time since i have been able to wear these jeans.... I got back in them in June of 07 as posted here. I was in them over a year ago right before my back injury......... ever since then they have been hanging quietly in my closet reminding me of how fit and strong i USE to be. Its been a long long time and this feels sooooo good! wooowhooo! And the best part is... I FEEL GREAT! I wish I could bottle this up and let someone else know what it feel like.... being mostly sugar free is an amazing feeling! I cannot begin to explain the difference! Had a Christmas Party to attend last night. My daughter made the famous from scratch chocolate cake... the dessert table was FULL of amazing sweets.... I went over.. got a plate and went back to the "food" table and got the last bit of madrine oranges and grapes they had. I successfully refused to eat white sugar laden treats! All I had to do was look at them and remember how bad they wou...

What an amazing amazing run! heres the lowdown: mile and half or so to warm up... (easy pace)... then stopped to stretch ran 4 miles after that with no stopping to walk walked 2 mins and then ran 2 miles walked another 2 mins and ran another 2.5 ish miles stopped at the light to push the button to cross the street.. and traffic was so busy i couldn't go.. so i turned around and ran another half mile then came back and pushed the button again.. crossed the street and ran home. :) I cannot tell you how great i felt! I was pretty much in shock with how wonderful it was! Probably the best run of my life! I felt like I could run forever! Was it the chicken spaghetti I had an hour and a half before I left? Was it the fact I have been off table sugar and getting my sweet fix from fruits and sweet potatoes? :) Was it the perfect weather? I dont know.. but I LOVED IT! I must tell you the joy I felt when after passing this college guy 7 times (we were running opposite of each other) an...

no run yesterday. Beautiful day today! in the 70s... will run later this afternoon.. 9 miler :) still sugar free and feeling GREAT! could it be this is IT? the battle is over? I keep thinking that training our taste buds is a LOT like training our body.... its not fun at first and we dont like it but eventually its normal :) now I am on the hunt for no sugar added recipes (esp desserts)... I want to take something to co-op this week for our christmas party that is like a fruit pie.. but all the recipes I find have a sugary "sauce"... thinking I could take blue berries, etc and drizzle it on top? ... hum.. would love to hear ideas or links to help me :)

I am so happy to report to you that I am still doing great on no table sugar, no hfcs, and no other sweets! I have been feeling sooooooo good! I wake up in the morning with energy, and even during the day I dont have those down times where I would feel drained or tired until I grabbed some sweet tea :) I have still been using stevia in my tea and sprinkling it on fruit every now and then but last night before bed I drank my decaf hot tea with NO sweetener and liked it! (weird huh) I can already tell after just 5 days I am feeling better and getting leaner! One thing that is very interesting is that I had NO PMS symptoms this time around! I usually get really cranky, feel like i have gained atleast 10 pounds, and have NO energy for a day or two before... this time... I feel totally normal! no bloated feeling, no crankiness.... just feeling GREAT! On the exercise front.. I have been doing workouts with the track team, killer aerobics on Wednesday (an hour) and jogging etc.... last night ...

ok.. today : breakfast burrito (eggs only and tortilia) and hot tea with stevia lunch ham sandwich, lots of lettuce on it, tad of mayo and lots o mustard :), a few chips, strawberries and blue berries for dessert :) no cravings for sugar so far today :) I am just home from coop and hoping to get a quick apple and peanut butter before heading to track at 530 :) I need to run .. .... but when? urgh. busy day i am sooo happy i am feeling good and sticking with it :) yippeeee!

Today is going to be a great day! My eats are on target today and i am fixing to hit the gym (garage) to lift weights. breakfast: eggs, in a small tortilia, 5 grapes, hot tea with stevia snack: almonds and grapes ... water :) lunch: turkey taco meat lots of lettuce and a few corn chips, tea stevia water snack: taco meat corn chips snack grapes and almonds (not much variety today but i am on target) had a bit of a WAAAAAAAH moment earlier... cravings but worked through it... feeling great now... going to lift weights and head to track practice :) -more later Hi.. I am back :) sitting here watching the biggest loser finale... and oh my! its crazy! but before I sat down .. I just finished a GREAT upper body workout :) body for life style.. chest, tris, bis with burnouts :) then I did an ab workout :) feeling really really good :) as far as meals... supper was roast, gravy, slice of bread, and sweet potato slices.. water :) will have a protein shake in about 10 mins :) feeling good.... :...

Food. The good the bad and the ugly. Milk, Chips, Sugar, White flour, Ice Cream, Sodas, Candy, are all bad right? (well for me anyway) You see I have discovered my tummy doesnt like milk products... no matter how much I love ice cream or yogurt, they dont love me. It isnt hard anymore to stay away milk products.. they pretty much turn my stomach now because of how they make me feel. Chips? how do i feel about chips you ask... Well, I use to eat Cheetos's and Doritos many many times a week. I couldnt eat a sandwich if I didnt have a chip to go with it. You are talking to the girl who would go to the local 7 11 and buy a Slurpee , a bag of chips, and a roll of sweetarts and be the happiest gal around! :) I loved doing that! :) So over the past few years I have slowly lessened our chip supply on our house.. and for the past year pretty much only buy Corn chips (like tostitoes ) and plain Lays. Now .. when I do eat other chips (like I did Doritos's on Saturday night) it d...

wow.. THAT was tough...but it feels so good to be finished! yes... i did it. I think the problem started last night with pizza and doritos (its been probably a year since i had a dorito!) ... and no breakfast this morning cause we were running late for worship didnt help any either. I drank some OJ and ate a piece of bread and headed out the door... 2 blocks down.. I turned around.... BUT THEN I TURNED AROUND AGAIN and kept going... it was sooooooooo windy .... URGH>.. just wanted to not to this in the wind... I did 2 miles and just had no energy... I forced myself to do 2 more. ... and I did. So with 4 miles down I just couldnt see with how I was feeling that I could do another 4 ... so I headed home..... I grabbed a glass of water and a few handfuls of honey oats and got my computer set up so i could watch the biggest loser while I walked on the treadmill. I did 2 miles running on the mill and then my lack of energy hit again.. so i paused.. got some MORE water and ate a 3 vanill...

well.. I wanted to take my new shoes out for a run this morning.. but I will admit I let the 27 degree weather this morning keep me in ...I should never look to tomorrow cause tomorrow its in the 50s! so my plan was to run tomorrow ......but now that I am up .. have had breakfast and been cleaning house for a while I am feeling like I really want to go run.. we are having a big party at our small house tonight :) 20 kids coming over for homemade pizza, games and movie :) .. its gonna be fun ........if I can get all my stuff done (make 6 pizzas) then i will go for a run before they all come over :) dont know if i will have time for 8 miler but will do atleast 2 then run the 8 tomorrow :) until later... here is a post I did for my 13.1 group (we are up to 5 ladies... hoping for the 6th to decided YES too :) ......Inspiring story of a lady with MS who walks marathons and two good videos about how to dress for cold weather exercise :) later r UPDATE: Cooked from 2 until 5ish... (homemade...

OK. After teaching at co-op all day.. we came home and did chores :) My daughter comes to me and says.. "Piggie back" of course joking thinking I couldnt do it.. and I said ok.. I carried her around the house for a while and did a few squats :).. thought was funny so had to take a picture.. this is during squat #3 :) HA! Who said growing old meant growing weak??? (why its underlining i have no idea :) You see that drip of sweat? That is from after my run! IN 35 degree weather!!!!! WOOOOWHOOO! ME RUNNING IN 36 :) AFTER TEACHING ALLL DAY :) .... WHO HAVE I BECOME! I had a tank, a long sleeve, a short sleeve, a fleece and a jacket... this is after taking off the fleece its tied around my waist but you cant really see it in the photo.. thats why my jacket looks so funny :) Like my hat?? did 4 miles! FELT FANTASTIC! THANKS FOR THE INSPIRATION TO GET OUT THERE GOES TO THE FOLLOW BLOGGER FRIENDS AND THEIR POSTS! JOSHA leaving for Denver look at my dirtygirlgattors! SHUT UP AND RUN!...

sprints... lots of sprints.... lots of sweat...  lots of gasps for air ..... then abwork... lots of abwork, lots of wondering if i will be sore tomorrow.... i think i will :) OH.. and I did THIS today.. . wanna join us?

OK.. so as part of the wedding dress challenge I said I would take progress photos at Thanksgiving and Christmas.... so here they are ............. this is before if you will notice my tummy and that the dress is not zipped very much in the back above was taken Friday after Thanksgiving .. I think my belly is smaller and I can definitely zip it about 2 inches more than in my before shot! the above was taken for before .. notice how loose the dress is right above my hands.. this is because it is not zipped much at all... You can see on this one the dress looks tighter.. and it is because I can zip it more! :) oh I look awful in this picture LOL .. but it was right before i was to workout so no hair or makeup OK.. so you all know I HATE progress photos.. but there you go :) I do like the fact I am seeing some progress! When i get back in my dress I want to buy a new dress to wear out when we celebrate our anniversary :) I have been looking but havent found a "dream dress" so ...

just finished 4 miles WHOOOWOOOO It is cold here today... a front came through today.. and although it was only in the 40s the wind was blowing and I really didnt feel like fighting the wind... So.... Milly (the treadmill) and I ran 4 miles. one mile warm up then a quick stretch... then 2 miles at a moderate pace THEN IT was SPRINT time! During my 4 th mile.. I ran 6 sprints the first 5 being at 9.5 or 9.6... and the ending sprint was at a level 10 (as fast as Milly could go :) .. needless to say I was drenched with sweat and exhausted! after I caught my breath I stretched and did abwork .... lots and lots of abwork ending in daplank :) it feel soooo good!

Turkey drawing created my by son.. i just love it! :) Well.. I had PLANNED to run with a group of gals from our track team this morning at 9am but looked at the weather last night and it said it would be 42 degrees so i called my friend and canceled because it was going to be soooo cold!... planning on maybe running with them later today. WELLLLLLL when i work up I had the urge to run. I felt the need to destress and get out of the house and be alone. (you ever have that feeling?).. so.. eventhough it was 28 degrees outside I bundled up. I had 5 layers on top (a sleeveless shirt, a thermal long sleeve, a long sleeve polyblend shirt, a fleece long sleeve with a zipper neck and then a jacket.... leggings under my running pants, gloves, hat, and two pair of socks and I hit the road :) here is right after :) I got a half mile in and had to take off the jacket... then got to the mile mark and had to take off the fleece got to the 2 mile marker and had to push my sleeves but.... I was nice a...

my newest article is up on Happy Housewife Club.. Click HERE to read it :)

July 4th Lake City Co.. a hike .... I hated this photo... but today I like it cause it shows that I have made progress :) The rolls are going away :) This was taken this morning.. the same pants I wore a few weeks ago and was soooo excited cause the fit again! today the were ever looser! These are 6s.. a pair I have held on too and havent been able to wear since my back injury last October! :) It took a year but I am back in em! wooowhooo! This was taken for my 'starting over' video... In June I think This is today :) And before I go... I decided I need to post a before picture of my biceps...I will be focusing on getting some guns again :) so this is before.. will take after shots on 12.22 :)

oh my ... I dont remember when I had a run that felt that good! the weather?> perfect (no wind in the high 60s) the pace? started out about 10 per mile and then gradually increased. aches and pains? one slight side stitch, and just a few aches along the way but all left as i kept running :) Music? yes.. its been a while since I ran with it and I loved it... "relax take it easy" helped a bit :) layers? yes (just on bottom... shorts with pants over... after 2 mile I stretched and took the pants off and tied around my waist) anyone yell at me? yes ..whats up with that? .. but have not clue what they said as I had my music on :) how did it feel? GREAT As always the hardest part is getting out the door ... I am happy it is done and it went so well.. I felt like I could run forever when i was at mile 6.... but but mile 8 I was ready to take a rest :) now to get those bicurls in.. might wait and just lift tomorrow :)

8 miles tomorrow :) Longest run since 26.2 :) but today.. today I did: lunges chest press lat pull down and lots of ab work (hip ups, leg raises etc) I am debating... music? no music? go first thing or wait until it warms up? If I go when its chilly.. how many layers? UPDATE: well.. it was layers.... 4 on top.. shorts and two pants on bottom.. pig tails and I went for the music...... BUT DH needed my help at work.. so I wore my running clothes to his work and helped him.. by the time we were done I was HUNGRY... so ... I came home and ate, put my paint clothes on and started painting (i am taking a short break right now)... I WILL go for that run (not just get dressed for it).... either tonight but probably tomorrow...... I am still looking forward to it... :) On a good note.. I am SORE! from all those lunges and weight lifting... I will do bicep curls after while cause I didnt get to those yesterday :) I can tell too (and DH has noticed) I am leaning up :) top abs poking out :) :)wo...

up and out this morning for a quick 2 miler with Su. the sunrise was beautiful, the wind.. not so much ... it was a cool 54 degrees with a wind so I bundled up and hit the road :) only 2 miles but it was at my fast pace.. the only bad thing is I am getting to where I dont like running with Su... Its funny... the longer I am a runner the more I want to be by myself totally and completely... no friends, no dog, no music... just me. I always wondered how those runners i saw out alone with none of that stuff could really enjoy a run.... but now I know. ... for me running is so much about being alone, in the quiet, with my thoughts .......I use to hate to hear even my foot steps, much less my heavy breathing LOL... what am i turning into?? now its time for co-op .. today is SWIM DAY! . we go to the local Y and swim, have lunch and come back for a movie and popcorn.. gotta LOVE swim day! :) ... then track tonight :) its gonna be a good day! quote a thon? any guesses as to who said these: ...

you know what I think????? I think EVERYONE should have one of these! this is the garage gym... but the part I am talking about is the wall behind the equipment.... Its a bit of a mess and we like it that way :) .. filled with things that motivate and inspire! race #s, Band posters, the kids photo,.. and the best of all.. Mine and My hubbys cover from Muscle Media (those of you who are old Body for Lifers will remember this magazine... which we loved.. is no longer being published).... When my hubby and I were in the middle of one of our challenges I came to bed and found this laying on my side! He had taken our photos and pasted them over the models heads..... I.. of course thought it was GREAT and to this day it makes me laugh! :) The new additions are the signs friends and family made when i ran my marathon! Everyone needs some of those! OK.. enough of that.. now to this: \ Yes, I lifted weights! whoooohoooooo!.. I did bench press on the smith, lat pull downs, and then chest flies a...

7 miles with no ipod and no ponytail would have been torture a year ago... but one of the many things that changed when I trained for a marathon is the fact that sometimes i like it to just be quiet and I like my hair down too :):LOL I planned on running with my music today but it wasnt charged so I ran free and it was GREAT! almost PERFECT weather... little wind and in the 70s.... but it wont last long.. we have a cold front coming and tomorrow will be a different story :) The Beatles-I want to hold your hand by moumous59 I was surprised by the sound of a college boy screaming from the car he was riding in... "I wanna hold your hand!!!!!!!" really really loud at me.... HA! How funny is that! I just wanted to scream back at him.... "I am FOURTY ONE youngster!" .... I am so thrilled our garage gym is ready to go again... I will post pictures after I get a few more things added to the wall of motivation :)

so now our garage gym is more a gym again and less of a garage/yard sale holding area :) Its been a week of getting rid of clutter and it feels GREAT! I have just a small pile to get in the attic tomorrow (mostly art teaching supplies) and the job will be done. So happy our weightlifting equipment is clean and ready to go! I plan on running 7 tomorrow sometime... I am really looking forward to it! I am also very happy to report my foot is GREAT!---back to normal :) I really think my issue was running sprints during my 5 mile stretch.. I will not make the same mistake tomorrow... is steady as she goes the whole way no matter how great I feel :) All this cleaning, painting and moving boxes and boxes and bags of things.. my shoulder has been bothering me again.. what I call popping in and out (its a ligiment that snaps out of place i guess).. painful but I can get it back in... all this to say gonna take it easy on shoulder lifts as always... guess some injuries are ours for the long hau...

Taking a break from a painting :) before (the white patch was just a test.. we didnt go with it) the wall I couldnt wait to git rid of.. AFTER! ... its a gray green color.... :) I am seeing the light at the end of the house redo tunnel.... I have trim to paint but getting the pink off the wall makes me happy :) As far as workout... today I ran hills with the kids at track.....about 20mins of hills... of course we had a warm up and a nice jog after :) they ran sprints after... I just jogged a bit and yelled :) hehe.. I am still sore from yesterdays workout :) now to get ready for a day of cleaning and decluttering... garage sale this weekend and hopefully by this Sunday evening my garage gym will be all gym and NO clutter :)

beautiful morning here! Woke up very thankful today woke up yesterday morning and my foot seemed lots better... THEN I painted our living room alllllll day.. and by 3 my foot was hurting worse than before. I texted coach to tell him we wouldnt be making it to track but when the kids found out they had nothing to do with that plan... so we loaded up and headed out about 530ish last night. I couldnt run so I stayed at the track while the kids ran warm up ... while they were gone I did one legged squats, 30 on each leg-- dips (that work your tricept) 30 of those, and push ups on the incline (using the bleacher for my hands and my feet on the ground) 40 of those. I also did abwork with the kids and coach after they did their workout. Sore? .. uh.. understatement! :) feels good. I knew eventually something would throw a kink in my running... thats just the way it is when you run for a lifetime... stuff happens.... so I will try and take it easy and keep on working out until my foot is back...

When I was a kid I always thought 'when I grow up I....' : want to be a fireman, want to be an artist, want to be a prof. musician, want to travel the world, want to own a horse and live on a farm, want to own a mustang (car), Now a days I still think about what I want to be when I grow up.... the 41 year old me still thinks that way.... I look to other older women I know and think "i want to be like her. or her" My today self says "when I grow up I want to be" an artist, a personal trainer, a distance runner, a trail runner, a person who uses her life to help others, a confident healthy woman who has many choices with what to do and where to go, someone who helps other people understand their potential, a woman who shares her faith and how who we are directly effects what we become and who and how we serve others. I want to be more than I am today..... how bout you?

Yesterday during my run I had a bit of pain on my right foot. it didnt last long but last night and today my foot has been bothering me. Specifically, my 2nd and 3rd toes and the area just below them that connects to my foot. Today I ran with the kids at track practice this morning.. just a mile at the track so it was a soft surface. I am hoping that a bit of rest will resolve the problem with my foot. Tonight at evening practice I didnt run but I did do the ab work that coach dished out :) I jumped on board with Josha and joined the Transformation Holiday Challenge. You can find my blog on their website here . My goals are to get back to 120s, run my half marathon on the 1st, get my eats back to 6 meals a day and 10 glasses of water a day. As always Eats are a challenge for me. not to good on eats today ( i ate chips with my turkey burger, and didnt get all my meals in) but I do plan on doing some planning tomorrow to get myself on track :) I am looking forward to lifting weights tom...

this was after 2 with Su and before getting on the treadmill went for a 7 mile run today. 3 alone... ran my "new loop" came home got a drink, got the Dog and headed back out. Su and I did 2 miles together.. the last mile (#5) was GREAT we ran sprints and oh we felt like we were flyin!!!!! The last two miles I ran on the treadmill (millie) cause my DH had to leave and I didnt want to leave the kids home alone.... I walk the last .75 of a mile but am thrilled I got 7 miles in. funny how hard it was..... I MUST get my runs in alone and not keep using track practice to count as my workouts. I will have to figure out when......... Glad I got it done... its a good tired :) now time to go cook supper.

It reminds me of the hikes I took up in Colorado :) and the fun memories of running with Josha up the mine road :) These photos were taken at todays track practice :) It's AMAZING out today and in the 70s! just a perfect day :) Do you see the cross up the trail? Nate- my 8 year old running Cat (she just turned 13) running by the cross One of the little girls running ahead of me she is 9 years old the leaves are just beautiful! Mighty Purty for West Texas :) I didn't run very much today... needing to rest my left shin a bit as all those hills are making my leg do some second thoughts :) but I know just taking it easy will do the trick :)

Yesterday I ran with the kids..I have no idea how far.. a few hills thrown in.... made myself not run the complete cool down with them because my legs are telling me to take it easy... this old body is not use to running hills.. :) we ran in the "woods" again and I just LOVE it there! Makes me dream of doing some trail runs this summer..... hum????? busy week so I will just learn to be happy with the runs I get in at practice until Saturday when i can get 7 miles in :) looking forward to that :) now to go do the mom thing Progress.... not perfection

HEY! This was me in the middle of the mess that was my boys room! Can you see the determination in my eyes???? I was focused .. LOL... I have been working since Saturday afternoon and it is ALMOST done! Here are the kids and me with the hat.... starting to cover up the mural I painted when we first moved in. The room is clean at this point but I cannot tell you how much work it was to go through, sort and organize! I spent 2 hours just on clothes! We get hand me downs .. which are GREAT but they tend to pile up! When it was over... 10 bags of trash! (broken toys, and well.. trash! urgh) and boxes and boxes of things to garage sale or give away. I mentioned to someone I cannot believe the amount of stuff that my boys had when they have virtually no income! yikes. :) Here is the final shot of the mural .... I wont miss it! I never finished it so it was always a reminder of something I hadnt finished. another wall (this is where Nates bed will go when its done) this was to have horses ru...