Fit with Ruthie

Our team did GREAT at our track meet this past weekend... Bottom three are pictures of my kidos running :) .. they are in the blue :) Had an amazing 4 mile run this morning .. the weather is BEAUTIFUL here today and the temps-wind was perfect. I also had a fun track practice where we did a bit of aerobics on the track with the kidos... it was a blast! :) Housework calling my name :) .. gotta run (tehehe) more later!

got a morning run in today :) I ran 2.5 miles outside and it was AMAZING outside! wind 2 mph and temp in low 50s. I loved it. I actually over dressed and my tummy started hurting (more on that later) so i headed home and finished another mile on the treadmill. The last mile on the mill was sprint work :) I felt great afterward . The photo above is after I finished my 101 pushups for today :) I did a set of 20, rest, 15 rest, 15 rest, 15 rest, 10 rest, 10 rest, 10 rest, 6 done :) for a total of 101. My arms are shot. but I can tell i am getting stronger. :) I am actually starting to LOVE pushups! (who thought that would ever happen!) I love the work of it, i love the cardio effect and i love the way its changing the look of my arms and yes.. my chest. :) as far as my tummy issue... yes.. i made homemade bbq pizza last night. I ate only one and half peices but that was enough cheese to make my tum tum not happy. So.... I am steadily getting use to the idea that cheese as well as milk are...

got new shoes today............. I know.. you are thinking.. DIDNT YOU JUST GET NEW SHOES?? well.. short of. I got new Ghosts as a gift and they were too big... right size but just too big.. weird... So... I just so happy to have a daughter that can have the too big shoes.... and today I went to the store and got these.......... BROOKS Defyance 2 I havent run in them yet.. just on the mill at the store but I love them so far! I have been having some pain in my right foot ball area.. i know cause i have been doing more speed work....but i am hoping this shoe will give me a bit extra cushion to help with that :) today is pushup day... my abs are sooooooo sore from that side stitch ab workout so i will rest them today :) might throw in some lunges between push ups.... UPDATE: 100 pushups done (10 sets of 10 yikes) then a fast 2 miler to test out the new shoes and I LOVE THEM new favorites for sure!!! :) sweet! things i heard on my run girls talking about new york the motor from a generato...

yeah.. one of my favorite sayings (thanks Bill Phillips :) its 918pm and i am just home from a 4 mile run. drippin sweat and stinky and red faces and destressed! I would love to chat about the run a bit longer but i have no time.. you see.... i need to get something to eat, shower and get to bed before tomorrow gets here......... I am happy i went.. but i am so wishing the days would start earlier (like the sun come up sooner) so i could go early in the morning....... progress..........and not missing feels good.

so. the whole coaching and training thing really really does get in the way of MY workouts.. but.. you know its not like i am NOT moving... but still.. i need to get in MY stuff.... tonight i didnt get on the mill until 9pm.....after a quick 1 mile with sprints.. i began some abwork.. in which i gave myself side stiches.. YES from abwork! ... that was when i was doing Crazy Frog hipups! .. ha.. doing you think i would ever develop a 6 pack? its doubtful because of baby belly skin.. but i am going to give it my best shot! ... miss my 3 and 5 mile run this weekend.. YIKES.. but got some mileage in with the half gang... I will just stick to my schedule .. with a 3 miler tomorrow.. (hopefully get up early in the morning and get it done!).. and then my 100 pushups is a must do! OH and on the coaching note... OH MY am i LOVING It! .. LOVE IT!... what a blessing it is to my life!!!! :) such great kids and such great woman training for the half! soo excited!

if you have read my blog for any time.. you know i threw out my scale a LONG time ago. I never weigh... and... i stopped measuring myself about a year and half ago. I do find measuring yourself is the BEST way to see if you are progressing... but I just stopped that too... relying on how my clothes fit to measure my progress. In September a week before i ran my marathon I bought two new pair of jeans. Size jr 9s, in the matter of two weeks i was having to belt them to keep them up. And for months now I can slide them off without unbuttoning them. I got so annoyed a few weeks ago i decided to go buy some jeans that fit. (I have fluctuated from a womens 6 and 4 depending on the brand of jean... for the past few months) .... I got jr 7s. .... not two weeks later.. i hate to belt those jeans! ... this morning i put on that same pair of jeans (7s) and put my belt on... At Christmas I could barely belt it in the first whole and it was tight.. today.... i was surprised to find i was able to...

I LOVE running in the rain! I do .. I really really do... I mean.. I LOVE running.. and then to add rain to it... wow! Its almost as good as running in the snow .. it MIGHT be a tie in my book... but i think i like ran better cause its warm and cool at the same time :) did close to 3 miles tonight which is what i am spose to do.. jogged a bit with the kids at track (about 10 mins) and then after track came home really fast and dropped the kids off with Daddy and left to try to run in the rain. It rained wonderfully on us during track practice.. but once i got home and back out.. it had stopped.. I did have fun in the puddles though :) good grief.... i still step back and think "what is this thing i have become"... I use to use every excuse... too hot, too cold, too wet, to windy..... but now that i love running for running and not because I want to "get skinny" now that I love it for my metal and spiritual wellbeing and not just because my clothes are tight, now tha...

(I heart my new pink and black shorts) Try a few sprints. YIKES THAT WAS KILLER my plan said to do 5 400 meter sprints... well.. I didnt want to go to the track all alone... so i ran around campus and just ran what I figured was close to 400 meters. Well... I started out really well... and at the end... i was only going about 200 meters before walking. The Plan said to do 5k pace .. but I couldnt resist just RUNNNNNNING as fast as i could! .. until I was going to pass out! so.. I ended up doing 6 sprints .. the first 3 were close to 400 meters... I ran so hard i got a side stitch... which is goooooood.. means I pushed it a bit :) I came home and did ab work... 40 incline sit ups, followed by 40 leg lifts, followed by 8 minutes of "ab dancing" to some dance music :) ......abs---SHOT... ... i will do pushups later tonight. but if i am just too exhausted ... i will save those for tomorrow...

you get in workouts long enough and you realize you have to be flexible with your schedule. Some days its not NOT going to happen. That was yesterday for me. While we had a wonderful homeschooling day, and a wonderful laundry day, and a wonderful track practice and a long board meeting....I found no time for exercise. Now I did jog a few laps at practice and do a few pushups.. but that doesnt count :) You see... I have learned that fitness has to be ON PURPOSE. Fitness MUST be intentional. Walking from the car to the grocery store doesnt count (and I use to count that as exercise). Today... we have had success with our school day, now I am off to the grocery store and have yet to workout.... BUT... I WILL because I will MAKE time. I plan on running 5 400 meter sprints at a 5k pace. Its almost raining here .. so I will do these sprints Biggest Loser style ... on the dreadmill :) I will also do 100 pushups and hopefully 80 sit ups :) I will post when I am finished.. which will be before ...

OK.. first progress photos: above taken September of 2009 April 2010 (today) September 2009 April 2010 (today) And below... the photos that help me remember... the pain, the depression, the lack of energy... these photos i am thankful for... because they now seem so very far way and that person no longer exists! woooowhooo! Had an "ok" run this morning and on that run it got me thinking.... Although I am a "runner", not all runs are created equal. there is the " I didn't eat well yesterday (a freeday), why do i feel so sluggish" run (that was this morning) there is the "I am stressed out dont look at me or say hello, I am de-stressing here.. can't you see it falling on the ground?" run there is the "I feel GREAT I could run forever, so glad I have been eating great lately" run there is the "I can't relax cause I have to be somewhere after hurry up and get it over with" run there is the "I wish I had a running...

well.. we went campin last night.. and although I loved it.. i didnt get as much rest as I wanted .. thanks to a group of about 14 jr high girls who screamed and yelled until about midnight... I finally called the park ranger on them ... urgh ... do parents not teach RESPECT anymore! I get soooo frustrated with how kids behave and the parents act so helpless. anyway so... i was up and we were headed back to town about 615 this morning... got to see lots of deer on our way back in.. t hey were so pretty :) Had our meetup for the half marathon at 8am... we did 3 miles... the gang did GREAT... I ran from one side of campus to the other and got a pretty good little workout :) lots of sprinting... after we were done I had just enough time to run home and grab a little snack and head back up for the kids track practice. We had about 10 show up and headed over to run some hills .... I ran a few with the kids to help push them etc and then afterward ran a few laps to cool down ... after ...

Ok.. my sweet wonderful fantastic sister (the one who completed the half in Dallas this past month)... just had to take some photos of me after my 6 miler the other night... she said she wanted people to see how hard i work and that i do get all sweaty and stuff.. ha .... so here are the pictures... the effects of 6 miles :) if you look closely here you can see my little baby belly pooch hanging over my shorts.. its all that extra skin i think will never go away.... . its called what happens when little ole me has 10lb babies :) .. its ok though... i love how i feel and i love how strong I am and that my pooch means I have such fun wonderful almost all bigger than me kids now :) this really shows how tired I was... tight in the hammies too :) I hadnt started feeling good yet.... you now that "UGH i am so tired" feeling at the end of a great run... and then about 10 mins later you get the "WOW i feel fantastic" :).. (i was thinking "sis.. stop taking pictures of...

Is it a dream or are those Brooks Ghost 2 I have in my sweet little hands! :) (thanks Lydia cant wait to put a few miles on those Ghosts :) !) Got to go out to eat with some of the girls who finished their half marathons :) Love the shirt they signed for me :) gonna frame it and hang it in my workout garage :) I am THRILLED to be coaching some wonderful people for the up coming Freedom Half on July 3rd. I am sooo happy so many have joined up and have committed to training! I am THRILLED that I help coach Cool Runnings and help encourage kids to do more than they thought possible. I am THRILLED I homeschool and LOVE schooling my kids and teaching at the Co-op one day a week.. I am soooooooo happy i am able to be a stay at home mom and although the sacrifices in some areas are hard the rewards in all other areas are so worth it! You see, we are here most of the day, as a result we continually make messes and have to clean them up.. housework is non stop and i do get behind.. i am not the...

the past few days have been great. The temps here have been my idea of perfect running weather :) ... now if this durn wind would stop! urgh. I havent had a good run in a few days. I plan to go today for Easter :) and hopefully spend some nice relaxing 4 or 6 miles celebrating Easter with a run and quiet time with God instead of eating Ham and candy all day :) I have managed to get some ab work in and pushups in the last few days .. so that is good :) More later after my fun run later today :) UPDATE ok.. real fast before i go to bed had a GREAT super fantastically magnifisant run tonight :) 6 miles.. mostly running... mostly tired at the end... but had 3 runner highs (gotta love it) where three times i felt like i could run FOREVER... bestest run in a long long long time :) I am love with running all over again:) I did see my sister! she did 4.5 miles... and a friend (julie) who was walking.. I was o so happy to see julie that i screamed (and it was really loud cause ihad my headphone...