Happy Halloween!

Okay, so I'm a day early, but due to the fact that Aggie football does not rest on holidays and requires me to work said days, I must jump the gun and post early. So just pretend it's Halloween, if you will.

My first 5-mile workout will be this weekend so I'm a little nervous. This is a very, very long way for me. I probably won't run the whole thing but I think I can finish with some walking and a water bottle strapped around my waist (I tend to suck down fluids like a camel).

And, while I have managed to stay away from all the tempting Halloween candy, I have not managed to stay away from all the last-minute Halloween deals. Take this for example...I have no interest in voodoo, sorcery or ghosts but I could not for the life of me turn down this sparkly glitter skull from Pottery Barn (it's sparklier in person):

I do love all things Halloween. And I do love my Landon. And Landon loves his sock monkey:

So wouldn't it be natural for him to dress up like one for Halloween?

And run around collecting all the candy he can get his little fingers on (hey buddy, please don't offer any to Aunt Laura, okay? It'll go straight to my hiney!)Oh, and Landon...Halloween is such a magical time with memories that will stay with you, even when you are all grown up. Always let a little piece of you be the kid in the sock monkey outfit.

The End

The Training Schedule

Good morning! I just finished my second 4-mile jaunt and am proud to say I ran the whole thing. I think from my blog posts, my training seems pretty random and sporadic so if you want to see my exact training schedule you can click here. I'm already on week 2!

This looks like a grueling training schedule...it's got me doing something 5-6 days out of the week but I kind of loosely interpret this since I know I'm not going to be a distance runner anytime soon. The four miles this morning has left me a little sore and a little spent. I was aware of my hip the whole time but tried to ignore it and push on. I go back in a week and a half for another cortisone shot into the bursa sack (gosh, that sounds so fun!). After my follow up appointment with the doc this past week, we've decided I will have two more shots to get me through training and race day and oddly enough, I'm looking forward to them because of the instant relief they bring! Hooray for steroids!

It's been a wonderful weekend so far...great family time yesterday (happy belated birthday, Dad!), wonderful weather and a photo shoot of a certain someone in his Halloween Costume...Now, I don't want to give away the full details until my special, spooky Halloween day post, but...is that?...could it be?...yes...that's a runaway sock monkey I see!

Mwa ah ah! Happy almost Halloween!!!

Picture Perfect

What an amazing weekend! Notice it's Monday as I say this. That's because I had today off and it was fabulous!

Saturday I did an easy three miles (when did running 3 miles become easy?!) and then got to meet my wonderful friend Meghan for a ritual that is to go untouched for the rest of time...eating at Cheddar's. Meghan lives far, far away in the land of Tennessee but still visits Texas and I snatch her up when I hear she is coming this way. We always go to Cheddar's (don't ask me why but I'm sure it has something to do with the queso), and we stay there chatting for hours until the waitress gives us the evil eye and we are forced to relinquish our booth. She is the best...so encouraging, hilarious, smart, and not to mention a very faithful reader of my blog...so here's your shout out, Meg!! I miss you girl and I will be dreaming of our queso until we meet again!

Sunday brought another fun day. Scott and I drove to Austin with gorgeous weather all around us and did an outdoor photo shoot with 11 little kids. That's right, I said ELEVEN! Now, I've done shoots with small children before but this was totally new for me...and well worth the experience! My cousin Jessica and her hubby Keri have two cutie-pie little girls, Avery and Grace. They have tons of cutie-pie neighborhood friends that have grown together through the years and I had the pleasure of shooting their yearly group photo:
To make things even more exciting, these beautiful moms all pitched in and made a generous donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation which I will be posting through running4landon.com soon! Thank you all so very much for your support!

We had a few tears yesterday but nothing a few red balloons couldn't cure...

Ahhhhh, the magic of childhood!!

Before and Almost-After

So what does 30 pounds look like? Yeesh, I can't believe I'm about to post the most heinous picture EVER of me that exists but for documentation purposes, I really need to get it in my head what a difference 30 pounds can make...

October 2009

About 20 more lbs. to go before I reach my goal! I wonder if I'll ever be self-confident enough to dance around in my underwear like this handsome young fellow. I sure hope so!

Huh??!!!!???!!!

Today is a milestone.
I don't know if it was the temperature outside, the light rain/drizzle falling from the sky or the music from my ipod. I don't know how it happened but somehow, today, I ran 4.2 miles straight without slowing down or walking. And it seemed easy. That's 1/3 of the half-marathon and I am bewildered.

A lot had to do with the fact that I look 3 Advil one hour before jogging to nix the hip pain. Probably not the best thing for me but I've got to wing it until January and it works. Nonetheless, I started out just like any other workout before. The neighborhood was quiet and no one was out due to the cold and the rain. Mile 1 went by really fast and before I knew it, I was at the end of Mile 2 and wondering why I wasn't out of breath or ready to stop like I usually am. My goal had been 3 miles but about halfway through 3, I realized I still wasn't tired or out of breath so I continued on. Okay, we'll go for four and see what happens. Mile 4 came and went and I looked at my watch: 54:33. Had I really run for almost an hour and I'm not out of breath?? What on earth is going on?

Now, this is not the fastest time, but it's within the time limit for race day and I just didn't get what was happening. I had finished my 4 mile route and then I didn't know what to do (I hadn't planned for this scenario) so I jogged the rest of the way back to our house, still not breathing hard or ready to quit. A total of 4.2 miles. I strolled into the house, immediately got ice on my hip per the good doctor's recommendation and started my stretching routine. After that I just kind of sat there scratching my head trying to figure out what was going on. That's not supposed to be easy. Why was that easy?

It's hours later and I still don't have the answer but I'll take it with no complaints! I am grateful because today, for the first time since I started this endeavor in February, I feel like a runner. I haven't felt like a runner this whole time (and I may not ever again) but today I do and to say it felt wonderful doesn't begin to describe it! Guess we'll have to see what this week's workouts bring!

My Top 10

FINALLY! A great workout! Just got done with 3 miles...I'm slowly but surely working back up again. I can feel the hip but I wouldn't say I'm in pain...just kind of a nagging feeling but today I plowed through it, stretched like I was supposed to and am now enjoying some homemade guacamole with organic avocado, tomato, onion, hot sauce, lemon juice, and low-fat sour cream...yum!

And a quick shout-out to my mom, the birthday girl. Well, okay her birthday was last week but we just celebrated and she got a new ipod--I promise I will help you download some songs mom!
Here's my "top ten" on my ipod...some of these are part of the reason I stay motivated to run...music helps!

1. "I Gotta Feelin'" by The Black Eyed Peas (this song just makes me happy cause it's got a good, positive vibe)
2. "My Way" by Limp Bizkit (this is my nod to old school! Yes, it's older than dirt but I still want to bust out dancing in the street when it comes on)
3. "She Wolf" by Shakira (I really don't want to like this song. I am not a Shakira fan. Never have been. But something about this song gets my feet off the pavement)
4. "Ice Cream Paint Job" by Dorrough (just because somewhere, deep down inside of me, I am a rapper)
5. "Not Enough" by Our Lady Peace (one of my favorite songs of all time...this is good stuff)
6. "Violin Theme from Schindler's List" by Itzhak Pearlman (I saw him play this in person from about 20 feet away and have rarely been moved by music like I was then. Plus, it helps slow down my breathing)
7. "Good Girls Go Bad" by Cobra Starship (the lead singer of this now-popular band used to be in a smaller band that I adored in college. My friend Cas and I used to hang with them. And now he's uber-famous)
8. "Shake It" by Metro Station (well, because it makes me feel okay about things shakin' when I run)
9. "You are My Joy" by Reindeer Section (one of those little-known songs that no one's ever heard of but is just so great)
10. "Keeps Gettin' Better" by Christina Aguilera (because I really need to get better and better!)

Any suggestions? What do YOU think I should download to make these workouts a little more fun?

Can I Get an 'Amen'?

Another morning, another weigh in....
And I've finally reached 30 lbs.!!!!
That sounds like so much weight to me but I still don't feel like I look 30 lbs. lighter. Oh, well, I'll take it anyway. Now I get to make that massage appointment for the spa. Let me tell you people, if you need a good weight loss plan, go on the "for every ten pounds I lose, I get an hour massage at the spa" plan...it's worked wonders for me because the incentive of the massage alone is worth losing weight for!
I will have a dandy day with this exciting news....I hope all of you have one, too!