MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!

I won my first giveaway!!! Tobi over at busyrunningmama had a giveaway last week and I won a brand new pair of Thorlo running socks!!! Let me just tell you... I have never been so excited about a pair of socks in my life :) You would have thought I had just won an entire running outfit.
Give me just a minute to brag...... They are so cute! Of course, They are black and white... yes, I am quite the girly girl but you will rarely catch me in pink. I am one of those girls that wears black every single day. I am not goth or morbid, by any means, I just feel very comfortable in black. It's so slimming!! (lol!) So, almost my entire wardrobe consists of basic black pieces. Including my running wardrobe. (Don't worry, I wear light tops on those 5am runs in the dark so that I can be easily spotted.) This running wardrobe has been my new obsession. I go through fazes of shopping obsessions. Sometimes it's work wear, sometimes its home decor, sometimes its the perfect mascara... lately it is running gear. And I am not sure that this will fade any time soon. These socks will match any running outfit I have... one must have matching socks, right?! Its critical to being a stylish runner!

So in the spirit of giving and to celebrate my win I am coordinating my very first giveaway!!!

Calm down, I know it's exciting.... but let me continue.... I am a HUGE magazine subscriber. At any given day I have some sort of magazine in the mail when I go to check my box. I love them... especially any magazine that has to do with running and fitness. One of my favorite magazines besides Runners World is, of course, Fitness.

Why do I love this magazine? Let me count the ways.... It has GREAT workout tips in every single issue. It has FABULOUS recipes for healthy living. It has STUPENDOUS tips on the latest and greatest workout gear whether that be clothing, shoes, or gadgets. It has TERRIFIC beauty and skin recommendations to keep you flawless. It has MAGNIFICENT training programs to target any trouble area on your body. And it has TONS of pictures of GORGEOUS FIT women to post on your bathroom mirror for motivation (ha!) This mag has it all!!! And I am going to giveaway a full year subscription to 2 lucky winners!!! I will give you plenty of chances to win... Here's how:

1.) Post a comment on why you would love to win a full year subscription to this magazine.

2.) Become a follower of my blog and then tell me about it, or tell me that you already are...

3.) Link this giveaway to a post on your blog.

4.) And in the spirit of Tobi's giveaway that I won.... tell me what your essential/favorite running gear/accessory is. (Today, mine is my brand new Thorlo running socks!!!!)

I will announce the winner on Wednesday, October 7th! Good luck to you all :)

Love My Runners Blog Community

I Have Run has a really thoughtful post on her blog that has really got me thinking... Her topic is thankfulness. She spoke of how thankful she is to have so much support from her followers and how motivating we were to her while she was training for her first marathon (which she just completed... WOO-HOO!!!! After you read this post y'all should go congratulate her.)
This whole topic is something that has me really fired up and I want to talk about it.
My running blog began as a way for me to journal my progress through my marathon training. Little by little I have acquired a small but insanely valuable list of followers. This group is so important to me... it is motivation, inspiration, education, communication, (and lots of other "tions" that I'm sure I am leaving out) But the point is, I love love love to run.... but on my bad days, my little running blog community keeps me going. And on my good days, this little running blog community keeps me motivated and inspired and excited about my accomplishments. But it is definitely something you have to be apart of to understand. To the non-runner/non-blogger (NRNB for future reference) this whole blogging thing is somewhat of a joke. (To many people this whole RUNNING thing is somewhat of a joke.) When I so passionately talk about my blog and all my running buddies... the NRNB just simply doesn't get it. What I don't get from the outside world filled with NRNB's, I get from my little community here. Yes, I have such a supportive family and many supportive friends... but for the most part, my motivation and inspiration comes from my blogging community. And I am so happy to be apart of it.
(So thanks Candice for inspiring me to talk about this!)

On another note, just an update... Went to the doctor regarding my numb foot and he has let me know that I am suffering from localized neuropathy in the bottom of my right foot. (To the non-medical terminologist, this means my nerve endings in my right foot are jacked up.) What does this mean in regards to my Half in November, you ask? The answer is yet to come... I am going to run on a different surface for the next few long runs and see how it goes. I refuse to let this slow me down..... Stay tuned for more updates!

Marvelous Miles to you all!

See How They Run

So yes, I have redecorated a little... Nice of you to notice. Come on in, have a seat... kick your shoes off, stay a while. I hope you like what I have done with the place.

So now that you are comfortable, I have been meaning to tell you about something for a rather long time. It is something that I came across while I was in Oklahoma a few weeks back.

It is a story, a true story, of a son's dream and a father's love. Many of you have probably already heard of this story before and if you have, feel free to click on to the next blog.... but for those of you who haven't, I hope you have a few minutes to stick around and have your heart blessed.

This story is about Dick and Rick, father and son. I do not personally know these men, I have actually never even seen them in person. Yet, both of them have touched my heart so deeply and profoundly affected the way I look at the world around me.

Rick and Dick are a team... one for all and all for one. Over the past 30 years, Rick and Dick Hoyt have completed over a thousand races together. They have done half marathons, marathons, triathlons, and even several ironmans! That is an amazing feat... even for the strongest of men. But the fact that they have competed in so many races is not what makes this team so remarkable. It is how they competed.

You see, Rick was born a spastic quadriplegic. He can not walk. He can not talk. But through the love and the legs of his father, he can run. Dick, a 67 year old retired marine from Massachusetts has carried, pushed and pulled his 47 year old son over thousands of miles because Rick loves it... because while he is competing, Rick does not feel disabled. The two of them have been an inspiration to hundreds of thousands of people across the world. They have exemplified what is truly possible. What dreams are made of.

If you like what you have read so far, click here to watch a clip of their story. I encourage each of you to take a look... believe me, it can change your perspective just as it did mine.

Seeing their story has really made me think about what I can accomplish if I just dedicate myself to it. What anyone can accomplish with just a little belief, commitment, and a dream.

Marvalous miles to you all!!

Happy Birthday Mimi!

Attention ladies and gentlemen. I would like to make an announcement (*tap*tap* ... Is this thing on?) 70 years ago, today, the world became a little bit of a better place because that was the day my Mimi was born. I would like to take this time to wish her a happy birthday! so...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIMI!!

(She would be the drop dead gorgeous one on the right...Though, my Papa Glenn aint so bad himself!) Can I just ask you, have you ever seen a more beautiful grandmother in your whole entire life?? (Okay, maybe I'm a little biased... but still.... BEAUTIFUL!)

This woman is the closest thing to a saint I have ever met. I know... you've heard that saying before and it has almost become a cliche'. But I am serious folks.

I am going to give you the

TOP 10 REASONS WHY MY MIMI IS THE BEST GRANDMOTHER EVER:

1. She is a Wonderful Christian woman who lives her life as if Jesus was hanging out next to her every single day. This woman has a special place in Heaven... let me tell you!

2. She taught me how good peanut butter and celery/apples/bananas can be and how popcorn is a great afternoon snack because she has always been a healthy eater. This is something that she wanted to instill in her grandchildren at an early age.

3. She was the first roll model in my life that taught me the importance of fitness. She walks/bikes and always has. She used to take me with her all the time when I would spend weeks with her in the summer.

4. She has the most beautiful skin EVER. Wrinkles are completely debatable when it comes to my Mimi and it is because of her healthy lifestyle and the incredible care she gives to her face.

5. She was health-conscience before being health-conscience was cool. Period.

6. You can see the love she feels for my Papa Glenn in her eyes just with the mention of his name... and she's felt this way for over 50 years!

7. She was an amazing mother and raised my hero to be the man that he is today... just like her. All the characteristics that he has, that I aspire to have, she taught him by example.

8. She has always made me feel like I am the most important grandchild to her... and I know she has made the other 6 feel this way as well.

9. I have a passion for history that was instilled in me through her because of all of the historical places she used to bring me to and all the stories she and my grandma used to tell me.

10. Oh who am I kidding.... I can't narrow down just 10!!!!! So here goes....

She has a green thumb and knows how to grow beautiful flowers, she has beautiful hair, she makes a birthday cake for Jesus every Christmas day for the kids, she loves her husband, children, family, friends but above all else - she loves God, she loves chickens and even raised them for a while, she was the quintessential teacher and still is... even though she doesn't get paid for it anymore, She has inspired me to have a rooster inspired kitchen... just so that I can be more like her, She is an amazing daughter and sister... always taking care of everyone, She introduced me to My Fair Lady - My most favorite movie, She has the best laugh ever. Period, She is an avid bird watcher and can name the weirdest birds in the sky... who does that?!, She is a great friend and has shown me that friendships absolutely can last for 40+ years, She is the definition of class... By far, the classiest woman I have ever seen. I aspire to be just like her when I grow up!

I love my Mimi sooooo much and I hope she has had the most wonderful birthday yet!!

Running Mysteries & Races

So I promise I am not going to become a once a week poster. I feel like such a slacker for not posting and even more of a slacker for not keeping up with your blogs lately. I wish I had a great excuse like some of you have had in the past like, my Internet was out because I just moved... or I have been on vacation... but I don't have a great excuse. I just suck. I vow to be a regular poster from now on. Please forgive me, things have been rather out-of-whack lately. Let me let you in on what I have been going though...
You probably don't remember this, but last month I blogged about a numb foot I was dealing with while running. I was a bit panicked at first, but my fellow running bloggers calmed my spirits by letting me know that I should first try and loosen my shoe strings before I head into neurosurgery. I did just that, and things seemed to be a lot better. In the mean time, I have purchased my fabulous shoes (which you can read about here) and I just knew I was on my way to half-marathon victory.
Lately, I have been dealing with the same issue - in my new shoes - which are not tied too tight. It starts occurring in my right foot around mile 4 and the numbness continues to spread up my leg the farther I run until I stop running. Which at this point, I have to walk around for a while shaking it off before I start to stretch, etc. Being the Marketing Rep for a hospital I have a lot of connections when it comes to medical issues so I have been able to consult with my mom who is a Radiology professor and a friend of mine, who is a physical therapist as well as a few physicians. They all say this sounds like a nerve issue in my lower back (L1 and L2 to be specific) but aren't exactly sure what could be causing it... it's a mystery (insert Twilight music here). Hopefully it is due to my running posture (maybe) which can be corrected with technique and therapy. I plan to begin physical therapy next week as soon as I get a script from my doctor. I am not going to stop running... I refuse to let this slow me down... (Insert Puff Daddy music: "Can't nobody take my pride, Can't nobody hold me down. Oh no! I've got to keep on moooovin!) but I do want to get it under control before I have a serious injury down the road.
Next on the agenda: Races... I signed up for 2 races before my half. The Livestrong 5K in Austin, TX on October 24th and a local charity 5K to benefit the Hope Crisis Center later this month. I am going to have to plan my runs those weeks to ensure that those races fall on a short run day, which should be no problem. I want to do them because I love running in any type of race. Not for the "race" aspect, but for the adrenaline, being around other runners, the numbers, the t-shirts, it's just so much fun to me!!!

So far i have logged 8 miles this week. I hope to make it 20 by Saturday. San Antonio is only 8 weeks away!!! EEEK!

Until next time (which will be sooner than later), Marvelous miles to you all!

OOOOOOOOOOOOklahoma!

Hey you guys, remember me?? It has been over a week since my last post... such a slacker, I am. It's amazing how much can happen in a week! Recap anyone??

So I didn't end up driving to Oklahoma in an un-air-conditioned vehicle to spend my Labor Day wknd with my OK family like we had discussed before. I know, I know... You're thinking I am such a pansy/prima donna. You may be right in some circumstances, but I do have an excuse this time. The forecast called for rain. I can't drive down the highway in the rain with my windows down and sunroof back. So I rented a car. 1 week and $190 later and I haven't seen a drop of rain yet... I'm sure it's coming, though. SURELY that weatherman wouldn't tell a lie! (smirk!)

In the meantime, I am not going to complain because I have never enjoyed an air conditioned car more than I did for that 8 hours in my life. I soaked it up. I also had an AMAZING TIME in Oklahoma. Always relaxing. Always care-free. Always comfortable. Always home. We went to the horse races on Saturday. I had never been to the horse races in my whole entire life. Can I just tell you, I loved it!! I am a big horse lover anyway... this was just incredible. I did some serious gambling.

It looks like I knew what I was doing didn't it? Eh? Ya, I lost every penny of that $20 bucks I threw down on those 9 races. But it was worth it. We sat in the clubhouse, got the best view, I hear the margaritas were great, we had the best service and had a blast.

The rest of the time we just hung out on the farm. Did I tell you my dad lives on a farm? He and Alison have a few hundred acres in Central Oklahoma. They love the Country Life. I don't blame them. In fact, lucky for you, I talked Alison into starting up her own blog so if you want to read more about their country life you can check out Alison's blog here.

Saturday I knew I had a long run scheduled that I could not skip. My family is so unbelievably supportive of my running habits (Probably because I inherited them from my Dad), so Saturday we all decided to throw on our gear and go for a country run. All 4 of us (Dad, Al, my cousin Kehley and my little sis, Maci). Self portrait by the way... that is talent ladies and gentlemen.

This is the beginning of our run... the long driveway leads out to the gravel road. This nice little country run soon became the dreaded run from hell because I didn't realize that throughout my entire training period, I have yet to incorporated hills into my runs.... until then. And let me tell you, running on graveled mini mountains is not easy. It's torture, simply put. Period. And the bad part about it is, my dad kept telling me... this isn't even the hilly route. We are going on the "hills" tomorrow. I said to myself, "THE HELL WE ARE!! What in the name of Vertical torture are you trying to do to me?!" I was breathing so hard I thought I was going to start coughing up a kidney. But I made it through. I didn't track my pace. My goal a quarter of the way in was to finish without ending up in a coffin. I succeeded.

Unfortunately, I became sick. I began coughing, wheezing, sneezing, hacking.... all I gotta say is it was not a pretty sight, folks. I would like to blame it on the run from hell taking so much out of me, but the truth is I started feeling this way on the drive up to Okla. Fortunately, I was able to skip the torturous hills-have-eyes run. I know what you're thinking.... you seasoned runners out there are going "Suck it up! You should never dread a run! Just do it!" But seriously, I am afraid that having not run hills at all... I should gradually incorporate them... for my shins sake! (Which I believe are doing much better by the way, for those of you who care. THANK YOU SAUCONY!)

I had to leave and come back home on Monday. It's always hard to leave. I know I will see my family again soon, we try to never go more than a few months without seeing each other. But I just miss my them so much. I'm sure some of you have family that you feel the same way about. Maci is growing up so fast right now... she just turned 5 and is at that age where she REALLY loves her big sis. I am hoping this is not a phase she is going through. I know girls start to think their moms aren't cool at a certain age, but do they have to feel this way about their big sisters?? That are 21 years older than them?? Before I go on, I just have to show this kid off... I know people are bias and maybe I am.... but honestly, is she not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen???

The drive home on Monday flew by. I wasn't able to run again until this morning. I am still coughing up crud and my ears pop every now and again due to the fluid in my head... but I am feeling much better. I ran 3.5 easy miles this morning before work. 10 minute pace. Felt great. I plan to do the same thing in the morning. I'll let you know how it goes...

Marvelous Miles to you all!!

My Love Affair with AC and Other Random Musings...

Happy September!!

There is just something about the beginning of a new month. So much potential to just make it your own and turn it into a great big success. Forget where you went wrong last month and start fresh. There is bright opportunity to take full advantage of every day - Grow! Succeed! Am I being too cheezy right now? Are you gagging? Sorry..... I digress.

I have had a couple of things on my mind this week so far.... Let's discuss.....

1. So I have a little over 10 weeks until the San Antonio Rock 'n Roll (Half) Marathon. (Yelp!) I had a funny nervous emotion that crept over me today while I sat at my desk at work in realization of this. From here on out my mileage is going to increase BIG time..... for me, that is (The girl who has never run more than 6.2 miles in her life!) On October 3rd I have a 10 mile run scheduled. That is 4 weeks away. I know you can't tell... but it just took me about 2 full minutes of sitting here staring at my laptop screen to be able to fully grasp the last two sentences. The month of September I have 86 miles scheduled to run in all. (I realize many of you can knock most of that out in a week.. but remember, I'm just an amateur right now.) I am excited/scared/anxious/hopeful/worried/pumped all at the same time. Such a strange sensation. I'm kinda diggin' it :)

2. My car is sick :( My beautiful Acura TSX is having air conditioning issues and needs to go to the doctor. I have only had her for a little over a year, so why this is even occurring is beyond me. But regardless, even though fall is almost here and the weather should be cooling off in most places in the world, no AC in Southeast Texas is not an option in these parts. It is simply ludicrous. Torture. But the fact that my car is sick is not my biggest dilemma. My biggest dilemma in this situation is..... this weekend is Labor Day weekend!!! I, being one that loves to take full advantage of long weekends away from work, was planning on driving to Oklahoma to see my Dad and Step Mom and Maci (the little sis). Check them out below along with my little brother, Luke....

I have two options: (1.) Stay home and miss out on the long awaited fun-filled weekend with my dad, whom I have not seen since July 4th, my best-friend/step-mother, Alison and my precious little sister who is turning 5 tomorrow (not to mention who is growing up way too fast for me to keep up with!) as well as miss out on a long country run on Saturday with my Dad and lake time on the boat and a day at the horse races or (2.) Make the 8 hour drive circa-1950's style, sans-AC. [If you are wondering why I don't just fly.... well, it is because I am anticipating that extra funds for a plane ticket will be non-existent after spending all my money on repairing my damn car. (yes, that would be bitterness you are sensing right about now.)]

So I said to myself, "Self, people lived without air-conditioning for thousands and thousands of years. People even lived without air conditioners in their car for a while back in the day. When did western civilization become so dependant on Air Conditioning? You sweat on a daily basis because of your running addiction. No big deal. Is wearing a tank and some shorts and throwing back the sun roof for 8 hours (in the evening) going to kill you? Since when did you become such a Prima Donna?" So I have decided to make an adventure out of this and drive to Oklahoma on Friday with no AC, then drive back Monday and put my car in the shop on Tuesday. We'll see how this goes. I'll keep you posted.

3. I have another Girl's Night coming up on Thursday. This is an event that occurs about once a month. You can catch up on our last one here. I was in charge of coordinating this time.... This night will consist of me and about 17 other hot females abandoning their homes, husband's and offspring (or lack there of, in my case) for an evening filled with female companionship, food, festivities, wine and this time.... KARAOKE!! Can't wait to tell you all about it :)

Questions:

Is your love affair with Air Conditioning as solid as mine?

What are your Labor Day plans?