Chicken Run

Two days ago one of my dogs (not my favorite) cornered one of my chickens and caused some damage. I actually thought the chicken had died, but when I went to "take care" of her, she was still breathing and was actually still standing. She was in pretty bad shape, I really didn't think she would make it....but I have a soft spot for animals (this is why I still have that annoying dog) so I wrapped her up, gave her some first aid and antibiotics and hoped she would make it. She is actually doing quite well now, 2 days later and has been nesting in a box on my treadmill in the garage with a heat lamp for warmth. I think I will put her back in her coop tomorrow. I needed to get a run in tonight, so I gently moved her box next to the treadmill and she kept me company.

I ran 3 miles in just under 30 minutes, then did 40 minutes of walking with interval inclines to burn just under 700 calories in total. Whoop!

So I have a little over 2 weeks until Shamrock'N Half. I'm pretty excited for it! My first half was Lake Tahoe, which was soooo hard with the hills and elevation. This one is flat and in my home town so I know I will have a much better time......unless I get hurt or something. I shouldn't say that, I may jinx myself!

My workout schedule for the next week:

• Friday - 60 min Treadmill w/ incline intervals & strength


• Saturday - 5 mile pace run


• Sunday - 11 mile run


• Monday - Stretch & Strength Training


• Tuesday - 5 mile run


• Wednesday - 10x400 pace intervals


• Thursday - 60 min Treadmill w/ incline intervals & strength

Now that it is written, I'm committed.

New Name

My original intentions for this blog was to write about my goats - well that can get old fast. Goats can provide lots of entertainment, but there are long stretches of months with no excitement....and even when there is excitement, not necessarily something most people would be interested in. Really, do most people care when I trim my goats hooves, shear them, when my bucks are fighting or trying to mate with their daughters? Probably not. I think I actually only posted once about my goats (about 1 1/2 years ago).

I picked up my blog again a few months back, and have actually managed to post regularly about my running and other life issues - but my blog name didn't really seem to fit anymore. Thus the name change. I'm going with "Running My Life" because:

a) I am trying to be more organized in my family/life/household management.
b) I am running - no brainer

I hope it isn't too cliche, but I guess I can change it again if I decide it is too corny later.

And I still might have to post a few pictures of some cute goat babies soon since I have six does that are due next month....but hey, that is my prerogative.

Malfunction Monday

Today nothing went as planned, but it turned out to be a pretty good day. I was planning on going into my office today, but I didn't leave my house until 9:30 to drop the girls off at the baby sitter's house. On the way there I spoke to my husband and found out he needed my help so I promised him I would go back home and help him remotely. While home, I ended up prodding my 15 year old into getting her latest assignment done. She has been ill for 4 months with a mystery stomach ailment that we can't seem to get diagnosed, so she is having to do independent study since she was missing so much school. Anyway, it is like pulling teeth sometimes to get her out of bed and get her focused - today the best way was for me to sit in her room with her and talk her through her work.

I didn't really get done with that until after noon, so I decided to do my work-work from home too. I did manage to put in a few hours.

Since I was home.....(this is why working from home is hard), I decided I had better get my long run in. I missed it yesterday since we went to IKEA. I have never been to IKEA before and had no idea it is like spending the day at an amusement park. We were there a good 3-4 hours, and by the time I got home I was exhausted - no energy to run - and went to bed early.

Anyway, back to the run. I started to get my gear together, and discovered somehow all of my songs had been deleted from my ipod (I strongly suspect a certain 3 year old). OK, so I grabbed my husband's old archaic original ipod, knowing I would have to carry it the whole way (won't fit my armband) which I knew would be a little tedious since I had 10 miles planned. Oh well, better than no tunes. Then I put my Garmin on, and it warned me it had a low battery (why can't I remember to rest it on the charger)! I strapped it on anyway hoping it would last and set off. Nope, about 3/4 of a mile in it died. Shoot, but luckily I was running laps around the reservoir at the end of my street, and I know the mileage - .63 miles per lap. So I took the next lap and 1/2 trying to figure out how many laps it would take to get to my 10 miles (yes, I'm an accountant, but I am useless without a 10-key). Once I got that figured out, I had to decide how to keep track of my laps.....do I collect a pine cone for each lap or trust this 40 year old, overloaded mom of 3 kids brain to keep track! I decided to take the riskier option, and chanted each lap in my head over and over so I wouldn't slip up. I did okay with this method, only had problems with laps 6 and 7 - 6 laps down 7 to go, or 7 laps down 6 to go.....but I think I kept it straight. Every song that came up on my hubby's ipod was slow too, it is hard to keep a good pace to Sarah McLaughlin - that is bathtub music, not running music! and my hands did cramp up a little holding that big ol' heavy ipod.

All things considered though it was a good run, I have no idea how fast I went but I think I kept a decent pace, and I did my 10 miles. It really felt great to be out there and the weather was perfect.

An update on the diet front, no wine since Friday and no diet coke for a little over two weeks. This appears to be working, I think I am down 2 pounds already. I may have been a little bloated when I started, and I have lost these 2 pounds before. I'm encouraged.

Make A New Plan Stan

About every two years or so, my life seems to get crazy enough that I have to regroup. Usually, that involves getting rid of activities that take more time then benefit they provide. I feel like I am at one of those moments, but I don't want to rid myself of any of my activities or responsibilities. So I am trying to get more organized rather than purging activities. I bought a "brain" book to keep a schedule of all my activities, work schedule and appointments. My husband said I should get an i-phone, he has one (of course).....but I just like writing things down, keep it simple, and I'm not really into gadgets (unless they are for running he-he). I like the simplicity of the month-at-a-glance calendar looks, and it comforts me to see I actually do have time to fit things in. I hope this gets me back on track and not feeling so scattered. Plus, then I can see I am getting things done, since I can check them off in my handy dandy notebook.

I also need to get back on track with my body....enough is enough. I know I am exercising enough. So I bought a notebook to start keeping a food journal. I've decided to cut out all the diet crap drinks and fake sugars - which I have been really good at for the past week and a half, but the pounds haven't miraculously disappeared yet. I am also curbing my alcohol consumption - at least until my half marathon next month. Darn it, I love wine....but I am sure it will help me lose some weight, and it will probably make my training go better too. Wine and Diet soda's are probably my worst eating habits, so I hope this will make a difference. This is the plan for the next 3 weeks.

Oh crap, as I am writing this Charlotte came up and patted my tummy and said "You are having a baby, right mommy?" No, just fat.....I've never had belly fat before, I hate it! It is the kids fault though, two kids in eighteen months is brutal on your body. The wine doesn't help either, and the age factor. Crap. I almost took before pictures yesterday, but I didn't. When I look in the mirror I don't think I look that bad, but it must be an optical illusion. The scale is not my friend right now. I need to lose 20 pounds, and then maybe a little more.....

I ran four miles yesterday on the treadmill in 41:36 (10:24 pace).......but I won't be making my 90 mile goal, I'll probably have more like 75. Mostly because I have been sick a good portion of the first 3 weeks of this month, so I am okay with it....I'll just do it next month :)

Dragging Butt

I was suppose to do a 10 mile run on Sunday, I put it off until today (Monday) - and I only made it 3.5 miles. I am just pooped! I think my flu bug I had last week and the week before is still kicking me in the pants. I just feel really fatigued all over my body, but especially in my legs. I am going to shoot for 10 again tomorrow - but we will see. My body isn't cooperating right now.

I actually think I am overextending myself right now. I am doing too many things, and not doing any of them well. Currently on my task list

1. Mom & wife & household management (unlimited time demands)
2. Part-time job (about 20 - 24 hours a week)
3. Also have a handful of accounting clients I take care of on the side (4-10 hours a week)
4. Goat farm (2-10 hours a week)
5. Treasurer for goat association (5-8 hours a week)
6. Running (5 -6 hours a week)
7. Reading blogs/updating mine (lots of unaccounted for time)

I just don't know how to streamline my time. Do I need better organization? Or do I need to cut something out? I actually think I like being overextended because I always put myself in this position. I can purge activities, but they always build up again.....and there are certain obsessions that are theraputic and I won't give up. Sometimes I just don't understand why I do this to myself though, I feel pulled in so many directions. Do I thrive on stress?

Midnight Poster

It is ten to midnight, and this is the first chance I have had today to get on my computer.....busy, busy. Non-stop stuff since seven a.m. this morning. I started by compiling a load of accumulated unwanted stuff to go to Salvation Army. What a cool thing this is, you can get on there website and type in your address, the day you want them to come out, and what you will be donating....you don't have to talk to anyone! This is right up my hermit alley! They don't even come to your door, you leave your stuff in the driveway and they leave a pre-printed receipt on your porch. Love It! And I purged my home of an 8x4x4 area of stuff - mostly kids toys. That was great. So I had to make sure I had everything in my driveway first thing this morning.

Then I became Susie Homemaker, serious I felt like Donna Reed today (only not as calm, she made it look easy). I actually watched "The Donna Reed Show" obsessively as a teenager. I would stay up late and watch all the reruns. Anyway, I did several loads of laundry (but somehow several more have appeared now that I am posting this), fed kids (and cleaned up after them) multiple times, dishes.....you know same old, same old. Anyway, around 11:00 a.m. I sat down to fold a load of laundry and flipped on Rachel Ray's 30 minute meal and Charlotte says "That looks good, let's make that for dinner" Score - dinner planned. Then another show came on after that which gave 3 dinners in 15 minutes, one shopping trip. Ok, I'm all over that. I've really been wanting to get more organized in meal planning and shopping, so this is a good start for me. I shopped for and planned out four dinners today.

The dinner I made tonite from Rachel Ray's show was great, I highly recommend both the salad and the chile mac. I actually modified the chile mac by using ground turkey rather than beef, low-sodium chicken stock instead of beef stock, and no chile powder (girls no like spicey). Rachel's version is call 3 Alarm Italian Style Chile Mac. My version is called Smoke Alarm Chile Mac, since I removed the spice and managed to set off the smoke alarm while cooking (but I didn't burn it)! Yummy and I think pretty healthy, other than the cheese topping. It was an all out family hit, and I was able to make both the salad and the chile mac in 30 minutes as promised.

Anyway, I did manage to fit in a 5 mile treadmill run tonight at around 9 p.m. - my total time was 52.22, an easy 10.26 pace. So now I am at 25.57 miles so far for the month, about 28% of my 90 mile goal. Woohoo! Now it is 12:30, better hit the sack I need to work tomorrow.

Sweetheart Shuffle Race Report

Warning: Much of this post is a figment of my imagination, based on actual events.

Done! Another race under my belt. After great consideration, I decided to hire a trainer for this run - Bob Harper. Not because he is a "hot" nice guy, purely for the motivation, and to work on my form.....

I almost picked up Jillian, she is such a badass! But I think for me she is just a little too in your face and Bob will be able to push me to my best.

Then I decided I needed a pacer, enter David Beckham. I would have ran with my hubby, but he doesn't run so Posh had to share today. This was probably a mistake, because the guy couldn't keep his shirt on. He kept ripping off the Sweatheart t-shirts I gave him - hmmmn! And I think Bob's competitive side may have come out because his shirt started coming off too. Seriously, there were shirts flying everywhere and six-pack abs galore. The things we runners have to endure. So needless to say I was a bit distracted during my race but here is how things went:

Since I have been a bit under the weather the last week I decided to stick close to home and run my nine as laps around the local reservoir. This is a half mile from my house, and .63 miles around - so if I started feeling ill I wouldn't bee too far from home, ended up being a wise choice.

The first two miles were a struggle, my lungs were struggling and I just had a hard time getting moving. By 3.5 miles I decided I better head home, hydrate, and finish up my nine up at home on the treadmill. At mile 3.8 Elvis showed up and started singing "A Little Less Conversation" which always puts a little kick in my step. He must have been jealous of all the commotion Bob and David were making. I got home at mile 4.57 with and average pace of 12:08, total time of 55:31.

Grabbed a vitamin water, hacked up a lung, change out of my skirt (bad chafing today!) into some shorts, and hopped on the treadmill, where I started kicking it up a notch. My average pace on the second half (4.43 miles) of my run was 10:01, total of 44.34.

Making my grand total for the nine 1:40:05 ran on the 10th. Thanks Nancy for co-ordinating and for making me run when I probably wouldn't have!

Packages

What is with packaging these days! Why does it have to be so difficult to get a friggin Barbie out of the box! It takes like 20 minutes to cut, untie, etc every single device they have to secure these dolls~it is like Barbie has joined the CIA! I just don't get the point.

And I can't get my darn Theraflu out of the package! I need my Theraflu!

Best Husband Eva

Still sick. My dear husband called me up today offering to take the three girls out so I could have some peaceful rest. Once he told me this I decided I better take a nap to rest up for my "peaceful" time, so I talked the girls into watching a little Spongebob in my bedroom while I dozed in and out of consciousness. I know, not the best mom - a little selfish, well actually a lot.

For my peaceful time I decided to go for a run. I don't think this is what my husband quite had in mind, but my logic is that I need to sweat out some of the crud that has lodged in my head and chest. It was a hard run, much slower than my last and I sweated MAO (I wish). Seriously though, I thought I was going to pass out, and my lungs hurt so bad! When I was done, sweat was actually pouring down my face into my eyes. Weird - I only did three miles, between 9 1/2 to 11 minute pace, and I didn't have this type of sweating with my previous run which was longer and at a faster pace. I followed it up with a nice soak in my new tub, solo this time.

I'm hoping I feel better tomorrow so I can run a decent time for Nancy's Nine on the Ninth, if not I may need to hold off until Sunday to do this race. I;m excited about this run though because I have a hot pacer and cool trainer.

So after three hours of quiet time, the family arrived home. Chuck spoiled the girls sufficiently with princess makeovers at the local strip mall and and a new cell phone for the teenager. Best of all he brought me home a bottle of wine to help with the sore throat. What a guy.

Sick Day

Everyone in my house was sick today (except my hubby - thank goodness because he is the biggest baby!), we still got stuff done though - I still went to work for a few hours, my girls still drove me crazy.

First the business, I did a five mile treadmill run tonight:

mile 1 - 10:53

mile 2 - 9:59

mile 3 - 9:56

mile 4 - 9:46

mile 5 - 9:31

Total time - 50:05

That felt pretty good. I'm happy that my time is improving, especially considering I have been sick. So I've done 10% of my 90 mile goal this month- I need to get serious. I can do it though, especially since I have 9 - 11 mile longs runs coming up on the weekends.

I topped off my run today with my first bath in my brand new tub! (AAAHHHH) I wish I had sound effects on my blog, because if I did that aaahhh would sound like the angels of heaven singing in perfect harmony.

The bath wasn't quite as long as I would have liked because both Char and Delaney decided to join me, and they get a little crazy - but we did all fit comfortably.

Things that made me laugh today:

Delaney's dinner, can't wait till she's a teenager! She is only five and she is all over being healthy (Char on the other hand loves her snacks). I swear Delaney arranged this plate herself - it is actually (since the picture isn't very clear) three bean pods, some soy beans, and one teeny tiny broccoli on a bed of rice. Yes, Delaney is making a goofy face. Don't worry, she is not malnourished - she gets plenty of protein and fats in her diet too, since she is a growing girl.

My Border Collie, Zoe sleeping on my mini dauchunds bed. Silly dog.

Char's cross-eyed, mad face. Char was in a particularly bad mood today, sick. She was donned Queen Crabby Patty for the day. The only way I got her to laugh was to pretend to eat her Crabby Patty tummy.

A Bright, Bright Sunshiney Day

I had a cleansing run today. It wasn't a good run, but it felt like it cleared a bunch of junk out of me. January was rough weather, rough health, and rough emotions. It has rained everyday here for the last two weeks (but it feels like a month), our remodel has put a lot of stress on our household, and everyone has been sick the last week - including me. So I struggled this morning deciding to put my running shoes on, because I knew I wouldn't run well, but I also knew it would make me feel better. The day started with some welcome rays of sunshine though, and they called me out of my house winning over my hesitation.

The first mile and a half were rough, my lungs felt tight, my back was achy, lots of mud puddles an muck to negotiate. Then Johnny Nash came on my ipod, "I Can See Clearly Now, the Rain is Gone" - it felt like a new beginning. This song isn't on my running playlist, but I messed up my settings when I started my run and didn't want to stop and fix it. It was the perfect day for this song. I played the song two more times, and let all the gunk work it way out of me. I ran faster, left the bad stuff in the mud and finished my four miles faster than I started.

I've been stuggling with setting my running goal for the month....I want 90 miles, but then I struggle with if I really have the time to fit those miles in. Am I suppose to count the miles I walk for warm-up and cooling down in my total mileage? I feel like I'm cheating if I do this.

Who Knew?

I never would have guessed a year ago, 10 years ago that i would engoy the cyber company of all the blogs I visit daily. All the women i feel a kinship with via running, momisms, etc. Thank you Al Gore for inventing the internet.