My fitness goals

I joined a gym a couple of weeks ago...3, actually. And since I did this, my fitness goals have blossomed. All I wanted to do was swim...but then I met with a trainer and she asked me what my fitness goals are. I had to think a lot about that, but I realized that I really just want to be in better shape so that when I get pregnant again it doesn't wreck my body like this time did! Then this morning I took a cardio test. This test required me to wear this oxygen mask so that it could measure how effectively I use oxygen while I'm running. I also wore a heart rate monitor. I started out walking, then the trainer slowly increased the speed until I was at a comfortable running pace. Then she started increasing the incline. She had me to until I couldn't go any longer and then she slowed it back down to walk and measured my recovery heartrate. What did I learn? I learned that my body is pretty inefficient when running. I mostly burn carbs/sugar, what I want is to burn fat. On this graph I want my black line to be REALLY high in Zone 1...that's the zone where my heartrate is lowest. In zone 1, I should be burning the most fat. And this line should be as high as possible for as long as possible. As I increase zones, my heartrate increases and my body naturally goes from burning fat to burning carbs/sugars. the goal is to burn fats though at higher heartrates. As you can see, I don't even start out burning much fat! What do I do about it? I have started a 12 week cardio plan. I will be emailed customized workouts according to these test results that are designed to teach my body to be more efficient and learn to burn more fat, especially at a higher heartrate. At the end of the 12 weeks, I take the cardio test again with the mask and all and then we'll compare my results. Stay tuned for that, it should be exciting! I'm hoping that not only does this help me to lose a little weight and get a little more fit, but that I am able to increase my running speed, as well as how long I can go before getting tired. If I can keep this kind of training up, I should be ready for next year's half marathon! This information has given me a renewed energy for running. I was stuck in a rut and had pretty much stopped, but with the possibility of improving my body and my efficiency, I am ready to keep going!

My Race Log

I started running at the end of August 2010. I could barely run 90 seconds at that point. Actually, I think one of the first times I went, I actually had to stop and sit down by the side of the road and put my head between my knees! I think at the time I blamed it on the weather...but I was seriously out of shape! Since then, I've dropped 2 pants sizes and am smaller than I was when I was 15!!

After less than 6 months, January 16, I ran in the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon and raised over $1500 for Phoenix Children's Hospital. That was a seriously hard thing to do! ...way harder than having a baby! But what a way to kick off my running "career" with a bang!

Since the half marathon, I've run with my friends from work in 2 different 10K races, both to benefit sick &/or disabled children. There has been talk of starting a running club to support each other by running together in various charity races around the valley, the state, maybe even out of state! But I wanted to start this running blog post just to keep track of the races I've run. I don't really care about times, so I won't include them...maybe someday they'll become important to me. For now it's a celebration in completing and participating in an event to raise money, raise awareness, raise spirits!

October 17, 2010 my first 5K at the State Fair

December 4, 2010 Boy Scouts 10K at Peoria Sports Complex

January 16, 2011 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon to raise money for PCH

January 29, 2011 London's Run at Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek

March 5, 2011 Run for Ryan House in Scottsdale

My first Half Marathon

I did it, I completed the Rock 'n Roll half marathon. I'm not gonna say I ran it, because I didn't, that is a whole different accomplishment. I'm just happy to finish. Why? Because that was the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life!!

I only trained for just under 5 months, and, for that short amount of time, I think I did pretty well. I was comfortable going about 6 miles and had gone 8.5 once. My goal in the half marathon was to run to 10, then see how I feel. I made it half way.

I should have taken the immodium they offered me.

I was hungry, I was thirsty, everything hurt. And just when I didn't think I could go any further, I passed the 20K marker and knew I was less than a mile away. I knew I had to make it, and I knew I had to run across the finish line. Here's a video of me crossing the finish line.

Action Sports International

I tell ya what though, running with a group like I did was the way to go. I got coached (which if I didn't have Sadie I would have taken advantage of the group runs every weekend) and weekly encouragements in my email. There was also one of our coaches near the end who came out and walked with me to make sure I was okay and that I didn't need anything. I didn't have to pay for registration. I got to meet at the children's hospital and ride the shuttle to the race, which is a big deal because there were like 60 thousand or something runners! I got to wear a special shirt showing that I was part of a team (even though I only saw one other person from my team on the course). And at the end I got food, water and gatorade, I got a place to sit and relax, and I got a mini massage!

I cried when I finished, mostly out of pain (you can probably see the anguish on my face if you watch the video closely), but by dinner time I was only walking a little more slowly than normal, and the next day I was hardly sore. At first I thought I'd be crazy to try something like this again, but now I want to train to run the entire thing (since I have a year instead of just 5 measly months to train). I think I can do it. I learned a lot from this experience. Next year (or next time) I will:

1. Run with a buddy. I saw a lot of people who were ready to give up, but their spouse/friend/dad/etc encouraged them to keep going. I think that would really help me.

2. Bring a granola bar. I saw a lot of people munching on something as they ran. That's probably what I needed to keep me going.

3. Make sure I've RUN the whole distance at least one time before. I had no idea how long 13.1 miles actually is!!

4. Take immodium. It sounds silly, and a little bit gross, but I think my tummy would have felt better if I had.

5. Wear more dryfit or nylon. I had cotton underwear and pants on, and I was SWEATY!!

All in all it was a good experience and I'm glad I did it. Thank you everyone for supporting me with your donation. I hope more people donate next year, there were a lot of my friends who didn't give and that made me a little sad. I'm trying to get Sadie to be the poster child for the event next year. And I'm also trying to get Brian to run with me!

Sadie's first New Year's Eve

Last night we participated in Midnight Madness. And madness was really what it was. I found this 3 mile race to run on New Years Eve months ago when I was looking for races to enter to prepare for my half marathon. I always planned on doing it. But then there was talk of Brian having to work on New Years...in Vegas. So, I called my friend and asked if she wanted to walk the course with me, after all, it said dogs and strollers welcome! We got it in our heads that we were going to do this. Then Brian's plans changed and he was going to be here after all...and we invited our husbands.

This was before we knew it was going to be the COLDEST week in Phoenix EVER!! Seriously, down to the 20s in the night, barely getting to 50 during the day. It's like we never left Oregon...except that it's dry. But if there were any kind of moisture, it would probably snow. How weird would that be?! Snow in Phoenix?! We majorly layered Sadie up: a onesie with socks up to her thighs, fleece footie jammies, pants and a sweatshirt, a fleece coat and mittens. She was still cold. One thing I learned though is that the weighted blanket actually makes you COLDER if it's cold outside, because it's filled with glass beads. So, those get cold and make the fabric cold. Good thing we brought a different blanket also!

Anyway, the race didn't start until 10:30. Sadie whined for about the first mile, then the screaming started. She was cold and tired (and she can't just fall asleep in her stroller...how I long for the day she is able to put herself to sleep!) and she wasn't having ANY of this 3 miles of walking business! So, we finally just ditched our friends and started running. Then I carried her for the last half mile or so.

When we finally reached the finish line, I held her tight, put the pacifier in her mouth, and she was out in seconds. Silly baby. On the way home, I sat in the back with her and held the pacifier in her mouth (she's still learning how to keep it in there herself), and she fell back asleep. It was nice that she was so tired because when we got home, we were all able to just go to bed...no hours of bouncing and nursing trying to get her to sleep. And I held her tight under the covers because the poor thing was SO COLD!

My first 10K

Once again, I'm behind...I ran a 10K on December 4th, almost 3 weeks ago. 10K is 6.2 miles and I had never run that far until that day. It was good for me, boosted my confidence.

It was a cold morning and I actually went in the bathroom and put my hands under the dryer to warm them up! And I did a lot of walking around, trying to stretch and stay warm. I was by myself, Brian promised that he and Sadie would meet me at the finish line. By the time the race started, it warmed up a little, but I still ran the whole way in pants and long sleeves.

The course was NOT flat, there were 2 hills and I had to run through gravel. One lady was running with a stoller and had to walk through the gravel. She and her husband ran with me a lot of the way, but they picked up the pace at the end and ended up way ahead of me. It was all I could do just to finish.

I wanted to stop so badly at the end, but in my head it was silly to quit when I could SEE the finish line! And as I was coming in, there were lots of people cheering me on, so that made me feel good. I think what helped the most though was that every K was marked, and it was an out and back course. So, I could keep track of how far I'd gone, and I could feel how close I was because I'd seen all this before.

Less than a month until I run the half marathon. I am nervous. I don't expect to run the whole thing, my goal is to run 10 miles before I have to walk. And I even kind of think that, depending on how I feel, if I can make it 10 miles, I can psyche myself into a couple more...maybe even 3 more! There's still plenty of time to donate, and in this season of giving, there's no better present you can give than hope to many children like Sadie at Phoenix Children's Hospital. Please consider giving something, no gift is too small.

I will try not to wait so long to tell you about my half marathon!!

Miracles in Motion

Saturday night Brian and I did something we've only done twice since Sadie was born...we went out as adults, without Sadie. In fact, Saturday night we attended the kick-off party for Miracles in Motion.

Miracles in Motion is the name of the fundraiser I have joined up with to raise money for Phoenix Children's Hospital. I am training to run a half marathon (13.1 miles) in January, in fact 3 days before Sadie's first birthday...which is part of what makes this event so special. Saturday night we learned a lot about the Children's Hospital's financial needs and why it is so important that we raise this money (aside from the obvious emotional connection we have to this hospital, who we believe saved Sadie's life).

* Phoenix Children's Hospital was started in 1983 and is now one of the 10 largest children's hospitals in the country.

*Phoenix Children's Hospital has Centers of Excellence in Noenatology, Hematology/oncology, Neurosciences, Cardiac services, Orthopaedics, and Level 1 trauma. They also offer world-class care in 40 sub-specialty fields.

*Phoenix is the nation's 5th largest city and continues to grow. Phoenix Children's Hospital, in preparation for the 1.5 million children estimated to live here by 2030 is building a $588 million expansion.

*This new expansion is in the form of an 11-story tower including private ICU rooms, 12 additional operating rooms, 1500 new parking spaces, 626 more beds, 520 beds in private rooms for children and their families.

* Phoenix Children's Hospital is Arizona's ONLY licensed children's hospital.

*The Bill Holt Clinic at Phoenix Children's Hospital currently serves about 270 children living with HIV.

* More than 550 pediatric heart surgeries took place in 2007.

So, as you can see, Phoenix Children's Hospital is doing great things for children in not just the Phoenix area, but in surrounding areas as well. When we were in the NICU, we heard they were flying in a baby from Las Vegas! I also know that there are many families that come from Flagstaff, Prescott, and various other cities in Arizona. Brian and I discussed the expansion, and while it's great that they are expanding, we found it a little sad as well that it's needed. But we know they are helping a lot of children, and we also know how nice it'll be for families to have private rooms.

Please support me in my efforts to not only run a half marathon, but to raise money for this hospital. They saved Sadie's life by using cutting edge technology, they've declared Sadie seizure free through their epilepsy monitoring unit, we see our pediatrician there, we go there for tests, it is a very important place for us. Any amount will be appreciated.

Thanks

A Helping Hand

If you remember, I started the Couch to 5K program back in April? May? I can't remember. Anyway, it all went south when we encountered sleeping problems. You see, where we live it's not uncommon for the temperature in the summer to be well over 100 degrees. Often it's over 110. So, for me to go running it had to be EARLY in the morning when the weather is coolest. And even then it was still in the 80s, that's just about as cool as we get...if we're lucky. So, as you can imagine, if I'd be up with an awake baby for 3 hours in the night and was just thinking about getting back to bed at 4:30 (or sometimes 6:00) there was no possible way I could have gone running at 5:30!

Excuses, excuses, I know. And I'd even bought a fancy new pair of running shoes.

Well recently I've upped the ante. I'm not only shooting for 5K, or even 10K, now I'm looking to run a half marathon. Why? you ask. Because it's for a good cause.

When Sadie was born, she spent her first week of life at the Phoenix Children's Hospital (PCH) in the NICU. We were blessed by this hospital and their staff, and we continue to conduct Sadie's business there. We even drove the extra distance to PCH when Sadie had her overdose (for which we've decided to sue, by the way) because I knew they'd have the best care for a baby, and because I knew they'd be able to find all our information without me having to explain everything. They are so great there. In fact, there are no words to express how great they are.

PCH gives hope where there is none.

PCH works miracles in the lives of children, the faces of our future.

PCH save families.

PCH cares about every little toe and finger of every child in their care.

PCH strives to give the best even to those who can't afford the best.

PCH understands how hard parents work to give their children the best.

PCH goes out of their way to make you feel at home, when they know you are so far from it.

PCH wants to make you smile, even in crisis.

PCH gives hugs for free.

Do I need to go on? I feel like I could do this for pages and pages!

So, here's the deal. Every January Phoenix hosts the PF Chang's Rock 'n Roll Marathon. And PCH takes this opportunity to fundraise. I have teamed up with PCH and committed to raising $1500, as well as to run a half marathon on January 16 (3 days before Sadie's first birthday). It's the perfect combination of celebrating Sadie's life as well as giving back to those who allowed her to experience life. But it's going to be a lot of hard work for me. However, as we come down off the hot weather, and as we seem to be getting better at sleeping, I have plain run out of excuses so I'd better get my butt in gear.

All the while, I'd like to ask you for help as well! First of all, pray for me. I know many of you already pray for Sadie, possibly our family, so I'd ask that you add my physical health and motivation to your list. Second, I'd really appreciate it if you'd consider donating to PCH on my behalf, on Sadie's behalf. I've committed to raising $1500 by November 16, and personally, I think I can raise twice as much!! So, please help me reach my goal. Show your appreciation for what they've done for Sadie and what they're doing for hundreds, thousands of other children.

You can click on the button below and it'll take you to my fundraising page where it's safe and secure to give. Give anonymously or put in your name, it doesn't matter, it's not about showing off. But please, support us in any way you can.