Blah Blah Blah!

I have definately been blogger challenged lately... in the fact that I feel like I have nothing to write about... We are just cruisin' along doing the same old stuff. But as I was running tonight I was thinking I guess I could just throw some random things out there so you all know I am still alive and kickin!

*I have started running. For real this time. I've gone through short phases where I do a little jogging on the treadmill, but in the back of my mind I've always thought... "I am so not a runner!" But I have seen the light. I am really enjoying it now. I think for a couple of reasons. The first is that I have a purpose and a goal, I do much better with direction. I am training for a relay race that is in April. I have never done any kind of running event, and so I am surprised my sister even asked me to do it. But she, Michelle, called one day and said that her sister in law was trying to put together a team of 12 girls to do a 200 mile race from Santa Barbara, down the Pacific Coast Highway to Dana Point. Each person does 3 legs over the course of 24-30 hours. Each leg is about 5 miles, so you do a total of about 15 miles. Some legs are a little longer, some are a little shorter. (I have an easier one) Anyway, as soon as she mentioned it I got so excited! Which is odd, I don't usually get excited about running kinds of things, but if ever something is going to get me to run, its doing it along the beach in sunny CalifornIA! So I have been training. I finally got serious about it last week and did 2 3 mile runs and a 5 mile one. Then this week I've jogged every day. I want to get in 27-30 miles this week!

* I am also reading this book... its by Dean Karnazes. His first book is called The Ultra Marathon Man. The guy takes off one night, when he turns 30, and just runs. For 30 MILES! He calls his wife at 4 in the morning and says "I need you to come get me, I'm at 7-11" she is thinking "sure, like 7_11 on clearwater?" and he says "No, 7-11 in Grandview!" (not really he lives in California, but you get the gist.) Anyway, he runs and runs and runs. Does a 100 mile race through the mountains in California. He does a 200 mile relay race, like what we are doing, by himself. Runs the whole thing alone! (It takes him like 50 hours or something.) Anyway, he has totally motivated and inspired me. He says one of his coaches told him, "If it feels good you aren't going hard enough! Its supposed to hurt!" and "Don't run with your legs, run with your heart!" In the book I'm reading now, he runs 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states. The guy is an animal!

* So having said that... I am finally telling myself that I am a runner. I may be a slow one and not look super cool doing it, but I am a runner none the less. And I think I want to be forever. I think I have found a new passion. Today, I was a little sore so I was going to take the day off, but I couldn't... After the kids went to bed I hopped on the treadmill while watching the Biggest Loser and pretended I was running along the river. It really does make you feel GOOD!

* So my weight loss... you'd think with all this excercise I'd still be losing weight... Not the case so far. I was up 2 pounds today from last week, which is so frusterating! I am off of the HCg shots, which is what I've been doing to lose weight. I like doing them, but they weren't working so good with trying to run. So I stopped this week, hoping I would have better results, and am trying to not freak out that I was up today! I still really want to drop another 20 pounds before the race... so we will see. I am down a total of 57 from last year! So that is good!

I think that's about it. I sure went on for a long time, for not having anything to say, huh? Hey, if anyone has a good team name for us let me know. We are all girls and looking for a fun name! What do you think of Women High On Running?! Thats one of my favorite so far!