A Race, Shoveling, Friends, & Framing

After I ran my half marathon, I was hoping for some good R&R for the rest of the day, but because of our construction schedule, I wasn't allowed to do so. I guess it's my fault for scheduling things so close, but I really want to get this house done as soon as possible!

My half marathon was on a Saturday and the driveway and porch crew were coming the following Monday. Luckily we went home first so I could soak in ice cold water for 45 minutes before we headed to the lot for shoveling. Surprisingly I had enough energy to help him to the end. This picture shows the finished product.We also finished preparing the porch/stair area as well so that it could all be poured at once. You can see how the stairs will wrap from the driveway up to the porch.
The framers finished the roof and just have a few things left!
Laundry Room.
Guest bedroom done.
Guest bathroom.
Master Bedroom.

Looking down from upstairs into entry way area and piano room.

Looking out the master bedroom bay window.
Our view from our bedroom... and yes it includes a street lamp.... ggrrrr... atleast everything else is beautiful! Our master bathroom! I'm standing where the jetted tub will be... I think it will be one of my favorite features after a long run. Don't mind the ridiculous pose.
Nursery for a future baby someday. (No that's not an announcement)
Office.
Carson is standing in the hallway area heading downstairs. I am standing 3 steps higher in the Master bedroom.
dCarson is standing on the landing that goes into our master bedroom.This shot is from the landing going into the Master looking down into the entry way. You can see the framed area for the front door below and then another framed box for the window above it.

Front view with our friends Jeff and Keri. They wanted to see the progress on our house, so we rode over with them and did a walk through.
After we had toured the house, we went back to their place and had a great time playing games and eating goodies. I was especially grateful for the goodies, because this whole post happened on my half marathon day, so as you can imagine I was STARVING by the end. Thank goodness for families who believe in having candybars always in stock! We enjoyed Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and Kit Kats! I know I know... not the best food to repair your body after you've run 13.1 miles and shoveled a bunch of gravel, but hey! Atleast it gave me the energy to slam dunk some points on the Wii! I love this picture of Keri and her daughter Gracie.

Half Marathon #2 Completed!

So you may remember back in July that I posted I was training for another half marathon. By blogging about it, I definitely felt pressure and accountability. I also posted some of my training, but then forgot to keep track, although I was continuing to train. I had to take a few days off each week due to an injured knee. Several of my family members, including my husband, felt it was not wise for me to run the half marathon with the condition of my knee, but I just couldn't stop something I had already committed to. If I set a goal, I have to accomplish it... I can't flake out and not see the end reward. Once I commit to something, I am 100% committed and there is no going back, no matter the pain or tears along the way... I have to see progress and accomplishment in my life or else I go INSANE! So against their loving advice, I ran the Half Marathon on Saturday, August 24th. I took plenty of Glucosamine, rested well the week of, and bought a knee brace to help support. Here are some pics Carson took towards the finish line.

If you look on the ramp, you will see a little pink blog. That's me!
Thirteen miles were completed by this point. Only .1 left to go!Only a husband would think to take a picture of your rear as your running... oh how I hate this shot. At least you can see the orange cone marking the finish line. They gave me a cool gold medal when I crossed the finish line. I wish I could say I had a gold medal time, but I didn't. However, I finished about 30 seconds per mile faster than my first half marathon. I am still slow, but that was huge improvement for me. My knee was killing by the end, but I soaked it in an ice cold bath for 45 minutes after and stayed off it for several days, which helped. I also promised to go see a doctor before I do another race. All in all, it was another fabulous experience and I can't wait to do another one!

Training Accountability

So here's the accountability I owe you on my half marathon training for last week. (If you ever want pressure on a goal, just blog it and you will feel it!) I ran 18 miles and did at least 25 hours of dirt work on our lot. (That blog is to come!) Since we put in 11 of those hours on Saturday when I was supposed to run 5 miles, I let that count for my training for the day.... I know I know I should have still ran the 5 miles with no excuses, but I was pretty wiped out after 11 hours.

This week has started off rough because MY IPOD DIED! AAAAHH! I don't last very long running without music, and I also use the nike plus system to track my miles and average pace... without that I am clueless how far I have run and how I am doing on time-- so hence I have not done any mileage yet this week, but I plan to double duty as soon as we buy a new ipod! If any of you have any suggestions on how to kickstart a dead ipod, let me know!

By the way, if you own an ipod and like to run/walk for exercise, Nike Plus is an awesome system that can hook up right to your ipod and shoe to track your miles and average pace. I don't like to run in Nike shoes and prefer Asics for training, so I found a running store in Utah that sells little pouch holders for the Nike chip so you can attach it to your shoelaces! That way you can wear whatever sneakers you want and still get the benefits of Nike Plus! I've had my Nike plus system now for 1 1/2 years and I have LOVED it. It makes training for any type of race so much easier. Granted they are not perfectly accurate, but close enough to make it worth while. I bought it for $30 and it's been $30 well spent!

Half Marathon #2

I love working out! Any type of working out! I love to be active. I would much rather throw a football, go for a run, do some hiking, or lift weights than sit on my duff and watch TV. When the TV's on, I find myself wondering what I could be doing that would burn some calories rather than letting them all accumulate. It is true I have a hard time staying still, and I really dislike TV. If I could be outside all day every day being active, I would! I love it! I especially love running. There's something about feeling the wind on my face and the warmth of the sun and enjoying God's creations while sweating my guts out! I love it! I especially love running trails in the mountains where I can enjoy the rocks and greenery and have time to think. I also like that it is an independent sport where you can see your personal improvement. Your growth depends on your self-motivation and determination to progress. It's a way you can check-mark an accomplishment each day, especially if you beat your time from your previous workout.

I ran the Hobble Creek Half Marathon last August and had a fabulous experience. It was so rewarding to train hard for something and to follow through. I made a goal last year that I would run at least one half marathon every year, and hopefully some day graduate to a marathon each year. Well, in August it will be a year, which means I only have a little over a month left! I have started training for the Green River Half Marathon up here in Wyoming. I'm really excited about this one because it's on dirt trails instead of a paved road, and you get to see wild horses running beside you-- hence the name, "Run With the Horses Half Marathon." I also like the idea of being held accountable for my decision, so I've decided to blog my total mileage each week. That way, you can put some pressure on me to make sure I get all the miles in I'm supposed to each week! Feel free to check up and ask if I'm still on track!

Here's my training log:

DATE DAILY MILES WEEKLY TOTAL
July 14-19 8 mile run, 4 mile run, 5 mile run, 4 mile run 21 miles
July 21-26 8 mile run, 5 mile run, 5 mile run, 5 mile run 23 miles
July 28-Aug 2 9 mile run, 5 mile run, 5 mile run, 5 mile run 24 miles
Aug 4-9 9 mile run, 4 mile run, 4 mile run, 6 mile run, 3 mile run 26 miles
Aug 11-16 10 mile run, 4 mile run, 5 mile run, 6 mile run, 3 mile run 28 miles
Aug 18-23 3 mile run, 3 mile run, 5 mile run, HALF MARATHON (13.1 mile run) 24 miles/ RACE DAY

Report for July 14-19: I ran 18 miles this week, but needed 21. I missed a day of running because I drove down to Utah and didn't have time that day. I'll try and put the extra 3 miles somewhere else.

By the way, if any of you are runner lovers out there, http://www.runnersworld.com/ is where I got this training log. Look for SmartCoach on the front page. You type in all of your information for a recent race and how hard you want to train, and it spits out a computerized schedule for you that fits your goals! It also has you train with speedwork and tempo runs to help get your times faster.