THE Marathon is in my radar!

It is official and it has been decided.....I will sign up to run the San Diego Rock 'N Roll Marathon on June 5, 2011. The original goal was to run a Marathon (26 miles!) before I turned 40 and come June 5, I will be realizing that dream.

I will continue to train with the running club to ensure that I have enough miles under my belt to actually successfully complete the race. They start back up, hot and heavy, come January. So, until then, I will run on my own, on my treadmill, several times a week.

With each run, I am a step closer to June 5. This has been a goal in the making for about two years. As I look back, I am surprised at the progress I have made, especially considering that throughout my entire life I was never ever able to run any length or distance. I used to joke that I couldn't even run to the bathroom! It came as a large surprise to me that I was ever able to run without stopping. I owe my inspiration and thanks to my brother Doran and his partner, Imin. They were supportive and encouraging, offering me guidance and helpful tips!

I am hoping that one or both of them will be able to run the marathon with me, keep your fingers crossed for me! My brother, Doran, ran the 1/2 Marathon with me in 2010. It was great to have someone by my side at the starting line!

Day # Since the Beginning? IDK

So I think I am tracking my day numbers in the wrong way. I started out on day one counting up and I think I should have a count down to when I turn 40.  The ultimate goal is to run a marathon and several half marathons before I turn 40. So, going forward, I will count down to 40 years old and I will also advise how many days until the next race. I think that makes more sense.

Currently, I am scheduled to run a Half Marathon on June 6, 2010. I will be participating in the San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon. This is the first year that the half is offered and I am glad that it is. I am currently running in a schedule where every week I have to up my distance by one mile until I reach the infamous 13 miles.

I noticed a bit ago that I was using the Nike Plus system to track my distances and there was a slight variation from the distance logged by my treadmill. This was relatively insignificant when I was running a few miles. On Saturday my treadmill logged 6 miles and Nike Plus logged 7 miles.  My goal for the day was 6 miles so as long as both said at least 6 miles, I was confident I ran at least 6 miles. If I ran more, no harm no foul. I just really didn't want to cheat myself.

It took me forever to log the 6 miles on the treadmill. I wasn't sure I was ever going to get there. It actually got a little bit boring just running and running and running in my garage by myself.  To assist in the future, I went ahead and got some new music for my ipod that should help entertain me.

I felt like I was starving for the rest of the weekend. Ha I still wonder if it is merely psychosymatic or not. Come Sunday morning, I went for about a 1.5 mile walk to loosen up my legs and lower back. It was much needed and helped with some of the dull soreness.

Despite the challenges to the running schedule, it is truly something I enjoy. I continue to be amazed at this concept. I - LOVE - RUNNING

........I am such a nerd  : )

Day # I'm still not sure

Cooking vegan at home is great. I think I modify or 'invent' a new recipe a week. It is a constant trial and error process which I love as I am constantly learning what works best together in terms of flavors and consistency. I made banana chocolate chip muffins that my non-vegan friends LOVED. Can I admit that I neglected to write down the recipe? Oops. I gave up chocolate for Lent so when I made them, I couldn’t taste them to see if they were any good. I wont post recipes on my blog without first confirming that the food actually tasted good. (Speaking from experience, I have found and tried recipes only to find out that the measurements are off etc)

I am learning about myself through running. It is an amazing process. I have determined that time is precious. It is a major challenge to consistently find time for myself with the demands of my every day life. If I do have the time to spare, sometimes I just don’t have the energy. Each day brings new paths to navigate and hills to climb.

It is imperative for me to realize in order to conquer this mountain, I must be even better at traveling the road of my every day life. There are only a few precious things that can be considered more important to me than this goal….and they go to bed at 8:30. After the magic bedtime hour, it appears that the dishes will have to wait, as will the laundry and dusting and the balance of daily tasks that weigh heavily on my mind.

June 6 is rapidly approaching and I have only managed one run that was 5 miles.  I have to run 13 miles. I am beginning to wonder if I will do it.

Day # I'm still not sure

Today was a renewed effort to our eating healthy and vegan at home. I have not been to the grocery store since I'm not sure when. (maybe two weeks ago). We have been running out of everything.  It's not that we have been cooking unhealthy instead its that we haven't been cooking at home too much.  We have been eating out and any way you look at it, we have been consuming more calories, eating more fat and spending more money. I also want to mention that the food we cook at home tastes better too because we use good quality, organic food.

For breakfast this morning we made vegan french breakfast puffs. Yum!

I previously posted this recipe but so you don't have to scroll back to find it, here it is again. Enjoy!


Vegan French Breakfast Puffs
1/3 c vegan butter
1/2 c brown sugar
Egg replacer for 1 egg
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c flax meal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 soy milk
Cinnamon and white sugar mixture
Melted vegan butter

1. Heat over to 350 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups
2. Mix butter, brown sugar and egg replacer in bowl. Stir in dry ingredients, add milk. Spoon into muffin tin.
3. Bake 20- 25 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Roll hot muffins into melted vegan butter and then into cinnamon and sugar mixture. Serve warm



DINNER:

For dinner Justin and I made vegan pizza. We made the dough from scratch as well as the tomato sauce. We used vegan cheese. The pizza was quite the experience. I have never before tried to make pizza from scratch. It was quite the cooking adventure but well worth it.  Before I post the recipe I think I need to spend a little more time on the dough though to ensure it is easy to understand and work with. The dough is a thick bread-y dough called focaccia.  It's fantastic.

Justin and I not only had a great time spending lots of quality time together in the kitchen, but everything is vegan and super yummy!

Day IDK: LOL

It has been too long since I wrote. I feel guilty for it. Unfortunately, my long list of things to do every day has prevented me from spending time on my own self satisfaction derived from blogging and sharing with the world my progress and trials.

I have not been running as much as I need to. It has been two to three times per week versus the much need solid four  to five times. Although there is some guilt associated with not following the running clubs plan to the letter, it is still so much more than I was ever exercising last fall that I wont allow myself to feel badly about it.

I ran last night. It was a rocky 65 minutes in which I ran 4.85 miles. I did the walk /run with a 5 minute warm up and then a cool down. There was a period of the run that I couldn't get my breathing under control. That is one of the hardest things I think to work through during a run. Afterwards, I felt like a million bucks.

Today, I have chafing under my right arm and on the inside of my thighs (awful, just awful). AND I feel like I pulled a muscle in my stomach. Please tell me how that is even possible? I realize my core strength is lacking but really?

Despite the after effects of the run, I am immensely glad I did it and look forward to a shorter run tonight.

I have not been as diligent to ensure I run each night that I am supposed to run according to the schedule. I have been tired and slightly overwhelmed with work stresses, potential lay off situation, resume writing, school work and general single mother stresses (and can I say LAUNDRY? - WHERE does it all come from????). It has seemed at the end of the day, instead of being excited to gear up in my running clothes, I have been more inclined to try and go to bed early.

Last night I decided to put on my running clothes before I tucked Justin into bed and that really seemed to help.

I look forward to my first half marathon in June. I am still on track.

I looked up the America's Finest City Half Marathon on August 15th in San Diego. I went ahead and signed up.

My original challenge to myself was to complete FOUR Half Marathons and ONE Marathon before I turned 40.  I have 18 months left to complete this challenge.

I have one Half Marathon scheduled for June and one Half Marathon scheduled for August. After August, I will have two more Half Marathons and the one Marathon to complete in a little over a year. I feel like I might be cutting it close.

Day 41

Wednesday February 17, 2010


I ran on the treadmill in the garage again. Okay, it is officially getting boring staring at the garage door.  I am just not the hugest fan ever about running on the street in the dark at the hours I have to run at.  I STARTED my run at 9:20 PM. I have tried and tried to get running earlier but my obligations to my kids, life, work somehow manage to continually take priority.


Inevitably, I still am nothing short of thrilled that I am still running and haven't allowed my duty to my life enslave me again. I am so free when I run. My life and worries and stresses crowd my mind and weigh on my motivation. The real revelation through running is that although it is added to my list of things to do today, and when glancing at the list creates additional stress, it is truly one thing that when I do it, I do it for myself and it sprouts wings to my motivation and clears out space in my mind. It is feng shui for my soul.

Day 37

Saturday February 13, 2010


Saturday morning came a lot faster than I had hoped. Although the past week was long and tedious, I awoke Saturday morning with a startled surprise. Unsure of the running club meeting location or time of the run, I hurried out of bed and dressed in my running gear.  I began turning on the computer and realized that time was of the essence. It was already 6:45 am. I was probably not going to make it. Boogers again.

Apparently I need to take the Saturday morning runs more seriously, make them more of a priority. There is much to be said to tackle a goal with a seasoned lead. Why can't I seem to get up on time? I had gone to bed before 9:00 pm. I set my alarm. Perhaps I need to set more than one alarm? Maybe even make it a practice to get to bed early on Thursday night as well so come Friday I am not utterly exhausted.

I embarked upon my run alone, through the trails of Eastlake Vistas. The sun was already bright and the morning was clear. The run was set for 4 miles. I circle around the trails in Eastlake Vistas, taking in the breathe-taking views of the Otay Reservoir. My breathing was off during my run and I struggled. I spent most of my run trying to manage my breathing and focusing on sticking to the run plan. It was a 4 minute run - 1 minute walk. I was tensing up during the run and could feel it in my shoulders almost immediately. I then tried to spend less time thinking about breathing and form and time and just really focused on the music and the beauty of the area around me.

There were three fishing boats on the lake and the sun was so warm and bright. The park was filling up with people just starting to enjoy their weekend; kids, dogs, bikes.

I thought about my life and my hopes, dreams, fears. I found myself running faster and harder. And before I knew it, I was in front of my door. I successfully completed 4.14 miles with a pace of 12 minutes 36 seconds per mile. At several points in the run, I didn’t think I could do it.

I surprised myself today.