Wednesday Rambelings...

Ready, set, ramble...

Some days I just want to do my own thing.  Y'know what I mean?  Wake up when I want to, eat what I want to, sit where I want (for how long I want), talk to who I want to talk to, run when I want to, buy what I want to...gosh the list goes on.  But in reality, how often can (or should) we do that? 

Also, I've always been a people person.  I love to be around my friends!!!  But lately (and lately=the past year) I've been drawn to quiet, family time.  Time where it's just me.  Or just me and my family.  Is it because I'm getting old?  Is God trying to tell me to be still? 

So all this pondering brings me to one of my favorite times of the year...SUMMER!  It is a time when I can do my own thing (within reason).  There isn't a horrific alarm sounding at a horrific time.  I can sit on the couch and wake up, or lounge in the bed.  I can talk to my boys and hubby, mom or friends without rushing.  We can GO SOMEWHERE and not have time constraints holding us back.  I can be by myself (or as by myself as I can be with 3 boys and a hubby).  It is glorious, and I absolutely cannot wait!

 With the impending summer also comes a great anticipation...a trip anticipation.  #1. I love to travel.  Anywhere, anytime.  Pack me up a bag, and put me on my merry way.  I'm good.  So this summer, I have planned a trip out west for my family!!!  YEEEE-HAW!  As June grows closer, my heart just beats a little faster. I can't wait to start gathering things and packing.  I've already made a list of things to pack, Google-ed directions, made a plan for $$$$$...YIPPEE!!!

Moving on to other rambles.

I ran Saturday for the first time with someone.  I was nervous.  What's the proper "running with someone else" etiquette?   I wasn't quite sure. 

 Turns out, I didn't need to worry.  We had a great run and a great time!  I'm telling you...that hour and 45 minutes when by faster than going solo!  It was nice to have someone to chat with along the way.  While I truly treasure my solo runs, I want to make it a priority to run more with others.  It was also my longest run since my half. 


Next ramble. 

I enjoyed some of my hubby's fires.  They were warm and toasty, and the boys and I enjoyed a sweet treat.

For your viewing pleasure-

An out of focus picture of a new Forever 21 purchas!!!.  I always feel slightly out of place in that store.  I don't agree with a lot of the clothing in our society...UMMMMM-  MODESTY LADIES!  But I thought this was way cute! 

So, those are all my thoughts tonight. 

To sum up-
1. I like to do my own thing.
2. I love summer.
3. I love to travel, and can't wait until our summer trip.
4. Running with someone can be fun!
5. Fires + s'mores + kids&hubby= fun times.
6. You can buy a dress at forever 21 & not feel like a prostitute. 

Until next time~

It's Spring Break & I Can Blog More ;-)

Catchy title huh?  Yes, I know you are excited (all 2 of you) about me blogging more.  That means you get to hear more about my running, or family, or school, or convictions.  Hah!  Any-who...let's talk about running first.  Yesterday I ran after my hubby came home from school- 4:30.  Usually this arrangement doesn't work. 1. I am tired after working all day and just want to crash. 2. It has been crazy hot lately, and I HATE running in the heat!  But since neither of these situations were happening, it worked out nicely.  I had a speed workout on the training schedule, but wasn't feeling it.  Yesterday was the first time running with my phone...meaning my Nike app was on, my music was going, and chick was telling me my pace every 1/2 mile.  I just really wanted to see where I was since my sick-set-back.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear 9:09 at 1/2 mile and then to hear the numbers go down from there!  I finished with a 8:46 average pace for 3.70 miles.  I was happy.  So I did a little temp run instead of speed...I'm cool with that.  Today is a 4 miler. 

So, I thought I might change things up a bit...or copy off other blogs- whatever...and list some things I am Thankful for since it is Thursday and everyone loves alliteration!

1. I am thankful for running.  Even when I hate it, I love it!

2. I am thankful for SPRING BREAK!  Oh, spring break, how I love thee!  Waking up whenever is fabulous; wearing my pajamas all day is superb; leaving the house, not leaving the house, doing whatever=love; being with my 3 boys=LOVE....I LOVE SPRING BREAK!

3. I am thankful for hour long phone conversations with my mom.  You're cool mom, and I love that I can talk to you for extended period of time!!! 

4. I am thankful for my hubby!  Y'all he's pretty awesome!  He's a hard worker, he's a Godly husband and father, he LOVES us!  It's all good :)

5. And lastly I am thankful for my Wednesday night bible study.  Honestly, I wasn't very psyched to go last night but WHA-BAM was it amazing!  Just what I needed.  God's pretty awesome!

So there you are.  5 little things that I am thankful for on this Thursday morning.  Your welcome.

Take some time to reflect on what you are thankful for this Thursday!

Yes, I Will Run Again...

So tricks on me!  I didn't run Saturday...because I had STREP THROAT.  Happy Easter to you Jennifer...first you will get the flu and feel like death for 3 days, then you will grow a huge white blister on the right side of your throat.  BAHAHAHAHA!!!  (that is supposed to be an evil laugh)  Oh, and your running...BAHAHAHAH (more evil laugh) ain't gonna happen for awhile.  And when it does, it will make you cry.

OK, that may be a LITTLE dramatic...just slightly.  The antibiotic for my strep is working nicely though.  I was able to get up and move around and act human yesterday for almost the whole entire day!  Also, I ate a meal for the first time since Tuesday afternoon.  Yes, I am proud!  I even did some exercises last night..squats, sumo squats (these are way fun!), lunges, crab lunges/squat things...good stuff.


So, this morning the alarm goes off- 3 miles to be done.  I spent a good 10 minutes giving myself a talk.  It went like this, "Get your butt out of bed Johnson.  You've had a week to recover and be sick.  It's running time little lady!"  Yeah, it worked.  I got up.  I ran.  It was not my best.  But...I'm not going to dwell.  I've been sick for 5 days!!!  I'm not going to be as speedy or be able to run as far...deal with is lady!  I'm going to run again tomorrow, and each day things are going to get better.  Deal?  Deal!


Here's proof that I am among the living!

Will I Ever Run Again??

Ok, so maybe that title is a little dramatic.  But hey, my legs are crying out here...my brain is going what's up!  But my body, my poor body.  It's just not with the program.  Let me back up a few days and get you caught up on what's been going on around the Johnson house.
Last week- Kevin went on Spring Break & Kevin got bronchitis. I'm sure that was on his Spring Break to do list. 
Friday-Dylan had a gum graft.
Saturday- I ran my half marathon; Dylan was puny; Kevin felt like death; boys had soccer all day.
Sunday- Dylan started running a fever + cough. Kevin started feeling more alive.
Monday- Dylan tested positive for the flu.Tamiflu to the rescue!
Tuesday-Alex woke up with a fever of 101.4. Tamiflu to the rescue! By Tuesday afternoon I had a cough and felt like a bus hit me. Temp at 4:30-99.4.  Temp at 5:30-100.2.  By this time I was shaking uncontrollably and about half out of it.Somehow I drove to Quick Care, sat there for 30 min., saw the nurse practitioner (temp 101.4), got some Tamiflu!, and drove home with out dying (still wondering how that happened!).
Wednesday- Dylan, Alex, and myself were all home from school.  I was zonked out in a fever induced stupor in the bed, while Dylan and Alex were a little more lively in the living room.  Kevin was a trooper.
Thursday- Dylan and Alex go back to school.  I awake from my fever induced stupor to drag my butt to the couch.  I finally decide maybe I should try to eat something, since I hadn't since Tuesday afternoon...blah to food!
Today- Landen wakes up with a 100.4 fever and guess what Kevin goes to pick up...YES! TAMI-FREAKING-FLU!  By this time the nurse at our pediatrician's office is laughing when my husband calls her.  Of course, by lunch time he is running around like a mad man...WHAT?!  I am still down and out...barely able to function coherently, and he's running around like a wild man.  How is that even right?  Yes, my aches are gone, my fever is gone, but yes, my cough is still here, my head is still hurting, my nose is stopped up, and my stomach is rolling...blah to food.
Tomorrow my goals are to:
1. Be in a vertical position more than a horizontal position.
2. Eat more than 2 bites.
3. Put one foot in front of the other in rapid succession.  I think some people call it running.
4. Get out of the house & among the living.
5. Get my boys some Easter goodies.
Gosh, I'm tired just writing those.  That's a lot to accomplish.  I hope I make it!

13.1

8 Jennifer Johnson          152   58  30 2:10:27  9:58 Bowling Green KY

I did it!!!!  I am an official half-marathoner (not mini marathoner...that doesn't sound as prestigious)!   And according to the info above, I came in 8th in my age group (out of 17) and finished with a time of 2 hours 10 minutes and 27 seconds.  Not too shabby for my first half!!!

So let's break it down.  Obviously there was no running the day before.  Friday was a pretty chill day...I ended up eating dinner later than I wanted to, but it was delish!  Potatoes and carrots roasted in the oven and portabella mushrooms sauteed on the stove.  Top it all off with a bowl of fruit...delish! 

One of the reasons why we ate so late, is because we were trying to drive the race course....I say trying because I was navigator.  If you all know me at all, you know that directions are my strong point.  What I did get out of the part of the course that we did drive, was that is was going to be a little hilly.  Remember when I said "the course is fairly flat"...LIAR!  It wasn't crazy hill city, but there were definitely more inclines than I would have liked.  Anyway...on to race day.

My alarm went off this morning at 5:30- my dad was picking me up at 6:30 'member?  So I jumped in the shower and woke myself up (all the while noticing that my stomach felt a little off...).  After the shower I went to fix my coffee and protein shake.  The thought of eating or putting anything in my body kinda turned my already turned stomach.  I was a little worried about this shaky stomach thing :-(  I ended up using the bathroom (and by using the bathroom, I mean USING the bathroom) 4 times before my parents arrived. 

I glumly announced that we couldn't go anywhere until my stomach had calmed down a bit...but I knew that we were up against the clock.  Roads started shutting down at 7:30 and that's when racers moved towards the starting line.  I ended up going once more before we headed out.

The ride there I felt like a bundle of nerves...my stomach was off, I hadn't eaten hardly anything, I didn't feel hydrated enough...I was trying not to get down before I even started.  Remember, one of my goals was to finish physically and emotionally strong!  I used the bathroom at the race about 4 times (one time USING the bathroom) and excitedly made my way to the starting line when they called for us.

The race itself was pretty uneventful.  I prayed throughout the whole entire thing!  I had horrible side stitches during the first 1/2 mile to mile, and thank God He took them away!  I'm guessing those are related to USING the bathroom.  I had to reign my pace in during the first 2 miles, but after that I was good until we got toward the end of the race.  I enjoyed my music, I enjoyed the miles, I enjoyed the sun not shining and the gentle wind blowing (sounds like a country song huh?). Life was good...well as good as it can be running 13.1 miles.  Things were good until around mile 11.5...I know right...I was RIGHT there!  Totally the end in sight.  But my body was just plain 'ole TIRED!  My side stitches were returning, my sweat was turning to salt...literally, salt, and my pace was slowing waaay down.  I kept praying and kept telling myself that I had this.  I hate to admit it, but I did stop and walk twice during those last couple of miles.  I got my second (or third, fourth, or fifth) wind, and ended up finishing strong!

Do I wish I hadn't have walked at the end?  Yes.  Do I wish my time would have been closer to 2:00?  Yes.  Do I wish I hadn't had to USE the bathroom so many times before the race?  OH YES!!!!  But...am I proud of what I did?  Absolutely.  Am I convinced my hard training paid off?  You bet.  Am I proud as heck to be able to say I ran a half-marathon?  Yes 'mam! 

T Minus 2 days!!!

So guess what is almost here???????  MY HALF MARATHON, that's what!!!  I am so super pumped.  Actually I am feeling 9.2 MILLION emotions, and I have been this whole entire week.  I go from super cool, laid back, to heart pumping nervous, to scared, to doubtful, to confident in about 3 seconds flat.  Doubt begins to creep in my mind, and I have to totally SHUT IT DOWN! and remember how hard and long I have been training for this race.  My body is 100% ready for these 13.1 miles!  I know my hard work will pay off.  I have prayed and prayed countless time...God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of POWER and of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND.  I have put in the effort and the time.  Now I have to be confident and push through and know it will pay off.

Let's talk race day...because my parents are such great people, they are going to pick me up at 6:30 Saturday morning and take me to the race!  That way my hubby and the boys won't have to get up at the crack of dawn, and I don't have to drive myself there...aren't they great?  At 7:30 they start shutting down the roads and the runners start moving to the starting line...and then sha-BAM- 8:00 is show time!!!  It's an out and back course that is mostly flat (I say that, but I can't really truly remember...there might be some slight hills).
Here are my goals for the race:
1. To NOT get in my mind and stay there.
2. No negative self-talk.
3. To give 110%.
4. Run smart.
5. Finish strong (emotionally and physically).

So I don't know about you all, but my mind is like a bad neighborhood...it's a place I don't want to be a whole lot!  I can get into a LOT of trouble by staying in my mind...I begin to focus on the world, on me, on things that don't matter, and then in turn, #2 happens!  I've noticed that if the first minute of my run isn't perfect, I tend to begin the whole, "oh this is horrible." or "this is going to be a bad run.  when will it ever be over".  I want to run this race and enjoy every mile...even if my knee starts to hurt, or my pace is slower that I want it to be, or it is raining, or the sun is shining in my face...I WANT TO ENJOY IT ALL!

I do have a #6 goal that I'm trying not to to think about...I want to finish as close to 2 hours as I can.  This is a totally attainable goal for me IF I meet all my other 5 goals. BUT I don't want that time hanging over my head the whole entire race. 

Say a prayer for me y'all.  Pray for peace, for a strong body, good weather, and wisdom.  I'll see you on the other side of 13.1!

 Remember that last post talking about how great my run was????  Well my long run on Saturday sucked!  I have to remind myself that yes, I will have runs where I feel super, fast, and light as the wind.  Where after 5 miles have gone by, I'm barely breathing hard.  But I will also have runs where 1/2 a mile feels like the devil, and I feel like my feet are in quick sand.  I had such high hopes for this run on Saturday...it is my last long, long run before my half on the 31st.  Of course, I had just come back from Louisville and might have indulged in some food I wasn't used to, and I was running on a lack of sleep.  So, yes it does make sense when I think about it.  If you don't take care of your body for a couple of days, how can you expect it to perform? 

But anyway...here are some lovlies from my phone.

So here's the rundown on the pictures above. 
#1- 2nd Annual Eagle Flight 5K was a success.  I placed 2nd in my age group...holla!
#2- My hubby, and friend, and myself went to a technology conference in Louisville and stayed at The Galt House hotel. 
#3- Does this even need an explanation????  It is me at like 5:30 in the morning getting my fitness groove on...thanks Kevin for snapping this delightful beauty...
#4- Hit the 400 mile mark on my Nike app.  Just to be clear, I have run over 400 miles since June 2011...569 to be exact.  I just didn't use the app in the beginning.
#5- My lovely sunburnt face after the 12.64 miler yesterday.

Have a good week friends!!!