March 26th, 2013 – A Day Off Run – 10.30 Miles

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

This was a great run. I think 10 miles is an ideal distance. It’s quite a challenge for me. I really have to push myself just to get through it. But it’s not so great that it wipes me out for the rest of the day.

That is well, as it was quite a busy day!

I took the day off work. That is very unusual for me. If I or my kids aren’t sick, you can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll be at the office.

Today, the kids had doctor’s appointments, so I took the whole day off! It was great. One of the many things I was determined to do was to get a good long run in.

After I got Chris and the kids out the door, I made myself a healthy breakfast, ate it out on the back patio and geared up! Oh, yeah! I’m ready to run!



As usual, the first mile was pretty rough. I found myself just trying to get into a good groove without starting out too fast because I knew I was running long. As long I’ve been running, this still takes me about a mile and a half.

At about mile 4, I was feeling really sluggish. I dropped into a CVS to get a Gatorade and had the packet of Gu that I’d packed. This was a good call. I felt 10 times better after that.

At about Mile 6, I turned into the BGC. They have a park right next door and a nice running trail. I knew that I was going to need to add about a mile to this route if I wanted to get in the full 10, so I ran the loop twice.

Of course, it’s Spring Break, so Jordan was at the BGC so I ducked in to get a quick pic with my boy. He was cool about it until I insisted on getting a kiss. Heaven forbid that he should admit that he likes his Mom. Jeez!



At about Mile 7, I could feel blisters forming. My socks were too thick. They would be OK for a 3 to 5 mile run, but 10 miles calls for endurance socks. I’ll remember that for next time.

At about the 8.5 Mile mark, I’m hitting the wall and the only thing driving me is the thought of being done. But you can’t just focus on being done, because you’re NOT done!!! So I switched my playlist. Not to Gospel, like I normally would, but to a Speed Work playlist that I’d just put together and had been dying to try. It helped but not like the Gospel does. I'll keep using it because I really like it, but after 8 miles, I may just need Jesus.

I finally made it back home and I was all smiles. It was a good run.




I had a few hours before I had to be anywhere so I took some time to stretch and recover. I had recently read the SUAR Blog and Beth swears by compression socks after a long workout. I bought myself a pair of compression socks long ago, but I never really felt much benefit to them. But I was wearing them during my runs. So I’ve had them for quite a while and always meant to try again but I just kinda let it slip my mind. Today, I pulled ‘em on after this run and they were GREAT!!! The relief was immediate and I only wore them for an hour or so. I will definitely work them into my recovery regimen going forward. Highly recommended.



Check this out!



It may not look as terrible in this shot, but my face and neck is completely encrusted with salt deposits!! I sweat and lose a LOT of sodium when I run long. It’s a little disgusting. But I’m calling it a win.

My day was far from finished. The kids needed to get to the dentist. Not a great day for the Hayes Kids!!! Jordan had 3 cavities and apparently, both Jayda and Jordan grind their teeth at night. Jayda seemed very distraught by the news.




And Oh, yes!!! Today is Jordan’s 10th Birthday!!!




I can’t believe my BIG Boy is 10 years old!!! We took him out to dinner with his grandparents. I love my handsome boy!!


I just really love this shot. HaHaHa! So cute.




One more thing! I heard from Coach Dion today. He said I need to get another race (or 2) on my calendar, so I'm considering a 10-miler in Santa Monica next month. I'll letch know how it goes.


See ya on the next run!!

February 22nd thru March 22nd - 38.66 Miles Total

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

It has been quite a while since I have posted. As usual, I have been running regularly but not as regularly as I’d like.

Many things have been going on in my little Queendom. I’ve had 2 rather unusual experiences:

1) A Frosty Morning in Southern California! I know the rest of the world laughs at us, but having to defrost your windshield in SoCal is a pretty BIG deal!! It is very rare indeed…
(Of course the weather has since warmed up beautifully. We don't pay this ridiculous cost of living to spend the year in long sleeves and close-toed shoes, after all).




2) Even rarer still is getting in a walk with Chris. It’s not that he *never* exercises but it’s pretty rare. It’s not as rare as a Unicorn or someone who dresses properly in Southern California, but far more rare than say, real boobs, gastric bypass or a man who cooks AND washes dishes.



Also, I had three brand new experiences!

1) I went to a Tattoo Parlor! I’d never been to one before! I went to support a friend. I can’t imagine what would have to go on in my life for me to get a tattoo. Maybe a really cool “13.1” tattoo or Michael Jackson en point. I’ve seen some really cool tattoos, but frankly I think dark skin is *so* beautiful. More ornamentation is just not necessary. The tattoo situation in the NBA is *completely* out of hand!



2) I completed my very first 10-Mile Race!!! I think the 10-miler is my new favorite. The 5k, is barely enough to get you warmed up. A 10k is a considerable distance but it’s still within the realm where speed is a serious consideration. The Half Marathon is enough to wipe you out. But the 10-miler, is right there in that sweet spot, where you still have to keep going well after you’ve hit the wall but it’s not so long that you start to feel defeated. I had a GREAT time with Lisa. It was a beautiful day, and we kicked it in! My goal was to finish in 2 hours and I got it in in 1:59.10, so I’m calling it a win!




3) AND….. I had a beer on St. Patrick’s Day!!!! In all my 40 years of living, I’d never had a beer on St. Patrick’s Day! I fixed that this year. Meh……



The beer was good though.

The life of this busy mom never stops . When I’m not working, I’m at home looking after the children and wondering why they have converted my room to a hospital for ailing stuffed animals.



Or I’m at one of Jordan’s football games. Now, I *love* little league football games and I love that my boy likes to play





Jayda could not be less interested, but she’s cute.



Or I’m doing taxi service, running my kids to one birthday party



Or another!



Or nursing my baby back to health after a bout of the flu. Poor Jayda!



But still, I keep running. I got this run in on the first Monday after Daylight Savings started! I was so excited to get a run in after work while the sun was still up. I love this time of year!!!



Still, most of my runs end after dark. That’s OK. I still love it.



So much has been going on in my world. I stay pretty busy with work and family. I do wish I had more time to run but for now I am enjoying being a busy wife and mom. I may not always get to do what I want, when I want, but being me has its compensations.

I got to add to my MJ Library. Chum On!



And, with that last 10-Mile race, I filled in the last charm on my charm bracelet. I decided to commemorate it with a heart-shaped blue stone surrounded by a floral design because it was a beautiful day and I loved the company.
I remember when this thing was empty. I’ll have to start a new one!




And Now, On To The Run

February 22nd – 1.65 Walk with Chris
February 23rd – 4.22 Mile Run
February 25th – 3.76 Mile Run
February 27th – 3.00 Mile Run
March 5th – 3.09 Mile Run
March 9th – 10.18 Mile Run – Beach Jam 10-Mile Race
March 11th – 3.22 Mile Run – Daylight Savings Run
March 18th – 3.07 Mile Run – Speed Drills
March 21st – 3.21 Mile Run – Speed Drills
March 22nd – 3.26 Mile Run – Hills, hills & More Hills