BEFORE PICTURES

Many before pictures...

MARINE CORPS MARATHON

I have not blogged in forever. I have been beyond a little busy. Time is flying quickly by and the Marine Corps Marathon is in 28 days. Wow. It seems like I have been training for this race for a long, long time. And, in fact, I have. I believe I have been training for this, my first marathon, since I started running. Really, since I began running, I have never stopped training. I have scheduled race after race after race. I think in order to challenge yourself as a runner you have to have goals. For me personally, those goals include races...first the 5k...then the 10k...then the Half Marathons...and now...the Full Marathon.

Am I prepared? I think I am. I have trained long and hard. I have trained smart. I have had only one minor injury and have been diligent in my training. My training has been slow and steady. I am strong and have built up my endurance.

My long runs have escalated from 6 miles to 18 miles...and next week...my longest run ever... will be 20 miles before I begin 3 weeks of taper before game day.

There have been times of struggle. When I am tired. Actually, when I am exhausted. When I don't feel 100%. Days like today, when I started the day with a migraine, and everything and anything just threw my run off. But, still, even with not feeling on top of my game...on any given day...for any particular reason...because I am an athlete...and I am in training...I do what I have to do...and I do what I am required to do...and I completed the run today. Times when I have to analyze an ache, a pain, a twitch when I am running. Is it something I can run through or is it an injury? Times when I don't feel like getting up at 5:00 a.m. and going to the gym to work out. Times when it is a challenge juggling being a wife, a mom to 4 kids...homeschooling 1 ten year old child daily as well as overseeing 2 high school daughters and offering the best advise I can to a college-aged daughter. Throw in teaching one day a week...well, I'd like to add a couple more days a week of teaching...spinning many plates, here...and many times, not doing a very good job.

The race is 4 weeks from Sunday. I am thrilled. I am so excited. I try not to let days like today unnerve me. My training will carry me. I will go to the race prepared. I will do my best and enjoy the day and the race. This is what I have been working for all along.

Will I do more marathons after Marine Corps? I'm thinking not. This old broad is a bit tired. Training for a marathon is a lot of work. Takes a lot of time. Even with getting up at 5:00 in the morning so I can be back home to school my son...as my mileage has increased closer to race day, my weekends have been consumed with my long runs. I love the fact that I challenged myself with completing a marathon before my 50th birthday in December. What a gift to myself. After Marine Corps, I will continue to run and work out because I love it, and I feel better when I do. I may check out some Warrior Dashes...they sound like fun!

Well, off to do something productive and rest up for my tough week of runs next week. 40 miles total mileage...including a long run of 20 miles. Wow.

SILENCE AND SOUNDS

SILENCE AND SOUNDS

This morning I am grateful for both.

Grateful for the occasional faraway train sounds I hear as I sit at the computer drinking my morning cup of coffee, that remind me of my visits with my Grandpa and Grandma McGee in West Virginia when I was a little girl.

Grateful for the silence of the morning when I can both gather and organize my thoughts for the day. I have found as I get older I sometimes need, and also welcome, the silence to process my thoughts.

Grateful for the sounds of the crazy busyness of the day: kids talking and laughing, phone ringing, dog barking, rain falling, wicked thunderstorms at 5:00 a.m., birds chirping and singing, lawnmowers buzzing, friends stopping by the house...life happening.

Grateful for hours upon hours of silent running. I love the times when I am able to run with a friend and when the opportunity arises, I grab it. I adore my friends, and it's a time to catch up and get pointers from them about running. I have determined by nature, though, I am a solo runner. I am in such a zone when I run alone that often I run past people I know...and when they yell a "Hey, Amy! What's Up?", I blow on by...not out of rudeness...but out of pure focus. I relish alone time. I am not a hermit by any means. Ed and I talked about this when we first started dating. He's an only child. I, on the other hand, grew up in a house with 3 brothers. I went away to college and after college, I lived with my parents until I got married. Soon, the children came. I've never really had alot of alone time. I've worked some full time, some part time, and for the past almost 19 years I've been a mom...and loved every minute of it.
Also, for the past 9 years I have homeschooled some or all of my children. I have loved that as well. Of course, that means my children haven't hopped on the school bus and taken off for the day, and left me home...alone...to do ...chores...shopping...whatever. The point is, for most of my life, I have always been with someone. No alone time driving back and forth to work or when the kids are "in school" and sometimes, when you're a mom, even in the bathroom! Running...gives me some alone time...and that is good. Everyone needs some alone time. Some quiet time. I do alot of thinking when I run. It gives me time to process a great deal of thoughts. To think. To pray. To plan. To figure things out. To wrestle with things in my mind. To plot my running/training/marathon strategy. To motivate myself. To give myself pep talks. To plot out my days. To be grateful for my life. To relieve stress. To get exercise. To see how far I can push myself. To get pound out anger, frustration, attitude and other negative feelings. To celebrate how far I've come. It also gives me the energy to jump start my day. The silence of solo running.

Silence and sounds. Today, I am grateful for silence and sounds.

DADDY'S GIRL

I think about my dad alot when I run. He died before I started to get healthy, before I lost a serious amount of weight and before I started to run. He never knew me as healthy Amy. He never knew me as Amy the runner, Amy who ran a Half Marathon...twice. He would be so surprised...and proud... to see me now. Healthy. Strong. Fit. Energized. Taking total control of every area of my life. I will think of him when I cross the finish line at the Marine Corps Marathon in October.

My father was one of the greatest encouragers in my life. I was his only daughter. Daddy's little girl. He and I had a special bond. He understood me. Always. Always. If I was upset, happy, angry, discouraged, in the depths of despair...he always could make me feel better. No doubt about it. He could read every emotion on my face and in my words. With words or without, he was my rock. The man was wise in ways that simply were indescribable. He knew people and he knew me. He had such a calming influence on me it still makes me smile when I think about it.

Many of the fondest memories I have are when I was a little girl with my father. When I think of who was there for me? Encouraging me? My dad. Who was there giving me words of wisdom and guiding me in the ways of the world? My dad. Who was there patiently sitting beside me for hours on end teaching me Algebra II and Geometry II? My dad. When my world would spin out of control...didn't matter if I was 5 years old or 40 years old...who was there to pick up the pieces and make it all right again? My dad.

My Dad was a man of incredible courage, strength and character. Nine months before his death he unexpectantly was diagnosed with kidney cancer. It was quick. He maintained that same courage, strength and character to the very end. I remember hours before he died, in the hospital room, before he slipped into an unconscious state, he suddenly sat up in his bed. He really wasn't speaking. I was just sitting on his bed, talking to him, trying desperately to absorb every moment, every fiber of his being before he slipped away. He just sat there looking at me...with his green eyes...I inherited Daddy's green eyes...and all of a suddenly he very slowly started moving straight towards my face with his face. Expressionless. I thought something was wrong. I said, "Do you need something, Dad? Are you ok?" He leaned in closer, and closer, until he literally was right on top on my face...and then he very quickly leaned and kissed me right on the nose. And smiled. And then, he leaned back on his pillow and closed his eyes. I smiled, and tears rolled down my face, and whispered, "I love you, Daddy." It was the best gift he left me. Soon after, he slipped into unconsciousness.

I'm not saying my Dad was perfect. But he was there for me. I have some wonderful, beautiful memories of my Dad. I have spent many, many hours running in the past 2+ years. Much of that time is spent thinking of my Dad. Sometimes when I am having a challenging run, I hear his voice, encouraging me, whispering..."You've got this, Amy Faith...you are so much stronger than you think. Run, baby, Run."

DIG DEEP. THEN DIG A LITTLE DEEPER.

This morning before I went for my long run, I ran into a guy I know who works in law enforcement. He was walking his dogs and asked me how my running was going and how my prep was going for the Marine Corps in October. We talked about age, weight, exercise, running, walking and how life in general has a way of sneaking up on you. He's a few years older than me, and at age 53, he said he has slowed down a great deal. He talked about how he used to run, used to exercise more, used to do this, used to do that...He wished me luck with my running and with the marathon and we went our separate ways.

I began to think about our conversation as I began my long run in the park. He and I are not that far apart in age. Everyone has their physical challenges...some more so than others. Some of those physical challenges absolutely limit us in what we can do. Some people just seem to age quicker than others. Did you ever think about that? Some people look years older than they really are, while others seem to have found the fountain of youth.

For some people, exercise, or physical fitness has been a part of their life for as long as they can remember. For others, like me, being phyically fit became a priority later in life. Others couldn't care less about exercise or fitness.

How does your level of fitness, or lack thereof, impact your life? How does the way you feel physically effect your job performance? Your home life? Do you think if you improved your fitness level you might notice a difference in the way you feel? Do you think you might notice a difference in the way you function?

What about at home? Are you tired all the time? I'm not talking about extreme circumstances where you are putting in crazy hours at work or working 12+ hours a day. I'm talking about day to day existence. Are you tired ALL the time? Do you fall asleep as soon as you sit down? Need naps? I ain't talkin' bout new moms and dads, either, who have the excuse of being up all night with a baby. Or, the parent who occasionally has a young child who is sick and needs attention throughout the night. We've all had nights like that. Or occasionally, when we don't feel well or have a bad night. I'm talking about being tired. All the time. Day after day after day.

How's your bedtime routine? Can't sleep at night? Do you catnap throughout the day? Then at night you're not tired at bedtime so you stay up late...get to bed late...have to get up early for work...and are tired because you were up late...it goes on and on and on...

Family time. What does your family do together? Things to promote moving your body? Things like hiking, baseball, basketball, swimming, walking in the park, or biking? Or...do you sit around like slugs most of the time...watching tv, slapping your fingers on the laptop, mindlessly popping junk food into mouth while time slips away. Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with watching some tv, or spending some time on the computer, but it's all about balance. If you do those things, do you also balance it out by going outside and doing some sort of physical activity on a regular basis as a family. Are you setting a good example for your kids? Or are you too tired? Or don't have the time? Yep.

Your job. Now you may have a job outside the home, like my acquaintance and many others, or you may work at home. Doesn't matter. How does your fitness level effect your job performance? It's interesting. As he was talking this morning about how out of shape he was, and patting his nice little pot belly, I was wondering how it worked in his job...he is ACTIVELY on the streets...law enforcement. I would think you would need to be in some semblance of fitness to work law enforcement...especially when you're not sitting behind a desk. Does your level of fitness impair your job performance in any way? If you were a bit more fit, a little less tired, do you think you would be able to function better at work? If you felt better physically, and in turn, maybe even felt a little sharper mentally, how would that impact your day at work?

We just feel better when we exercise. It's a fact. We perform better. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. All around. It impacts our life in a major way. You don't have to run 6 miles and you don't even have to train for a marathon. But you do have to move your body. Every day.

THIS AND THAT

Wow. I haven't posted since March. Seems like forever. Life has been busy. Wrapping up school with the kids...GRADUATING my oldest child, Marisa!!! and now preparing for a graduation party.
Oh...and of course, I did run that half marathon :-) Yes, I did...it was a good, solid run. I felt well, felt strong. It was a hot, hot day to run those 13.1 miles. My time was not to my liking...actually a bit slower than last year. I have tried not to focus on that. In hindsight, I believe the heat really had a effect on the run. Many other runners I spoke with that day said the heat had a major impact on their time. I was very happy to complete my 2nd half marathon...in the great city of Pittsburgh! It brought me even greater joy this year to run on behalf of the charity Genre's Kids With Cancer Fund. With your donations and my run, we brought in $1520.00 in donations to help children and their families dealing with the effects of pediatric cancer. Thank you!
Many, many people I speak with are continuing to take charge of their health. Changing eating habits. Starting and continuing an exercise program. Changing their lives. Are you one of them?

INSECURITIES VS STRENGTHS

Today started my outdoor runs in preparation for Pittsburgh's Half Marathon on May 6th. I am ready. I run every other day. Short runs are 6 miles. Long runs on the weekends are up to 12 miles. I'm ready. This past week I registered for the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28th. A dream of mine. I am BEYOND thrilled. And terrified. But that's another blog. As I was running through the park this morning I was thinking about all the things I am insecure about as I run. As I train. To counterbalance those insecurities, I also thought about the things that make me strong as I run. As I train. It's all in the balance. You need a few of the insecurites, sometimes, to keep you humble and motivated. But, you also need to not have them weigh you down. Hold you back. That's were all the things that make you strong come into play. And that's what it's all about. Strength is power. Power to propel you forward. Forward to achieve your dreams.

INSECURITES                                                            STRENGTHS                                           

1. My speed                                                                   My endurance
2. My knees                                                                   My training to strengthen
                                                                                     knees
3. Using pepper spray                                                    Having pepper spray
4. Cold runs                                                                  Strong lungs: no more asthma
5. Migraines                                                                   Health getting better & better
6. Creepers in the park                                                   Pepper spray!
7. Not being prepared                                                     I AM PREPARED. GEEZ.
8. Upper body strength                                                  Getting strong with weights
9. Running in the rain!                                                    Positive mantras!
10. Injuries                                                                    I train smart...