Never Easy

Well, right when I get on track again I get horrible news that my grandpa died yesterday. So I will be out of town for a while. My goal is to keep running while there, but we'll see. My heart is just broken at this point so I really have no more words for posting today.

Outside Run #2

We had so much fun today! My husband and I went for an awesome run, on the running trail! The best part was that we took not only our daughter in her big green running stroller, but we also took my Golden Retriever and Puggle. So, if you are keeping track that is 5 Salisteans running down the path. And let me tell you, people stared! We got 2 or 3 comments like, "Wow, out with the whole house today!" I honestly wanted to respond with, "Nope! We left the other three kids and five dogs at home!" But unfortunately I was too winded from running I couldn't say much. :)

This coming week is spring break for my hubby, so other than filing taxes and building a fence in my garden, we have plenty of time to run! I am so freaking excited because he has agreed to run a longer run tomorrow... with me! I am so blessed that he has changed his tune about running.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful beginning to spring! The snow that we randomly got on Friday is melting and we are soaking up every little ounce of Vitamin D we can. Happy Running!

I'm Back! Finally!

First of all, I want to thank everyone for sending me warm and healing thoughts! I still have a slight cough but I can carry my daughter without passing out from a lack of oxygen. RSV sucks! Stay away from it!

Secondly, I HAVE to thank Tonia at http://racingwithbabes.blogspot.com/ for sending me a great gift for being her 100th follower. I am so excited that she included GU. It is my first chance to try it and I am so excited! Everyone should visit her blog when they have a chance. She is such an inspiration!!!

Thirdly, today marks a HUGE accomplishment for me as a runner. I ran outside for the first time!!! Yay! Honestly? I was scared. Weird, right? I decided t run just a mile out and a mile back. I don't know if it was because I was excited to be running again or if it was because I was scared to be running outside but I ran a 11 minute mile out... and a 15 minute mile home. :) All that matters is that I did it. I should really say we did it. My golden retriever, Zeke, ran every step with me. I think running outside will be good for both of us. We could both lose a few pounds. The only horrible thing about me running outside today in the 63 degree temps is that it is supposed to snow tomorrow! If I haven't said it yet... I hate Nebraska! Grrr/Brrr!

Lost Blogger

Running/Mommy/Blogger friends, I am so sorry! I haven't posted since Saturday. I went to the doctor yesterday because I can't quite kick the cough... and it has gotten even worse. Apparently I have bronchitis with a touch of pneumonia. Of course!

I am so frustrated. I have 50 some odd days until the damn half and I have never even run 6 miles before. I'm in trouble.

I'm so sorry for the negativity. On the positive angle my husband and I are going to run a 5k in 2 weeks. I am so proud of him! Since I met him, he has adamantly refused to run. He was a "walker". He has been running his butt off since I started training. I am so proud!

Sleep! Of course!

I can't believe I forgot the ever important sleep in my immune system post from yesterday. What was I thinking?! I can actually thank my bestfriend's husband for mentioning sleep. He has considerable experience participating in Triathlons and such and he had some great advice. Thanks Trey!

There have been many studies also concerning sleep's affect on athletes. I found some really great ones with a simple Google search. But I still needed to know the amount of sleep that was right for athletes. I'm a mom! I need to schedule in sleep if I'm going to get any :) So here is part of an article that explains one way to make sure you are getting enough sleep:

How Much Sleep Do You Need? Research shows that as little as 20 hours of sleep deprivation can have a negative impact on sports performance, particularly for power and skill sports.

Sleep experts recommend seven to nine hours of daily sleep for adults, and nine to ten hours for adolescents and teens. You can estimate your own needs by experimenting over a few weeks. If you fall asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed and wake up without an alarm, you are probably getting the right amount of sleep. If you fall asleep immediately upon hitting the pillow and always need an alarm to wake up, you are probably sleep deprived.

The good news for most recreational athletes is that just one sleepless night is not necessarily associated with any negative effects on performance. So, don't worry if you toss and turn the night before a big competition. One sleepless night is unlikely to hurt your performance.

Click here to visit the full article. I think I am going to be trying the little experiment that they recommended. So... Good Night!

Sick again and making the best of it!

I don't know what the heck is wrong with my immune system! I thought that I was supposed to get healthier when I exercise. When I turn my Wii Fit on it says, "Remember, as you lower your BMI you will boost your immune system!" Or something like that.

I found an article on Runner's World about a study that determined that, "Around the 90-minute mark carbohydrate stores drop, causing a spike in two key hormones, cortisol and epinephrine. This, in turn, inhibits those neutrophils and lymphocytes, leaving you vulnerable to nasty bugs." Interesting! In an article from www.marathonandbeyond.com, it states that, "[Studies] have shown that one in seven runners comes down with an upper respiratory infection after taking part in a marathon—compared with just two out of 100 runners who didn’t compete. Take part in an ultra event such as the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run, and your chances of getting sick are more like one in four."

Obvious Statement #1: I am not a marathoner OR Ultra runner.
Obvious Statement #2: I am not pushing myself to the same level as a marathoner OR Ultra runner.

But I have a theory!
I am overweight, living a newly athletic/recently static lifestyle, with a BMI that is higher than I want to comprehend. Is running 5 miles for me the same as running 30 miles for a marathoner? Hmmm... Is my immune system being compromised by my exertion?

Luckily, there are a lot of options to boost your immune system and a lot of interesting ways to recover after a hard workout. Here are just a few that I found:
- Active.com states that Echinacea is a fantastic immune booster and has been used for hundreds of years.
- There is a injury and health forum on Runnersworld.com that discusses immunity booster injections. I don't think any of the people commenting on this forum are doctors so please keep this in mind if you are considering these.
- This is the best one!!! www.healthiertalk.com states that sauerkraut, garlic, black tea with lemon, turmeric, and Oregano will all boost your immune system. My German Great-grandmother is getting her last laugh. :)

So, all I wanted to do with this post was share some of my research and of course complain about my sickliness. Just kidding! Well on half of that.

Happy running and I hope this post finds you healthy and immune-ful!

A simple 5 miles... right?!

Wow! I just finished a simple, plain little five mile run... that kicked my ass! Have you had that kind of day? I have, now. I started with a five minute warm-up walk, made a quick run to the potty, and then took off running. 1/4 of a mile into the run I looked at my husband and gave him the "shoot-me-now" look. Every single 1/4 of a mile after that was a little bit more torture. I have no idea what happened. Oh well... there is always tomorrow. Which is guaranteed to be better since it will only be 3 miles! Thank God!

Do you like my avatar? I had so much fun creating her. That is my baby Ayla in the stroller... which she hates! My daughter is not a screamer but goodness all have to do is put her in the stroller to stretch her vocal chords! Meh.

Happy Running!