CAUTION: Treadmill in Motion!!

I guess karma wanted to teach me a lesson this fine Thanksgiving Day.  A few days ago a co-worker told me about a gal who flew off the treadmill while doing the gait analysis.  I laughed hysterically and wondered how on earth that could even happen.  Well, although my experience was a little different I now see how one could fly off a treadmill.

After Holly and I finished up our leg workout we headed down to the "shoe shop" for a little Thanksgiving Day 10 mile run.  I was running along when I decided I wanted to dump out my electrolyte drink and get water so I pushed what I thought was the STOP button and hopped off.  Apparently, I pushed the FAN button not the STOP button.  I filled my water and attempted to get back on the treadmill.  Now let me just say that it was dark, I just have the T.V.'s on and no lights and the movie was turned up really loud.  So I couldn't see a whole lot and I heard nothing.  Anyways, I stepped onto the treadmill while drinking my water and suddenly I was eating the treadmill, I guess I wanted a pre-feast snack.  I couldn't figure out what on earth was happening.  I kept trying to get up and wondered why I couldn't, I soon realized that there was no way I was getting out of the situation so I gave up and let the treadmill take me where it may.  I rolled across the Shoe Shop floor and my water went flying.  I was laughing uncontrollably and looked up at Holly, she was looking at me like "what the heck are you doing?"  She thought the treadmill was off too and couldn't figure out what was happening.  I decided we had better take some reenactment pictures so that I could share this exciting morning with you.  Enjoy!

BAM!!  I literally ate the treadmill, luckily I didn't get treadmill burn on my face :) I got it lots of other places though!

Somehow I ended up sideways, threw my water and started rolling..

and rolling! These aren't the most flattering photos ever but oh well!

I think our reenactment photos are quite accurate and hilarious!  Even though I didn't see myself, when I finally composed myself and started running again I kept picturing the whole thing.  I could not stop laughing and let me tell you it is hard to run and laugh at the same time.

I got a little beat up

The pictures don't really do it justice...it hurt!  Well, it actually didn't hurt right away but after a few minutes my leg, hand, elbow and shoulder started burning.  That darn machine took my skin clean off!

It definitely made for an entertaining morning and don't worry Mr. Bell I have written up and signed a waiver ;)

So what did I learn from all of this?  Well, first of all I need to learn not to laugh when others fly off treadmills or anything else for that matter.  Secondly, I now know to make sure that the treadmill actually stops when I tell it to.  My kids now believe me when I tell them that treadmills are dangerous and not to be played on.

We ran 10 miles and from the very beginning I was just not feeling it.  I am so grateful that as much as I wanted to quit I didn't.  I pushed through and I didn't even let that treadmill bucking me off get to me.  Now I can go enjoy Mama Jex's feast without feeling guilty.

Here are a couple small things that I have been grateful for today.  As I was getting ready I had the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on and Avril Lavigne came on and sang the song that made me think of my dad during the Utah Valley Marathon.  Today is definitely a day that I wish I could see my dad.

As I sat down to write this post my favoritest show of all time, Three's Company, came on.  Oh, that Jack Tripper cracks me up and he has always reminded me of my step-dad Mike.  I'm not really sure why but he has.

Lastly, I'm so grateful that Mama and Papa Jex are willing to make a huge Thanksgiving Feast for just the 6 of us.  I guess my sis and her kids aren't coming until dessert.  So thank you Mama and Papa Jex for going through all of that work just for us.

Have you ever flown off a treadmill?

I have now :)

What are your Thanksgiving Day plans?

Did you get a workout in this fine day?

I hope that my little treadmill mishap has brought a smile to your face :)

Food is Fuel!

Let me just start by saying that Halloween has done a number on me. 

Here we are with the Garcia's after trick or treating.  This is the day that started my downward spiral ;)

For some crazy reason I have had ZERO self-control this week.  I am usually pretty good at choosing healthy foods that will fuel my body to perform the way that I want it to.  This week I caved into temptation with candy that normally wouldn't tempt me AT ALL!!  The problem is that I go to work all day and barely eat anything and by the time I get home I am a ravenous beast.  The candy has been in my face, as my kids can't put anything away, and it's quick and easy.  I have been replacing my meals with candy, cookies, donuts and pretty much any garbage I could stuff into my pie hole.  I would eat crap and then feel guilty about it so I wouldn't really eat dinner, I would make a smoothie, this post has the recipe, and call it good.  I went to the gym every morning and weighed myself and when I wouldn't gain weight I continued to feed myself garbage.

I honestly felt like crap the whole week, my workouts suffered and I felt bad about myself.  Although my weight didn't go up I felt like a fat cow.  Last night as I was conditioning the older gymnasts one of the girls asked me if I "diet."  I told her that I never diet but that I try to make healthy choices, I then explained that I had not made such good choices this past week.  She said, "who has??"  I realize that it's completely normal to cave into temptation sometimes but we MUST have moderation in all things.  That is what I haven't done this week.  I usually don't deprive myself if I am really craving something but I try to keep it under control.

We must use food as fuel.  I have noticed that when I make healthy choices and eat right that I have a lot more energy throughout the day.  I am amazed that I have the energy that I do when I usually only get 6 and a half hours of sleep.  This week however, I had very little energy.  My workouts were not good, I almost feel asleep in spin class on Wednesday for heaven's sake :)  I took a nap which I rarely do and have been a bit of a slug all week.  Throughout the week it didn't really hit me as to why I felt so fatigued.  This morning as I was struggling through my 14 mile run I realized that what I had been putting into my body was causing me to feel this way.  I guess the old saying is true: "You are what you eat."  When I eat good, healthy foods I feel good but when I eat CRAP I feel like crap!!

It's important to fuel our bodies with whole grains, protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats.  I try to stay away from sugar and anything white as much as possible.  There are some great treats out there that are sugar free, but be careful because there are also some out there that will do a number on your gut ;)  But that is a story for another time...or not!!  Some of my favorite sugar free treats are Jello, Jello pudding, Sugar Free Stephen's Hot Chocolate and I have a chocolate, banana, peanut butter smoothie that is quite delicious.  I buy the Adam's all natural peanut butter so there is no added sugar and it is FABULOUS!!!  If you are like me and you like to have something sweet after dinner try fruit, it seems to work for me most days.  I found THIS that I really liked, I didn't watch the video but scrolled down to the text.

Here is a picture of a good mix.  Pizza with whole wheat crust, veggies, turkey sausage and turkey pepperoni, Cantaloupe, Salad and Chocolate donuts.  I think treats are fine in moderation and after you've had a good meal so that you are filling up on the good stuff, leaving little room for the treats.  This was a my go to pre-race supper for my summer races.

Sorry if I have bored you to death but this has been on my mind all day!

Do you notice a huge difference in how you feel depending on what you eat?

Do you struggle with making good choices and then beat yourself up about it?

Halloween Half Marathon!!

Today was spent running 13.1 miles while looking at all sorts of crazysauce people in costumes.  I have never been so entertained and loved every minute of it.  Holly and I decided to be twiners and I think we looked quite dashing ;)  We chose not to participate in the costume contest but thoroughly enjoyed watching those who did.  People are quite clever!

Due to the slow speed at which people were using the Honey Bucket's we ended up near the back of the first wave of runner's.  I usually try to be near the front because I can't stand being behind slow people.  The first 3 miles were spent at a pace much slower than I would have liked to have been at.  I tried to use the mad driving skills of Jake as I weaved in and out of people.  Although I hate when Jake cuts people off, I must admit that I did a lot of that.  People probably wanted to trip me or something but I had to get out of the crowd.  So if I cut you off I am truly sorry :)

This race went so fast I looked down at my Garmin and was so surprised to see that we were already at mile 10, it was an amazing run.

Going into this race I didn't have any goals.  I was really afraid that running in a hot hat and tutu would drive me crazy.  I also didn't want to go too fast down that mountain and injure myself.  I wanted to go and enjoy it and that's exactly what I did.  Holly and I ran it together and had a great time.
I finished in 1:37:30 with an average pace of 7:27, placing 10th in my age group.  This wasn't my fastest time by a long shot but I had fun and that's all that matters :)

It's VERY important to stretch after a race :)  Jake thought I was weird but oh well!

Poor Kenna was stuck at gymnastics and was so sad to have missed this race but we had to get a picture in front of the hearse :)

This race was AWESOME and I can't wait to do it again next year.  I love the shirt and medal!!  Would it be weird to wear a Halloween shirt year round?

Did you do this race and if so what did you dress up as?

Is it weird to do a race and not actually "race" it?

I think not, it's much more fun that way :)

Active HeadBands Winner!

And the winner is.....Rachelle Wardle! 

True Random Number Generator
Min:
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Result: 5

Congratulations Rachelle, it looks like you can get your green zebra striped headband :)  I just need your email address so I can let Active Headbands now that you won!! 

I guess since I am already signed in I may as well do a post.  Last week we went to California for a little family vacation.  It was so nice to get away from all of the stresses of life and just relax...or not  ;) and have fun!  Jake got to fly down for work so the kids and I hitched a ride with the Garcia's.  I was real nervous about driving all the way to San Diego with 5 kids but they were actually really good.  Jackson who is 2 is the craziest little guy and oh so entertaining.  He was driving Holly crazy but Kenna and I found him to be quite hilarious :)

 

I don't know about you but I LOVE to workout on vacation.  When we got to San Diego I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Hyatt Regency had an AWESOME little gym.  Sunday night I did a quick little shoulder workout just for fun.  Monday morning Holly joined me and we did chest, triceps and abs I then ran 10 miles.  This was really the first time that I have felt like I had a good run since my marathon.  It felt amazing and I was glad to be back to normal.  I had read that however many miles your race is that's how long it takes to fully recover, so 26.2 miles will take approximately 26 days to fully recover. So I guess that was just about right.    As much as I wanted to run outside it was dark and I didn't want to go and get myself lost so I stuck with the treadmill.  Monday the kids and I went with the Garcia's to Sea World where we met up with the Prestwich's, Jake was busy with work.  I decided that the Shamu show isn't nearly as exciting now that there isn't the risk of someone getting eaten during the show ;)  We had a lot of fun and afterwards we met Jake at BJ's for some dinner.  Here is where I was introduced to my new love...PIZOOKIES!!!  Don't worry Jake is fine with it :)  If you've never had a pizookie you must drive to the nearest BJ's and get one...I don't know where the nearest BJ's is but trust me it's worth the drive no matter the distance!!!

Tuesday we started the day with a little back and biceps and I ran 14 miles and again it felt great.  I knew I was heading to Disneyland where they have the most delicious cookies and I was going to partake :)  I finally found a cookie after hours of searching...California Adventures had some remodeling going on and I couldn't find my favorite little store with the cookies but after studying my little map I found a new place :)

Wednesday morning we were in a new hotel by Disneyland and they had treadmills but no fancy machinery so I just busted out 8 miles and called it good.  Disneyland was awesome, it wasn't very busy which was a nice surprise.  And Kobe actually went on EVERY ride...that never happens.  I don't know that he will ever go on a few of them again but I was proud of him for at least trying them.

Thursday morning I did hill repeats for 5.25 miles and finished up with 8 miles total.  Then it was off to Disneyland/California Adventures for one last day :(

Friday morning I ran 10 miles knowing that I was going to be stuck in the car all day, meanwhile Jake was enjoying his quick flight home.  We went to Seal Beach for a little bit and then it was off to St. George.  Saturday Holly and I went to the Gold's in St. George and did abs and I ran 8.25 miles.  It was nice to know that each day I got a workout in and I could enjoy my cookies without any guilt.  I ate a total of 1 Pizookie and 3 Disneyland cookies and let me tell you they were delicious!!  We were there for 3 days so at least they were spaced out right?!? 

Do you workout on vacation?

I DO NOT take vacations from working out...I love it too much for such craziness :)

Have you ever had the pleasure of enjoying a pizookie?

If anyone knows of a BJ's close by please keep that information to yourself, such goodness should only be enjoyed on vacation ;)

GIVEAWAY!!!!

So I told you a looooong time ago that I had a company offer to give away a $30 gift card on my blog.  I have been stubborn long enough!!  I never believed Jake when he told me how stubborn I was but lately I am starting to see what he means ;)  I said I wasn't going to do it until I got 50 followers but oh well, here it goes.  Take a look at the picture below and try to figure out what I could possibly be giving away...here's a hint it's NOT Kobe, although the day I took this picture I would have given him away ;)

Here is the original picture that I showed you months ago, let's see if you can figure it out with both pictures.

NO??  Okay the company is Active Headbands.  I absolutely LOVE their headbands, they are so cute and I wear them daily.  They really do stay in place and keep my hair somewhat under control.  They have a great selection and they are very easy to work with as a company.  I have an extremely pea sized head, I know it doesn't look like it but it really is ridiculously small.  While placing my orders I simply tell them of my quandary and specify the size the headband should be.  They make them special just for my freakishly small noggin.  They ship out really fast!!!  My daughter also loves to steal my headbands, they aren't just for running ;)

There are many ways to enter!!

1. Become a follower of my blog :) And leave a comment saying you did.
2. Become a follower of their blog HERE!  And leave a comment saying you did.
3. Like Active Headbands on Facebook HERE!  Leave a comment on their Facebook page and comment on my blog saying you did.
4. Follow them on twitter and leave me a comment saying you did.
5. Go to their website http://www.activeheadbands.com/ and leave a comment telling me what your FAVORITE headband is.
And last but certainly not least you can post this giveaway on either your blog or Facebook page.

I will chose a winner on October 23rd.  I know that is a long ways away but I will be out of town for a while so please bare with me :)  Of course, there are so many ways to enter it may take you that long to finish all of your entries ;)

What Running Has Done For Me!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how running has changed my life.  First of all, it got me my job at 26.2 Running Co.  Did they hire me because I am ridiculously fast?  NO!!  The fact that I am a runner probably didn't have a whole lot to do with them hiring me.  However, had I not been a runner why in the world would I want to work at a running store?  I have acquired A LOT of new responsibilities at work over the past month or so and I ABSOLUTELY love working there.  I love the environment and the people.  Not only do I get to talk to other adults all day but I get to talk about running.  What could be better?  For years Jake wondered why I never told him anything.  Well, for starters I had nothing to say.  I didn't really think he cared that I cleaned the house all day and changed 12 diapers.  I KNEW he didn't care about my workout, he doesn't love the fact that I am a workout FREAK.  I feel like I have a purpose again and I actually have something to talk to Jake about.  The ol' shoe shop can be quite entertaining!!  When my youngest started 1st grade I had a VERY hard time, everything I had known for the past 9 years changed.  I felt like no one needed me...I was a lost, lonely, little lamb.

I have met or gotten close to some of my best friends through running.  Running with someone for hours gives you a lot of time to talk and get to know each other.  I had "known" Niccole for a few years but didn't really get to know her until we started running together.  Holly and I got to know each other during the Utah Valley Marathon 2010.  The bond that running can create is amazing.  There is nothing better than having someone there to help you through a long, hard run and vice versa.  And no matter where you are running, whether it be in a race or just down the street, other runners love to talk!  Runner's must be some of the nicest people around.  I have always been an extremely shy person who would never just run up to someone and say "Yes!  I finally caught you!"  Yet, that's exactly what I did at my last marathon.  When I tell people that story they can't believe that I actually said that to the dude.  But guess what?  He didn't care, he gave me a big ol' smile and said he was coming to get me.

As a runner injuries are bound to happen and having someone to talk to who understands is vital.  When I was injured I would cry to Jake and he just didn't get it, "so don't run, who cares?"  He didn't understand that telling me not to run was like me telling him not to breathe.  Runner's get it!!  My boss was telling me how he ran up to Bridal Veil Falls a few weeks ago and when he was done he jumped into the cold river.  I said "Oh, that sounds fun!"  Although I was totally joking...I don't think he thought I was ;)  He said, "Runner's get it!"  Although, I was kidding I knew why he wanted to jump into that river.  Not only would it feel awesome after a hot run but it would act as an ice bath.  Non-runners DO NOT get why on earth someone would take an ice bath.  As runner's we do a lot of strange things that people just don't get.  Every Thanksgiving I do a LOOONG run and I love it!  My family thinks that I am CrAzY!!!!  I run on vacation and again my family thinks that I am crazy.  I don't run for weight loss, I run because I love it!  People wonder why I can't take a day off once in a while, why would I want to.  Why don't people want to take a day off of having fun once in a while?  I do take Sundays off, they weren't meant to be fun anyways ;) I'm totally joking!!  

And last but not least running has given me my sanity!  Being a working mom is HARD!  I never feel like I am getting everything done.  I am having to let things go that I DO NOT want to.  But every morning as I am working out and running, I appreciate it all the more.  That is "my" time and no one can take it from me.  For me running is the only thing that is keeping me somewhat sane right now!  Thank you running :)

I don't know what made me think up all of this non-sense.  But I also have to share how excited I am that I got into the Boston Marathon!  It finally hit me yesterday.  I was running along when The Black Eyed Peas started singing to me.  "Keep on reaching for your dreams, cause it ain't crazy as it seems!"  The song is called "Own it" and that is exactly what I am doing with this marathon.  "Go out and own it!"  Growing up I didn't really do a whole lot, I didn't do sports or run or much of anything.  I studied a lot and got good grades but I NEVER felt like I was good at anything.  Do I think I am a good or fast runner?  NO!!!  People tell me I am fast but I don't believe them.  All I see is how many people are better or faster than me.  But I realized that there will always be someone better or faster than me and it really doesn't matter.  I got into the most famous marathon out there and I am going to Boston.   

 I am actually shocked that we are going to Boston.  I really just wanted to qualify, I honestly didn't think that I would RUN the Boston Marathon!  The thing that I am most excited about is that I plan on enjoying this marathon, no PR for me during this one.  I want to soak up every last bit of it, not be miserable.  I would love to run with my camera, so what if people think that I am crazysauce?

What has running done for you?

Am I alone or do you think runner's are AWESOME?

Top of Utah Marathon!!

For starters let me just say that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this race.  Of course, we did get rained on, correction POURED on, correction HAILED on!  It actually became quite comical, the only thing I could do was laugh and I did a lot of that.  At the starting line it started pouring and everyone started to scramble about, a gal grabbed a big lid to a plastic container and 5 of us jumped under it with her.  They announced that the race was going to start so we had to buck up and go stand at the start.  As crazy as it sounds I actually didn't mind the pouring rain at all.  I warmed up fast and just tried to enjoy the view.  I loved the dark sky and clouds.  The leaves had started to change a tiny bit in some areas.  I just soaked up the beauty of it all.

The last couple of weeks my right quad has been hurting quite a lot, I was actually nervous to run this race for fear that I would injure myself.  I went to "Jorge's House of Pain" TWICE this week and he reassured me that my muscles were "mirroring" which I guess was a good thing.  The massage hurt just as much on the left quad, it was just as knotted up but for some reason I was only feeling it on my right...weird!  So I went into this race with really no expectations.  I knew I should take it slow and not try to PR or anything crazy like that. 

The first lots of miles my leg hurt pretty bad, I was worried but I kept plugging along.  At around mile 13 or so it was pouring like crazy and I was soaked, my capri's were soaked and clung to my legs which I think acted as an ice pack.  My legs started feeling GREAT.  At about mile 16 we could see a titch of clear sky and Holly said "I am going to run to that blue sky" or something along those lines.  So that's what I did.  I suddenly felt AWESOME!!  I saw my cute little family at mile 17 and that made my day.

As I was running along I realized that I was passing runner after runner and it felt great.  People were starting to slow down when I was finally feeling good and picking it up, I haven't checked my speed but at this point we were out of the canyon which meant no more down hill.  People were awesome and were cheering me on the rest of the way.  At one point a guy looked at me and said, "You look great...you feel great don't you?"  I said "Yes, I do!"  That was at about mile 19.  Shortly later a dude passed me and told me that I had been pacing him for quite a while and that I was rocking it.

At mile 19 my stupid Garmin got paused somehow.  I didn't realize it for about a mile I guess.  Mile 21 was where my dedication miles were supposed to start but since I was feeling AWESOMESAUCE I decided that instead of miles, I would spot someone up ahead that I wanted to pass and do that for my people.  First on the list was a guy waaaay ahead of me in a black and white shirt.  I started to second guess my awesomeness ;) for a bit.  I didn't think I was EVER going to catch him, but I had to do it for Kenna.  When I FINALLY caught him I said "YES!  I finally caught you, I have been trying forever."  He looked at me like I was some kind of crazy person and said "Well...here I come."  But guess what?  I never saw him again :)

I continued to pick people out and push until I got them.  It was quite enjoyable!!  Then at mile 23 when I was feeling awesome as ever, some guy got the crowd chanting "Pink, pink, pink, pink"  I was wearing pink and that made me have great happiness in my heart.  After it hit me how awesome that was I got a bit teary for a minute.  It was nice to get teary because people are awesome rather than because you are in terrible pain. 

Between mile 24 and 25 this guy caught up to me and said "You are killing it!"  I looked over to see a face that I had seen at least a half a dozen times or more throughout the race.  He would pass me, I would pass him, he would pass me, I would pass him, and on and on.  We ran together for a few minutes and then I think he may have had a voodoo doll or something that he started stabbing needles into because I got the worst side ache EVER!  I slowed down drastically but continued to push through the pain.  People must have been able to see my pain cause everyone kept telling me how close I was to the finish.

Then as I turned the last corner Tammy popped out at me and said "Come on!  You are 1st place in your age group!"  I tried my hardest to push through the pain but it was so hard.  She ran with me and continued to cheer me on telling me how awesome I was.  I was in such a zone that I didn't even notice Jake, Roberto and the kids cheering me on.  I finished the race and was a lone, little, lost lamb.  I got emotional from the support that Tammy gave me.  I looked up and saw Wendell from our Ward.  I don't know him very well but decided to cry to him for a minute ;)  Then I saw the two cutest little children of the corn that you've ever seen. 

I ended up finishing in 3:34:and some odd milliseconds.  Not a PR and NOT 1st place in my age group.  Jake and Tammy had received a text at mile 21 that I was 1st in my age group and not one single girl passed me the last 9 miles of that race.  I was so sad to see that not only was I not 1st but 11th in my age group.   But I will look on the brightside of things, I qualified for Boston again and I can't complain about that!  Holly qualified again too WITH an injury.  She did awesome!  The only way I can keep up with that girl now is if she is injured.

It was such an awesome race!  I got to run most of the first 16 miles with Holly and I felt awesome the last 10 miles.  We headed back to Jake's grandparents house for our ice baths, etc.  The grandparents are amazing!  They think we are nuts but hey, so do we :)  Jake tried to explain to Granny that we had to "carbo load" and take ice baths.  As we were driving to Logan on Friday his grandma called to say that they had bought us 3 bags of ice for our baths.  I just love them to pieces!!  As we arrived after the race soaking wet and freezing cold Grandma said "Are you sure you want to take an ice bath after all of that?"  Heck yea Granny, bring on the ice...just kidding we didnt' really say that :)

My sister in law, Stephanie, ran as well.  She PR'd by like an hour and a half or something crazy like that.  Way to go Steph!!!

What kind of GU etc. do you use?

I tried ROCTANE GU and holy schmoly it is awesome.  Okay, it still has that horrible texture but wow it made me feel awesome.  I would highly recommend it.

Do you take ice baths after races or long runs?

For sure, I really notice a difference in how my legs feel if I take an ice bath.  However, I am pretty sure the water in Logan is way colder than the water in Springville :)

P.S. Sorry if there were tons of grammatical errors but it has been a looooong day :)